Live-ish Alaska on the Edge 9-6 to 9-13

[Ferry_Watcher]

Let's us know what you think about the hovercraft excursion.  Thanks!

[MississippiMom]

On 9/6/2024 at 11:00 PM, OrtonPark said:

A few dinner pics (I keep forgetting to take them) and a note on our butler. 
. . .

 

 

 

 

Any chance you remember what this was, because it sure looks like cake on salad?  And I’m confident that’s WRONG.

[OrtonPark]

1 hour ago, MississippiMom said:

Any chance you remember what this was, because it sure looks like cake on salad?  And I’m confident that’s WRONG.

 It is the blue cheese soufflé appetizer from Blu. It was delicious but yes, now that you mention it, that is exactly what it looks like, lol.

[OrtonPark]

9 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

Let's us know what you think about the hovercraft excursion.  Thanks!

Sure! We were the only ones on this excursion, and it was running late, so we were abandoned on the pier waiting for the person to show up until about 10 minutes past the time it was supposed to start.

 

However, the captain and the tour guide were extremely friendly and charming. I have to say the ride itself was basically like any other boat ride, except that we were able to get off and walk around a bit and learn some information about the surrounding forest. The scenery on this boat ride was absolutely stunning.

 

The best part, besides the scenery, was that we saw Harbor seals, bald eagles, and because we were the only ones on the boat and didn’t have to get back in a hurry, we were able to chase whales when the tour guide spotted one. We ended up seeing a large whale and a baby, which was an unexpected bonus.

Edited September 9 by OrtonPark

[OrtonPark]

Jaw-dropping scenery sailing Endicott Arm and glacier viewing. Narration by the Brent Nixon adds so much, and fellow passengers are very generous in taking each other’s photos.  
 

Plenty of blankets for everyone; the Retreat has a decent breakfast spread. Back to bed soon for a nap before Juneau. We have a whale watch scheduled. 

[OrtonPark]

After a nap, we headed to Luminae for lunch. I had the burger and my husband had the Cobb salad; both were very good.

 

We had a very nice visit in Juneau! We docked in the dreaded AJ deck, lol, so we had to take a bus down to downtown. The downtown area is not very pleasant, in my opinion: just shop after shop of jewelry and touristy souvenirs. However, our wheel watch expedition was amazing.

 

11 years ago we toured with Harv and Marv, and I was disappointed to not be able to book with them again. I was worried that a larger boat would not be as exciting or offer as many opportunities to see whales. I was completely wrong – we thought this experience was much, much better. Once we left the docking bay, we were able to go anywhere we wanted on the ship, to get the best vantage point.   The young and enthusiastic crew followed the whales wherever they heard they would be, and we saw at least five beautiful whale tails, and two mother baby combos. We opted not to try to take pictures, because frankly the experience  was so fleeting that it was unlikely we would get a good picture. We decided to just experience the moments. We did get a very good shot of the boat dog, however, lol.

 

when we got back to our cabin, it was very cold, and did not seem to be responding to the thermostat we sent. It turns out it is not enough to simply close the door to our veranda and lock it. The doorhandle needs to be all the way in the upright position in order for the HVAC to kick in. Lesson learned!

 

Another delicious dinner in Luminae, and I was a little embarrassed to find out that the compliments about certain crewmembers that I had sent via the QR code we’re not anonymous, and the hostess at Lumi thanked me for the good review. After dinner and a few drinks, we did not very well at pub trivia and tried to see the comedian in the main theater. She was not a cup of tea, so we headed to bed. Skagway and sled dogs await!

 

oh, I almost forgot: an odd thing about dinners in Luminae are that for the last three nights, the waiter has brought us an extra serving of vegetables (nice), and an extra entrée that we didn’t order. It almost seems like they’re trying to get rid of extra food, because in two of the instances we received the vegetarian option and one pasta and beef dish that didn’t seem to be too popular. All of them were good, but we didn’t ask for them, and it kind of lead us over eat. I realize that is not the fault of the waitstaff, lol. 

 

 

[OrtonPark]

Oh gosh, please excuse all the typos in the previous comment - I was doing voice to text and didn’t edit before posting. My apologies!

[OrtonPark]

Our day in Skagway was absolutely magical. Due to rock slides, we had to take a very short shuttle ride from the ship to the port. Things were a bit hectic at the port, and trying to find the correct tour guide was a bit panic inducing. But, we finally found our tour guide for the Skagway musher camp adventure. 
 

This excursion was an absolute highlight of the trip! There was a very informative and picturesque van ride to the site, and then we loaded into these vehicles that are especially designed for steep mountain climbs. It was an adventurous and bumpy ride, but a lot of fun. The scenery was absolutely stunning. 
 

At the site, we were greeted by barking dogs, jumping up and down excitedly. They were hitched up in sled dog formation to wheeled vehicles carrying six passengers. After a brief orientation about these dogs and their breeding and training, it was off to the races as we got pulled around a mile long course. We got to meet and pet the now tired-put and calm dogs after the sled ride, and then we stopped for some mountain views before heading down to meet and pet the puppies! 
 

The puppies were adorable, of course, and I found the information about the sports of mushing extremely interesting. The ride back to town was equally and interesting, with the tour guide providing color commentary.

