09/08/06 Mercury:Alaska ......My story ( long )

[bububr]

Okay, I'm not a professional writer in anyway, but taking a cruise make me what to write, and I do. I hope you might find some valuable information in my story,as well as some humor.

 

This trip was special to me in may ways, but the most important was because of my mother.

 

My mother has Macular Degeneration. She has lost almost all of her sight in one eye, and the other is beginning to deteriorate. She just recently had to retire early as she cannot drive anymore. I wanted her to have something memorable and fresh in her mind if some thing were to happen rather quickly and this trip did not disappoint. Although I or my dad had to read the menus to her at dinner, she could make out the dolphins that raced the ship in the inside passage, and much of the scenery we experienced. For Mom.

 

 

Pre-face

This was our first cruise to Alaska. We are Elite members of the Captains Club,

and although we have sailed other lines Celebrity is our line of choice.

 

This cruise was special for many reasons. We had been planning it for nearly a year.

It would be a 10 year anniversary of John and I, along with the anniversary of our

marriage last year in Nanaimo, BC while on the Mercury PNW cruise. In addition it

would be the 50th anniversary of Johns parents, my parents 44th as well as my fathers

65th birthday .so we had a lot of celebrating to do. Coming along with us would

be my parents best friends from childhood who we later found out were also celebrating

their anniversary. We had slyly kept the fact that five of Johns parents family

and friends were also to join us in this celebration; they were supposed to be a

surprise at dinner the first night. With the exception of John and I, for most this

was only their first or second cruise experience.

 

We all anticipated a great time as we flew in from Hartford, D.C, Norfolk, Long

Island, Florida, and Chicago. Our small sub group ( John and I , Johns parents,

my parents, and their friends) were to fly in the day before and spend the night.

 

With the new elevated security measures, we had decided to pack a separate checked

bag with our shaving and toiletry items. This worked out just fine. We left out

from Chicago/Midway on time without problems and arrived as scheduled in Seattle.

 

We had reservations at the Marqueen hotel. The hotel itself is a three story brick

building originally built for workers of Ford Motor Company as a residence in 1918.

The hotel retains much of its charm today, including the absence of an elevator.

The lobby is elegantly furnished , and the staff eager and knowledgeable. There

is a spa located within the building, as well as a coffee house that rivals Starbucks.

The blocks that surround the hotel are filled with a hodge podge of eateries from

all you can eat Indian, to English style pubs, to Mexican, sushi, Chinese, burgers,

fondue and of course fine dining establishments. A block away are convenient grocery,

drug, and liquor stores. A bit further is the Space Needle and Worlds Fair

location.

 

The standard rooms in the hotel are really not, they are more like suites. Each

has a separate sitting room/area, a large tiled bath, a separate kitchen, large

windows, 12' ceilings, hardwood floors and area rugs..Its the equivalent

of staying in a small one bedroom apartment. The evening we were there they had

a wine reception in the lobby which was a really nice touch and we met some folks

who were also on our cruise. My folks and their friends opted for some sight seeing,

John and his parents opted to relax a little.

 

We decided to start at the Space Needle. It was a good 10 minute walk on a beautiful

night. On the way we happened across a gallery opening and stuck our heads in for

a look. There was much to see and the complimentary wine and cheese wasn't bad

either. We ended up purchasing some small pieces before continuing our trek to the

SN.

 

Tickets to the top ran $14.00 each ( $12.00 for seniors) and we made our way. I

had been previously a number of times, but am always awed by the view. After spending

about an hour on top, we made our way down to the gift shop, spent some money and

headed off to dinner. We had decided on '10 Mercer ' which is affiliated with

the hotel. We were not disappointed. Our food tasty, served hot and delivered timely.

Returning to the hotel we stopped at the grocery store and picked up some bottled

water, and Snicker bars and a bottle of wine.

 

Our first day of vacation was coming to an end. So far so good..

[JuneauWhatIMean]

More! :D

[bububr]

Embarkation (09/8/06).We all awoke fairly early and headed out for some breakfast. We chose Ozzie's Dineras recommended by the hotel, once again we were not disappointed with the food. The only slight problem we had was due to a few item mix ups on orders. The food was not wrong, just on the wrong plates....part of it had something to do with people changing their minds after they had already ordered.....It was straightenedout in only a few minutes. We walked back to the hotel and had the shuttle load us up, then headed down to the pier.

