Dawn Princess 6/26/08 LIVE-Pam and Rex's Great Adventure

[pamwinn]

July 1st continued

We decided to forego dining out and ordered room service burgers so we would not miss a second of the scenery. We took pictures but they can’t do justice to the thousand foot or more huge waterfalls, the dark green foliage, the black mountains striped with white snow, and the pink clouds. I think it is around 70 miles to Tracy Arm so we are moving quite slowly. It is cold outside but at this speed, the wind on the balcony doesn’t hurt too much.

July 2nd, 2008 Cruising Tracy Arm

This is what I wait for…cruising the fjords, icebergs, glaciers, sheer cliffs carved by the glaciers. Every single time I think of my mother and wish I could convince her to get on a plane so she too could experience that which cannot be described with words or photographs. Try as I might, I can’t even pull it all in with my eyes. I suppose that is what draws me back time and time again.

When we are children, the world is so full of wonder. I think I held on to that more than most. I am interested in everything, curious to a fault, fascinated by all things. And yet, I know when I gaze upon this majestic beauty, I have lost something. Alaska gives it back to me. I started thinking how fortunate I am to be able to see Alaska. It brought tears of gratitude to my eyes. I told Rex it was the sunblock burning my eyes and asked for a tissue.

Aside from the scenic views, we saw a bear, some eagles, sea lions, and whales both humpback and orca. The weather was warm and the skies were clear. That helped to ease the disappointment of not making it all the way into the fjord to see Sawyer Glacier. The ice was just too thick. Oh well, there will be a next time.

After lunch, we returned to our balcony to gaze a little more before we leave the inside passage. There were more whales and beautiful vistas. There was also all that tomato juice we’ve been hoarding and the cute little bottles of vodka that we needed to do something with. Once that was gone, so were we so we took another afternoon nap.

We saw a lot more whales once we entered the Pacific on our way to Victoria. You may have wondered why I haven’t mentioned the entertainment onboard. I have all the patters so I can address any questions in that regard but we don’t partake in much of that. The entertainment for us as you might have guessed is outside. I don’t really enjoy sitting for long periods of time when I am not free to get up and move about. That is one of the reasons we have yet to cruise Australia. We will save that for retirement when we can take a repositioning cruise and I will only need endure the flight one way. Now if Elton John, Phil Collins or U2 ever perform on a cruiseship, I’ll be there.

Tomorrow is a sea day so we will probably make a donation to the casino. Rex brought back a bucket of money from his trip there. He would have gambled longer but it was making his hands dirty. Now I understand why the hardcore slot people are always wearing gloves. The typical games and tournaments are available on this ship. They have slot tournaments, blackjack tournaments, Texas Hold’em etc.

There is still no wi-fi in the cabins. You can pick up the network but it is very unstable. I think the new access points are not configured properly but that’s just my opinion but I base it on the fact that hardware issues have been ruled out.

We did wind up purchasing konus binoculars from the ship store…twice. I thought I needed to research the nikons the photo shop sells because they are so expensive. The internet is so slow that I didn’t want to invest the time. I’ll do that when I get home and ask for some for my birthday. The konus binoculars were 85 dollars. They had a zoom feature that is nice but poorly designed because it causes the binoculars to close when you zoom. The first pair had a lens coating problem and the color was different when looking through just the left or right eye. I did not like them because of the design flaw but Rex did so re exchanged them for another pair. The second pair appeared fine in the atrium but when we looked at them from the balcony, a piece of lint was apparent and it was on the inside of the lens. So we returned those for a refund.

 

Addendum: Although I am in the internet cafe, I have been told the wi-fi should work in my cabin. I'll let you know soon.

[AZAaronBoy]

Totally agree -- I couldn't even get through on the Dine line on my cruise, it continually rang busy. I gave my name to the waiter loitering outside the Horizon Court signing up people for the wine tastings and amazingly enough, he did pass it on to the right person and I got an invitation; if I had it to do over again, I'd go down to see the maitre d' in person during his office hours that first day. In person is always best -- that way, they can see your eagerness to do it (as you drool in anticipation while recalling the yummy menus posted here on CC!).

 

The 1st day the DINE line is not usually available until a few hours after embarcation. You can also check the Patter to see when the Matre'D is available for dining room changes or inquire at dinner when you are seated.

[pamwinn]

A740 on the Dawn. It doesn't work real well. The signal is not very stable.

