Thursday 9/15 - San Francisco & home

We managed to get our suitcases out in the companionway just before the midnight deadline. Then things started going downhill.

We'd planned to have breakfast in the cabin, finish up packing our carryons then head to immigration. But the steward had cleared out a bunch of things - including the room service breakfast order forms! A call to room service let me know that only a "continental" breakfast would be available in the cabin, so we bit the bullet and planned to go to the cafeteria (which meant getting up half an hour earlier).

After we got up, we quickly dressed and headed up to the Oceanview Grill (cafeteria) where I discovered there were no half&half packets for the coffee! A steward did manage to snag me a pint of milk. There were also no saucers for the coffee cups - not sure what happened to them.

We were due to immigration at 8:30, but at 8:15 an announcement was made that the line was so long that everyone should delay 10 minutes. 30 might have been better. The line stretched from the theater out through the photo gallery into the casino, doubled back through the gallery to the theater and then back out thru the gallery to the casino again. The same casino which barely had room for two people to (carefully) slip past each other! All so that some clerk could see that your passport photo sort of looked like you.

We were also supposed to wait in the theater for our group to be called for disembarkation, but were told to go "elsewhere" until immigration was finished. We went back to our cabin. Eventually, we were called to the theater where we sat for 45 minutes while groups were called in seemingly random order to get off.

While all of these events seemed like "hurry up and wait," the scene in the baggage shed was like feeding time at the shark tank. Too much luggage, and too many people, in a very small area. No luggage trolleys. A few porters, but I couldn't get one to even look at us until I waved a $20 bill under her nose (which she followed like a dog on the scent!)

I left Anne Mary to work the luggage out to the street (a mob scene even worse than the luggage shed, since there were now departing passengers from two ships as well as early arriving people looking to get on those two ships all in the space of about half a block) while I went to the parking garage to get the car.

The car, which had a dead battery.

I'd not taken my phone with me.

I walked back to the pier, found Anne Mary, lashed the luggage together and we walked it the three blocks to the parking garage. Then called AAA and waited 40 minutes for the service truck.

It all came close to undoing the good feeling that 11 glorious days aboard ship had created. Very close.

But, all in all, it was a wonderful trip. Celebrity didn't become our new favorite cruise line, or even our second choice, but if the itinerary were right then we'd sail with X again!

Until that day, blue skies & gentle breezes...

Wednesday 9/14 - At sea

After leaving Victoria last night, we sailed the strait of Juan de Fuca which separates Vancouver Island from Washington state making our way into the Pacific ocean. This morning when we awoke, though, we'd no idea where we were. The fog around us (what Bay Area folk call the "marine layer") was so thick that it was frequently difficult to see the water!

It stayed that way until late afternoon, but there wasn't much to see (besides ocean) when it finally did lift. We spent a very lazy day trying hard not to remember that tomorrow we'd be leaving the Infinity and returning to the real world (and how prophetic that sounds, in retrospect!).

Anne Mary took photos of the ship's interior, we collected our DVD of Hubbard glacier and we ate and drank and ate again. Then we packed.

Tuesday 9/13 - Victoria, BC

This was our third visit to Victoria (we'd stayed here two nights back in '01 before that year's Alaska cruise). We didn't book any excursions, but reserved a car to tour on our own. When I picked up the car, the mid-sized Grand Am had metamorphosed into a Lincoln Town Car - thank you, Mr. Hertz! We drove up to Craigdarroch Castle, a house built by a Scot who came over and made it big in the coal business. Like many another magnate, though, he died before the house was completed and so never lived in it - but his widow did (see also, San Jose's Winchester House). It was very nicely furnished and decorated, for a Victorian mansion.

Later we stopped at the Six Mile pub (Victoria's oldest public house) for a lovely pub lunch.

We also visited Fort Rodd Hill, built in the mid 19th century (probably to defend against the Americans) and used up until the end of WWII as part of the defense of Victoria. Also on the same site is Fisgard Lighthouse, the oldest in western Canada.

Only one more day, alas, and then we have to return to the real world.

Monday 9/12 - Inside Passage

Today we didn't dock anywhere, but sailed thru the narrow channel between Vancouver Island and mainland Britsh Columbia from about noon. It was sunny, warm, peaceful and calm. We spotted a few humpbacks, orcas and sea lions but mostly just relaxed - need after four ports in four days!

