Sapphire Princess June 3, 2006 The Odyssey

[pamwinn]

DISCLAIMER: This is a journal of our vacation. It will be verbose because I am writing it for my husband and sharing it with you. It will ramble. It will not be grammatically flawless and I call that writer’s license because that is what my English professors called it (minus 20). Those of you who do not enjoy this type of cruise review should stop reading now, before it is too late….and by the way, typos are my forte. Also, I’ve been known to fizzle out toward the end of these journals so I make no promises.

 

Wednesday, May 31st

 

A Brief (not a chance) Background

 

Today was the last day of post planning. Rex and I are both high school teachers so we are most anxious for this vacation. Teachers lead a difficult life for those of you that don’t know. We face many challenges, we shed many tears both joyful and from sorrow, we achieve many victories and we face many disappointments. We need this all too brief time in the summer to prepare for our next round of challenges and to reflect upon those things that worked and those that did not. We have to forgive ourselves for our failures, revel in our victories and reflect upon those things that will make us more effective the following school year. But first, we have to CRUISE!

 

Rex and I have been married for 23 years. We started cruising after he was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer. We, like many I suppose, spent our vacations visiting relatives and never really indulged ourselves to any extent. I am fortunate in that we have a wonderful marriage. People, who know us well, know this about us. We are unashamedly codependent. We are both extremely eccentric people and we may seem an odd match to those who know us both casually. Rex is an old fashioned gentleman. He isn’t just gentlemanly to me; he is a gentleman to all, male or female. He is the perfect man, ladies. He’s polite and well mannered. He’s the way a man should be in my opinion…or more, he’s the way we all should be…at least in that respect. He is also an anal retentive, obsessive-compulsive, and before this journey of ours is over, I am quite sure there will be many references to that fact. I am a tomboy….lacking many of the social graces and feminine qualities that would seem requisite for a female in a relationship with a gentleman. Though you cannot tell by looking at me now, I once was an extremely competitive athlete. I grew up outrunning, out climbing, out throwing, outsmarting and (embarrassingly) outfighting all the boys. When I had a date, I wanted to go bowling or to batting cages or something active like that. Mom finally starting saying, “why don’t you let this one win?” Sometimes I wanted to, but I never did. I still compete, but it isn’t physical anymore.

 

Rex was recovering from his illness and suggested we cruise. Looking back, I think he may have feared that time was short though he never expressed that sentiment to me. “No way, we can’t afford to blow money like that,” I said. I finally relented because he was so thin and weak and I wanted to make him happy. I booked a cruise to Alaska. One cruise and we were hooked. I have a direct deposit cruise account now and we will cruise at least once a year until we retire and then we’ll take the big one…thirty days minimum. I prefer Alaska to the Caribbean for reasons apparent to most who have been both places. Someday, we will venture beyond the shores of this continent, but for now, we are content cruising Alaska. We have not yet had our fill of the magnificent beauty there. For those of you not listening…do not put-off spending time with your significant other and don’t hold money so dearly. None of us know how much time we have and you can’t take it with you.

 

Preparations

 

I have tried to prepare myself for the things I expect from previous trips. Since I am a computer geek and video game addict I tend to lead a fairly sedentary home life…except for the Karaoke parties we have on a somewhat frequent basis. We go on a cruise and I turn into a hyperactive maniac, mentally regressing at least 30 years. This mindset typically results in some part of my aging body falling apart or sustaining some sort of annoying injury. I have been preparing my feet for the assault they are going to take by purchasing more than $100 worth of balms, salves, lotions and gel inserts in hopes that I won’t experience the heal crack from Hades I had the last time we cruised to Alaska. I’ve purchased Crest white strips so maybe when I smile at the Captain he’ll ask me if I’d like a bridge tour…thus far I’ve not been successful getting one of these. I have new makeup, new clothes and a new toothbrush.

 

If it’s electronic, I probably have one and much will be coming with us. I have my laptop and video iPod for the flight. I have no fear of flying, love it in fact, but since I can’t afford the first class premium seats, I am relegated to wedging my rotund rear into those tiny economy seats. I can only stand sitting like that, wedged upright, knees jammed into the seat in front of me, and shoulders curved inward, for so long. This is going to be a five-hour flight from Atlanta to Vancouver. All the people around us will probably get angry because I am up and about a lot on a flight like that. And for some reason, on pre-cruise flights, Rex and I start giggling uncontrollably like giddy little kids and people start giving us the evil eye. Sorry folks…can’t help it…I am not laughing at you…I promise….hahhahahha. Nancy and Virge have some kind of knockout drug (Virgil is a PA for the military) but I can’t tolerate medication like that. I don’t like taking an aspirin so I’ll probably just endure while slobbering, unconscious people snore and drool on my shoulder.

 

I discovered, much to my dismay, that the drycleaners shrunk my formal clothes. That’s my story anyway. I had 3 shopping days (5/27-29) to rectify this situation. On day one, when I came out of the shower, I discovered Rex on the lawnmower…outside the bathroom window. It’s a delay tactic. He was mowing in the woods! Give me a break…that is not going to work…we are going shopping. Why would a man decide to mow the woods on a shopping day? The woods have been fine for the last 11 years we’ve lived in this house. I am a unique woman in that I don’t enjoy going shopping anymore than most men. Rex knows that if he delays long enough beyond my initial resolve to go, I’ll change my mind and that is exactly what happened on day one. I am not going to admit to what slackers we were for the rest of the day.

