Set out below are the ratings for the prime time series broadcast in the major US network Fall season premiere week. The first set of ratings are for the key age demographic (that advertisers target) and the second set is for overall viewership levels for all viewers.
Adults 18-49 viewing for the week ending September 27, 2009:
Rank Shows.... Net.... 18-49 Rating.... 18-49 Viewers (000)
1 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL..... NBC..... 6.8..... 8,901
2 HOUSE P.....FOX.....6.7.....8,862
3 GREY’S ANATOMY-THU 9PM P.....ABC.....6.7.....8,848
4 FAMILY GUY P.....FOX.....5.2.....6,900
5 THE CLEVELAND SHOW P.....FOX.....4.9.....6,485
6 SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK.....NBC.....4.9.....6,460
7 NCIS P.....CBS.....4.8.....6,351
8 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES P.....ABC.....4.7.....6,185
9 BIG BANG THEORY, THE P.....CBS.....4.7.....6,149
10TWO AND A HALF MEN P.....CBS.....4.5.....5,879
11NCIS: LOS ANGELES P......CBS......4.4.....5,835
12COUGAR TOWN P.....ABC.....4.4.....5,767
13CRIMINAL MINDS P.....CBS.....4.4.....5,738
14CSI: MIAMI P.....CBS.....4.3.....5,705
15SIMPSONS P.....FOX.....4.3.....5,602
16MODERN FAMILY P.....ABC....4.2.....5,568
17 CSI P.....CBS.....4.1.....5,381
18DANCING WITH THE STARS P.....ABC.....4.1.....5,360
19CSI: NY P.....CBS.....4.0.....5,328
20FLASHFORWARD.....ABC.....4.0.....5,328
21OFFICE.....NBC.....3.9.....5,153
22FOOTBALL NT AMERICA PT 3.....NBC.....3.7.....4,883
23SURVIVOR: SAMOA P.....CBS.....3.7.....4,830
24 HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER P.....CBS.....3.6.....4,793
25AMERICAN DAD P.....FOX.....3.6.....4,787
Overall viewing (all ages 2+) for the week ending September 27, 2009:
Rank Shows.....Net.....# Viewers (LIVE+SD) (000).....HH RATING .....HH SHARE
1 NCIS.....CBS.....20,600.....12.4.....20
2 NCIS: LOS ANGELES.....CBS.....18,730.....11.3.....17
3 DANCING WITH THE STARS.....ABC.....17,794.....11.3.....17
4 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL.....NBC.....17,469.....10.7.....17
5 HOUSE.....FOX.....17,156.....9.8....15
6 GREY’S ANATOMY-THU 9PM.....ABC....17,034.....10.9.....18
7 CSI.....CBS.....16,009.....9.7.....15
8CRIMINAL MINDS.....CBS.....15,841.....9.6.....15
9DANCING W/ THE STARS-9/22(S).....ABC.....15,367.....10.1.....16
10 DANCING W/STARS RESULT SP(S)....ABC....15,356.....10.0.....17
11 MENTALIST, THE.....CBS......15,067.....9.5.....16
12CSI: NY.....CBS.....15,062.....9.2.....16
1360 MINUTES.....CBS.....14,884.....9.6.....17
14CSI: MIAMI.....CBS.....14,195.....9.0.....15
15GOOD WIFE, THE.....CBS.....13,714.....9.2.....16
16DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES.....ABC.....13,643....8.6.....13
17TWO AND A HALF MEN.....CBS.....13,629.....8.5.....12
18SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK.....NBC.....13,347.....8.2.....14
19BIG BANG THEORY, THE.....CBS.....12,956....7.9....11
20MODERN FAMILY.....ABC.....12,605.....7.8.....13
21FLASHFORWARD.....ABC.....12,467.....7.7.....13
22SURVIVOR: SAMOA.....CBS.....11,664.....6.7.....11
23COUGAR TOWN.....ABC.....11,280.....7.1.....11
24EXTREME MAKEOVER:HM ED-8P.....ABC.....10,419.....6.4.....10
25 AMAZING RACE 15.....CBS.....10,404.....6.2....10
Nielsen TV Ratings: ©2009 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.
KEY
Rating: Estimated percentage of the universe of TV households (or other specified group) tuned to a program in the average minute. Ratings are expressed as a percent.
Share (of Audience): The percent of households (or persons) using television who are tuned to a specific program, station or network in a specific area at a specific time.
Time Shifted Viewing – Program ratings for national sources are produced in three streams of data – Live, Live+Same Day (Live+SD) and Live+7 Day. Time shifted figures account for incremental viewing that takes place with DVRs which are currently in approximately 24.4% of all U.S. TV households. Live+Same Day (Live+SD) include viewing during the same broadcast day as the original telecast, with a cut-off of 3:00AM local time when meters transmit daily viewing to Nielsen for processing.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
ABC wins the week 1 new fall season network derby
For the 5th season in a row ABC has claimed top spot in key demographic viewership levels for the Fall TV season premiere week:
WEEK NO. 1: ADULTS 18-49 TOTAL VIEWERS
No.1 ABC 3.3 No.1 CBS 11,770,000
No.2 CBS 3.2 No.2 ABC 11,040,000
No.3 FOX 3.1 No.3 NBC 7,560,000
No.4 NBC 2.7 No.4 FOX 7,350,000
No.5 CW 1.0 No.5 CW 2,170,000
Source: Nielsen Media Research (National Live+Same Day Program Ratings), week of 9/21/09,
WEEK NO. 1: ADULTS 18-49 TOTAL VIEWERS
No.1 ABC 3.3 No.1 CBS 11,770,000
No.2 CBS 3.2 No.2 ABC 11,040,000
No.3 FOX 3.1 No.3 NBC 7,560,000
No.4 NBC 2.7 No.4 FOX 7,350,000
No.5 CW 1.0 No.5 CW 2,170,000
Source: Nielsen Media Research (National Live+Same Day Program Ratings), week of 9/21/09,
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Ahoy the shore from Alaska (last in a series)
I have been home from our family cruise vacation for almost a week now... how time flies! I have been too busy (until now) to wrap up my travel journal entries. In prior installments of this series, I had outlined our experiences on the Norwegian Pearl cruiseship, our adventures in our departure port of Seattle and in the Alaskan cruise port towns of Juneau and Skagway. In this final report in the series, I will outline our visits to our final Alaskan port of Ketchikan, our final port in Victoria British Columbia, share my final impressions on the NCL Pearl and comment on the debarkation process.
