Live from the NCL Spirit B2B July 5-19, 2023 (more sarcasm and grumpiness!)

[YVRteacher]

You got to do the Hubbard Glacier boat trip?! How was it??

[libtrek]

2 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

You got to do the Hubbard Glacier boat trip?! How was it??

Sunny day, got very close, not much calving but it was worth the price.

[YVRteacher]

We are booked for this excursion.

[www3traveler]

1 hour ago, YVRteacher said:

For Iceland and Norway I’m on a ship I swore I would never sail on again: NCL Star.  I’ll be doing a live review and have adjusted my expectations for that cruise to be about the ports and not about the shipboard experience.

I can not wait to hear about it.  Best Wishes

[Langham1865]

I love Sitka, was only there once but it grew on me fast, cute and quaint.  Make sure to see the church and Ashmo's food truck fish sandwiches were very good.  I hope they are still around as I went prior in 2018

[ceilidh1]

13 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

As an aside, if there is a person from your town/city/neighbourhood who is on Cruise Critic and you haven’t yet met in person, go for it. You may meet someone as wonderful as @ceilidh1

 

We went out for dinner and drinks last week and talked non-stop for hours. Such a joy to meet you @ceilidh1!

 

We gotta do it again as soon as we are both back on dry land!

[ceilidh1]

14 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Did a little deep dive into the pending longshore worker strike.  According to my research, there is an agreement that cruise ships and grain processing will not be affected. Fortunately whiskey is grain-based…

If the Vancouver Sun is to be believed, you should be ok:

Possible B.C. port strike will spare cruise ships, employers say | Vancouver Sun

[AKR2011]

Welcome back, Yvonne! I am excited to follow along on another trip with you and your grumpyish dad 😆 Your timing is perfect. I read the Braving It book that you suggested in your last review and loved it so much that I read the first book about Heimo as well. I just completed it this week. What are you reading on this trip, and any new recommendations? I appreciate the librarians on this forum always giving good picks! ❤️⚓️

[YVRteacher]

Yesterday I read this.  For Black History Month the school-wide book of the month I selected was A Door Made for Me based on a childhood experience Tyler shares in I Take My Coffee Black.

 

The day before I read this (about the conjoined twins in Canada. Fictional. Long-winded.)

 

 

For the cruise the first book I packed is

 

[YVRteacher]

Does anyone else stop buying food before a trip? Does anyone else ever mis-time things so badly? Today is Saturday. The cruise begins on Wednesday. My fridge is empty and there are still 3.5 full days plus last breakfast to go.🤦🏻‍♀️

 

[YVRteacher]

This is the email I received from NCL in response to submitting the Access Desk form for a special diet (vegetarian.) For 11 years I was fine on NCL without having to send in the form. Since the pandemic and the cutbacks it has been a struggle to get vegetarian food other than pasta and salad in both the specialty and the included restaurants. 

Edited July 1, 2023 by YVRteacher

[AKR2011]

2 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Yesterday I read this.  For Black History Month the school-wide book of the month I selected was A Door Made for Me based on a childhood experience Tyler shares in I Take My Coffee Black.

 

The day before I read this (about the conjoined twins in Canada. Fictional. Long-winded.)

 

 

For the cruise the first book I packed is

 

Thanks! I just read On Juneteenth by Annette Godon-Reed also to celebrate the holiday. I will look into these picks.

[YVRteacher]

This is the email I received in response to submitting the Special Needs Access form for help and support with my dad. I requested small portions at meals and assistance with embarkation and disembarkation due to the wait and the (sometimes) long process.  I did NOT request a special diet for him and I don’t believe NCL read the Access Form correctly.

 

I have replied to the email and have still not received any phone number to contact at the Port of Vancouver.  I also requested that NCL communicate with the key people on board that my dad has dementia.  I try to be very discreet out of respect for my dad and I can’t leave him alone so I’m trying to be proactive.  It seems that my attempt to circumvent a meeting has not been met with success so this fierce daughter will be doing everything she can on board to help her dad have a great cruise.

 

[alackas]

On 6/30/2023 at 10:59 AM, YVRteacher said:

Has anyone ever been on a cruise with NCL and needed to do the online check in for another cruise on a different NCL ship while onboard? I’m wondering if the Internet cafe manager would help with this so my internet minutes don’t dwindle away.

We used the cafe manager to check in for flights when on the Beakaway in Jan f 23.  Could not get it done on the free internet 

[bluesea777]

Onda has excellent vegetables as side dishes - there are 5. We went there 3 times. It’s on deck 12 aft in the corner with great views. 

 

Make sure you go to Taste as MDR rather than Windows. The service is excellent. 
 

Bistro is a lovely place - make sure you dress in black/blue so to blend in the decor!

 

You and your Dad will enjoy trying out the Spirit - she is a special ship in her own. 
 

The Observation lounge (Spinnaker’s) is about the best in all NCL. 
 

 

I’m sure the mid week embarkation will go well in Vancouver. We weee surprised how smoothly it was for us when we had to get off ship to go thru the US pre-clearance. It’s not chaos like your Jewel one. 
 

