Category: Uncategorized

Today is the day that our disembarkation information was left at our door. This is where we have to decide what colour tag we want to get for our bags that say what time we leave the ship on Wednesday. Mum is sad but immediately made our return plan. This is a one-up improvement on previous trips when we pick the latest possible time and just catch whatever ferry we get after that. Let’s see what happens this time, because we got home that way, too.

Today was Ketchican day, and we got off and looked around a bit. Was this the housewares/curio/tourist store we were looking for? Maybe. We definitely remember going to this one store right of the pier that’s actually a tourist shop, but has a good section of snacks/tools/travel supplies too. We bought twizzlers.

We went to the Ketchican Historical museum and learned about old-time fishing, and then also new time fishing, too! We went and watched some salmon making their way up the creek in the middle of town, on their way to spawn (and some that had clearly already spawned, floating back down.) We took a turn along Creek Street and it’s little shops of (mostly?) local merchants. And that was it. Then home for a nap!

Tomorrow is the last day on the boat and we have a plan. Correction. We had a plan, and we just noticed that we have to add “packing” to the list as well. (“Noooooooooooooo….” says Mum. “Maybe they’ll just let us stay…”)

P.S. I took a risk and had a lovely drink that included whiskey this evening with dinner. It’s a risk because as with the wine –> motion sick on a previous day, only whiskey is probably worse. But again, we’re only moving at night today, so the motion sickness might not be too noticeable. Mind you we are moving all day tomorrow to, so I might have made a big mistake. On the other hand, it was really tasty and I felt like a grown-up whilst drinking it from a sturdy ice-filled tumbler glass. There was lemon and honey and ginger init, too. Yum.

There are many light switches in our room. Me and Mum both have a set by the top of our beds that, when leaned upon lightly, switch on and off. For example, when we sit up to lounge against our pillows while drinking our tea, one or the other sets of lights flicker on. Or off and then on again. And then the other set. And then one or the other of up moves again and it goes completely dark. It is only solve-able by carefully not sitting right in front of them. Mum just not leaned over to pick up her coffee and it went dark; leaned back and now it’s light. Now she’s controlling them by moving her head slightly. And now it’s dark again. We’re having fun.

Glacier Bay Day started with a morning in the spa getting various massages and facials for both of us. Very relaxing. I recommend a massage while on holiday, especially on a cruise. No where else will you finish a massage, and be completely relaxed, and then have absolutely nothing to do for the rest of the day.

After massages was some time outside on deck looking at glaciers and nature. I’ve learned how to use binoculars. I’ve also learned that I don’t like using binoculars because my view is too wiggly and I’m already prone to motion sickness. Note: a very calm day – just a little rocking around lunch time and I’ve been fine all day. It helps to have been inside a sheltered bay for most of the day, and not in the middle of, for example, the open Pacific (which doesn’t happen on this cruise).

For lunch and dinner in the dining room, we get the option of sitting at a shared table with strangers if we wish. I usually don’t wish, because strangers, and Mum lets me decide. For some reason I agreed to it yesterday or the day before at breakfast and it wasn’t too bad. So I agreed to it at breakfast again today, and we were sat with 2 sisters, one of whom has just turned 80. They bickered and made fun of one another that was most amusing and reminded me of me and my sister during most of our interactions. I texted Bonnie after to remind her that one day we must take a cruise together one day, too. With Mum! Or else what even is the point of going.

Now we are drinking after-dinner tea/coffee, and flickering the lights on and off. We’ll go watch a dude singing John Denver songs in a bit in the big theatre. I’ve promised to have a nap during the show. Mum has promised not to and is having a coffee in anticipation of this.

There was definitely the hardware/general merchandise store here that I was thinking of. However, it was not the one that Mum wanted: i.e. the one that had the same salt and pepper shakers of hers that she saw last time. Our last hope for this is Ketchikan on Monday. The suspense.

We took a train ride through the White Pass this morning. Gorgeous mountain views. Waterfalls. Fog. Much steepness. Also rainy and cold! We had to visit the hot-tub on our return to the boat. Also there are lots of charming old buildings here from the gold-rush era that are now full of souvenir stores. We bought no souvenirs but did find the museum about local history (e.g. the gold rush and how people traversed the White Pass on foot to get to the gold. Or the promise of gold. There was no gold left when they got there.)

After lunch was, you guessed it, West Wing time and naps. And candy. Then supper where I had a lovely vegan choco pudding for dessert.

We’ve just gotten back from sampling most of the entertainers on the ship: a guitarist, the dance show on the main stage, and then a pianist singing folk songs.

Tomorrow is Glacier Bay day, and also the spa. Good night!

P.S. Before bed, and also at afternoon rest time, Mum’s been filling up a cup with chewy gummy candies from a secret stash. She’s tired tonight so I had to fill it up myself. It’s not the same.

Juneau Day!

It started with breakfast and then a swim because we had time before docking in Juneau at 1:30 this afternoon. I say “swim” but I should say hot-tub, because that was the priority. Then a bit of a swim just because there’s a pool there, then hot-tub again. Note: there’s a dolphin statue in the pool.

