frequent traveler

We had that morning low fog layer a few days but as you say, above it is cloudless and it soon burns off. Hope the excellent weather continues. What a disappointment the food must be as SS has so much hype about their high end nature. They certainly charge enough for it.:eek:

Jim, we had 2 choices for this itinerary as I was bound and determined to visit Sitka again on an all inclusive ship. Regent Navigator which we had done before and SS. The number of children and cramped public spaces on our Navigator cruise led us here. There is plenty of space and we are not overrun with uncontrolled children. So far so good

Must be having great internet on board.:D Hope Yall are having a great time.

Not using the on board wi fi since I don't have any work emergencies so far, sorry Jim, postings on CC don't need the daily internet charge

A catch up post-

First, dinner last night(1st nite) was in main dining room. Service was friendly and plentiful. By that I mean there was more than enough staff to keep my water glass full at all times without request, a key test for me. And while I skipped the white wine, the red, an Australian Shiraz, was soft enough that I didn't turn down the constant topping off of my glass. Pacing was mostly good. Menu is extremely varied with a lot of choices, the "standards" more basic with last nights specials trending more towards fusion.

Our waiter Jesus, took special note of a couple of food allergies and was very careful of checking the ingredients in every dish. I appreciated that very much.

Dining room is spacious for the number of people. Light and the warm decor does not overwhelm. It's the first main dining room I have not felt claustrophobic dining in on a cruise ship. The conversational noise did not overwhelm and we were able to have a nice chat with the lovely couple from New Zealand seated next to us.

I will definitely be saving room for dessert every night. The 2 full pages of dessert put a glow in this chocoholic's heart. My flourless chocolate mini pie did not disappoint. Coupled with an Irish coffee that seemed more Irish than coffee I was glad I had only an appetizer, then fish, and that portion sizes were reasonable.

Dining room seemed in good physical condition. Noticed a couple of nicks in the baseboard that looked like vacuum scrapes but I don't count those as deterioration. Easy to repair with a furniture marker. Light was very bright and woods and fabrics seemed in good shape and fairly recent.

Reynaldo did an excellent job of stocking our cabin while we were at dinner and was very distressed that no Neutragena products were available. I am not a big fan of the particular Bvlgari scent, clear bottle with green cap, but there is another hypoallergenic line, Seba Med , that is available. So all is well. Also Ferragamo is available.

The safety drill before sailing was the most extensive I have ever experienced, even going so far as to explain the proper way to jump in the water. In most other body of waters, I would want to know but no way am I stepping off into the Gulf of Alaska without a dry suit. But I wanted to stuff gags into the mouths of people who laughed and talked all the way through. I don't care how many times you have sailed this is serious stuff and when you are not in warm water it's even more serious.

One more vent - yes, you are on vacation and it was casual last night, but come on, a worn t shirt and track pants to dinner 2 hrs after sailing? In a multi-generational family, it was not the 20 something or the grandfather but the middle aged father. I will rebel against "formal" and dine in my cabin that night but this was ridiculous. Had I not heard the son chide the dad I would had tried to think - ok, lost luggage. But it wasn't.

Back to our cabin, bathroom is spacious with double vanity and good storage space. However shower is tiny and bathtub wastes space. Shower water is only lukewarm, all plastic surround stall, and weak shower head. Even with small size SD shower wins this one hands down. Would much prefer bigger shower. And I am disappointed in "verandah". Not big enough for a chaise. Not comfortable for extended viewing. We'll see how crowded the public spaces get later this morning. We did watch a number of Tweens and under board but saw very few in the early evening or this morning.

After the lifeboat drill, we had an introduction event on the pool deck - which I can see will become one of my favorite places. Introductions to the diamond master I could do without, but staff and lecturers were interesting as well as performance by the on board entertainers- six individuals, all classically trained but will be doing ABBA and Motown shows also. It looks like 25-30 people showed up for the "diamond class" this morning. Well, I certainly didn't come to Alaska to buy diamonds but I guess others did.