 

We arrived at about 11:00. It seemed as people were still disembarking, but we were instructed to drop our bags with the porters and head inside to check in. Being early, there was no line to speak of. We were given the now mandatory NORO questionnaire, and pointed in the direction of the check-in. We walked briskly through the maze of ropes to the first available clerks and proceeded to surrenderour online check in forms. Within minutes we had seapass cards in hand and were headed to the gang way. Turning the corner we were then faced with security screening......which some passengers just don't listen. The lines were slow due to passengers NOT following instructions. After having people not taking their cell phones out of their pockets, arguing to not put their cameras through, and the occasional metal hip replacement that had to be scanned . we were making our way to the ship. We posed for a group picture,

 

I decided to take a quick shower before dinner. The usual CC items were in place and there was plenty of hot water. Stepping out of the shower I stepped into a flooded bathroom. The water was up to the lip on the door, and the pink bathmat looked likea giant sponge. I carefully waded through the lake in my bathroom, and proceeded to call Michael my cabin attendant. Michael was not answering so I then call guestservices, and they responded with in 10 minutes by sending a plumber. We were already dressed and ready for dinner when he arrived and went for pre-dinner cocktails.

 

Since we had such a large party (13 of us) we were assigned two adjacent tables aft, by a window. The first night was CASUAL and most of us wore what we boarded with, some of us changed no one showed up in jeans. We were greeted by Burak,the Asst. Maitre'd who would make it a habit of visiting us every night to make sure all was well, Our waiter Oscar, his assistant Milton, and our sommelier Melaida.

 

Dinner was excellent, and as scheduled we had a birthday cake delivered to my dad for his 65th along with the choral of waiters singing.

 

Next stop, the casino; only to lose $20.00.

 

Returning back to the room I encountered Michael and his assistant Anthony. They let me know that the plumber found a giant clog of hair in the drain,and they apologized for the inconvenience. I looked him straight in the eye and proclaimed "So thats where my hair went!. Can I have it back? They looked at me, looked up at my follically challenged scalp and they let out a burst of laughter.

 

It was late. I stood out on the veranda in the night air while talking to John aboutwhat our plans for tomorrow would be. Brushed my teeth, and fell into bed. I wouldsleep like a log, but I disregarded something very important. Unfortunately for me, I would find out in the morning.

[bububr]

Day 2 ( 09/09/06).

 

Today was a sea day. I awoke from a good sleep, and slid out of bed heading for the bathroom. Looking down I was shocked. John Burst our in a hearty laugh "What did You Do? He exclaimed!" As I was still in shock, I did not answer, only stared.

 

Don Sherman was the comedian on this cruise, and during his act he does a bit which would be QUITE relevant to me. The bit was about Chocolate, specifically the chocolate that the stateroom attendants leave on your pillow. (For those of you that were there, you're most likely chuckling.)but unfortunately it was not quite like Dons scenario. You see, that little piece of evil... trouble making... chocolate some how made it down to my waist area. Yes, It looked like a giant skid mark on the sheets and was all over my PJ's.......HOW EMBARRASSING!!!. I immediately changed and made a dash for the cabin door..I had to tell Micheal and Anthony that it was only chocolate, although I think they might have figured it out being the wrapper was glued to the sheet. I found them, explained the situation, and they smirked.

 

I returned to the room. We showered dressed and went to breakfast in the main dining room for our long awaited 'Eggs Benedict', and it was worth the wait.

 

We had our Cruise Critic Party scheduled for 10:00 AM in the Pavilion Nightclub, unfortunately the events co-coordinator Angelina, had the party set up in the Navigator lounge.

 

Prior to the party, during embarkation, we were getting one member of our group settled, and stepped out of her cabin. Down the corridor an attractive young couple was entering their cabin. Our eyes immediately met, we both paused. The woman spoke"Dave?" I replied Ali?" (JuneauwhatImean). It was surrealistic, Like long lost friends running through a field of flowers with orchestral music playing in the background. We hugged and introduced our other half's to each other.

 

Funny how something like chatting on a web thread can make such a bond between people who have never met.This was only the first of many meetings from Cruise Critic threads.

 

Getting back to the CC party fiasco....

 

There was a good turn out, about 12 out of 27 ( of course it might have been better if the 'Passport Shopping Seminar' wasn't scheduled at the same time ). The room was vacant except for our small group and a young woman cleaning the hand prints from the stainless steel poles, and eyes began to focus on me"Wheres the party Dave?"

 

A bit confused, as I have attended CC party's before, I looked at the Invite. Right place, right time, right day....Hmmmmm????

 

So I made my way down to the Grand Foyer and saw Justin ( Captains Club Host ) at his desk. "David, right?" he said. ( I thought I'm famous already!...what did I do that I didn't remember? Had I been drinking the night before...DUH!!). He shook my hand and asked what he could do for me. I informed him about the current status of the situation ( I just like the way that sounds ). He picked up his radio, and called the Events Co-coordinator. She called back and informed me that she would meet us at the lounge. I returned upstairs,and she soon followed.

 

It was now 20 minutes into our party, and no party!!! So we headed over to the Navigator Club.

