16 minutes ago, Daveywavey70 said:

I Hope I can post some whilst on the ship

Someday, I'll have one of those gizmos. The views from above are so fabulous.

3 hours ago, Daveywavey70 said:

So what have I forgotten? 

Can't wait to see the drone videos. enjoy the splendor of Alaska, Davey!

41 minutes ago, TLCOhio said:

 Lots of "pain", including to my shrinking wallet. 

I feel your pain. My dentist specializes in "wallet extractions"

Have an awesome cruise, Davey! Did you ever connect with Captain Paul in Sitka?

28 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

No doubt. We "only" took 1800 during our week in Ukraine. It was a slow week for us! On a typical longer 2-week trip we'll get close to 5000 between our cameras and cell phone shots. Luckily I don't shoot in RAW mode otherwise I'd run out of room on a daily basis.

I'll keep a count and let you know. I've scoped out  photo op places, and there are many. One of my main goals is to get a Milky Way photo in the Dolomites. The timing is good, and I just hope for clear skies. Something like this.

8 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

Per day?

Well, I think in Alaska last year I averaged 100 per day. Maybe more in these great places. Time to get an extra memory card!

2 hours ago, TLCOhio said:

 Glad to know you are a person of such high class, great taste and wonderful judgment to make these generous comments for these visuals.

Any you, sir, are a gentleman and a scholar!

1 hour ago, TLCOhio said:

What main Italy and Switzerland locations will you be visiting?

We start with 5 nights in the spectacular  Dolomites, then fly to Switzerland for five nights in Murren and Lauterbrunnen, then make our way to Lake Como for 3 nights, then off to Cinque Terre for 3 nights, then 5 nights at a villa/winery in Tuscany, then Florence and finally Venice for a couple nights prior to our Oct. 18 sailing on the Spirit. At least 1,000 pictures, for sure.

26 minutes ago, TLCOhio said:

For John, here is one of my top, enlarged favorite pictures from our Africa trip.  Does this hippo need to do a better job in brushing his teeth?:

Yes, Terry, this is also an amazing picture, as are your leopards, elephants and that funny-looking bird! With your eye and experience, I'm really looking forward to seeing what you capture in Alaska. In Sitka, Denali, etc., you're sure to have plenty of opportunities.

I have over three months until we fly to Venice for our 4-week pre-cruise land vacation in Italy and Switzerland, so that will give me plenty of time to dive back into the wonderful world of Terry's Travels.

I'm sure you're counting the days until your northern sojourn. Enjoy the anticipation! I've always thought it's half the fun.

3 hours ago, TLCOhio said:

As detailed below on my live/blog, our African Adventure involved five days initially in wonderful Cape Town.

Thanks for the detailed camera settings for that epic lion shot. You really nailed it! I hope you have a large framed print of it at home in Terry's Photo Hall of Fame. I once knew a guy (you may know who I'm talking about) who killed big game in Africa and displayed his "trophies" mounted on the wall. This is so superior to that!

As for your 2016 Africa thread, this is epic as well! It's going to take hours to get through the entire post, but what I've seen so far has been wonderfully written and photographed. It will be a valuable resource as we consider Africa for our 2021 mega-trip. Thanks!

Of course, while reviewing your blog, I had to take a few "detours" to view your posts about Venice, Dubrovnik and Athens, all of which we'll be visiting in October on board the Silver Spirit. So much information and great pics. After two hours, however, I need a break! 

Thanks, as always, for sharing.

12 hours ago, TLCOhio said:

Seeing the wild creatures up close is amazing, especially when you can look into their eyes, see to inside their soul, etc.  Plus, as with this male lion, there are some battle scars from living in the wild and dealing with the challenges of nature.  This lion had been sleeping, but then he rose his head up, opened his eyes and I captured this fascinating pose to camera.:

Gosh, Terry, amazing photos from Botswana! The lion shot is epic. What lens were you using? 

Mrs. and I are looking into Africa for 2021. Did you do a cruise or a regular safari?

1 hour ago, Unibok said:

ohnGin, we have had the same reaction to the chopsticks as you did. Our most modest hole-in-the-wall eateries at home use re-usable ones, so it seems odd for Silversea’s to be so cheap.

