Grand Princess / San Francisco to Alaska / Take two

It is called a rotary snow plow, and it is steam driven. The fins you see radiating from the center bite into heavy snow pack and shoots it out a funnel at the top. It is typically used when smaller snow plows can't get the job done.

 

Here is a photo of a similar machine working one of the passes on the D&RGW Railroad in Colorado.

 

 

 

You're the man Sloop. Good info and a great photo too. Thanks

So we continued our relaxing afternoon in Skagway, drinking vodka tonics on the balcony, and watching the helicopters and boats move by. Sail away isn't until 8:30pm.

 

Tonight is our Ultimate Balcony Dinner. $100 gets a killer experience for two. Highly recommended if you haven't done it before. A staff of two come and clear the balcony, set up a table, give you a bouquet of flowers to keep, you each get a free cocktail of your choice, you get a small bottle of champagne, and oh yeah, a TON of food. Also, a photographer comes in about midway and takes your picture, which is free to pick up later in the trip at the photo center. The Ultimate Balcony Dinner has to be the best bargain on the ENTIRE ship!

 

The plan was to get all dressed up for our balcony dinner, but an afternoon of drinking vodka, and the coolish temperatures, resulted in our desire to dress warmly and comfortably, instead of cooly & sheikly. No dress up tonight. I thought it would be best on an Alaskan trip to do the dinner while docked at port, so as not to have cold Alaskan wind blowing in your face while the ship is moving. Good call on my part.

 

The first thing they do is set up a table.

 

 

Next up, they bring you your free cocktail. I decided a martini would hit the spot.

 

The wife drinking her cocktail. She loves her olives, and flowers too.

 

The waiters wait outside your room between courses. The first food item to arrive is shown below. We each received one of these plates. Clockwise starting at the bottom: Salami stuffed with deviled egg, Shrimp, caviar on top of shrimp, pumpernickel with spread, and a prosciutto wrap with a sliver of fruit wrapped around a bread stick. The flower in the center of the plate is a single tomato skin, folded & rolled into a blooming flower. I don't like tomatos, so I unraveled it like a curious child, but couldn't put it back together. Arrrrrrgh! My attempt to reconstruct the flower looked more like a red oragami sloppy taco. No bueno.

 

 

Next up was a salad (not pictured), and then a crab stuffed soufflé.

 

There are several more courses to come.

 

 

To be continued

Edited September 25, 2016 by knotgillty

Several people, including me, have commented on the quality of your pictures, KG. I'm now going to say it again. You're pictures are fantastic. It's hard to believe that you did it with your telephone.

 

 

The waiters wait outside your room between courses. The first food item to arrive is shown below. We each received one of these plates. Clockwise starting at the bottom: Salami stuffed with deviled egg, Shrimp, caviar on top of shrimp, pumpernickel with spread, and a prosciutto wrap with a sliver of fruit wrapped around a bread stick. The flower in the center of the plate is a single tomato skin, folded & rolled into a blooming flower. I don't like tomatos, so I unraveled it like a curious child, but couldn't put it back together. Arrrrrrgh! My attempt to reconstruct the flower looked more like a red oragami sloppy taco. No bueno.

 

Shrimp with the caviar? It looks more like a curled up slice of lox or Ahi tuna.

 

Don't feel bad about not being able to reassemble the tomato rose. I'm pretty sure it's a "chick thing." I'll bet Mrs. KG could have done it. ;)

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Several people, including me, have commented on the quality of your pictures, KG. I'm now going to say it again. You're pictures are fantastic. It's hard to believe that you did it with your telephone.

 

Shrimp with the caviar? It looks more like a curled up slice of lox or Ahi tuna.

 

Thanks for the photo love. It's a smart phone I've had for a couple years and never really used it much for pics until this trip. I guess I need to start taking more pictures with it.

 

You're probably right about the caviar. I was pretty buzzed at that point from drinking all afternoon & throughout dinner.

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Thanks for following. I'll try to take things up a notch in the coming days.

So we finish our appetizers & salad and now it's time for the main course. We both chose the surf & turf. At one point earlier in the meal, I cracked a chicken joke to the waiter. We both had a laugh & then he said he'd bring some KFC next time. Fast forward 15 minutes and he actually brought a bucket of fried chicken & french fries to our balcony. Touche, Mr. Waiter.

 

The sun was beginning to set here and I'm glad I scheduled the dinner to begin when we were at port, as it might have been too chilly if the ship was cruising.

 

 

Next came a trio of desserts. This was the most filling meal of the entire trip. Food coma will soon set in. The timing was perfect here because as soon as the desserts arrived, the ship began pushing away from the dock. What an excellent ending to an Anniversary Dinner!!!!!

 

 

This was one of our favorite desserts of the entire trip. I never saw it in any of the dining rooms and don't even know what it's called. But it was F'ing amazing.