Morning of Day at Sea

bed is excellent, slept well and we are up early, though this will likely not post until we get back in range of wi fi. Steaming across a calm Gulf of Alaska (no whitecaps and minimal swells) toward Hubbard Glacier. Wind is 17 -19 knots and our speed is 18 knots (TV keeps switching between knots and km per hr which is very confusing to this land loving American)

We have all our shore excursion tickets and I have a very busy day in Juneau. Whale watching in the morning and salmon fishing again in the afternoon. And since the Salmon fishing is marked "extensive" physical activity I don't feel quite as bad that my trapezoids are a bit sore this morning. Might I remind you that my silver salmon fought me from 140 feet deep? I hope I'm not one of those with a big fat zero in Juneau:). ZQVOL is now signed up for the excursion so if can catch even 4 big ones, that's a nice shipment home.

Back to Fox Island. Since I don't like people (and I understand the feeling is reciprocated) this overnight stay was wonderful. I'm ready to buy land in Alaska and summer here as soon as I win the lottery. It was so peaceful to sit and listen to the water hit the rocks and watch the birds. There are hiking paths but you are required to sign out and take a noise horn in case of injury. Kayaking is an extra charge and had we'd stayed an extra day I might have done either the night or day. you can sit on your porch on your cabin but the best viewing area are the old fashioned Adirondack chairs on the front deck of the private lodge for the beach or the picnic tables of the public area for the more marshy backside. Fox Island was definitely a 10 and a do over if we return.

Back to the ship-

Ate breakfast at the buffet. Selection was good and fresh fruit was assortment of melons and strawberries. Oatmeal was gummy and I gave up after a couple of bites. Again, draperies, upholstery, furniture and carpet seem in good shape. We have noticed a trend (if 2x can be a trend) for the restaurants to get stuffy. I don't know if someone complains about temperature and they adjust upward or if they fail to consider the load but the corridors are much more comfortable. And artwork is AMAZING. Truly some pieces are museum quality. They need to put benches in the corridor so we can sit and reflect.

I thought I had found my perfect place to park on sea days-outside on the back of deck 8, great views, I have already spotted Dall's porpoises but smoking may drive me elsewhere. And before I trigger flaming I am not saying smoking should not be allowed in about the only outdoor seating area with unobstructed viewing in Alaska, just that I will find another place to lurk. It's extremely moderate in temperature on deck right now so layers aren't needed yet. We are still some distance from glacier

So far, top to bottom the staff and crew have been friendly and helpful. While it's early, resembles Sea Dream in willingness to get to know you and remember your preferences. Enjoying that immensely.

Back to Seward and the Kenai peninsula - there is so much to do and so much to see, we barely scratched the surface. I can already see another trip to Alaska -maybe just, maybe landbased. Warning - you can not find a diet Red Bull any where in Seward BUT the Safeway. Gosh knows, I walked the entire waterfront trying but my cab driver confirmed. Apparently everyone loves the regular red bull Italian sodas We found almost universally, everyone to be friendly and helpful. The deluxe Prevost motor homes parked in the waterfront camping lots made me almost- the operative word is almost, want to camp here for a week.

Back to ship

I am a clean freak on ships and the public bathrooms are immaculate. Tile grout is a good test. In the ladies room on deck 8, the tile grout is spotless - even behind the toilets, yes, I check. This ship may be a bit up there in years but so far I see loving care and an attention to detail and sanitation.

Absolutely freaking amazing - 57 degrees and clear blue skies all day today. Hubbard Glacier was spectacular. Pictures are spellbinding. People were poolside and in shorts. I air dried my hair on the balcony this afternoon after we left the Glacier. Can not believe it.

We seem to have an eclectic international passenger group. Seems pretty mellow. Only saw a few rambling munchkins/rug rats late this afternoon though some Tweens and teens took over the pool and one of the two hot tubs. Couldn't tell if it bothered anyone but haven't heard rumblings yet.

Not sure if I have dinner reservations anywhere since I didn't get any cards other than a wait list at the up charge restaurant. Pretty sure we have a couple but since I haven't been reminded and king crab and lobster is at MDR, guess where we are headed.

