Day #11: Ketchikan

We got up a little later and had breakfast because our Lighthouse, Totems and Eagles Excursion was at 11:15 to 2:15.  Unfortunately, a late start meant all the tables were occupied.  We ended up eating at the outdoor bar which was just fine.

After all the wonderful weather we had at other times during the trip, Ketchikan was cloudy and rainy!  The boat was comfortable enough and they had binoculars for everyone to use.  They also provided some light snacks and hot chocolate or tea which was nice on a drippy day.

We still managed to see some eagles from very far away... very, very far away.  My 35X optical zoom lens came in mighty handy or you'd only see a blurry speck.

It was fun to see these harbor seals sunning themselves on this cold day.

Yes, we did see some totems in the distance.

You can see here how far it was.   You'd be better off on a land tour to truly see the beauty of the totems more clearly.  Sunny weather would have helped too.  Ketchikan is known for being rainy.

Mom and Auntie Grace were quite happy enough to stay inside and not brave the rain outside on deck.

Yae!!!  A whale sighting!  Again... thank goodness for my 35X optical zoom.

Art had fun trying out the Captain's chair.

After the tour, we dropped off mom and Auntie Grace at the ship and went off to explore Ketchikan.

Remember those charms we were collecting and the coins?  This was our last stop and this sales associate was super nice!  She knew we didn't want to buy anything and said, "Oh go ahead and just try one thing on so I can hand over the stuff." 

Art pointed to a ring and said, "I'll try this ring since it's my birthstone." 

She laughed and said her birthday was also in the same month and told us her birth date.  We were shocked!  It was the same birthday as Art!!!  She laughed again told us her sister's birthday.  Good grief!  It was the same birthday as Art's sister.  It was just the weirdest thing.  We can still hardly believe it!!!

Back at the ship we were in for another gourmet feast.  This is Viktoria from Hungary who is serving Art some French Onion Soup.

Auntie Grace couldn't make up her mind which dish she would like to try.  Our main server, Chris said, "No problem."  Would you believe he brought her BOTH dishes?  She was shocked and said she couldn't possibly eat all that food so.... ummmm... we all helped her.

Doesn't this dessert look amazing?  It's called Menage a Trois (chilled mini raspberry panna cotta, tiny gateau opera, honey-hazelnut sermi freddo with nutella twist).

After that incredible meal, we were off to see another musical number that we enjoyed throughout the trip.  With our regular 5:30 table by the window always waiting for us at the Pacific Moon we were always able to finish in time to see the shows. 

It was perfect!

Day #7: Hubbard Glacier

Day # 7 was a cruise day.  Since this is our first cruise, there was a lot to learn and it was a bit of a challenge until we met our ship steward.

Our cabins were on Deck #12 which was appropriately (for us) called the ALOHA deck.

We started the day with a buffet breakfast on Deck #14 which was just two flights above us.  Mom and Auntie Grace had a hard time choosing what to eat.    They wanted to be healthy but there were so many delicious looking choices.  They discovered that they rather liked Muselix once Art introduced it to them.

We walked around a bit to get the lay of the land... I mean ship.

When we got back to our room we met our steward Loida, who set our mind at ease about what our options were.  Her husband, David is the head waiter at the Pacific Moon dining room so she recommended we go there that evening for the Formal Night.  She said she would tell David to expect us.  We had chosen Open Dining to leave our options open so we decided to give the Pacific Moon a try.

Then we explored the huge ship.  Deck 7 really reminded me of the Titanic, but I didn't say anything to mom about that again.

Auntie Grace loved watching the fruit and vegetable carving demonstration from the balcony.  While all this was going on, Art and I got a whole bunch of laundry done.

We decided to get some exercise to burn some calories to make room for what we knew we'd be consuming that evening.  Mom was really glad she had her winter coat!  She and I both shared half a scopolamine patch to prevent sea sickness.  Art and Auntie Grace were never affected during the entire sea voyage.  That half patch was all we needed for the entire voyage.

Then it was back to the room to totally unpack.  That was really nice.  We COMPLETELY unpacked!  We never totally unpack when we're on trips.  It's great to be in a hotel that moves with you.

We decided to try the sushi and miso soup bar for lunch.  This was one of the only disappointing food choices Auntie Grace and mom had.  The sushi rice was pretty pasty and terrible.  The miso soup had no miso in it.  Since sushi is Auntie's forte and mom makes miso soup every night, they were not pleased with this food fare.

We entered Yukutat Bay and saw the Hubbard Glacier.  That was quite awesome.  We saw that the glacier definitely had a blue tint to it. 

We found the muumuus that mom and Auntie wore worked out beautifully (for the 1st of 2 Formal Nights) and looked absolutely as lovely as anything anybody else wore.  We met Head Waiter David, Loida's husband who encouraged us to come to his restaurant every night.   When we agreed, he gave us a special table right next to the window that he said would be reserved for us every evening.  He also had our server bring a special extra dish just for us. 

Then came the food.  The appetizers were as good as any main course entree.  This shrimp and vegetable dish was wonderful!

Art's steak was tender and excellent!

But, of course... we were all agog at the desserts.  This puff pastry reminded Art of a boyhood treat he used to love in Hilo.  It was truly delicious.  It was ALL delicious!

Right after dinner was the introduction of the crew by the Captain (which we missed), but we got to see the champagne waterfall.

We had a choice of champagne or mimosa.  Art, Mom and Auntie Grace had champagne, but mom discovered she liked my mimosa better.  I didn't much care for champagne so Art got to have two glasses.

Then came the Princess dancers and singers performing in a show called Do You Wanna Dance?  It was great!  We ended up enjoying a different performance every night.