Bon Voyage, Mon Amie!

Guess where we are?

Goodbye Vancouver.

Getting ready to board the Volendam

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. 

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.

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.

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.

Our (upgraded) stateroom.

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!

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!

Classroom materials provided by The Alaskan Brewing Company.

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!