Icy Strait Point

September 27, 2021

Hoonah~ Tlingit for "where the north wind doesn't blow." 

Today is almost another sea day since we won't reach Icy Strait Point until this afternoon sometime between 2:00 and 3:30pm. It's unusual to have this much wiggle room in arrival time. I can only surmise its dependent on how bad the headwinds are that the Encore has to fight. 

We however are experiencing fairly slight seas and a partly cloudy sky. The ship is so large, if she's bucking a direct headwind, we can't feel it. It's only when we're turned slightly against the wind so it strikes the ship alongside that we wallow a bit from side to side. Once again, my scopolamine patch is still working (It's usually good for 3 or 4 days.) And fortunately, we're heading for a tidy cove where the wind does not blow. 

We decided to try breakfast in the Observation Lounge with Mom, Dad, #2 Daughter and Nephew. (#1 Daughter and Daughter-in-Law were very early risers all week, so by the time we managed to shamble out of our cabins looking for sustenance, they would have had to behave like good little hobbits and indulge in 2nd Breakfast if they wanted to eat with us!) Breakfast in the Observation Lounge is much lighter fare which appealed to us since we'd all been eating quite a bit since we boarded. I broke my fast with cheese, ham slices, a handful of walnuts and wonderfully strong coffee. 

The Observation Lounge is a lovely area, with two stories of floor to ceiling windows looking out over the bow of the ship. However, all the loungers directly in front of the windows were already occupied and by occupied, I mean camped in. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if some folks sleep in the loungers they've claimed tonight so they will have that spot for our day long scenic cruising in Glacier Bay tomorrow.   

After breakfast, we all parted company so we could pursue our own interests. 

The DH and I booked a couple of excursions for Juneau, the Mendenhall Glacier and Gardens, and the Juneau Tram. Then we went in search of the spa. We were given a brief complementary neck and shoulder massage before we booked a 75 minute couples massage for 1:30 pm on the day we’re in Ketchican. 

We arrived at Icy Strait Point around 2PM. Add a dash of cold rain and the place's name says it all. Sadly, the tram ride into the town of Hoonah, where we were hoping for a native presentation and more insight into the people who live there, was not running. In fact, we weren't even allowed to walk there. The town was off limits to us due to Covid. Given the horrific history of viruses borne by outsiders to native peoples, I really can't blame them. 

We were pretty much stuck in a non-place, a muddy, graveled tourist trap with not much cultural value to commend it. My parents had taken a look at the long pier they'd have to walk to even reach the first gift shop and decided to stay on the ship. They made the right call. 

I'm not afraid of rain. I knew I was coming to the largest temperate rain forest in the world, so I was prepared with the right gear. But Percival, my O2 concentrator, doesn't like to get wet. In fact, he's in danger of shorting out if he does, so the DH and I called it a day and slogged back to the Encore. 

But we didn't stop exploring Icy Strait Point. Using the DH's new birthday binoculars, from our balcony, we could see bald eagles roosting in treetops. A seal swam by, making a vee in the water. And an old growth forest of hemlock and Sitka spruce stretched heavenward just across from our berth. 

My friend Kristy (She and her hubby are going on the Viking World Cruise with us in January!) says it reminds her of the Ewoks' moon of Endor in Return of the Jedi. (Sorry, folks. I've been a fan of the franchise since the first Star Wars movie.)  To get an idea how incredibly tall those trees are, check out the little specks of color on the green ramp that are actually people.

The wonderful thing about cruising is that you are brought to places where you can experience lovely adventures, whether you leave the ship or no.

The evening show was Kinky Boots, a ninety minute Broadway-style musical that's won all kinds of awards. It was well done, but the canned accompaniment was so loud, it often overpowered the vocalists and frankly made me wish for ear plugs so I could hear it without pain. This was actually a problem with all the shows in the main theater all week. (I know, I know. It's a sure sign you're getting older when the music is suddenly too loud!) 

Really looking forward to tomorrow in Glacier Bay! 

About a Row Boat

September 26, 2021

“Sometimes, the biggest secrets you can only tell a stranger.” ― Michelle Hodkin

Or a roomful of strangers, but I'm skipping ahead in my story about today...

Photo credit: D-I-L who has a great eye!

Nephew was seasick at breakfast, but one of my scopolamine patches fixed him right up. (Yes, I know these meds are available only by prescription, but what kind of aunt would I be if I have the means to help him and withheld it?) 

Our server at breakfast asked Mom and Dad how long they'd been married and when he learned they had been together 67 years, he urged them to enter The Not-So-Newly-Wed Game that would be held in the Atrium at 9 PM. Turns out they are always looking for people who've been married for a long, long time. They said they'd think about it.