[pamwinn]

July 4th, 2008 Victoria

Happy Anniverary! We got off the ship before 8AM. There is a shuttle from the cruise port to the Empress Hotel that runs every 20 minutes or so. The price is $6 per person for an all day pass. After being dropped off across the street from the Empress Hotel we started walking toward China Town and soon realized that unlike the businesses in Alaska that open when the cruise ships arrive regardless of time, Victoria doesn’t cater to that. Store-hour signs posted in the windows indicated opening times of 10AM or 11AM. That is the problem with the early arrival and departure. Even strolling along and taking pictures, as tourists tend to do, it was still only 9AM when we got to China Town. So, I was out of luck with my Chinese food for which I had skipped breakfast. We basically just walked, following the map that had been given to us by the shuttle driver. We strolled around China Town, walked through Market Square, bought Rex a windbreaker, and bought a few souvenir hatpins. Then, around 11AM we took leave of all cognitive wit and decided to walk back to the ship. We had no idea how long it would take. The map indicated 45 minutes but I don’t think that accounts for all the photo stops. Victoria is very walker-friendly unless your feet are acting like angry teenagers. Every time I took a step they gave me that poutingly-hateful, “No.”

We arrived back in our stateroom at 12:30. Last call for boarding was 1:30 so we had Horizon Court lunch and prepared for sail away. Victoria is a beautiful city and quite unlike any in the U.S.

So, next time, it’s whale watching in Victoria and we did in fact spot a couple of humpbacks as we made our way back to the open sea.

We took a trip to the Atrium Lounge to visit Al before dinner. I had a lemon drop martini and a surprise red dragon martini sent to me by Carol and Jim, fellow cruise critics, who spotted us from across the room. We then returned to the cabin to get ready for the Ultimate Balcony Dinner in celebration of our anniversary. It so happened that we had to forego the Captains Circle party as it occurred at the same time. This is formal night but since my formalwear is flood city, we decided to dress like twins in khaki’s, matching Alaska Tourist Sweatshirts (it’s cold on the balcony) and Croc flip-flops.

The Ultimate Balcony Dinner is a wonderful experience. We will do it again. Eduardo and O.B. from Room Service brought the table and two chairs, linen tablecloth, flowers, a fake candle, and place settings.

First course: Enough canapés for the town where I grew up.

Second course: Hockey puck sized crab cakes.

Third Course: Walnut and mixed green salad. Super sized. Champagne.

I got up to get something and when I returned to the table I picked up my napkin to place it back on my lap. Under the napkin was a diamond engagement ring. We couldn’t afford anything like that many years ago so I didn’t have one. I was surprised to see it and then Rex asked me to marry him. Isn’t that romantic? I considered reminding him that we are married thinking maybe he was having a lapse of memory but I just said, “ Yes, of course I will.”

After serving each course Eduardo and O.B. left the room and waited for us to indicate that we were ready for the next course. Each time they came into the room we chatted with them about this and that. They are very friendly, easy to talk to young men. But, never were they obtrusive or overbearing. When Eduardo and O.B. retreated to the hallway we admitted to each other that we were too full to eat anything else. Then, for some unknown reason I started having a laugh attack. Remember when you were a kid in church and you started laughing and for whatever reason you could not stop? The more you tried to stop, the more you laughed. Rex began to laugh when suddenly the door opened and there was Eduardo and O.B. with the…

Fourth course (main): Filet Mignon, 2 prawns, and 2 lobster tails for each of us. Eduardo and O.B. are not large men and this main course tray required both of them to carry it into the room. I thought they were delivering a baby grand piano. For a flashing moment I considered suggesting to Rex that it would be easier to just eat Eduardo and O.B. Then Rex got the bright idea to stuff some of the food in a couple of the large water glasses and sneak them into the refrigerator. He was in the process of doing that when Eduardo unexpectedly walked in. Without notice, my adult self set my little church-girl self free with one huge spit-spewing uncontrollable laughter. We had been caught but, Eduardo took it in stride. Rex told him that he often does this at home and we would eat the food for breakfast.

 

Fifth course: Dessert. Sort of. 12 or so little cookie-pastry things. I could not touch another bite. Rex ate one.

Sixth course: Dessert. Mousse with white and milk chocolate rafters and joists going in every direction all on a thick foundation of chocolate. We stirred it around and took a couple bites. It was very tasty; maybe even the best dessert I have ever had. I cannot wait until tomorrow when I can swallow those two bites.

Seventh course: (or more accurately: Third dessert course) Chocolate cake with a candle. After blowing out the candle, Rex actually took a bite of the cake and declared (he had to make hand signals) that it was excellent then added it to the refrigerator stash.

I plan to mark my calendar for the return of Haley’s Comet. Hopefully by that time I will again be able to eat. See you in the morning at the Horizon Court.