Glacial Bay (Thursday September 3rd):
In between porting at Skagway and Ketchikan we enjoyed a second day at sea that included scenic cruising through Glacial Bay National Park. We entered Glacial Bay at Bartlett point early in the morning. Glacier Bay is a US National Park (and UNESCO World Heritage Site) comprised of 3.3 million acres of mountains, glaciers and forests. A park ranger boarding the ship at 7 AM to offer live commentary in the Spinnaker lounge for broadcast over the PA system throughout the balance of the day. We were late rising and we were already well into the Bay by the time we surfaced to the pool deck for breakfast. We were able to find a breakfast table at the Great Outdoors cafe at the rear of the ship to watch the glaciers. There was one particularly large tidewater glacier that towered high above the ships' upper decks and the rails were crowded with groups seeking pictures against this stunning backdrop. We managed to insinuate ourselves along the railing long enough to get a few good camera shots. You could actually feel the air temperature drop as we drew in closer, drawing within 100 yards of the glacier. The ranger commentary continued until about NOON, by which time we were already heading back along the fjords to more open seas to chart our course for Ketchikan.
In the evening we attended a pre-dinner theatre show starring Shark Bait-- two former Barnum and Bailey circus clowns-- a dou that entertain with a highly imaginative comic juggling / balancing act that features extended audience participation segments. It was far and away the best show of the cruise. Thereafter, we headed to the promenade deck in time to make our dinner reservations at the Teppanyaki area of the Lotus Garden Asian themed restaurant. There are four cooking tables in the Teppanyaki area, two of which are active at every dinner seating (with reservations taken for every half hour.) A total of 8 persons fit around each grilling table. We shared our table with an Asian family of four from Long Island, NY. For appetizers we were served Miso soup, salted sugar snap peas and seaweed salad with a ginger dressing. Available entrees included Chicken Yakosoba, Seafood Diablo (Lobster, Calamari and Sea Scallops) , Fillet Mignon and combos like Samarai (Chicken and Jumbo Shrimp), Land 'n Sea (Steak and Jumbo Shrimp), Shogun (Steak and Chicken Breast) and Shinto (Scallops and Jumbo Shrimp). All of the entrees were expertly grillde for our entertainment by our chef and were served with garlic rice and teppanyaki veggies. Our chef juggled knives and caught eggs in his chef's hat for our amusement. For dessert we chose of a mocchi ice cream duo or fresh fruit sashimi.
Immediately after dinner, we headed to the Spinnaker lounge to watch the "Dancing with the Stars" gameshow. Hosted by cruise director Julie, the show featured a judging panel that included the assistant cruise director and two second city members. Meanwhile, backstage "elimination" interviews were conducted by another SS troupe member. The competing pairs featured cruise staff "stars" partnered with fellow passengers. Every round featured a different dance step and the elimination of one pair, until only three couples were left standing for the finals. Ironically, the dance captain of the Jean Ann Ryan dancers was the lead of the first eliminated pair. Overall, this gameshow was easily the most thoroughly entertaining of the entire cruise.
Glacial Bay (Thursday September 3rd):
In between porting at Skagway and Ketchikan we enjoyed a second day at sea that included scenic cruising through Glacial Bay National Park. We entered Glacial Bay at Bartlett point early in the morning. Glacier Bay is a US National Park (and UNESCO World Heritage Site) comprised of 3.3 million acres of mountains, glaciers and forests. A park ranger boarding the ship at 7 AM to offer live commentary in the Spinnaker lounge for broadcast over the PA system throughout the balance of the day. We were late rising and we were already well into the Bay by the time we surfaced to the pool deck for breakfast. We were able to find a breakfast table at the Great Outdoors cafe at the rear of the ship to watch the glaciers. There was one particularly large tidewater glacier that towered high above the ships' upper decks and the rails were crowded with groups seeking pictures against this stunning backdrop. We managed to insinuate ourselves along the railing long enough to get a few good camera shots. You could actually feel the air temperature drop as we drew in closer, drawing within 100 yards of the glacier. The ranger commentary continued until about NOON, by which time we were already heading back along the fjords to more open seas to chart our course for Ketchikan.
In the evening we attended a pre-dinner theatre show starring Shark Bait-- two former Barnum and Bailey circus clowns-- a dou that entertain with a highly imaginative comic juggling / balancing act that features extended audience participation segments. It was far and away the best show of the cruise. Thereafter, we headed to the promenade deck in time to make our dinner reservations at the Teppanyaki area of the Lotus Garden Asian themed restaurant. There are four cooking tables in the Teppanyaki area, two of which are active at every dinner seating (with reservations taken for every half hour.) A total of 8 persons fit around each grilling table. We shared our table with an Asian family of four from Long Island, NY. For appetizers we were served Miso soup, salted sugar snap peas and seaweed salad with a ginger dressing. Available entrees included Chicken Yakosoba, Seafood Diablo (Lobster, Calamari and Sea Scallops) , Fillet Mignon and combos like Samarai (Chicken and Jumbo Shrimp), Land 'n Sea (Steak and Jumbo Shrimp), Shogun (Steak and Chicken Breast) and Shinto (Scallops and Jumbo Shrimp). All of the entrees were expertly grillde for our entertainment by our chef and were served with garlic rice and teppanyaki veggies. Our chef juggled knives and caught eggs in his chef's hat for our amusement. For dessert we chose of a mocchi ice cream duo or fresh fruit sashimi.
Immediately after dinner, we headed to the Spinnaker lounge to watch the "Dancing with the Stars" gameshow. Hosted by cruise director Julie, the show featured a judging panel that included the assistant cruise director and two second city members. Meanwhile, backstage "elimination" interviews were conducted by another SS troupe member. The competing pairs featured cruise staff "stars" partnered with fellow passengers. Every round featured a different dance step and the elimination of one pair, until only three couples were left standing for the finals. Ironically, the dance captain of the Jean Ann Ryan dancers was the lead of the first eliminated pair. Overall, this gameshow was easily the most thoroughly entertaining of the entire cruise.
