Having a great time on board Millennium

[remarcm]

1 minute ago, schittenden said:

Rainforest, Eagles, and Totems, or something close to that. Very easy to navigate. Easy trail. Good guide. 

Thank you very much. We are getting on Friday when you get off. I have scheduled that for us. Thanks again.

[Jim_Iain]

28 minutes ago, Silkroad said:

That makes no sense since Edge also sails from Florida, and Edge passengers aren’t being issued tracelets.

Someone  on a different thread indicated that the  reason  that Edge doesn't use bracelets is they have facial recognition.     I don't understand how this could be used for contract tracing but......that's what they said.

 

[Jim_Iain]

I'm really enjoying your posts.    It's the only way I am surviving until I am next at sea.

[Silkroad]

2 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Someone  on a different thread indicated that the  reason  that Edge doesn't use bracelets is they have facial recognition.     I don't understand how this could be used for contract tracing but......that's what they said.

 

Understood. I was responding to a poster’s comment about cruises from Florida. Since both Millennium and Equinox have previously had cases and lack facial recognition, one would think both would be issued tracelets. Since most of us travel to either port, the “Florida” argument seems fallacious.

[Silkroad]

24 minutes ago, schittenden said:

I typed up four paragraphs describing the excursion and it didn’t post. I didn’t have it in me to type it again. 

Oh no! I do understand. I’ve had the same thing happen during a live review. You’re doing great! You’re really making me want to move Alaska up a few slots in my future cruise list😊

[schittenden]

36 minutes ago, remarcm said:

Thank you very much. We are getting on Friday when you get off. I have scheduled that for us. Thanks again.

My pleasure. Have a great cruise. We’ll try to leave her in good shape for you. 

[schittenden]

25 minutes ago, Silkroad said:

Understood. I was responding to a poster’s comment about cruises from Florida. Since both Millennium and Equinox have previously had cases and lack facial recognition, one would think both would be issued tracelets. Since most of us travel to either port, the “Florida” argument seems fallacious.

Millennium had cases on its first cruise. I don’t think it has had any reported cases since then. Theoretically, there are fewer unvaccinated people on board the Millennium. 

[schittenden]

21 minutes ago, Silkroad said:

Oh no! I do understand. I’ve had the same thing happen during a live review. You’re doing great! You’re really making me want to move Alaska up a few slots in my future cruise list😊

After years of deferring, we’d booked Seward to Vancouver last year. We were supposed to spend a week in the interior before the cruise. That didn’t happen, obviously. This round trip is a bit of a tease, but I think it’ll likely make us want to come back in a few years and do the trip we’d originally planned. We’ve got Australia booked for next August (we’ll see), so it will be 2023 at the earliest. 

[schittenden]

41 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

I'm really enjoying your posts.    It's the only way I am surviving until I am next at sea.

My pleasure. I was hoping to give someone some enjoyment. I also helped to give some more information about sailing with a child during this time as there wasn’t much information out there as we were waffling on whether to cancel over the last month. 

[earlydiner]

Thank you so much for your ever so informative posts.  Love the info and the pictures.  Hope the rest of your cruise is just as great.

[schittenden]

Magician (David Gatti) — He claims to have created all of this effects, but if that’s true, he created them to achieve the ends of many other magic store tricks. The usual floating table (to the point you knew it was going to float before he even brought it out). The usual disappearing act… hey, why is that crew member dressed in all black in a hoodie (and why is he on stage anyhow). He did do some slight of hand that was impressive in its execution. Most of the jokes fell flat. Nonetheless, it was enjoyable. 
 

Casino— having a great time, but my goodness has it been brutal. Tables have not been kind, which is entirely a function of my luck (or lack thereof). Staff is great and make losing your shirt almost fun. Some info on availability: casino is very small. Slot selection is limited. Many older machines. Very few popular current favorites like Lightning Link and Locket Link (2 Eureka Reel Blasts and 2 Piggy Bankin). Only one Buffalo (Gold Collection) machine in the entire casino. Tables include a couple $10 blackjack (6-5), a $10 single deck (6-5, no double after split), a $50 8-deck bj (3-2), a $100 bj (3-2), baccarat (never seems to be open), three-card poker, ultimate hold em, roulette (double zero), and craps ($10 min 2x odds/$25 min 3x/4x/5x odds at the same table). 
 