Tonight was the formal farewell dinner - a.k.a. "lobster night" in the cruise business. And the lobster was good, I'm told. Following that was the "grand buffet," but first there was a showing of the buffet and the accompanying ice carvings (a dozen or more) - all very beautiful. We didn't wait around to eat any.

Sunday 9/11 - Ketchikan

Ketchikan, AK is known as the rainfall capital of the world. Couldn't prove it by us, as it was bright and sunny with a high of around 65 as we made our way to the Misty Fjords national monument in a deHaviland Beaver seaplane. We soared just over the tops of the mountains, around the sides of cliffs and zoomed down to treetop level to see bear, goats, sheep and a decided lack of humans and their accoutrements. We stopped in one of the seemingly hundreds of pristine mountain lakes so everyone could get (if the wished) to walk out on the plane's pontoons to see the beauty and hear the silence.

It was a glorious day, nature at it's finest. And nature wasn't through, yet. After dinner we were treated to a vibrant, colorful display of the Aurora Borealis. It has been a great trip!

Saturday 9/10 - Juneau

The day broke gray and dreary, and stayed that way most of the day. We went whale watching, stopped off at Orca Point Lodge for a salmon bake, then ended the day at Mendenhall glacier - in a misty rain. Very similar to the weather we ran into when visiting Worthington glacier back on our '00 cruise - it was our only rainy day of that cruise, also! Maybe it's a problem we have with Dept. of Interior glaciers!

We did see lot's of humpback whales, Dall's porpoises, eagles and more during the whale watch portion of the tour. The porpoises, in fact, swam up and accompanied us for a while.

During dinner, about 4 hours out of Juneau, the capt. made an announcement that we were turning back because of a medical emergency. Considering the average age (and shape) of cruisers, the first thought is always a heart attack. But, a couple of hours later, when a medevac helicoptor hovered over the bow of the ship and took two passengers up in a basket, we learned that it was actually a young boy, one of only 40 children aboard, who'd suffered a ruptured appendix and was being rushed back for surgery. It created lot's of excitement!

We ended up getting to our next port, Ketchikan, only about an hour and a half late - the capt. really laid on the steam late at night!

Friday 9/09 - Skagway

We decided to go and visit Sgt. Preston of the Yukon, so we rented a car in Skagway and drove up to White Horse, Yukon Territory. We were disappointed.

Not only doesn't White Horse resemble the frontier town of our TV memory, it actually looks more like Breezewood, Pennsylvania than any place else we've been recently!

Fortunately, the drive to White Horse is breathtaking, especially in the fall when the trees are turning and the fireweed is going to seed.

The river gorges, the mountains, the glaciers and the forests are all very beauiful. It was hard picking a picture to put with this posting, but this one of Bove Island seemed to epitomize everything we saw this day. And the weather was absolutely gorgeous.

Thursday 9/8 - Icy Strait Point

Today we saw bears. There were these two having lunch, another further upstream doing the same and a big 700-800 lb bruiser who lumbered alongside of our bus.

Icy Strait Point is a two year old "village," reminiscent of Holland-America's Half Moon Cay. It's constructed at an old cannery outside of the Tlingit community of Hoonah and currently under contract to Royal Carribean/Celebrity. Only one ship a day is allowed in port. There's a couple of nice restaurants, shops, excursions and tours, etc. It's owned by the local residents who are shareholders in Hoonah Totem Corp. along with a Juneau-based developer. Everything is very well done. The wild life tour we took drives us 12 miles out of a town to an area with a built up boardwalk over the soft marshland down to a view point next to the stream where the bears come to eat.

It didn't hurt that the day was bright and sunny, and relatively warm (around 60). Yesterday, we were told, it poured rain all day. Sometimes you just hope you can be lucky!

Wednesday 9/7 - Hubbard Glacier (update 9/8)

It's overcast when we get up, and getting darker by the minute but around 1, the skies begin to lift and it's much brighter as we start to enter Yakutat Bay. While the sun never does come out, the weather is crisp and clear for our slow approach to the face of the glacier. In fact, we get much closer than we did in 2000. There's also more calving this time.