Dad and the DH watched the hapless Kansas City Chiefs lose, much to Dad's disgust, while Mom, #2 Daughter, Nephew and I went to the art auction. I know some folks pooh-pooh these gatherings, but I find them interesting. Especially when there are some very high dollar bids made. The equivalent of an "art whale" was in the house and he walked away with a signed Dali lithograph and several other original works by lesser known artists. Anytime someone drops tens of thousands of dollars in one sitting, it's exciting to watch. 

#2 Daughter also made a purchase--a Disney print of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck! I've bought a lot of art over the years onboard and each one reminds me of the fun we had on our voyages. I'm glad she has a keepsake from this trip that also reminds her of her childhood.     

The DH and I enjoyed some time in our cabin that afternoon. I love watching the ocean from our balcony. We're kind of private people. We love socializing, but after a while we feel the need to withdraw and recharge a bit. Plus it gave the family a chance to do whatever they wanted, not what I suggested. Besides, it was Dress Up if You Want To Night--what passes for a formal night on Norwegian. We're traditionalists, so I wore a long gown with a red sparkly jacket and the DH matched me in a suit with a red vest. 

We caught up with #1 Daughter and D-I-L for supper in Manhattan Room at 5:00 so we could make the 7:30 Beatles Invasion show in the theatre. It was 45 minutes of songs I knew all the words to, and truth to tell, was singing along with most of the time. Lots of fun!

Then at 9pm, we all met in the Atrium where mom and dad entered the Not So Newly Wed Game. Or rather, the DH entered them, and not so surprisingly, they were picked to be contestants. At 67 years of marriage, they were the longest wed of those on the stage. And they stole the show! 

You know how this game works. First the ladies answered embarrassing questions while the men waited offstage. Then the roles were reversed. I will have to say that my dad was the only man who rose to his feet when his wife returned. The cruise director pointed that out and praised Dad for his gentlemanly actions. Possibly, it's the secret to 67 happy years together! The two of them held hands most of the time, They were so funny and endearing at the same time.  

And we learned a family secret about a incident on their belated honeymoon involving a certain rowboat in northern Minnesota that was, shall we say, put to use for an activity outside of its factory specs...

I do have a video of that astounding admonition, but I've promised not embarrass them online. So here's a little insight into their all-important first kiss... (Special thank you's to Shellie W., another passenger on the ship who managed to capture my parents in all their glory! Hugs to you, Shellie! Hope we meet again on the high seas!)

And now to see if Mom remembered the event the same way...

Of course, they won the game! The Encore ran a video of the entire game over and over on the stateroom tv's. Subsequently, they became famous (or possibly infamous!) for the rest of the cruise!

It was a very fun and happy day!

Embarkation in the Time of Covid

September 25, 2021

When you embark for strange places, don't leave any of yourself safely on shore. Have the nerve to go into unexplored territory. — Alan Alda

We all slept fast and woke refreshed and ready to start our Alaskan Adventure! The Holiday In Express at SeaTac provided an adequate breakfast and plenty of coffee. The coffee was strong enough to carry its own cup across the table, grab the spoon and beat us over the head with it. But that's okay. We needed the extra juice. Besides, Seattle has a reputation to uphold. It is, after all, the best caffeinated place on the planet!

In the past, cruisers could arrive at the port at their leisure, but now everything has to be timed and pre-arranged. I'd signed us all up to embark the Norwegian Encore between 10:00-10:30 AM. In order to minimize the number of people at the pier at once, we were required to register for check-in times and for our pre-cruise Covid test. 

We'd booked a private limo/van through Sabra Transportation, which arrived 15 minutes early to take us to the port. The service was fast and the vehicle spacious and clean. It was nice to have just our party on board, but even so, we were all masked up since we still had the hurdle of a Covid test to take. 

Unfortunately, our driver dropped us a couple of city blocks from where we could check our big bags at the port. Since the Encore's previous passengers were disembarking, there was a lot of foot traffic and it was hard to wrangle all the bags while keeping the eight of us semi-together. 

Me, Dad and Mom

Our first stop was near the Encore, where we could surrender our big bags to the luggage handlers who'd get them on the ship for us. There were still some carry-on's we needed to keep with us, along with Cpaps and Percival (my portable oxygen concentrator), but it was nice to wave goodbye to the biggest suitcases before we hoofed it to the testing facility in the conference center right beside Pier 66. 

A sharp-eyed attendant spotted my parents immediately and pulled them from the line, along with the DH and me. We were allowed to jump the queue quite a bit. Everyone had their CDC cards and ID's handy (I’ve had nightmares of someone losing theirs.) and we all were checked in easily except Dad. He doesn’t have an email address they could tie him to and the person working with him was hard for him to understand because she was masked and English was not her first language. The DH stepped in and handled it beautifully. 

It's so nice to have someone who keeps his head whenever there's a technical challenge. My husband never gets excited and always brings out the best in people.  

