Cruising-along

Thank you Lenda! Flight is on time so far! I was randomly chosen for a pat down which wasn’t pleasant though. We were able to have a few more hours in the park and saw our 6th bear this trip. 😄

Good morning all! Our last few hours in Yellowstone before flying home this afternoon. We’re going to make a quick run into the park (our cabin is just outside the north entrance). Yesterday was another nice day, we saw 2 more bears! That makes 5 this trip. It was another mama black bear with one cub. They were playing and eating in the woods. We also spent more time around Old Faithful and the geysers there. A repeat of 50 years ago, we waited for 2 hours for Grand to erupt. 50 years ago we waited 2 hours in a thunderstorm but it came through and it was spectacular!! We haven’t seen it erupt since. This time we and dozens of other people gave up after a couple hours. It was fun talking to others from all over the country though. A few photos from yesterday. Old Faithful Inn off in the distance. Old Faithful Gibbon Falls Mama bear in woods She kept moving behind trees, and the baby was too tiny and active to get a photo.

Good morning all and Happy Mother’s Day to all our mothers out there! Today is our last full day in Yellowstone, our flight home will be tomorrow afternoon. Hard to believe we’ll be home tomorrow night. Yesterday we found some bears! It was a mama black bear and 2 cubs. A Ranger told me that a male bear had frightened them up a tree and now she couldn’t get them to come down. Who knows how long they were up there, we watched them a long time. A few photos of what we saw yesterday. Pronghorn Mama and cubs in tree (photo the best I could get with my phone) Silex Spring IMG_0603.mov Red Spouter

Good morning all! I know I’m missing a lot and will try to catch up when we return home. Prayers for all on the care list and cheers for all on the celebration list. We continue to have a wonderful time. The crowds are thin and weather good. My favorite time to come! Sadly there are signs of the aftermath of the flood last year. We were here with family just days before it happened! We found out yesterday that the Mammoth Hotel and restaurant are closed due to sewage problems due to the flood. Yesterday we saw dozens of baby bison, Old Faithful and Lake Yellowstone (still frozen over). We also saw wolf tracks there at the beach. Today we’re on the hunt for bears. Some years we see none, other years up to 8. Fingers crossed! Photos from yesterday. Roaring Mountain Ice on Lake Yellowstone Old Faithful A couple 2-year olds going by Traffic jam at Mammoth

Welcome back Rich! Looking forward to seeing you in January.

I agree with you that the problem wasn’t with HAL but the port of Vancouver. Since you quoted me and then said “this was the only person throughout the entire day who got on less than 3 hours” I’m not sure if you meant me in that statement. If you did, it isn’t true. Obviously everyone in the priority line with me got on about the same time that I did. I told about our experience only to help the OP so they would know to look for that line. It was there when we arrived around noon. If it wasn’t there other times, that’s terrible. I’m sorry you and so many others had such a bad experience. Especially since you had the PS. In the 3 times we have sailed from Vancouver it hasn’t been a good experience. This time we just got lucky (as I said in another post). But we still will avoid sailing from that port if possible.

I just lost my post (thanks to my phone) so I’ll just post some photos of what we saw today. Having a great time! Spring brings babies, and baby bison aka “red dogs” Mud Volcano Dragons Mouth

Greetings from Yellowstone! We had a minor hiccup yesterday when we checked into our cabin/suite here in Gardiner. Somehow there was a mistake in our booking. I don’t know if it was my fault, the hotel, or the booking agent. I was sure I’d booked a suite with full kitchen for all 5 nights. But they had us in a suite with micro and small fridge the first 4 nights and full kitchen the last night (we did add that night later, when we decided to stay an extra day). We’ve stayed here several times and I always booked the same suite. Here we were with a trunk full of groceries and I planned on having a stovetop and oven. Well we cruisers/travelers are nothing but flexible, right?? We had a spaghetti dinner all prepared in the microwave. DH was quite impressed LOL. Also this cabin does have more items in the kitchen than I expected. The manager was able to get us into a full kitchen suite for the last 2 nights so we’ll be fine. It’s an adventure! Heading out soon for our first full day in the park, photos later and everyone have a great day!

