Another Alaska Cruise on QE July 11, 2024

[3rdGenCunarder]

 

Thursday, July 11, Embarkation

Embarkation was easy. I stayed in the hotel that’s right above the cruise terminal. They offer room-to ship bellman service, which I love. The bellmen even carry little staplers so they can help you attach your print-at-home luggage tags.

Last time I did this cruise, the cruise industry was in restart mode. For a cruise out of Vancouver, we had to have our passports and boarding passes, as usual. But then there were the added steps of proof of negative Covid test, vaccination cards, and an app called ArriveCAN. Two years later, we’ve moved on and it’s easy. The whole process took less than 20 minutes and because of the size of the place, more of it was spent walking than actually doing anything.

I had asked the day before and was told check in starts 11-ish. They use a large space that’s at street level, but not near the street. You have to walk along the pier to get to check-in. There are people with signs that say “all cruise passengers.” That’s all the signs say, no arrow. So I guess you have to ask directions. I knew where to go, so “11-ish” I walked to the appropriate area and got in the queue where we had to show boarding passes to be allowed into the check-in queue. They were honoring priority check-in, so I got right to a desk, where my passport and boarding pass were checked. I was given my key card, which is unusual.  I’m used to finding it in an envelope outside my cabin.

Then walk walk down a hallway to an escalator and walk walk walk to security. For once, I did NOT get behind the people who forget to empty pockets, put cell phones into the bin, etc. So that was quick. Then walk walk walk to US Immigration. Although we’re still in Canada, it’s easier for Immigration to process people in Vancouver rather than have agents (yes agents, not kiosks) in the various small towns in Alaska that the ships visit. That took less than a minute. And then walk walk walk to the folding chairs where we would wait to board. 

Boarding started a little after noon, so not bad. And now I know why they give you your card key on the pier. Cabins aren’t ready, so they tell you to go to your emergency muster station to check in before going to the buffet for lunch. Instead, I went to my cabin to drop off my carry-ons. Lunch in the grills wouldn’t start until 1:00, so I thought I may as well do the muster station thing. At least I got there from my cabin. Doing it on the way in may get it out of the way, but people learn nothing about their route. The TV in the cabin plays the instruction video endlessly, but now that we don’t do the full muster drill, most people don’t think about the route they might have to take.

After that, I went to the spa to book the thermal suite pass. They’re still requiring people to sign up for 2-hour sessions. So I will have to look at my tours and see what the best times are.

After lunch, I found my luggage waiting for me. I unpacked, reveling in all the space! Queen Anne had too little space for all my frocks—and I’m traveling alone. Princess Grill QE has about 6 feet of clothes pole, plus a closet with shelves. It’s sort of a walk-through closet. No doors, you walk past the closet area on the way into the bathroom. And there are drawers in the nightstands for the little bits and pieces like chargers, nono bag (stuff you can’t have in carry-on on a plane), first aid kit (which seems to have more in it each time I travel). I don't always travel in grills and don't always travel on Cunard, so I get confused about amenities. I think my PG cabin on QA had an umbrella. I know it had wooly blankets. Neither provided this time. 

Embarkation bottle is an Australian fizz. I like it. DiBortoli Willowglen from NSW.  I suppose there will be raised eyebrows about the  screw cap, but I’m delighted. That means I can close the bottle and have more on later days.

 

 

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

Friday, July 12, 2024

Still hadn’t met my steward, which is unusual. After breakfast, as I got back to my cabin, my stewardess, Lucy, was just going in to make the bed. So I got to meet her briefly.

I wanted to go to the library to get something to read, pick up the newspaper, maybe have a look in the shops. From the second level of the Queens Room, I could see tables arranged all around the dance floor. What was this? I went downstairs to check it out. It was some kind of expo of things you can do (and pay for!) on the ship. The popup restaurants, Verandah (the steakhouse), wine packages, photographers, some shop merch, spa products, etc. I’ve never seen this before. I wonder if purchases are down and they’re trying to stimulate spending?

I went up to the Grills Lounge, which is lovely, with its wall of windows looking out on the terrace and beyond to the sea. It’s very windy today—part of that is because we’re cranking along at 21 knots—so I sat inside instead of being on the terrace. Unlike Queen Anne, where there never seemed to be lounge service, here they’re open from 10 AM to 11 PM. A mid-morning latte may be my sea day routine.