 

One last chance shopping day two, we got up early and showered. But then we lazed around until almost 11 AM, doing what we do best…nothing. We had to first go to my mother’s house (maybe 35 miles) because Virgil’s mother was in town from Mississippi visiting my mother (sisters). Then we headed for the mall. There is a Sears there so we returned some of the LandsEnd stuff I ordered for the Alaska cruise and then went to Macy’s….nothing there but a drastically reduced pair of windpants…got ‘em. After leaving the mall we took a trip south to the Tanger Outlet and I miraculously found a silky black pantsuit in the Liz Claiborne store….not cheap though. We didn’t realize the stores closed at 6PM so we didn’t get the socks and walking shoes we both need so, on to day three.

 

I have weird feet. They are very wide with a freakishly high instep. Also, I walk like a duck so it makes getting comfortable shoes that support my arch extremely challenging. Has anyone ever noticed how ugly SAS shoes are? They are too ugly for me to wear. I just can’t do it. I also don’t like walking-shoes that look like they were made on Mars…like teens like to wear. I want conservative, yet stylishly orthopedic walking shoes. Maybe I should try Venus next time because they don’t exist in any of the 50 shoe stores I visited at Tanger. Found some underwear though.

 

Last-chance shopping day number three was Memorial Day. We got a late start as usual but we were not particularly concerned….until we arrived at the shopping center and discovered everything was closing early in observance. Rex can’t buy anything without showing it to me first so basically we shopped for him. He bought a really nice black suit that I picked out of course. He’s never had a black suit. He looks really good in it. Since he’s dated in his clothing preferences, I couldn’t talk him into any colored shirts so I picked out a nice black tie to go with his traditional, conservative white shirt. As a result, I was not able to complete my shopping. We worked Tuesday and had to go shopping after work. I still didn’t have the new underwear and did not want them making fun of my old stuff in the ship’s laundry room. They probably will anyway but at least it will be new. I can picture it now…the guys in the laundry room…hot and tired…one of them reaches into our bag and pulls our a giant pair of pink panties. “Hey, get a load of these…if we have engine trouble we can raise these and still make the ports”. Then he tosses them to the next guy who says, “I think they’d make a pretty good tent. Maybe I’ll campout on deck tonight.” And so on. Whatever, just don’t starch them please.

 

My cousin, Virgil, and his fiancée, Nancy, are going with us on this cruise and have arrived Wednesday 5/31 from Dothan, Alabama. We live in McDonough, Georgia. This will be their first cruise. Those of you who have read one of our previous cruise journals are aware that we generally encounter what we refer to as “misadventures” along the way and we do not expect this cruise to be any different. It is a way of life with us. We have come to accept these things as penalties of life and when we look back on them, we always get a good laugh.

 

The packing nightmare was worse than ever. Because of the holiday weekend and the fact that we do not have vacation only clothing, we could not get our laundry from the cleaners until late Wednesday. Rex was very late getting home. Some things have to wait until the last minute, like setting up for our friend to care for our three dogs and situating the plants and this time….packing. Even though they did not intend for their presence to slow us down, the fact that we had company did impede our progress somewhat. The horror struck me around midnight when it was apparent that 2 of our 4 bags were overweight. I had to totally unpack 3 suitcases and rearrange everything. I also had to leave behind quite a few items some of which were purchased specifically for this trip. It’s not likely I’ll be wearing LandsEnd fleece anytime soon in Georgia. I had to make the choice between warm weather items and cool weather items. Warm won out because I’ve been hot for the last three years. I hope it’s not cold in Alaska.

 

Because I had to repack everything multiple times, Rex and I only got 2 hours of sleep. Of course Virgil and Nancy went to bed around the bedtime of six year olds. We were not thinking clearly and I spent 30 minutes looking for my sunglasses, which turned out to be in my carry-on. It’s true; I was cussing as I do pre-airport on every cruise. If you wear prescription sunglasses and have light sensitive eyes, you know I was frantic. Those minutes were precious. I could have enjoyed a cup of coffee. (Rex had packed my sunglasses by the way).

 

I left my Alaska tourist photographers’ vest behind because it is too tight even though it fit two years ago. I was reminded of the way quite a few men look on formal night. I know they think we don’t know their jacket is unbuttoned because it doesn’t fit, but gentlemen…we know! It is very apparent that your jacket is a good four inches from buttoning no matter how much you try to suck it in. Leave it at home…you’ll be able to wear it next year. 8^)

 

Getting There

 

The taxi arrived at 5:30 AM to take us to the Atlanta Airport. Our flight was on Delta non-stop to Vancouver departing at 8:45 AM. It takes about an hour barring traffic mishaps to get from my house to the Airport. I couldn’t do the online check-in since someone needed to see our passports but I tried since Delta emailed me and told me to.

We were able to speed through curbside check-in once at the airport. I am glad more people don’t use that. The lines inside were hellacious.

 

During my frantic search earlier, Rex asked if we really needed to take two cell phones. Even though it made perfect sense at the time to only take one, on the trip to the airport, I realized the lunacy. How much space and weight does a cell phone take up anyway? Once settled in, I asked Rex if his cell phone was handy. I wanted to call my mother and let her know we were at the airport. He arched his eyebrow and gave me the “see how I planned ahead when doing my packing” look of superiority as he unzipped the bottom access of his backpack. Later, when he finished searching his backpack, my carry-on, and my pocketbook, it was clear that both cell phones were at home. He cleverly blamed this on Virgil saying that his cell phone was on his backpack in the house…damn Virge for trying to be helpful and carrying all that stuff outside. The nice things about cruising with other people are you don’t miss them if they are there and you are able to blame them for everything that goes wrong.hahaha.

