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!
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