Day 3: At Sea

Wow. What a day. What a great, great day.  This one was special from start to finish with my favorite cruise ship entree, my new favorite cruise ship drink and dancing to some of my favorite songs played by party band Gravity at the Captain’s Champagne Waterfall. 

I haven’t yet mentioned that the mattresses in our cabin are- THANK YOU Princess- simply perfect. There is no small amount of dread when I step on a ship because I’ve had some truly awful ones (too soft), but this one? Perfection. And the Sapphire was so stable last night that we slept well and made up some of that deficit sleep GPA. 

Passing another island while we slept.  

G was up at 5am and snuck out of the cabin for his usual morning walk around the ship. I was about an hour behind him and took a minute to check the internet speed at that time. 

Onboard WiFi speed at 6am using speed testing app Meteor

I have to chuckle; upload speed is AWESOME…

…which must make our upload speed at home even AWESOMER!

Still, at 6am I could stream video, but did have some latency with fast forwards and reverses. But publishing a blog and uploading pics with this unlimited WiFi is night and day different from being on the Pacific Princess in French Polynesia or the Majestic in Australia pre-COVID.  Smoke signals there would have been easier and more effective. 

We had already decided to meet for breakfast at 7:30am, but I thought I’d check out the juice bar included in the drink package on the way. I left the cabin, started down the hall and saw G heading my way. He was carrying a fresh juice for me made with watermelon, grapes, cantaloupe and carrots, called The Antioxident. After 40 years, he knows what I like!!

On our way to breakfast, I spotted the officers board on Deck 7. I was so sad to see that HGM Fernando is no longer on board.  I hope we’ll see him again soon.

Senior officers on the Sapphire Princess

Captain Todd McCain is new to us, but he gives the most personal and calming announcements from the navigational bridge. They’re kind of like listening to a mediation app. Yesterday’s announcement at sail away from Vancouver involved acknowledging that many of us had had a very long travel day, but assured us that we are here now, so just relax and let the ship’s company take care of us. Today’s noon announcement had a similar effect. 

G was notified that he was this cruise’s most traveled guest (MTG), and that honor brings with it the perk of having breakfast in specialty restaurant Sabatinis. As his designated “hanger on”, I get to go, too! This is, without a doubt, our favorite MTG perk. I may have even done a little happy dance when I found out about it yesterday. We were at Sabatini’s when it opened at 7:30am (7am on port days), and were immediately enveloped in the incredible service that makes that experience so special. With our table for two overlooking The Promenade Deck and an ocean view, this really is as good as it gets. 

I blame friend Craig from our Emerald Princess Panama Canal cruise for introducing us to the brioche French toast in Sabatini’s, because that stuff is as addictive as drugs.  Totally lacking in nutrition, of course, so I ate only half of it and followed it up with a fruit plate. 

Brioche French toast and a mimosa

What a way to start a day. 

Our view at breakfast 

Our location at breakfast 

After breakfast, I wanted to see for myself where the juice bar was located, so we headed up to Deck 14. 

The juice bar is located in Scoops, Deck 14 midship starboard side between the two pools. 

Darling Sonu from India greeted G by name and asked how I had enjoyed my watermelon juice.

Judith from the Philippines preparing my Booster. 

I was really happy to see that these are real fresh squeezed juices and not concentrates. 

I was even happier that I didn’t have to prep the ingredients nor clean the juicer. 

Without a doubt the best part of Princess Plus. 

Delish!

G was interested in the naturalist’s lecture starting at 9am in the Princess Theater, but I am trying to limit my time around large groups of people. Besides, I really hoped the lecture would eventually be found in our cabin TV (so far I haven’t found it). Instead I went into the covered Calypso Pool area to enjoy my juice and listen to music on my AirPods. Pure bliss!

