Live from Mariner May 18-June 1. Vancouver to Vancouver (with Alaska in between)

Menu from the wine lunch

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Morning in Seward

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Rachel - All the pictures are much appreciated and the Connoisseur's Lunch Menu looked wonderful. Wish I was there! Best Regards

We will be on the Vancouver to Seward cruise shortly. How does one arrange to be part of the wine lunch? Is it open to everybody?

That lunch menu looked like enough for two dinners, to be followed by a nap! We're you limited to one glass of each super-premium wine? Did you eat anything for dinner that night?

We have attended two wine pairing events. It is open to all passengers - you just need to sign up. There is plenty of food and wine and we were not limited in terms of the amount of wine we drank (although with so many pours, most of us were happy with one taste of each wine). We did take a nap after the lunch and were able to eat dinner.

Note: We only attend wine pairing events that are held around lunch time. There have been some at 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. that would definitely conflict with your evening meal. While pricey - it is worth the $$$ (especially when you use OBC's).

How do you find out if or when the wine lunch is being held? Where do you sign up and when?

That lunch menu looked like enough for two dinners, to be followed by a nap! We're you limited to one glass of each super-premium wine? Did you eat anything for dinner that night?

Wine lunches are open to everyone. We learned about this one at a for free wine tasting held the second day of the cruise. There is an extra charge, but very reasonable considering what you are getting. I talked to Daniela yesterday, and she is preparing a different menu and pairing for this cruise.

You are not strictly limited to one glass of each, but considering how much food and wine there is, I would be hard pressed to eat or drink more.

View of the ship in Seward

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May 25, 2016--Seward Alaska

The captain had announced we would be arriving in Seward at 5:30 am, and I think we were even a little earlier than that. George, Jerry and Al were off at 6 am for their salmon fishing expedition.

It is a bright sparkling crisp day. Seward is a small coastal town. Surrounded on all sides by snow covered peaks, it is very scenic.

Lots of people disembarking. I am so glad that is not me. Helen and I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in La Veranda and watched people leaving. It was the perfect morning for doing my laps on the outside upper deck. With a couple of layers, I was not cold, and the breeze and sunshine were very refreshing.

I had originally arranged a rental care here, but when excursions were added, I cancelled that. Helen and I booked the Resurrection Bay cruise as I had been to Exit Glacier and the Sealife Center, the other excursion option, previously.

The excursion was not exclusive to regent guests, but was well done. A large very stable vessel took us first to Fox Island where we had a salmon lunch, then on a wildlife tour. We saw orcas, sea lions, sea otters, lots of birds, a mountain sheep. It was a bright sunny day, so easy visibility. An orca mom and her baby swam right under the ship. You could see every detail.

Our excursion went a little longer than planned, so before we were back, George and Jerry were calling us on our cell phones wanting to know where we were. I told them we had jumped ship with some young guys. Haha. They did not believe us.

They were very successful on their fishing trip with everyone catching the limit. George had a lot of salmon flash frozen and shipped back to us in Tulsa.

Magnificent sail away in Seward with snow peaked mountains all around. Probably one of the most scenic sail aways ever. We had dinner in Sette Mare as we had not eaten there yet. It was outstanding from start to finish. Delicious Italian. I will eat there again.

The entertainer tonight was a singer who probably appeals to an older demographic than me--which is pretty old. He was ok, but just too dated for me.

How do you find out if or when the wine lunch is being held? Where do you sign up and when?

You might ask the Food and Wine Director or at the Reception Desk. Angie

 

Fishing expedition in Ketchikan

 

 

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That's a great photograph. Really enjoying your comments and photos. I didn't realise how beautiful that part of the world is.

I also loved that George could catch a fish and you could flash freeze and get is sent back home...wow, amazing!

Pam

The boys with their fish in Seward

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Hubbard glacier

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May 26,2016--cruising to Hubbard glacier

The seas continue to be totally smooth and calm. Another bright sunny day with temps in the low 60s and minimal breeze. We were on open ocean until about noon. Lots of people were out on the decks, walking on the track and enjoying the sun. They even put water in the pool, though I didn't see anyone swimming. There were lots of activities scheduled-bingo, wine tasting, lectures, cooking demo. Or you could just relax and enjoy the fresh air.

We had lunch in CR for the first time this trip. They again had fresh salmon and halibut on the menu in addition to the regular offerings.

After lunch, we started seeing land ahead with Hubbard glacier far in the distance. No trouble seeing it this visit due to weather, though we didn't nearly as close up to it as I remember on the previous trip. That was over 10 years ago, so I am thinking it is probably some sort of potential liability issue now. There are a lot more rules than there were back then.

