Skagway!

Bridge where we could see bears in the distance

Bear cub

Bear cub

Mama Speedy and cub

Chilkoot Lake

Davidson Glacier

Meg and Dave at Chilkoot Lake

Friday, August 12: Skagway!

We got up early because our excursion was early.  It was drizzling out, so we suited up in our layers and packed up our binoculars and cameras in our backpack.  We were supposed to meet at the Walt Disney Theatre at 7 am.  Fortunately, Goofy’s Galley was open for breakfast so we headed up to get some pastries and some much needed coffee. 

After our breakfast, we headed down to the theatre.  We were given Mickey Mouse stickers and soon we disembarking the ship.  We got on a bus, driven by Susan, and she took us to a different dock so that we could board our high speed catamaran ferry to Haines. Susan told us that bears had been spotted in the area where we were going, so we might be able to see some.  The trip was very pleasant, with a local naturalist pointing out sights and wildlife to us on the way.  We saw a few eagles and some harbor seals.

When we got to Haines a light rain was still coming down, but Dave and I were properly dressed and so did not mind it (and we did not get wet, either!).  We were met by Don and Judy who would be our guides for this trip.  Don was the former Head Ranger of Glacier Bay National Park and Judy literally wrote the book on the plants of Southeast Alaska (she is a published botanist).  We used the bathrooms at the dock, since we were warned that we would only have access to a portapotty once we got to Chilkoot Lake and then we boarded the bus.  Don was narrating and Judy was driving.  Don was fascinating and he know a lot about the area, as did Judy.  He talked about John Muir, the Tlingit native people of the area and the animals.  Don and Judy also told us about the behavior they expected from us if we saw a bear and we all agreed to follow the rules.  (Like if they told us to get back on the bus, we should get back on the bus, not take a few pictures and then get back on the bus!)

We pulled over to a bakery, which Don called a low-calorie bakery, because it was closed.  But Judy knew the owner and it was right on the river near where eagles could be spotted and an eagle’s nest.  We got out and looked at the gorgeous scenery and saw an eagle in a tree.  As we were looking at the eagles and the river, someone spotted a mama bear and two bear cubs in the distance!  I grabbed my binoculars and I was able to see them.  We were all so thrilled that we had gotten to see bears, even in the distance.  Bust our day was about the get better!

We got back in the bus and followed the road by the river upstream.  As we got to the salmon weir that crossed the river, we saw, not 40 feet away from us, the mama bear (nicknamed Speedy) and her cubs fishing in the river.  One of the cubs had a fishing lure stuck in his lip, but Don said that the cub would most likely pull it out on his own and it did not seem to be bothering him or keeping him from eating.  Although Judy was not really supposed to stop there, there was no traffic and she did, allowing us to get great video and photos of the bears.  Seriously, I could have watched them for hours!  We finally moved on when the bear family crossed the road and disappeared into the woods. 

After that magical encounter, we continued up the road until we got to Chilkoot Lake, where there is a park.  The lake is surrounded by the Takshanuk Mountains and you could even see Davidson Glacier, although there were clouds hanging on the higher peaks.

We got out and used the portapotty and then Judy led us on a fascinating nature walk up into the rain forest.  We went through 5 different ecosystems and Judy explained each one, pointing out the flora.  She also pointed out bear scat so that we could avoid stepping in it! 

After the walk, we got back in the bus and headed off to get lunch.  On the way back to Haines we were lucky enough to see *another* mama bear (this one nicknamed BMJ for Big Mama Jamba) and her three cubs on the other side of the river!  They did not get as close as Speedy and her cubs did, but BMJ is about 30 years old and a very wise and cautious bear!  Still, we could see them clearly and loved watching them fish and eat salmon. 

We went back to Haines and had our lunch at a local restaurant.  It was a bag lunch with a chicken caesar wrap, grapes, chips, a cookie and a bottle of water.  It was very good!  (We were supposed to eat in a Tlingit tribal house, but for it was too wet to do that, for some reason). 

After lunch we went back to the dock, said goodbye and thank you to Don and Judy and took the ferry back to Skagway, bubbling with excitement about the bear watching we had done.  Once in Skagway we did some shopping and enjoyed wandering around the little town, which we loved.  It had a charming rustic ambiance to it, and it really felt like Alaska to us.

