Day 7: Glacier Bay National Park

What a great day!  Do you remember when we were traveling on the Pacific Princess in French Polynesia and G poked fun at me because every other day I was saying, “This was the best day EVER!”? After the last three years, I think he’s happy to hear even one “This was the best day EVER!” And today he did. 

Captain McBain announced last night just before the production show began that the Sapphire Princess would be picking up the three Glacier Bay National Park rangers from near the entrance to the park about 6am. In Alaska cruises past, that would have been our signal to be warmly dressed and out on deck from that time on. 

Thankfully, we’re older and wiser now. 😉

I left the cabin just after 7am wearing my Goretex jacket (yep, the same one I’ve had since South America 2002) and carried ear warmers and gloves. It was foggy first thing this morning but the fog quickly burned off and we were in for a sunny day. But we’ve never before experienced both the sun and the warmth we enjoyed today while in the park. I later returned all my outerwear to the cabin and spent the rest of the day in slacks and a long sleeved T. Best weather day ever in Glacier Bay!!

We made it to Sabatini’s for breakfast shortly after it opened at 7:30am, and enjoyed the large windows in there that afforded us a view of the scenery we were passing. We knew the Sapphire Princess wouldn’t reach the major glaciers until 10am, and we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. 

My standard fruit plate

Branching out today, I ordered poached eggs over hash browns with hollandaise sauce on the side.

Nothing I found comes close to brioche French toast. 

When we saw this view out the windows, we knew it was time to finish up breakfast and move outside. 

We’d already decided to spend the day on the back of the ship. Multiple levels of public decks and lots of comfortable seating, much of it uncovered but that didn’t matter today. It also has some of the most comfortable seating on the ship. 

The aft decks of the Sapphire Princess. 

Cloudless blue sky again today 

The Grand Pacific Glacier formed the entire park. 

The Margerie Glacier

We saw a humpback whale spotting right next to the ship in front of Margerie Glacier. The ranger said she’d never seen a humpback so far into the park. And then -the highlight of the day- a huge piece of the glacier broke off (calved) TWICE. Captain McBain said it was the biggest calving he’d seen all season. Maybe the warm temperature (in the mid 60s) had an added benefit. 

Another look at the Grand Pacific Glacier

What looks like dirt is actually glacial or rock flour caused by the constant erosion 

of the bedrock under the glacier,  The Grand Pacific Glacier 

is 16 miles long and up to 300 feet deep in places. It moves four feet per day. 

It really doesn’t get any better than this!

I looked at my watch and saw that the location we were in was Covenant Life. 

Naturally, I had to find that on Google Maps. 

Johns Hopkins Glacier with Gilman Glacier on the left

Once we had left the major glaciers behind, we went to the International Dining Room for lunch. It offered an abundance of choices and I had avocado bruschetta followed by Spanish paella. Both were excellent. 

Avocado bruschetta

The paella was delicious!

The Majestic Princess sails by on its way up to Tarr Inlet,

viewed from our lunch table. 

Swimming with a view

Neptune’s Reef pool on the Sapphire

and the midship public decks

In addition, pasta was served on the Lido Deck for guests unwilling to leave the views to go to lunch.

About 2pm we returned to our cabin, and promptly fell asleep. I never used to be able to nap, but since last year’s illness,  I have become a power napper. We were cleaned up for tonight’s formal night and in the Pacific  Moon Dining Room by 5:15pm for dinner. 

I keep forgetting to post the dining room wine list…

 

I haven’t enjoyed escargot in too long. 

The always available salmon was a miss tonight. 

Like embarkation lunch salmon, it was overcooked and tough. 

I had been worried that G’s fresh salmon might be overcooked, but it had been perfect. 

I couldn’t eat this but Chandra offered anything else. 

I chose more of the delicious mushrooms that had been served with the salmon. 😋

We skipped coffee and dessert intending to return later to have both (we didn’t) but needed to get to this cruise’s Captains Circle Party. We invited the four friends we had made before we even got in the ship last Wednesday to join us. 

Captain McBain is a most personable host and we were honored as the most traveled couple on board. 2106 out of 2500 passengers on board are first time Princess cruisers, so the numbers are pretty low. Cut off for the MTG cocktail party was less than 150 days, meaning there were Platinum cruisers who  received invitations. The top three most traveled numbers were as follows:  1449, 1106 and 492 days. 

Final payment date for the December 1, 2023 Sapphire Princess cruise from Los Angeles to Buenos Aires was coming up in a few days. We had already booked that cruise and the following Buenos Aires to Santiago cruise, totaling 50 nights and including eight total days of scenic cruising in Antarctica. I just canceled both cruises, but not because we haven’t had a wonderful time on board (we have), or don’t like the Sapphire (we love it). Backed into the final payment corner, we had to make a decision and as of today the decision is to not go. So many reasons: unknowns about Mom’s health is a big one but the biggest one is that we’ve been to South America three times already, plus Easter Islsnd really makes it four. Frankly, I only booked the cruise for Antarctica. But my heart is still set on doing an expedition cruise, and that is not what the Sapphire offers. 

We could still re-book the cruise later, and I’m not ruling that out. The timing, after McGee’s cross country season and during our winter, would be perfect. And I really don’t have any other options in mind either. It’s obvious that we still have some decisions to make. But at least I’m once again thinking cruising might be among them. 

Progress has been made!

Day 6: Skagway

We’re having the most incredible weather in Alaska this cruise. Day after day of cloudless shoes and warm temps. I think it’s going to change in a big way for the next cruise, but that’s okay. Batting 50% in Alaska is actually pretty amazing. 