I had my WC diamond lunch in Verandah. Very good, except for dessert. I love their Bramley apple tart. But this one had come out of the freezer. It was cold in the middle, so they obviously hadn’t nuked it long enough. I expected that to be freshly baked, not prebaked and loaded frozen. Tsk! But no, it didn’t “ruin my cruise” or even my lunch for that matter.

Gala night! The theme is “ice white” in honor of the glaciers we’ll be seeing. But glaciers are blue! (You’ve probably all read my complaint about this) So I wore a long aqua skirt and a white top with silver trim. Blue beneath, white above, just like a glacier. Although if I had really wanted to be accurate, I’d have smeared some dirt on the shoulders, as the top of a glacier, viewed from above, has streaks of gray/brown from the rocks it has accumulated on its travels.

When I returned to my cabin, there was a gift from Cunard. A plastic rain poncho. Oh dear, that doesn’t bode well for the weather tomorrow… A more pleasant surprise was a second bottle of the Australian fizz from World Club.

I am fairly tidy when I travel. But I tend to just kick off the shoes into the closet area. When I came back from dinner, I saw that Lucy had tidied my shoes into a neat row (remember, the clothes area is open, no doors, so my tidiness or lack thereof is visible). And the fleece that I had tossed onto the sofa was hanging on the back of a chair. She is not supposed to be my butler, so now I feel I must be extra tidy so as to not take up too much of her time on that when she should use it to Hoover—I’ve seen a few small sequins from the previous occupant.

After QA, QE seems small. But she's still my favorite and I'm happy to be "home."

[Host Hattie]

Thank you for your reports, have a great trip. 

[rakkor]

19 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

What was this? I went downstairs to check it out. It was some kind of expo of things you can do (and pay for!) on the ship. The popup restaurants, Verandah (the steakhouse), wine packages, photographers, some shop merch, spa products, etc. I’ve never seen this before. I wonder if purchases are down and they’re trying to stimulate spending?

 

Was it not the orientation meeting for the Red tops? I stumbled upon it in the Garden room on Victoria last year and it looked to be very informative. I'm sure many more seasoned cruisers could do with a refresher course on what's available and how to get connected given the steady stream of people at the concierge's desk early on in the cruise.

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

6 minutes ago, rakkor said:

 

Was it not the orientation meeting for the Red tops? I stumbled upon it in the Garden room on Victoria last year and it looked to be very informative. I'm sure many more seasoned cruisers could do with a refresher course on what's available and how to get connected given the steady stream of people at the concierge's desk early on in the cruise.

 

 

It may have been for new passengers. Not a bad idea. I don't recall seeing anything about the wifi/internet  there. That is a definite need, and not for just an hour. There should be a help desk for the first day. The queue at the purser was very long the first day. Lots of people holding their phones and looking confused.

[rakkor]

The one I saw looked a bit like Freshers at Uni, with lots of stands around the edge of the room advertising their services and a presentation to the seated audience in the middle of the room

[newbie202020]

Thanks so much @3rdGenCunarder for your great reviews. I'm going to be on the QE shortly and would appreciate your help with a few questions, if you have time.

 

You mentioned that the thermal spa pass was still 2 hours pass only. I thought I read that once onboard, you can get a full voyage (10 day) all day pass for around $199 total. I'm confused that you're only getting 2 hours. Do you know how much the full voyage pass is?

 

Also, would you know if the Verandah prices are cheaper onboard with these pop up promos? Thanks very much and hope you're enjoying the trip.

[BklynBoy8]

22 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

 

Hello Kathy,

Long way from Home..

Beautiful day on the East Coast.

Will be following you each day...looking forward.

Got another person on coming trip in March from Cape May...

Enjoy Your Voyage !

[*Miss G*]

Thank you for a great review, so far! Have a wonderful time. 😊

[NE John]

1 hour ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

It may have been for new passengers. Not a bad idea. I don't recall seeing anything about the wifi/internet  there. That is a definite need, and not for just an hour. There should be a help desk for the first day. The queue at the purser was very long the first day. Lots of people holding their phones and looking confused.