There was a special event for Gold, Platinum and Titanium passengers where we could go out on the deck space at the front of the ship on deck 7. 'T go.They had crepes Suzette, apple strudel and a chocolate fountain. The weather was perfect, but we were too far from the glacier to see any calving or real detail. George was really disappointed.

A win for us at trivia with a perfect score. Tied for first with two other teams, which tells me the questions were too easy, particularly since I knew all but 2 right off the top of my head.

Tonight was captain's welcome which we never attend as it is just too crowded. Dinner in Prime 7 was delicious, but just too slow. A long wait between the salads and main course. My lamb was perfectly prepared however.

Due to the slow meal in prime 7, the show was half over by the time we finished, so I didn't go.

BYW, for the first time the whole cruise, the Internet was off, from the time we left the glacier until sometime during the night. Also no ship to shore phone. I talked to Davor about of it, and it has to do with the heading of the ship being such that the smoke stack of the ship blocked the satellite receiver with us being so far north.

May 26,2016--cruising to Hubbard glacier

 

The seas continue to be totally smooth and calm. Another bright sunny day with temps in the low 60s and minimal breeze. We were on open ocean until about noon. Lots of people were out on the decks, walking on the track and enjoying the sun. They even put water in the pool, though I didn't see anyone swimming. There were lots of activities scheduled-bingo, wine tasting, lectures, cooking demo. Or you could just relax and enjoy the fresh air.

 

We had lunch in CR for the first time this trip. They again had fresh salmon and halibut on the menu in addition to the regular offerings.

 

After lunch, we started seeing land ahead with Hubbard glacier far in the distance. No trouble seeing it this visit due to weather, though we didn't nearly as close up to it as I remember on the previous trip. That was over 10 years ago, so I am thinking it is probably some sort of potential liability issue now. There are a lot more rules than there were back then.

 

There was a special event for Gold, Platinum and Titanium passengers where we could go out on the deck space at the front of the ship on deck 7. 'T go.They had crepes Suzette, apple strudel and a chocolate fountain. The weather was perfect, but we were too far from the glacier to see any calving or real detail. George was really disappointed.

 

A win for us at trivia with a perfect score. Tied for first with two other teams, which tells me the questions were too easy, particularly since I knew all but 2 right off the top of my head.

 

Tonight was captain's welcome which we never attend as it is just too crowded. Dinner in Prime 7 was delicious, but just too slow. A long wait between the salads and main course. My lamb was perfectly prepared however.

 

Due to the slow meal in prime 7, the show was half over by the time we finished, so I didn't go.

 

BYW, for the first time the whole cruise, the Internet was off, from the time we left the glacier until sometime during the night. Also no ship to shore phone. I talked to Davor about of it, and it has to do with the heading of the ship being such that the smoke stack of the ship blocked the satellite receiver with us being so far north.

We got up very close to the Hubbard Glacier on the Regatta (Oceania) in 2014 and spent a few hours at the Glacier. Don't think that the rules have changed. We have never gotten close to the Hubbard Glacier on either of our two Regent cruises to Alaska.

According to the crew on this cruise, this is a new rule. There were lots of other people besides me who had been there before and been closer who were disappointed.

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I am really enjoying your trip! Mark and I were on Mariner's first voyage to Alaska; it was a nine day, one way from Vancouver to Seward. He would have loved to be on George's fishing trip! A few years after our cruise, he took two of our boys to Alaska strictly to fish; they had such a good time, and shipped home a LOT of fish!

I am really enjoying your trip! Mark and I were on Mariner's first voyage to Alaska; it was a nine day, one way from Vancouver to Seward. He would have loved to be on George's fishing trip! A few years after our cruise, he took two of our boys to Alaska strictly to fish; they had such a good time, and shipped home a LOT of fish!

George and our boys have been to Alaska strictly to fish as well. Fortunately I cook fish really well.

May 27, 2016--icy strait point (Hoonah) Alaska

Yet another bright sunny day. How long can we tempt the weather gods? After a totally calm night at sea, we awoke to brilliant sunshine. We docked at Icy Strait Point.

This place has an interesting history. It is a Native American settlement which subsisted on forestry and fishing. There was a large salmon canning operation here. First the lumber industry started declining, then the commercial fishing. Fortunately the elders of the tribe were smart enough to realize they needed to move on into some other industry, and they felt tourism was the way to go. So they took the old salmon processing plant and started building a resort to cater to cruise ships.

