Live From The Star Princess 9/6/-9/13/2009

[KLLund]

Juneau

Well, I might have been a teense premature in my expectation of flight-seeing to the Mendenhall Glacier in a helicopter. The weather forced the cancellation of all helicopter flights for the day. Ah well, of we went in the pouring rain to see what could be salvaged in order for us to see the glacier and thankfully, Princess had organized some last minute excursions to the glacier visitors center area via bus. We were set, yet again.

Off we went at the appointed time with a very good driver/guide who had lots of interesting tidbits for us on the short ride to the glacier. Now when I say short ride, I am of course speaking of distance as opposed to time. Who knew that a town of 30,000 with an 4 lane expressway (of which the residents are VERY proud and I will have you know it goes for 11 miles .. I mean think of it 11 miles no wonder they are so proud) could have a huge traffic jam ???? I would never have guessed. It was consolation that Smokey, or driver was in a state of utter shock at this development and being a local we were not to worry he knew the way around this problem. Ok, it is true he did know, and so did about 24,000 of the other locals I believe. We were now wondering if the forces that be somehow did not want us to get to a glacier on this trip.

We emerged victorious and arrived at the Mendenhall Glacier visitors center for a stunning view of an actual glacier up close!! Success!!!! The visitor’s center is in itself lovely and very informative. There were excellent high powered telescopes set up which got you even closer to this massive ice cube. All in all, it was well worth the trials and tribulations. It was not the spectacular excursion we had hoped for, but then again the weather was deteriorating quickly and I must agree that safety is first and a helicopter would not have been a good thing.

We did see a bride and groom toasting each other with champagne and having pictures taken in one of the pavilions. She was in a white dress with a minimal shawl and had me shivering in my fur lined coat and boots thinking of how cold she should be. A local we surmised and figured we need not worry .. they probably knew the shortcut too!!

Smokey was very happy to accommodate all of us in the matter of shopping and getting back to the ship. We were running a little late and he was concerned that one young lady would miss her spa appointment so he returned us to the ship and told anyone that wanted to go back to town for shopping and / or Red Dog Salooning to just stay on the bus and he would be happy to take them back downtown. It was cold, rainy and getting dark and I decided that the ship won over shopping ( don’t tell anyone who knows me , they will think you are lying!!!)

Off to Skagway next!

Seas are holding steady at 5- 7.5 feet .. but the wind is heavy .. so far the Captain was more excitable than the weather :rolleyes:

[Coral]

So sorry for your weather! Thanks for your update. I have friends on your sailing and it sounds like they are making the best of the weather also!

[billco]

Sure would like to know about the yoga/pilates/spin classes in advance, but I guess i will find out for myself Sunday.

[Minoushka]

PLease do try to go to the YUKON from Skagway you will love it .It is truly unique and Emerald Lake is Gorgeous

Have fun ..I hope the seas calm down

 

Michele

[flamomo]

Oh WOW! I am so glad I happened on this thread this morning!

We are sailing on the Star on Sunday!

I'm loving your descriptions and your style of writing, Kathy.

After reading your posts, I'm glad I am packing stuff so I can wear layers, since I am leaving Florida and 90 degree temps for this cruise. Ican already feel my teeth starting to chatter!!!

Keep up the great posts, and maybe we will pass you leaving the ship as we are arriving!

[cruzkitty]

I am sorry the weather has not been too terrific, Kathy!! I bet that crazy Bill is having a Ball!

 

JetT-I am sure Kathy is looking after my best interests when she says I will NOT be doing Alaska.:D Maybe she will join us in the Carib next month after all......

[bookworm1]

We were on the Star voyage last week. As the Captain reported, it was the best weather he had all season. I'm sorry that the weather is not that great this week. I am interested in how the ship felt during the bad sea conditions and the high winds. We are sailing her next February around the horn

Michael

[Coral]

We were on the Star voyage last week. As the Captain reported, it was the best weather he had all season. I'm sorry that the weather is not that great this week. I am interested in how the ship felt during the bad sea conditions and the high winds. We are sailing her next February around the horn

Michael

 

I was on the ship in July with friends who are on the ship again this week and he reported that there has been a change in Captain/CD and a few other positions from our July cruise. I wonder how long the current captain has been on the ship. We had perfect weather during our sailing - if anything it was too hot. There were tons of weeks with really good weather this summer. Even some of the early May cruises had perfect weather.