 

By now our table set up had been picked over by the NON- Cruise Critics. Angelina apologized and promised to send a bottle of "champagne" to each of us.( Unfortunately,the free booze never materialized.). We still had a nice time interacting, and who needs to be snacking anyway when lunch is right around the corner. Unfortunately,Terry and Amy ( Cruise Lady 25, IndygalAO) missed the party also to a mix up. We received a note on our door the next day explaining what happened

 

We decided to forgo BINGO for the Honeymooners and Anniversary party back at the Pavilion Night club. ( It was the day of our ten year anniversary, and the one year anniversary of us being legally wed in Nanaimo BC. Prior to the cruise we upgrade dour gold bands to platinum and diamonds to celebrate our first decade together ). I think people were a bit surprised to see two men together, but everyone was welcoming. Johns parents came along to commemorate their 50th. We had our pictures taken, and were served a glass of "champagne" as we sat at a cozy table four four, and then we were captured on DVD for the moment to be eternalized. A band played, couples danced....and the cake was good too! It was a good time for all.

 

John went off to the buffet, and I headed to the pasta bar for a bite to eat before going to the lecture on "Brown and black bears of Alaska" by naturalist Brent Nixon.

 

Now, I love animals, nature, and learning about them so I was anxious to see these seminars on board. While I think Mr. Nixon does an excellent job of providing information I have to wonder if people were attracted to his showmanship, or the educational aspect of it. ( Picture Animal Planet meets Extreme Home Make Over. )

 

You enter the theater for information and are blasted away as he dispels the myth sand rumors of the creatures around us. I enjoyed the presentations but at times felt like I was being spoken to as if I was 5 years old. Regardless, Mr. Nixon kept the interest and attention of everyone, and applause and laughter abounded as he demonstrated how a bear poops.

 

About this time, the ship began to rock, and rock, and pitch, and rock and pitch.It got pretty rough.

 

To make it even more interesting it was the first Formal evening,and the Captains welcome party. From what I noticed people were dropping like flies,and disappearing into their cabins. I think the bars might have had a bad night because all you had to do was take a few steps completely sober and you felt like you already had 'one too many'. Crew members could be seen walking throughout the ship with little packets of 'feel better' medicine, handing them out as if it were Halloween Candy.

 

Prior to dressing for dinner we headed to "Win a Royal Suite BINGO" We decided we were happy with our room, and didn'tt really care if we didn't Win. Who wants to pack and repack again anyway. ( Well, to be honest....ME!), Oh well.

 

Our group was to meet at the Martini Bar and have pictures taken, unfortunately a few in our group were starting to turn a pale shade of green, so we hurried with the pictures. ( One word of advice, if the ship is at rough seas ....avoid the photographer. NONE of our pics turned out that great. One actually had the top part of my head cut off.. Who would buy that?..... One with Johns mothers friend Muriel came out okay so we bought it.

 

We had had a wonderful evening celebrating 4 anniversaries with cake, singing, and champagne ( the good stuff).

 

We headed to the Captains Gala Toast stopping at the Casino to 'donate' a few dollars.

 

The toast was typical of the many we have attended. And its always nice to be able to identify the Senior Officers by putting a name with a face, as well as seeing the Captain.

 

We stayed for the show " And the winner is"....And were VERY pleased as Well as AMAZED. We have seen this show a number of times, but it seems that the performers on this cruise had a lot more skill and talent from those in the past. On top of that they didn't miss a step, a flip or a throw as the ship continued to rock back and forth, and pitch front to back. At a time when hardly anyone could walk a straight line!.every single performer hint their mark as if we were sailing on a sheet of glass.

[bububr]

If I forget something or put it out of order please give me a quick reminder.

 

Thanks,

 

Dave:eek:

 

The rest to follow soon....toooo tired of typing now...must sleep...arrrggghh.

[bububr]

Day 3 (09/10/06) Juneau.We were to arrive in Juneau at 3PM this afternoon. So after breakfast in the buffet ( I usually tend to avoid the buffet, not because it's terrible, but it's a buffet. The same you find at any Las Vegas hotel, with about the same selections. But occasionally I just don't feel like trekking down to the Main Dining room and sitting with strangers. Today was one of those days.) John and I where handed a linen lined tray with utensils and headed down the way. I had the basic eggs, potatoes,and sausage. Filled up a bowl with fruit, and heard the French toast fingers calling my name. It would be a hearty Breakfast with even more to come as we were somehow we mysteriously appeared at the waffle bar shortly after.

 

Okay, I don't usually eat this much, but hey, I'm on a cruise! Oink...oink.

 

We arrived on time at port. I had received a call from the excursions desk the night before asking me to be by the gangway ASAP as my excursion was to leave on time and they would not wait.