Most definitely. I'm going to write to Silversea with my thoughts. If you're going to offer high-end Asian dining, decent chopsticks are a must. Al least they didn't pass out fortune cookies!

Awesome photo and bear story! You're very fortunate. Glad to hear you discovered the Totem Heritage Center. We loved it! One of the very few worthwhile places in Ketchikan proper. 

2 hours ago, Daveywavey70 said:

Thank you so much for your wonderful commentary Rachel. Safe journey home

I second this, Rachel. Thanks for taking so much time to describe this wonderful cruise. All the best!

45 minutes ago, Focused1 said:

Absolutely. You will always do better using a TA

Live and learn, I suppose.....

Thanks

21 minutes ago, zqtchas said:

The scenery is beautiful, when the fog & rain lift. 

 

I love your first picture. That will make a nice large print. Outstanding!

1 hour ago, Bill B said:

Yes, there's a 'catch' but bear with me -

 

I asked for a quote through the SS website and received a 'Voyage Option' listing:

- the Silver Privilege Fare;

- 10% Early Booking Bonus discount;

- 5% Venetian Society discount;

- 25% single supplement; and,

- $1000 NON-USED AIR CREDIT.

 

It took about 7 seconds to write back saying "No on board credit?"

 

Twenty minutes later, I received a second 'Voyage Option' to which $500 SBC (ship board credit) had been added.  

 

I have booked 4 cruises direct with SS and have always received at least 5% of the total spend in OBC. Does anyone do better with  TA?

Great to hear all is going well! Looking forward to hearing about the last few days.

A tip: when you sail Iinto Vancouver, you'll pass under the Lion's Gate bridge approx. 7:00 am. It's a fun experience, even if you have to get up a little early.

Thanks for all your wonderful reports!

2 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

If you don’t have all of your days mapped out yet in Northern Italy, I would encourage you to spend some time at Lake Garda.

Thanks for the tip. Looked at Garda, but Como worked out much better for us geographically. We go from Murren in Switzerland to Lucerne for a night, then train to Lugano and bus to Menaggio for a night then over to Varenna for two nights. Then down to Cinque Terre via Milan. Actually made all the reservations last July!

22 hours ago, Unibok said:

Anyway, back to sunny Haines. Our afternoon excursion was a 4-hour photography tour, Haines Thru a Lens.

Haines is a wonderful, sleepy little town far different from the touristy ports. Last summer, we did the same photography tour you took. Looking forward to eventually seeing some of your shots. In the meantime, here are a few of mine from that day

On 5/30/2019 at 10:24 AM, jpalbny said:

JohnG, I can also reassure you that this Northern Atlantic itinerary is a special one

Thanks for this, JP. We're only doing one major trip each year and I guess I was getting  cold (and wet) feet after reading Rachel's report. This particular Ireland to Iceland itinerary, with extra time pre- and post-cruise, will let us cross multiple destinations off our list. And yes, the cruise itself looks fascinating! We'll just pack accordingly.

This year's major trip is epic. We have 4 weeks in Northern Italy (Dolomites, Lake Como, Cinque Terre, Tuscany, Florence and Venice) and the Swiss alps followed by a Spirit cruise from Venice to Athens in October. Counting the days!

Hoe you're enjoying the early summer weather in the Capital District.

6 hours ago, RachelG said:

We have been to most of these ports previously and to Iceland and the Faroe Islands.  Weather for us in Iceland has always been good.  The Faroe Islands were wet and cold.  I am going on the circumnavigation of Iceland cruise in August, so obviously I like it enough to return.  I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit the Faroe Islands again, but all the previous stops on the current cruise I really liked.  When we were here before, it was much warmer and not as many rainy days.  Weather is a crapshoot, as you point out.  But I would return.

Thanks for you reassuring words!

8 hours ago, Unibok said:

Today = Sitka. Or, for those of you who are fans of Sandra Bullock and the movie The Proposal, Sitkaaaaaa. This is the view from our balcony. It was a tender port, which got us much closer to downtown than the pier used by the bigger ships (Norwegian and  Viking). 

 

 

Looks like a beautiful day in Sitka, which is my favorite Alaska port. Great view of Mt. Edgecumbe!