[KLLund]

Sure would like to know about the yoga/pilates/spin classes in advance, but I guess i will find out for myself Sunday.

 

Billco .. I promise I will get up to the fitness center today to find out about this.

[KLLund]

Skagway

We arrived in Skagway a little before 6AM .. and it was raining. Are you seeing a weather theme for the week yet ? We docked at the Railroad Pier right behind the Island Princess and were shortly joined in port by the Veendam and the Norwegian Sun. (I believe I forgot to mention that when we arrived in Juneau at 2pm yesterday, we had to wait for the Norwegian Sun to depart and then docked at AJ Dock, joining the Diamond Princess, the Veendam and the Westerdam. There were a lot of soggy cruisers in Alaska this week!!!)

I looked outside and said to myself, a little breakfast and then a couple hours of shopping are in order before we board the White Pass and Yukon RR for our journey du jour. Off we went at about 9 to the Horizon Court where I piled my plate with fruit. I tried to drink the coffee which has been ok to middling there all week but it just wasn’t happening today. It was purely horrible this morning and I don’t know about you, but without my AM coffee I have a lot in common with some of the Alaskan wildlife, in particular the bears. (Somehow I had neglected to hang the coffee request from room service on the door last night.) So it was off to the International Café for some “real” coffee.

We sat by the window where we were able to see passerby’s feet hopping from puddle to puddle along the dock. It was at this point that I said “Self, how badly do you really NEED an arctic fleece that say’s Alaska on it?” Self replied, hmmmm well perhaps not that badly at all silly girl .. LOOK at the weather!!” Self is often quite well respected and can prove to be very wise in these matters so I took her advice and had more coffee.

We finally made the mad dash down the dock just in time to board the WP & YR. Now I know the advice from these boards usually runs in favor of snagging the last car and sitting on the left hand side, however that was not to be today. We ended up in a car somewhere around the middle of the train. As the train pulled out of the “station” we surveyed our environment and found this particular car to be less than half full, giving everyone access to musical seating as we passed through gorgeous scenery. It was, in fact, a perfect choice for us.

We gratefully accepted lengths of paper towel to wipe the condensation from the windows. Point of fact, we were continually supplied with said paper towel and frequent foray’s by the conductor to briefly open the car doors in order to alleviate this condition. Both acts had limited success. Thankfully, we did have that musical chair thing going on because on the way back, visibility became limited due to the cloud cover moving lower and lower.

The WP & YR is a wonderful experience and I would strongly recommend it during your stay in Skagway. Molly, the narrator, was exceptional. The history of the RR and it’s relationship to what we were seeing was fascinating.

I should apologize for the lack of pictures. It turns out that we have taken so many photos and videos on this trip that editing which should be included in the web page is a bit daunting and will be a project for our return home when Bill has his “own” computer instead of my (insert derogatory comment) laptop to work on. We do promise to get those done as soon as we return home!!

We arrived back at the dockside just in time to board the ship and head for our next sea day.

[KLLund]

We are back inside the passage and the seas are smooth as glass.. and .. are you ready for this .. We are seeing the first BLUE SKIES of the trip!!!!

Last night we rocked and rolled a bit, but it was late and it wasn't as much as we were lead to expect. That motion always puts me to sleep!!

I will be working on a this and that blog during the day today. But let me say in advance .. the Roulette table was quite generous last night !!! I was having a ball!

[Colo Cruiser]

[Coral]

Enjoy the rest of the cruise!

[billco]

Sadly, the weather outlook for next week looks even drearier. We did this cruise two years ago and only bad weather I remember was heavy downpour in Juneau just before we did a zipline. Like a miracle, it cleared up just before we started zipping. Rock climbing and the railroad in Skagway was under sunny skies. Tracy Arm was clear and peaceful. Even Ketchican was only slightly drizzily.

