The typical Southeastern Alaska rainforest weather finally caught up with us today. It made for a wet day in Ketchikan but not an abysmally cold one. Still, it put an end to my plans for the day and had G fishing for salmon (yes, again!) in the rain, wind and rough water. Such is life.
Our first glimpse of today’s weather on the bridge webcam
The Sapphire Princess wasn’t arriving in Ketchikan until 9am or so, and it was nice change from our 6am arrival on the north bound cruise. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in Sabatini’s before returning to the cabin for G to finally layer on all the clothes he’d brought from home but hadn’t yet needed.
G had a 11:15am meeting time on the pier for his excursion. I had planned to do some sightseeing on my own today, but there was nothing I needed to see badly enough to put up with the driving rain and wind. I settled in for another day the ship.
And it did rain all. day. long. Just between us, I love these kind of days. They are a rare treat at home, and leave me feeling so very cozy. But G left me with some assignments on his way off the ship: exchange our Elite mini bar items (two cruise’s worth) for something transportable; and activate prescriptions which had been sent to our local Air Force base pharmacy to be picked up when we got home.
These are so not a few of my favorite things.
Calling Room Service was actually painless, and giving an accounting of what we were returning and wanted in exchange not too onerous. But I really wish there was a better way to handle the minibars with the drink package.
Calling the Air Force pharmacy, as expected, took forever. As in over an hour. Still, I was able to be in the cabin when the minibar was exchanged, sorted through disembarkation paperwork, completed our Canadian Declarations form and delivered it to Guest Services, all while I was on hold. At least their hold music is classical and not grating. And the price for the meds (free) is definitely right.
The reason Apple AirPods were invented.
My tasks for the day complete, I wandered down to the International Cafe to have my first meal of the cruise there. Given today’s weather, I chose soup and a cappuccino and enjoyed it sitting in the Piazza.
International Cafe lunch offerings
It was a soup and coffee kind of day.
At 1:55pm I was getting nervous. All I got gotten from G was a photo of a too small king salmon that had to be returned to the sea. I knew that the rain would make fishing rough, but hoped he’d have something to show for his efforts.
King salmon that was thrown back
But, finally, I got the pic (and the smile) I’d been hoping for.
Looks like dinner!
It started getting late, and I got cleaned up for the evening to free up the shower for G when he eventually returned. And he did, after 4pm, drenched and dripping and really fairly miserable. It had not been the same kind of day he’d enjoyed three previous times on this excursion. And, because of his later return to the ship, the salmon would not be cooked and presented in the dining room until tomorrow’s dinner.
A long, hot shower went a long way toward restoring him for the evening. We watched from our dinner table as passengers battled rain and umbrella-wrecking wind as they returned to the ship.
Tomato and basil bruschetta
My favorite cauliflower steak
I left dinner a little hungry. Tonight was the Most Traveled Guests cocktail party in Skywalkers and the galley always has a delicious display of food options.
With cook Rugellia
The time that it takes to prepare all this!
We stayed chatting with the ship’s safety and guest services officers (and telling old war stories) until 9:30pm. It was one of my favorite parties in years. We never know when our paths will cross with these friends again and that’s always kind of sad.
But that was the end of our evening. The seas were a little rough (the safety officers predicted middle of the night phone calls from the bridge), and it was quite rough for the first time in our cabin on the back of Aloha Deck. Sleep was going to be a little difficult tonight.
Source: Princess Cruises
Source: Princess Cruises
Source: Princess Cruises
Source: Princess Cruises
