Bill & Mary Ann's Quick Trip to Alaska 9-25-21 to 10-2-21

[dobiemom]

Bon Voyage! 🙂

[madera1]

I will be following your travel.. Hope you both have as great a time as we did on the September 4th sailing. 

Edited September 25, 2021 by madera1

[erewhon]

Thank you for  sharing  another cruise with us.

Bon Voyage.

[WCB]

Report # 2   Getting ready to leave…..   9-24-21   Friday   Still warm and dry in Clayton  92 degrees

 

Even though we were 90% packed for the trip, there are always a few things we tend to forget.  And for a change, we still had room in the suitcases for those extras.  The rest of the day, we spent outside watering and feeding the birds, and tending to the last of the veggie plants.  We prefer to come back to a clean house, so those jobs are finally completed.

 

Tomorrow we will be picked up around 4:30am, and be on time for our 7:45am flight to Seattle.  Usually we go early by a day or two, but this time, we decided to take our chances and board on the same day.  Actually, having to do the Covid test two days prior to sailing gave us little choice.  By the way,  we went to a CVS Minute Clinic in nearby Walnut Creek for the antigen test.

 

If we get wifi in Seattle, we will write then.  In the meantime, we had better start to think about an early bedtime tonight.

 

We do plan on posting photos, but they will be on our blog spot  “Treasures of Cruising the World with Bill and Mary Ann”.  Sometimes we have problems posting pictures to Cruise Critic, so this is a better solution.

 

Stay tuned…….

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[syesmar]

@WCBHope you have a fabulous cruise! Thanks for taking your time to share. Happy Sailing!

[CM1984]

I was just wondering in the last couple of days when I would get to enjoy your posts again, and here you are!  Thank you, I look forward to following along.  
 

We loved this itinerary in 2018 and the NA was our last cruise before COVID changed ALL of our lives.  Hopefully, cruising is back to stay.

 

ENJOY!

 

Mimi

[WCB]

Report # 3   Boarding Day   September 25, 2021   Saturday   Partly cloudy and sunny in Seattle  77 degrees

 

Our marathon day began very early at about 3am for a pick up time of 4:30am.  It never fails.  When you know you will have to get up in the wee hours of the night, you never sleep that well, or not at all.  There were reports of possible delays with night road repairs and closed exits in downtown SF.  Something else to worry about.

 

As it turned out, our driver arrived early, and we were on our way with hardly no traffic all the way to the airport.  Checking in was easy, but the real test was going through the security check.  About three months ago, one of us (Mary Ann) had surgery for a total knee replacement.  So it was no surprise that the buzzer went off while going through the portal.  They did not take my word that I had surgery, but they did check the entire left side with a pat down.  And that was it….free to proceed.   Even though we did not get the TSA free pass, we did not have to take our shoes off. 

 

There was time for a light breakfast with much needed coffee.  The closer it got to boarding time, the busier the terminal got.  Of course it was a weekend, and people are traveling a lot more these days.  And we have to add that everyone wore their masks as required.

 

The flight left on time and was less than 2 hours.  But there was a problem when we went to go to the baggage pick up.  The escalators and stairs had been blocked off by security officers.  We were going nowhere.  This lasted for at least 15 minutes, and there was no apparent explanation.  Finally the tape was dropped, and we overheard someone say there was a security breach.  There is a first time for everything we say.

 

Many of the passengers on our flight had gotten through earlier, so when we went to look for our luggage, it was not coming down the chutes.  Upon asking, we discovered someone had off-loaded it and it waiting there against a wall.  These days, it seems that most travelers carry on their smaller bags to avoid the charges, so there is far less luggage at the carousel.

 

If memory serves us correctly, we recall that our luggage used to be taken from the carousel and dropped off at an HAL desk.  We did not have to schlep it to the waiting buses, which is quite a walk.  They no longer do this. 

 

Following directions given to us by an HAL rep, we made our way to the bus terminal for cruisers dragging the bags.  Today we were mixed with NCL folks.  There was a bit of a wait before we loaded onto the coach for a 45 minute ride through town.  Our luggage was taken to trucks to be delivered to the pier.