We were so full that we could not attend the Champagne waterfall in the Atrium. We desperately wanted to put on our expandable flannel PJ’s and that is what we did.

[pamwinn]

July 5th Final Day at Sea

There are a lot of forlorn looking people onboard. The last day does not have that effect on us though we don’t look forward to packing up. We paid Al a visit early in the day. I had a late breakfast thinking it would be an early lunch but the breakfast food was still out at 11AM. Rex ate some fruit and a few rolls to take back to the cabin so he could have steak and lobster sandwiches from the stuff he hoarded that we couldn’t eat last night.

I don’t know if I have been missing dessert buffets all these years or if this is something new with Princess or just with this particular ship but in the horizon court there was a dessert buffet straight out of fantasyland. It was absolutely beautiful…a true work of art. All this was for eating not for show. There were hundreds of desserts the likes of which I have never seen and would be hard pressed to describe. It looked absolutely wonderful. I did not have any because it was early in the morning but I did take note of the throngs of people with eyes glazed over, looking like they were in a trance, waiting to tell the servers what delights they wanted served on their plates. It was a sight to behold and I wish we had taken our camera. The pastry chef on this ship is very, very talented.

I took the clothing out of the closets while Rex packed it. He decided to see how much he could get in one suitcase. I can barely lift it. It must weigh 90lbs. We will do some shuffling at the hotel tomorrow. We have another suitcase and two carry-ons with very little left to put in them.

We have 41 wire hangers. That means we had 41 items of clothing laundered or dry-cleaned, not including the things Carlos and Philippe played with that are returned in bags. Several things were laundered multiple times because both of us tend to pick out our favorite things and wear them over and over. This is why I can’t understand the amount of clothing we bring. There is a lot we did not wear besides my formal flood suit. Free laundry and dry-cleaning is the elite perk I enjoy the most. I hate to say it but it’s a better perk than the luncheon with the Captain. We sent out laundry this morning so the only thing coming home dirty is what we wore today and what we will wear the next couple of days in San Francisco and on the way home.

Dinner was a little of a bust as we are still full and did not feel like eating anything. Everyone on the ship must feel the same way as no one is out anywhere. We spent our bucket of nickels in the near empty casino. There was a very drunk and obnoxious guy in the casino that screamed his head off if the lady he was with won a quarter. Rex says he bets he gets beat-up a lot. I know I was tempted.

It is very foggy outside as it has been for the majority of the day and the foghorns are blowing. We are packed and ready for our time in San Francisco as well as being ready to head back home.

Uh oh, I said home. I miss my puppy dogs. Of all the people who know them, only a few can tolerate them because they are such spoiled rotten ill-behaved little demons. To a select few they are the sweetest, most loving creatures on earth. They know how to hug and they like to do it. If anyone reading this has miniature pinschers, you know what I am talking about.

[mii]

Thanks Pam for a very funny and informative review. I thoroughly enjoyed every segment of your cruise. Again thank you very much.

 

Marilyn

[treesah]

Pam, you're an absolute riot. Thank you for sharing your trip with us. You are a natural in the writing department.

[sailinsal]

What fun I had on your virtual cruise through your writings..........I will miss you...................and I hope you have a terrificfew days in San Fran.................one of my most favorite cities in the world.....................be sure and come to us on your next cruise................sailinsal

[rdsqrl]

I think we all had as much fun reading your "live from" as you were having on the ship! Thanks so much for taking the time and trouble to write such wonderfully thorough posts. Wishing you a great few days in SFO and a safe trip home to your pupsters.

[Judicruise]

Thank you for your wonderful descriptions and word pictures. You put into words what I could not when trying to tell others about Alaska and how very

blessed I felt to be able to see it. You are a wonderful communicator, thank you for sharing your gift.....

[MsBoomerang]

pamwinn,

 

My first post to Cruise Critic. I have been "lurking" for some time, but had yet to feel compelled to register and post. Your excellent thread gave me the kick I needed. Thanks for the effort you have put into taking the rest of us along! :)

[pamwinn]

July 6th –So you thought it was over?

 

We aren’t home yet so it’s not over.

 

It was a quick and easy disembarkation process. They did take our cruise cards. Have a copy made during the cruise if you want to keep them. The wi-fi never worked well in my cabin but worked right outside the door. You might want to reconsider aft locations if that matters to you. We have checked into the Palace Hotel and they gave us a room even though we arrived at 10 AM. This time we didn’t get the upgrade to a fancy room but that is okay with us. The room is furnished with Antique reproductions since the real stuff was destroyed in the earthquake. This is the oldest hotel in San Francisco. It has been through 2 horrendous earthquakes and was rebuilt after both. It is very 1880’s if you can remember that era. It is gorgeous. I have never been in a hotel so marvelously ornate. Google it and take a look.

