Happycrafter123

@Murt22 hubby had promised me a short write up and photos to share - let’s see if I can wrangle that from him today ;-). I can say he really liked it and did see more wildlife than I did, and I do feel a bit jealous as he was going on and on about the facts and info from the captain of the boat who seems to have been very experienced and knowledgeable. He also got better photos than me.

@JeanKC so far I’ve only seen the charges on my onboard account for the day we were in Seattle. I’ll let you know if more show up!

Day 4 - Best of Skagway tour from NCL This was such a wonderful day, way beyond our expectations, all I can say bad about it is that I expect all the rest of the excursions on this trip will pale by comparison. We were about 40-50 people on one large bus. We met on the pier, and there was some hitches as not everyone realized they needed their passports, but we were on our way pretty quick, starting with a driving tour of Skagway. Our guide had lots of facts and made us laugh a lot too. We proceeded to Liarsville for about 2 hours to watch a fun cabarets style show and then panned for gold and enjoyed a marvelous salmon lunch. After that we drove to the Red Onion Saloon and took a half hour tour of the brothel. Super fun, started with a drink and some jokes, and also educational and interesting to learn about the challenges and options for women in the late 1800’s. From there we drove up to Canada! We stopped several times for photos and the scenery was stunning. Our guide filled the time with lots of facts. Once at the Yukon we got on the train and came back down to Skagway. More educational history and It was unexpectedly thrilling, especially when standing on the outdoor platforms. Finally back to the ship. It was a fun filled and super interesting day, fresh air, beautiful views, kind and friendly people, and great food. What a day!

Todays daily

review of yesterday’s photo safari with NCL nice group size of 14 people. A fun crowd, everyone was friendly and chatting with each other, I felt very fortunate to have such a nice group of people to spend the day with. we started the journey with a walk in the woods at the glacier. This was not overly strenuous but would have been challenging for those with mobility concerns. We learned a few tips for our various cameras or iPhones. Weather was good and the air fresh. A few mosquitoes (bring your mosquito repellent!) after that we drove over to the marina. We had a pretty big boat for the size of grouo which was comfy to spread out and enjoy the views. we saw tons of whales as well as several instances of bubble feeding (I sadly did not get photos on my iPhone of that and still can’t download off my other camera or go pro, crossing fingers I have some good ones) when we got back to ship there was a short line up to enter the ship. starving after a while 6 hours away from the ship I raced to buffet. They were scheduled to close at 9:30 and I got there at 9:35. There was a long line and lots of folks arriving at that time and thankfully they kept the food stations open till almost 10 so late arrivals could grab dinner. still feeling wide awake despite the late hour, headed to the Atrium to listen to my new favorite entertainer, Matthew, and enjoy a fancy coffee from Starbucks.

We are coming into Skagway now. a rough technology day so far—lost connection to NCL app so can’t get the daily or check what’s happening…..or even find out hours for internet manager. can’t connect to go pro to download or view yesterday’s photos……sigh…sometimes you just have to hope it will work later. Yesterday was a great day but today is starting out a bit rougher. Looks a bit grey and 40% chance of rain. Hopefully it warms up, the rain stays away and I can get my technology working. Today we have the best of Skagway tour booked with NCL.

@Seas2mountains I just took a photo of your ship too! How was your day in Juneau? I will have to go read your live to see what you got up to 😉 yes got a notice tram is not available. we are whale watching today, though Hubby has a small group private tour with Harv and Marv and I have NCL photo safari.

Today’s daily

Glorious day today! We are cruising through the inside passage now so the water is calm, and the sun is shining. We are scheduled to get to Juneau at 3:45 pm

Todays sea day had lots of activities! Here is the daily:

Spa special was discounted an additional $50 for this To $179 plus tax and 20% tip, for those who attended the spa raffle event. i really liked the eye treatment, it felt good and I think my eyes look better 😉

Today was fun so far. I had an awesome manager special massage for $179 plus tax and tip that was 75 min. Very very very enjoyable. Also did the Mccallan Whiskey tasting sensory experience which was interesting. Attended the latitude event (boring and no stats about the ship or anything, the cruise critic gatherings I attended my last two cruises were much more informative) it did have a great musician and I really enjoyed just sitting and listening to that. have decided I am unlikely to cruise the sun again. Actually much prefer the energy and casualness of the sun, and good music, more personable etc over larger ships, but way too rocky and way too cold with poor layout. the buffet is a horrible crowded and cold experience and we have to wear coats inside to eat after standing in long line ups to get food, have to fight to find a seat, to finally eat stone cold food. Not a great experience. And thermal spa would have made my days better in this cold weather. tonight we have a show and dinner at Cagneys. Mmmm already thinking about filet.