On our June 21 voyage, we had only ~450 Gold and higher WC members on board a full ship so there are lots of newbies. What a great introduction to Cunard!

I hope Lucia is the in charge of the Grills lounge. She and her staff are welcoming. 
You have two glaciers on your itinerary so that’s special. Best of luck with the weather. 
 

 

Edited July 13 by NE John

[3rdGenCunarder]

On 7/13/2024 at 5:59 PM, NE John said:

On our June 21 voyage, we had only ~450 Gold and higher WC members on board a full ship so there are lots of newbies. What a great introduction to Cunard!

I hope Lucia is the in charge of the Grills lounge. She and her staff are welcoming. 
You have two glaciers on your itinerary so that’s special. Best of luck with the weather. 
 

 

 

Lucia is wonderful!

[3rdGenCunarder]

On 7/13/2024 at 4:58 PM, newbie202020 said:

Thanks so much @3rdGenCunarder for your great reviews. I'm going to be on the QE shortly and would appreciate your help with a few questions, if you have time.

 

You mentioned that the thermal spa pass was still 2 hours pass only. I thought I read that once onboard, you can get a full voyage (10 day) all day pass for around $199 total. I'm confused that you're only getting 2 hours. Do you know how much the full voyage pass is?

 

Also, would you know if the Verandah prices are cheaper onboard with these pop up promos? Thanks very much and hope you're enjoying the trip.

 

Sorry if I was confusing. There is a full voyage pass and for this 11 day cruise it's $199. They SAY they are limiting group size by asking people to sign up for specific 2-hour slots. But they don't seem to be enforcing it. The first sea day there were 12 people in the pool area and another 4 on the heated loungers. That didn't seem like a small group size. I asked and they said the limit is 10. 

 

Today I had signed up for 2-4 but I went at 1 and nobody said anything about it. 

 

Popups are $35. On this cruise we have Coriander, Frontier, and Bamboo. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

Saturday, July 13

Dreary. That sums up today’s weather. They knew what they were doing when they handed out the ponchos. It rained most of the morning, while we were sailing to Icy Strait Point. The rain got lighter in the afternoon, but didn’t stop until around 6, and even then it was misty.

My stewardess earned a tip. She found a pair of small slippers. She said she had to hunt around for them, which is why it took so long. Same thing on QV last fall. And QA didn’t have any at all. Why doesn’t Cunard recognize that some of us have small feet???

Whale watches didn’t do well today. Some went out into rough water, but didn’t stay long. Most stayed in calmer protected water. If it’s rough, whales will seek the calmer bay areas because it’s just easier to get a breath of air without being splashed by waves. We did see a few humpbacks, but no deep dives so no tail display. Nobody I spoke to saw orcas up close. My boat didn’t even see them from a distance. The crew took us to where they’re usually seen, but nobody was performing. Disappointing for people doing this for the first time.

A couple at my table saw a group of whales near the ship. From the video he took, I’d guess they were juveniles because the best description I can give is that they were frolicking. Possibly the best whale sighting of the day.

I’m noticing something I saw on Queen Victoria last fall. The buffet gets more interesting food (often international) than the dining rooms do. My tour got back around 6, and I didn’t feel like changing for dinner. The buffet was having a German dinner. Oooh, I love German food. There were several sausages, veal meatballs, pork schnitzel, potato pancakes, sauerkraut with caraway seeds. Yummy!

Since most people were at dinner or getting ready for dinner when I got back to the ship, it was quiet. I checked out the launderette. Yay! An available machine. But instructions were a mess. Fancy electronic machines. The instructions show how to make choices on the touchscreen. But these machines don’t have a touchscreen with icons. There’s a knob that you turn to scroll through the choices and the screen shows what you’ve selected. I selected what I wanted, but it changed the program. So I had to cancel and try again. It took 3 tries to get it to do what I wanted.

I had dinner while the clothes were washing and returned just as the cycle finished. As I was loading a dryer, a couple came in. She looked in the machine she’d used and didn’t see her clothes. Not in the dryers, not in any laundry basket. She stormed out, angry that someone took her clothes. I’m willing to bet she had used a launderette on a different floor.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Sunday, July 14

Foggy morning with light rain on and off. Disappointing for “scenic sailing” into Glacier Bay. I watched from my balcony but went up to the Terrace when we reached the first glacier. The weather cleared a little and I took some pictures. Not a lot of people out on the decks. Lots were inside lounges with seats near windows. Because people spent all day claiming their window tables at the buffet, it was impossible to get a table at lunch. I did take-out. I always tip my steward/stewardess because of all the buffet plates I take to my room.