 

A few days ago, we were contacted by Gerald Bernhoft, the Director of the Mariner Society.  He invited us to meet with him at the pier for a quick hello and a speedy embarkation.  Not having a cell phone to touch bases with him, we figured this may not happen.  But lo and behold, there he was, waiting for us at the entrance.   And he did just as he promised.  With the proper paper work (passports, Covid vaccination cards, Covid tests results, and our boarding passes), we were most of the way there.  We had to pass through their security xray, where the new knee did not set off the alarms….go figure?  The final thing left to do was have our passports scanned and our photos taken.

 

At this point, Gerald introduced us to Mark, the Hotel Director and Joanne, the Guest Relations Manager,  who personally escorted us on the ship. We thanked Gerald for his kind jester, and promised that we would see him in 2023 when the GWV resumes. What a reception…it could not have been nicer.  Once we were at our room, we had more head staff come to see what else they could do for us.  On the desk, we had gifts of champagne on ice, no less, several envelopes of shipboard credit, and bottles of whisky and scotch.  These days, we do not drink as much, and in 7 days, finishing 2 bottles would be impossible.  So we asked for Cokes and flowers instead.  No rush.  Believe it or not, that was done within the hour.  Beautiful bouquet of flowers and all the Coke we wanted.  Wow………..

 

One thing that surprised us was the fact you need to use the room key to activate the lights in the cabin.  Much the same as you do in most of the hotels these days.  Must be a huge energy-saving effort to have everything off when you are not in the room.  In addition, the night light we brought for the bathroom did not fit in the plug.

 

This was a good time to check out the Lido for lunch.  The first station we came across was the salad bar with three servers waiting to take our orders. Both of us had small cobb salads with ranch dressing.  Beverages were served and refilled by several waiters.  Then we went on a search for the recommended prime rib, however, we could not find it at the station.  Guess it was so popular that it was consumed as fast as they brought it out.  So we substituted sliced roast beef submarine sandwiches on fresh torpedo rolls, equally as delicious.

 

Remembering the advice of previous bloggers, we headed for the Pinnacle to make reservations in the Pinnacle Grill and Tamarind restaurants.  Good thing we did as most of the reservations were full at the time we requested.  We did manage to get three Pinnacles and two Tamarind dates.  And we may try lunch in the Pinnacle one afternoon.  The nice thing is that they will all be complimentary for being members of the President’s Club.  We discovered that the specialty restaurants, with the exception of Sel De Mer, are included in our perks now.

 

Another important task was locating the muster station and log our keycards into their system.  So much better than the standard drill, we simply watched the video of the drill in our room to satisfy this requirement.

 

One piece of luggage had arrived, so we unloaded it.  Our particular room really has a lack of storage space compared to our room on the Amsterdam.  Obviously, these ships were not designed for really long cruises, but OK for shorter itineraries.  Eventually, we came across our second bag which was in a pile at the nearest elevator lobby.  Instead of waiting for it to be delivered, we pulled it to our room.  By the way, our head room steward, Jas, introduced himself, and also went the mile to make sure we had everything we needed.  We did ask him to remove the drink set-up (we did not purchase the Have-It-All package), and remove the robes, and send out some shirts for pressing….no rush, we added.  By 6pm, all was done.  We have yet to meet Natan, his assistant.

 

One job we needed to do was figure out the internet packages, using our 100 minutes credits each of us was gifted.  Having difficulty doing this in our room, we headed to the front desk for help.  Access to WIFI was much better there, but we discovered only one of the credits was allowed to be used for the one device we had….our computer.  The minutes had been converted to $55, so the second credit was put back on our account to be used for other things.  We purchased the premium package ($139.99) with no worries about minutes ticking away like we used to have on the Amsterdam.

 

At one point, the captain, Jeroen Baijens, came on with an important announcement.  Our itinerary was changing due to adverse weather conditions.  The calls to Sitka and Icy Straight Point had to be cancelled, but the good news, was that Skagway was to be substituted.  We were quite happy with the changes, since it has been a long time since we visited Skagway.  Now we hope that the town has not closed up for the season.  One of the best pizzas we had was in a hotel there, so that will be a priority.

 

Normally, we attend the sail away at the aft pool deck. But having a nice veranda facing the aft, we opted to stay there as the ship left the pier.  At least it was the perfect time to elevate the knee on the chaise lounge while taking in the heat of the sun.  And we could hear the music from deck nine as the sail away was proceeding.  It was then that we heard our names yelled out by a very special friend who is also on this trip…….our treasured travel agent Debra.  She is here with her lovely daughter, Brie.  Since we were halfway through our chilled bottle of champagne, we finished it off, and headed up to deck nine.  Searching for the girls,  we could not find them, but we did come across the pizza station and decided to share a freshly-baked custom pizza.  It was perfect….crispy crust and hot as ever.  Yep, this will be one of our favorite spots.  Eventually, the girls found us in our room, where we spent at least an hour visiting while enjoying the sailing out of the bay.   On the lookout for whales, we did spot one rather large seal lion and a few birds.