 

Apparently everyone else on the ship got the same phone call. The place was mobbed. It was hot, people were aggravated. I was getting slightly irritated by the woman who WON the upgrade to the suite telling everyone just how NICE it was.....(SHOULDHAVE BEEN ME, IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME was going through my mind like an old vinyl album with a skip in it.)

 

Now all of these folks didn't have excursions, and it was raining fairly hard outside. What could be SO urgent they had to block the way to my excursion...........................SHOPPING!!!

 

(The prior day I was truly amazed at the shoppers on this trip. The shops couldn't keep merchandise on the fixtures. Some had to close and restock, others just kept bringing items out by the armfuls only to confront ambitious shoppers that were tackling them to get the best buy. To this day I can't understand the frenzy over a $5.00 T-shirt.)

 

As I finally stepped outside into the rainy gray skies:.There it was almost directly in front of me the T-Shirt Factory........go figure.[/img] Harbor seals, and other critters along the way.( This comes highly recommended by John. )

'Red Dog Saloon" , as the rest of me wouldn 't fit. What a crowd!! WOW!

 

I went on a mission.

 

John and I have started a tradition of getting Christmas ornaments from the ports of call that we travel to. We especially like the hand painted glass ornaments made by local artists. Along the way I found the Juneau Artists Gallery, LTD. Artwork by local and Alaskan artisans at pretty good prices. I found an original watercolor that was in the comfort zone of my price range and asked the shopkeeper to wrap it up for me. He mentioned that they do ship, and I agreed this was a better idea than having to drag it on the plane with me on the way home.

 

Back to the ornaments. I had mentioned to Julie the shopping guide on the ship about wanting to purchase hand painted local ornaments and she made some recommendations. (Unfortunately they were bad ones. If the clerks at the store weren't looking at me saying "how's about a $5.00 T-shirt instead?", they had no clue that a hand painted ornament from a local artist DIDN'T mean an Austrian blown glass ornament, an ornament made in China, or a stuffed thing that I had a difficult time discerning just what is was supposed to be.) Finally at the last shop, which happened to be next to the T-Shirt Factory, the well versed clerk informed me that there was "no such animal" but they had hand painted ornaments from Austria and she could write Alaska on one if I wished!?!?. At this point I now realized just why Juneau was so difficult to travel to. Its not that they don't want people to come in......they don't want the inmates to escape from the asylum.

 

It was still early and I had a few hours to kill before I had to re-board and get ready for dinner. John and the rest of the crew were still on the whale watch and wouldn't get back until we were almost ready to leave. I decided to check out the Mount Roberts Tramway. The cost for an adult is $23.95 and the rides are unlimited.Outside the terminal I ran into a couple from the ship. They asked if I knew the price, we pondered at the sign and said our polite goodbyes. Walking away I had a feeling that I had met them before, but couldn't remember where....I would remember later.

 

The ride on the tram is beautiful....and quite quick. The Host gives you a brief history of the area, the tram and the buildings on top. Along with a restaurant they have a theater, gift shop, nature center, trails, and the most interesting a Bald Eagle that was injured and is not able to fly anymore so it is being cared for by the nature center. ( I think this is the only place a person can get this close to a Bald Eagle in person, Or at least the closest I've ever been.) I checked out the gift shop....Stuff made in China along with a few items from local artists mixed in. The short film had already started in the theater, and it was getting dark outside.

 

Well, I made a brilliant and brave decision to go and see if I could find a bear. ( apparently two cubs had come to the window of the restaurant the day before to check out all of the silly looking tourists) . I started my trek up the trail. Alone. In the dusk. It was mucky since it had been raining most of the day. The trail was beautiful, there were many different kinds of flowers and plants. Each was described on information boards along the way. There are benches to stop and take a rest on as well as stairs built into the steep areas. There are also signs posted everywhere telling you what to do in the event that you run into 'Yogi or Boo boo" and they try and steal your pic-a-nic basket.

 

Okay, I was a bit nervous. There were trails made by some mysterious creatures that cut into the grass on either side of the trail, and heavy shrubbery that would make a great spot for a bear to wait for a surprise attack.....EEEK! It jumped out in front of me as my heart stopped and my life flashed in front of me ( Of course I wished it was a different day, My flash back was the day the horse threw me in Mazatlan on my last cruise. Although this time I said through the air like one of those kung-fu films in slow motion).

 

It wasn't a bear....I don't know exactly what it was but not a bear. It was smaller, more like a raccoon only faster. Call me a chicken, I won''t disagree at this point, however I would rather be called a chicken then be a bucket of Kentucky Fried to a hungry critter.What was I thinking?!?!

 

I did make it back alive and stopped at the Timberline Bar and Grill for an Alaskan Amber Ale before heading back down.. ...As I walked up the gang plank I noticed the EMPTYshelves in the windows of the T-shirt store.

