Live B2B2B2B Carnival Spirit Alaska/Panama Canal/Caribbean

[jam19872016]

Back on the ship now.

 

Heading to a couple trivia sessions.

[jam19872016]

Off to lunch. I'm in the mood for the deli today.

[jam19872016]

My sandwich from the deli was a huge disappointment. I got the southwest chicken wrap. It was premade and just not good at all. I think they were using the wrap they use at Blue Iguana (the whole wheat not the jalapeno) so maybe they really did run out of the wraps they use here.

 

 

 

Everything else was good but the wrap was just bad.

[jam19872016]

We are now pulling out of St.Thomas. The next time I see land they will be asking me to leave the ship 😞

[pirate4me2]

So sorry the wrap wasnt good! I have tried it a few times and loved it....guess I will proceed with caution now! Maybe next time I will stick with the chicken salad that you have posted that looks drool worthy, and my old faithful mozzarella and tomato. 

[jam19872016]

3 minutes ago, pirate4me2 said:

So sorry the wrap wasnt good! I have tried it a few times and loved it....guess I will proceed with caution now! Maybe next time I will stick with the chicken salad that you have posted that looks drool worthy, and my old faithful mozzarella and tomato. 

I have found even my favorites from the deli to be hit or miss so I usually try to sample items a time or two before I write them off. This was a miss today but might be a hit another time.

[jam19872016]

Juneau, Alaska:

 

My day in Juneau (almost a month ago where has the time gone) was tied for my favorite day in Alaska. Tracy Arm Fjord was maybe just a tad bit better, but I got to experience this one with my mom which made it a little bit more special for me. She also seemed to enjoy herself, which is something that I can't say I've seen very often.

 

For my day here I went with Discover Alaska's Whales $199.99:

 

Whale sightings are guaranteed on this personalized, small group tour combing marine exploration with a scientific research, interpretation and discovery.

 

Take a short drive with your naturalist science guide where you will board a safari vessel on your quest for gathering scientific research while enjoying the antics and displays of wildlife.

 

Custom build vessels provide a comfortable heated cabin, large opening panel windows, and an open bow perfect for observing wildlife.

 

Your group will learn about the smallest plants and animals in the ocean and how these support the ecosystem as a whole.

 

You will attempt to track and record the behaviors pertaining to various marine animals including humpback whales In addition to an amazing tour experience, you will have the satisfaction of knowing your efforts made a contribution towards safeguarding and deepening our understanding of the delicate marine environments of Southeast Alaska.

 

NOTE: Receive a $100 refund if whales are not sighted on the trip.

 

Binoculars, maps and a whale ID book are provided on the vessel

[jam19872016]

We started off with a very chilly crisp morning. It did warm up nicely but it was quite chilly as we started our day.

 

 

 

We had some time before our excursion so we did a little shopping (by we I mean my mom lol)

 

 

Looking back at Spirit.

 

 

Once the excursion started we had some time before our whale watching began so they gave us a bonus stop at a scenic lookout towards a glacier.

 

 

 

 

[jam19872016]

Next we headed to the harbor to board our vessel for our whale watching adventure.

 

 

 

 

We had a very foggy start but within a few minutes things cleared up and we could see the beauty around us.

 

 

[jam19872016]

Soon we stopped to do our research portion of this trip. We collected some specimens from a trap that had been set to document the sea life present in the area and make sure there were no invasive species in the area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jam19872016]

We were provided with a book so that we could identify the different marine life we had collected. We learned some facts (which I have now forgotten all of ooops) about each of them and then we released them back into the water.

 

There were no invasive species found in today's sample.

 

Setting sail again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our first whale sighting in the distance.

 

 

 

[jam19872016]

Approaching some sea lions chilling on a buoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very cool to see and they did just like in Finding Dory whenever someone else tried to join them on the buoy, starting barking at the would be joiner. Hilarious.

[jam19872016]

Now we are off to see some more whales.

 

 

Water spouts in the distance.

 

 

Whales, Whales, Whales everywhere.

 

 

 

 

 

[jam19872016]

Continued.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jam19872016]

The whales got VERY close.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jam19872016]

More.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 13, 2022 by jam19872016

[jam19872016]

One more whale shot before heading back.

 

 

I was told going into this excursion not to expect to much. They don't really get close and can be hard to spot. I was prepared for that and ok with that. I don't expect nature to put on a show for me. 

 

They did anyway. There were many many sightings including way more than I took pictures of. I got a few then put away my phone to view the whales through my own eyes. Even the naturalist was impressed with how many there were and how close they got to us. They were also very playful.

 

Today was a memory I will treasure forever. 

 

The guide was also one of the best I have ever had. She was so funny and great at explaining things. She said she used to be a kindergarten teacher, so that explains how she was so natural at dumbing things down for us 😁

[jam19872016]

I left the room for literally 5 minutes and came back to  a plate of cookies. Giant cookies and still a little warm. I couldn't resist I had to eat one. I am working hard to resist another 😋.

 

I'm thinking its going to need to be an early dinner tonight 😆

[jam19872016]

I'm not a big fan of carnival's production shows but I do love Getaway Island. Sad to say that with three chances to watch it, this is the first time I made it. One of my favorites.

[jam19872016]

It seems most times I've been to St.Thomas we have left in the evening. Most of my favorite sunset photos have been from here but we left at 4 today.

 

Closest I got, I was too slow to catch the bird flying in front of the sun.

 

 

Edited October 14, 2022 by jam19872016

[jam19872016]

I'm less upset that this is the first time I caught Getaway Island. I'll just leave it at that 🤣 

Edited October 14, 2022 by jam19872016

[jam19872016]

Tonight was my least favorite dinner menu but I made it work and enjoyed my dinner overall.

 

Alligator beignets.

 

 

Not bad but come to the south for good alligator, much better than this.

 

My mom's spare ribs. Pretty much a whole animal on her plate here 😅.

 

 

Lasagna bolognese.

 

 

Corn, chilli, quinoa baked tomato.

 

 

 

Banana split for dessert. Banana was ready to be made as Banana bread and nothing else but had enough sugar on it to still be enjoyable.

 

[jam19872016]

Casino let me down again. One more night to have my name drawn.

 

I'm going to bed now and hope to sleep in since it's a sea day 💤.

 

Good night.

[jam19872016]

Good morning everyone from the Caribbean Sea. 

 

No steakhouse brunch option this morning and it's not available tomorrow either.

 

I'm really surprised they are not keeping this extra revenue opportunity and the menu looked really good.

[jam19872016]

I did see the Dr.Suess breakfast returns tomorrow. It's $10 or $8 for kids. 

 

I kind of wanted to do it but that is quite a price jump. I'm on the fence about it. The menu doesn't even look that exciting.

 

Steak and egg option doesn't say what kind of steak it is, sounds like you pay $10 and still get that terrible striploin.

Edited October 14, 2022 by jam19872016