 

Before we knew it, the time for dinner had arrived….7:30pm in the Pinnacle.  Many of the staff there recognized us, although we were at a disadvantage since everyone is masked.  We were escorted to a table at the window, and taken care of royally.  We ordered Caesar salads, candied bacon, the 7 ounce filet with a side of shared French fries.  Sadly, there are no more cheesy rolls, but they served warm slices of a rye bread….equally as good.  Adding a dessert of key lime pie, we finished our meal by 9:30pm.

 

It had been such a busy, long day, we headed back to our room, hoping for a very restful night.  The sea motion had picked up and literally rocked us to sleep.  Today’s mostly sunny skies might be last we see for the upcoming week………..

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

[bcummin]

Thank you so much for bringing us along, Bill & Mary Ann.

The last time we went through airport security, it was AGE that allowed us through without taking off our shoes.  Welcome to the club.  :)

Glad that you are being treated like royalty.

Thrilled that you got to visit Debra and Brie.  Our daughter & husband are now clients of hers.  

We hope that the new knee is working well and you thoroughly enjoy this cruise.

Barbara

[SilvertoGold]

A fantastic welcome on board! So nice to hear that Gerald B was his gracious self and met you for boarding. He is a gem!  Have a wonderful trip!

[cal56girl]

5 hours ago, WCB said:

Report # 3   Boarding Day   September 25, 2021   Saturday   Partly cloudy and sunny in Seattle  77 degrees

 

Our marathon day began very early at about 3am for a pick up time of 4:30am.  It never fails.  When you know you will have to get up in the wee hours of the night, you never sleep that well, or not at all.  There were reports of possible delays with night road repairs and closed exits in downtown SF.  Something else to worry about.

 

As it turned out, our driver arrived early, and we were on our way with hardly no traffic all the way to the airport.  Checking in was easy, but the real test was going through the security check.  About three months ago, one of us (Mary Ann) had surgery for a total knee replacement.  So it was no surprise that the buzzer went off while going through the portal.  They did not take my word that I had surgery, but they did check the entire left side with a pat down.  And that was it….free to proceed.   Even though we did not get the TSA free pass, we did not have to take our shoes off. 

 

There was time for a light breakfast with much needed coffee.  The closer it got to boarding time, the busier the terminal got.  Of course it was a weekend, and people are traveling a lot more these days.  And we have to add that everyone wore their masks as required.

 

The flight left on time and was less than 2 hours.  But there was a problem when we went to go to the baggage pick up.  The escalators and stairs had been blocked off by security officers.  We were going nowhere.  This lasted for at least 15 minutes, and there was no apparent explanation.  Finally the tape was dropped, and we overheard someone say there was a security breach.  There is a first time for everything we say.

 

Many of the passengers on our flight had gotten through earlier, so when we went to look for our luggage, it was not coming down the chutes.  Upon asking, we discovered someone had off-loaded it and it waiting there against a wall.  These days, it seems that most travelers carry on their smaller bags to avoid the charges, so there is far less luggage at the carousel.

 

If memory serves us correctly, we recall that our luggage used to be taken from the carousel and dropped off at an HAL desk.  We did not have to schlep it to the waiting buses, which is quite a walk.  They no longer do this. 

 

Following directions given to us by an HAL rep, we made our way to the bus terminal for cruisers dragging the bags.  Today we were mixed with NCL folks.  There was a bit of a wait before we loaded onto the coach for a 45 minute ride through town.  Our luggage was taken to trucks to be delivered to the pier.

 

A few days ago, we were contacted by Gerald Bernhoft, the Director of the Mariner Society.  He invited us to meet with him at the pier for a quick hello and a speedy embarkation.  Not having a cell phone to touch bases with him, we figured this may not happen.  But lo and behold, there he was, waiting for us at the entrance.   And he did just as he promised.  With the proper paper work (passports, Covid vaccination cards, Covid tests results, and our boarding passes), we were most of the way there.  We had to pass through their security xray, where the new knee did not set off the alarms….go figure?  The final thing left to do was have our passports scanned and our photos taken.