 

Time to get ready for dinner.

 

Tonight we mixed it up a bit. It was a casual night and we changed seats at our two tables just to have a bit of variety. Oscar and Milton were on top of it and everything was wonderful .

 

We stopped at the casino on the way to the Jordan Bennett show in the theater. ( we had also seen him previously, he is really good BTW ). Unfortunately I was beating the house on the roulette table and got so involved I missed the show. I left ahead about $110.00, and went back to the cabin to get ready for bed. I carefully took the chocolate off my pillow and placed it on the night stand......John chuckled.

[caviargal]

Can I cruise with you and John next time, please?:)

 

I am totally enjoying your accounting...thanks for taking the time.

[4 cruisers]

Dave, I'm enjoying this SO MUCH!!! What a fun group! What a neat surprise you accomplished!!!

 

As to the chocolates, I'm LOL here remembering when our oldest son turned 21 on a Med. cruise. He had WAY too much to drink before he went to bed. We went in to wake him the next morning to go on a nice early tour of over 100 degree Dubrovnik, and he looked like....well, you know EXACTLY what!;)

 

He hadn't learned his lesson by the time he was 24 and this time it was all over his tux shirt he hadn't bothered to take off!!!! Gotta love him! He doesn't want to cruise with us anymore, but hopefull when he's a bit older he'll come around!!! Good, good times!:D So wonderful all your parents were with you!

[Andy]

Hi Bububr !

 

Thanks for the outstanding review. I am enjoying it very much !

[bububr]

Day 4( 09/11/06)

 

Skagway.We had all booked the White Pass Railway, so we were up and out early. This was to be our one and only group excursion. Everyone was up, everyone was ready and only one of us missed the train. Don't ask.[/img]

 

was well worth the cost, and I'd do it again, but I'd want to go further along the line.

 

Flashing back to the mysterious couple I thought I knew. I stepped outside to take a photo and saw the same woman as I saw at the tram. "Dave?" she said, I immediately said "Amy?". Once again the miracle of Cruise Critic. Amy ( Indygal AO) and her husband Roger were also on board¦. We would later run into Terry (cruise lady25) and her husband Tony.

 

The train dropped us off in town, and once again I was on a mission.....Christmas Ornaments. My Parents and their friends had an ulterior motive..FREE stuff from the Discover shopping guide. John and I put on our invisible shopping shields to protect us from the evils of Tanzanite and Diamonds International and the like, and walked with them for a while. I really must be cruising TOO much because all of the ports are really starting to look alike. I even saw a mirage that looked like the T-Shirt Factory. We stopped in to look at a few of the local sites that were somewhat historic, and then found the Alaska Christmas Store. Not really what we wanted, but so far the closest thing. We decided we had better pick up a few things here just in case.

 

There was a variety of hand painted Christmas ornaments DESIGNED by a local artist. While it is a local artist, she does not paint the ornaments herself, but sends the designs to CHINA to have them painted, and then her signature is added. So much for integrity. Either way they were nice looking and painted by the technique where the brush is inserted form the hole in the top of the glass and the bulb is painted from the inside. For $19.95 each it wasn't a bargain, but it wasn't unreasonable either.

 

Back at the ship, we grabbed a bite at the buffet for lunch. Nothing to rave about, but not to complain either. Best described as nourishment.

 

I had decided to go to the art auction as I had never done so before. I just wanted to see what I was missing. I registered at the desk, then ran into Ali ( JuneauWhatI Mean) , her DH, SIL, and BIL. We spoke for a bit, then I headed over to grab a seat. The auction was ....well...an auction. I really didn't see anything I would want to buy. Most were nothing but signed prints, there were a few cartoon cells, and a few Thomas Kinkade, which I think are simply hideous.

 

Well, there was no "champagne", and as for the gifts for attending, I really should have known there was a catch. First they don't tell you what they are, even though we were to get one worth $100.00 and one worth $500.00, Second they ship them to you. You do not receive them on the ship and Third you pay for the shipping, handling, packing, insurance, and certification for them which adds up to around $40.00 to $50.00 each that you pay before you even know what you are getting, Kind of like a grab bag. Glad I went, Glad I learned, won't do it again. ( if you haven't noticed this is the second time I had been promised "champagne" and didn't get it. ). Had a Manhattan, went to the spa, sat in the T-pool.

 

Tonight was Informal. The pressing we had sent out was in the room, and We dressed for dinner and the Senior Officers Cocktail Party. The button on Johns pants broke, didn't pull off, but physically broke in half!!..so we had to do some quick thinking. He ended up wearing a pair that didn't quite match what he was wearing, but didn't look that out of place or wrinkled. ( Heck, at least they would stay up and buttoned for the evening).