Then we returned to the ship in time for dinner, although we changed first.  That night was the Taste of Alaska menu.  Dave had the elk and I had the salmon.  We thought the food was good, but we have actually had better salmon when my dad makes it.  Go figure!  We had a good time talking with our tablemates about the excursions that we had been on.  They we all envious of  our good luck with the bear sightings.

Then it was back to the room and out on the balcony for more scenic viewing.  (I was really glad that I had booked a room with a verandah.  We used it a lot!)  Then it was lights out, because we had another early excursion booked for Juneau!

(In hindsight, Dave and I both agree that Skagway and Haines were our favorite towns and that the Alaska Nature and Wildlife Expedition was our favorite excursion!)

Sawyer Glacier

Check out the color of the water!  It's because of glacial minerals.

Mickey Head on prow of the ship, pointing to the glacier.

Thursday, August 11, 2011--Tracy Arm Fjord

We got up around 7:30 and had room service for breakfast.  We had hung the tag out the night before and we got coffee, muffins and fruit to enjoy while watching the scenery. 
After that, we strolled down to the shops.  Dave usually gets me a present during our vacations and he wanted to get me the DCL Chamilia charm for my bracelet.  Well, they had the charm, but they could not use a credit card because we were at sea, so we just charged it to the room and Dave said he would get me something else when we went to one of our ports of call.  (Which he did, in Skagway).

After that, we watched the scenery from our verandah for a while and then headed up to  Beach Blanket Buffet for lunch.  Finding seating was very difficult, but we managed to find a place eventually.  We got the food from the buffet and then I went back in line to grab some food from the BBQ on deck.  The only thing ready was the salmon (which was what we wanted) so I loaded up the plate and went back to where Dave was seated.  (It’s usually easier for me to get stuff).  We had a great lunch, and then, because we were really hungry and the food was good, we went back through the line and got some more.  Dave particularly enjoyed the venison sausage!

The day was a bit foggy and drizzly, but we did not mind that.  It was also cold, but we had prepared for that was well, wearing layers of clothing to keep us warm.  Even though we had a verandah, I wanted to get to the top of the ship for full on views of the glacier, so we braved the elements with many other hardy souls and I snapped pictures almost constantly.  The water was a beautiful green color and we were told that it was from the minerals in the glacier.  There were also harbor seals swimming around and hauled out and the pack ice near the glacier. (They were too fast for me to get a picture of, unfortunately).

We watched the glacier (we even got to see it calving!) and the spectacular scenery until we we too cold, so we relinquished our spot on the rail and went back to our stateroom to warm up and view the scenery from our stateroom.  I had gotten windburned out on deck, so I stopped in the shop to purchase some aloe with lidocaine and that immediately made me feel better. 

We decided to skip our dining seating that night and just go up to the Beach Blanket Buffet a little later.  For one thing, Dave was not that hungry after the double lunch he had eaten and secondly, we just did not feel “presentable” enough.  We went up to deck 9 and the Beach Blanket Buffet again and both had turkey dinners.  Then back to the room for more scenery as we sailed out of Tracy Arm and headed north toward Skagway.

Wednesday, August 10: Day at Sea

The scenery from the bow of the ship.

Trust me, all those little splashes are Pacific white-sided dolphins.

I woke a few times during the night, but managed to get right back to sleep.  I got up at about 6:45 and took my meds, then went out on the balcony.  While I was using my binoculars, glassing an area near a small island, I saw a spout and then the flukes of a whale tail as he dove.  He spouted and dove again and then was gone.  Just a little bit later, I saw a seal pop his head up out of the water.  The day was off to a promising start. 

We went up to deck 9 for breakfast at Beach Blanket Buffet and had a delicious but light breakfast.  They had everything from fresh fruit to hot and cold cereals, eggs, breakfast meat, bagels and more. 

I headed off to find the laundry.  It’s not exciting, but it had to be done.  There are three self serve laundries on the ship.  I went to the sixth floor laundry first, but all the machines were in use.  So I headed to the 7th floor, and found two empty washers.  I figured out how to use all the machines (it was harder than you might imagine!) and did two loads of laundry.  Then it was time for showers and getting ready for brunch at Palo.

