29th - 30th Sept 2019
Left: My 'stateroom'. There are two delightful Filipino (or maybe one of them is Indonesian) stewards, Efi and Badrus, who are here to look after us and do so remarkably well.
A useful feature is the TV screen which other than showing fillums etc. shows charts of where we are, weather and live outside views for'ard and aft plus much other info on what is going on aboard ship.
There is an internet service which you pay for if you want to do e-mails and things like this blog. However it is very slow and rather erratic and has a tendency to cut out at critical moments.
One of the first 'activities' was the emergency drill. Lots of different alarms and we were instructed to go to our lifeboat stations on deck 2 for a full briefing. Again, well organised and no small feat considering we weren't allowed to use the lifts, and the vessel has 10 decks, and a fair number of the pax are geriatric and/or in wheelchairs! I don't know how they managed to get the wheelchairs down the stairs so quickly. A big push presumably.
I must say the facilities on board are very elaborate and luxurious. Dining is free (well, included in the fare) in the main and other subsidiary restaurants except for some expensive ultra-posh 'specialist' eateries (lobster and caviare etc.). Alcoholic drink is most certainly not free. There is a standard drinks menu in all the many bars and the prices (not including the mandatory 15% tip) will ensure that I will have a very abstemious journey. The food in the 'free' restaurants is superb and impeccably served by a large army of waiters. Serious danger of over-eating here. There is also a well appointed gym which I feel I might be forced to make use of if only to ease my conscience.
Each day we are provided with an elaborate programme of voluntary, I hasten to add, activities provided on board. These cover a vast array of things such as lectures, skills classes, musical and stage performances, fitness and beauty classes, competitions, ballroom dancing, bridge etc. and go from 7.00am to 11.30pm. Today's packed prog includes such esoteric subjects as 'Look 10 Years Younger' (Explorers Lounge deck 2), The Art of Flower Arranging (Ocean Bar, deck 3), LGBTQ & Friends Meetup (Gallery Bar, deck 2). I expect some will go to all three of these. There are many more.
I haven't got around half the ship yet but have discovered a large Casino (to be avoided) and the impressive state-of-the-art torture machine equipped gym.......tomorrow maybe.
Of the 1,864 pax on board most appear to be (retired) Americans, plus a considerable number of Japanese and of all these 90% are of a 'certain age' ie. old. Some of whom, having overheard a few conversations, seem to spend most of the year doing cruises and spend much time comparing them. They know the form. There is a total of 790 crew; that's not far short of one crew-member for two pax! Its a much better ratio than stable lads looking after racehorses.
You certainly don't have to wait long for a magnificent service; and that doesn't include all the entertainers and performers or, presumably, the grease stained engineers working down in the bowels of the ship. Impressive. I haven't met another Brit, yet.
We will be sailing up the 'Inner Passage' (which sounds rather rude) en route initially to Juneau, Alaska. So far the sea is flat calm. Long may it remain so.
Left: The 'Inner Passage' marked by the blue line. You can click on to enlarge. Below: Part of the gym at the front end of deck 9.
I'm posting this now, with more to add before arriving in Juneau, while the internet going is good as I have discovered that the damned i connection cuts out regularly and often wipes out what I have written previously and I really can't be bothered to start again.
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| Leaving Vancouver under The Lion's Gate bridge. |
We set sail at 5.00pm. I have been allocated a cabin on deck 5. They choose to call these, rather ambitiously in my case, 'staterooms'. Needless to say I have the cheapest option which is an inside cabin with no windows. However it is very comfortable with all mod cons (except a coffee machine).
Left: My 'stateroom'. There are two delightful Filipino (or maybe one of them is Indonesian) stewards, Efi and Badrus, who are here to look after us and do so remarkably well.A useful feature is the TV screen which other than showing fillums etc. shows charts of where we are, weather and live outside views for'ard and aft plus much other info on what is going on aboard ship.
There is an internet service which you pay for if you want to do e-mails and things like this blog. However it is very slow and rather erratic and has a tendency to cut out at critical moments.
One of the first 'activities' was the emergency drill. Lots of different alarms and we were instructed to go to our lifeboat stations on deck 2 for a full briefing. Again, well organised and no small feat considering we weren't allowed to use the lifts, and the vessel has 10 decks, and a fair number of the pax are geriatric and/or in wheelchairs! I don't know how they managed to get the wheelchairs down the stairs so quickly. A big push presumably.I must say the facilities on board are very elaborate and luxurious. Dining is free (well, included in the fare) in the main and other subsidiary restaurants except for some expensive ultra-posh 'specialist' eateries (lobster and caviare etc.). Alcoholic drink is most certainly not free. There is a standard drinks menu in all the many bars and the prices (not including the mandatory 15% tip) will ensure that I will have a very abstemious journey. The food in the 'free' restaurants is superb and impeccably served by a large army of waiters. Serious danger of over-eating here. There is also a well appointed gym which I feel I might be forced to make use of if only to ease my conscience.
Each day we are provided with an elaborate programme of voluntary, I hasten to add, activities provided on board. These cover a vast array of things such as lectures, skills classes, musical and stage performances, fitness and beauty classes, competitions, ballroom dancing, bridge etc. and go from 7.00am to 11.30pm. Today's packed prog includes such esoteric subjects as 'Look 10 Years Younger' (Explorers Lounge deck 2), The Art of Flower Arranging (Ocean Bar, deck 3), LGBTQ & Friends Meetup (Gallery Bar, deck 2). I expect some will go to all three of these. There are many more.
I haven't got around half the ship yet but have discovered a large Casino (to be avoided) and the impressive state-of-the-art torture machine equipped gym.......tomorrow maybe.
Of the 1,864 pax on board most appear to be (retired) Americans, plus a considerable number of Japanese and of all these 90% are of a 'certain age' ie. old. Some of whom, having overheard a few conversations, seem to spend most of the year doing cruises and spend much time comparing them. They know the form. There is a total of 790 crew; that's not far short of one crew-member for two pax! Its a much better ratio than stable lads looking after racehorses.
You certainly don't have to wait long for a magnificent service; and that doesn't include all the entertainers and performers or, presumably, the grease stained engineers working down in the bowels of the ship. Impressive. I haven't met another Brit, yet.
We will be sailing up the 'Inner Passage' (which sounds rather rude) en route initially to Juneau, Alaska. So far the sea is flat calm. Long may it remain so.
Left: The 'Inner Passage' marked by the blue line. You can click on to enlarge. Below: Part of the gym at the front end of deck 9.
I'm posting this now, with more to add before arriving in Juneau, while the internet going is good as I have discovered that the damned i connection cuts out regularly and often wipes out what I have written previously and I really can't be bothered to start again.
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