We spent the day discovering that we had not seen all of fisherman’s wharf. We ran into Eduardo outside the hotel. He was one of the balcony dinner waiters. We took the bus from the hotel to the wharf with him and chitchatted some about his life in Mexico. We took some pictures of the Dawn at the cruise port. We visited the Aquarium (not much to it), Boudin’s Bakery (did the tour) and Ghirardelli Square (still can’t eat sweets). We got some bandanas for the dogs. Then we tried to figure out how to get back to the hotel riding Muni. Public transportation is not an easy thing for those who don’t use it and don’t really know where they are. The maps that are small enough to carry around are somewhat incomplete. The bus driver finally asked us where we were going since we were the last two people and we were actually going the right way. It was also the longest way one could possibly choose. Free Tour!

I did some surfing trying to locate decent restaurants near each of our hotels and had read a lot of good things about Osha (Thai) on yelp. It was 2 blocks from the hotel and that was great because today it was Rex’s feet that blew out. I wore my croc flip-flops that turned out to be great when walking for miles up hills with a 45-degree angle of inclination. My feet just barely fit in my regular shoes now anyway. They look more like hooves than feet. The restaurant was very good and though not cheap, it was reasonable. We returned to the hotel, I typed this, and then we crawled into bed…7:30 PST. It was a very full day.

My list of things you must bring on an Alaska Cruise:

− Flannel Pajama’s- You only need these if you have a balcony cabin

− Gloves

− Earmuffs

− Lightweight waterproof/windproof jacket- Oversized so you can layer under it.

− Sweatshirts- You need at least one and then buy another as a souvenir

− T shirts- a couple for around the inside of the ship

− A medium weight zip hoodie

− Long Sleeve Fleece tops (I need more as they are light weight and pack well)

− Good Binoculars

− All your electronic gadgets, their batteries, memory cards and chargers (our VERIZON cell phone worked in every port)

[JWJs]

Wonderful. Thank you so very much. I liked it so much I'm going to read it again. Alaska is on our list. Thanks again.:)

[aaerobear]

Pam and Rex, (and any others visiting our great city)

 

The next time you visit, as it is obvious that you travel with your laptop, you can get all the tourist routes for MUNI online. http://www.sfmta.com and you just plan out your trip. I hope that helps next time.

 

Ed

[SFParrtHd]

Pam, loved your posts. Got a little "teary" eyed when you told us of Rex hiding the diamond ring. Hope you enjoyed yourselves in S.F. The muni website is a great resource for anyone visiting the City.

[bob111]

Pam, I really love the perks of being an elite. How many Princess cruises have you been on that got you the luncheon invitation?

At the Captains Circle party, one couple had been on 90 cruises and another on 70.

Was on the Dawn 6-6 to 6-16. Had a great time. Living close, it was nice to drive..no flying.

Enjoyed your report.

Bob

[bob111]

Thanks for the review! Is there any live Texas Hold 'Em in the casino? Any tournaments?

Tiggy...Yes they have Texas hold-em. They use the new electronic version, similar to playing online, everyone has a screen and you can "look them in the eye". Took a little getting used to this type of play. Good part about it, is it is very vast and nobody to tip when you win a hand.

They did have tournaments every sea day. Usually 2 per day. Buy in is $50. If you want to play, sign up early at the cashiers cage as they fill up fast and start a standby list.

Good luck!!!

Bob

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks again Pam. ;)

[tiggyfrank]

Thanks Bob! The electronic Hold 'Em, is it limit or no limit and like how much do people buy in for? For tournaments does anyone know if you need to use cash to buy in or can you put it on your card account?

I'm just trying to see how much cash to bring!

[pamwinn]

July 7th San Franciso

 

 

 

We slept for 12 hours…very unusual. I don’t recall getting more that 6 consecutive hours in years. Our first mission of the day was to get to the UPS store so we could ship some stuff home. We walked the 1.5 blocks to the store and purchased a 20” X 20” X 20” box. The nice lady loaned us a cart so we could wheel the packed box back to her. We returned to the hotel, stuffed the box, and wheeled it down the street. It weighed 49.5 lbs and will cost $60 to ship. We insured it for $1K. Now we don’t have to stress over our flight tomorrow. We went to the Galleria and had lunch at a yucky Mediterranean fast food restaurant. There was some green stuff in a squirt bottle that was really hot. I used it on everything. I don’t know what gave the green stuff the heat but I know cilantro gave it the color. It’s a sneak hot that you don’t taste at first.

