Tricia’s Travelogue

Yesterday afternoon we docked in Ketchikan about 3:00.  As we approached, we got a good look at the Ketchikan International Airport.  We watched several planes land and a ferry arrive to unload cars and trucks headed to the airport. When we docked, there were FOUR other cruise ships already there.  That was a factor in our decision to once again remain onboard the ship.   It was another beautiful, sunny day, so we have been fortunate. We were amused at the "heat advisory" on the weather app, due to the 76-degree weather expected.  It was the first day we've been comfortable in short sleeves this trip. We walked around on the top deck to capture a couple of photos of Ketchikan. Dinner was at Izumi, which we again had all to ourselves. In addition to our favorite appetizers, the dumplings and the tempura shrimp and veggies, we enjoyed a couple of rolls. Today we're in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, but I'll write a separate post about it. I appreciate your ...

After I wrote yesterday's post, we still had several hours of sailing before we reached Sitka, Alaska.  The views continued to be stunning!  For lunch, we decided to go to Izumi, and we had it all to ourselves for most of the time.  We both ordered salads that were pretty and tasty, followed by chicken teriyaki (not pictured). It was incredibly windy on the deck outside Izumi, but Charlie managed to get this photo of some of the houses along the waterfront as we neared Juneau: After lunch we ran into Montserrat, a former suite concierge we'd had on two previous ships. She is now a genie! I was amazed that she recognized us, given the hundreds of passengers she must have met since she last saw us. Our ship was the FIFTH to arrive in Juneau, and we were relegated to a far-away port that required a shuttle bus, as it was an industrial port.  Given that and the fact that we'd been to Juneau before, we opted to stay on the ship again. As we told Nikki, our lounge concierg...

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...