Enjoy!!!!

 

 

[bluesea777]

One more thing, only one other ship, smaller than Spirit, is in Vancouver as you embark … the same thing happened to us that the Canada Place is “almost” empty. You might as well as disregard the letter (think they are “canned” letters). 
 

 

[libtrek]

I agree the letter is not very clear … or helpful. I don’t hold much hope for the smaller portions. That has become an issue with hubs too. Think I might stick to appetizers for him. Sounds like your dad doesn’t wander off but it is always on my mind. I think I might try getting the kid ID bracelet for him, not sure if he would get mad. I’ve been thinking if we would be better with Seattle-Seattle trip. Do you think the bigger ships would be more confusing for our grumpy guys?

[omahabob]

Wow. This "live from" thread already has 40 replies, and the cruise doesn't even start for another four days. Must be nice to be popular. 😄

[YVRteacher]

25 minutes ago, bluesea777 said:

Onda has excellent vegetables as side dishes - there are 5. We went there 3 times. It’s on deck 12 aft in the corner with great views. 

 

Make sure you go to Taste as MDR rather than Windows. The service is excellent. 
 

Bistro is a lovely place - make sure you dress in black/blue so to blend in the decor!

 

You and your Dad will enjoy trying out the Spirit - she is a special ship in her own. 
 

The Observation lounge (Spinnaker’s) is about the best in all NCL. 
 

 

I’m sure the mid week embarkation will go well in Vancouver. We weee surprised how smoothly it was for us when we had to get off ship to go thru the US pre-clearance. It’s not chaos like your Jewel one. 
 

Enjoy!!!!

 

 

I’ve eaten in Onda before. I’m trying to find options that include protein.

[YVRteacher]

6 minutes ago, libtrek said:

I agree the letter is not very clear … or helpful. I don’t hold much hope for the smaller portions. That has become an issue with hubs too. Think I might stick to appetizers for him. Sounds like your dad doesn’t wander off but it is always on my mind. I think I might try getting the kid ID bracelet for him, not sure if he would get mad. I’ve been thinking if we would be better with Seattle-Seattle trip. Do you think the bigger ships would be more confusing for our grumpy guys?

We went on the Encore last summer.  I thought the ship was beautiful and I had a great time, so much so that I returned a month later as a solo cruiser.  My dad felt that the ship was not designed for seniors!  He complained A LOT.  He loved Choir of Man (it involves beer!) and he loved Los Lobos.  We were in the Haven and the service was not delightful, there were way too many screaming kids and the bar was always packed.  I wouldn’t do the Haven on a big ship ever again.

 

The large ship was definitely overwhelming at times for him.  Also, the cruises out of Seattle do not have very good port arrival and departure times.

 

I read in another thread where a woman got one of the kids’ identity bands for her mom who also has dementia. Maybe if you get one for both yourself and your hubby he would be more receptive? Or practice at home with it in the weeks leading up to the cruise?  My dad doesn’t wander off at all.  He sticks to me like glue. Sometimes he follows me so closely he bumps into me if I stop.  This drives me nuts but I try not to yell at him.

 

We often both order appies for dinner.  My favourite is the Brie “salad” in the MDR. Yum!

[ceilidh1]

23 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Does anyone else stop buying food before a trip? Does anyone else ever mis-time things so badly? Today is Saturday. The cruise begins on Wednesday. My fridge is empty and there are still 3.5 full days plus last breakfast to go.🤦🏻‍♀️

 

I go into full Zombie Appocalypse mode! Not only do I stop buying food, I make it a mission to eat everything in the house prior to leaving. The kids always know vacation is looming when they have pasta for breakfast and a mish-mash dinner or bagels and rice! 

[LloydJr]

On 7/1/2023 at 10:47 AM, YVRteacher said:

Does anyone else stop buying food before a trip? Does anyone else ever mis-time things so badly? Today is Saturday. The cruise begins on Wednesday. My fridge is empty and there are still 3.5 full days plus last breakfast to go.🤦🏻‍♀️

 

That's how my refrigerator always looks.  Why don't I see any cheese in there?

[YVRteacher]

I already ate the cheese!

[SenatorsFan]

@YVRteacher Yvonne, if you and other followers are looking for a quick, amusing read put "An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good" by Helene Tursten on your list. It's short stories translated from Swedish about Maud, a cranky 88-year-old who's not above a little murder when things irritate her. I really enjoyed it.

Edited to add I see there is a new collection of stories called "An Elderly Lady Must Not be Crossed". I'll need to read this, too. 😁

Heather

Edited July 2, 2023 by SenatorsFan

[YVRteacher]

On 7/2/2023 at 9:55 AM, ceilidh1 said:

I go into full Zombie Appocalypse mode! Not only do I stop buying food, I make it a mission to eat everything in the house prior to leaving. The kids always know vacation is looming when they have pasta for breakfast and a mish-mash dinner or bagels and rice! 

Yesterday I had a bagel for breakfast and rice with peas for dinner!

The rice was a Covid apocalypse purchase and after I ate it I realized it expired over a year ago.