Live From The Mariner 13-24 May 2017 (Lite)

[Zqueeze1]

Well, we sailed Hubbard glacier today and it Mel's one feel so small to stand in front of its magnificence. The glacier, the icebergs, and the sorrow ding mountains are awesome.

 

Here is a great pic from yesterday in Sitka of a Hollland America vessel sailing in front of Mt Evercombe volcano:

[Zqueeze1]

This is the whale paid by the cruise company since he or she put on a thirty minute show:

 

 

This is the only point in the Redoubt bay where fresh water feeds to it. This means that it is a major area for salmon trying to swim uphill.

 

 

 

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[Zqueeze1]

Good morning. Last nite was wonderful. I apologize for not having any food porn but got too amped up with the miso glazed sea bass. It was delicate and savory tasting like some of the dishes we've had in Hong Kong. Dinner was with the F&B director, Donald. He is a great host and had us all listening to his stories about his family and how he became a sea man.

Yesterday was our Hubbard glacier day and any pics I post do not do justice to its majestic presence.

Z and TB

 

 

 

 

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[LynnRuns]

Thank you for the photos, Z. It is providing great memories of our Alaska trip last summer. It looks like you are having an awesome trip.

 

We were on Mariner during the first week of August and would say we never once experienced being among "thousands of people." I personally hate crowds which is one of the reasons we selected Regent for our Alaska cruise. Neither onboard nor on land did we feel there were there 2 many people, with the one exception which was in the train terminal in Anchorage awaiting our train to Seward - THAT was crowded. Our tours though were often long hiking, kayaking or rafting tours so perhaps that kept the crowds away.

 

My son has still to make me a photo book of our trip (despite only being in HS he quite a talented photographer) so these photos are great to view - keep them coming!

 

Lynn

[Zqueeze1]

Here are a couple of pics from our recent jaunt in Sitka.

 

A mama bear and her three cubs:

 

Sea Otter at the mouth of Redoubt Bay:

 

Our ship:

 

And, from SFO, the bottom of the Golden Gate Bridge:

 

Today: whale watching in Juneau and dinner at Signatures.

Z and TB

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[Travelcat2]

Spectacular photos. We found it difficult to get a good whale's tail photo - congrats!

 

Lynnruns - I was specific about Alaska in June and July. On June 9th of this year there will be 10,514 possible passengers and 4,870 crew members on the following ships: Norwegian Pearl, HAL Oosterdam, HAL Zaandam, Island Princess, Celebrity Infinity and Mariner. Although not all crew members will go ashore, to me this is very crowded.

 

Comparing that to August 7th's sailing where there will be three ships plus the Mariner (Norwegian Jewel, HAL Volendam and Coral Princess - representing 6,478 passengers and 3,092 crew members). While there are days in August and September with a lot of ships, many of them run dramatically less full than in June and July (if you check Regent's sailings in August, there is a lot of availability). It seems that more and more children are returning to school in August rather than after Labor Day as was common in the past (There is an interesting article about this in CNN (titled "Back to School: Why August is the new September") - the majority of schools in the western part of the U.S. as well as a good percentage of the south, return in school at the very end of July or in August)

 

"Z", sorry for being a bit off track - just wanted to set the record straight as it is helpful for those passengers that wish to sail with or without children:evilsmile:

[ronrick1943]

Zqueeze1, Great photos and enjoying the post--thanks. Can you tell us what tour you were on the other day with the bears & birds?

Thanks, Rick

[Gilly]

Zqueeze1, Great photos and enjoying the post--thanks. Can you tell us what tour you were on the other day with the bears & birds?

Thanks, Rick

 

Thanks for asking that question Rick. Are you thinking of Spring 2019 as I am? ;p

[Zqueeze1]

Zqueeze1, Great photos and enjoying the post--thanks. Can you tell us what tour you were on the other day with the bears & birds?

 

Thanks, Rick

 

 

 

Ronrick: we were on a paid tour called "Otters, Raptors, and Bears oh my." It was worth every penny.

 

Z and TB

 

 

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[Zqueeze1]

Here is a pic of The Boss and a humpback whale. The Boss is the one holding the whale.

 

 

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[Travelcat2]

You are sooooooooo lucky that TB doesn't read Cruise Critic (if she did, you would be swimming with the fishes).:halo:

[Eager2Travel]

We did that same trip minus the raptors and it was outstanding. I even managed to get several shots of the whales tail with my very old cellphone's camera.

 

Those poor bears look very thin.

 

We, too, have booked Alaska for Spring 2019. But knowing us we could be back there before then. It is a favorite spot for us.

 

Am loving this take along cruise. Thanks, Zqueeze .

[Gilly]

Anne, are you and Shel booked on Tokyo to Vancouver as well by any chance? (That would be fun!)

[Eager2Travel]

Yes, Gilly that is what we are on. Exciting to know that we may be doing it together .

[ronrick1943]

Zqueeze1, thanks-for sure we'll be booking that one.

 

Gilly, yes we booked Tokyo to Vancouver April 2019. Looking forward to the trip.

Rick

[Zqueeze1]

Ronrick: no worries.