High hopes for dinner were crushed. Service was slow and the yelling we heard from the kitchen was not a good sign. Our waiter actually took our "unused breadsticks" and gave them to another table and put the unused bread from the basket back into his bin. YUCK. That was after escargot that was tasteless and lobster tail spoiled by a totally unnecessary roux. I know food is subjective -but this was not a 3 star meal, and it was in the execution, not the ingredients. The King crab appetizer was the one acceptable dish - presented simply accompanied with caviar like sides. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. Dining at the Grill

Back in wi fi range near Sitka

On board and this will be quick, as I am exhausted. Left the lodge at 6 am to catch my boat. Was sunny wonderful day. My "7" LB silver was that weight net sans head and all the other stuff and was caught at at a depth of 140 FT. The pink was smaller and caught at 40 FT but those filets look good. Highly recommend the Aurora charter group. Train with the hordes are about to arrive but we are almost unpacked.

Cabin is in excellent condition, fairly new if not new this season, carpeting, bedding, and draperies. For the price it seems smaller than our Regent Navigator cabin and only slightly larger than a Sea Dream cabin but with a walkin closet and larger bathroom. Plastic square to set up table for in room dining is in closet and doesn't seem to allow for more than a light meal

We just met Reynaldo, our butler, who has 15 cabins

Checkin was rather routine. Just went to the front desk, got our pictures made, were handed half a glass of sparkling wine (not champagne) and went to our cabins. Luckily no line.

Just back from Fox Island and our National Park Tour. This will take me a couple of posts and ramble and jump from topic to topic because it was AMAZING!

In reverse order, the National tour was animal and glacier calving packed. We saw orcas and humpback whales. And I mean whales. Multiple whales. The orcas being "resident" and not transient were accompanied by Dall's Porpoises . I about broke my neck going back and forth between the two. Earlier we had seen 6 or 7 humpbacks within a mile, 3 swimming closely together.. We also saw Stellar sea lions basking in the sun, harbor seals, and sea otters along with the puffins, cormorants, and common murre. We had a pod of Dall's Porpoises swim along with the boat for about 5 minutes and I was lucky to be on the bow when they came over to play tag. I got 2 very bad pictures of them but since ZQVOL took more, maybe his will be better.

Boat had comfortable seating, good amount of deck space and very personable and knowledgeable staff. We were picked up at Fox Island at 8:45 and returned to dock around 2:30. A light lunch of turkey wrap, carrots, and granola bar is included. Light snacks, beer and wine, and non alcoholic beverages are available for purchase.

We could not make it up to Ailiak Glacier as there was too much ice. But we got quite close to Holgate glacier and listened to it snap, crackle, pop and then roar as the ice flowed into Holgate Arm (I'm looking at the map as I name these, so blame the cartographer please if I am wrong). The Bay and the Gulf of Alaska were very calm today, it was sunny, and there was very little wind-a perfect day so we had"over layered". Easy to fix and I may have even gotten a little sunburn.

Definitely recommend this tour. Captain was very respectful to the wildlife and it was one of the few where there were great views from indoor seating and lower decks. Would do it again in a heartbeat.

Absolutely gorgeous sunny day here at the Resurrection River - which in the light of day is a deep gorge reachable after crossing several hundred yards of riverbank. Apparently during the rainy season when glacier run off peaks the River becomes quite a monster up here.

Wildflowers are stunning. Purple, scarlet, white, yellow-ZQVOL has great pictures. Network gets extremely slow when every one is on it but since many have already left maybe we will have some success

Today we are leaving shortly for the Kenai Fjords Wilderness Lodge on Fox island and a night with no internet or cell phone. Wednesday it's the Resurrection Bay Tour with a visit to the Alaska Maritime National Refuge before we return to the Windsong Lodge.

One suggestion, don't eat the buffet here for breakfast. It's designed to get the masses out the door. My eggs with spinach, Parmesan cheese, crumbled sirloin and herbs was much better than the dried out eggs on the buffet. Fresh fruit bowl contained nice big chunks of melon and tri-colored potatoes(included sweet and purple potatoes) much more appetizing than plain old Idaho potatoes on buffet. Staff seems to work split shift so you will see familiar faces.