 

I blame all of them for the cell phone fiasco…maybe if all three of them had not been asking me where is the last place I saw my sunglasses every two seconds, I would have been able to think clearly and I would have found them immediately…thus freeing me up to concentrate on the cell phones….damn them all.

 

The flight was uneventful, we lucked out and were two people in three seats. It made it a little more bearable. We landed and caught a taxi van to The Sutton Place downtown. The price on that was thirty Canadian dollars. You might as well ignore the exchange ratge as it doesn;’t amount to a whole lot as it did when I was here two years ago.

 

June 1, 2006- Two days until the cruise

 

The Sutton Place is considered a 5-Star hotel. It is the first 5-Star I’ve ever stayed in so the only thing I can compare it to is my 4-Star experience. Some were better and most were equivalent. The carpet is a little sticky, too. Even though I used Priceline to secure the room at about half the going rate, we lucked out again and were put in a Suite. We can see the water between the other tall buildings, but our view is mostly of Robson Street which we enjoy. I had a hard time with priceline this go around so tomorrow we check out and go to the Weston Bayshore. It’s a little bit of a hassle but I got the Westin for the fantastic price of $60. It’s a steal. It will be nice to compare the two hotels.

 

After we walked down Robson and had a bite for lunch Virge and Nancy gave in to exhaustion though I don’t know where it came from except maybe too much sleep. They slept most of the flight. Virge said he was just trying to sleep but generally when your head is flapping from side to side, and you are slacked jawed, with mouth wide open, making snorting sounds, you are asleep. During that stroll Virgil bought a Cuban cigar. It cost $52 dollars!!! I told him for that kind of money, he should get high when he smokes it (just kidding mom). Rex and I freshened up and went back out but we are so tired we just can’t last until sundown. Neither of us slept on the plane. It is five o’clock and I think we are in for the night.

[bdwyer]

I, for one, will be traveling with you for the next two weeks, at least in spirit (we're onboard the Sapphire when you leave on 6/17 - I believe you said on our rollcall that you'd be eating all of the lobster and crab; please be kind and leave some for us!).

Don't kid yourself - you're a great writer and no one will mind a few misspellings etc. We'll all be living vicariously through you! Thank you for sharing your personal enjoyment of the greatest travel around :)

[alaswhales]

Hey, fancy seeing you here! LOL I wish I had a laptop to converse with you while on the ship, but I will just have to look at your posts when we get back home and see if you did any of the things we did!!! I am going to try to keep a journal and then post it when we return home. I am new to this, but I see that the ships have a "roll call get together of sorts" and maybe I will meet you there!! Have fun at the wedding! We leave for Seattle in 4 hours. I work nights, so I am used to being up at this time, so I chose not to go to sleep at all. Maybe I will sleep on the plane. We are staying in Seattle until Sat. morning, then taking the princess shuttle to Vancouver to the ship. See ya soon (maybe)

[alaswhales]

Pamwinn,

I have just been reading more posts, and I see that there are no meet-n-mingles, so since I have no computer...........I will just have to tell you that we are in C701......perhaps you can call the room or slip a note under the door of where to meet. I would love that........always fun to meet new people. Hey, on our way home to Michigan, we fly from Anchorage to Atlanta!!! Funny! I also lived by Dothan, Alabama in Daleville for a little while ex was in Army.

[pamwinn]

Pamwinn,

I have just been reading more posts, and I see that there are no meet-n-mingles, so since I have no computer...........I will just have to tell you that we are in C701......perhaps you can call the room or slip a note under the door of where to meet. I would love that........always fun to meet new people. Hey, on our way home to Michigan, we fly from Anchorage to Atlanta!!! Funny! I also lived by Dothan, Alabama in Daleville for a little while ex was in Army.

 

Actually, Virgil and Nancy live in Daleville. I just figured the chance of anyone knowing where that was is slim. Virgil was stationed in the base hospital. He went to Iraq for quite awhile as a field surgeon. WHen he returned, he retired but continues as a civilian with the same job in the base hospital.

[pamwinn]

June 2, 2006- The Wedding

 

Virgil and Nancy are getting married today. They set up everything via telephone with a magistrate. Yesterday, we picked up the license on Robson. It cost $100 and had to be Canadian currency….no credit cards accepted. We originally planned to find a pretty place in Stanley Park for the wedding but it is raining. We talked to the concierge at the Sutton and he arranged for us to have a room in the Hotel. He said they would set up everything for us (just us four) and there was no charge. But they forgot to set it up.

 

Being from the East Coast, we were up roaming the streets at 4AM. Coffee shops were open here and there but obviously nothing else. It was already light outside…strange to us. It was slightly chilly, especially since I was wearing a short-sleeved blouse and flip-flops. Feeling inappropriately dressed, we returned to the hotel around 7:30.

 

We changed clothes, I put on a lot of makeup then we went back out for breakfast. Just around the corner is a small restaurant named Café Crepes. We had pannini’s. Mine was roasted eggplant because that seemed like the oddest thing to have for breakfast and I am on vacation so I want to experience different things…much better than the wafflehouse, which is considered fine eatin’ where I come from. They were very good but you have to make sure you go to this specific restaurant. We discovered that this is a chain and walked past many. They are not all equal. We got back to the room at 9:50. We speed changed into fancy clothes; I brushed my teeth and hair and stepped back on the elevator at 9:58. The elevator stopped on the fifth floor and Virge and Nancy stepped on. In a private room off the lobby, at approximately 10:03 AM, Virge and Nancy were married.