I didn’t see much wildlife. A few otters, a few eagles far away. No seals. No whales, but that isn’t surprising so far up the fjord. I heard a few were seen early this morning, so maybe this afternoon we’ll get some sightings.

Everybody carries on about how great Glacier Bay is. I don’t see that it’s so special. Yes, we get a park ranger who does a narration. But how much of it does anyone remember? I’m looking forward to Hubbard Glacier tomorrow. It’s huge, a long wall of blue ice. And it’s an active glacier, calving frequently. I hope we get good weather. We’ve been without a signal in Glacier Bay so I haven’t had a chance to check yet. I fear it will be more of the same. There seems to be a big blobby weather system stuck over Alaska.

Correction: Cunard is not a cookie desert. I found some at tea at the buffet. I rarely go to the buffet for tea, so this was a surprise.

Jazz! It was Big Band night in the Queens Room, combining the Queens Room orchestra with the theater band. But they don’t need 2 pianists or 2 drummers or extra guitarists. So those musicians play jazz sets, sometimes in Commodore Club, sometimes in the pub. Tonight it was the pub. People who wanted to listen sat where the band was. People who wanted to talk sat in the other sections, so there were no distractions. I wish they would do this more often. These guys are great and they played a nice variety of songs. What can I say, they had me at Cole Porter!

[NE John]

Sorry to hear about the poor weather. These types of trips are risky being so weather dependent. I’ve heard Denali trips end in disappointment with poor visibility with clouds and bad weather. Hubbard Glacier is impressive so hope for better weather going forward. 
 

 

Edited July 15 by NE John

[BklynBoy8]

7 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

Saturday, July 13

I’m noticing something I saw on Queen Victoria last fall. The buffet gets more interesting food (often international) than the dining rooms do. My tour got back around 6, and I didn’t feel like changing for dinner. The buffet was having a German dinner. Oooh, I love German food. There were several sausages, veal meatballs, pork schnitzel, potato pancakes, sauerkraut with caraway seeds. Yummy!

 

WOW Kathy,

 

That Kings Court Buffet cuisine was so meant to me. Every dish my Favorite!

Of course some other dishes are missing.....lol.......

 

So happy to follow your narration of the trip. Feels like we are with you.

 

Yes, Bev & ! agree about these Big Band evenings we too look forward to hearing. But the simple music in the lounges are great too!

 

Enjoy!

 

  

[Host Hattie]

Thanks for the great reports, sorry to hear about the weather. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

Monday, July 15

One dreary day just blends into the next. Haven’t seen sunshine since we left Vancouver on Thursday. Today we went to Hubbard Glacier. This one is beautiful, a long wall of blue. The face of it is 7 miles wide. Not all of this expanse is visible from where the ship stops, but there is an excursion that will sail along the whole face. I was lucky to do it 2 years ago during the restart, when things weren’t crowded AND we were blessed with a gorgeous day. I didn’t see the need to do it again, and just as well. Even getting much closer to the glacier, it still wouldn’t have made for spectacular views (or pictures)

 

On the sail to the glacier I saw a seal and a few otters. Some gulls. Lots of ice chunks. (Are you as bored reading this as I was experiencing it????)

 

Standing on deck watching the scenery, I chatted with a family on their first Cunard cruise. They are loving the whole Cunard atmosphere. The mother admitted to being worried about the gala nights, but now she understands that Cunard is elegant without being stuffy. The 30-something brothers are booked on a westbound crossing on Queen Mary 2 next April, so they were asking me for advice about “don’t miss” things on QM2. I love meeting members of a new Cunard generation.

 

The day wasn’t a total disappointment. I had a relaxing hour in the spa. I keep running into the same couple. He has several cameras with him and they did the boat excursion. They enjoyed it, but he said every time there was a really good calving, they were on the side of the boat facing away from the glacier. I feel his pain. It’s always frustrating almost getting that great shot. And to address the 2-hour time slot question, they don’t seem to be paying any attention. There were six of us when I was there, and at least two of us weren’t at our allotted time. 

