Ahoy the shore from Alaska (3rd in a series)

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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.