 

 

We were too stuffed to touch these. They were kept in the room and consumed the next day. They were excellent.

 

 

Did I mention you get to keep the flowers. Wife is very happy again. We now have 2 bouquets for the room. Hubby is scoring some major brownie points.

 

 

After dinner we had the waiters bring us double espresso's. We sipped them as the ship began moving in the darkness towards Glacier Bay. Total time of the meal, from set up to take down, was right around 1 hour 45 minutes, maybe 2 hours tops. It really was a lot of food and we probably shouldn't have attempted to eat so much. But we are celebrating our anniversary, and we are on a cruise, so what the heck, eat away like it's your last meal. If you are going to do the balcony dinner, don't fill up on all the bread they bring at the beginning. Also, about a week or two before the trip, I was able to reserve a date & time for the UBD through my Cruise Personalizer. I didn't have this option prior to that time as I looked frequently in the months leading up to the trip. Otherwise book it the first day of your trip when you get to your room. I think the waiter said they only do like 4 per night due to staffing requirements. We spent the rest of the evening in the room, laying on the bed & stretching our tummies as we watched TV. Soon it would be time for bed and some dreams about our next days adventure in Glacier Bay.

Edited September 25, 2016 by knotgillty

Wow what great pictures and a great review. I've always been hesitant to try the ultimate Balconey dinner and I think you've convinced me. Happy belated anniversary to you and your wife and can't wait to read the rest. We did the same cruise from SF three years ago and are going to Alaska again leaving from LA in. 2018

Wonderful pics and fun report. Looking forward to more.

Wonderful pics and fun report. Looking forward to more.

 

Thanks tomsawyer. I'm having fun reliving the cruise. Glad you're enjoying it too. I'll have the first installment of our time in glacier bay on Monday.

So the food coma last night from our balcony dinner made me sleep like a baby. The next morning, like a crack fiend, we are up bright and early looking for our fix. Today I head down to the International Café in my PJ bottoms and slippers. After getting our fix of caffeine, we head back up to our balcony to take in another deep breath of mother nature. And boy, her aroma is intoxicating. The weather is absolutely perfect today!!! Bluebird skies and not an angry cloud in sight.

 

It's 7am and I'm ready to conquer the world with coffee in hand

 

 

 

 

I dig how every time you see the mountains with a carved out bowl shape, you can be assured that, like a heavyweight world boxing champion, a glacier moved through and did some major damage to everything in its path. I love these kinds of views.

 

 

 

A little bit of ice in the water can only mean one thing, we are getting closer to glaciers. Love the reflection on this pic.

Edited September 26, 2016 by knotgillty

A couple of ice cubes in the water

 

 

It's always fun sitting on the balcony and watching the sights

 

 

We are now approaching the Grand Pacific Glacier. The naturalist on board said it was the clearest day in Glacier Bay he has seen all season. Who would have thought, so late in the season (September 3rd), we would have perfect weather for the most important day of the trip.

 

 

To be continued…

We sit on our port side balcony as we approach the Grand Pacific Glacier. The ship gives our side the first viewing for about 20 minutes. As the ship begins to rotate towards the starboard side, we leave the room and go upstairs to the Lido deck for a different view.

 

 

The weather was so amazing. I expected rain & fog, but instead we got blue skies and sunshine. I love this next set of 5 pictures. They progress from our closest point at the glacier, to the furthest point as we sail away.

 

 

1

 

 

2

 

 

3

 

 

4

 

 

5

 

 

Stay tuned...

Edited September 27, 2016 by knotgillty

 

Stay tuned, more to come...

 

Thanks for sharing, I'm intrigued by the San Francisco itinerary.

Thanks for sharing, I'm intrigued by the San Francisco itinerary.

You're welcome. San Francisco to Alaska and back is 10 days. Technically, there are 5 full sea days if you count the day in Glacier Bay. You get Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, & Victoria mixed in, then return to SF. And the Victoria portion is during the day. I read the boards and so many people complain about having to go there at night. So that's good I guess

 

Plus, all those sea days are good for exploring the ship, being lazy, and for us, getting our drink on.:D

So we leave the Grand Pacific Glacier and come to the realization that it must be 5 o'clock somewhere! Who cares if it's not even noon yet. We start off with baileys & hot chocolate to warm us up. Next we have icy margaritas as a salute to the glaciers, then several rounds of Vodka Tonics to round things out. Ahhhhh, we can't behave this way back home, so much fun. Back to the balcony we go to enjoy our drinks and to see what mother nature has brewing.

 

Here we are cruising to the next glacier. Binoculars, baileys & coffee, a margarita (in the yeti cup), and my e-cig, all sitting on an Alaskan glacier map that was delivered to our room early this morning.

