To Alaska & Beyond!

[saintstickets]

August 26, 2015 – Wednesday

Today we are headed into the Tracy Arm Fjord. How about this to wake up to in the morning?


We have brunch at 10:00am scheduled at Palo this morning. While we are getting ready, we notice a small boat approaching. At first we thought it might be someone just enjoying the view of the Wonder but soon we notice they are there for a purpose.










I don’t know if someone missed the ship in Vancouver or if someone onboard got sick and they called in for a replacement but it was pretty neat how they sidled up next to the Wonder, put out a walkway and the man in the hat came aboard.

Next up for us is


Here’s where I will tell on myself. I forgot that there was a dress code. I was wearing jeans and a button down shirt. As soon as we checked in, we were told we could not come in with jeans. Sighhh….my bad. It took less than 10 minutes to get back to the room and put on a pair of khaki pants and we were back. The maître d apologized and I told him it was my fault that I forgot about the dress code. I have no problem with dress codes but I did observe that others were let in with cargo pants, yoga pants, velour pants suits with a hoody top and one of the loudest Hawaiian shirts I’ve ever seen. The official dress codes states “To preserve the elegant atmosphere, you are asked to adhere to a strict dress code when dining at Palo. Dress pants and shirt are required for men and a dress or pantsuit is required for women. Please no jeans, shorts, capri pants, flip-flops or tennis shoes.” I did notice tennis shoes on people as well. This isn’t sour grapes and I’m not complaining. It was my mistake but it did seem a bit odd with some of the attire of others. My final word, don’t push it with a dress code and try to sneak in pushing the envelope….and REMEMBER the dress code! SMH at myself.

We were seated and had a pretty nice view


CM Alexandra took us on a tour of the buffet items










Or if you care to order an item, here are the choices


Man oh man!!! The food was fantastic! Here are a FEW of my choices

From the buffet


Oysters Rockefeller ordered


Eggs Benedict ordered


Strawberry soup ordered (you read that right...strawberry SOUP)


Back to the buffet


Peach soufflé ordered (Suggested by the CM)


I think I waddled back to our room! I was soooo full but everything we tried was great. All 4 ordered items were great and the buffet items would put most TS restaurants to shame. Great ahi tuna, smoked salmon, panne cotta & tiramisu from the buffet.

As a side note, a couple of days after our Palo brunch, CM Alexandra that served us sent us a nice little handwritten “thank you for joining us” note to our room. It was completely unnecessary but another one of those magical touches you often get from Disney and their CMs.

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[saintstickets]

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After a while we are making our way up through the Tracy Arm Fjord. DW stayed in the room while I braved the cold up on deck. I ended up on the top deck on the ship’s bow (front). With ice and snow surrounding you and a brisk breeze from the movement of the ship and the natural wind coming through the fjord, it was pretty cold! Here are “a few” pics from my time up on deck




It can get a little crowded up on deck and then there is always the person that thinks they are a polar bear






Passing another cruise ship that had already been up to the glacier


Those mouse ears are everywhere!






Notice the little private boat coming our way?


Here it is a bit closer


That “little” boat is probably 50+ feet long which gives you an idea of the size of the fjord walls.

More pics. Lots of icebergs floating past and waterfalls feeding the channel








Another “small” boat. This one looks like a private yacht






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Are we going around that island or is this as far as we go?


Our first glimpse at the glacier
























Icebergs floating by that broke off from the glacier are getting bigger








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Another waterfall


And another private boat


I was amazed at how close we got to the glacier


At this point I realized we had gone about as far as we would go up into the fjord. I had been up there about 2 hours and this Southern boy was a bit chilled! I decided to head back to the room to check on DW. These pics show why you should spring for a room with a verandah if you can. Out of the wind, the cold didn’t bother me anyway! (I know, I know…but I couldn’t resist!)


There are our next door “neighbors” from England, Claire and Sean.


More from our room












Sharks this far north?








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At this point we ventured to a little used outside deck on the Wonder. Go to deck 7 aft (back) and go all the way past the last set of elevators to the stairs. Look for a door that says Aft Overlook. Enter and you are on a small deck area. It was perfect to view the glacier one more time as the Wonder turned around.