Ketchikan (Friday September 4th)
We awoke very early in Ketchikan because we wanted to see the town and do some shopping at the "end of season" sales before reporting dockside for our "Driver's Seat" motorized inflatable boat tour excursion. We walked up into town in a light morning rain and then up an incline to see the salmon run up the river at a lookout and the native totems displays. Another popular attraction in Ketchikan is the lumberjack show, but we passed on that. Thereafter, we weaved our way back through the town to the shore to meet our shore excursion director. Unfortunately, he had some bad news to share with us-- our excursion had been cancelled on account of high winds. Fortunately, he referred us to another tour promoter who was able to arrange a 90 minute flight for us on a Beaver floatplane for a reasonable discounted rate of $179 pp. The Beaver floatplane (built in Toronto at Downsview in 1955) was owned by Southeast Aviation and piloted by Captain Mark (its former owner, who makes his Winter home in Seattle). The flight took us over the saltwater "misty fjord" outside of Kitchikan. We flew up over soaring cliffs, glaciers and millions of trees, setting down mid-flight in the water at a floating platform. The views were breathtaking, although we encountered some turbulence on the way out that left at least one passenger onboard motion sick. We were all equipped with headphones and mikes to allow us to stay in contact with Captain Mark, who was happy to answer questions and provide commentary. Overall, the excursion offered excellent value, as a last minute substitute!
We re-boarded the ship in time for a buffet lunch at the Garden Cafe and then enjoyed a leisurely afternoon before sailaway. Again, we went to a pre-dinner show this time featuring the Jean Ann Ryan company in a performance of "Garden of the Geisha"-- a Japanese period / costume performance that made excellent use of a Polish acrobatic duo. Thereafter, we had dinner in the Mambo's latin restaurant on the 8th deck (above the Cyrstal Atrium, across from the 24 hour Blue Lagoon cafe). This specialty restaurant was advertised as offering both tex-mex and tapas dishes, but the emphasis was definitely on the former. There were tortilla chips already on the table when we arrived and everyone received a complimentary first margarita (lime, available in an either a frozen or "on the rocks" variation and without alcohol for the children) We had grande nachos as a table appetizer while many in our group opted for chicken quesadillas for their personal apps. For my personal app I ordered taquitos, which is pulled pork with refried beans, jack cheese and ranchero sauce. For the main course, the most popular choice was fajitas but I ordered BBQ pork ribs. Invariably, most menu items came served with a trio of guacamole, sour cream and pico de gallo. There were some temperature issues with the food served at Mambos (more warm than piping hot). However, the ambience was enhanced by the music of the Wildfire duo (featuring a male guitarist and female fiddler) performing in the Crystal Atrium below. Following dinner we attend the Lairs Club gameshow in Spinakers, where a panel of ship celebrities (including comedian Tim Kaminski, Cruise Director Julie and the Skarkbait duo) offered alternate comic definitions of obscure words, challenging the audience to identify who was telling the truth. The Pearl version of this show was passably entertaining but not the best I have seen at sea. Before retiring for the evening, the kids surprised me with birthday balloons and gifts, catching me off guard, since it was already my birthday (the clock having ticked over to midnight)!
Victoria, BC (Saturday September 5th)
Most of this day was spent at sea, although we did have a late-day port in Victoria at 6 PM (until midnight). After rising, two of us attended the captain's talk in the Stardust theatre, where Julie and the Captain presented a formal presentation on the Pearl and the life of her crew / staff at sea and then took Q&A. We then grabbed a quick bite in the Garden Cafe, taking our plates to La Cucina, which functions as buffet overflow seating at breakfast and dinner, to consume. We found time to pack our bags mid-day (although they didn't have to be set out for collection until between 10 Pm and 2 AM) before heading to the Stardust Theatre for the International Talent Show-- a showcase for the talents of the show's crew. The show opened with a performance of "Proud Mary" by a Filipino rock band. It also featured two male Filipino solo vocalists (one who was outstanding performing "This is the Moment", from the Broadway show Jeckyl and Hyde), a sound technician performing a guitar solo, four women performing a Polynesian folk dance and a deck hand preforming a female impersonator lip sync routine to "Its Raining Men". The performance concluded with the expected (and always hilarious (not to mention wet)) performance of "Fountains" by the cruise director's crew!
Immediately after the show, we headed to the Summer Garden for our final dinner of the cruise. English style prime rib dinner was the popular entree choice, while I had the catch of the day again. At dessert (in addition to the souffle I ordered) I was served a very large birthday cake to share as some of the dining room staff serenaded me with the "Happy Birthday" chorus. We were already sailing into Victoria Harbour by the time our dinner concluded. We debarked in Victoria alongside the Star Princess. There were several options for making the commute into town from the pier, including shuttle buses, water taxis and pedicabs. We elected to share a taxi, which was a very reasonable fixed fare of $7 each way. It was already twilight when we reached town. We spent about 90 minutes strolling around the grounds of the provincial legislature building (Victoria is the capital of the province of British Columbia), the old Fairmount Empress hotel (linked to the Convention Centre) and the inner harbour. There was a jazz festival and folk arts market happening at the inner harbour. Following that self-directed tour, we walked up Governmnt St., past the Bay department store, stopping to purchase some delicious gellato in ChinaTown, a jade "inikshuk" native sculpture and a book at Monroe's bookstore. Then we walked back through Bastion Square to the inner harbor along Wharf St. We re-boarded the ship around 10 PM in time to set out our bags for collection and to head to the Spinnakers lounge for the "Open Mike" Joker's Wild Night (hosted again by the ubiquitous Tim Kaminski), followed by the (uneven) Second City improv demonstration. Thereafter, we retired to our stateroom for our final night onboard the Pearl.