 

After the ceremony we put on our tourist clothes and walked around Robson Street a little more. We checked out of The Sutton around 1PM and were whisked over to the Westin Bayshore. We were able to check in immediately…unfortunately. This time we definitely were given priceline rooms….the view out the window was a lovely stucco wall. I think if you win a room on Priceline at the Westin Bayshore, you need to check in late. Oh well…can’t win them all. The room was clean but the carpet still had that sticky shampooed to often with gooey stuff feel to it. I have to give the edge to The Sutton Place. It looked newer and cleaner…especially in the public areas.

 

We walked the Sea Wall from the Westin to Canada Place and got a close up look at the Statendam. There was a cruise convention in the Pan Pacific Convention center so we strolled though for a look. By the time we walked back to the Westin, my feet hurt. I wish I knew how far that walk was.

 

I love the cultural and ethnic diversity in this city and I am looking forward to our post cruise stay, but at this moment I am anxious for tomorrow because that is when the real fun begins. Until then…

[pamwinn]

I just returned from a brief Seawall stroll. I could see the Sapphire on the far side of Canada Place. It is a little chilly this morning. We intend to wait as long as we can to embark in hopes of avoiding the crowds.

 

At some point yesterday afternoon I realized I did not have our cruise tickets. I am blaming Rex because he repacked the carry-on I had them in. He is blaming Virge and Nancy because he couldn’t get in the shower until 5 minutes before the cab came to take us to the airport. I can attest to the fact that it is a really sick feeling when this happens to you even though you know that they are expecting you and will let you on the ship.

[pamwinn]

June 2, 2006 continued

 

When I attempted to put my shoes back on so we could go out to dinner, my feet hurt so much I could not wear my tennis shoes. I had to wear deck shoes because they are low cut and loose. My tennis shoes actually bruised my ankles because they were still swollen from the long flight. It was apparent that I needed new, very low cut walking shoes….but I had to walk to get them. We walked to Denman Street and then turned left on Robson to begin the search. I was in a lot of pain. Right on the corner was a store named “The Running Shoe”. That is all they had…high topped running shoes. We continued on.

 

From the Westin, if you walk up Robson, you are walking uphill. It is a long steep hill that looked like a San Francisco street. I have new pride in my ability to endure pain. Every step was excruciating. There are no shoe stores, not a single one from the running shoe store until well beyond the infinite hill from hell. We walked past Pacific Palisades, which is where we stay post cruise. We made it all the way to The Sutton. That was a long painful walk. I purchased 2 pairs of reasonably priced tennis shoes…wide and stumpy looking, at a Payless Shoe Store. All the other stores had Adidas, Nikes and New Balance shoes for prices that were unbelievable. The same shoes I can get at home for $40-$50, were WAAAAAY over a hundred dollars….$175ish. What is going on? I changed shoes and made the walk back. We stopped just short of the hotel and had dinner in an Italian restaurant. We enjoyed an excellent Caesar Salad…probably the best I’ve ever had. Rex had broiled shrimp, which he said was incredibly good. I had spaghetti, which was pretty good, but my sauce is better. In an excellent restaurant, they are supposed to serve food that is better than I can prepare. I could not eat very much of it…exercise does not make me hungrier, but Rex had no problem finishing it for me.

 

Back at the Westin, we sat together on the side of the tub soaking our feet. I limped to the bed afterward. Rex came out with lotion and massaged my feet and I didn’t even ask. What a wonderful, considerate man! I love him.

 

June 3. 2006- Saturday

 

I just returned from a brief Seawall stroll. I could see the Sapphire on the far side of Canada Place. It is a little chilly this morning. We intend to wait as long as we can to embark in hopes of avoiding the crowds.

 

At some point yesterday afternoon I realized I did not have our cruise tickets. I am blaming Rex because he repacked the carry-on I had them in. He is blaming Virge and Nancy because he couldn’t get in the shower until 5 minutes before the cab arrived. I can attest to the fact that it is a really sick feeling when this happens to you even though you know that they are expecting you and will let you on the ship.

 

We arrived at the terminal around 12:30 and were in our cabin by 1:00 PM. Lack of tickets did not cause a problem. We enjoyed the afternoon admiring the Sapphire and moving into our home for 7 days. The ship pulled away from the dock near 3 hours late waiting for delayed flights from where, I do not know. Then it started….those of you who have read one of our previous journals may remember that we enjoy Stoli’s and Grey Goose…so began our quest. First we tried room service and were told that we could no longer order liquor to the cabin. Next, we tried Crooner’s and were told that they could no longer sell it but our Steward could get it for us. The bartender at Crooner’s told us (and pardon me Dave Berry, I am not making this up) that the reason Princess changed the rules was to prevent otherwise law abiding citizens from getting drunk and falling overboard. Our Steward, Jose, told us that we had to order through food and beverage services. We had a message from room service that said they could sell us a package…a 375ml bottle, Smirnoff only, with three cans of tonic so we relented, switched the tonic for tomato juice and received the package. The young man who delivered the package told us we could now go to the duty free shop and order a single bottle to bring back to the cabin. In the duty free shop we were told, “No way.” So we decided to inquire at the Purser’s Desk to get the real scoop. The young man at the Purser’s desk, who will go unnamed because I don’t want him to get into trouble, went to extraordinary effort to procure Vodka for us. He made numerous phone calls, keeping us entertained with great wit and humor all the while. The end result was, you can order two 375 ml Smirnoff packages, have them keep the tonic and charge back the tonic so you receive 750 ml of Vodka for roughly the same price as the good old days. The only thing is, for some reason, they didn’t bring the ticket so I am not sure if we were charged anything at all. I’ll check on this tomorrow and let you know. We have a decent supply now and haven’t cracked the first bottle.