The Wonder is churning some water as it gets ready to head back down the fjord




Back in our room we watch the steep fjord/canyon walls pass by






Someone needs to tell them it is warmer further south










Foliage will grow in every crack and crevice making the cliffs look like they have veins




We spot another small yacht and someone that was more brave (or crazy) than I




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As we make our way back toward the sea, some larger icebergs are still intact. I turned away for a split second and heard a large crash. This iceberg had separated and a major portion broke off and hit the water which made the whole thing tilt














Another reason for a verandah. How’s this for a view?



We spotted this little fella playing around







With apologies to Margaret Whiting/Johnny Mercer, Ella Fitzgerald/Louis Jordan and most recently, Lady Gaga/Tony Bennett….Baby it’s cold outside…and up yonder!











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Time to come inside and get ready for dinner. Tonight we eat at Animator’s Palate. For appetizers, we had truffle pasta & salmon tartar




No pics of the potato soup and butternut squash soup. For our entrée we had a tenderloin and a crusted pork chop.




For dessert it was make your own pie and the trio




Inside the restaurant



We loved this CM. She was from South Africa and when she said perfect, it sounded like pairrr-fect.


During the meal, we had a visitor








Our table servers Rhally (from Phillipines), Oscar (from Peru) and Henry (from Dominican Republic).


Rhally (Assistant Server) kept us entertained with his magic tricks. You don’t normally see your Head Server that much but Oscar was around just enough to let us know he was watching and available if we needed anything. But the best by far was our Server, Henry. He was the nicest most attentive person in the world. If you ordered the same beverage for the first two nights, you didn’t have to tell him again for the rest of the cruise. And don’t make the mistake of asking Henry to choose an entrée for you! I’ll explain more later.

After another delicious meal, we head back to our room and see our Stateroom Host, Lorenzo, has been busy again



That’s it for this day. We never left the ship and still had plenty to see, plenty to do and as usual, plenty to eat!

 

[saintstickets]

August 27, 2015 – Thursday

Today we dock at Skagway, Alaska. As stated earlier, we originally had a dog sledding excursion on the glacier scheduled for this port but it was canceled on us before we arrived. Instead, we are boarding a boat that will take us around the harbor and beyond to see wildlife.

We had breakfast at Beach Blanket Buffet. As we arrive in Skagway, there are other cruise ships already here








At the DCL excursion desk, we were told to dress in short sleeves for this excursion. It was about 58 degrees when we left the ship but there was a strong wind that would cut right through you. The reason we were told to not dress too warmly was the suit we were required to wear. They make quite the “prison” fashion statement, don’t they?


This is our transportation around the area




This is called a RIB craft or a Rigid-hulled Inflatable Boat. It has been modified to accommodate passengers but it is the same boat that the Coast Guard and Navy Seals use in rescue operations. We are sailing up and down the Lynn Canal which is the longest and deepest fjord in North America. We weren’t on the water for 10 minutes when we spotted our first eagle.


They get this boat right up next to waterfalls






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Ice can make odd but beautiful striations in the slate that lined the fjord


A few minutes later, we approached these two






It was as if they said, “Okay, take your pics and then get the hell out of here!” They were not interested in us at all. About a mile down the canal, we see another majestic bird


“You looking at me?”


“To heck with you, I’ll just fly away”






In our prison garb for a pic but it did keep you VERY warm


No…I’m not related to Beldar (aka Dan Aykroyd in the “Coneheads”)

More waterfalls and our guide






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About this time it started to rain. These boats are FAST and with rain drops hitting you in the face at this speed and the temperature had dropped, it felt like pins pricking your face!