Debarkation and flight home (Sunday September 7th):
Not wanting to be laden down with luggage and with our flight not departing SEA airport until 12:30, we decided to opt out of the "easy walk off" self-debarkation option. Instead, we set out bags out for collection the night before. The pattern of debarkation was from the top decks down so we were in the lime colour group (designated for "independent guests" in staterooms on levels 4/5) with an approximate debarkation time of 9:30. Before debarkation and breakfast, we had time to complete a final "video tour" of the ship and finally made it to the bridge observation deck on 11 (in time to see Julie making the PA call for an early colour group). Then we enjoyed our final meal of the cruise in La Cucina, selecting our breakfast items from the Great Outdoors grille with our carry on lugagge table side. We sailed through Customs, easily found our bags in the terminal and were able to get a standard sized taxi without wait (the cabbie was initially reluctant to stow 4 passengers with luggage but capitulated when he realized it was a big fare to the airport). We had no incidents with security or boarding our plane at Seattle airport. I was able to find a lounge seat adjacent to an AC outlet to download some JPG files to my laptop. Although the plane was jammed packed, the flight was comfortable. Most of us watched "The Proposal" (a comedy starring Sandra Bullock, ironically set in an Alaskan town) on the seat-back VOD service enroute back home. Once home we also sailed through the Canada Customs declaration and lugage claim process. The limo service did not send the same car and driver for or return trip home but the van was spacious and we arrived swiftly and safely. All in all, it was a great family vacation!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
TIFF 09 Schedule
The 2009 (34th annual) Toronto International Film Festival Starts tomorrow. I have finalized my screening schedule and have my tickets in hand. My personal film list is set out below. I will try to post mini-reviews at this blog after the screenings.
TIFF 09 schedule
Antichrist................................................ Thursday Sept 10....09:00 PM.................... Ryerson
Last Ride................................................. Friday Sept 11..........06:45 PM.................... Scotiabank 1
Fish Tank................................................ Saturday Sept12..... 12:30 PM..................... Winter Garden The Men Who Stare at Goats............... Sunday Sept 13....... 11:30 AM......................Ryerson
Leaves of Grass...................................... Monday Sept 14...... 9:00 PM........................Ryerson
Youth In Revolt...................................... Tuesday Sept 15..... 8:30 PM........................Winter Garden Love and other Impossible Pursuits....Thursday Sept 17.....9:00 PM....................... AMC #6
TIFF 09 schedule
Antichrist................................................ Thursday Sept 10....09:00 PM.................... Ryerson
Last Ride................................................. Friday Sept 11..........06:45 PM.................... Scotiabank 1
Fish Tank................................................ Saturday Sept12..... 12:30 PM..................... Winter Garden The Men Who Stare at Goats............... Sunday Sept 13....... 11:30 AM......................Ryerson
Leaves of Grass...................................... Monday Sept 14...... 9:00 PM........................Ryerson
Youth In Revolt...................................... Tuesday Sept 15..... 8:30 PM........................Winter Garden Love and other Impossible Pursuits....Thursday Sept 17.....9:00 PM....................... AMC #6
Friday, September 4, 2009
Ahoy the shore from Alaska (5th in a series)
Day 4 Skagway:
Our second Alaskan port of call was Skagway—a town made famous by the Gold Rush. We had a busy day arranged in Skagway having booked two excursions through NCL. Our first tour departed one half hour after we reached port at 7:00. So we rose early at 6:00 AM, ate an express breakfast at the (24 hour) Blue Lagoon Café and were on shore in time to meet Jen-- our main guide for our morning glacial point wilderness safari.
We boarded a bus at the port which took us out to The Spirit—a high speed catamaran. After boarding, it was expertly guided (by Captain John Smith) down river (past Haines) on a 40 minute cruise along a deep wide fjord to our beach destination. There we boarded “off road safari vehicles” (aka re-purposed school buses) to reach a river-side dressing area where we were outfitted in boots, extra layers of outer wear and life vests. Thereafter, riverside, we were assigned to one of four 31 foot canoes, each holding 8 to 11 persons. Our canoe, captained by a guide named Teresa and nicknamed Team Brown Bear, had 4 other paddlers in addition to us. After paddling leisurely (albeit against the river current) for 15 or 20 minutes and reaching a certain point cut-over point, Teresa ripped the cord on the outboard motor to power us through the ice flows for a closer look at the Glacier Point ice formations. She even scooped up a small ice flow from the river to pass around the canoe. After a few minutes maneuvering us in front of the glacier, we reversed course and headed back downstream. On the return catamaran trip we were served a tasty box lunch consisting of a turkey mini-sub, sun chips, some carrot sticks, a massive chocolate chip cookies and bottled water.
We arrived back in town around 1 PM and spent about an hour watching salmon running upstream and shopping in the town shops. The Skagway streets are laid out in a logical grid pattern with Broadway being the main arterial road running from our port at the southern end of town and intersected by numbered avenues. At 2:30 new headed back to the ship for two hours of down time before setting out on our 2nd excursion of the day.
At 4:30 PM in the afternoon we boarded a White Pass and Yukon railway car for our round trip 21 mile evening summit ride to at an elevation of 2,865 ft. The hi-lights along the route included a gold rush cemetery, rocky point, bridal veil falls and inspiration point. We also passed through two tunnels and passed an old steel cantilever bridge (now de-commissioned) built in 1901. Most of the best views were on the left hand side of the car (both coming and going, as the seats simply reverse when you reach the summit and the engine re-hooks to the other end of the car to begin the descent leg. You are permitted to go outside the cars to snap photos on the platforms between the cars during the trip but are not permitted to walk between them.
Two advantages of the evening summit over the rides earlier in the day are that the cars tend to be less crowded and that the later afternoon lighting conditions are more camera-friendly. Following our return to the Skagway station we returned immediately to the ship.
Rather than dining immediately upon our return, our group (minus one—moi) decided to take in the 8:45 Second City scripted comedy show in the Stardust theatre. That pushed our dinner out to 9:45. As the Summer Garden closes at 9:30, that left us no anytime dining option other than to return to Indigo for a second night. The advantage of late dining there was that there was no wait time. The disadvantage was that by the end of the meal we were one of only 3 remaining parties dining and we felt like we were in the way as staff scurried all around us re-setting the room for an art auction event that was to take place in the venue later in the evening.