 

I decided to try tea in Princess Grill. I don’t like the way they do it on this ship. I suppose it’s fancier to give you a printed menu, but it’s the same every day. And no cucumber sandwiches!!!! On top of that, the waiter had no idea what tea he was pouring. “English tea.” Right, but what kind of English tea. “English tea.” So I asked English Breakfast? And he was probably so relieved that I used the word English he said yes. The menu says they serve Earl Grey and Assam. This was Earl Grey, which I do not like. I asked for Assam, and I got my very own pot of a tea that I like.

 

Since I ordered from a menu, I got the tiered server with my food bits on it. Very fancy. But I guess they were running out of the servers (although the room wasn’t even close to full) because the waitress came to collect my server, not seeing that there was a plate with a scone still on it. She almost walked away with my scone! But fortunately, she noticed and set the plate on the table. I guess I was supposed to load the plate in front of me with all the food at one time so the server could be reused???? I think further attempts at tea will be in the Queens Room. I like it when they come around with the trays and I can choose that way. (Points to QA where the Grills serve from the trays.) And speaking of the scones, the clotted cream seems odd, like it has a little vanilla flavoring in it. Has anyone had clotted cream like that? 

 

It's Gala night tonight and the theme is roaring 20’s. It’s also World Club party night. I have seen lots and lots of red cards (first timers) on the ship. Mine is gray for Diamond. Not seeing a lot of those. At the World Club party, they announce a Top Sailor. It’s usually some 90-year old who has four thousand days and has done a dozen world cruises. It’s lovely to see, and DH used to wonder if we could ever reach such exalted status. I would laugh and say are you kidding? Well, I wish he were here to say I told you so because…

 

Yup, I’m the top sailor on this cruise. Little old me with my measly 402 days. There are so few long-timers on board that I’m the best they could dredge up. When I checked in at my muster station, the officer there said “Oh, you’re our top sailor. I recognize your name” And I said, “No, couldn’t be me, must be a similar name.” She quickly covered with, “I didn’t say anything , you didn’t hear anything.” I shrugged it off knowing my record wasn’t extensive enough.

Then yesterday I got a call from one of the World Club reps, and yes, c’est moi. So I went to the voyage booking/world club office to chat with Dragana and give her a little background. I had to get there around 6:50 to go in before the doors open and get a seat convenient to the front of the room.

About midway through the party, they introduced the captain who spoke briefly. He’s Italian, so not easy to understand. And he looks so young!!! (I know, it’s a sign of age when you think people look too young for their jobs.) Then Dragana introduced me as the Top Sailor, mentioning that I started in 1986 on QE2 and told how I’m the third (actually fourth, but never mind) generation to sail with Cunard and told the story of my grandfather sending my grandmother a ticket on Cunard to join him in the US. I’d also told her what I like about Cunard is the elegance and formality and the good service from the crew. And she used my quote from Captain McNaught (on QE2) during the final tandem sailing with QM2. Dragana had been on QM2 while I was on QE2 (of course!). McNaught would always make some comment about how Mary had the better view.

So it was lovely. I went up, was given flowers (which Dragan had sent to my cabin when the thing was over), and had my picture taken with the captain. He said nothing to me, just posed and left. If it had been someone like Wells or McNaught, he would have stayed to congratulate me and maybe chat a little bit.

When that was done, a couple walked over to me to say they’re also from my town. How about that! And then another woman came over and said she was so happy about my comment about the formality, and we had a nice chat. That’s the thing about Cunard. Strangers will strike up a conversation and it feels perfectly normal to talk to someone you’ve never met.

So now that I’m famous, please doff your caps and curtsey when you read my posts!!!!

 

[NE John]

41 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

had my picture taken with the captain. He said nothing to me, just posed and left.