Here are a couple of GoPro videos of part of our ride back to shore




Once back at the dock, we decided to walk around Skagway. We had read about this place so we had to go


This place, in an earlier time, had been a facility visited by men seeking short-term female physical companionship. Some might call it a brothel, others a house of ill-repute but in the South, it’s a ho-house! (Spelling has been phonetically altered to acclimate to Southern vernacular and to avoid the censors) It has some interesting décor inside










Employees seem friendly...maybe not as friendly as previous employees from another time but friendly enough


The menu is even more friendly








Let’s see…do I get an appetizer called the Hustler’s Hummus, Streetwalker Salmon Dip, Naughty Nelly Nachos or a pizza named Madam Jan, Lady LaVoie, Shady Lady or Big Dessie? There’s also deli sandwiches named Trollop, Harlot, Menage a Trois or drinks called Duck or Reindeer Fart! I will refrain from saying what I told DW I wanted but needless to say, I got my normal “eye-roll” from her with choice comments that I’d better not repeat! We did end up getting the Chicken Ranch & Big Dessie pizzas along with a local Amber beer. I was surprised but these pizzas were some of the best we have ever had…anywhere! Go figure. Even without the exquisite ambiance, this was a great place to grab a bite to eat.

Afterwards, we walked around Skagway in the pouring down rain as the temperature dropped more. Here’s a neat looking building


DW found her a souvenir and we headed back to the ship. By this time, if felt like a hurricane had moved in! The wind was so strong that you literally had to lean into the wind to walk along the dock back to the Wonder. Nevertheless, she’s a thing of beauty


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[saintstickets]

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Back onboard, we warmed up and cleaned up. This is in the main atrium


Also in the atrium, they have the Frozen Maypole dance going on.






I’m sure this was fun for the kids but it’s nothing compared to dancing in the Maypole during the Natchez Pilgrimage Pageant! Here is our daughter before the performance


I REFUSE to show my pictures at age 9 years old in my royal blue knee breeches when I was in the Maypole! Hey, c’mon, everyone did it in Natchez back then. It was for the tourists.

Tonight we eat at Parrot Cay.


No pic of the appetizers but we had scallops and a meat tray. The next course was a beet salad and a Portobello mushroom consommé (no pic-I was way off on my porn pics tonight)


For our entrée, we had veal and a strip loin




Dessert was a sundae for DW


I asked Server Henry to pick for me between apple pie and a pancake cream cheese blintz. He brought both




Of course I didn't want to hurt Henry's feelings so I had to eat both. I should have learned a lesson at this point about asking DCL CM’s to pick for you. More on that later. It’s time to head back to our room. We have a big day tomorrow. Lorenzo has been busy again

 

[saintstickets]

August 28, 2015 – Friday

Today will be another pic heavy day. From our room as we approach the city of Juneau






I’m not sure what we did for breakfast today. We caught the shuttle to the airport to meet up with Temsco helicopters. This was the same company that canceled on us in Skagway where we booked independently. This excursion in Juneau was through DCL. Originally we had a whale watching tour scheduled for this day but when our original dog sled excursion got cancelled in Skagway, we had to reschedule it for today and cancel the whale watching. It worked out okay because we got to see some whales from our room onboard and as it happened, most whale watching tours were cancelled today due to the weather. Pixie dust for us!

Our ride to the glacier


A few pics of our flight to the top of the glacier




This is the glacier




There were 3 helicopters traveling together


Another picture of the glacier a bit closer


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The mountains along the way
















What’s that up on the left? Our approach to the dog sled camp














We are here




The yellow thing around our waist is a required life jacket in case we hit water. Eeek!

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Random pics from the camp along with GoPro videos










Our musher and his team. Both compete in the Iditarod Sled Race in Alaska that is 1,150 miles long from Anchorage to Nome.






Not the best view of our dogs but it is the one we had during the ride


More pics from the area and our sled ride


















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About halfway into the ride, you stop, take pics and then switch places so that everyone gets to ride in front and back. There are two sleds that the dogs pull and two adults fit comfortably in each sled. The musher stands behind the lead sled and one of the adult riders stands on the rear sled and acts as a brakeman.


About half way through this first leg, the musher gave a command to the lead dog. Apparently she did not respond the way he wanted and he yelled for her to stop. I was the brakeman on the rear sled and he told me to set the brake. He ran up to the lead dog, picked it up and turned it over on its back in the snow! We had no idea what was going on and it was kinda freaking us out! Then the musher did what everyone does, he bit the dog's ear! That's right, he bit her ear! He told her a few things and then calmly walked back to his spot on the lead sled. He explained to us that this is how the dogs react to each other when they want to show who is the alpha dog. She wasn't responding to his commands the way he wanted so he had to show her who was boss! It worked because she behaved the rest of the ride. DW gave me a look that I KNOW said, "Don't try it....don't even think about it!"

