bobmacliberty

The ship’s internet has been slow but has worked. We’ll see if that continues as we go further north. 5g at port works well.

Crab. Seriously. The octopuses (octopi??) get into the traps trying to eat the crab. They said they pull up an octopus every few days.

More pictures from around Ketchikan. And of course…sigh…

The Bering Sea Crab Fisherman’s Tour was excellent. I highly recommend it to anyone interested. We did see an Bald Eagle pick a hearing from the water. Beautiful.

Weather has been great so far. 64 and sunny right now in Ketchikan. Forecast still says rain for the rest of the week.

As we headed to our tour, we saw Radiance of the Seas pulling in from the north.

Good morning from Ketchikan, Alaska! Today, we will be taking the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman’s Tour, aboard the Aleutian Ballad. This is one of the boats from the TV show Dangerous Catch that nearly capsized. The ship has been retrofitted for tourist use. They will show us everything involved with crab fishing, but from much calmer waters.

A JS doesn’t get the use of the suite concierge. I’ve never used the Diamond concierge so I don’t know if that’s an option for you. We don’t have access to CK for breakfast and lunch in a JS…just dinner if space is available. That’s not a problem this week and we’ll probably eat there every night, other than one night in Izumi. We do miss breakfast and lunch there. We like the CK on this class of ship. It’s different not having the SL and CK in the same space. CK seems quite a bit bigger, and doesn’t seem full at all. Good for us as it allows for a to eat there every night. Food also seems a little better, at least so far.

We are sailing In a junior suite this week, specifically a category J4. It’s been a while since we’ve sailed in a JS…I think Oasis in 2018 was the last time. I want to compare an Oasis class JS (from memory) with a Quantum class JS. The layout of the two cabins is very different. The Quantum JS seems to be squarer in shape. What we like better about the Quantum JS: * split bathrooms. Very nice having a small water closet with toilet and sink, plus a separate larger bath with sink tub and shower. * Deeper balcony with enough room to face the ocean while sitting in an upright chair with an ottoman for your feet. I seem to remember having 2 loungers positioned sideways on the Oasis JS. * Lots of drawer space for storage. What we don’t like about the Quantum JS: * There’s no real couch. There’s sort of a 2 person platform in the corner with not much cushioning for your back or your bottom. * The desk has no drawers. This is a big deal for Micheline since this is her prep space for hair and makeup. She has to keep all of her beauty implements stored separately. * There’s no walk-in closet. There’s enough hanging space so not a huge deal. * The split bathroom idea is nice but each separate area is small with almost no counter top space. There’s also no trash can (or really room for one) in the shower/tub side. If I had to choose, I’d probably take the Oasis class JS. The Quantum JS is very space efficient, but the lack of a comfortable sitting area is the deal breaker for me, and the lack of desk storage is the big deal breaker for Micheline. We’ve been in a CLS the last couple of times we’ve sailed and once you’ve done that, a JS just doesn’t measure up. That’s probably influencing our opinion of our current cabin. We’re in a GS on Ovation next week so it will be interesting to compare them as well. Edit: Sorry for the large font. Wrote this using the Notes app and then cut/paste.

Anyone have any questions rations they want me to get answers to?

Not sure yet about the Alaska peaks but there was still snow on Mt Baker in Washington as we passed it leaving Seattle. Guessing it has snow year round.

From this morning. Is this early enough OB?

Numbers from the Top Tier event. Total C&A onboard is 1762: Gold - 1008 Platinum - 253 Emerald - 128 Diamond - 226 D+ - 160 Pinnacle - 31 Top cruisers (probably spelled wrong so apologies if it’s you or you know them): Angel Perez-Guillermo - 1915 points Rafel Sanchez - 1884 points Mr and Mrs Mostella - 1507 points

Very impressive achievement!!!

I wouldn’t be surprised to see you in the playoffs again. Hopefully this time in the AFC Championship game, and in Orchard Park rather than in KC.

Good morning, from somewhere off the northern coast of Vancouver Island. Edit: Keeps getting better

Great Bills game today. They look scary good. I hope no serious injuries. I got to watch most of it on the big screen in the Two70 Lounge with Seattle in the background and a Kraken Dark n Stormy in my hand. Bliss.

Good meal tonight in Coastal Kitchen. We both ordered the filet, me medium/rare and Micheline medium. Both were cooked perfectly. Micheline asked for no salt, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t (like it’s an insult to a chef to ask them not to use salt). The didn’t add any salt to her meal and she said it tasted great. I had the crème brûlée for dessert, which is usually a test for Royal. It can range from runny to over cooked. It was also perfect. Plate slightly rearranged before I remembered to take a picture.

John - we just met Margaarette in CK. She seems like a great lady. I told her that you said hi. She was touched and wanted me to say hi back to you.

In my happy place. Bills game on the big screen. Kraken Dark n Stormy in my hand. Seattle skyline in the background.

Beautiful surroundings. I imagine it will only get better.

For @A&L_Ont and @xpcdoojk

We’re onboard! Took about 25 minutes from taxi to ship. Could have been faster but the suite/key line took a lot longer than the regular line. Had lunch at Cafe Two70. Had the roast beef sandwich. As a Buffalo native, I’m required by law to say that it wasn’t very good. Same thing with any wings that I eat outside of Buffalo. Nothing compares. RipCord was free today so I gave it a try. Lots of fun but the video evidence shows that I need a lot more practice. https://youtube.com/shorts/vQGGO1eiOPQ?feature=share

Looks like another beautiful day in Seattle today. Sail away should be 72 and sunny. We’ll leave for the pier at 10:30. Dinner last night was at Umi Sake House. The food was very good. Sorry, forgot to take pictures. It wasn’t really our vibe though. It’s in the Belltown area of Seattle which is a hip part of town. The restaurant was young and hip. I don’t think there was anyone else there older than 40. Lots of talking and laughing means a high energy place but also very loud. I see why it gets such good reviews…just not our style.

Definite possibility. Currently planning either the aquarium or just wandering around the market. We still have more to see in the market.