We went up to brunch and enjoyed it thoroughly!  Palo is the adult only restaurant located in the aft of the ship.  It has huge floor to ceiling windows so we could watch as we sailed the Inside Passage.  The brunch was amazing.  There was a huge selection of cold appetizers such at cheeses, seafood and salads, plus you could order hot foods like pizzas, breakfast specialties, tilapia, chicken parmesan, and veal.  Then there were desserts like tiramisu and chocolate panna cotta.  We had a server named Mariana from Argentina and she was wonderful.

After brunch, we walked out to see a large pod of Pacific white sided dolphins playing alongside the ship.  Dave estimated that there must have been 150 of them riding the waves.  I saw a mother and baby swimming right next to each other.  We watched them for a while, explored the ship for a little bit and then headed back to the balcony where we enjoyed the beautiful scenery.  Honesty forces me to admit that the scenery looks a lot like the Porcupine Islands up in Bar Harbor.  By that time, Dave was getting sleepy, so he laid down for a nap and I went to the gift shop!  I got a long sleeve tee shirt that I wanted and spotted a charm for my bracelet that Dave is going to get for me.  As I was walking along the port side, a pod of orcas was spotted.  They were too far away to get a good picture of, but at least I can say that I saw them!  I hope to get a closer look at orcas in the next few days.  Then I went back to the room and sat on the balcony for a while.

At about 3:30, Dave got up and we got ready to go to another meet and greet, this time with some Passporters who were on the cruise.  We met Holly and Michelle at the Outlook Cafe and they were both delightful.  While talking, we saw another whale surface, spout and dive showing his/her flukes.  Holly spotted it first.

By that time, it was time to get ready for dinner, so we got dressed and headed down. Tonight was “formal night” but Dave did not was to lug a jacket across country for one meal (and I don’t blame him) so he wore a nice button down shirt and chinos and I wore a nice (but by no means fancy) dress.  At dinner people were wearing everything from gowns and tuxes to what we were wearing, so we never felt underdressed or uncomfortable.  Two of our tablemates did not go to dinner, as they felt uncomfortable with formal night, so it was only 4 of us at our table.  Dave had prosciutto ham and melon, broccoli and cheese soup and then a smoked duck breast salad and I had carmelized scallops and then steak and baked potato.  For dessert, I had the vanilla bean creme brulee and Dave had the raspberry cheesecake.  We both really enjoyed our meals. 

There was a show after dinner, but we did not really come to Alaska for the shows, we came for the scenery.  So we headed back to our room and sat on the balcony again.  When it got too cold, we went inside and watched from the couch until it was too dark to really see anything.  Then we got ready and went to bed.  It had been a wonderful first day!

PS: Dave and I are really enjoying cruising!  We will definitely be cruising again in the future!

Day 1--Disney Wonder Embarkation

August 9, 2011

Sunset from our verandah on the Disney Wonder

I got up early and headed out for my usual routine of going to get a cup of coffee and a scone while using the internet at Blenz.  This would be the last time that I would be able to get online for a while, since I did not want to pay the exorbitant fees to connect while at sea.

After that, I headed back to the room and Dave and I packed everything up.  We both packed a day bag with our pajamas, a change of shirt and our medications.  I packed all the dirty laundry in one bag and the clean laundry in another bag.  We killed some time looking at information about the ship and then headed down to the port.  We had to go through customs at the port and then checking in for the cruise.  Check in was fairly easy, and we waited around for our boarding number to be called.  The people watching was very entertaining.

Finally, our boarding number (11) was called and we were walking on to the ship!  Disney welcomes each family on by name (The Disney Wonder welcomes The Jones Family!) but you can ask to be introduced by any name. I asked that we be introduced as “Belle and the Beast!”  We got a round of applause and some laughter.

Once onboard, it was 12:30 and we were able to try to get reservations for Palo, the adults only restaurant on the ship.  We really wanted to try to score a brunch reservation, but Palo only has a limited number of spots since they only serve brunch on sea days. 

The line was very long and we waited without moving for quite some time.  It turns out that we later found out that the computers were down and that is why the line was immobile. 

While in line, I saw Belle come out in her yellow dress.  Dave, who was waiting right in back of her, motioned to me that I should wave to Belle.  It took a while, but she finally looked my way.  I waved and signed “I love you” to her.  She gave me a hug smile and put her hands over her heart.  Later, when she had finished greeting the kids, she walked over to ME and said, “I had to come give you a hug!”  So we hugged and then I told her she was my favorite princess because she liked to read.  She got excited and said “Do you like to read too?” and then we had a lovely conversation about books and reading and teaching.