 

We headed to the show "A Touch of Broadway" and once again we were pleasantly surprised. We did have to leave early to make the cocktail party ( I can't figure out why X always schedules its Captains club events so they conflict with all of or part of some other event ) as I'm sure that some at the Main dinner seating had to leave to early to attend. We had let our party know this in advance, so as not to appear rude.

 

We were greeted by the Senior Officers in Michaels Club. Angelina ( the Events Coordinator from the Cruise Critic Party fiasco) asked to sit with John and I , and we welcomed her to our table. We chatted, she looked at our new rings, we drank, hors d'ouvres oeuvres were passed freely. It was a nice time. We stood for a moment and introduced ourselves to some of the other couples. Justin ( Captains Club Host) came by and chatted for a bit, then Ronald ( Food and Beverage Manager ) came buy for a chat..( you could say we were just a chatty group) . Finally we spoke with the Hotel Director Beatrice on the way out to dinner. She was very friendly and we enjoyed the conversation. In fact we enjoyed everyones conversation. ( although it seemed there were a few couples that would put on that fake smile, make small talk and leave uninterested in you or even being at the party. ).

 

We stepped out of the club and Justin followed informing us that Ms. Moine would like us to be her guests at the Captains Table on the last formal night. The choice was a no brainier. Sit with Family, or be a guest of a Senior Officer. While Family is important to both of us, absence makes the heart grow fonder. ( Now Ali (JuneauWhatIMean)had already dined at the Captains table as a guest of the Chief Engineer. I have to admit that I was a bit jealous....okay maybe more than a bit. )

 

We headed down to the Main Dining room and once again played musical chairs. As usual Burak was there to greet us at the entry, and Oscar and Milton did their usual perfect jobs, as did Melaida. Although tonight I opted for a Manhattan and Brani from the Martini Bar was there to bring it.....perfectly mixed by the way with extra cherries. He actually remembered from the other night! ( Little touches like that are the reason we keep coming back to X. ).

 

After dinner a few of us opted for "The Newlywed, Not-So-Newlywed Game". In past cruises the theater was usually filled with onlookers, this time it was just handful.

 

After the opening banter by Robin ( Cruise Director) he began his search for contestants. We had talked to him during the Wedding and Anniversary party, and he thought it would be a novel idea if we were to be one of the couples. As he called out for the first couple we noticed a lot of rowdy younger people and a few older people that looked and dressed ,'conservatively'....We decided that we had better just watch and not participate. A number of couples raised their hands, waived, made noise and he kept looking, and looking, finally he pick the first couple, then the second, then the last. To be honest, the show was a flop. It appeared that the newlyweds were headed for divorce already as he ignored her and his cell phone was more important than she was, the second winning couple was a bit better. She thought the sex was great, but he thought it didn't exist, and the third couple who were married 50 some odd years didn't get any answers right. Not that I can remember. There were a few laughs, but it was more like watching an arraignment. Hence the show is usually included on the DVD of the trip. It is absent on this one.

 

After the show We spoke to Robin and mentioned we wanted to do it but it just seemed a bit awkward with the audience. His reply "You were officially married last year, you're technically newly weds, and its 2006. people should just get over it. You guys would have been a lot of fun and it would have made the show a lot more interesting". I smiled, and we said our good byes and headed to the stairs.

 

The Casino was calling our names. Soon our pockets were getting lighter, and we retired to bed.

[bububr]

Day 5 ( 09/12/06) Hubbard Glacier

 

Up early again..and outside. This was the COLDEST stop on the entire trip. We had been enjoying temperatures in the 50's and now the wind chill was in the 30's. People were bundled up like little sausages holding travel mugs filled with coffee and creamy hot chocolate, and quite possibly a hot Toddie or two. The occasional flash of flesh and fingers happened when those who were brave enough pulled out their cameras for a quick moment to snap a once in a lifetime shot of the glacier.[/img]

 

We stayed for about an hour and a half as the water began to flow into the channel pushing smaller, then larger icebergs toward the path of the ship. The ship made a full turn as it pulled out and headed for Ketchikan. John and I spent a moment on deck at the rail just marveling at this wonder as we sailed away.

 

At 11:00 we had been invited to a wine pairing . We found this to be interesting and informative. And we stopped for a moment as Humpback whales were spotted directly out the window from where we were seated. It was truly amazing to be sitting with a glass of wine just watching these magnificent creatures pass by.

 

But the real highlight of my day was the "Polar Bear Belly Flop contest", which I can proudly proclaim I won. Clad only in a black speedo I slammed my body into an icy pool of water.[/img]

 

Tonight was once again an informal night. However prior to dinner we attended first the comedy show with Don Sherman, which was hysterical. ( except the chocolate bit which hit close to home) . We did leave early once again due to the Captains Club Cocktail Party being scheduled at 7:45. So once again we politely excused ourselves from the rest of our group. The party was nice, but once again not a whole lot of participants. The friends we had made at the Senior officers party were there ( David and Constance) , and they received recognition for their loyalty to X.