These crevices are everywhere. We were told to make sure we didn’t drop anything into them because it was VERY deep and hundreds of years from now, the glacier will deposit it somewhere near town!














The camp is atop the glacier and is an area about 5 square miles


Two GoPro videos

They had someone sitting along the sled route ready to take pictures for purchase




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The ride was fantastic and words cannot express how much we enjoyed it. The only problem is that it was like Kali River Rapids, fun, thrilling but just not long enough. We traveled about 2 miles on the sled. Back at the dog camp


Each dog had their own house with their name on it. At the end of the season, they use the same helicopters to transport the dogs, sled, mushers tents, EVERYTHING back to Juneau. It takes several days and they fly non-stop all day.






Next up was playing with the puppies














I apologize for the plethora of pictures but there were just so many nice shots and I haven’t included sooooo many




Our return ride approaches with more visitors




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Pics from our ride back to the airport. Those crevices are big enough to put a house inside!


















Back in town, we head back to the ship to shed a few layers of clothes and eat. We then walked around town taking in the sights. We bought a few souvenirs. One was an Ulu. This is Alaska’s version of a knife used for chopping.


You cannot bring any kind of knives onboard but you can give it to the CM when boarding and they will keep it for you until you disembark in Vancouver. The problem then is getting it on a plane to fly home. The shop we purchased it from had a shipping option. For a few dollars more, they will ship it back home for you. Problem solved! We walked around some more and had a nice view of “home”


We decided to go on the Mt. Roberts tram. It takes you up to the top of the mountain ridge and provides a pretty good view














Up top they have a blind eagle


Last pic on the way back down


We took longer than expected on the tram. We made it back to the ship with only 30 minutes to spare! Whew!

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A word to the wise, when you are in port, make sure you are signed out of DCL wifi on your phone or tablet if you have purchased a wifi package. You can use LTE, 3G, 4G in port or wifi in numerous restaurants and shops. Then switch to airplane mode when leaving the port to avoid any roaming charges. You can sign back into DCL wifi whenever you need it once onboard. If you do not, you’ll use a ton of minutes off your DLC package and not even know it…not that I would do anything like that!

Tonight is a semi-formal night at Triton’s and it is our 33rd anniversary! For our appetizers, we had a seafood cocktail and a Mexican nacho dip




The next course was chicken noodle soup (no pic) and tomato soup


For our entrée, we had pasta shrimp and a rib eye




Dessert was a cake with Baileys and the trio sampler




Since it was our anniversary, we received a special dessert




Henry and Rhally are taking care of us again


With several other CMs, they sang us a song for our anniversary!

And when we return to the room, Lorenzo has been busy again


Another very eventful and enjoyable day aboard the DCL Wonder!

 

[saintstickets]

August 29, 2015 – Saturday

Today we arrive in Ketchikan, Alaska. The area as we approached the city




First airport I have seen with a runway that wasn’t flat


Huge spruce trees along the shoreline and a few homes






Since boats are the main mode of transportation in this area, you have to have a spare or at least a place to work on them


As we are easing our way into port and to dock, we have some visitors










The city from our room on the boat and happenings in the harbor






The disembark time today was a bit later at 10:30am. As we passed by the rear of the ship into town


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The quaint city of Ketchikan




Another cruise ship coming into port


A tribute to the pioneers that built this town


We walked and walked and walked around town so DW could shop. We stopped and ate at the Fish Pirates Saloon. There were no “working ladies” here but the food was very good. No pics but we had clam chowder and halibut tacos. More walking around and then it was time to meet our van to take us to the place for today’s excursion.

We travel a short distance to an area on the shore that housed float planes. I think this was a good sign to see this on the dock right next to our plane


Here’s our ride and DW is ready to go




Today we are flying up into the Tongass National Forest aboard a De Havilland float plane. The park has about 17 million acres in it with virtually no roads so I sure hope we don’t get lost! Another couple from Virginia and their daughter were on the plane with us. Here’s a video of part of the ride

Still pics of the flight
























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