Despite this, both the meal and the service were better than one night earlier. The popular app was the onion soup, while the entrée selections included a Thai noodle dish, roast turkey and tilapia. Our dessert entrees included a mocha flavoured cream filled layer cake and blueberry crumble (a little too sweet for my palate).
Following dinner and changing into our all-white party outfits we joined the White Hot Night party already in progress in the Spinnaker Lounge. By the time we arrived at 11:00 PM the party was already petering out and most of those on the dance floor were from the ship’s dance troupe and cruise staff. Moreover, the staff again started stripping the room of its white décor accents before midnight. Having enjoyed the White Hot Party immensely on our last NCL cruise we were sorely disappointed by this weak facsimile. However we were thoroughly tired at midnight and were more than happy to adjourn for the evening.
Still to come… Glacier Bay
Our second Alaskan port of call was Skagway—a town made famous by the Gold Rush. We had a busy day arranged in Skagway having booked two excursions through NCL. Our first tour departed one half hour after we reached port at 7:00. So we rose early at 6:00 AM, ate an express breakfast at the (24 hour) Blue Lagoon Café and were on shore in time to meet Jen-- our main guide for our morning glacial point wilderness safari.
We boarded a bus at the port which took us out to The Spirit—a high speed catamaran. After boarding, it was expertly guided (by Captain John Smith) down river (past Haines) on a 40 minute cruise along a deep wide fjord to our beach destination. There we boarded “off road safari vehicles” (aka re-purposed school buses) to reach a river-side dressing area where we were outfitted in boots, extra layers of outer wear and life vests. Thereafter, riverside, we were assigned to one of four 31 foot canoes, each holding 8 to 11 persons. Our canoe, captained by a guide named Teresa and nicknamed Team Brown Bear, had 4 other paddlers in addition to us. After paddling leisurely (albeit against the river current) for 15 or 20 minutes and reaching a certain point cut-over point, Teresa ripped the cord on the outboard motor to power us through the ice flows for a closer look at the Glacier Point ice formations. She even scooped up a small ice flow from the river to pass around the canoe. After a few minutes maneuvering us in front of the glacier, we reversed course and headed back downstream. On the return catamaran trip we were served a tasty box lunch consisting of a turkey mini-sub, sun chips, some carrot sticks, a massive chocolate chip cookies and bottled water.
We arrived back in town around 1 PM and spent about an hour watching salmon running upstream and shopping in the town shops. The Skagway streets are laid out in a logical grid pattern with Broadway being the main arterial road running from our port at the southern end of town and intersected by numbered avenues. At 2:30 new headed back to the ship for two hours of down time before setting out on our 2nd excursion of the day.
At 4:30 PM in the afternoon we boarded a White Pass and Yukon railway car for our round trip 21 mile evening summit ride to at an elevation of 2,865 ft. The hi-lights along the route included a gold rush cemetery, rocky point, bridal veil falls and inspiration point. We also passed through two tunnels and passed an old steel cantilever bridge (now de-commissioned) built in 1901. Most of the best views were on the left hand side of the car (both coming and going, as the seats simply reverse when you reach the summit and the engine re-hooks to the other end of the car to begin the descent leg. You are permitted to go outside the cars to snap photos on the platforms between the cars during the trip but are not permitted to walk between them.
Two advantages of the evening summit over the rides earlier in the day are that the cars tend to be less crowded and that the later afternoon lighting conditions are more camera-friendly. Following our return to the Skagway station we returned immediately to the ship.
Rather than dining immediately upon our return, our group (minus one—moi) decided to take in the 8:45 Second City scripted comedy show in the Stardust theatre. That pushed our dinner out to 9:45. As the Summer Garden closes at 9:30, that left us no anytime dining option other than to return to Indigo for a second night. The advantage of late dining there was that there was no wait time. The disadvantage was that by the end of the meal we were one of only 3 remaining parties dining and we felt like we were in the way as staff scurried all around us re-setting the room for an art auction event that was to take place in the venue later in the evening.
Despite this, both the meal and the service were better than one night earlier. The popular app was the onion soup, while the entrée selections included a Thai noodle dish, roast turkey and tilapia. Our dessert entrees included a mocha flavoured cream filled layer cake and blueberry crumble (a little too sweet for my palate).
Following dinner and changing into our all-white party outfits we joined the White Hot Night party already in progress in the Spinnaker Lounge. By the time we arrived at 11:00 PM the party was already petering out and most of those on the dance floor were from the ship’s dance troupe and cruise staff. Moreover, the staff again started stripping the room of its white décor accents before midnight. Having enjoyed the White Hot Party immensely on our last NCL cruise we were sorely disappointed by this weak facsimile. However we were thoroughly tired at midnight and were more than happy to adjourn for the evening.
Still to come… Glacier Bay
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Ahoy the shore from Alaska (4th in a series)
sea pics:
http://www.facebook.com/editphoto.php?aid=118258#/album.php?aid=118258&id=526885372
Day 3
We were excited to reach our first “day” in port— although technically we didn’t arrive until 2:00 in the afternoon—in Juneau, Alaska. We awoke in time to make the breakfast seating in the Summer Palace and received another excellent (window side) table assignment. Service was again exemplary. Following breakfast, we returned to the spa to find it much busier than on the prior day. Thereafter, our lunch was enjoyed back in the Summer Palace (another window-side seat assignment) as we pulled into port, relieving the Norwegian Star in her berth. The Diamond Princess, RCL Splendour of the Seas and the Celebrity Infinity were also in port that day.
We had booked an NCL shore excursion entitled “Sky to Sea”-- a 9.5 mile cycling tour. We were the first of our excursion group to meet our guide Nancy at the pier. Nancy, a retired person, was not a native Alaskan (born in the lower 48) but had spent the better part of her last 20 years in the State, originally in Anchorage and more recently in Juneau. There were six other people in our bike excursion—a retired couple and a group of four (quite eccentric and overdressed) USC students from Los Angeles. We took a mini-bus--- driven by a grumpy retired mechanic—up the hill to the Eaglecrest ski chalet that served as base camp We were assigned helmets and 21 speed bikes to start the 5.2 bike downward leg of our trek back down to the sea. Nancy told us that she rarely exceeded 20 mph and that 80% of the ride would be downhill. She definitely exceeded 20 mph and the inclines (while infrequent) were rough climbs for riders who don’t bike regularly, even after gearing down.