We were all shuffled off to another room to be tested and then sent to holding area to wait for our number to appear on a screen or for the result to post on our phones. Again, my parents didn’t have that kind of tech savvy, but eventually, their numbers came up on the big screen and we all got pink wristbands that proclaimed us Covid free. Woo-hoo! 

The DH and me in our new mini-suite!

We were still masked as we went to check in at the port. The agent informed us that Norwegian had upgraded the DH and I to Stateroom 9236, a mini-suite cabin amidships, with a tub/shower combination. It was a wonderful surprise, and I suspect it was because the brass at Norwegian was well aware that Princess had unceremoniously booted me from their Alaska cruise because of my oxygen concentrator. Not only did they upgrade us, everyone in our party received additional onboard credit, and champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries in their cabins! Norwegian certainly pulled out all the stops to make me feel welcome.

But it took us away from the rest of our party, who were booked in adjacent verandahs on deck 8. However, I discovered that--wonder of wonders-my family is perfectly capable of being apart from me some of the time. It worked out for the best all around.

Because my dad's use of a cane and my O2 status, we were among the first to board the Norwegian Encore. She's a beautiful ship. And a very big girl, but easy to negotiate and once our feet touched the deck, we could remove our masks! We felt perfectly safe because Norwegian insists on 100% vaccination of both guests and crew, and as far as I know is the only mainstream cruise line that pays for everyone to be tested at the pier. Very classy of them. 

Nephew and #2 Daughter

We dropped our carry-ons in the cabins and went to find lunch at Savor, one of the complimentary dining rooms. Most people head for the buffet upon first coming aboard, but it's worthwhile to ask if there's a sit-down restaurant available. Delish. Mom loved her orange chocolate mousse desert. 

We spent the afternoon unpacking bags. Our big bag was sent to Mom and Dad’s cabin by mistake, but theirs finally turned up. 

I don't know if it was because I was so tired, but when I was getting ready for our first meal in the Manhattan Room that evening, I couldn’t figure out how to work the shower. I was too fuzzy headed to realize it was European plumbing. (Smacks forehead!) 

Or it may have been the scopolamine patch I tucked behind my ear. After a world cruise you'd think I'd have found my sea legs, but no. I need a little pharmacological help to enjoy the motion of the ocean...at least at first. Once we enter the Inside Passage portion of our trip, our sailing will be smooth enough to give me no trouble.

#1 Daughter & Daughter-in-Law

We had a lovely meal that first night. Our waitress, Lee, took great care of all of us and particularly helped our D-I-L who has special dietary concerns because of a red meat allergy caused by a tick bite. She has to travel with an epi-pen in case she has an anaphylactic reaction.  Lee sprung into action and got a dietary supervisor involved immediately so the chefs at Norwegian could accommodate her special needs. In order to be certain than none of her food contained an ingredient that would be a problem and to make sure there was no cross-contamination with red meats during the cooking process, our D-I-L was given the next night's menus all week and ordered her meals ahead of time. 

After supper, we could have gone to the theater for a comedian, but the DH and I were tired enough to forego the show for our "waterbed." But before we hit the sack, we stepped out on the verandah to watch the Kitsap Peninsula fall away behind us while the waves swished a welcome against the sides of the Encore. It'd been since September of 2019 since the world has rocked under my feet. 

I felt so grateful, so blessed to be on this beautiful ship with so many of the people I love. Happiness washed over me. We'd been trying to pull this trip together for a couple of years and it was finally happening...

God is good.   

PS. The DH wants me to share that we left the door to the balcony open all night so we could hear the wonderful sounds of the ocean even in our dreams!

Fear of Flying

The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage. ~ Mark Russell

As I type this, I'm back home again and our Alaskan cruise is a collection of memories--moments of exaltation and frustration, of joy and tiredness, of laughter and surprises. It was such a full time with so many moving parts, I didn't feel I could do justice to the experience if I blogged while it was happening. So I took copious notes and, if you're willing to pretend with me, I'll share the trip as if it's happening now. Thanks for your patience! Ready to hit the road with me? Great! Let's go...

September 24, 2021

I woke before the alarm sounded at 5:30 AM and couldn't stay in bed another second. There were so many things to do--stripping the bed and remaking it with fresh linens for our house/pet sitter, stashing last minute toiletries in easy-to-access places in our carry-on's, making breakfast frittatas because I didn't know if/when we'd be able to have a real meal again during our travels, running through the checklist once more hoping I hadn't forgotten something frightfully important.

And generally fretting over whether everything would go to plan and everyone would be happy with the adventure we'd arranged for them...

#2 Daughter's view from the cheap seats!

(If you're reading this blog on Follow it! be aware that vids don't seem to appear in your email.)