We arrived in Skagway at 6am, well before we were up and about. We were not surprised that the Sapphire Princess was not at its usual berth, but instead was at the pier at the south end of Broadway due to a rock slide that closed the usual pier about this time last year. This is actually a wonderful thing as it puts guests closer to the shops and bars in town. We wondered where the White Pass Railroad train would be located, and now it pretty much takes over the town, blocking traffic when it is there. Guests board the train in front of the ship.  It’s not far but it’s also not as close as it was on the other pier. 

As usual, we started our day at the juice bar with Judith and Sonu. I love this feature of the Princess Plus package. It’s actually better than I’d imagined it would be, since the juices are squeezed fresh and are not from concentrates. I’m making my way through the menu but also have The Booster everyday. It’s obviously much better than thempowderee greens drinks I use at home. We then went to Sabatini’s for another wonderful breakfast. I’m skipping the mimosa (the waiters call it Happy Juice) these days. In fact my drink total today was 4. Actually, 3.25 since I’m not finishing most of them. I can’t keep up, but enjoy the non-alcoholic drinks a great deal. 

The Booster juice blend

Carrot, turmeric powder and ginger

The brioche French toast in Sabatini’s is worlds better than the Belgian waffle. 

But the cinnamon apple slices are perfect. 

When we went to get off the ship, they were in the process of repositioning the gangway, so I took those few minutes and wandered over to the International Cafe. We haven’t eaten there at all yet, but I’m going to have to change that. I’m not a pastry or of donut-type person (except for Christmas stollen!), but they feature an avocado toast and a grilled veggie sandwich that look really good. Chia puddings, too, that I’m sure are made with cow’s milk. 

I finally made it to the International Cafe… not to eat but to photograph. 

 

We eventually made it off the ship and walked first to the Klondike Goldrush National Historic Monument Visitor Center where we watched the video that wasn’t running two years ago during COVID and walked through the museum. 150,000 men came to Skagway to search for gold, and so many of them were caught unprepared that the government started requiring them to have a year’s worth of food and supplies. They had to haul 2000 pounds of supplies over White Pass, taking as many as 50 trips to do so. 

We walked about six blocks up Broadway and over to the Skagway Museum, housed in a former Methodist Church and school intended to get the 300 women off the streets of Skagway. It didn’t open until 1pm on Sunday, so we’ll have to check it next cruise. 

The Sapphire Princess was berthed at the south end of Broadway right in town. 

Very convenient for exploring Skagway. 

Looking north from the ship up Broadway. 

We were getting hungry and decided to return to the ship, planning to further explore after lunch, but we never did get off the ship again. Instead of pizza, today we decided to have burgers, a rare treat for me. It was delicious (I skipped the French fries). I remember when we used to dive while on cruises, we would return to the ship carrying our gear, go directly to the Lido Deck and eat a hamburger in the hot sun. We’d be cold and hungry and that satisfied on both counts. I continue to try the different Alaskan beers but may have gotten through them all (three) now. I will have to ask around the different bars. 

Lunch at the Trident Grill on Deck 14 midship.

 It was a hard choice between a burger and the street tacos but that’s why we stay on for two cruises. 

I know from experience that the veggie burger is no bueno. 

 

I allow myself one hamburger per calendar year.

The last one was in November 2022. 

This is 2023’s. It was worth the wait. 

🙂

Today’s Alaskan beer, an IPA. 

I thought it was pretty good but I really just wanted the can. 

So far the Alaskan White has been my favorite. 

Purely for the pic, I got a Donatello ice cream dessert today while there was no line. 

I am lactose intolerant and don’t like mixed flavors and textures at all (obviously not the target audience)

 but I picked out the two small pieces of key lime bar in it and left the rest. 

Our view at lunch on the Lido Deck. 

Another beautiful weather day. 

After we were fed, we got sleepy, and headed back to what we consider “our” balcony, the area just below the Terrace Deck where there are two double loungers. Something about them puts us right to sleep. We need one of those loungers for our deck!  It was warm and toasty in the sun, but became increasingly windy. 

We napped under this loudly snapping flag. 

That’s some kind of tired. Or relaxed. Or both. 

We were showered and at dinner by 5:15pm, not particularly hungry after a burger at 1pm. But I choose two excellent items and skipped dessert (and even forgot to scan the separate dessert menu for the blog). 

Wild Mixed Greens

Cauliflower steak, one of the best things I’ve ever had on Princess. 

Another fabulous day

We checked out Puppies in the Piazza after dinner. The 3 month old  pups clearly did not want to be there. Not sure how I feel about this one. They say the socialization is important and a learning experience for the pups, but they had just spent a hour in the crew bar being socialized, and I wonder how much is too much. 

Tonight’s Princess Thester entertainment was production show Do You Wanna Dance. I picked up an Elderflower Paloma en route at the Wheelhouse (delish) and, even though we could probably dance that show ourselves we’ve seen it so many times, we really enjoyed it.  The Thai dancing always reminds me of Suttipong, Surasit and Nikorn’s Thai dance in the Crew Talent Show on the Emerald Princess. I miss those guys, but we are still in touch after more than ten years!

Walking across the Promenade Deck from the front of the ship to the back, the sun was shining just right at 8:30pm to take a pic of the view and the rock slide. They’ve tried to stabilize it with nets but I can’t imagine that pier ever being able to be re-opened. It’s just going to continue to erode. It’s a lucky thing no one was seriously injured when it happened. 

We have really enjoyed party band Gravity, and went to the 70s night party in Club Fusion. They are fantastic; don’t miss this party if you’ll be on the ship anytime soon.  And by 10pm our day was done. We will be picking up the Glacier Bay National Patk rangers at 6am tomorrow. It will be an early day, but at least the scenery will come to us. That’s my favorite kind of cruise day!

Source:  Princess Cruises

Source:  Princess Cruises

Source:  Princess Cruises

Source:  Princess Cruises