 

Once again nice dinner, nice service, and we dropped a few bucks at the casino.

[JuneauWhatIMean]

Hi Dave! First of all, thank you so much for the "nice young couple" comment. How much do I owe you? :p

 

The Marqueen sounds awesome, think I'll check it out the next time I'm in Seattle. (We love Seattle.) I thought you picked it for the name. :eek: (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

 

I wish you had told me you were going to be in the BF contest. I would have brought my pom poms!!! Too bad about the visor prize. Should have been some floaties.

 

Be thankful you didn't do the Chilkoot Charters tour we did out of Skagway which was train up/van to the Yukon. It was an awesome tour (missed Emerald Lake but got Spirit Lake instead) but the driver left us off at the Red Onion at 2:25 and said he'd be back at 2:40. He didn't show so we started walking what looked to be a short distance to the ship. Marty stayed behind just in case the driver showed up. We weren't even to the beginning of the pier area when the first horn sounded. We missed the fork in the road and hit a dead end. We went around and made it to the beginning of our the dock (super long dock) when the final horn sounded. Marty caught up with me then. (I had sent John and Peggy on ahead with a bicycle tram.) All of a sudden the Chilkoot driver shows up and says "Where were you guys, I was there??" (This is because when we started the tour he assured us that if it was his fault that we missed the ship he would pay to get us to the next port. Nice try.) John and Peggy had been dumped here so we hooked up again.

 

We all jumped on the golf cart thingy (that guy's my hero) and booked it to the ramp with me waving my arms and legs outside the cart and waving my seapass at the guys on the ramp. We got onboard and through security but that was the most unhappy I ever saw security or crew members. I heard a guy on the phone enquiring about 4 other pax that weren't on board but the answer he got led him to say "Close the door- let's go!" Us four were the last to board. I will always feel really bad about this incident. It was nearly a heart attack for all of us and truly not fair to the captain and everyone else on our ship. My humblest apologies to all.:o

 

Anyway, great thread, but one question: Wasn't the Ass't Maitre'D Marius, that gorgeous Romanian? I gave him a huge tip just for smiling at me every night. :D

 

Ali

[kruisecat]

this review is soooo good!! Thank you for posting it! I am waiting with great anticipation for our Mercury Alaska dream vacation and this is making the wait a little easier :) I can't wait to read more!

 

Christine

[Blazerboy]

Dave! Dave? (think that's right..) What a great review! We did the same cruise a few years ago on Infinity, and it really is like reliving it by reading your comments. Glad you had a good time (look forward to reading the rest...) and glad you're modelling appropriate responses to life's little problems on a cruise with humor, patience, and a "big picture" attitude....

 

Be fun to end up on a cruise with you guys some time. (yes, Manhattans are one of my favorites!:D )

 

Andrew

[Karynanne]

Dave, what a wonderful review! You are giving us the full flavor of cruising, along with it's little hiccups...

 

Thank you.

 

Karyn

[Buckeye Geo]

Dave:

Thanks for the great review. We did Alaska on board the Mercury a couple of years ago and were onboard her again in April cruising the Mexican Riviera. She still is one of our favorite ships. We are so glad that you and your family had a great time. Reading some of your past comments on these boards makes us hope we get to sail with you some day.

[Lois R]

Hi Dave, Thanks for sharing this wonderful review with us.:)

I also would love to sail with you and John. And I bet you would

have won that game:D

Reading about your cruise brings back great memories

of mine back in May.

Thank you so much.

[SheilaNC]

And of mine in July. Thanks for a brilliant review. We'll all need to figure out a way to sail together some day...why don't you all join one of our Down Under cruises...already have 83 people on our roll calls!!

 

Love the pictures and enjoyed every word of the review. Thanks

[tapia]

Thanks for posting the fabulous review!

 

Loving your comments!

[bububr]

I'm just feeling a little under the weather. (Maybe a 'polar bear belly flop' cold)

 

Thanks for all your comments. Sorry about the dragged out review.

 

Dave:eek:

[4 cruisers]

Hope you're feeling better soon, Dave!

[bububr]

Its been over a week since we returned, I just got my B&W photos back. ( I tried to be a little artsy this time.....). I've also decided to go back to the digital camera and forgo my 35mm pentax. Most of the photos I took show how out of practice I really am.

 

My review will continue shortly. Thanks for the good wishes and patience while I tackled this flu thing.