I enjoyed my juice in the covered Calypso Pool area…

…but had to move quickly when the nearby hot tub became a 

dancing water feature as crew was repairing it. 😆

G found me still in that area when he returned from the lecture. We took the midship stairs down a deck, turned down our corridor and ran right into…Awesome Ambrish! OMG, regardless of how much we enjoy the rest of this cruise, seeing Ambrish again will undoubtedly be the highlight. Awesome Ambrish from India was our steward on the Emerald Princess from January to March 2016. Along with Cristian from Romania, he provided absolutely the pinnacle of service, and always with a smile and the most infectious laugh imaginable. Huge hugs, and, honestly, it’s like having family on board. He remembered that we had been up at the pool at 6am the morning he had his swimming test to support him, as he was so nervous, and might have suggested that we were among his most favorite guests ever. Same, Ambrish. We feel the same. We saw pics of his family (a brand new baby boy!),  talked about how he got through COVID, and vowed to always use the mid ship stairs and elevators just to run into him as often as possible. Pure joy. 

Our son from another mother. 💙

It was warm enough to sit out in the sun on the Terrace Deck…at least for us. It was kind of funny today. I could tell where passengers were from based on how they were dressed. Those of us from cold weather locations wore shorts and Ts and maybe a sweatshirt or fleece. Those from the South were dressed in puffy jackets. Hey, when it’s in the 40s at home and sunny, we’re wearing shorts and sweatshirts. Today, in the high 50s and 60s, was downright balmy. 

Restaurant Manager Valentin from Romania had showed me the lunch menu for today at dinner last night. Just as I had hoped and dreamed, Chicken Korma was on the menu. This lunch was worth the entire cruise and I thank friend Steve for getting me hooked on it years ago. By the time all the condiments are added to it, it is a feast, and a starter and dessert are definitely not necessary. I chose a rosé to go with it. 

The galley gods were smiling on me.

Chicken Korma. 

I would take this cruise for this meal alone. 

I finally made it to the Terrace Pool after lunch. G said the water was warm enough early this morning to have a mist above the pool, and it was definitely comfortable. I did a water workout and then joined G in one of the big hot tubs on the back of Deck 16. I remember so well Sheila and I sitting in one of them reading magazines as we went around the southern end of New Zealand in 2004. It was cold then, and raining and we were the only people out there. 

It was then time for a short rest before getting cleaned up for the first formal night of the cruise. We could have skipped dinner altogether, as we were really quite full from lunch but that is not what cruising is all about.

Crab cake

Halibut

Our location about 5:30pm

G’s birthday had been last week, and we celebrated it tonight at dinner. Chandra brought his guitar and everyone sang happy birthday and it was very special. We had a bite each of the chocolate birthday cake that is served, and were in Crooners by 6:30pm for the Captain’s Champagne waterfall. Except, with the Princess Plus package, we didn’t have to drink that engine room “champagne” and I had a raspberry Baileys instead. 

The Princess crew members make this cruise line!

This was captured from a video I will not attempt to upload. The WiFi is awesome, not awesome-er like  at home. 

Party band Gravity at the Captains Champagne Waterfall.

Fantastic!

G making friends at Crooners while my new fav Raspberry Baileys is shaken. 

Production show Bravo started at 7:30pm in the Princess Theater, and, once again, seats were still available right up until the show started. This is certainly a different experience than on cruises in the Caribbean and long cruises that attract well traveled cruisesrs. It’s much more laid back. The show was great, and Barbie McCullough is in again in the role of the soprano. 

We went again to Crooners via that beautiful Promenade Deck and listened to party band Gravity playing in the Piazza, and all of us there were well entertained by perhaps twenty whales spouting and breaching off the starboard side of the ship. There was a sailboat a short distance away and another cruise ship in front of us, and there must have been something about us all that either the whales or fish found exciting (which, in turn, excites the whales). They put on a show for at least twenty minutes, and it was like watching fireworks. 

We returned to the Pacific Moon Dining Room just before it closed at 9pm for coffee and dessert, then walked across the Promenade Deck to watch the sunset. I love these long days in Alaska. They remind me of the long days around the South Island of New Zealand in December. 

Thankfully, we move clocks back an hour tonight, because G has to meet on the pier tomorrow in Ketchikan at 6:15am for his salmon fishing trip. I will wave him off and return to bed. 6am port arrivals are not my idea of a vacation. 