 

At this point, Gerald introduced us to Mark, the Hotel Director and Joanne, the Guest Relations Manager,  who personally escorted us on the ship. We thanked Gerald for his kind jester, and promised that we would see him in 2023 when the GWV resumes. What a reception…it could not have been nicer.  Once we were at our room, we had more head staff come to see what else they could do for us.  On the desk, we had gifts of champagne on ice, no less, several envelopes of shipboard credit, and bottles of whisky and scotch.  These days, we do not drink as much, and in 7 days, finishing 2 bottles would be impossible.  So we asked for Cokes and flowers instead.  No rush.  Believe it or not, that was done within the hour.  Beautiful bouquet of flowers and all the Coke we wanted.  Wow………..

 

One thing that surprised us was the fact you need to use the room key to activate the lights in the cabin.  Much the same as you do in most of the hotels these days.  Must be a huge energy-saving effort to have everything off when you are not in the room.  In addition, the night light we brought for the bathroom did not fit in the plug.

 

This was a good time to check out the Lido for lunch.  The first station we came across was the salad bar with three servers waiting to take our orders. Both of us had small cobb salads with ranch dressing.  Beverages were served and refilled by several waiters.  Then we went on a search for the recommended prime rib, however, we could not find it at the station.  Guess it was so popular that it was consumed as fast as they brought it out.  So we substituted sliced roast beef submarine sandwiches on fresh torpedo rolls, equally as delicious.

 

Remembering the advice of previous bloggers, we headed for the Pinnacle to make reservations in the Pinnacle Grill and Tamarind restaurants.  Good thing we did as most of the reservations were full at the time we requested.  We did manage to get three Pinnacles and two Tamarind dates.  And we may try lunch in the Pinnacle one afternoon.  The nice thing is that they will all be complimentary for being members of the President’s Club.  We discovered that the specialty restaurants, with the exception of Sel De Mer, are included in our perks now.

 

Another important task was locating the muster station and log our keycards into their system.  So much better than the standard drill, we simply watched the video of the drill in our room to satisfy this requirement.

 

One piece of luggage had arrived, so we unloaded it.  Our particular room really has a lack of storage space compared to our room on the Amsterdam.  Obviously, these ships were not designed for really long cruises, but OK for shorter itineraries.  Eventually, we came across our second bag which was in a pile at the nearest elevator lobby.  Instead of waiting for it to be delivered, we pulled it to our room.  By the way, our head room steward, Jas, introduced himself, and also went the mile to make sure we had everything we needed.  We did ask him to remove the drink set-up (we did not purchase the Have-It-All package), and remove the robes, and send out some shirts for pressing….no rush, we added.  By 6pm, all was done.  We have yet to meet Natan, his assistant.

 

One job we needed to do was figure out the internet packages, using our 100 minutes credits each of us was gifted.  Having difficulty doing this in our room, we headed to the front desk for help.  Access to WIFI was much better there, but we discovered only one of the credits was allowed to be used for the one device we had….our computer.  The minutes had been converted to $55, so the second credit was put back on our account to be used for other things.  We purchased the premium package ($139.99) with no worries about minutes ticking away like we used to have on the Amsterdam.

 

At one point, the captain, Jeroen Baijens, came on with an important announcement.  Our itinerary was changing due to adverse weather conditions.  The calls to Sitka and Icy Straight Point had to be cancelled, but the good news, was that Skagway was to be substituted.  We were quite happy with the changes, since it has been a long time since we visited Skagway.  Now we hope that the town has not closed up for the season.  One of the best pizzas we had was in a hotel there, so that will be a priority.

 

Normally, we attend the sail away at the aft pool deck. But having a nice veranda facing the aft, we opted to stay there as the ship left the pier.  At least it was the perfect time to elevate the knee on the chaise lounge while taking in the heat of the sun.  And we could hear the music from deck nine as the sail away was proceeding.  It was then that we heard our names yelled out by a very special friend who is also on this trip…….our treasured travel agent Debra.  She is here with her lovely daughter, Brie.  Since we were halfway through our chilled bottle of champagne, we finished it off, and headed up to deck nine.  Searching for the girls,  we could not find them, but we did come across the pizza station and decided to share a freshly-baked custom pizza.  It was perfect….crispy crust and hot as ever.  Yep, this will be one of our favorite spots.  Eventually, the girls found us in our room, where we spent at least an hour visiting while enjoying the sailing out of the bay.   On the lookout for whales, we did spot one rather large seal lion and a few birds.