Our first stop along the route was at a bog to view the local flora. The fireweed grows every where and had already started to turn to seed. Nancy explained that the local people say that when the firewood turns, it is time to stop fishing and start hunting. Our next stop was at a mountain stream. We made our final downhill stop at a hanging glacier she called the Thomas. We turned left at the bottom of the hill and began 4.3 mile flat section of our ride along the coast. Sometime between this point and our next stop one member of our group (who shall remain nameless, but does not have the last name McGuinness) decided to wimp out and ride in the trailing van. She was e eirof thwaiting for us at the next stop which was at Fritz Cove overlooking the Mendenhall Glacier and Juneau airport (the city is only accessible by air and water--- there are no arterial roads in!)
From Fritz Cove forward, Nancy provided no further narration. Our driver was waiting for us at the end of the route with coffee, tea, hot chocolate and trail mix/energy bars. From there we reboarded the van for the ride back to town. Overall the excursion was a good workout and offered pleasant enough scenery for the price. We got off the minibus in town (our ship was moored about 1 mile away, while the Celebrity and Princess ships were closer) to spend some more time before our 9:30 sailaway. In town, we checked out the Red Dog Saloon—with its sawdust floors, did some shopping (picking up two reversible hooded fleece lined jackets (which unzip into vests) in a season end sale and visited the Juneau library to take advantage of their free internet connections.
Thereafter, around 6:30 we rode up the Mt. Roberts tramway (adult fare $27.00) to reach the lookouts that offer a spectacular sky high view of the city and the port before the sun set. The tramway and the shops / eateries and nature centres at the top are operated by native Americans. We began our descent just as the ships lights began switching on. By this time the RCL had already departed and the Celebrity ship was departing. The Diamond Princess sailed away just after us.
We were too late reboarding the ship to make the show song and dance revue performance in the Stardust theatre so proceeded almost directly to Indigo-- the casual dining room-- for dinner and were informed that there would be a half hour wait for a table of 4. We were given a flashing/vibrating handheld signaling device to carry with us to summon us back when the table freed up. We were just settling in at the martini bar in a nearby lounge, when a mere minutes later the device started to flash and vibrate. Returning to the podium, we were seated by the hostess about 5 minutes later in an annex to the main the hall around the corner. In contrast to the Summer Palace, the décor in Indigo is dark (the room is windowless) and garish. There are illuminated abstract Andy Warhol-esque art pieces on the wall depicting famous American landmarks (Statue of Liberty, Capitol building, White House, St Louis Arch) and currency.
The service in Indigo was unfriendly and indifferent. Our table was set without salt and paper shakers. The food was also not of high quality. Several of my table-mates selected a steak (with frites) from the everyday menu that were thin, dried out and tasteless—a pale imitation of the meats we enjoyed at Cagneys one night earlier. The desserts were also uninspired. Knowing we had an early excursion the following morning in Skagway, we headed almost immediately to bed following dinner
Still to come…. Skagway
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Day 3
We were excited to reach our first “day” in port— although technically we didn’t arrive until 2:00 in the afternoon—in Juneau, Alaska. We awoke in time to make the breakfast seating in the Summer Palace and received another excellent (window side) table assignment. Service was again exemplary. Following breakfast, we returned to the spa to find it much busier than on the prior day. Thereafter, our lunch was enjoyed back in the Summer Palace (another window-side seat assignment) as we pulled into port, relieving the Norwegian Star in her berth. The Diamond Princess, RCL Splendour of the Seas and the Celebrity Infinity were also in port that day.
We had booked an NCL shore excursion entitled “Sky to Sea”-- a 9.5 mile cycling tour. We were the first of our excursion group to meet our guide Nancy at the pier. Nancy, a retired person, was not a native Alaskan (born in the lower 48) but had spent the better part of her last 20 years in the State, originally in Anchorage and more recently in Juneau. There were six other people in our bike excursion—a retired couple and a group of four (quite eccentric and overdressed) USC students from Los Angeles. We took a mini-bus--- driven by a grumpy retired mechanic—up the hill to the Eaglecrest ski chalet that served as base camp We were assigned helmets and 21 speed bikes to start the 5.2 bike downward leg of our trek back down to the sea. Nancy told us that she rarely exceeded 20 mph and that 80% of the ride would be downhill. She definitely exceeded 20 mph and the inclines (while infrequent) were rough climbs for riders who don’t bike regularly, even after gearing down.
Our first stop along the route was at a bog to view the local flora. The fireweed grows every where and had already started to turn to seed. Nancy explained that the local people say that when the firewood turns, it is time to stop fishing and start hunting. Our next stop was at a mountain stream. We made our final downhill stop at a hanging glacier she called the Thomas. We turned left at the bottom of the hill and began 4.3 mile flat section of our ride along the coast. Sometime between this point and our next stop one member of our group (who shall remain nameless, but does not have the last name McGuinness) decided to wimp out and ride in the trailing van. She was e eirof thwaiting for us at the next stop which was at Fritz Cove overlooking the Mendenhall Glacier and Juneau airport (the city is only accessible by air and water--- there are no arterial roads in!)
From Fritz Cove forward, Nancy provided no further narration. Our driver was waiting for us at the end of the route with coffee, tea, hot chocolate and trail mix/energy bars. From there we reboarded the van for the ride back to town. Overall the excursion was a good workout and offered pleasant enough scenery for the price. We got off the minibus in town (our ship was moored about 1 mile away, while the Celebrity and Princess ships were closer) to spend some more time before our 9:30 sailaway. In town, we checked out the Red Dog Saloon—with its sawdust floors, did some shopping (picking up two reversible hooded fleece lined jackets (which unzip into vests) in a season end sale and visited the Juneau library to take advantage of their free internet connections.