Ah, yes i have a silhouette cameo and do card making and paper crafts too but not for my cruising. I should use it more for decorating vacation shirts or something but haven’t so far. Find my craft blog searching happycrafter123 on google.

Day 1 summary and first day observations Day 1 was excellent. I had more fun than any other embarcation/sea day on a cruise. Normally I avoid the main pool deck due to the large crowds but it had a nice vibe and enough people that we struggled to find chairs but not too many to feel overwhelming. Good music selection and live band for a while. Did the conga. Danced a bit. Went in the pool and hot tubs. Then went to the spa raffle which I thought would be boring but the facilitator made it really fun. On to a marvelous dinner at le bistro. Overall demographic on this cruise is much younger than the last couple we went on, a lot of folks in 30s and 40s and kids. I don’t have kids but enjoy the energy and it’s nice that there is a younger feel to the crowd. I knew beforehand that the ship has an odd layout and had noticed folks complaining about it before and did not expect it to be an issue for me but it is. When you are cold and tired and can’t figure out how to get from dinner to your room without going outside since you can’t traverse from aft to forward without going outside except in limited spots, that is extremely frustrating. The ship runs very cool, in addition to that need for frequent inside/outside navigation and I expect I will start carrying a coat around. And yes, this ship rocks a LOT more than the larger Breakaway and Getaway ships. It bobs and sways continually. As we tried to find a way from dinner to our room last night we stumbled upon a theatre with a comedy act, great comedian! Did not catch his name and it does not show up in the daily but I hope we will get to see him again. I’m not so happy news, my onboard account shows significant tax charges on drinks yesterday. Not something we encountered on our prior (european) cruises. Yikes! That adds up in a hurry!

I debated decorating ducks but wound up just bringing the ones as I got them with no extra decorations. I brought some wool and crochet needles to work on a new scarf. Do you craft?

You must be excited getting organized! It loooks like you will also get more sun than we will 😉. Where are you coming from?

Todays daily

We boarded at just after 11, and got our room about 3:30. Sadly realized I did not pack skin cream or sandals (???how does that happen??). Great band on the pool deck and enjoyed the pool and drinks while waiting. IMG_2073.MOV IMG_2073.MOV

Such a gorgeous day! I’m guessing many cruisers must be out enjoying the sun this morning as it’s relatively quiet at port. UberXL from Warwick hotel to port was $19 Smooth drop off of luggage and check in. waiting room at 10:30am now has 75% of seats taken.

Had a nice breakfast and waiting for the transfer to port. It’s a beautiful day here in Seattle. We have a 9:30 check in. I’m looking forward to some sunbathing on the deck today.

Well maps underestimated the time it would take - wound up being about 4 1/2 hours but it took a solid half hour at customs over the border, 20 minutes for KFC dinner break and then circling around the one way streets in Seattle round and round for a while before finding hotel (and entrance to parking garage) view from hotel is great, Seattle really is a gorgeous city.

Our road trip begins! Wound up with two big checked bags and 2 carry on each… hmm might have overpacked lol! Cats were pitiful and hiding in a heap today. Can you find the cat lol! Maps tells me it will be 2 hrs and 38 min to the hotel in Seattle, we’ll see what the actual # is!

Interesting, I had not thought about it as I had not had to complete that on my last few travels in and out of the country by plane but I guess that is covered off on those big machines in the airport. i do believe that arrive can is optional and still available for use, I’ll check it out. appreciate the heads up.

Why did you need a pen at customs, was that at the Port or for the bus company?? i will be driving across in a couple weeks but thought we’d just drive through the border with some verbal questions to s it different now?

I love all your photos!! Wow that dinner at onda looks awesome! The San remo looks tasty too. Wonder if they will have that In other ships in la cucina? weird there were no edamame at Tepanyaki. On the breakaway in May they had them.