 

 

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[hockeyken]

:evilsmile:

Here is a pic of The Boss and a humpback whale. The Boss is the one holding the whale.

 

 

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:evilsmile: You are officially a dead man. Call me when you get back from the cruise and we can discuss the price of my silence.

 

K

[Gilly]

Zqueeze1, it looks like several of us are keenly watching (and appreciating) the details of your cruise - thanks so much for sharing! I'll admit to thinking that our Asia-Alaska adventure in 2019 was going to be front-loaded, in that the places we most eagerly anticipated were at the start. But you are reminding me how lovely Alaska is, especially early in the season. Wow...those bear and whale shots!! Fantastic. Good to know, too, that we're going to have such great company as well....what fun! (Is there a roll call yet?)

[Mudhen]

Enjoying all of the photos and commentary! Sounds like you and TB are having a great time! Savor it all, and thanks for taking us all along!

Linda

[Zqueeze1]

Yesterday started out as a dreary, drizzly day and turned out to be fantastic. As soon as we docked, we headed out for our tour which started at 0835. After a thirty minute bus ride, we boarded our vessel and headed out for some whale spotting. Needless to say, we were not disappointed. We started off with:

Just kidding. It's a poster I found in the men's room. However, the little weasel was somewhat intimidating staring at me from his position of superiority.

 

Our first shot of sea life was a bald eagle sitting on top of a bouy and accompanied by several sea lions.

 

Afterwards, we spotted whales just about everywhere we went. It was indescribable to watch these giants gracefully surface and slowly roll back into the sea depths. All my whale pics are on my good camera but here is a pic I took from a whale identification poster that shows the tail of Flame who blessed us with his appearance several times.

 

When we returned to Juneau, we met our friends John and Karen at Tracy's for lunch.

 

We had an wonderful seafood bisque accompanied by crab cakes and king crab. Although this following pic does not look too appetizing, it gives one an idea of the size of these crabs:

 

Z and TB

[Zqueeze1]

Juneau (cont.)

After lunch, we did what we do best: TB naps and I hang out. We went to trivia and came in third!

Dinner was scheduled for Signatures and we were actually disappointed. My seafood ravioli was deconstructed and I didn't know whether to use a spoon or a fork.

 

And TB's haddock was definitely the better dish.

 

 

It was flavorful and light and it wasn't mine so I sulked with my ravioli that looked as if it had been hit by an improvised explosive device.

 

Kudos on the coffee which is the best onboard.

 

After chow we went back to our suite and watched a spectacular show from our balcony. It seemed that the entire sea animal world was outside our balcony. It was unbelievable. Porpoises, sea lions, and whales were everywhere. We watched for about forty five minutes before going to bed.

 

Right now, we are in the Alaskan fjords enroute to Wrangell.

 

Today: we finally have our meet and mingle from cruise critic and I get to do laundry.

 

 

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[jeb_bud]

Z, did you hear if the Tracy Arm excursion went into Tracy or Endicott Arm? We won't be there for another month but data is data.

 

 

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[krm55]

Roberto, your descriptions are amazing. Sounds like you and Pam are having a great time. I have cruised to Alaska 4 times and now I want to go again!! Enjoy

 

 

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[LynnRuns]

Spectacular photos. We found it difficult to get a good whale's tail photo - congrats!

 

Lynnruns - I was specific about Alaska in June and July. On June 9th of this year there will be 10,514 possible passengers and 4,870 crew members on the following ships: Norwegian Pearl, HAL Oosterdam, HAL Zaandam, Island Princess, Celebrity Infinity and Mariner. Although not all crew members will go ashore, to me this is very crowded.

 

Comparing that to August 7th's sailing where there will be three ships plus the Mariner (Norwegian Jewel, HAL Volendam and Coral Princess - representing 6,478 passengers and 3,092 crew members). While there are days in August and September with a lot of ships, many of them run dramatically less full than in June and July (if you check Regent's sailings in August, there is a lot of availability). It seems that more and more children are returning to school in August rather than after Labor Day as was common in the past (There is an interesting article about this in CNN (titled "Back to School: Why August is the new September") - the majority of schools in the western part of the U.S. as well as a good percentage of the south, return in school at the very end of July or in August)

 

"Z", sorry for being a bit off track - just wanted to set the record straight as it is helpful for those passengers that wish to sail with or without children:evilsmile:

 

Fair enough, but we arrived in Alaska in July and embarked Mariner in Seward on 8/3. No crowds. This is also helpful information and good to know for those who might be just as terrified by children.

[Travelcat2]

Fair enough, but we arrived in Alaska in July and embarked Mariner in Seward on 8/3. No crowds. This is also helpful information and good to know for those who might be just as terrified by children.

 

You were fortunate! And, I don't think that luxury cruisers are "terrified by children" - some of us simply prefer to sail when children are in school. You never know - when your children are grown you may feel the same way (or not). I adore the children in my family but would not take them on a luxury cruise (unless it was summer vacation and they preferred a small luxury cruise ship over ones that offer more activities for young children and teens). I feel badly for teachers that also love children but seek a break from them. Obviously, their vacation coincides with schools being out so it is more difficult to find a more mature vacation.