 

 

 

We returned to the hotel to change clothes, it’s heating up outside, and to check-in for our flights. We had to do that as soon as the window opens so we can get upgraded to business class. That gave us an hour of down town during which I surfed and Rex napped.

 

 

 

To get that afternoon pick-me-up, we walked to the nearby Starbucks for an iced coffee, and then went to the business center to print the boarding passes. Once again, luck was with us and I snagged the only side-by-side business class seats available. I made transportation arrangements with the concierge for our trip to the airport then we braved the MUNI system once again. I used the website recommended to me on cruise critic and wrote down the course but I couldn’t figure out how you can tell which is the NW corner of a street when you can’t see the sun. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring my trusty compass. I’ll add that to my list. We want to go to the Exploratorium because I like science museums much more than Art museums. That, and the free tickets.

 

 

 

After all the route planning etc, the curse struck. No, not that curse…the Monday curse. We have been victims of the Monday curse longer than we have been married. We always want to go somewhere on Monday and that is the one day that the place is closed. I can’t begin to count the number of times that has happened. Okay, let’s just see where our tired feet take us then. Let’s go watch strange people. That’s always fun. Just don’t venture too far to the left.

 

 

 

So, since we were unable to go where we wanted to, we decided to have a drink. Rex spotted a dive sort of bar named Eddie Rickenbacker’s. It had thirty-five antique motorcycles hanging from the ceiling and an operational ancient Lionel train circumnavigating the room. The drinks were strong and the clientele somewhat odd but we stayed for quite awhile. There was a semi-delirious man (the owner) hooked up to an oxygen tank, sitting on a filthy sofa in the window. The fattest cat I’ve ever seen had free roam of the place. We stayed so late that there wasn’t much open, in terms of dining establishments, in the vicinity so we stopped in the California Pizza Kitchen. The pizza was better than the frozen variety available at home and the salad we had was fantastic. This is a good salad city. After dinner we walked back to the hotel and called it a night. It was 2AM Georgia time.

 

 

 

July 8th Going Home

 

 

 

We are ready to go home. We are ready to be home. We went to Starbucks for coffee and sat outside and did some people watching. I recognized many of them from yesterday morning. I don’t understand the women walking around in stilettos. What’s that all about? After coffee, we strolled a little and then returned to the hotel to pack-up. That’s where I am now. It’s time to pack the computer. See ya in Georgia.:)

[pamwinn]

Pam, I really love the perks of being an elite. How many Princess cruises have you been on that got you the luncheon invitation?

At the Captains Circle party, one couple had been on 90 cruises and another on 70.

Was on the Dawn 6-6 to 6-16. Had a great time. Living close, it was nice to drive..no flying.

Enjoyed your report.

Bob

 

This was my 22nd Princess Cruise. We have been to one other luncheon and a couple of the cocktail parties that they have in lieu of the luncheons. I think the first time we were invited to a luncheon we were still platinum. It just depends on who is on the ship with you. I really enjoy it when we are lucky enough to get an invitation.

[bob111]

Thanks Bob! The electronic Hold 'Em, is it limit or no limit and like how much do people buy in for? For tournaments does anyone know if you need to use cash to buy in or can you put it on your card account?

I'm just trying to see how much cash to bring!

Tiggy, can charge up to $1500. per day but it will cost you 3% fee.

You get a poker card from cashier, whatever amount you want. Buy-in is small for live games, only 20-30 dollars. Say you get $200 on your card, some will put it all in the game, this is no limit, I thinks the blinds were 1 and 2, others may just put in $30 or so, so if they get a bad beat, they will not have put all of the money in the game. If you have money on the card, you just put it back in your screen and can reload whatever amount you want to risk. When you have played and want to quit, whatever you have in the game, will go back on your card for next time.

Thelargest winner during my playing time was about $700.

Good luck.

Bob

[Ceresgal]

Thank You Pam for this most wonderful post about your cruise. I can not remember the last time, I enjoyed reading anything as wonderful as this one. I emailed this post to everyone of my Family (7) that is going to Alaska on the Dawn in Sept. with my husband and I. I'm sorry your post had to end. I hope to meet you and Rex on a cruise someday. Take Care.

[treesah]

Pam, we want you to be our table mate on our next cruise.... Rex is welcome.

[Lynda90]

Pam, thank you so much for sharing your wonderful experiences with us. I've always loved your reviews and look forward to reading them when available. Hopefully, we won't have to wait too long for the next one. You should consider a writing career after you retire. :p