 

We dined in Savoy and enjoyed our meal and then returned to the cabin, C748, around 10:30 to enjoy the aft view and listen to the sound of the wake. This is our first aft cabin and the view really is spectacular…now I understand the appeal.

 

A couple of policy change (since my cruise last summer) some Princess fans may be interested in…dress code restrictions for the dining room as stated in the Patter (this is the daily newsletter and schedule of events for non-princess readers) SHORTS AND T-SHIRTS ARE NOT PERMITTED IN THE DINING ROOMS. Jeans are allowed. Cigar smoking is now allowed not only in Churchill’s Cigar Bar but also in the Wake View Bar and The Aft Pool area including Outriggers Bar.

 

Misadventures thus far:

 

1. Formal outfit too little….rectified.

2. Upper lip rash from 5/31 wax job…fading.

3. Forgotten cell phones…oh well.

4. Wedding mishap. The hotel forgot to get the room ready it had dirty tables as bus boys were swarming around us pushing carts of dishes back and forth…I thought it was totally weird and ludicrous. If Virge and Nancy noticed, which they could not help really, no one said anything. I could tell the magistrate thought this high on her list of odd occurrences. I did too…They are married.

5. Foot explosion…on the mend

6. Lost Cruise tickets…major meltdown, I actually started stomping my feet like a small child throwing a tantrum….We are on the ship.

7. Alaska frizzy hair…happens every time, I expected it…don’t care.

8. Can’t get Grey Goose delivered to the cabin…contemplating solution. 8^)

 

Entertainment: Saturday 6/3

 

Comic Rodney Johnson

Dancing to Walking Miracles & The Bruce Gordon Trio

Resident band- Amante

Late Night Movie- “Good Night & Good Luck” starring George Clooney

At Crooners- Pavlo & La Passione

Resident showband- Impulse

Karaoke

 

 

June 4. 2006- Sunday At Sea

 

 

Our 10 AM excursion in Ketchikan (Back Country Jet Boat Adventure) was rescheduled for 7:20 AM. Though we are early risers, we decided to forego that and cancelled. We’ll be back.

 

We elected not to bring the coffee pot thus had to shower and dress to go to the Patisserie for the home brew. It’s worth a buck not to bring the pot and you can get free refills all day. It may not be the coffee connoisseurs dream coffee but it was good and vastly superior to the free syrup coffee served elsewhere on the ship. I later tried the coffee in the horizon court on a double dare. I believe they have changed the formula. I had decided I would add hot water to it to make it more the consistency of coffee and less like motor oil. I poured it in the cup and took a whiff. While I could still smell the familiar aroma, it did not take me to my knees so I decided it must already be “thinned”. I added half and half and discovered it was drinkable…not great mind you…but drinkable. I didn’t finish the cup though. After all, the double dare was only to taste it. I am going to through caution to the wind and order a carafe to the cabin tomorrow morning. I am on vacation…I take risks.

 

It was very nice on the balcony during the early morning…around 11AM we found fog. We disposed of one of the 375ers enjoying the sights, sounds, aromas and rhythm of the cruise from our balcony. I am glad I chose this cabin. This is the best cruise view. However, we bring so much and I am so anal about everything having a place, that I miss the extra storage available in a minisuite. If I had the choice between an Emerald mini and an aft balcony, I would struggle to choose. I would take the Aft balcony over a Dolphin mini but that’s because we had a dolphin mini the last time we cruised Alaska and every time I stepped on the balcony, some jerk would yell “Whale”! It took me awhile to catch on.

 

I think there may be some illness aboard. At least, precautionary measures have kicked up a notch. There are no salt and pepper shakers on the tables and the hand sanitizer stations are staffed with people offering “gentle” reminders to utilize the gooey stuff. I don’t need urging. I am utilizing the stuff every time I walk past a dispenser to do all I can to avoid a misadventure that would be difficult for me to overlook. I wish they had them outside the elevators and at the bottom of stairs…buttons and rails having been touched by hands that have been god knows where…ya know?

 

New outfit and all, we had to forego the first formal night. As FATE would have it, something went awry, resulting in misadventure #9. I decided to polish my nails as they looked a little worn since Wednesday’s manicure. The nail polish remover would not work. The more I tried, including soaking until my fingers were burning, the more opaque and gunkier the polish on my nails became. This is only a guess but I am thinking the man who did my nails, was a cretin. I think he used acrylic nail glue or something. Acetone certainly has no effect on it other than the gunk factor. Now I have to walk around with my fingers curled under. I call it the chimpanzee curl…my knuckles don’t drag on the carpet though. Oh well, life is grand.

 

Entertainment: Sunday 6/4

 

Piano Man

Dancing to Walking Miracles & The Bruce Gordon Trio

Resident band- Amante

Comic Rodney Johnson

Late Night Movie- “Rumor Has it” starring Jennifer Aniston

At Crooners- Greg Watson

Impulse

Princess Pop Star Heat #1

 

Instructions: How to make your refrigerator work:

 

The door to the refrigerator is attached to the cabinet door via a hard rubber strip that slides into a notched fitting that is attached by screws to the refrigerator door. I loosened the screws that attach the strip to the cabinet door to make this easier but it probably isn’t necessary. This set-up prevents the refrigerator door from properly closing. The refrigerator-generated heat is trapped in the cabinet and everything in the refrigerator is only slightly cool.