 

Sailaway from Skagway provided some of the most stunning scenery I’ve ever seen. Worth the cold to see it from the outdoors deck! I highly recommend bundling up and heading to the top decks for the view.

 

After a workout at the sparsely populated gym, we had for dinner. Nothing in the Luminae or Blu menu appealed to us, so we decided to give Normandie a try. The food there was well presented and tasty, but I have to say that the Luminae dining experience is significantly elevated.

 

All in all, we had a spectacular day.

 

[OrtonPark]

Our day in Skagway was absolutely magical. Due to rock slides, we had to take a very short shuttle ride from the ship to the port. Things were a bit hectic at the port, and trying to find the correct tour guide was a bit panic inducing. But, we finally found our tour guide for the Skagway musher camp adventure. 
 

This excursion was an absolute highlight of the trip! There was a very informative and picturesque van ride to the site, and then we loaded into these vehicles that are especially designed for steep mountain climbs. It was an adventurous and bumpy ride, but a lot of fun. The scenery was absolutely stunning. 
 

At the site, we were greeted by barking dogs, jumping up and down excitedly. They were hitched up in sled dog formation to wheeled vehicles carrying six passengers. After a brief orientation about these dogs and their breeding and training, it was off to the races as we got pulled around a mile long course. We got to meet and pet the now tired-put and calm dogs after the sled ride, and then we stopped for some mountain views before heading down to meet and pet the puppies! 
 

The puppies were adorable, of course, and I found the information about the sports of mushing extremely interesting. The ride back to town was equally and interesting, with the tour guide providing color commentary.

 

Sailaway from Skagway provided some of the most stunning scenery I’ve ever seen. Worth the cold to see it from the outdoors deck! I highly recommend bundling up and heading to the top decks for the view.

 

After a workout at the sparsely populated gym, we had for dinner. Nothing in the Luminae or Blu menu appealed to us, so we decided to give Normandie a try. The food there was well presented and tasty, but I have to say that the Luminae dining experience is significantly elevated.

 

All in all, we had a spectacular day.

 

[OrtonPark]

Yesterday was a really beautiful sea day. We had warm and sunny skies, so we spent as much time outdoors as possible. In the cooler morning hours, we went to the solarium, and while chairs were filling up quickly, we had no trouble finding two chairs together (not facing the sea) and finding a seat in the hot tub when we wanted. However, when we left around 10:30 AM, it was getting considerably more crowded. 
 

The staff here is so incredibly hard-working, all we saw were staff running around, polishing, replenishing, and always with smiles on their faces. Celebrity truly does an outstanding job of hiring and training their people. I hope they treat them well!

 

On that note, a sour point was a rather boorish man in the martini bar, basically snapping his fingers and demanding the staff perform “tricks“ for him. I’m sure he thought he was just adding to the fun, but it came across as if he were expecting them to perform like trained seals, and it was rude and unpleasant.

 

Other than that, the passengers have been friendly and outgoing and exceedingly polite. Last night was chic night, and I’d say about 65% of the passengers dressed up, at least a little bit. It was fun!

 

After a lovely dinner, during which our waiter insisted we try the lobster, the scallops, AND the lamb chops, we headed to the club for a Queen sing-along. Very boisterous and fun!

 

We went to the theater to watch the liars club, but it was so corny and stupid that we left and went back to the club for an 80s dance party. Gen X was representing, lol! Lots of fun but so crowded that it was the only time we ever had trouble getting a drink.

 

This has been a wonderful trip so far, helped in no small part by the fact that we have had absolutely no rainy weather, except for today. Today we woke up with fog and cloudy skies, but I haven’t had to break out my rain gear even once, which I know is incredibly lucky.

 

I should note that, for my husband and me, the retreat lounge is not very appealing. We enjoy Luminae very much, and we do enjoy the outdoor areas of the retreat, but the indoor area is a little sedate for our tastes.

 

It’s not quite stuffy, but it reminds us of visiting a fancy department store cafeteria. That said, many couples seem to be spending a lot of time there, and at least a few are playing card games and enjoying the amenities. They do make a good drink, and snacks of many kinds are always available. It is also a great place to pick up a seltzer water, Diet Coke, or coffee to take back. The coffee machine makes a damn fine cappuccino.

 

[OrtonPark]

What is there to say about the last day on ship? 😕 We enjoyed it as much as possible, with final visits to the solarium, upper decks, and gym. 

 

We had periods of sunshine and fog heading into Victoria, BC., with quite a bit of sea life spotting - whales and harbor seals were in evidence. We enjoyed our last few meals in Luminae and assured all of the staff that we’d be giving them 10s in the survey, when we receive it. 
 

We opted to stay on the ship at dock, as we wanted to pack and organize as leisurely as possible. We had a bit of ship credit to burn, so we planned to hit the casino. Alas, no gambling in port! My H enjoyed a couple of premium bourbons instead. 
 

Up bright and early enough to get breakfast at Luminae and off the ship around 8 am. As suite passengers, we were shepherded off; we caught a taxi to the airport and here we will sit for many, many hours until our flight home. 
 

We had a truly wonderful week and will cherish these memories. Thank you all for reading along! Any questions, lol?