And, finally, McGee’s mom sent me this pic while we were at breakfast and it prompted me to remember bandaging one of his early booboos. “BLEED!  I have bleed NeeNee!”  I fervently hoped he wouldn’t have bleed today. 🙏🏼

McGee in the simulator this morning

Instead he texted me at dinner that his jumps were on hold for a couple of days until he gets medical clearance about his knees. As an IC runner, he has a job to do in the sport he loves, and they want to keep him competing for the academy. Again I offered support and sympathy. That’s MY job in all this and I take it very seriously. 

Day 2: Embarkation on the Sapphire Princess

I was awakened this morning at the Pan Pacific Vancouver by my husband setting a decaf espresso on my nightstand, and, darn if that isn’t a wonderful way to start the day. We were able to watch right from our room as the Sapphire Princess backed into its berth on the east side of Canada Place.  G then immediately took off for a morning run- or walk. Probably a walk- giving me an hour to get showered and re-arrange items between my checked bag and my roll aboard. As is my MO with a pre-cruise hotel stay. I like to move toiletries and liquids into the roll aboard so they can be quickly unpacked even before our large suitcases are delivered to our cabin. 

I needn’t have worried. We met up with two wonderful couples from Saskatchewan traveling together before we even got on the ship, and ended up not parting ways until 2pm.  By the time I finally got to our cabin, both of our large suitcases had already been delivered, so everything was unpacked at the same time anyway.  

But backing up…during his morning outing, G scoped out the Canada Place cruise terminal. There were three ships in port today (the Sapphire, the Volendam and (I think) a Regent Seven Seas ship), so we needed to drop the suitcases one place, get checked in for the cruise in another, and go through immigration (back to the US) in a third place. G had it all figured out, and dropped off our large suitcases while I checked out of the hotel (I wanted to make sure a food and dining credit was properly applied). By 11am we had met our new friends and were walking on the ship. Our first stop was the International Cafe for another cup of coffee, then lunch with the others in the International Dining Room at noon where we talked for two more hours. I didn’t realize how much I had missed the social aspects of cruising!

The first of many decaf soy cappuccinos

Our favorite embarkation day lunch menu. 

Avocado and bay shrimp starter

I’m so out of practice. I dug into my salmon before I even took a photo. 

Lunch was accompanied by a Pinot Grigio of unknown origin.  I like wine, and I love good wines, but, really, I’m not that fussy. The Princess Plus package works fine for us. 

Switching devices on MedallionNet WiFi is even easier than when I last cruised. 

Just tap the swap button. 

It was a gorgeous weather day in Vancouver, but, once in our cabin, I stayed on task and unpacked our luggage.  We are in our favorite location on the back of Aloha Deck, and I didn’t realize until today that we are directly across the hall from the cabin my friend Sheila and I shared on our transpacific cruise between Los Angeles and Sydney in the Sapphire’s inaugural season (November 2004). This may be one of Princess’s oldest ships, but there is no doubt in my mind it is now (since The Pacific Princess has been sold) the best. That wide promenade on an Inside Passage itinerary is pure gold. 

G wanted to be in line when the Pacific Moon Dining Room opened at 5pm to try to lock in a window side table for two. I had reserved a table for two at 5pm in Pacific Moon…every single time the app moved us to a shared table (at least 5 times). It became part of my morning routine for two months to check that neither our cabin nor our dining reservation had changed. The cabin never did but Dine My Way is still a mess. Luckily, Director of Restaurant Operations (DRO) Mario Propato walked by as we were standing there, and…well, we are all set. Waiter Chandron from Indonesia and Junior Waiter Simba from India took wonderful care of us tonight. 

Greek salad

Bering seafood stew accompanied by a merlot

Lychee and raspberry mousse

accompanied by a dessert wine

Sailing under Lions Gate Bridge

As is typical with the tables for two that are pretty close together, we ended up chatting with our “next door” neighbors over dinner, but noted that the man dining alone next to them was being very quiet. If you know G, you won’t be surprised that he made a point of going over to him to chat and find out his name. The man then told us that he was widowed last year and this was his first cruise without his wife. He also said we’d see him in the same clothes until at least Ketchikan because his luggage ended up in Hawaii. Then he dropped the bombshell that his insulin had been in his checked luggage and he was having to go without. 

