Sunday, June 12th, 2011

Well, the cruise is over.  Started in the Explorer's Lounge at 8:10 a.m., and then our group got off the ship.  They have the disembarkation routine down to a science.  From the time we left the lounge to curbside waiting for Dave and Wanda was less than 45 minutes - much better than the boarding procedure!  Dave and Wanda met us with two vehicles and we all went to 13 Coins for breakfast - originally were supposed to meet Edward and Marjorie, but they couldn't make it.  Even though it was commencement weekend, it wasn't too crowded and we had a great welcome back breakfast - nothing like eating after a cruise :-). 

Walked around downtown Seattle for a while and then we took Tim and Kathy to the airport for a 2 p.m. departure.  Vi and I went back to Pete and Mary's for the afternoon, and then over to Butch's for dinner (delicious Copper River salmon) complete with shup noodles (sp?) 

Monday morning we left early at 6:00 a.m. to head back to Reno - we were going to stay in Seattle longer, but felt like we wanted to get home.  Arrived back in Reno at 8:00 p.m., helped along by a couple of Nora Robert's books on disc.  Weather started out drizzly, but by the time we hit Southern Oregon, it was clear blue sky and in the upper 60's.  When we came down I-5, Mt Shasta stood out in all her beauty. 

Saturday, June 11th, 2011

At sea all day enroute to Victoria.  Calm, overcast day.  Tim and Kathy did 5K run (8 laps around the ship) for the Princess Cruise Race for the Cruise.  At 7:00 p.m., we docked in Victoria and took a cab into town.  Neat, old-style British city.  We started at the Empress Hotel (where Vi took Michele and Melanie when they came out to visit).  Had a couple of beers in the Irish Times Pub and then we split up and Vi and I went back to the Empress and then to the ship. Before we left the ship, we packed our bags so they could be picked up during the evening.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Left Skagway after an all-day visit of the town.  While a lot of people took tours, especially the White Pass railroad tour, we walked around downtown.  They had a local shuttle ($5 all day) which we could ride out to various sites around the town.  We did that, but mostly walked around town.  Found an internet café in a Seamen’s Center and joined the throng taking advantage of the bandwidth.  National Park Service had several locations in town which depicted events of the Klondike gold rush.  Amazing how similar the tourist stores are at all of the stops along the way (Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway).   In talking to several of the people working at the shops, they come to Skagway for the summer and then follow the cruise ships to the Carribbean for the winter.  Skagway was the smallest, but kind of fun to walk around.   The town still had the old wooden sidewalks, but it did have a Starbucks!  Left around 5:00 p.m. after watching the last minute passengers hurrying down the dock.    We’re now on the homeward journey, no stops until we get to Victoria and then it’s only for four hours.  Time to relax and unwind – you know how stressful vacations can be J.

This evening, we went to the Captain’s Welcoming Cocktail Party for returning Princess passengers.  Served drinks, short speech by the Captain, and recognition of the three couples who had sailed the most with Princess (all had more than 220 sailing days).  After drinks in the Mermaid Lounge, we went for dinner in the Vivaldi Dining Room – lobster evening!  Except for Tom breaking a wine glass, all went well.  Later in the evening, we went to the casino and Tom went to a comedy/music show.

Thursday, June 9th, 2011

Left Juneau yesterday around 10:00 p.m.  Tim and Kathy went on a bike and brew tour.  I guess the brew was a reward for successfully completing the nine mile bike ride.  Haven’t seen them since they got back but I’m sure we’ll get an update at breakfast.   It was a quiet night of dinner and then a show in the theater – great dancing and singing.   Amazing the talent they have on board.   This morning we docked in Skagway, the northernmost point on the Inland Passage.  This is the first point we have reached on the cruise where you can actually drive out of here.  All of the other places are inaccessible by road, you either fly in or take the local inter-island ferry.  One of the things they don’t have to worry about in Ketchikan is car theft – there’s no place to drive it away J.   We’re going to go ashore this morning and see the big city of Skagway.  According to the brochure, there are only 846 year-around residents (and we have 2670 passengers aboard!).  I imagine there are more residents during the summer, but it’s definitely a small town. 

This evening we set sail and will be at sea for a couple of days, arriving in Victoria on Saturday evening.  We only spend about four hours there before leaving for Seattle.   The present plan is to arrive in Seattle around 7 a.m. and then it’s all over.  Tempus do fugit!

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011

Left Ketchikan yesterday and sailed up the Inland Passage.  During the evening, we had dinner at the Savoy Dining Room and generally just relaxed after a good day of walking and touring around Ketchikan.  Later on, we went to the International Talent Show put on by the crew.  There are over 1100 crew members from more than 50 countries aboard the ship taking care of the 2670 passengers.  The show was a good display of their talents.  The Cruise Director’s staff put on a amusing finale.  This morning we entered Tracy Arm – a 25 mile fjord between Ketchikan and Juneau.  We sailed up to see the most fantastic scenery, a combination of mountains, glaciers, waterfalls, icebergs.  It was just a gorgeous area.  According to the narrator on the local channel, even John Muir called it more beautiful than Yosemite to which it bears a remarkable resemblance.  We got within a half-mile of the glacier before the Captain turned the ship around.  Lot of ice floating in the Arm.  Water is over 1000 feet deep, but we had to pass over a bar which had only fifty-foot clearance at the beginning.  After we leave Tracy Arm, we’ll head north to Juneau. 

We're now in Juneau and I'm sitting in the local library catching up on e-mail and getting this blog out. then it's out to explore the town. 

Tuesday, June 7th, 2011 - later

Docked in Ketchikan this morning at 6:00 a.m. after turning our clocks back one hour.  Had breakfast with Tim and Kathy (see picture from last night).  Then walked (or rather took the free shuttle) downtown to check out all the local tourist traps (oops, excuse me - shops and vendors).  The shuttle driver said the population of Ketchikan was 12,000, but during the summer it doubled with the cruise ships coming in each morning and leaving each afternoon.  After September, they close the downtown area until next May and everything calms down.  Fun exploring the town and reading the various historical notes.  We leave at 3:30 for Juneau.  I'm in the Ketchikan library now taking advantage of their wi-fi.