 

 

Before we know it, we are approaching Jaw Point (the point on the left in the picture below). The naturalist onboard says today is our lucky day as the Grand has not sailed beyond Jaw Point the entire season due to either ice, or poor visibility. But today, the winds, tides, ice, & weather all line up perfectly and we head towards John Hopkins glacier. You can see it waaaay in the background (about 3 miles).

 

 

Hanging out on the balcony as we approach John Hopkins Glacier.

 

 

The sun is relentless today. time to peel off some more layers.

 

 

To be continued

FYI... the glacier that you have pictured first is not the Grand Pacific glacier. It is Margerie glacier. Grand Pacific would have been to your right and up the slope when you were facing Margerie... :)

FYI... the glacier that you have pictured first is not the Grand Pacific glacier. It is Margerie glacier. Grand Pacific would have been to your right and up the slope when you were facing Margerie... :)

Thanks for the correction Cruiser411. Wish I had caught that earlier. The Grand Pacific was next to Margerie and didn't really even look like a glacier, as it had so much dirt/silt on it. I didn't even take a pic of it because of this. Unfortunately, there is no way for me to go back and edit those posts due to limitations here on cruise critic.

 

Hope you are enjoying the report.

Thanks for the correction Cruiser411. Wish I had caught that earlier. The Grand Pacific was next to Margerie and didn't really even look like a glacier, as it had so much dirt/silt on it. I didn't even take a pic of it because of this. Unfortunately, there is no way for me to go back and edit those posts due to limitations here on cruise critic.

 

Hope you are enjoying the report.

 

No worries... we were on Grand Princess in the early part of August... you had a beautiful day in Glacier Bay. Ours was raining, cold and windy. Still beautiful though...

you had a beautiful day in Glacier Bay. Ours was raining, cold and windy. Still beautiful though...

We simply got lucky. It's a crapshoot whether the weather will be good or bad. We hit the lottery on this trip as far as weather goes. Our previous trip to Alaska, 6 years ago, was cold & wet. So we've now seen it from both spectrums.

I am enjoying your photos of the trip. We took a 7 day on the Grand two years ago to Alaska. Glacier day was cloudy and icy. We didn't get too far up into the area so love seeing what we missed! Thanks for 'the show!'

 

Also a big thanks for the beach ball idea. We've ordered two to go with us this winter on our next adventure. Fantastic idea!

I am enjoying your photos of the trip. We took a 7 day on the Grand two years ago to Alaska. Glacier day was cloudy and icy. We didn't get too far up into the area so love seeing what we missed! Thanks for 'the show!'

 

Also a big thanks for the beach ball idea. We've ordered two to go with us this winter on our next adventure. Fantastic idea!

Thanks RNGALNG. Sending some good mojo your way for better weather & better viewing on your next trip. Happy to see that at least one person will get benefit from the beach balls.

 

We actually left our beach balls on the balcony when the cruise was over. Hopefully they left them for the next passengers, but I doubt it.

Great pics. We lucked out with a day like yours 5 years ago and some people were wearing bikinis up on top deck while we were viewing glaciers [emoji23]

 

 

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Great pics. We lucked out with a day like yours 5 years ago and some people were wearing bikinis up on top deck while we were viewing glaciers [emoji23]

I didn't see any bikinis, but I really wasn't looking. I was caught up in the moment, and as soon as the ship would turn from starboard side, we would instantly run back down to our balcony to get the views from our port side balcony (we were on deck 12 so it was really quick to go up & down). However, I probably would have taken a pic if I had seen some twin peaks out there among the glaciers.:D

We saw a few chucks fall off this glacier (as well as the Margerie). It's difficult to get a good picture on a moments notice. But I did catch the tail end of some calving in the middle section of this next pic.

 

 

Random pic

 

 

And another

 

 

We also got to see the Lamplugh Glacier and the Reid Glacier. No pics of these, as we were abducted and held hostage by Mr. Vodka & Mrs. tonic for a few hours, and the camera phone was put away. Earlier in the report, I categorized a bunch of photos as the Grand Pacific Glacier. Those were actually pics of the Margarie Glacier. My apologies.

 

So the afternoon arrives and we bid our goodbyes to Glacier Bay and head towards Ketchikan. About an hour after leaving Glacier Bay, the Captain announces that we will be making an emergency stop to drop off a sick passenger. I don't remember the name of the port where we docked. You could only see trees and it didn't look like a heavily populated place, but what do I know. Maybe someone who was on this trip will remember. Anyway, this delayed us for about 90 minutes. Perfect opportunity to have a few more adult beverages and go find our free picture from our Ultimate Balcony Dinner last night.

 

I think the Glacier Bay evening is the night we had this for dessert in the main dining room. Can't remember the name other than it had some sort of Pistachio crust. It was amazing and was one of the two best desserts we had the entire trip, the other being one of the desserts during our UBD.

 

 

After dinner was more drinks and a little blackjack. Got on a good run and made up most of our losses, which we promptly applied towards our onboard account.

 

Up next, Ketchikan…