Tuesday 9/6 Inside Passage

A quiet, relaxing day cruising the inside passage. Very smooth waters, like a mountain lake in summer with the shores on both sides so close you feel you can touch them. Late in the day, though, we turn west and head into the ocean, then north towards Hubbard Glacier.

Went to a classical piano recital by Elliot Finkel in the afternoon, then an "elegant tea" (with lovely finger sandwiches and pastries). No one ever goes hungry on a cruise!

Monday 9/5 Vancouver (PartII)

We were back on board with half an hour to spare, but 2 people were still being paged at 5 - when we were supposed to raise anchor. Don't know if they made it back or not!

The show tonight was at 7 for late diners. Pianist Elliot Finkel accompanied by the ship's orchestra. He's the older son of Fyvus Finkle and an accomplished broaday/show musician and conducter. It was a lively, entertaining show. He'll do a classical recital tomorrow which we hope to go to.

For dinner, we booked in to the specialty restaurant, the S.S. United States. It only seats about 100 people, and there were, perhaps, 20 there when we went in at 8:30. As we walked in, the maitr d' came forward, "Good evening, Mr. & Mrs. Kearns, welcome to the SS United States" (imagine the accent, he was French). I figure they call up the security photos of people just before their reservation time so that they'll recognize them as they come in!

We choose the chef's tasting menu ("Menu Exceptionnel," it's called)with the accompanying wines:

Lobster Veloute (a creamy, rich lobster broth) Murrietta Well's Semillion 2000
Goat Cheese Soufle with Tomato Coulis Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc 2003
Granite of Passion Fruit and White Rum
Salmon and Crab Gratin Louis Jadot Meursault 1999
Cheeses and fruit Fonseca LBV 1999
Chocolate Souffle (me) Bite-size suprprise desserts (AM) Chapoutier Muscat de Beaume de Venise
Coffee

Now I know why they put a scale in the bathroom!

Monday 9/5 - Vancouver (Part I)

The day dawned sunny and mild. And it stay that way all day. Just a gorgeous day in Vancouver. We took the bus to Stanley Park, then rode around on the shuttle bus to the various parts. Spent a lot of time at this lighthouse at Brockton Point, then had lunch at Point Prospect, overlooking the Lion's Gate bridge.

Sunday 9/4 - At Sea

Of necessity I spent a lot of time on Sunday lying down to rest my back. It did seem to help. We awoke to breakfast in our cabin - a butler does make it more of a vacation!

We watched a cooking demo in the morning put on by the executive chef, then simply wondered and rested thru the afternoon. Geroge, the butler, brought around the vtea trolley at 4, then came back with canapes around 6. We won't go hungry!

Even though we'd requested a table for 2 in the dining room, we were placed at a table with 3 other couples. Tonight I spoke to the maitre d' who changed us to a table by ourselves, on the side next to a window. Quite nice. After dinner we took in the cast's "Broadway Spectacular" show - good dancing, fair singing.
Here's a picture of the Golden Gate bridge as we left the Bay on Saturday.

Finally - we're at sea

It was both foggy and very windy – a rare combination – leaving San Francisco on Saturday. Scot, Katie & Dar came to the pier to wave us off, which was something different!

Embarkation went fine, but luggage delivery took forever! We were onboard and in our cabin by 12:30, but didn’t get luggage until 5:30 – half an hour after we pulled up anchor. I wore only a short sleeved shirt (thinking I’d get a sweater or coat from the luggage before going out on deck) and froze my fingertips up on the top deck watching the Golden Gate bridge go over us. Of course, with the fog, you couldn’t see the top of the bridge anyway!

This morning dawned fair and clear (well, only partly cloudy) and we learned way this ocean is called the “Pacific”. I’ve been on lakes with more turbulence. We’ll take it very easy today, as I managed to throw my back out last night tossing around the luggage. Not that there’s anything we had planned, anyway.

After 24 hours, I’ll say that the Infinity is nice, but it’s no Holland-America ship.

We all need a vacation!

Some people treat a vacation like an office project!


The Infinity is in Victoria, BC today, on it's way to San Francisco to pick us up on Saturday!

You can always see the current view the captain sees with the Infinity's BridgeCam.

The countdown begins

Only six days until we set sail on the Infinity. The excitement is building!

I've set up a weather page showing current conditions in each of our ports.