Thereafter, around 6:30 we rode up the Mt. Roberts tramway (adult fare $27.00) to reach the lookouts that offer a spectacular sky high view of the city and the port before the sun set. The tramway and the shops / eateries and nature centres at the top are operated by native Americans. We began our descent just as the ships lights began switching on. By this time the RCL had already departed and the Celebrity ship was departing. The Diamond Princess sailed away just after us.
We were too late reboarding the ship to make the show song and dance revue performance in the Stardust theatre so proceeded almost directly to Indigo-- the casual dining room-- for dinner and were informed that there would be a half hour wait for a table of 4. We were given a flashing/vibrating handheld signaling device to carry with us to summon us back when the table freed up. We were just settling in at the martini bar in a nearby lounge, when a mere minutes later the device started to flash and vibrate. Returning to the podium, we were seated by the hostess about 5 minutes later in an annex to the main the hall around the corner. In contrast to the Summer Palace, the décor in Indigo is dark (the room is windowless) and garish. There are illuminated abstract Andy Warhol-esque art pieces on the wall depicting famous American landmarks (Statue of Liberty, Capitol building, White House, St Louis Arch) and currency.
The service in Indigo was unfriendly and indifferent. Our table was set without salt and paper shakers. The food was also not of high quality. Several of my table-mates selected a steak (with frites) from the everyday menu that were thin, dried out and tasteless—a pale imitation of the meats we enjoyed at Cagneys one night earlier. The desserts were also uninspired. Knowing we had an early excursion the following morning in Skagway, we headed almost immediately to bed following dinner
Still to come…. Skagway
Ahoy the shore from Alaska (3rd in a series)
Seattle pics now available
:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/album.php?aid=118078&id=526885372
Day 2 Our group awoke fairly late (after 8:00 AM) considering how early we had retired the evening before. By the time we were showered and dressed it was too late to make breakfast in the Summer Palace (table service) dining room so we headed up to check out the buffet. We found the buffet extremely crowded so made our way aft to the Great Outdoors dining terrace. We were able to find a nice table in the sun there and the weather was still warm enough to make dining el fresco comfortable. The service station offered made to order omelets, waffle/French toast and other standard breakfast meats (sausage bacon) and homefried potatoes; additionally, lighter options like melon and other fruits, yogurt and cereals were amply stocked along with a beverage station with apple/orange juice and coffee (including decaf) and tea. Following breakfast we attended an excursions talk in the Stardust theatre that was sparsely attended but very informative. E discovered that places had opened up on the Coastal adventure seacraft excursion that we had originally tried to reserve online but discovered full. A quick trip to the excursions desk and we were all re-booked very painless.
We did make it to the Summer Palace for lunch just after NOON and received an excellent table assignment to the rear of the dining hall by the wake-view picture windows. The décor in the Summer Palace is quite restrained relative to other common areas. Inspired by a French court in the age of Louis XIV it features white wood trim furniture with goal leaf accents, red regal crested seat backs, green seat cushions and marble columns, cascading crystal chandelier lighting fixtures, a gold etched mirrored ceiling and large scale oil paintings—featuring period families at play-- on the wall. Service was excellent at lunch. Several of us chose the seafood (lobster crab) bisque for our appetizers. For our entrees the popular choices (for two of us) were the sweet and sour grouper served on fried rice while the meatloaf and gnocchi were also selected by our tablemates. With he exception of the gnochi, all were well received. Dessert selections included bread pudding and pear gellate.
By 2:30 we were already into the inside passage and started to spy beautiful fog drenched panoramic mountain scenery rising on both sides of the ship. We adjourned to the spa shortly thereafter to enjoy the thermal suite. The general unisex area features a large heated pool with thermal therapy air jets and a rolling back massage wall rack, heated stone lounges that gently curve to take pressure off your spine, several comfortable teak lounges (including couples lounges) with well stuffed seat cushions positioned with full views of the picture window panoramas. In the gender segregated areas off the unisex suite there are individual hot tubs, a sauna ((which also offers excellent views), a steam room, a chilling tub as well as large shower stalls.
We had dinner reservations at Cagneys Steak House for 6:00 PM. We were a bit late arriving and were seated in an annex that was entered through a lounge. Again we were seated window side. Dinner apps we sampled included Oysters Rockefeller, jumbo shrimp cocktail and crab cakes. For dinner the table selected rib eye, new york and two t-bones. All were excellent and came with a wide assortment of sides, including baked potatoes, mushrooms, vegetables and onion rings. We finished up a very satisfying meal with apple crisp, cheesecake and raspberry crème brule for dessert. I also had a decafé cappuccino, which was excellent.
Following dinner we posed for formal portraits (which were organized in a circuit passing by every available backdrop), watched the not so newlywed game (hosted by Julie)--- one of the weaker versions of this (normally uproarious) game show classics I have seen at sea-- and then attended a comedy show. The comedy show featuring comic Tim Kaminski was centred around an extended audience participation skit based on the film classic The Wizard of Oz, featuring audience members portraying Dorothy, the tin woodman (a Chinese gentleman that spoke no English), the cowardly lion (a bearded dentist that stole the show), the Scarecrow and an unfortunate young man selected to portray Toto who spent the entire segment on his knees nudging up against Dorothy’s leg on cue! Tired after the show, we adjourned to our stateroom and retired.
:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/album.php?aid=118078&id=526885372
Day 2 Our group awoke fairly late (after 8:00 AM) considering how early we had retired the evening before. By the time we were showered and dressed it was too late to make breakfast in the Summer Palace (table service) dining room so we headed up to check out the buffet. We found the buffet extremely crowded so made our way aft to the Great Outdoors dining terrace. We were able to find a nice table in the sun there and the weather was still warm enough to make dining el fresco comfortable. The service station offered made to order omelets, waffle/French toast and other standard breakfast meats (sausage bacon) and homefried potatoes; additionally, lighter options like melon and other fruits, yogurt and cereals were amply stocked along with a beverage station with apple/orange juice and coffee (including decaf) and tea. Following breakfast we attended an excursions talk in the Stardust theatre that was sparsely attended but very informative. E discovered that places had opened up on the Coastal adventure seacraft excursion that we had originally tried to reserve online but discovered full. A quick trip to the excursions desk and we were all re-booked very painless.