Oh no no no. G immediately held his arm (he is in his 80s) and walked him to Guest Services and asked for someone he knows who works there. He explained the situation and, after the Guest Services rep had called the closed Medical Center and was walking the man down there, G returned to finish his dinner. He confided to me that he had been watching the man and thought something might be wrong because he seemed little out of it. G’s good deed for the day!

It made us a little late getting to the Princess Theater for tonight’s show and we almost skipped it, thinking we’d never get seats,  but we walked in just two minutes before show time (7:30pm) and the theater was nearly empty. Comedy impressionist Dave Burleigh was new to us (a rare thing) and was moderately funny, so that was a home run. It was interesting, before and after to show, to see the names of the islands we were sailing  by (on my Apple Watch). And look at that weather!

We still had some life left in us (flying in a day early was definitely worth it!), and stopped by Crooners for a Baked Alaska martini (me). The views outside the windows just didn’t end, and the long daylight hours made it even better. 

Baked Alaska martini

Our view at 9pm from Crooners

But by 10pm we were tucked in bed, and I continued the increasingly more familiar practice of blogging while half asleep. This is dangerous. Even if I don’t fall sleep mid post and get hit in nose by my falling iPad, I’ll spend scarce little time proofreading before hitting Publish. Some of those typos can be embarrassing!

But a couple more thoughts before I close for the night.  

Cruise friends Rick and Diane from Vancouver deserve this shout out. First, they made sure we had both their mobile numbers in case we needed something or wanted to get together last night (the lack of sleep the night before we left forced us to decline, but we were touched they offered). This morning Rick walked me through how to get between Waterfront Station and Canada Place underground, on surfaces much easier to roll suitcases over.  Then this afternoon he took his darling dog for a walk when we sailed, just to get this pic of our sail away to send to me. I so much appreciate the kindness we were shown!

The Sapphire Princess sailing out of Vancouver Harbour

This is the first cruise I’ve taken in (I think) 20 years where I didn’t have a phone conversation with Mom between boarding the ship and sail away.  She’s a little confused right now, and though she clearly knew last week that we’d be traveling, something set her back, hopefully just temporarily.  When I think back to the number of years she sent us off on our seasons of cruising with a poem, it was definitely a sad reflection. But McGuy came through (as he usually does) and texted me before we sailed to wish us a good trip. He is such a sweetheart. 

And then his brother (also a sweetheart) texted me right after we sailed while we were at dinner to let me know that he’ll be solo jumping out of a plane tomorrow.  

😳  

🫣🫣🫣

When he started the third summer session, he thought he would put this off, afraid he might mess up his knees before cross country season. That made perfect sense to me. Apparently he’s changed his mind and tomorrow is THE day. Oh yeah, I’ll sleep well tonight. 

Cruise friends from years ago are staying in touch. 

Young people I love are pursuing their passions.

Life is moving on, and life is good. 

Day 1: Flying to Vancouver and the Pan Pacific Hotel

Yesterday was busy, busy, busy.  I was at the UPS Store with an Amazon return when it opened at 8:30am and squeezed in nine stops before I returned home about 2pm. We are experiencing the heat wave affecting so much of the country, and yesterday’s high was 99°. On the west facing deck it was 115° last night around 6pm as we were manhandling the deck furniture into the family room, but we didn’t dare leave it outside while we’re gone. We’ve proved over the years that it can withstand winds up to 75mph, but our tornado has left us gun shy.  Everything except the large dining table had to come in, and even that was flipped upside upside down to be less of a sail. 

I was ready to set an alarm for 4am this morning when G announced last night that he was too tired to shower and wanted to wait until this morning.  So I re-set an alarm for 3am. Yikes. In the end, it didn’t matter.  I woke up at 1:30am and that was all the sleep I got last night. To add insult to injury, my sleep tracking app loves to point out that, with just two hours of sleep, my sleep score was “significantly lower” than average. It’s like flunking a test and knowing I have to score really high in the upcoming nights to get my grade point average back up.   

I need a vacation!!

Part of the reason for the sleepless night was the rough few days my mom has had. Yesterday was a text-filled day with my brothers, and at 4pm we were debating whether we should be flying east rather than west today. But as a friend most helpfully pointed out, this may be the way things are for awhile and life has already been on hold too long. Onward! (And Must. Stay. Well. on the Sapphire so I can fly back there after our cruise!)