Congrats on being CWC Top Sailor! Crossings seem to have to top sailor logging 1,000+ nights onboard. As I mentioned, our world club party was the easiest to get seating and a drink with so many first timer pax not CWC members. 
Also, don’t feel bad about the abruptness of the Captain. DW met him at the WC party and being an Italian native herself, they chatted briefly in Italian. I’ve never observed such a quick chat between Italians! I believe he is shy but an excellent captain. 
I feel terrible for you about the bad weather; we got very lucky with only one rainy sea day for the whole ten days. I also agree with you about Tea in PG. The experience is a bit disorganized but I remember the menu changing, at least for the three times we went. You’re right that they should have regular tea sandwiches too. If you go to the Cunard shop where they sell tea, you’ll see the afternoon tea they serve and it’s just called English Tea. We used some OBC to bring a tin back home. Best of luck for the rest of the Voyage and thanks for the update. 
We also met wonderful people on this cruise and during our other Cunard voyages. The crew and fellow pax do make a positive difference sailing with Cunard. 

Edited July 17 by NE John

[*Miss G*]

8 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

So now that I’m famous, please doff your caps and curtsey when you read my posts!!!!

 

😂

 

I love that you got to be top sailor!! That is awesome.

[Victoria2]

17 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

😂

 

I love that you got to be top sailor!! That is awesome.

It is and may I add, I doffed and curtsied even before being 'advised' to do so! 😄

[Host Hattie]

Thanks for another great report and congratulations.

[3rdGenCunarder]

 

Tuesday, July 16  Haines

We arrived in fog and drizzle, but it did get better as the day went on. Rain returned about an hour before we left, so we had the best of the day today, even a few peeks of sunshine!

 

Haines is a small town. There are none of the usual cruise port chain jewelry stores. Yes, there are souvenir shops, but they’re local as is the art and much of the jewelry. I did a little looking. I hadn’t planned to buy anything but a pair of copper earrings in the shape of jellyfish just cried out to be bought. The body is green enamel on copper and the tentacles are copper wire.

 

I went to the Bald Eagle Foundation. I don’t mind donating $25 to a good cause, and their rehab and release program is good. But from a tourist standpoint, it wasn’t good value for money. They have one eastern screech owl—no idea what an eastern bird is doing here. Blind in one eye, so it can’t be released. They have 3 bald eagles and one red-tailed hawk. And lots of empty enclosures, which I hope means successful rehabs. But it wasn’t much to look at. The natural history museum part was very old-school, lots of stuffed creatures. Nicely done, but…

 

Haines also has a hammer museum. Yes, really! A museum filled with all kinds of hammers. There are specialized hammers for all sort of trades—coopers (barrel makers), blacksmiths, farriers (not a blacksmith, the guy who shoes horses), tinsmiths, all kinds of construction trades. Very long-handled hammers for tacking up posters. Hammers to break up chunks of coal for your furnace/stove. Snowball hammers to break up snow that gets stuck in a horse’s hoof. Outside, there’s a giant hammer two stories tall and a bicycle sculpture made of hammers.

 

This was the best day so far for me because I could wander and take pictures. One shop had a lovely garden. It’s what I call a profusion garden, with a little of this and a little of that. Foxglove, cosmos, roses, lilies, delphinium, and I forget what else. I suppose you could call it a cottage garden, which went perfectly with the shop, which is a cottage. Some shops along the main street had window boxes. And then there were the views of the harbor and the mountains.

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

 

Wednesday, July 17  Juneau

And yes, another dreary day. It’s raining. It rained here yesterday and will likely rain here tomorrow. People in Juneau haven’t seen the sun in 10 days. This is a tender port for Queen Elizabeth. Fortunately, a Princess ship wasn’t scheduled until noon, so we took her berth long enough to get morning tours ashore before we had to leave the dock. That was a huge logistical bonus. But we did have to tender back to the ship. That went smoothly because the weather kept a lot of people on the ship. Three people bailed on my excursion so we were 11 instead of 14.

 

Today’s excursion was a whale watch and woodland hike “photo safari.” I’ve done this before, and I chose it because of the small boat and small group (no more than 14 on a boat that can hold 22). Gastineau’s boats are built for whale watches. One level, so good water-level shots, and windows that open in and up, so we had an unobstructed view without having to go outside.

 

A photographer travels with us to give us tips on photography. Nick is an excellent teacher, explaining how to choose shutter speed and aperture. He had little tutorials to show while we were on the bus ride to the dock. More people were using iphones and Samsung something-or-other phones than cameras. 