Ready for the next adventure.

30% chance of rain turned into pouring rain which is now hitting the leaves outside our windows. Really really quiet and relaxing - of course trying that third type of beer today along with my third type of chowder and my third type of salmon this week may help (good things always come in 3s plus even better my office left me alone today)

Thank you to those who are enjoying and especially for forgiving/ not commenting on my typos and spelling errors. I HATE the autocorrect and when battery power is draining, skip the proof reading. See you tomorrow:)

Ok, now I am seriously concerned. 3 nights in a row that a restaurant is "out" of Alaskan King Crab legs. Due to increased demand I am told. If I can't get in Alaska what am I eating in lower 48?

I am guessing that you aren't coming back to Anchorage before you leave on Thursday but if you do I wanted to recommend you try Sack's café. (Between 3rd and 4th on G street)

Not this trip, but we'll put on the list for next visit. Sitting in the Goliath bar each trying a different one of the 18 beers on tap. ZQVOL has returned to the Glacier Brewhouse Blonde and I'm having the Kenai River Oatmeal Stout. We chose a table with a view of the Resurrection River which needs resurrecting. It's almost totally dry. No fishing for me here.

We have a "standard room" - very close to the bar! Rooms are basic but big. No on site store but the shuttle runs on the hour the 2 miles to Seward. staff is very nice and multi functions. A lot more electric outlets than the Sheraton so we recharged. Wireless internet free all over the property and no air conditioning. Window screen had a hole in it and since I am mosquito bait, I improvised and "fixed" with a bandaid. We are each only taking a backpack to Fox Island so the poor bellman had to lug my 50 LB suitcase up a flight of stairs just to bring it back down tomorrow and then to another room on Wednesday when we return!

My first almost killing ZQVOL moment. Made it 60 hrs. Well, this calls for the Kassik Moose Point Porter and a cup of Alaskan seafood chowder (cod, halibut, potato, and dill according to the menu)

More later . . .

In the Windsong Lodge waiting to check in. Train ride down to Seward was successful for bears, sheep (both within the first hour after leaving Anchorage), bald eagles, beaver, and moose sightings. We were in an Alaska Railroad car and guides were much better than last trip when we were in cruise line car. And bartender John makes the best $ 7.00 Bloody Mary - needed several when the extended family two rows behind us let their six (yes, 6 ) preteens run wild for 4 of the 5 hrs.

Weather was good. Great visibility to Spencer glacier and Lower trail lake was beautiful reflecting. When a bald eagle flew parallel with us, almost magical moment.

Surprised upon arriving that we could not go the Lodge right away. No possibility of early check in but luggage went straight to Windsong Lodge while we wandered Seward. Had lunch at Nellie's - halibut tacos were cooked perfectly. Murals painted on the walls of buildings are informative, artistic, and reflect the heritage of the area. Going to the Alaska Sea Life center on Wednesday afternoon or Thursday am. Founded after the Valdez spill to clean up animals it comes highly recommended

Walked around Resurrection Bay from the Sea Life Center to the Small Boat Harbor. Don't miss the marker "0" for the Idadarod to Nome- this is where it began, not as a race, but as a supply chain.

Hope my room is ready soon. :)

Great day yesterday started off with a 45 minute wait at downtown Avis counter. Even with a reservation they do not believe in having contracts preprinted so all data has has to be taken from scratch. And we had a several in front of us that decided to change their plans. Got a cute little SUV for the day and headed off to find Highway 1. Promptly almost hit a intoxicated gentleman who decided to walk in front of me mid block at 9:15 in the morning.

Beautiful drive down the coast.

Only took us an hour to make it to Portage Glacier but I was ruthlessly determined to make the first "cruise" at 10:30. Tide was in and on way back, tide was out- totally different views. Both stunning. Definitely recommend the 10:30 voyage. Several cruise lines had had an earlier slot and the buses were pulling away as we arrived. I had layered appropriately for the top bringing gloves, hat, and a warmly lined windbreaker but had not added that needed bottom layer under my hiking pants. Luckily, winds were not high.