Kid’s Menu — my son ordered grilled cheese and tomato soup off the kids menu tonight. He’s not a picky eater (he had the scampi last night and a crispy beef spring roll the first night), but he didn’t really care for either one. The tomato soup is spiced heavily (cumin, maybe?) in a way that seems off for a Kid’s menu item. The grilled cheese is made with an aged Swiss cheese as best I can tell, and tastes like Gruyere. He ate it anyway, but these seem like odd choices to me.  

[TeeRick]

13 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Someone  on a different thread indicated that the  reason  that Edge doesn't use bracelets is they have facial recognition.     I don't understand how this could be used for contract tracing but......that's what they said.

 

Facial recognition from where on EDGE?  Can they zoom cameras in anywhere on the ship and apply facial recognition?  Sounds a bit Big Brother to me.

[TMLAalum]

11 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Facial recognition from where on EDGE?  Can they zoom cameras in anywhere on the ship and apply facial recognition?  Sounds a bit Big Brother to me.

When DH had a private tour of the Edge bridge and was ready to leave the captain told him that he would find me in our cabin!!!

 

No hidden camera, but the bridge can tell if a cabin is occupied or not by use of the room key card! A good idea IMHO in the unlikely event of an emergency.

[davekathy]

3 minutes ago, TMLAalum said:

When DH had a private tour of the Edge bridge and was ready to leave the captain told him that he would find me in our cabin!!!

 

No hidden camera, but the bridge can tell if a cabin is occupied or not by use of the room key card! A good idea IMHO in the unlikely event of an emergency.

Not if one person takes both Seapass cards with them (lets say to get a couple of drinks) and the other person stays in the cabin. 

[TeeRick]

7 minutes ago, TMLAalum said:

When DH had a private tour of the Edge bridge and was ready to leave the captain told him that he would find me in our cabin!!!

 

No hidden camera, but the bridge can tell if a cabin is occupied or not by use of the room key card! A good idea IMHO in the unlikely event of an emergency.

Yes but that is not facial recognition.  That is tracking key card usage.  Big difference.

[patty1955]

17 hours ago, davekathy said:

Something new. At least on your cruise. 

We had it on our July 23rd cruise as well. Ours was blue and had a fair amount of alcohol. 

[schittenden]

5 hours ago, patty1955 said:

We had it on our July 23rd cruise as well. Ours was blue and had a fair amount of alcohol. 

 

Sounds the same.

[schittenden]

Hello again, everyone.  I'm here for my next daily installment.  This morning, the ship sailed into Endictott Arm about 5 am.  We didn't get up until 6:00 pm, and by the time we awoke, we were in a wonderland.  Towering rock walls with dense forest of Sitka Spruce and Western Hemlock were topped by thick white clouds while at the surface all was visible.  Glass-smooth water of aquamarine surrounded the ship while large chunks of ice floated at the surface.  Cutting through the rock were waterfalls hundreds of feet tall (most only a few feet wide, and many even smaller).  It was a beauty that I have not experienced in any of my close to 20 cruises, or frankly, anywhere else on Earth.  It is rivaled only by the majesty that is Yellowstone and Grand Teton.

 

As we settled into the buffet for breakfast a tick before 7 am, we arrived at the Dawes Glacier.  I would estimate the ship got to perhaps 1/2 mile to 3/4 of a mile from the glacier.  It was majestic to see, but nothing compared to the views we would get on our excursion.

 

We ventured off the ship about 8:30 am (about 30 minutes late) and boarded a smaller vessel from Allen Marine for our Endicott Arm Fjord Glacier Explorer tour.  The vessel proceeded further up the fjord coming within 1/4 mile of the glacier.  Up close, the beautiful ice formations reminiscent of stalagmites in caves were visible, and the ice glowed blue with the sun behind it.  We stayed at the glacier for about 45 minutes, and it was quite active, calving several times during our stop, sending large rocks of ice crashing into the sea.  Near us were a number of harbor seals sunning themselves on chunks of ice.  Although chilly, it was not unpleasantly cold as the captain turned the vessel from side to side.  (The vessel has a lower enclosed deck and an upper deck with a large outside viewing platform and a smaller cabin attached to the wheelhouse.)  