Our flight to Vancouver this morning was so easy that we momentarily wondered why we had flown in a day early…and then by the time we went through immigration and caught the SkyTrain from the airport to Waterfront Station at Canada Place and pushed our luggage over the rough sidewalks to our hotel, we recalled why we did so. SkyTrain is cheap (less than Cdn $20 for both of us, exit the Arrivals Hall, cross the street and take an elevator up to Level 4, use a credit card with no exchange fee to buy tickets from a kiosk). It’s also easy and kind of fun, but the varied surfaces between Waterfront Station and Canada Place are all difficult. Four wheeled suitcases that glide as if on ice on hard surfaces in the airport drag, tip, and, like a tired dog on a walk, simply refuse to budge at times. When we finally arrived at Canada Place, one of the greeters directing people on where to go to board the Crown Princess, starting its cruise today, told us we were very wise to arrive a day early because the embarkation lines were so long. Yeah, that’s nearly always the case here and is exactly why we flew in today. 

It didn’t hurt that we had a pretty nice reward credit from Hotels.com that we booked just days before they changed (and downgraded) their loyalty program. We’ve gotten a lot of free hotel stays over the years with their “Stay 10 nights, get a night free” program, but it’s now been replaced with a 2% back reward.  We’ll be shopping around next time. But for our last hurrah, we booked the Pan Pacific hotel right at Canada Place, where we’ll board the Sapphire tomorrow. Easy peasy. 

We had picked up a Subway sandwich at Waterfront Station and carried it to the Pan Pacific, intending to check our bags and sit out by the waterfront to enjoy our first food of the day. Imagine our delight (really…it was delightful!) when we were told a 20th floor room was already available at 11am. Luggage got dumped, hands were washed, the sandwich was eaten right there in our room and we were full and napping by noon. We were ten hours into our day and needed to recharge. 

The weather had been a little misty this morning, but the sun was peeking out by mid afternoon. We used the pool and hot tub and G went walking along the waterfront (of course) but my knee was finished for the day so I adjourned to the Coal Harbour Bar in the hotel lobby to get started on that “drinking thing”. He returned in time to watch the Crown Princess sail away (watching ships arrive and sail while on land is quite exciting) and we ended up staying right there for dinner to get started on that “eating thing”.  We loved watching the sea planes taking off and landing.

The lavender was so fragrant. 

Crown Princess at sail away

Lions Gate Bridge

 Note the Chevron refueling boat in the foreground. 

Dinner with a view at the Coal Harbour Bar

We returned to our room to find an anniversary dessert had been delivered. That was a very nice touch, and the staff at the Pan Pacific has been really wonderful, but the property itself is certainly showing its age.  Still, for the location alone, it’s hard to beat. 

At 8pm, it’s time for blog and bed. We’d like to get up tomorrow in time to watch the Sapphire sail in, so, once again, an alarm is set. But at least we’re behind our time zone at home, so it won’t be quite as harsh. I have to improve that sleep score!

Catching up on the past 14 months

If you’ve been reading my blog posts from the very beginning (almost twelve years ago!), you are already aware that this blog is my diary, not a travel guide, and I am known to go off on tangents, especially when it’s been awhile since I last posted. Case in point: this post. If my life at home is not of interest please just skip over this one and pick up on our travel day in Vancouver. But enough people still email me to ask how we’re doing that I would be remiss to not bring those interested up to date on our world. 

When I last left you, I said that I thought I was finally recovering from the illness I picked up on the Ruby Princess. Yeah, that was definitely wishful thinking on my part. It’s true that I was “back among the living”…sort of, and willing myself to get through the days, but the reality is that I remained ill for four months in total.  Summer 2022 for me was a slog fest of appointments with doctors and specialists, and tests and procedures and urgent care and emergency room visits. I had a temperature well over 100° for weeks at a time, a never-ending headache and a nagging cough so pervasive that I couldn’t talk on the phone, and relied on texting to communicate with my husband seated 3 feet away.

Then, in late July, I was also diagnosed with shingles, though my two Shingrex vaccines prevented me from getting as sick as many do from that wicked illness. Simply stated, my body was toast. The consensus of the medical community was that I had long COVID, without ever testing positive. But, in the end, it doesn’t matter what kind of virus I had. I was hella sick, and then, finally, I wasn’t. I really think the anti-viral medication I took for shingles turned everything around, so that added whammy was actually a blessing in disguise. 

