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Guess where we are? |
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Goodbye Vancouver. |
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Getting ready to board the Volendam |
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The ship as seen from the Port of Juneau, Alaska. |
We are beginning our third day on the water now, having left
Vancouver on Wednesday afternoon and due to exorbitant internet fees, you are
reading this post-cruise.
I was looking forward to my first cruise, heading north to
Alaska along the inside passage. A
floating buffet, what’s there not to love?
Hot tubs, different levels to explore, a pre-paid “booze card,” and a
continuous change of scenery.
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The buffet was one of the activities we participated in, with a view from almost anywhere you were seated. |
With the “honeymoon” over, with a few days under my belt,
some little things have surfaced that have gotten under my skin about “what’s
not to love.” I promise to include more
positive, but I am feeling the need to release some negativity off my chest.
Some of this frustration is out of the control of anyone,
like the fog that was with us the first 24 hours. Granted this was combined with smoke from over
100 wildfires that British Columbia was experiencing and made scenic viewing
virtually impossible. But this is not
how I saw my maiden voyage going down.
This inconvenience never crossed my mind as my expectations formed
pre-cruise.
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Our first night's sunset. |
The fog came and went and eventually lifted for the majority
of our time on the water. As our
position on the water changed and the winds shifted, the smoke became less of
an irritant as well. I would have
included pictures of the fog, but it would have looked like holding copy paper
up close to your face, so just do that for a minute.
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After the fog cleared. |
The one surprise that I have become fixated on, is this
vertical, intermittent vibration that seems to erupt from the belly of the
ship. What I picture as an aftershock
from an earthquake, it seems constant with only about a second between. The mattress of our bed and the hot tub seem
to be the two sanctuaries that offer some relief as we head toward Juneau. And as I write (…it has just
subsided…Ha!) I do get use to it, but in
quiet moments, which there are many; these vertical releases of energy work
their way through my body and make me hope everything is OK down below. I’ve evidently watched too many episodes of The
Deadliest Catch, where there is trouble in the engine room!
The only other surprise came last night, as we were playing
cards. The wear and tear the “Saltlife”
has taken on the ship has caught caught my eye.
I hadn’t noticed much in the beginning, but like I said, as the big
picture of my first cruise’s newness wanes, the more I see. The rust and corrosion on the metal takes its
toll, even though they do their best to cover it up with paint. Even on the inside of the ship, next to where
we were playing cards, the corrosion along the window frames is apparent. I guess that’s why there’s so much glitz and
shimmer in the design of the interior of the ship itself, to lead your eyes
away from the years of “experience” the ship has seen. Don’t get me too wrong, the ship is clean,
attractive, and our room is awesome. It
is what it is.
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Our (upgraded) stateroom. |
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With our private balcony for fog viewing! |
The “aftershocks” have now been replaced by a steady, almost
undetected vibration. You can see it in
the water bottles sitting on our desk.
These few negatives are quickly forgotten as you look out and see the
land covered in thick forests.
The motion of the ocean got to Beth and Karen, but a little
trip to the drug store brought some relief and our last day on the water was
more enjoyable than the previous one for them.
By the last day onboard, I felt like I knew my way around
the ship and began seeing the same people over and over. With a few exceptions, most of the people on
board are older couples, a few families with kids, but it seems as though we
are younger than most (through rose colored glasses). Most are not from the US, but from Australia,
with some from the Middle East, and a smattering from Asia as well. These are observations from my total lack of
worldly experience, mind you.
Can’t say that I’ve made any new friends for life, but then
we came with some. We explored the ship
with Karen and Stuart, played cards, ate a bit much, and drank a bit more. Overall it was a good introduction to taking
a cruise and as far as doing it again, I’m on board…haha!
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Will miss our little towel animals each day. |
Oh, I just remembered…we did experience some incompetence in
the form of a botched couples massage that we never got to have and we came to
realize the sometimes not so subtle push from the staff to support certain
shops on our excursions ashore, belonged to the cruise line. Here I was under the naïve impression that
the cruise company was just there to help us enjoy ourselves at sea. It just goes to show that…well…it shows
something!
Oh, I just remembered…Stuart and I signed up for an Alaskan
Beer tasting “class.” I love
learning! Hosted by the Lido Deck master
bartender, “Rex”…who’s real name I’m sure I could not re-pronounce, if given
the chance. The class was educational to
a mild extent and the results were predictable!
One of the better educational opportunities I’ve taken advantage
of. Well done, Rex!
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Classroom materials provided by The Alaskan Brewing Company. |
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We passed our class with flying colors! |
Next stop…dry land…for the remaining days of our trip.
My Zen from the Water: Know where your life vest is... Even though our safety drill we had to participate in before sailing was crowded, took a while, and seemed inconvenient ..it was good to have a plan seeded in the back of my mind. So know where your life vest is located in your cruise!
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