We had breakfast in the dining room before we headed off the ship. I tried the vegetable frittata for the first time, and it’s good, but my favorite remains the veggie scramble. We had only been in Sitka once before, on our very first cruise, in August 1997. On that cruise we tendered into port; I remember it vividly because I had no idea what it meant to tender (we had booked that cruise only three days ahead of time, too, and that was in the pre-“everything you need to know about cruising is on the internet” days.) The downside was that we had to tender into Sitka. The upside is that the tenders deposited us right in the heart of the town.
Since then, a new pier has been built at the freight port that will accommodate cruise ships. Certainly it’s easier to go ashore, but requires large shuttle buses to take guests about the 6 miles into town. These buses run every 15 minutes or so and are free, but here’s the thing: even the ship shore excursions meet in town. We waited two buses on the way to town, so nearly 30 minutes, and even longer to return. There is a roof over the waiting area in the port, but not in town, and it was raining.
I discovered this morning that I could change the settings on my iPhone and get data coverage through T-Mobile’s domestic data roaming program. This was huge. I immediately made some corrections and added some pics to my blog posts to date, called Mom, texted friends…it was very slow but it worked.
Until it didn’t. Before we even left port, I received a text from T-Mobile saying I had nearly exhausted my 200MB per billing period domestic data roaming limit. Well, it was nice while it lasted. I had not turned off automatic updates before I turned it on, which is something I do every time we leave the country. But I didn’t think of that today, so it was backing up the photos I’d taken since we left home, burning through data while it did. I will save the data I have left for things like emails and checking financial stuff until we get off the ship on Saturday. And blog posts will probably have to wait until then too. I should be used to these issues, but, after 18 months or ubiquitous coverage and 500Mbps download speed at home, the struggle is real.
Once in town, the rain picked up, and we could immediately see that getting back to the ship was going to be a process. We walked around a bit but didn’t even take photos due to the rain, and then walked back to the bus stop to begin our wait in line. At that point, we got very lucky. G, who talks to everyone, struck up a conversation with a local lady who works for Sitka tourism. She is of the Tlingit tribe, and, for the 40 minutes or so that we waited in line in the rain, she stood right with us telling us about her family’s history and the tribe and the four clans in the tribe, and the fact that some people are Raptors and others Eagles and there are two other clans, too. Traditionally, the clans were required to intermarry. To do otherwise was considered to be like marrying a relative, whether they actually were or not.
She used her hand in a fist shape to mimic an Alaska map and showed us where the different Alaskan tribes are located on the “map”. We discussed the steps that are being taken to save the language, because we know from our travels in Polynesia that if you lose the language, you lose the culture. And it was all really fascinating and like having our own little tour. And she was such a sport to stand there with us, dripping with rain, though I suspect that’s not the first time she’s done that.
By the time we returned to the ship, anything not covered by a waterproof jacket was pretty wet. We dried off best we could, and went to the buffet while it was still serving lunch. Interestingly, when I got two plates of food for us in the hot section of the buffet at lunch, I was told to use a paper towel to hold the plates. A cook there told me that the CDC just sent out a new requirement that the temperature of dishwasher water be raised by 20°. Those plates are darn near sterilized. I can tell, without even seeing the news, that things aren’t improving on the COVID front. Again I say I’m glad we’re cruising now.
Buffet lunch menu
Water streamed down the windows the entire time we were in there; this was our first kind of all day crappy weather day. G spent the afternoon in a hot tub in the covered Lido Pool area while I read in a lounger nearby (I didn’t want to have to shower twice in one day, so I skipped the hot tub). I got a bit nervous when he was joined by three others in the hot tub and tossed him a mask to wear. We both agree that it is a welcome thing, when we return to our cabin, to strip off our masks and throw them on the coffee table. I feel badly for the crew who is wearing theirs at least 10 hours a day and for everyone else in any job that requires the same. I would be feeling pretty grumpy about half way through that.
When we went to dinner tonight, waiter Karma (aka Good Karma) gifted us with a peacock origami he had made last night from a beer can. We were so touched by his thoughtfulness. He said he makes it for his very favorite guests (awwww) but hadn’t made one in about two years because of the No Sail order. He also said it’s a common skill in Bali, where he is from. It reminded me of the artwork that Suttipong (remember him?) made for us after our second winter together, out of soda cans, and Surasit claimed some of the credit because he drank the soda. 😆. We get very close to some of our waiters -they more than any other single crew member really affect our vacation- and still stay in touch with many of them (including Sutti and Surasit).
G is loving the quality and quantity of the steaks that he is getting on the Nieuw Amsterdam. I have eaten mostly salmon for dinner, but am enjoying the vegetarian and vegan options available for breakfast and lunch. I have to admit the food isn’t quite to the standard we had on this ship eight years ago, which was among the very best cruise food we’ve ever enjoyed, but it is still very good. What has really improved use the friendliness of the service. Holland America crew interactions always felt a bit formal and stilted to me, but no longer. It’s been a much more comfortable experience for us. We’re loving it.
Dining room dinner menu p. 1
Dining room dinner menu, p. 2
Buffet dinner menu
The entertainment in MainStage tonight was a BBC Earth-Holland America collaborative documentary film about a year in Alaska, accompanied by the musicians who usually perform in Lincoln Center Stage (cello, viola, violin and piano). It reminded me of when we saw Amadeus at the Sydney Opera House accompanied by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. It was fresh and different and those guests who enjoy that kind of music (us) were thrilled. Afterward we walked around the ship listening to some of the other musical options. G wants desperately to make it to one of the nightly (we think) comedy shows, but we have to learn to sleep in a bit if we’re going to stay up for that.
Day 5 When and Where