The plan was to take only one ship at a time, but offer quality excursions that were friendly to the environment and that people would pay money for. And they have succeeded. I love this place. No tacky tourist shops. They have shops, but they focus on local crafts and artists. They offer whale watching, hikes, kayaking, a cooking class, fishing, bear watching, and the longest zip line in the world.

The place is clean, and the people take pride in what they offer and treat everyone as a welcome guest. It really is very impressive.

For the morning, George and I went on the kayak excursion. We have kayaked a lot, and this was pretty easy. But we had good exercise and lots of wildlife sightings. We saw a sea lion and bunches of bald eagles, more than I have ever seen in one place.

In the afternoon, we split up. I went bear watching while he did the zip line. It took 45 minutes for him to go up but only 90 seconds to come down.

As for the Bears, we went out to an area that was really beautiful, but no bears. Unfortunately, some people on his excursion were so loud that, if a bear had been within 5 miles, he would have run off. Anyway, we got back on the bus, and our guide said that maybe we would see a bear on the road back as Bears had been spotted there recently.

So we are driving along when just ahead in the road appears a huge brown bear,mercy healthy and just BIG. So we got to see our bear.

Dinner at Sette Mare was again delicious. I did go to the show which was a repeat of "Film Flashback", but I thought was better than previous.

Bear in Hoonah

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We were on Voyager in 2013 and got very close to the glacier. Captain Green offered the glacier spirits some tobacco to prompt a calving. As we were leaving, a tower of ice on the edge of the glacier came crashing down. Terry Breen was beside herself, shouting "This is the best cruise EVER!"

On our recent trip, Daniel Green was our captain and I mentioned the Alaska trip...he remembered and said it was because he used good Swedish tobacco!

Enjoying your blog. We've been home less than a week so this is helping enormously with PVDS (post vacation depression syndrome).

May 28,2016--Sitka, Alaska

We heard the fog horns going off early in the morning. When we docked in Sitka and opened the drapes, all that could be seen was a dense white bank of fog. We could have been anywhere because you could not see 20 feet beyond the balcony.

I was a little skeptical about our tour which was to start with a cruise to see whales, otters, and whatever other wildlife presented itself since I really couldn't see anything except fog. Temp high was projected to be in the lower 50s, so I bundled up. Helen and I were going to do this excursion while the boys had another salmon excursion planned.

We boarded the very stable catamaran directly from the dock beside the ship. After cruising along for about an hour, the fog lifted, and a bright sunny day appeared. The view was spectacular, with islands covered with evergreen forest in all directions, snow capped peaks in the background.

We saw bald eagles first and got several good sightings. Then some individual otters, but soon we found a couple of large groups rafted together. They are so cute, some sticking up their heads to look at us, some diving, a few moms with babies on their tummies.

We were in search of whales, but they did not choose to present themselves today. Instead, we had a spectacular find-- a big mother brown bear and yearling cub who were foraging right on the shore. She let the boat come right up, looking at us every so often but not running off. We were able to watch them quite a long time.

Back to Sitka town, we next went to the Alaskan Raptor Center where they rehabilitate mostly Eagles, but other raptors as well. If the bird is not able to be released back into the wild, they keep it there or find it another home at a zoo or wildlife sanctuary. We were able to see Eagles, Hawks, owls, all up close. It was really special.

Finally we went to the bear fortress which is a refuge for bears. They have 5 brown bears and 3 black bears. The brown bears are 2 sibling groups, one of 3 and the other of 2. The black bears are siblings. All of them were orphaned and have lived there almost their entire lives. They can't be released into the wild because they have always been raised and fed by humans, so they would not be able to survive and they are also too acclimated to being around people. They are extremely intelligent. Some of the brown bears understand and can use sign language to communicate with the people who work there. It is really amazing to watch.

Back to the ship, I had a galley tour. It was invitation only, and I have no idea what you had to do to get an invitation. There were 9 of us shown around by Chef Glenn. He told us all sorts of interesting facts. We got to see the huge ovens and stoves, and the Stockpot that would be big enough for a person to hide in.

For the Alaskan cruises, all food except for fish is loaded on in Vancouver. Fish is brought on fresh at pretty much every port. But the ice for the ice sculptures has to be sent from Miami to anchorage. And lamb cannot be brought on board in Canada, so all the lamb for the entire season was loaded on in Miami.

The boys' fishing trip was a bust, not a single fish. They were very disappointed.

Dinner at signatures. We closed the place out. Wonderful halibut dish, and we had pre ordered bread pudding with vanilla sauce that was just outstanding. A very fun evening with friends Al and Kathy, Jerry and Helen.

Otter sighting

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Raptor center

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