But not being actively sick is not the same as being healthy, and the process of rebuilding my stamina took many more months. I *think* I can say that I am finally feeling strong enough to travel again, though a simple trip back to Ohio to see Mom in May was surprisingly draining. It’s key on this trip for me to pace myself and stay well.  Fingers crossed. 

Still, while my world seemed permanently stuck in neutral, life thankfully moved on around me, and I participated as much as I could. G racked up his 35th and 36th Vail Hill Climbs, the first one just three months after having COVID on the Ruby Princess, and again earlier this month. He is simply amazing, and one of the most determined people I know. This year’s course was a 7.8 miles run with 2200 feet of elevation gain, and he completed it with no issues at all. I’m just a smidge proud. 

Not for the faint of heart…or out of shape!

For every email I receive from readers asking how we’re doing, I get two asking for an update about my mom.  My visit with Mom for Mothers Day marked my first time seeing her in almost 20 months, way too long. I adore my visits with her, and have never stopped wishing she lived closer so they could be more frequent. Sadly, less than two weeks after I left her, she had a fall, and celebrated her 92nd birthday in the hospital. She has moved to a different area of her same community to get the additional assistance she needs, hopefully just temporarily, but she is happy and enjoying all the creative activities they offer, so my brothers and I are gratefully relieved about that.  I have another trip planned to see her just a couple of weeks after I return home from the Sapphire Princess.  Must. Stay. Well!!

Mom, on the left with her bestie “Meme”. 

Two of the strongest women I know. 

In the midst of our worries about Mom, our house was in the path an EF-1 tornado that still has us asking, “What the heck was that?”  In the 35 years we’ve lived here, we’ve never experienced a tornado.  In fact, our community doesn’t even have tornado sirens because, as a local official helpfully explained, we don’t have tornadoes. Luckily, the weather apps on our phones notified us just minutes before it hit, but instead of running for the basement, we stood mesmerized and watched out the windows as the roof over one end of our 40 foot deck lifted just enough to blow out a support post, taking out two sections of railing (it’s 9 feet off the ground). And then we watched in disbelief as all of our deck furniture and flower pots blew off the open end of the deck and landed…well, pretty much everywhere. Two weeks after the tornado hit, the neighborhood Facebook pages were still full of posts with lost and found deck furniture and other outdoor items. Fortunately, because we had only 100 mph winds, the majority of the damage was limited to over 15000 downed trees, and lots of fence, deck and roof damage. We went from being Tree City USA to Stump City to Mulch City in the course of a week. It will be several more months before the damage is totally cleaned up, though I’ve grown kind of fond of the mangled detritus of backyard trampolines still littering the sides of roads, offering a modern sculpture kind of aesthetic. 

Despite Mom’s fall and the tornado, June wasn’t a total loss, with a certain basketball team winning the NBA Championship for the first time in franchise history. The Broncos never launched last season, but Title Town still reigns supreme. Our excitement level was off the charts and we loved every minute of that wild ride. 

Finally, you might remember that McGee and McGuy had graduated high school and started college last year. I’ll admit, that was an big adjustment for all of us. Worst was that McGee, at a military service academy, really went to the dark side of the moon for six weeks as he had to give up his phone during basic training. Thus began my daily short letters, encouragements, jokes, and news from home sent by snail mail, which for today’s kids is kind of a new concept.  McGee’s letters back were like bandaids for all of our hearts. He survived what will probably be the hardest year of his life, handling the tough academic load (he took Arabic!) and military challenges while being a three season intercollegiate athlete.

I may have worried constantly about McGee but I found that I missed McGuy even more, because his visits home were so few and far between. He is loading up his academic schedule hoping to get both his bachelor and masters degrees in four years, while earning academic honors all along the way.  I’m just a little proud of these guys, too. After 19 years of togetherness, simply being with both of them at the same time (a rare occurrence now, especially during the academic year) makes my heart so very happy. 

And I’m 5’10”!  