The ship was built for this lake and we came within 300 yards of the glacier according to one of the guides. It was designed to break up ice so we went through floes and a huge chunk was brought on board. Bathrooms were clean but there is no cafe on board so bring your own coffee or hot chocolate if needed. Cost for 2 adults, no discount -$64.

As DH noted, New England chowder served at gift store/ticket office was WONDERFUL!

On our way out stopped at the fish viewing platform but salmon weren't running yet. Completely different at Bird Creek where anyone who could cast was catching salmon by the bucket. Seriously, I was craving waders and a fishing pole. It was quite a spectacle watching the hordes not more than a few feet apart catching fish. It was also easy to note the difference between rookies and experienced fly fisher people. It had to be folks from the lower 48 with the flies just floating there. No casting-no fish

Typical weather pattern, warm and sunny in Anchorage but rain and low level clouds changed our plans to have lunch at the top of the mountain in Alayeska.

As DH noted dinner was excellent. For a 2.00 upcharge my surf and turf sampler substituted salmon for the turf and with halibut, cramp, and pacific prawns was a to die for sampler of the best fish. I rarely eat Salmon on the east coast because it tastes nothing like Alaska salmon

I didn't initially order dessert but a nibble of ZQVOL's made on site cheesecake led me to order the made on site peanut butter pie. OMG, definitely worth the calories. Coupled with a couple of also on site brewed 9% blond beers (snifter size in my defense) it was a great meal

Time to pack and leave for Seward. More later:)

Be sure and take one of the tour boats out around the Kenai Peninsula. Wonderful wildlife. Enjoy!

We have booked a night on Fox island and have been warned-nothing to charge any phones, laptops, etc. Can't wait

Well after 8 hrs on Delta with an infant and toddler directly in front of us in the oldest plane in Delta's fleet we are here in beautiful Anchorage. What a waste of FF points for a non existent business class. Did hear they ran out of most food and more importantly LiQUOR in economy. Since it was impossible to get service in our cabin I'm sure they could have restocked easily!

Ok, done with my peeves on Delta and 8 hrs of alternating crying children. Arrived to a sunny evening and a $20 cab ride to the Sheraton. Walked a few blocks to the mall where ZQVOL hit the Apple store and we grabbed dinner at Sullivan's Steakhouse. Busy place and they ran out of King Crab Legs before we arrived. Dinner was good but not great. We are on the Club floor at Sheraton and place is hopping. We have a great view and can see bay and mountains.

As opposed to our last trip here around summer solstice it actually got dark and we had a sunrise this morning. Going to walk to Avis, then heading to Portage Glacier. ZQVOL has gotten some great pictures. Will try to post later but it's sunny, moderate weather and going to be a great day

I made our reservation for the Crow's Nest for dinner for tomorrow when we will be in the Kenai peninsula so if anyone has recommendations, we would appreciate.

Getting ready to leave ATL for Anchorage. Have to disable but daily updates to follow

Headed to Alaska on the SilverSea Shadow right now. Will have a "verandah". Normally I would say the space of SD means no, I would never need a balcony. BUT if you are sailing in a school holiday week, with 10 and unders on board you might need. I adore the SD crew but when hellions are running amuck on all decks, a balcony would be nice.

Ho-hum,

I'm sure I will trigger some sort of response that I probably deserve but won't like but I swear I don't remember you being near as much fun when Jane and I were . . . Oh well, I shan't say due to the bad example, but we drove poor Enes crazy as he tried to deliver lunch while it "was raining men" at the Toy on a crossing.

FT

Heck, when I saw the tag line I thought oh no, he's getting banned. That means I won't be far behind:)

I'm sure somewhere there is someone who thinks a group of Americans are too something or Brazilians and we all know about the fun loving Canadians and Australians. So to judge all Norwegians is pretty harsh. Who knows, maybe Southerners from the US could even be rowdier than the Norwegians. I do remember one crossing where the beer shortage was driven by certain folks from Florida and Indiana and there was a concern about the low level of champagne.

http://www.drinkstuff.com/productimg/15621_large.jpg

 

Mr. Hum might benefit from this sporting equipment. Hope the link works.