 

Doesn't look like we will be so lucky next week.

[flamomo]

Maybe the weather won't be so great, Billco, but we're going to have a great time anyway. Maybe a bit soggy, but we'll be happy cruisers because we'll be seeing Alaska!

 

See you onboard!

Mary Lou

[jetwet1]

Sure would like to know about the yoga/pilates/spin classes in advance, but I guess i will find out for myself Sunday.

 

Kathy doing a yoga/pilates/spin class......That I would pay to see !

 

I am sorry the weather has not been too terrific, Kathy!! I bet that crazy Bill is having a Ball!

 

JetT-I am sure Kathy is looking after my best interests when she says I will NOT be doing Alaska.:D Maybe she will join us in the Carib next month after all......

 

We will be doing it anyways, we will raise a glass to you, then text you messages and pictures and finally send postcards to rub salt into the wounds.

 

So Kathy, I take it you are enjoying yourself.

[KLLund]

Kathy doing a yoga/pilates/spin class......That I would pay to see !

 

So Kathy, I take it you are enjoying yourself.

 

Dave .. you let me know when you win the lottery and I will do all three .. until then you haven't got near enough money .. trust me on this.

[KLLund]

Billco .. you are about to know more about the fitness center than I have known about one in 14 cruises !!:cool:

Fitness Information

Lower case(on schedule) = Complimentary classes

Long & Lean Stretch –Early morning stretch to wake

the body and start your day. (hubby and I call this Coffee)

Total Body Conditioning – Working all your muscles, challenge your body as much as you can.

ABS Workout – Working on the abs to get that 6 pack or improve your posture.

Full Body Challenge – Circuit based training working the whole body while having fun. (sounds a lot like an oxymoron to me)

Aerobics – Upbeat and full of energy – test your co-ordination and have fun.

Tai Chi – Introducing you to the basics of “Yang” style of tai chi and the Philosophy behind it.

UPPER CASE(on Schedule) - $30 three classes. $12/class depending on availability or sign up for a program of three classes.

CORE – Pilates

BALANCE – Yoga

STRENGTH – Spinning/Indoor cycling.

Schedule:

Monday (At Sea)

7:00 am Stretch

7:30 am Aerobics

8:00 am BALANCE

9:00 am STRENGTH

4:00 pm CORE

Tuesday (Ketchikan)

7:00 am Long Lean & Stretch

7:30 am Full Body Challenge

Wednesday (Juneau)

7:30 am Long Lean & Stretch

8:00 am Pathway to Tai Chi

9:00 am BALANCE

Thursday (Skagway)

7:00 am Long Lean & Stretch

7:30 am Abs Workshop

Friday (At Sea)

7:00 am Stretch

7:30 am Total Body Conditioning

8:00 am BALANCE

9:00 am STRENGTH

4:00 pm CORE

Saturday (Victoria)

7:00 am Stretch

7:30 am Full Body Challenge

8:00 am BALANCE

4:00 pm CORE

[billco]

Billco .. you are about to know more about the fitness center than I have known about one in 14 cruises !!:cool:

 

Fitness Information

Kethy,

 

Thanks so much. Exactly what I was looking for. That should be enough to keep me occupied.

[SeattleCruiselover]

.....for all y'all that are leaving this Sunday....It is 90 degrees outside today and perfectly clear. When we sail away on Golden tomorrow, it is supposed to be 86 or more, and in the high 70's to mid 80's when you leave on Sunday. Got shorts? :D

 

It is, however, supposed to be windy and wet all the way up the coast to Dixon entrance, and more of the same in the ports of call (sorry...:().

[KLLund]

We are back home .. tomorrow I will do a wrap up of Victoria and disembarkation .. and we will get the pictures sorted and posted. It was gorgeous in Seattle this AM.. where was that weather last week ?

[cruzkitty]

Welcome home Kathy & Bill-missed ya'll!!:D