 

Dave:eek:

 

 

 

 

 

[4 cruisers]

Glad you're feeling somewhat better, Dave! Good thing you didn't come down with it on your cruise!!! I know what you mean about the 35 mm. We have my husband's Nikon and my Uncle left us his when he passed away. I hate to get rid of them (my uncle has every accessory you can imagine) but we just aren't using them anymore! My tiny Casio digital has done wonders for my picture taking...and it's always with me.

 

Your pilot sure looked young!:eek:

 

Looking forward to more!

[bububr]

Yea, I should have know better..I forgot about that damn chocolate again but this time it wasn't as bad. It was simply stuck to my neck and a whole lot less of a mess than last time. You'd think I would have learned my lesson.

 

John and I did breakfast in the main dining room, and to the dismay of the rest of the table we had both ordered kippers for breakfast. The table emptied real quickly, as couples sitting with us ate and ran.I only wish I had a mirror to show them how the scour on their faces looked.

 

I had booked the Mt. Point Snorkeling adventure, and John chose the Wilderness cruise and rain forest exploration[Mine left at 9:30 so I had to be off ASAP.

 

I found the van to the excursion, and introduced myself. After a few minutes, The driver instructed me that Its might be a few more minutes and I might want to grab a coffee or something, so I did. Returning we waited a few more minutes, it was about 9:50 by this time and we were missing four people, but we weren't going to wait any longer and we loaded up and headed off. In the van our host gave us an overview.

Basically we were to squeeze into wet suits, and there is a way to do this. Should you make a mistake in the process, it's a grueling procedure to take it off and start all over again. Think Pantyhose.. and make sure the zipper is in the back.

 

There was the moment of silence when were were told that these suits were meant to be worn over our birthday suits, and that swim suits might bunch up and be uncomfortable, of course my reliable speedo did not fail me. But my other host did.

 

He gave me a suit that was TOO large for me, ( My presence is bigger than my butt ), so I WAS the one who had to undo what I just did, then redo it all over again. If it sounds confusing it is, however I burned 1000 calories in the process.

 

The suit fit perfectly, and to my surprise acted as a sort of girdle, pushing up, tucking and smoothing....I do say I looked pretty good.

 

We then headed to the beach and got acclimated to the water.

 

With a 18 lb weight belt strapped to me, I could barely walk, but once in the water the suit kept me afloat, and its actually hard to dive down and stay down. You feel like a giant fishing bobber.

 

Okay.....Kelp forest REALLY COOL!, STARFISH IN EVERY COLOR AND SIZE, JELLY FISH (the good kind), SEA CUCUMBERS, ANEMONES, FISH, FISH AND MORE FISH...¦WOW!!!

I knew this was different but it really was the best! The water was crystal clear, and the sea life interesting; The guides knowledgeable. We held, examined, and swam with the creatures.

 

After about 1 ½ hours we emerged form the cool waters and boarded the bus back to the dive shop where we had warm beverages, souvenirs to buy and dry clothes to crawl into.

 

We boarded the bus and in a short while were back at the pier. ( FYI. ALL of the suits and components ARE sterilized in a hot solution right after use. So there aren't any cooties for the next adventurist to catch.).

 

Okay, I had a lot of time to do some exploring, and I did.

 

Ketchikan was my favorite port on this itinerary. I don't know if I just connected with the town , the people, or everything as a whole. It has the typical tourist traps "DIAMONDS and TANZANITES.....etc,But it is also FILLED with local galleries,real ALASKAN art ( not from China) , and some great eateries..

 

As I turned one street corner I noticed a gallery called "Scanlons". So I poked my head in.

 

Cha-Ching!!!!

 

The gallery owner was Susan Scanlon. The galley is FILLED with art from local artists, many who are state licensed and have a stamp verifying that they are native Alaskans. There were three...THREE! Local artists that had "hand painted Christmas ornaments"!

 

All of them beautiful and one of a kind pieces, and less expensive BTW than those

(designed in Alaska but made in China) that I bought in Skagway. So, I bought a few more. (I'll keep these and the pseudo ones will now become souvenir gifts for friends).

 

I found the shops here to have the best prices, and also best selection over the other ports. The seafood places were also more reasonable with better tasting food and service.

 

Maybe I was just having a great day, maybe Ketchikan is a little better than the other ports, or maybe I'm just imagining this whole trip.....But I liked this port.

 

ketchikan pt 2 to follow

 

Dave:eek:

[GramaFran]

I agee, I love Ketchikan and have been there 2 times. I wandered the streets poking my nose into everywhere that looked interesting. On the 2nd visit my grand children fished off the Creek Street bridge, we got to meet local fisherPersons who loved helping them. What a great way to spend a day.

I even bought coffee for the group of fisherpersons, they were all so nice to us. I would love to take another Alaskan cruise just to stop in Ketchikan, yes I agree I do not go into the Diamond or Tanzinite store just the local made stores and galleries.

Francine