Right after my conversation with Belle, the line started moving and I was able to secure one of the last brunch openings for our first sea day!  I was very excited and walked over to tell Dave.  I pretended that there wasn’t any availability left and he believed me for a few minutes until I started jumping up and down and told him that we had gotten brunch for the next day.

After that, we got a light lunch, since we were going to be eating relatively early at 5:45 and it was already almost 2.  As we were finishing lunch, an announcement told us that the staterooms were ready, so we went down and checked out our stateroom and met Aristo, our cabin steward.  Our bags had not yet arrived, so we headed off the the DisBoards meet.  I had “met” lots of them while online planning this trip, so it was nice to put names to faces and we had a very nice conversation.  Then we went to the mandatory lifeboat drill and got instructions on what to do in case of an emergency.

We headed back to our cabin and sat on our balcony as we slowly pulled out of Vancouver and headed out to sea.  I changed for dinner and then we went down to Triton’s, the first restaurant on our rotation.  We met our tablemates, and all of them had Maine or Massachusetts connections and we were all DVC members, so we had lots to talk about.  Dave tried the escargot and said it wasn’t bad, while I had the shrimp cocktail.  Then Dave had an avocado citrus salad while I had the French onion soup and for our entrees I had the lobster macaroni and cheese and Dave had the sea bass, which he pronounced “excellent.”  I had a taste and it was very good.  For dessert, Dave had the chocolate mousse and I had a combo of the mousse and creme brulee.  The chocolate mouse was “grown-up” chocolate...rich, dark and slightly bitter.  It was gooooooood.

After dinner, we skipped the show and went to our verandah and watched the coast go by and the sun go down.  I also unpacked our bag of “clean clothes.”    At around 9:30, we came in, got ready for bed and we rocked to sleep by the gentle motion of the ship.

Day 5--Vancouver Aquarium

Beluga whale at the Vancouver Aquarium

Pacific white sided dolphins at the Vancouver Aquarium

Bald eagle at the Vancouver Aquarium

Day 5: Vancouver Aquarium

We decided that going to the aquarium would be an excellent transition to the “sea” portion of our vacation, which starts August 9.  I got up and got ready, then took my computer over to Blenz to use the internet while I had breakfast.  I had a blueberry scone and a cup of coffee and enjoyed feeling like J.K. Rowling, writing in a coffee shop.  (If only I had her talent!)

When I returned to the room, Dave was waking up and we got ready to go out for the day to the aquarium.  We took a cab over to Stanley Park (where the aquarium is housed) and then, after a little wait, we got our tickets and headed inside to see the exhibits. 

We started by looking at the sea otters, which were bigger than I had pictured them from seeing them on television.  They were just as adorable, though, and seemed to be having a good time grooming themselves and floating in the water.  They were moving too fast to get good pictures of though, even with my camera on sports setting.

Then we went to see the beluga whales!  These were very small whales and so cute!  There was even a relative youngster, only three years old, who was born at the aquarium.  She was in the exhibit with her mother and her grandmother.  We walked over to see the Pacific white-sided dolphin training session and then back to see the beluga whale show.  Then we decided to have lunch.  I had a hot dog and fries and Dave had a Thai chicken salad.  He said it was very good. 

We then tried to see the dolphin show but it was too crowded.  We watched part of it from the underground viewing area.  We got in line for the Birds of Prey show and stuck around for the next dolphin show.  All the shows were quite good, but only about 15 minutes long.  That seemed to be the standard training time. 

After that, we walked through the Amazon rainforest exhibit.  By this time, it was getting quite crowded.  Dave even made a joke that it was an aquarium AND a zoo!  It was so crowded that I could not even enjoy shopping in the gift store (now *that* is crowded!). 

We left the aquarium and got a bottle of water, then walked to the information booth to find out where to catch the bus.  Wouldn’t you know it, we had to walk back to where we had just come from!  However, on our way back, we stopped and looked at the rose gardens and enjoyed walking through the park on our last day in Vancouver.  We caught the bus back to Burrard Street and then walked to our hotel from there.

We had a light snack in our room, and then I set about charging all the electronics and getting everything ready for our transition to the Disney Wonder cruise ship!  We would be heading down to Canada Place to embark the ship in the morning.