Thought you'd enjoy the story about the time the volcano "erupted".

THE ERUPTION OF MOUNT EDGECUMBE–APRIL FOOL’S DAY 1974

Sitka History Museum, 2014.3.1

When you successfully pull off one of the most epic pranks in the history of the United States, the only thing left to do is design commemorative wear like this “Porky’s” jacket in the Sitka History Museum’s permanent collection.

The morning of April 1, 1974 was clear and beautiful.  Mt. Edgecumbe, a dormant volcano located 13 miles west of Sitka, Alaska on Kruzof Island, was clearly visible across Sitka Sound. Upon seeing the mountain when he woke up, life-long prankster Oliver “Porky” Bickar reportedly turned to his wife, Patty, and said, “This is it. We’ve gotta do it today.” Kissing him on the forehead, Patty replied, “Don’t make an ass of yourself.”

Porky had waited three years for this, collecting old tires in his shop ever since he hatched the idea back in 1971. April Fool’s Day, 1974 had finally provided the right visibility conditions. He planned to fly his collection of tires into the crater of the volcano and set them on fire, all in an attempt to fool Sitka’s residents into thinking that the familiar volcano was about to erupt.

Porky rushed to his shop and, after calling multiple helicopter charters, was able to enlist the services of Earl Walker from Petersburg. Although Earl was fog-bound in Petersburg, he was excited by Porky’s idea and said he would be on his way to Sitka as soon as the weather cleared. While waiting, Porky made two rope slings about 150 feet long, each holding 50 old car tires. He also gathered oily rags, a gallon of Sterno, a whole lot of diesel oil, and a dozen smoke bombs– anything and everything that would emit thick, black smoke.

Sitka History Museum, photograph by Harold Wahlman, PH041

Upon Earl’s arrival, and with the help of their accomplices, Larry Nelson and Ken Stedman, Porky and Earl loaded the helicopter and off they flew toward Mt. Edgecumbe.  They dropped the tires and incendiaries into the volcano’s crater. They spray-painted “APRIL FOOL’S” in 50-foot letters onto the snow and set their creation ablaze.

When asking the FAA tower for permission to land back in Sitka, Homer Sutter, the air-traffic controller, said, “I’ll bring you in as low and inconspicuously as possible…and, by the way, the son of a gun looks fantastic!” Porky had notified the FAA and the Sitka Police Department, but had somehow forgotten the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard quickly scrambled to its boats and helicopter to investigate, but the chopper pilot soon found himself looking down at a pile of smoldering tires and a big April Fool’s sign in the snow.

Phones rang off the hook at radio stations and the Police Department as concerned citizens called in.  Porky has accomplished his mission. He had fooled Sitka into thinking their supposedly-extinct volcano was preparing to erupt.

The prank went on to make AP news worldwide. News of Porky’s antics in Sitka even reached Jimmy Johnson, Vice President of Alaska Airlines, who called the Sitka station to instruct their departing plane to fly over the mountain, giving their passengers a front-row seat to the spectacle. Over forty years later, the Eruption of Mount Edgecumbe continues to make the list of the Top 100 April Fool’s Day Hoaxes of All Time. Local legend even has it that, when Mount St. Helens erupted six years later, a Sitka resident wrote to Porky and said, “This time you’ve gone too far!”

 

49 minutes ago, Unibok said:

We chose to dine at Indochine, which we loved!!! When we asked for extra spice, that was readily granted, and our dishes were perfectly prepared and absolutely delicious. It is our favorite dinner spot onboard so far.

We dined in Indochine on the Spirit in March and also loved it. The Lemongrass beef was wonderful and the Pho was the best (albeit the only) that I had ever had. I was surprised, however, that I had to ask for chopsticks and they only had those cheap ones that you had to pull apart. Next cruise, I'll pack my own!

So nice to hear about your experience at Hubbard Glacier and your positive impressions of the Muse! You're fortunate to have gotten so close to the glacier - last year we were about a half mile away at the closest. It was a non-event. Although we did enjoy the beautiful blue large and small icebergs on the way into the bay. We were shocked that the temp was about 40 and the wind chill was maybe 25, so we didn't spend too much time on deck.

Looking forward to hearing about your continued adventures! Thanks for taking the time to post.