 

We did see whales, but with the rain and mist, I didn’t get good pictures. The tail patterns are clear enough to identify the whale, but not nice sharp images. We saw two adult females, Flame and Sasha. These two usually hang out in Auk Bay, where the whale watch boats go. I’ve seen Flame twice before. Five years ago, she had a calf, and I got a great shot of him. Today, we didn’t get a good look at her calf. Gestation for a whale is a year. She gives birth in Hawaii and immediately heads north to Alaska. There’s nothing to eat in Hawaii, so by the time she gets to Alaska, having nursed that calf with something like 100 gallons of milk per day, her body weight may be reduced by as much as 30 percent. So she needs to feed a LOT. Most females skip the migration the year after having a calf so they don’t breed right away. But Flame is made of stronger stuff. She has had a calf every year but one since 2019. And their names are fire-related: Ember, Smoke, Sizzle, Bunsen (as in lab burner). Bunsen was the one I saw in 2019.

 

When we got to Mendenhal for the hike, I was cold and tired and could not face an hour on muddy trails. So the bus driver took me to the visitor center where the hike would end. I did walk one boardwalk trail over a creek that was gushing. I managed to hold the umbrella in one hand and the camera in the other. A group of people stood looking up at a tree. What was that? A porcupine, huddled next to the trunk of a cottonwood tree. Yay! More wildlife. Well, not very wild, but it’s something.

 

Mendenhal Glacier is receding faster than most other glaciers. I could see the difference from 5 years ago. The visitor center shows a video of still photos taken over a 10-year period and the difference is remarkable. I got a so-so picture of the glacier through the rain. While I was in the visitor center, the rain picked up and the fog got thicker, and the glacier was barely visible. I got back to the bus nicely dry except for my feet. When the hikers returned, they were soaking wet. So I’m pleased with my decision.

 

People were offered the chance to be dropped off in a more central “downtown” spot or go to the dock. Everyone opted for the dock. Juneau is mostly bars and jewelry stores. I don’t know how many bars, but Nick said there are 24 jewelry stores. And they all close up shop after cruise season ends.

 

The tenders were running efficiently and soon I was back on the ship. It was lovely to thaw out in the thermal pool.

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

 

Thursday, July 18  Wrangel

Woke up to a wall of white. The fog was so dense that we had to slow down and the captain needed to use the foghorn. Our arrival time had been scheduled for 9 AM. People started gathering in the lobby around 8:30. There were multiple announcements made about not standing in the gangway area, as that only slows preparations more. But, of course, nobody budges. By the time I got down there around 9:20, the queue stretched way back down a hallway. As a result, I nearly missed my tour. That’s what happens when you do the right thing. I should have lined up with the pushy people. There are two security stations, so they said to form two lines as the crowd got near the gangway. BUT they should have one line for people who have purchased shore excursions. They give priority to excursions at tender ports. They could do it here. I HATE being that last person who makes everyone late.

 

The jet boat was fast and comfortable. The guides were a man who is retired from the US forest service and his daughter. As we got near to land, they got out their rifles and bear spray, and reminded us of the need to stay in a group. If someone needs to stop to take a picture, shout PICTURE.

 

So we got out of the boat and guess what? It started to rain. No rain on the boat ride, just some pockets of fog. The Anan Preserve allows only 60 people to visit each day. They are trying to keep bears from acclimating to humans. NO food on the trail. Not so much because it will attract bears, but because people sometimes drop food and bears will eat it, learning to eat foods not in their natural diet.

 

The walk was easy. It’s a gravel path with mostly gentle slopes. The hardest part is crawling out the front of the boat and down to the little beach. No dock here. There are a lot of little bridges over streams and low spots. They’re covered with hardware cloth (screening) to make them less slippery. Some of the wooden bridges show signs of being chewed. So now they’re using yellow cedar, which the bears don’t seem to like.

 

The observation platform is partly covered, which is good on a rainy day. So we looked around. No bears. We were the first group there, and there was plenty of room to move around. Gradually, other groups arrived and I think all 60 people were there. A bear was sighted, but nobody (not even the guides) said anything. The people near that side of the rail just watched and took pictures. By the time I realized what was happening, I couldn’t see a thing without shoving someone out of the way, which I wouldn’t do. I finally got to a place where I could see. I got one picture before it disappeared. People lost interest, and this one guy turned to me and gestured to where he had been standing and said “you can stand here.” Well THANK YOU SO MUCH. He’s being so generous when there’s nothing to see. That smug attitude aggravated me off more than not being able to see.