1) Open the cabinet door as wide as possible

2) Warm your hands by the heat trapped inside the cabinet.

3) Grab the rubber strip and slide it through the fitting being careful not to snap it.

4) You can now properly close the refrigerator door and leave the cabinet door cracked to allow the heat to escape.

Alternately, you could remove the screws that attach the fitting to the fridge instead. I did this in the dark so I couldn’t see well. I chose the loosest screws. The screws have Phillips heads. Since I did not bring a Phillips head screwdriver (oops..forgot something else) I used the blade in my nail clippers.

 

Everything in our refrigerator is now ICE COLD!

 

June 5, 2006 Monday- Ketchikan, Alaska

 

Early in the AM it was drizzling rain and chilly. We got of the ship and strolled around for a couple of hours and then came back on board. I had a manicure in the Spa. Though it was my intent to save money onshore, there were no nail salons within walking distance. The cracklesque shellac on my nails had to be buffed off because they had nothing that would remove it. I thought my fingers were going to combust from the friction. No one could identify the stuff the CTRETIN put on my nails. We were delayed by people who can’t tell time and pulled away around 2:45. Virge and Nancy enjoyed their Saxman Native Village excursion. We enjoyed all the bald eagles. It is very cold this trip. I am chilled to the bone. Be prepared.

 

Entertainment: Monday 6/5

 

Cabaret Showtime

Magician Garry Carson

Piano Man

Dancing to Walking Miracles & The Bruce Gordon Trio

Resident band- Amante

At Crooners- Greg Watson

At Crooners- Greg Watson

Late Night Movie- “Matador” Starring Pierce Brosnan

Impulse

Princess Pop Star Heat #2

[meemeec]

I am loving your account of this trip!! The story about your fingernails had me crying with laughter. I really identified with your exploding feet.....been there and done that!!!

[skarletohara]

Pam,

I'm enjoying your review so much. We'll be aboard 6/24 on the s/b route..

We'll also be staying at Westin Bayshore so appreciated hearing

those comments as well!

[Coolbreeze20716]

PamWinn: Your accounts are hilarious! And informative. I have really enjoyed reading them!

I will be on 6/17 Sapphire n/b with ACM & Co. and Bdwyer.

[LisaH]

I am so enjoying reading your trip report. It is delightfully refreshing. THANK YOU!

[mii]

Pam your detailed report is a hoot. Thanks for the laughter and if there are problems you are handling well. Again thanks and am looking forward to the rest of the cruise.

 

Marilyn

[pamwinn]

The best thing so far about the aft balcony is the relative lack of wind. It’s cold out and I don’t think there are many people sitting on their balconies. We don’t get the wind chill effect so we have utilized ours quite a bit. The best part of cruising Alaska for us is not the onboard entertainment, the food, or the ports. It’s all about the view. We have a great one this time.

 

I know there are those who disapprove of booze smuggling. We have never done it before today. We wanted some Stoli’s not Smirnoff. I think of Smirnoff as rotgut. So we went to the liquor store conveniently located right next to the dock and purchased a 750 ml of Stoli’s for the outrageous price of $17.95. Most of the bottles in that liquor store are plastic with plastic lids to boot….wonder why? I put it in my pocket and walked right on the ship. It was the challenge. We don’t need it. We have a huge stash now. Booze isn’t the same when it’s cold out. The Bloody Marys on the balcony are yucky without the spicy hot clamato juice. We are going to have to do some sharing because there is no way we are lugging all of this back to Atlanta.

 

There is a little round peephole on the balcony. It’s about butt tall. I don’t think we have the getting naked types next door on this cruise…but they could be peepers so I stuck a cotton ball in the hole. They are balcony light people. They turn it on and then leave. It interferes with the scenery and makes it hard for me to play my imaginary seafarer games.

 

Jose (Steward) repaired our refrigerator cabinet today. It broke again almost immediately.

 

We stayed out and about until 10PM…that’s 2AM Georgia time and finally called it a night. I just wish Rex didn’t always want to watch animal planet before going to sleep.

 

June 6, 2006 Tuesday- Juneau, Alaska RAIN

It’s a bad hair day. My hair turned into a giant furball so Rex gave me a haircut last night. He stood in the shower and I sat in a chair in front of him. Without the length to weigh it down, the top is sticking straight up. The room service guy bringing our coffee jumped back when I opened the door (I had not brushed it yet). I said, “don’t laugh at my hair”! He said, “no mam”, and smiled the smile one gets a split second before breaking out into hysterical laughter. I gave him 5 bucks for being able to hold back.

 

As we approach Juneau I am wrought with emotion. It is so beautiful. I have to get my mother here. As I type this we are passing a couple of water falls, the scale of which I can’t even estimate…five hundred feet, a thousand feet…that appear out of the clouds and zig zag their way down the mountains emptying into the ocean while a bald eagles sits placidly by perhaps looking for a breakfast delivery. I am so envious of the people who live here and wake up each day to look upon it. Do they take this for granted? No. That would not be possible. We have no plans for Juneau today. Maybe we will take a trip to Mendenhall. In the past, we’ve been whale watching with Captain Larry, we’ve been to the Red Dog Saloon, we’ve taken the Tram to the top of Mount Roberts and hiked around.