Then morning naps. Yes. Morning naps. Glorious. Mum missed one episode of West Wing, and then I missed the next. Then lunch, then a couple more episodes. We were almost done the second when the announcement came saying we were allowed off the boat, and we decided to just finish it off before going. You know. To skip the immediate rush of people piling of the boat straight away.

We looked at 2 museums in our time off the boat. The last time we were in Juneau it was the 4th of July and so the museums weren’t open, so we had to make up for that. In exchange, this time we didn’t trek all the way up the hill to the top of the town for the view like we did last time. But last time there was nothing else to do. And this time it was rainy so the view wouldn’t have been as splendid.

We saw the Alaskan State Museum first, which took us back in time to the indigenous villages and explored their way of life, through Russian, American, British colonizers, through to being a state, and what’s up now. Lots of great artifacts. My fave are the indigenous weaving and crafts, of course, but I also have never given any thought to Russian colonizers so that’s interesting. Also! Alaskan involvement in WW2! Also! The first tourists to visit were in the 1880s, coming to look at glaciers and gold miners.

The next museum was focused on Juneau itself. No Russians, but lots of gold.

Tomorrow is Skagway, and we’re taking the train through the White Pass. And then shopping.

I had a beautiful Malbec with dinner tonight, which may have been a mistake since wine makes motion-sickness worse. But! We’re only moving overnight tonight and landing at 6:30am tomorrow, so likely I will be asleep for most of it; the waters aren’t rough here; we’re not moving all day tomorrow. So I’ll see how it goes.

P.S. Mum now thinks that the hardware store we’re looking for is actually on the boardwalk by the pier in Ketchikan. Ketchikan. It wasn’t in Juneau. We did find an all-purpose hardware/homegoods/hobby/toy store that was most enjoyable. I purchased a power bar for our room, as we found we only have one power outlet and four (4!) electronics that need to be charged.

Big day. Busy day. At present (after supper on Thurs) I am indisposed with motion sickness and so am not attending the evening dance performance. It’s ok! I’ve seen the same show on a previous trip.

We had mannie/peddies first thing. A relief to get that over with! Phew. Hard work.

Then a lecture about where we’re going in Alaska and shore excursions.

Then Mum popped off to learn how to use binoculars, flower arranging and how to take nice photos (that’s three separate classes). She also brought new binoculars!

During this interval, I took the time to start reading a book.

Then lunch!

Then we rested/napped all afternoon while watching Westwings! There was also candy.

Busy day. Big day.

Tomorrow is Juneau, and we plan to wander about looking at museums. Mum is studying the map right now. We’ll also be looking for Sun chips? And if there’s an old-timey small town all-purpose hardware store we’re for sure going in there. Mum and I can both picture one that she says for sure is in Juneau, but I say is in Skagway. Who will be right!!??

Hi.

So me and Mum are on our second cruise in less than a year, and our third since 2022. Our current sojourn is a repeat of our 2022 Alaska trip (7 days, Vancouver to Vancouver- You’ve probably done it, too). Same itinerary but a different boat, because we needed to change things up somehow. Actually, we chose the dates with the cheapest fare, which goes Wednesday to Wednesday. Had we chosen a Saturday to Saturday timeframe, we could have been on the same boat as before – the Konigsdam, which took us to Alaska last time, as well as Hawaii last October. Today we are on the Zaandam, which mum is pretty sure she’s been on before, but it’s been a while.

I’m finding I’m a less finicky packer when I take a cruise. I’ve been just throwing things in to a suitcase and making do, opposed to before when I had a master list to organize all my other lists. I’ve maybe just had more practice. Also I don’t need to coordinate products and clothes to keep light enough for me to have to carry around, or lift up into a luggage rack on a train. Taking a cruise out of Vancouver is just rolling the suitcase to the ferry, off the ferry to the taxi and then that’s it. (Or today, from the Hullo dock along the waterfront in Van for a bit, and down the ramp to the cruise port – also easy). I’ll have to pack more strategically again, maybe (?) when I travel in a different style, but maybe I can skip the step where I agonize over every item I’m taking just-in-case.

Note: Susan and My Mum will point out I still started packing a week in advance, but this was just to make sure I had all the cold medication and contact lens solution I needed before I left. It was still very lax: only one small list on one of those larger, lined post-its. So Still Not a Pack and Dash Situation.

Today we got to the cruise port a little later than usual (around 1pm instead of 11 when boarding starts) and found that instead of having to stand in lines to check in, get through security, and boarding, there were no lines – so it was about 7 minutes from the entryway to the boat. So that was a plus. Another plus was that our room was ready (on a cruise boat, since the turnover from one passenger load to the next is so quick, there is sometimes a wait for room to be cleaned). All very easy.

Plans for the trip: take the train in Skagway (we have an excursion booked to accommodate this); 2 trips to the spa (mannie/peddies tomorrow; massages on Sunday.)

Food so far: Seafood cocktail (apparently, my favourite) and like half a cow. Just as well I was pretty hungry. Just as well mum has like half a chicken.