If I am not mistaken a former wonderful SD II bartender started his own business and did quite well during the South Africa World Cup with some similar if not the featured sporting equipment

FT

MaryL,

We were making the same decision you are facing now. Having sailed multi times on SeaDream and once on Regent Navigator we were deciding between SS and SB. As DH is a professor, timing is limited and it became itinerary driven. We are looking forward to sailing on the Cloud and SS for the first time as we return to Alaska this summer.

FT

FT, I read the report but couldn't open SD's response (said the file was damaged). Can you summarize?

Thanks!

Vandrefalk

Hi,

Hope you are doing well. Escaped to Vegas this weekend. First, like Mr Avery, to me many of the items seemed technical or insubstantial but the water in ports was of concern. I hoped it was just a training or other correctable issue but SD's response on this item seemed to be that it had to get the water at anchor in certain ports, like St. John and one in Panama due to demand so it had no other choice. That's fine if it's only used for toilets but any use that comes in contact with humans poses a health risk. The only time I have gotten the Norovirus is from consuming produce while at the Four Seasons at Punta Mita. I relaxed my guard and and ate lettuce that was not totally "clean". So for SD to use that "dirty water" to rinse fruit or vegetables or passengers to brush their teeth or even shower in it-that's a major health concern

I hope SD's response on the use of water in ports was an inaccurate summary but it read like SD was not going to change. Since SD has received consistently great scores on CDC exams and I personally know the Captains pay great attention to these exams (each crossing they prepared for on an intense basis) this would be a huge aberration. All other items seem to have either been fixed or in process. I personally bemoan that the SD kitchen will not risk a CDC violation by serving Eggs Benedict in an U.S.port:rolleyes:

FT

If anyone's interested, here's the link to the actual CDC report. You can also click on SD's response.

http://wwwn.cdc.gov/inspectionquerytool/InspectionDetailReport.aspx?ColI=MTg2NDAyMzc%3d-l4XzrrevpZQ%3d

Just a thought out loud !! :rolleyes: Does anyone 100 % know for sure SeadDream I is only running on 1 engine?

Haven't seen anyone for sure make a claim 1 way or another. from last few that have been on SeaDream I they seem to think all is well.

As far as SeaDream responsibilty to its customers is, I'm sure they base all there decisions on worst case scenario's.

They wouldn't want to have 100 customers stuck in the Carribean, (well I could find worst places to be stuck )

I'm counting down the days until March 20th. Barbados to Barbados 9 day

Suffering here in Michigan on Global Warming;)/Global Vortex, guess i should call Al Gore:o

Well I'll report back to everyone on SeaDream , I'll do this before making stop at TOY Bar or Piano bar.

I'll be sure to pack a paddle in case we get stuck:)

As of a couple of weeks ago, repairs were ongoing and SD I was still functioning on only one Engine. Since I haven't had friends on board recently I haven't heard whether the new crankshaft had been completely installed, tested, and certified and was fully operational . Right now it is no strain to make all the itineraries due to short distances. Could be an issue in Southern Caribbean if not operational but hopefully SD would advise passengers in advance. If you do a bit of checking, the SB triplets, old as they are, each have 4 engines, 2 the same size as the SD yachts plus 2 smaller engines (all public information). It's not a laughing matter to go dead in the water in a yacht the size of SD. By keeping a close eye on the weather and waves, the experienced and knowledgeable SD Captains can make sure the yacht is always close to shore in the Caribbean so no Carnival like disaster but it could be a rough day if the other engine failed. I would never knowingly set forth on a 7 day voyage with only one engine, but then I haven't been hang gliding or parasailing recently either:)

FT

REI has great short sleeve and long sleeve shirts of different fabric weights that are treated with mosquito repellant. They also have unobtrusive wrist bands (as a mosquito magnet I wear on ankles too) I never get a bite wearing them

Also your doctor can give you a prescription you start 2 days before you leave and take for two weeks after you return.

Of course you can also just drink gin&tonics too:)

Is the 2nd engine back on line?