 

Service on the ship has been incredible thus far. Even in the horizon court, waiters will walk by, see the coke sticker and offer to bring a coke. It’s really nice to be rich for a week.

 

Libby Riddles, the first woman champion to win the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, will be onboard today. I am looking forward to meeting her.

 

Entertainment: Tuesday 6/6

 

Gala Showtime with Donnie Abraham

Dancing to Walking Miracles & The Bruce Gordon Trio

Classical Concert with La Passione String Quartet

Late Night Movie- “Mrs. Henderson Presents” Starring Judy Dench and Bob Hoskins

Resident band- Amante

At Crooners- Greg Watson

Impulse

Karaoke

 

This has to be a mistake in the Patter. It reads:

 

Pick & Mix

Combine any three of the following for $795

Minute foot and ankle massage * Repolish (Hands or feet) * 15 minute Scalp massage * Deep conditioning hair treatment * Comb out

 

As you might imagine the phone lines are tied up and people are stampeding the Spa to get in on that bargain!

 

We had a nice breakfast with Virge and Nancy then they set out on their excursion. It rained all day in Juneau. This is where I have an advantage over many. The rain calms my hair down a bit so it doesn’t bother me at all. I was prepared for anything. I wore my gortex jacket and my silk long johns…top and bottom. No problems with the climate today. We walked around town more than we ever had. I bought a mystic topaz pendant and a couple of twenty-four inch gold chains. Ammolite prices have skyrocketed since our last visit. If we make it to Victoria before going back to GA, I’ll check there. They were 90% less than anywhere else two years ago. I also bought a big warm Alaska Jacket, as my gortex is unlined. I bought one that I can wear a sweatshirt or two under. I am ready for Glacier Bay now.

 

Of Course, we had to stop at the Red Dog for a Sam Adams. When we returned to the ship, we needed to dispose of the six OJ’s we ordered from morning room service and didn’t use (those empty H20 bottles come in handy) so we had screw drivers while watching the shivering run to the ship.

 

Later, we attended the Libby Riddles presentation. The first female anything is pretty important to me, but the first female winner of the Iditarod is something special. We had our picture taken with her afterward (our camera- no charge) and she personalized her book “Race Across Alaska” for my mother. (Mom, this is better than jewelry).

 

We held up pretty well Monday night but it is 8PM (Midnight at home) and we are sleepy. I hope we don’t have to watch that Animal Planet rerun again.

 

Thus far, we’ve been good about not overeating on the cruise...let’s see if we can keep it up…I’m thinking not.

 

June 7, 2006 Wednesday- Skagway, Alaska Cloudy 48 degrees Fahrenheit

 

I am going to do my best not to go to bed before midnight AK time tonight. I woke up last night at 2:30 AM and that was pretty much it for me except some restless napping. It was twilight outside. I don’t want to miss any of the scenery. It’s magnificent. We do not have any excursions planned. In the past, we’ve always taken an excursion or driven into the Yukon so we’ve never simply experienced this quaint little town…thought I am sure we can experience the town in entirety in under an hour. I enjoy hearing from the locals about their lives.

[Mirage3232]

Pam, I have truly enjoyed reading the recaps of your days onboard the Sapphire Princess. I am jealous that you get to be on there for such a long period of time. I just returned a few weeks ago on the Sapphire to the Mexican Riviera. I hope you continue to have fun (mishaps and all)! I thought my family was the only one who had really crazy, outrageous things happen to us. :)

 

If you're up for a little adventure while you're onboard, I can give you a little task. Can you find Stefan (Vasile) in the Savoy Dining Room one night at dinner time and give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek from Deanna in Boston! He was in the Savory at dinner every night when we were onboard a couple of weeks ago. I don't know if he's still in the same place...first section on the right when you walk in. That would be a kick if you actually found him and did that! hahaha! I am laughing already.

 

Well, enjoy the rest of your cruise. I look forward to more postings!!!

 

-Deanna

[Colo Cruiser]

The liquor escapades are hilarious, every Princess ship I sail on I get 10 different stories from employees on why I can or can't order this or order that. I am amazed that the whole compny is still that out of whack. :D

 

 

Guess it will never change.

[cindiedee]

Pam! I am enjoying your "travails" sooooo much - you have really got to write a book when you get home!

 

Enjoy and many more cruises for you and you DH! :cool:

[katisdale]

Pam, better animal planet than old "forensic files" on court TV. I wouldn't trade my DH for any other guy in the world but his TV tastes are amazing.

[alwayscoldmom]

Pam, Great report so far! Do you know if they charge for hot chocolate in the dinning room? Is there a covered and heated pool on board? Can't wait to hear how you like skagway.

 

p.s. everytime I see a bald eagle it still gives me a thrill:D

[pamwinn]

I don't know about a charge for hot chocolate in the dining room, I will try to find out. All the pools are heated, both indoor and outdoor. I have seen a few brave souls swimming in the outdoor pools. THe hot tubs are also being used.

[pamwinn]

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…..

