Day 10: Scenic Cruising Hubbard Glacier

I have to start out with this; otherwise I’ll forget to mention it. I sent laundry Sitka evening, with everything I’d worn in port for four days. I was hopeful I’d get it back before we got to Valdez (my first submission took 36 hours), but had enough to get me through Valdez if I didn’t. I was shocked when we returned to the cabin last night and it was all there, 24 hours later. I haven’t seen that kind of laundry turnaround in 15 years or so.  Nestor told me this morning the washing machines are all fixed again. Apparently!

Sometime during the early hours of morning (2:15am?) there was an announcement made in all the cabins about an incident in the incinerator room. This isn’t the first time we’ve had one of these middle of the night incinerator announcements. In fact, on one ship (the one with Awesome Ambrish as our steward) the crew was called to their muster stations. This time, no muster stations were involved. There were two or three more announcements, these by Captain Forteeze and in the first one he sounded like his deep sleep had been interrupted too. Eventually there was a stand down announcement and that was the end of it. I think I actually fell asleep between the announcements so I have no idea how long it all lasted. 

Still, I was up early this morning for Hubbard Glacier viewing. We weren’t quite at the glacier yet, so I headed to Botticelli for breakfast. It wasn’t at all full. I think most people were either on their balconies or on the open decks. I ordered an egg beater veggie omelet made with less fat and, frankly, it was swimming in grease. It was the first thing onboard that I truly couldn’t eat. The one I had in the buffet yesterday was perfect. So breakfast was a double order of orange segments, not a bad thing. 

I then decamped to the Promenade Deck. It was sunny and not as chilly, or at least it wasn’t wet. I can handle cold but not wet cold, and today felt far more comfortable than the past two days. 

Hubbard Glacier looked much the same as it did in 2023; with lots of bergy bits in the water, the bridge got us as close as they could. Some guests were disembarked into a local boat for an excursion that got them much closer. It’s pricey (I heard $525pp, but that’s unconfirmed), but if close is important to you, that’s the way to get there.  Some interesting facts about the glacier:  the front of the glacier that is visible from the ship is 350 feet high above the water line and 250 feet below the water line, and it originates 76 miles away. 

I stayed on the Promenade Deck for quite a while (so you know it was pleasant out there), me taking photos with my humble iPhone 15 Pro standing next to someone who needed a crane to hold up his telephoto lens (memories of our Tongariki sunrise experience on Easter Island). Eventually G texted that he was up and moving and we met on the Lido Deck while he enjoyed his first burger of the cruise (and he snagged hot chocolates for each of us to enjoy while he ate). 

And then there’s me with my iPhone held high above my head, unable to clearly see what I am even taking a photo of. 😉

It was nearly noon by then, and I wanted soup, so I uttered those immortal cruise words, “Hurry up and finish eating so we can go to lunch”. Always, every cruise, at least once. 😂

We went to Botticelli (lentil soup today, and roasted cauliflower, too), then took advantage of the sun to sit on the Terrace Deck until we finally got chilled (but it took longer in today’s sun). Then it was back to the cabin to warm up and get ready for the evening.

Roasted cauliflower (but really steamed, I suspect)

Lentil soup…so good!

Throughout the day we researched what to do tomorrow in Valdez. Nothing is standing out, so we’ll either simply walk around (and maybe find a place selling contact lens solution. My new case uses more than my usual one would), or find someone in port selling tours.

The afternoon turned a bit bumpier, at least on the back of the ship, as we left protected water and entered the Gulf of Alaska. I was not bothered this time, but G was a little. We know from years of cruising that pitching (front to back) bothers me, while rolling (side to side) is his kryptonite. 

Our first production show, Colors of the World, was supposed to be shown at 4:30pm, 7:30pm and 9:30pm, and we went to the Princess Theater at 4pm to get a seat for the 4:30pm show, but there was a technical issue and it was never even started. At 4:45pm we gave up, and went to Michelangelo for dinner. It was nice to return to our usual table for two tonight, and our next-door tablemates. They had taken the small boat excursion today and told us all about it. It sounded great…but $525. Yikes. Dinner for me was a piece of salmon and rumbledethumps, British comfort food at its best. I then ordered flourless chocolate cake, and, oh Princess, what have you done to that formerly decadent dessert?  

Rumbledethumps 

I removed the cheese on top and enjoyed the mashed potatoes and cabbage underneath. 

I ate the whipped cream. 

That is all. 

It used to be one of my favorite desserts. 

And chocolate with fruit?  Just no. 

The technical issue was fixed for the later production shows, so we returned to the Princess Theater at 6:30pm for the 7:30pm show. We were happy to see it, but it only lasted 30 minutes. That’s a lot of collective sitting and waiting for a 30 minute show.  However, free champagne was handed out to alleviate any whinging. Get them drunk, keep them happy I guess. 

We were SRO for Tom Franck’s 8:30pm Explorers Lounge show and then caught the last of the Domino Duo’s set in Club Fusion. I was well ready for sleep after my early wake up, but we first went up to Skywalkers to catch the very last of the sun before it slipped behind a cloud bank. It had been another relaxed day at sea. 