 

Before we knew it, the time for dinner had arrived….7:30pm in the Pinnacle.  Many of the staff there recognized us, although we were at a disadvantage since everyone is masked.  We were escorted to a table at the window, and taken care of royally.  We ordered Caesar salads, candied bacon, the 7 ounce filet with a side of shared French fries.  Sadly, there are no more cheesy rolls, but they served warm slices of a rye bread….equally as good.  Adding a dessert of key lime pie, we finished our meal by 9:30pm.

 

It had been such a busy, long day, we headed back to our room, hoping for a very restful night.  The sea motion had picked up and literally rocked us to sleep.  Today’s mostly sunny skies might be last we see for the upcoming week………..

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

We learned something last week about the cards for the lights. One day as we were walking down the hall, we noticed a Costco card in it and the comedian even mentioned it, it doesn’t need to be your cruise card, any card will do. We tried it on the last day, and it worked!

[canadianbear]

54 minutes ago, cal56girl said:

We learned something last week about the cards for the lights. One day as we were walking down the hall, we noticed a Costco card in it and the comedian even mentioned it, it doesn’t need to be your cruise card, any card will do. We tried it on the last day, and it worked!

It’s been like that for several years.  We use an old card but always turn the lights out if we leave and we also don’t keep anything plugged in.  When they did the turn down at night the staff always left the bedside lights on (I think it was the bedside lights. Been since December 2019 since we cruised which seems a lifetime ago).  

[Florida_gal_50]

2 minutes ago, canadianbear said:

It’s been like that for several years.  We use an old card but always turn the lights out if we leave and we also don’t keep anything plugged in.  When they did the turn down at night the staff always left the bedside lights on (I think it was the bedside lights. Been since December 2019 since we cruised which seems a lifetime ago).  

Yes, it’s the bedside lights.  It looks so nice I feel coming back to the room with the soft lighting.

[canadianbear]

6 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Yes, it’s the bedside lights.  It looks so nice I feel coming back to the room with the soft lighting.

Us too.   Except when the monkey  towel animal is there-don’t like him!!!  lol 

Edited September 26, 2021 by canadianbear

[Florida_gal_50]

7 minutes ago, canadianbear said:

Us too.   Except when the monkey  towel animal is there-don’t like him!!!  lol 

That one is a little freaky.  I’ll miss those towel animals.

[Dismomx5]

Thanks for taking us along on your cruise!

[St Pete Cruiser]

What a nice return!  Did you get an invite to the welcome aboard cocktail party

which has been at 2 or 3pm on embarkation day?  With delayed boarding, maybe it has been canceled.

[puppycanducruise]

You're off to a great start.

Looking forward to reading more.

Thanks for taking us along.

[WCB]

Report # 4   Day at Sea   September 26, 2021   Sunday   Partly cloudy and rain Part #1 Of  1     9 Pictures

 

The seas turned a bit rough during the night, letting us know we are on a rolling ship.  Sort of forgot that getting sea legs takes a few days in the beginning.  So as a result, one of us felt slightly queasy this morning.  Remembering to bring meclizine saved the day, as did eating breakfast.  We might add here that complimentary pain meds and seasick pills are available at the front desk.

 

By the time we arrived to the dining room, it was after 9am.  We were quickly welcomed by the staff, most of whom recognized us from the Amsterdam.   Zaki and Intan were among those we remembered.  Breakfast was good as always, and before we left, we believe we met the origami waiter, Komang.  He quickly folded us a bird, as he did for our surrounding guests.  It has been more years than we care to admit that we have seen that done.

 

Along with the increasing clouds, the rain followed and was heavy at times.  The outside decks were wet, making walking a little dicey.  By the way, it takes 3 times around to walk one mile.  Depending on your stride, it takes 20 minutes a mile.  There were a few hardy souls doing the same thing.  On the lookout for whales, we only saw two ships…one was the NCL Encore and the other was a Royal Caribbean vessel, older and much smaller than the mega ships out there now.