 

We got off the boat around 8:30 AM or so and walked into town. There is a shuttle from the dock into town that is $1.50 pp each way but it’s a very short walk even with my sore feet. First stop was the Avis car rental office, which has moved two blocks down from the previous location. Just walk to where the cars are parked and turn left. You will see the sign. We arranged for a van for next week. I don’t think a lot of people drive the Yukon Highway because the page that had our reservation on it only had a few names under ours. There was an outside bench near the Avis office where we sat down to plan our attack. I am grateful that it is not a busy street because this is when it happened. There was a bee buzzing around and instinct told me to flee but I didn’t listen. The friggen bee flew up my pants and stung me behind the knee. I jumped up and you guessed it…ripped my pants off and flung them out into the street as fast as I could, jumping up and down like a lunatic. Thank God I bought the new underwear. Rex yelled “what are you doing” and ran to get my pants. There were three male crewmembers (Skagway is their off port) sitting on a bench across the street laughing their @sses off. I was very embarrassed and mad beyond description. Rex had to take a bicycle rickshaw back to the ship so he could get my Benedryl as we forgot to bring it with us since we weren’t taking an excursion. Later back on the ship in the Neptune pool area, I saw two of the crewmembers snickering at me. I smiled and they walked over. One asked for my autograph so I gave it to him…signed it “Nancy Speece.”

 

That part of the adventure behind us, we did the tourist thing and bought some t-shirts and a White Pass fleece vest for Rex. He has the LGB White Pass steam engine that they sell in there for 4K. That’s more than a 300% mark-up. I found an Ammolite pendant that seemed decently priced so I got that. There are only a few jewelry stores in these ports that are locally owned. I look for those and they get my money if anyone is going to. My feet, which are still giving me fits, led me to a store that had some interesting looking shoes. I bought a pair because when I tried them on, my feet felt better. They have to be the ugliest shoes I have ever seen. They are Keens. The shoes are shaped like flippers…sorta like my feet. They bear some resemblance to bowling shoes. Part of the shoe upper is red leather. The black rubbery soles come up over the toe. The tongue and trim are an ugly brownish color with gold brocade….very strange indeed….but they felt like heaven so I am now wearing them. I’ll give them to my sister-in-law at some point because she loves ugly shoes…especially red ones.

 

Before we returned to the ship, we stopped in a local bar (not the Red Onion) for an Alaskan Brew. It goes pretty well with benedryl. This is when Rex finally starting laughing about the bee incident. I didn’t like it but I have to give him credit for not laughing earlier. There is a lot of swelling but it really doesn’t hurt that much.

 

We took a nap after returning to the ship then attended the most traveled cocktail party in Skywalkers and had our picture taken with Captain Guerrini. He remembered us because the last time I had asked him to do the rabbit ear thing to Rex. It is apparently a vulgar hand signal to Italians and he remembered that…then he did it again. The hors de oeuvres were unbelievable and there was enough food for ten times the people in attendance. It’s difficult to eat hors de oeuvres by day 4 of a cruise though. We left before the end of the cocktail party (I was hot) so we don’t know who the most traveled passenger is or how many days they had. I know that we were in the top three according to a message I received from the circle host to verify the number of sea days.

 

The people in the cabin C746 are sick. I’ve seen the door propped open and someone is always in bed and two stewards go in there wearing strange looking masks. Rex isn’t feeling very well and it has me worried. I’d had to spend the rest of the cruise under quarantine. Hopefully, it’s the sushi and will pass. We skipped dinner, I hope it wasn’t crab legs. I wasn’t sleepy so I left Rex to rest and went down to watch Princess Pop Star. I had a good time and enjoyed all the participants…the good, the bad and the ugly. They were all entertaining to me. It’s 11PM and twilight outside.

 

Entertainment: Wednesday 6/6

 

The Antic Arts Show Starring Vaudeville Entertainers Other Brothers

Dancing to Walking Miracles & The Bruce Gordon Trio

Klondike Showtime Starring Steve Hites

Greg Watson

At Crooners- Piano Melodies with Kerry Swan

Late Night Movie- The Family Stone Starring Sarah Jessica Parker

Princess Pop Star Final Heat

Resident Band- Amante

 

TIP: Bring Chap Stick or some facsimile.

 

When the light is just right and I look up from this keyboard into the mirror, my nose looks just like Karl Mauldin’s nose. I’d have to sacrifice a couple of cruises to have it taken care of….must be why cruisers are such a gnarly lot.

 

June 8, 2006 Thursday- Glacier Bay

 

Wow! It’s a clear and beautiful day. I just saw a humpback breach from our balcony and we haven’t even embarked the Park Rangers yet. The scenery is absolutely spectacular. The skies are clear and sunny. Majestic snow capped mountains surround the ship. I think the roundtrip Alaska Cruises can’t hold a candle to the North-South bound cruises. Glacier Bay is a must. I better increase my direct deposit amount into my cruise account so I can do this again next year.

 

In Glacier Bay, we viewed Lamplugh Glacier, Johns Hopkins Glacier, Grand Pacific Glacier and Margerie Glacier where we witnessed some nice calving. It was hot on our Aft Balcony and fairly warm on the upper decks.

[mtaylor04]

Oh my goodness, I am laughing so hard I cannot see. I can just see you ripping those pants off and standing there in your pink undies. I'm glad your ok so I don't feel bad about laughing....keep it coming

[mumom95]

I have been reading these boards for over a year now, I don't post often but I just have to say this is the funniest post I have ever read. I have been checking the site every couple of hours just for updates. It really makes my day. Thank you!!

[Lynda90]

Pam, I am so enjoying your review. I remember another review that your wrote and I was hanging on your every word at that time as well. Cannot wait until your next installment. I am sitting at home by myself laughing like a total idiot. Keep it coming and thanks for so much enjoyment. :D :rolleyes:

[TexasMom2]

First response was, "ahhh, they're so much in love" and then quickly turned to laughter. I think we can all see a little bit of our own mishaps in yours. Keep up the good work!