We had the BEST day today! Part of it was being in sunny (this afternoon) Ketchikan, which is always a real treat. Part of it was our beautiful sail away right around sunset at 9:30pm. And a lot of it is that we are now settled and very content with our dining situation. We are people who like looking forward to the same private table and waiters every evening, and are willing to go to dinner promptly at 5pm to get that. It’s huge part of cruising for us.
Even better, I made it to breakfast in Botticelli for the first time this cruise. The menu format has changed slightly from when we cruised last fall on the Regal, but the options appear to be the same. From this point forward, I’ll just be posting pics of the specials, which do change daily, and not the rest of the menu. (I simply had smoked salmon and fruit, so no pics of that, either).
It was largely overcast in Ketchikan this morning, with clearing expected throughout the day, so after breakfast we decamped to Skywalkers, where we had a Verizon signal and could also watch the arrival of the Coral Princess at Berth 1 and a small HAL ship at Berth 2. The Ruby was at Berth 3 and the Caribbean Princess was already at Berth 4 when we arrived. It’s summer in Alaska!
As expected, I had no trouble uploading pics to my blog posts using Verizon, which might mean that Princess is, for some reason, blocking blogger photo uploads. If that’s the case, it’s disappointing to pay $495 for WiFi and be restricted while influencers can post hundreds of selfies to the Gram showing off their cruise attire. I may talk with the internet person on board to see if I can learn anything. Or maybe I’ll just take the easy route and upload pics when I can. As I told a friend a couple of days ago, when I was blogging to let Mom know we were safe and doing well, I disciplined myself into posting every night. Now I’m a lot more laid back.
The snow on the mountains above Ketchikan was beautiful.
We stopped into the buffet for the first time and had a few nibbles before we left the ship. The furniture was new since I was last on the Ruby, but the rest of the layout looked familiar. We’ve probably sailed two full years (more for G) on the Ruby and its twin sister ship the Emerald, so the ship is extremely familiar but it felt completely different during our three months in the South Pacific and Australia than it does here in Alaska.
And, before I again forget to mention it (because I’ve been meaning to for three days), there has been HUGE improvement in the smoke pouring out of the casino. When I was on the ship in 2022 (for four miserable days…), I was appalled at the smoke from the casino in the Piazza and mid ship elevators. It choked the breath right out of me. I had last been on the ship in Australia where the inside of the ship is a non smoking area, and wasn’t expecting that. Frankly, it made me a little reluctant to book this cruise (but, again, this itinerary…). I don’t know what has changed, but something has. Casino smoke has not been an issue at all thus far. Knock on wood (en craps table) that it lasts.
The sun was out in force when we finally walked off the ship about noon. I had one goal in mind, to find salmon jerky, and G is always in search of Mountain Dew. We quickly accomplished both errands, walked around a bit more (we had forgotten our National parks pass on the ship and didn’t bother to walk back to the ship to retrieve it, so we skipped the Discovery Center) and finally made our way back to a bar on the water by Berth 3 when we found some medical staff and officers from the Coral Princess doing some light celebrating and were swept up in their fun.
For the record, it was about 61F, and I wore a fleece jacket, my new Goretex jacket (finally a new one after 24 years!) and had my wool headband around my neck in case I needed it over my ears (I didn’t).
We returned to the ship in time for the PES Lounge, where they had candied ginger in the little buffet. Candied ginger! What I would have given for some of that a day or two ago! They do a really extensive nibbly display in the PES Lounge on the Ruby and it is one of G’s favorite things on the ship. He generally gets a glass of wine and I get a Perrier and happiness reigns.
It’s nice to be met with big smiles from Errol and Haifa when we arrive at our table (!) in Michelangelo. I don’t think I mentioned yesterday that the couple at the table for two next to us knew G from his Ruby Princess cruises in 2022. He had been in the top three on one of those cruises and invited them to be his guests for the Captains Circle party. What are the odds of being seated next to them three years later?
Actually, higher than you’d think. There appear to be a LOT of people on the Ruby who just do these cruises over and over again because they want to cruise but they don’t want to fly. I always felt at a bit of a disadvantage because we have to fly to every cruise, but, in a way, that’s an advantage, because, as a result, our options are limitless.
Your daily weather report.How’s that for Ketchikan weather?
Fish soup- very good
Fish soup- very good
Of course
Panko breaded cod
It was pretty good, not especially memorable.
The sauce was excellent.
We don’t order dessert, so I don’t usually even look at the menu, but got this from our neighbor. I’ll try to remember going forward.
Vocalist Trenyce (sounds like Denise) did a Diana Ross/Whitney Houston tribute.
It was a great performance!
After the Princess Theater show, we went up to Skywalkers for our 9pm sailway. Honestly, regardless of what else this cruise brings, I think that this may have been the best part. I can’t imagine topping the glow on the mountains surrounding Ketchikan as the sun set off the bow of the ship, and then seeing the huge moon slowly appear and rise higher in the sky that never turned completely dark as long as we stayed there.
Taken through Skywalkers tinted glass…
…as was this one
I finally braved the cold to step out behind Skywalkers and take this pic, and G let me back in that door that locks behind you if you leave