Meg and Dave at the Vancouver Lookout

View from the downtown harbor area

Day 4--Vancouver Lookout

Today, we decided to sleep in a little bit, since we were pretty tired from our two previous days.  After we both got up, we walked over to Blenz Coffee to get breakfast and use the WiFi internet access there.  I got online, updated the blog, checked Facebook and email and looked up the weather for our upcoming cruise.  I also checked my credit card and bank accounts.

We walked back over to the hotel and put the computer back in the room and then we walked downtown to the Vancouver Lookout.  The Lookout is 450 feet high and circular, so it gives you a 360 degree view of Vancouver.  (It’s very much like the Prudential Center in Boston, if you’ve ever been up in that). 

The views were just spectacular and we spent almost 2 hours up in the Lookout.  After that, we descended and walked to The Elephant and Castle Pub, one of the places that I had really wanted to eat while in Vancouver.  We had an excellent meal of authentic British pub grub (fish and chips for me and steak and kidney pie for Dave) and then headed back out to walk off our lunch.

We strolled down to the harbor to see the Olympic cauldron and a statue called Digital Orca.  We also were able to walk up onto the Living Roof of the convention center.  It is a roof with grass, strawberries and native plants growing on it.  It acts as an insulator in the winter and reduces the need for cooling in the summer.  They even have a full-time bee-keeper there!

Then we walked back to the hotel, stopping in several little shops.  We also went to the drug store to get some more water and some snacks.  On our way, we passed a female contortionist busking in the street, so we stopped to look at her act which was very cool.

Then we walked back to the hotel and relaxed a bit, looking over the photos from the day.  I took a shower and wrote up this entry, while Dave went to sleep.  We are up early tomorrow for our last full day in Vancouver.  We are heading to the Aquarium to see Beluga whales!

PS: Notice the amount of walking!  Vancouver is a very walkable city and we are doing a lot of it!

Day 3--Blue Loop

Meg at the Dr. Sun-Yat Sen Gardens

Day 3--Blue Trolley Loop

Again we got up and dressed and headed out, walking down to Canada Place and getting some breakfast.  We got a big breakfast today.  Dave got a ham and cheese omelet and I got scrambled eggs and bacon.  Then we walked out, and with perfect timing, caught the trolley for the Blue Loop.  The red loop takes you around the western part of the city.  The blue loop took us out to the eastern part of the city.  The two stops that we wanted to do on this were the Granville Island Market and the Dr. Sun-Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden.  We rode past Granville Island and got off at the Chinese Garden, which, as you might expect is in Chinatown (the second largest Chinatown in North America...the first is in San Francisco). 

The Dr. Sun-Yat Sen garden is the first of it’s kind built outside of China, and it is beautiful.  Peaceful, tranquil and tucked in amongst bustling Chinatown with the very modern city of Vancouver as it’s backdrop.  We spent about an hour there, looking at the enormous koi in the pond, wandering the paths and taking lots of pictures. 

When we had entered the garden, we were told about a festival taking place in Chinatown that day, so we checked that out for a bit, and got to see some dragon dancers.  Then we got back on the trolley and rode around to the Granville Island Public Market. 

After the tranquility of the garden, this place was a sensory overload!  It was bustling with people and full of fantastic looking fruits, veggies, fish,  meats, cheeses and baked goods.  Dave mentioned that it was what the Portland Public Market aspired to be.  After being overwhelmed by the sights and sounds, we decided to get a bit of a picnic lunch, so we got some fruit, bread. baked goods and water and grabbed a table.  Our pick up meal was delicious and the cherries that I got were some of the best that I had ever tasted.  For dessert, Dave had a blueberry tart and I had a mini Black forest cake.  I wish I could have bought another one to bring back to the hotel with me...it was that good.  Granville Island is also has lots of little shops, so while we there there, I bought a new hat, which I really needed.  I had not expected Vancouver to be so sunny, but it was!

As we were walking out of the market, we heard bagpipes, so we went and watched the bagpiper for a bit and then caught the trolley.  We got off at Gastown to see the stream clock and look in the trinket shops and then we walked to Canada Place where we caught the red trolley back to our hotel! 

Dave was done by then, but I was getting hungry, so I walked across the street to Subway (I know, but I wanted something quick, simple and cheap...it’s better than McDonald’s, right?) and I brought that back to the room.  Then I took a shower and it was lights out, end to another busy day in Vancouver.