Day 9: Scenic Cruising Glacier Bay National Park

Before I get started talking about our fantastic day, I have to comment that we are, today, only one week into this 3+ week cruise. Less than 1/3 the way!  This has been a great experience so far, in large part because of this unique itinerary. We are so very glad we took this cruise, and equally glad that our flowers at home haven’t been flattened by hail in our absence…yet. It really was a concern buying them, planting them and leaving them, not being home to cover them in case of a severe storm. Some years we’re covering them nearly daily; others never. So far so good. We also can run our sprinkler system from our iPhones, and so can check on the rain situation before we manually start the various lawn and soaker zones. Again, no regrets. 🤞🏼

Back to today. We arrived early in Glacier Bay National Park to the expected rain, which was a disappointment but it’s actually more the norm. The shorts and T-shirt weather we wore in Glacier Bay two weeks in a row in 2023 were a lucky fluke (though admittedly allowed for better pics). Our focus today then was more on taking in the experience and looking for wildlife more than running all around the ship for pics, though G did brave the rain more than I did. They actually closed off the stairs on the outside back of the ship because they were so slippery and unsafe. 

We ensconced ourselves a banquette in the buffet, not against a window but we could walk over and get a closer view when warranted. These “cheap seats” provided comfortable seating and close proximity to the hot beverages. G had already scoped out Skywalkers, but it was packed solid; the rangers had set up their displays up there and people were already lined up against the windows. 

Once we left the Marjerie Glacier, we went down to the Promenade Deck for a few more pics, and it was only then that it started to clear a bit. (By evening it was sunny and beautiful, though still quite chilly). That gave me hope for better weather tomorrow at Hubbard Glacier. 

We went to lunch in Botticelli where we had a private (really private!!!) table for two next to a huge window and that was certainly well timed as we continued to sail out of the park. It was the Pub Lunch menu, and I had the pea soup (always with the soup on this cruise!) and chicken curry. Both were quite good. 

Best table in the house!

By 1pm or so we were in largely open water, and our early wake up caught up with us. We spent the afternoon in the cabin, resting and staying warm (the MUTS blanket Nestor brought me on the first day has become a permanent part of my anatomy. Time to trade it in for a clean one). We had plans for dinner, and skipped the PES Lounge, instead meeting G’s friend from 2022, Nona, for dinner in Michelangelo. Restaurant Manager Alexander was kind to find us a nice table for four near window and we enjoyed a companionable dinner. 

Veggie korma

Tastes a lot better than it looks!

The Princess Theater entertainment tonight was a couple who played the guitar and sang duets through the decades. Annalyse and Ryan were fantastic entertainers (she sounded just like Dolly Parton) and put on quite a show. A plus:  we had never seen them before. It’s always nice to be pleasantly surprised. 

It was still light and beautiful when we walked across the Promenade to the back of the ship afterward. Tomorrow is another early morning, so we retired early, but the sunset off the bow of the ship was perfectly captured on the bridge cam and we enjoyed it from the comfort of our bed. 

Day 8: Sitka

Though it wasn’t yet raining when the Ruby Princess arrived in Sitka this morning, we knew it was coming. Luckily, our plans, made back in April, could work with that. We first went to breakfast in Botticelli, and then walked the ship about 9:30am. We were in port today with the Norwegian Joy, so things on land felt considerably different than they had the past two days (when we were the only ship in not-so-touristy ports). 

When word went around our Cruise Critic roll call that we could reserve (no charge) bus transfers to travel the 5 miles into Sitka proper, I noticed on the website that they now had a few more opportunities for things to see and do right at the port terminal area. Having been to Sitka a few times in the past (in fact, on our first cruise in 1997, when we had no idea what a tender even was), we have certainly walked around the town and seen what there is to see there. Something different sounded interesting. 

I made reservations for us at the Alaska Odyssey Dome to view a 45-minute video on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and then another on the wildlife local to Sitka. These were shown on a screen that had about a 180° viewing area, and the aerial shots were simply breathtaking. There was lots of video on the northern lights (my favorite), and some of the views were definitely tummy turning. 

Mama and baby musk ox

After a short break, a handler from the Alaska Raptor Center came onstage with an 8-year old female eagle named Spirit. Spirit had been struck by a car when she was young (going for easy prey…roadkill) and is blind in one eye with a traumatic brain injury (she can’t stick her landings). So she will be a resident of the Alaska Raptor Center for the rest of her life, which could be as long as 40 years. 

We paid $82 total for both movies and the Alaska Raptor experience (part of the money is used to support their efforts). It was well worth it.

https://www.sitkadock.com/

Majestic Spirit

It was raining by the time we left the theater and that scuttled our plans to have a crab lunch at a restaurant in the terminal area. We had hoped for a nice day and to be able to dine outside. Instead we returned to the ship, and it took me several hours to warm up. This was the first time I had been truly cold since we left home (I needed to be wearing the base layer I packed for glacier viewing, but wasn’t). 

We sat in the buffet where I drank another three cups of orange spice tea (I’ve lost count of how many I’ve had on this cruise) and had soup and for once skipped watermelon because I was too chilly. 

I’m not sure today was the day for watersports activities!

I think I would have paid to NOT have to go. 

We went to the PES Lounge where the ship’s officers are making a real effort to walk around and chat with guests each evening. It’s nice!  Desmond, the IT manager, had the misfortune of introducing himself to me, and I asked if he had a couple of minutes to chat. He did, and I told him my issues with uploading pics to this blog using the BlogTouch app that has worked on every ship we’ve been on. In over ten years He is checking into it, but I’m not especially hopefull it will get resolved. But I did point out to him that it worked fine when I was previously on the Ruby Princess. 

I’m getting lots of roses on this cruise!❤️❤️

The Princess Theater entertainment tonight was piano entertainer Tom Franek. His name sounded familiar and I searched my blog. Sure enough, he was on our Pacific Princess cruise in 2015. Funny…this guy was harious, and we enjoyed his first show so much that after we did some line dancing with the party band in the Piazza, we returned for his second. 

I don’t know whether to be more impressed by his piano skills or his fitness level!