 

After our stop at the glacier, the vessel proceeded back down the fjord toward Juneau.  We spotted a few bald eagles on the journey back, as well as numerous smaller birds and gulls.  Although some have reported seeing whales on this excursion, we did not come across any today.  The naturalist narrated off-and-on during the trip, educating us about the way glaciers are formed, how they carve out the rock, and then ultimately how soil is formed allowing the trees to grow.  Along the way, the vessel stopped at two larger waterfalls to provide photo opportunities.  We continued our journey arriving in Juneau just as the Millennium was docking.  As soon as it finished docking, we boarded the Millennium directly from the smaller vessel.  

 

Masks were required in the enclosed cabins, but sadly about half of the passengers are "special" and do not feel those rules apply to them.  There was no enforcement of the requirement, despite the announcement at the beginning of the excursion.  This excursion was pricey, but it was truly amazing.  The naturalist was very knowledgable, and we enjoyed listing to her talk about what we were seeing.  The only real downside (other than cost) is that we arrived back on the ship at 1:57 pm.  At that point, the dining room is closed for lunch and the buffet closes at 2:00 pm.  That leaves few options for lunch, which you are ready to eat having had breakfast before departing early in the morning.  (This was more problematic for us because, as I've mentioned, we are not allowed off the ship other than on a Celebrity Excursion because my under-12 son is unvaccinated.  As a result, we cannot disembark in Juneau to buy lunch.)  

 

Happy to answer any questions.  Enjoy the photos.

[chuckw]

Thanks for your efforts, enjoying your dialog and pictures, we're on the Oct 1 sailing.

[Sam.Seattle]

17 hours ago, schittenden said:

Magician (David Gatti) — He claims to have created all of this effects, but if that’s true, he created them to achieve the ends of many other magic store tricks. The usual floating table (to the point you knew it was going to float before he even brought it out). The usual disappearing act… hey, why is that crew member dressed in all black in a hoodie (and why is he on stage anyhow). He did do some slight of hand that was impressive in its execution. Most of the jokes fell flat. Nonetheless, it was enjoyable. 
 

Casino— having a great time, but my goodness has it been brutal. Tables have not been kind, which is entirely a function of my luck (or lack thereof). Staff is great and make losing your shirt almost fun. Some info on availability: casino is very small. Slot selection is limited. Many older machines. Very few popular current favorites like Lightning Link and Locket Link (2 Eureka Reel Blasts and 2 Piggy Bankin). Only one Buffalo (Gold Collection) machine in the entire casino. Tables include a couple $10 blackjack (6-5), a $10 single deck (6-5, no double after split), a $50 8-deck bj (3-2), a $100 bj (3-2), baccarat (never seems to be open), three-card poker, ultimate hold em, roulette (double zero), and craps ($10 min 2x odds/$25 min 3x/4x/5x odds at the same table). 
 

Kid’s Menu — my son ordered grilled cheese and tomato soup off the kids menu tonight. He’s not a picky eater (he had the scampi last night and a crispy beef spring roll the first night), but he didn’t really care for either one. The tomato soup is spiced heavily (cumin, maybe?) in a way that seems off for a Kid’s menu item. The grilled cheese is made with an aged Swiss cheese as best I can tell, and tastes like Gruyere. He ate it anyway, but these seem like odd choices to me.  

We must be at the same tables!  Brutal on me too...

[Sam.Seattle]

The Loggers show Ketchikan was interesting in regards to Covid. We were divided into 3-seperate groups for watching the show. Independent travelers, Celebrity and  Carnival. The carnival Miracle is currently CDC code orange.  

[schittenden]

Some more photos from this morning's excursion.

[schittenden]

19 minutes ago, Sam.Seattle said:

We must be at the same tables!  Brutal on me too...

 

Perhaps! I've gotten my clock cleaned at $50 BJ, $100 BJ, Ultimate Hold Em, and single deck.

[hasentreelake]

Thank you for all your pictures and narrative.
Brings back memories from our 2019 Alaska cruise on Solstice.
The 7 (I think it was 7, maybe 5) glacier sea plane excursion was memorable
Except I don't remember if it was 5 or 7 glaciers we buzzed.  🙃

 

[Jim_Iain]

10 hours ago, TeeRick said:

Facial recognition from where on EDGE?  Can they zoom cameras in anywhere on the ship and apply facial recognition?  Sounds a bit Big Brother to me.

I agree.... I'm probably wrong and shouldn't be quoting what people are posting unless I can verify.   It seemed logical as they knew who I was when I walked into the terminal and was able to use facial recognition when clearing customs.