We'd loaded my parents' suitcase last night, so we only had to fit all our carry-on's into the van when we picked them up at 8:15 AM. Poor #2 Daughter was totally surrounded by luggage in her third row seat but she was all set with a pillow and blanket to sleep all the way to St. Louis (about a 4 hour drive from our town). #1 Daughter and D-I-L met us at the Love's service station thirty miles into the trip and we had smooth sailing until we reached St. Louis. Our first flight was scheduled for 4:45 that afternoon, but I had built a lot of  room into our schedule and sort of bullied everyone into going way early...just in case something happened to delay us. 

My presentiments were proved correct. 

There was a terrible accident on the interstate that backed up and closed 4 lanes of traffic for about 10 miles. We ended up veering off the interstate and taking a more circuitous route to Lambert International, but still arrived with plenty of time to spare. The one thing you don't want to do with a party of seven, soon to be eight, is try to hurry anywhere. 

The DH and #1 Daughter dropped us at the arrivals door and then tried to find a place to park. The lot was so full, the DH ended up parking in a non-spot, but there was no help for it. There wasn't another single space. Now I need to wonder if the van will still be there in a week...

Meanwhile back with the drop-off-ee's... Unfortunately, there was no curbside check-in available and we'd been deposited a long way from the restrooms (My dad said he had to walk a “city block” to the men's.) Another thing that added to everyone's difficulties is that masks are mandatory in all parts of the airport, whether you're hauling suitcases, walking, or just sitting. I don't care what anyone says, masks make it difficult for even healthy people to breathe.

Hundreds of new army recruits just out of basic were booked on our flight so the line to reach the agents who'd check us in stretched into infinity. #1 Daughter's was suitcase overweight by four pounds, requiring a shuffle at the last minute, stuffing things into her carry-on. (Which begs the question, since both the checked bag and the carry-on was going on the same flight, what does shifting from one to the other accomplish except avoiding an additional fee? All the weight is still going on board.)

We had requested wheelchairs for my mom and dad, who are 84 and 86 respectively, and one for me so they wouldn't feel funny riding in a chair. Only one showed up, so we all decided to walk to the TSA line. We took our time, but the downside of this decision was that we didn’t get bumped to the front of the line like we would’ve if we'd been in wheel chairs. Mom and Dad were flagging by the time we serpentined around to the first TSA agent who checked our passports against our momentarily unmasked faces. Then we all made it through the dreaded Filthy Grey Bin phase of the gauntlet and past the x-ray, after which I was still patted down for some odd reason and #2 Daughter was scolded for bringing an extension cord in her cpap case. This was something she'll need in order to use the machine on the Norwegian Encore. There are no electrical outlets by the side of the beds so she'll have to string the extension cord across her cabin to the outlets in the desk area. Fortunately the agents didn't confiscate it and waved her through after fussing at her for a few minutes. 

It's kind of disconcerting when you've packed everything so precisely and then have to shuffle everything around again. And I was fretting about whether anyone would misplace their passports or those all important CDC cards and how my parents were faring since we still had a long slog to reach our departure gate. However, we all made the jaunt with our possessions in tow and after finding a burger joint past security, everyone’s spirits ticked upward.

Food really is a mind-altering substance! 

Only Mom, Dad, the DH and I were allowed early boarding. Because the flight was completely full, both Daughters volunteered to gate check their carry-ons. (Wonderful. Two more bags that may or may not make all the connections...another potential disaster to fret over!) We were situated in coach near the back of the plane, but still much to be thankful for. We all made it on board. I got a text from Nephew that he'd started the first leg of his journey from Rapid City, SD to Minneapolis, MN (which seems like a weird way to get to Seattle, but such are the vagaries of air travel!)

We were met at the gate in Phoenix with two wheel chairs for my mom and dad! I could've wept with relief! Then we were upgraded to economy plus for flight to Seattle, which gave us all much more room. Nephew texted again that he was on his second flight and was at least headed west by that time. He'd beat us to Seattle by several hours if all went well. 

When we reached SeaTac, wheel chairs were waiting for three of us. All our bags arrived, even the gate-checked ones. Hallelujah! Once we reacquired all our stuff, there was still lots of walking to find the precise pick-up for our hotel shuttle. When we arrived at the hotel, the first front desk person couldn't find our reservations, though Nephew was already there and had checked in. A second clerk managed to locate us as Nephew came down to the lobby to greet everyone. 

It was nearly midnight (make that 2 AM to us!) The day had been filled with little moments of anxiety, wondering how everyone would do with the hurdles we had to jump to reach our embarkation city. I'd almost made myself sick fretting over how everyone was doing with the stresses of the day. 

#1 Daughter gave me some words of wisdom. All my worrying didn't change a thing. The day unfolded as it did and my anxiety didn't change anything for good or ill. We'd provided a situation where everyone could be happy if they choose to be. What everyone chooses is up to them. 

How did I raise such a wise child?