While I was unwilling to set foot on a cruise ship last winter, I encouraged G to take advantage of low solo fares to do “simple” cruising out of US ports. Between his cruises last year and this year, he now has nearly 200 more Princess days than I do, which means that I will never again have a chance of being the most traveled passenger on a cruise ship.😆 I’m glad he didn’t feel he had to stay home just because that’s where I wanted to be, and MedallionNet WiFi allowed him to stay in touch with me all day, every day while he was away. 

And how disinclined was I to cruise?  I specifically remember one December day when it was minus 18F here (it sounds even colder in Celsius, minus 28!) and G phoned me from Grand Cayman where it was 83F, and, hand to heart, my first thought was, “I’m so glad I’m not on that ship!”  I guess that leaves little doubt about how I was feeling a few months ago. Still, I never ruled out an occasional cruise, and am dipping a toe in the water to see if it goes well. 

I’m thankful we traveled as we did for ten years, and I wouldn’t take anything for all those memories, but when the heart is no longer in it, it simply isn’t. I know I’ve said in the past that, as much as I enjoyed extended cruising, our lives basically revolved around getting ready to be away for months at a time and recovering from being gone.  I guess I now need to feel a bit more connected to life at home through volunteer activities and supporting the people I care about however I can. 

I still love reading other cruisers’ blogs (friend Deb is cruising four months without her husband right now, and I’m following her excellent blog daily), and I enjoy watching travel vlogs, but I’ve become fairly selective about which trips I want to take myself. Naturally, the fact that we’ve already seen so much of the world is a big factor. While there are certainly places I’d return to again and again (Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific top the list), I’m a little less willing to spend the money to do expensive repeats. My savings for an Antarctica expedition cruise has been in place for years, but, frankly, after a friend was burned when Vantage Deluxe Ocean travel went bankrupt earlier this year and Crystal Cruises went a similar way, I’m still being extra cautious about having large amounts on deposit with any travel company. We may find ourselves on the Sapphire in Antarctica this winter, a different kind of trip than I was hoping for, but it is one option we are considering. Again, so much depends on how the next two weeks go.

On the Sapphire Princess, I am most looking forward to escaping life’s current stresses, taking in some amazing scenery…and enjoying the drinks and juices that Princess Plus package provides. Oh, and chicken korma. If the galley gods are smiling on me, chicken korma will appear on one lunch menu to take the place of my meal that was interrupted by Medical on the Ruby Princess. 😆 G is counting on bringing me back another salmon from a fishing excursion in Ketchikan.  Simple goals that I hope are successfully met. Let the toe dipping begin!

An anniversary cruise to Alaska

Hello!  Welcome back!  This feels very strange, preparing my blog for a return to cruising. I had to reauthenticate and refamiliarize, and it all feels a bit clunky to me. After all, it’s been 14 months since I’ve even launched the BlogTouch Pro app.  But I am Oh So Happy to finally have a reason to do so. We fly to Vancouver, BC, tomorrow, one day in advance of boarding the Sapphire Princess on Wednesday morning for two back to back cruises to Alaska.

Our chosen itinerary is not new territory for us, but this cruise is noteworthy for two reasons:  1.) it’s an early celebration of our 40th anniversary (which is actually next month, and we’ll be riding a train through the Rocky Mountains on THE day); and 2.) it gets me back on a Princess ship, something that looked pretty questionable for awhile.

We never tire of Alaska cruises. These are our 8th and 9th cruises on similar itineraries. By taking the ship from Vancouver up to Whittier and returning, we double our chances for decent weather in every port, not an insignificant benefit in the rainforest that is the Southeastern Alaska coast. 

We were originally booked to depart a few days earlier on the Majestic Princess, but when it was discussed on Cruise Critic (and again I say thank you to those who pointed me in the right direction) that the larger Royal Class of ships to which the Majestic belongs have to sail on the outside of Vancouver Island instead of the Inside Passage route (much more scenic), I cancelled it and rebooked on the Sapphire Princess. We love the Sapphire, and have done many cruises on the ship in the past. Thankfully, like the Majestic it has a covered pool area, which I consider a necessity on an Alaskan itinerary. 

One more sleep and a 5am pick up are all that stand between me and my first real vacation since October 2021. I am so ready for this!.