 

There was a Mariner Society welcome party in the Ocean Bar at 11am, and we were invited.  Arriving 5 minutes after 11am, there were no seats left.  Within seconds, we had a choice of champagne, wine, or a mimosa.  At the entrance, we met Captain Jeroen and Hotel Director Mark, chatting for their required 2 minutes a passenger.  We were surprised at the number of guests here, but did learn there are about 1400 onboard.  Comfortable, but not over-crowded.  Both of us had three mimosas, and felt the need to get outside to walk again.  By now, the rain was really coming down. 

 

The next activity was an invite to James Suckling’s Pacific Northwest Wine Tasting in the dining room.  Attending many of these affairs, we have never been convinced that we like the product.  So we passed on this, and went to the third invite of the day…..a Cruise Critic meeting.  Although we did not know anyone there, by the time we left, we knew many.  We end up recognizing folks by their handles, and realize we have been communicating facts and ideas all along.  The leader of the gang created a bingo-type game for all of us to play.   The end game was to break the ice and get us all talking.  What fun.

 

Before we knew it, the time was 3:30pm, and we knew we had missed lunch.  So we headed for the salad and sandwich bar.  Retreating to our room, we listened to some TV news and caught up on some emailing.  The TV reception is not great, and neither is the speed and availability of the internet.  It must have to do with the area we are in right now.  

 

The five shirts we sent out yesterday arrived back this afternoon from the laundry, all nicely pressed.  Now we are ready for the first formal evening in the dining room.

 

Our key cards had our dining time at 8:30pm, but that sure did not sound correct.  We asked one of the waiters to check that for us, and he said it was supposed to be 8pm.  Then at dinner, we asked our head waiter Intan when the upper dining room opened for second seating, and she said 7:30pm.  That way, there is not a line forming in the hallway.  Our table is # 77 on the railing, a four top set for two, and our waiter was Oka.

 

Both of us ordered Caesar salads with one roll, rack of lamb (minus the cannellini beans) and a half baked potato.   Desserts were chocolate soufflé and Black Forest cake.  All delicious.  The best part of the evening was visiting with several more waiters that we have had the pleasure of knowing on the Amsterdam…..namely Gan and Prio along with many of their buddies.  They were so happy to be back at sea, after being off for over 14 months.

 

Intan explained to us that HAL had decided to eliminate all wine stewards, and the waiters have taken over their job.  They are in the process of learning about the wines and the wine service.  In addition, there are no European waiters in the Pinnacle Grill anymore.  They have staffed it with their Indonesian wait staff.

 

The clocks went back one hour this evening, so that should give us an extra hour of sleep.  So until tomorrow, good evening.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

[cal56girl]

18 hours ago, canadianbear said:

It’s been like that for several years.  We use an old card but always turn the lights out if we leave and we also don’t keep anything plugged in.  When they did the turn down at night the staff always left the bedside lights on (I think it was the bedside lights. Been since December 2019 since we cruised which seems a lifetime ago).  

Sadly, our last HAL or big ship cruise for that matter, was in 2012. Lots in our lives since then, grandkids, weddings and retirements!

[canadianbear]

17 minutes ago, cal56girl said:

Sadly, our last HAL or big ship cruise for that matter, was in 2012. Lots in our lives since then, grandkids, weddings and retirements!

So true.  We now have 2 grandkids with another on the way so our priorities are changing.  Not sure how much cruising we will do but we have a long one late next year booked.  If times are still uncertain we will cancel before penalty period.   The joy grandkids bring to us helps get through the pandemic that’s for sure.  

[lazey1]

I am loving following this review.  Thank you .

 

Jane

[AKJonesy]

I hope your seas are calmer than ours last week.  I know it was beautiful for embarkation for you in Seattle on Saturday.  Hope it stays the same.  Smooth sailing.  

[cal56girl]

2 hours ago, canadianbear said:

So true.  We now have 2 grandkids with another on the way so our priorities are changing.  Not sure how much cruising we will do but we have a long one late next year booked.  If times are still uncertain we will cancel before penalty period.   The joy grandkids bring to us helps get through the pandemic that’s for sure.  

Yes, grandkids make things so much better. Off to see our oldest next weekend!

[atexsix]

Hello Bill/Mary Ann, I enjoyed meeting you both when we sailed to Hawaii in 2018, and looking forward to your trip report this time around.  

[Sharon in AZ]

I’m really enjoying your reports. Can you (or anyone) please post the name of your blog?  I’ve forgotten and would love to see your pictures.