Good morning all! Up early and will leave for SeaTac in a couple hours. It will be a long-ish day. After arriving in Bozeman we'll get a rental car for the week, stop in Livingston for groceries (we like to get places with full kitchens) and then should arrive in Gardiner outside of Yellowstone by late afternoon. This has been our routine every time we go to Yellowstone. Will check in (w/photos) as often as I can -- meanwhile prayers for all on the care list and a big cheer for all who are celebrating!

Sorry, May 1 was a Monday!

Thanks Sandi! We love spring in Yellowstone because of all the babies. The weather this week isn't what I would call nice though, lol. We'll get snow flurries every day and down into the 20's at night. Daytime temps won't be bad though, in the 50's. We're bringing layers! 😉😄 I will definitely post photos.

I realize now we were very lucky that she was there when we were there. It definitely was a ZOO that day. 😞

I don't know the name of the hall, but yes, most likely Hall C. It was huge. As soon as we were directed to the priority line they did the facial recognition there to match our passports. From there we went down to Customs and Immigration and then boarded. I'm very sorry to hear they had problems. I wonder now if we were very lucky. When we finally arrived (after a nightmare of driving through Vancouver and a traffic mess getting into the parking garage at Canada Place and then finding our way out with no signs or people helping) there was a woman at the entrance directing people. I happened to be holding my boarding pass so it was visible to her. She immediately said "Oh, 5-star". She pointed out a sign in the room that was to our far left in the back of the room. As for being visibly marked, it was, but since the room was so full and crowded I can see how it could easily be missed. Did your friends ask anyone if there was a priority line? Yes we checked in first and then were directed to customs. You're welcome. Probably about 11:45 and we were in our cabin before 12:30. This was May 1, a Sunday.

Good morning all! It seems that we're going from winter/spring to summer in a hurry. In the next 6 days we'll go from drizzly low 60's to a hot, dry 90 degrees. 😲 And no rain in sight as far as the forecast goes. Thank goodness for good neighbors who water my pots when I'm gone -- all this sunshine and heat will happen while we're in Yellowstone. Many times I'll find missing items of clothing stuck in the pockets of the fitted sheets if they were in the same load. One of DH's dress shirts is missing a button, and it's sitting on my sewing center waiting for me 😉 Not a fan of sweet wines, so would pass on the Moscato. The quote is very true, and probably applies to both our DS and DD. Will pass on the meal (sometimes I feel like I'm the only person on earth who doesn't like sweet potatoes). Also will pass on the drink and expensive wine. We're packed and will leave early tomorrow morning for Yellowstone -- coming back just in time for the DGSs birthday party (one will turn 10 on the 16th, and the other 8 on June 2). So far we've been successful in never missing their birthdays. Jacqui @kazu WOW! I wouldn't have known Ivan was the same dog in both photos. What a sweetie. I hope your elbow will start feeling better soon. Nancy @ottahand7 Fernando is a jewel!! We've enjoyed him on several cruises. Vanessa @JazzyV I hope your legs start feeling better so you can enjoy your time in Germany.

There will be a sign indicating the line for 4 & 5 star Mariners, Neptune Suites, Pinnacle Suites, and (I think) Club Orange. When we boarded last week in Vancouver we had priority boarding and it went very fast (unlike the LONG line for the rest). We had 3 ships there that day and everyone was thrown together in the long line. But we were in our cabin by 12:30, it probably took only 15-20 minutes. (Not sure if they still do it) but Pinnacle Suite guests would be escorted to their cabin first.

We also saw the tram and thought about taking it. Changed our minds when we saw the price, and knowing there couldn't be that much to see. So when I got home I looked into it. Apparently that company is brand new. If you look at their website https://ottco.ca/ it says they're "coming in May", and NO prices are listed. That tells me that the whole reason they are there is for cruise ships. No wonder HAL chose the price.

Good morning all! It should be a nice day today, in the low 60's. Interesting how the same weather app shows storms today on the daily page, but on the hourly page shows no storms, not even rain. 🤷‍♀️ It will heat up and lots of sun while we're away later this week. Up to the mid 80's F. Thank goodness I have a good neighbor who (without my asking) looks after watering my pots when I'm gone. Thanks for all the Iris photos! I do love them, and they make me think of my dear Dad who always grew them. I don't have any in my yard, they always seem to attract thrips so I gave up on them. Thanks Sandi @StLouisCruisersfor the fun fact that Truman has no middle name, hence no period after the S. And congratulations to Ren and his team! I immediately thought of my DSIL when I read the quote. She's always talking about what she "should" or "wants to do" but it never, ever happens. I'll pass on the drink and meal, but would love the wine I'm sure since it's a Marlborough. I'm cleaning out the fridge, it will be meatloaf tonight. Have a great day everyone!

