Tricia’s Travelogue

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, getting to the town of Sitka required a five-mile bus ride from the port. There were a few souvenir shops at the port itself, but we didn't bother to get off the ship. Fortunately, despite being docked next to the much-larger Ovation of the Seas, we had a great view from our balcony, where we spent much of the afternoon. In the morning, we took a walk around the ship to get a 360-degree view of the area.  Seeing the North Star on the Ovation reminded us of our very first cruise in 2019. Some readers will remember riding inside! The North Star in action Sitka Port area View from our balcony Kayakers We had lunch in the Windjammer, our first visit there on this cruise. We realized why we'd been hearing things rolled across our ceiling (just under the Windjammer) starting around midnight and continuing through many of the wee hours. Our bed is directly under a tiled portion of the floor, unfortunately!  I guess that's why ours was the on...

We had the ship mostly to ourselves on our early morning walk, so I can give you a bit of a ship tour. First up, here are some photos of the Solarium. The decor is very similar, if not identical, to that on Jewel of the Seas.     Like the Jewel, there is a central atrium called the Centrum: The Schooner Bar has the same nautical theme as on every ship, but this one is especially detailed, with beautiful wood. This figurehead, known as The Swedish Nightingale, was formerly a figurehead on a 19th century ship.  On today's morning walk, the figurehead gave me a duck! Past the Schooner Bar is the Safari Lounge, an event space with pool tables and a gathering area for music and presentations.  We had to take a couple of elephant photos for Sydney. We went to the Top Tier Event mid-morning, and we were surprised to learn that we are among the 38 top cruisers!  I guess that explains why the Diamond Lounge hasn't been crowded at all. Here's a look at the Diamond Lo...

Embarkation Day went very smoothly, thank goodness!  We had our luggage packed and ready for the bellman to collect at 7:30.  It was delivered directly to the ship, so we didn't have to schlep big suitcases at all!  AND, it was waiting for us when the cabins were ready for us. Highly recommend! We enjoyed a last breakfast in the club lounge, then returned to our room until about 10:00. We took the elevator down to the terminal level and started the check-in process. We were among the earliest to arrive, so there were no lines for the initial check-in, passport control, or Security. Since we're in a junior suite this trip, we were ushered to the suites waiting area.  After ten minutes or so, a woman approached us to ask if we'd be their guinea pigs, as the technology for boarding the ship wasn't behaving. We of course agreed, hopped up, and followed the woman to the final check-in area. The tech worked perfectly, so we got to be the first passengers to board!  We...

We began the day with another early-morning walk around the hotel to look at the three cruise ships that had just arrived.  Two were huge, and one quite small. It's interesting to see how tiny some of the balconies are -- barely big enough for two small chairs.  The port area is full of flowers, like these hanging baskets: As we returned to the hotel, we spotted these flight attendants, perhaps heading off for an Air India flight? About 10:00, we headed out to find a nearby yarn store, Les Laines Biscotte, and it did not disappoint!  I bought two skeins of sock yarn, but could have easily filled a suitcase, as they were having a big sale.  We browsed in a few other shops as we made our way back to Riley's for lunch. We had a lovely outdoor table with a view and enjoyed our fish and chips (the fish was halibut!) and a bottle of wine.  SO good. We enjoyed a lazy afternoon with naps (see aforementioned bottle of wine).  The haze cleared off enough in the after...