 

Here's the thing about photographers. I don’t mean professionals, just people with experience and real cameras. For years, I’ve been in crowded situations, and we all were  considerate of others. When you use a real camera, you hold it to your face, one hand on the grip and one hand under the body. This naturally brings your arms to your sides. Because I’m short, I will scrunch down a bit and let someone shoot over my shoulder. A lot of REAL photographers can fit into a small space.

 

Now think about the person with a cell phone. What do you do? You hold it away from your body, elbows out to the side. So already you’re wider than just yourself. Add a stupid yellow rain poncho and one person has the width of three people. AND they take video. So they want to stand there the entire time, never thinking to let someone else have a chance. I’ll get my shots and look around to see if somebody needs my space. I’m sorry if I’m insulting cell phone “photographers” but over the course of this trip, I’ve seen a lot of people taking selfies and videos just stepping right in front of other people and hogging the view. Try to be aware of more than just yourself!!!

 

And stop asking me to take your picture. Yes, I have a very good camera. Yes, I’m a good photographer. But why do you expect me to take your picture?????  Leaving the ship in Haines, I was walking with a woman from my dinner table, chatting about what we were going to do. She asked me to take her picture standing in front of the Haines sign, and I was happy to do that for someone I know. Then some stranger asked me to take their picture. So I said yes because I’m too nice to people, but said I want to get my shot (just the sign) first. So I took my picture, then theirs, and then I left because I could see other cellphone people ready to ask.

 

Okay, rant over. But I really needed to vent.

 

Back to the tour. After the bear sighting, there was nothing to see and the rain was getting heavier. I just hunkered down under the roofed area and wondered how long I had to stand around in the rain. There were a few eagles, wet and bedraggled, and I thought yeah, I know how you feel. Because of a few days of rain, the river was gushing. It was impossible for an eagle or a bear to find a fish in that. And it was highly unlikely that we would see another bear.

We stood around for an hour, during which time several groups left. Our guides were willing to hang around and let the tour run late in hopes of seeing something. They said they could walk us around the shore a bit and maybe we would see something there. I think there were maybe 25 people still at the platform and we were about to give up when we saw another bear in the distance. Skinny. Of course, with her fur wet, that would reduce the apparent size. But her shoulder blades stuck up. I asked the guide about that and she said yes, she’s a mom. As with whales, motherhood really takes it out of a gal. We didn't see her even try to fish. She crossed the river--I'm sure the bears all know the shallow places--and wandered into a field to have some leafy greens and maybe a few blueberries, which are in season now. 

 

We stood around for a while longer, but no more bears appeared.

 

The rain had nearly stopped, so the walk back was easy. I would have loved to have an hour on the trail, just to look at all the plants and take pictures of the mosses and ferns and everything with raindrops on it. But it was late and I knew people wouldn’t appreciate indulging my photographic choices. I grabbed a few shots on the fly. They tell you not to go off the trail, but you really can’t. To one side, it’s the slope down to the water, slippery. To the other, it’s a steep uphill climb through vegetation.

On the ride back, we stopped to look at a colony of harbor seals on some rocks and to watch a woman pulling her nets into her boat. She had her dog with her, a black lab who seemed to be enjoying himself, looking all around.

Because of the extra time at Anan, we got back late. 3:45 instead of 2:30. They gave us sandwiches on the ride back, which I hadn’t expected, so I wasn’t hungry. I just did a little walk around town before going back to the ship. Wrangel is a small town. The downtown has a drug store that sells souvenirs in addition to the usual items. They even have their own line of postcards. Some expedition clothing stores, a few souvenir stores, an Elks and a VFW. Grocery store, convenience store. The fire house is worrisome. I could see through the windows of the garage doors that there’s a lot of lumber and other stuff stacked in there. So where are the fire engines?????  Gas station, about $4.50 per gallon. There is a small container dock and a small marina. The houses going up the hillside behind the downtown look nice and quite a good size.

And, as usual, the sun came out for 10 minutes just as we were leaving.