Thanks Lenda -- my favorite too -- we try to go every year.

Good morning all! Interesting collection of days, will pass on the drink, red wine and meal though. I would like the meal, but the sodium and carb count is just too high. Funny quote! Have never been to this port. We have 3 days to regroup and then leave for Yellowstone. So laundry, yardwork and (re)packing is on the to-do list. Right now the weather forecast shows snow every day we'll be there, but we'll pack accordingly and still love it. Vanessa @JazzyVI'm so sorry you're having a lot of pain from your fall. Hoping it passes soon and you can enjoy your time in Germany. Thinking of Annie @marshhawktoday as they board in Vancouver. It was a total mess on Monday, and today is a big marathon in the city --- I hope it won't delay their boarding too much.

That's odd....5-star and Neptune Suite and our boarding time was noon. Just shows there's no rhyme or reason. But yes, there WAS a priority boarding line and a woman at the entrance guiding people. We were in our cabin by 12:30. Contrary to the OP and his friend, we had a great time. The OP says everyone was unhappy, nobody got off in the ports, etc. etc. And yet he said the line to re-board took forever....and yet nobody got off?? I saw the opposite. These blanket statements just aren't true. Was it our best cruise? No, but a lot of that was because of the rude and pushy make-up of the passengers. The crew was outstanding. There are so many choices for dining on the Koningsdam, I really don't know why anyone would stand in line for 90 minutes just to eat in the MDR. It isn't the only dining choice. But I would see people lined up at 5 and the line would stretch past Orange Club. Why weren't they checking out other dining choices? At later times when we passed by there was no line at all.

Just disembarked the Koningsdam this morning. It was a very short cruise, so we only got to the Tamarind and Pinnacle (on this cruise). But both were excellent in food and service IMO. The lamb chops in the Pinnacle were great!

Thank you Lenda! We were home by noon. I've checked on my seedlings (I was worried they wouldn't get enough rain) but everything looks good. We picked the right cruise to get a Neptune Suite (only our 2nd one in 19 years and got it on a good deal). This cruise was packed full. Being able to have breakfast and 3 out of 5 dinners in the Orange Club, plus room service breakfast this morning before disembarking, was wonderful. There was a 20-minute wait at the border -- otherwise we could have been home sooner. We had a great time!

Interesting Lenda and I would have canceled the remaining reservations too. We had problems with the Koningsdam Pinnacle billing back in 2017! The ship was only a few months old. But when we sailed the K in 2019 we had no problems.

Greetings from the Koningsdam on our last full day of the cruise. Hard to believe we’ll be back home tomorrow. We’ll have a few days at home and then off to Yellowstone. I shouldn’t have said the other day that we haven’t even had any billing problems, I must have jinxed myself. Thanks to the Concierge it’s all been quickly taken care of though. I had pre-booked our free 5-Star Tamarind and Pinnacle dinners, paying full price. We watched that we’d get the refund in OBC. It came through early in the cruise but then a couple days later it was gone (most likely that infamous night auditor. He didn’t even refund a 50% discount much less freebie. 🙄 Other than that we’ve had a great time. I’ve given up posting on “that complaint thread” since he’s ignoring everything I say. He seems to only want to hear other complaints. We’re having a nice sea day. A talk this morning about life on the ship, lunch in the Pinnacle, and will be off to play Bingo in a minute. Then a reception for Presidents Club and 5-star, prime rib dinner and then a movie. Last night’s Orange Party was the most attended I’ve ever seen. But then this cruise is crazy full. On our way to lunch the line for MDR lunch was stretched clear past the Orange Club. I told DH there’s nothing I would wait that long for!

That sounds like their M. O. with us. I don’t know how many times we sent them the information they requested. And a different person every day with different information. We felt like we were taking 1 step forward, 3 steps backward each time. I know they didn’t want to reimburse a $40,000 claim. We had used them for a few years but this was our first claim. We finally were made “whole” but the experience was so bad we won’t risk that again.