We did make it to the Summer Palace for lunch just after NOON and received an excellent table assignment to the rear of the dining hall by the wake-view picture windows. The décor in the Summer Palace is quite restrained relative to other common areas. Inspired by a French court in the age of Louis XIV it features white wood trim furniture with goal leaf accents, red regal crested seat backs, green seat cushions and marble columns, cascading crystal chandelier lighting fixtures, a gold etched mirrored ceiling and large scale oil paintings—featuring period families at play-- on the wall. Service was excellent at lunch. Several of us chose the seafood (lobster crab) bisque for our appetizers. For our entrees the popular choices (for two of us) were the sweet and sour grouper served on fried rice while the meatloaf and gnocchi were also selected by our tablemates. With he exception of the gnochi, all were well received. Dessert selections included bread pudding and pear gellate.
By 2:30 we were already into the inside passage and started to spy beautiful fog drenched panoramic mountain scenery rising on both sides of the ship. We adjourned to the spa shortly thereafter to enjoy the thermal suite. The general unisex area features a large heated pool with thermal therapy air jets and a rolling back massage wall rack, heated stone lounges that gently curve to take pressure off your spine, several comfortable teak lounges (including couples lounges) with well stuffed seat cushions positioned with full views of the picture window panoramas. In the gender segregated areas off the unisex suite there are individual hot tubs, a sauna ((which also offers excellent views), a steam room, a chilling tub as well as large shower stalls.
We had dinner reservations at Cagneys Steak House for 6:00 PM. We were a bit late arriving and were seated in an annex that was entered through a lounge. Again we were seated window side. Dinner apps we sampled included Oysters Rockefeller, jumbo shrimp cocktail and crab cakes. For dinner the table selected rib eye, new york and two t-bones. All were excellent and came with a wide assortment of sides, including baked potatoes, mushrooms, vegetables and onion rings. We finished up a very satisfying meal with apple crisp, cheesecake and raspberry crème brule for dessert. I also had a decafé cappuccino, which was excellent.
Following dinner we posed for formal portraits (which were organized in a circuit passing by every available backdrop), watched the not so newlywed game (hosted by Julie)--- one of the weaker versions of this (normally uproarious) game show classics I have seen at sea-- and then attended a comedy show. The comedy show featuring comic Tim Kaminski was centred around an extended audience participation skit based on the film classic The Wizard of Oz, featuring audience members portraying Dorothy, the tin woodman (a Chinese gentleman that spoke no English), the cowardly lion (a bearded dentist that stole the show), the Scarecrow and an unfortunate young man selected to portray Toto who spent the entire segment on his knees nudging up against Dorothy’s leg on cue! Tired after the show, we adjourned to our stateroom and retired.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Ahoy the shore from Alaska (2nd in a series)
We departed the Grand Hyatt at approximately 11:00 AM on Sunday August 30th. No van taxis were available but the skilled hotel porter was able to cram most of our bags into the trunk of a standard sized taxi and we jammed three passengers in the rear and myself up front with the driver—some of us carry-ons in our lap. Not exactly roomy and comfortable but the taxi ride to the pier 66 cruise-ship terminal was relatively short, inexpensive and uneventful as was the check-in process. We were on board by NOON. We entered off the gangplank onto level 7 at the two level crystal atrium (featuring a massive floor to roof video screen). To be honest, the
We were informed that our staterooms wouldn’t be available until 2 PM so we had some time to kill. We immediately made our dinner reservations for the first two nights (you can make a reservation as early as 8 AM the day prior) as we knew we would be at sea those evenings. We chose La Cucina (Italian) and Cagneys Steak House for Sunday and Monday night dinners, respectively. The former has a $10 surcharge while the latter had a $25 surcharge pp. Then we proceeded upstairs to the poolside buffet. It was already relatively busy so we ate in the great outdoors table seating area which is aft on level 12 (the pool level). There you can dine el fresco on a selection of grille food like (burgers, hot dogs and fries) and soups, as well as made to order pasta. spent some time visiting the kidszone (to sign the waivers for the teen activities), touring the spa (we signed up for the $99 week long thermal suite “members only” club (the limit entry to 180 people to avoid overcrowding)) and canvassing the poolside expo exhibits (a quick orientation to all the different resources and activities available on board). Finally, we attended the “Who Wants to be a Gazillionaire” gameshow in the Spinnaker lounge.
We proceeded to our stateroom precisely at 2:00 to make a few disturbing discoveries. First, none of our luggage had yet arrived and second the room appeared to contain only two twin beds plus an upper
The muster drill was scheduled at 3:30. Our assigned muster station (2E) was inside the Le Bistro French restaurant. It was brief, comfortable (all arriving parties were assigned to tables to be seated) and well organized (cabin numbers were stenciled on life jackets for easy check-in to confirm attendance). The ship began to move out of dock almost immediately after the drill ended. When we return to our stateroom to re-stow our life jackets, our luggage had arrived so we did a quick unpack and then headed back up to the pooldeck in our bathing suites for the sailaway party. Both pools (the adult only and the general pool (into which the waterslide falls) were open and were busy (taking advantage of perhaps the warmest temps we would get throughout the duration of the ship.) Three of us tried the waterslide—two successfully—Ryan was unable o generate any downward momentum and basically had to push himself down using his arms on the handrail. The water was warm when you were in the pool but there was a chilly cross-wind when you stepped out onto the deck.
Following the swim/sailaway, we returned to our stateroom to dress for dinner. Still being on eastern time, we had made our dinner reservation early (5:30) at La Cucina. Service was good. The olive tray arrived first followed by the antipasto trolley (featuring salami, proscuitto, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatos and several cheeses). For the next course Ceasar salad was freshly prepared table side. For a second plate we ordered a custom pizza for the table (featuring ham, meatballs and sausage). I also ordered a pasta item (Fetticune Alfredo). Both the pasta and the pizza were delicious. For our entrees I ordered salmon sallopini while my table-mates went with pollo
Following dinner we headed to the opening show in the Stardust theatre… a massive three level showroom with stadium style seating. The show opened with the ship’s showband and then Julie, our cruise director, made her entrance. Julie is a fellow Canadian, from
More to come: day 2 and the inside passage
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