Tag: Golden Princess

  • Part 6, Return to Seattle via Victoria

    Part 6, Return to Seattle via Victoria

    The next morning, cruise director Dave treats us to a backstage tour behind the Princess Theater.

    We leave the open ocean and curve back into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Suddenly, Andy discovers that we have cell reception! It’s a straight line of sight to Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, and Port Angeles is starboard. Sequestered since leaving Skagway two days ago, everyone’s phones suddenly beep with stored alerts.

    The Golden Princess glides smoothly into Ogden Point while we enjoy an early dinner. After customs clearance, we disembark. Wynn and François pick us up for a tour of Victoria, visiting the front lawn of the Legislature Building, catching the brilliant sunset from Clover Point, and climbing to the top of Craigdarroch Castle. Back at the waterfront, we stroll through The Fairmont Empress Hotel. It’s nice to have this little reunion to finish our trip.

    Soon, we cruise in US waters. We wake up back by the docks of Smith Cove. A quick taxi ride shuttles us to the airport. We’ve beaten the crowds on this early walk-off disembarkment, and we realize how lucky we were as we watch our taxi driver’s dispatch screen calling all the taxis back to the cruise terminals for the thousands of passengers that need rides.

    Just like it says in the Princess Cruises tag line, we did escape completely—well, almost. Except for the brief periods of cell and data intrusion, that promise did, for the most part, come true. And just as we had originally planned, this weeklong excursion was the perfect getaway celebration for my favorite sister’s birthday.

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  • Part 5, Alice’s Birthday at Sea

    Part 5, Alice’s Birthday at Sea

    It’s Alice’s birthday! It will be a day-at-sea celebration.

    Maître d’ Jean Paul Musiu and executive chef Joel Directo demonstrate curing salmon with sugar, salt, cracked pepper, and fresh dill and making Caesar salad from scratch by whisking together chopped garlic, capers, black pepper, lemon juice, olive oil, pasteurized raw eggs, Worcestershire sauce, and optional anchovies.

    Alice gets to strut down the Runway at Sea fashion show. After eating too much, we all visit the Lotus Spa for intense workout sessions before hot tub relaxation. Then, we each get ready for the formal portrait sessions. Before dinner, photographers click away at so many of the guests that bothered to get dressed up.

    For this second formal seating at the Chef’s Gala dinner, we celebrate Alice’s special event. Our waiters, Joaquin and Roland, dish out the traditional Baked Alaska ice cream cake and serve up the Golden Princess birthday dessert creation. Today is what this whole vacation is about.

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  • Part 4, In Juneau and Skagway

    Part 4, In Juneau and Skagway

    The crew makes up time, getting us to Juneau only slightly later than scheduled. A shuttle bus drops us off at the tramway station, and we walk the rest of downtown. The old St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church welcomes tourists like us and worshipers alike. Andy and I make a quick pass through the State Capitol. Nothing is in session, and the Speaker’s seat waits to be usurped. Our brisk walk takes us back to the tramway station, and we hop on the next shuttle. Back at the dock, a van takes us meandering through the AJ Gold Mine ruins to arrive at the Gold Rush Summer Dog Camp. Following an introduction, twelve trained Alaskan sled dogs race us along the road, bumping over potholes, puddles, and pools. Alice gets to hold a six-week-old puppy. Back on the ship, Libby Riddles delivers an inspiring story of her dreams and journey to become the first woman to win the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, even with the mishap of losing her dog team early in the competition.

    We then set sail for Skagway. Early morning, we board the White Pass and Yukon Route train and snake our way up the narrow gauge track, coursing by the old cemetery, the Skagway River, Bridalveil Falls, two tunnels, and the historic cantilever bridge of 1901. However, mist shrouds any hope of having distant views. After eighteen miles, we cross into and back out of British Columbia. Returning to downtown, we visit the heart of the Klondike Gold Rush, now pulsing with tourists rather than prospectors. Before we leave Alaska, local entertainer Steve Hites sings ballads of the old gold rush and recounts stories of Alaska’s path to statehood.

    We retrace our path out of the Lynn Canal and into the Chatham Strait as dinner is served. The after dinner entertainment is the International Crew Talent Show, featuring some of the engineers, waiters, cooks, and other staff. By morning, we’re sailing the open Pacific Ocean on much calmer seas sprinkled with wavelets.

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  • Part 3, First Glimpses of Alaska

    Part 3, First Glimpses of Alaska

    Golden morning light bathes the docks and the town of Ketchikan. We decide to do a walking tour of this first stop in Alaska. We’ve escaped—from the contiguous states and the rocky seas. Turning onto Creek Street, the famous historic red light district of old Ketchikan, the stench of dead fish pierces our nostrils. It’s salmon spawning season. In this salmon capital of the world, countless fish thrash against the rushing rapids to end up in their ancestral waterways. We also visited the Totem Heritage Center. In St. John’s Episcopal Church, the ladies allowed me to play on their pipe organ.

    After a late lunch, we set sail through the Clarence Strait. Master of Illusion, Alexander Great, performs a pre-dinner show. Through Snow Passage, the full moon rises while we have dinner in the Canaletto Dining Room. Overnight, we cruise through Summer Strait, Chatham Strait, Frederick Sound, and into the Tracy Arm. Kathy Slamp, the onboard naturalist, begins her introduction at 5:45. She explains how Sumdum Glacier, at the junction of Tracy and Endicott Arms, carved away the mountainside. We pass countless waterfalls cascading down from tall cliffs and soon reach Sawyer Glacier. The St. Nicholas catamaran, which had trailed us earlier, now ventures out toward the glacier face where icebergs are calved. Turning around, we head back out, and near the entrance, we have to circle back into Tracy Arm, where the St. Nicholas developed a mechanical failure.

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  • Part 2, From Seattle to Inside Passage

    Part 2, From Seattle to Inside Passage

    People, all trying to escape onto the cruise liners, jam pack the Smith Cove terminal. The entire hall swirls with excitement of the upcoming vacations. The process takes a long time, but we finally board the Golden Princess, have a late buffet lunch, and go through emergency drills.

    Soon, the horn blasts through all of us standing on the top deck, and we’re off, setting sail for Alaska through the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Inside Passage. After gorging ourselves in Seattle and the buffet, the first order of business is to work out, of course. The welcome show introduces us to the upcoming cruise services. Right after this, we literally sail off into the sunset.

    We had reserved the second dinner setting. Our table, number 275, happens to sit right next to a window, and the waiters assigned to us are meticulous. They both have OCD, the main waiter more affected than the junior. Every detail is perfect—appetizer spoon, fish fork, filet knife, fresh herb garnish, hand-selected berries. It’s all about presentation.

    I wake up earlier than the rest and catch the Wake Show with Kelly and Dave, cruise directors, while it plays on the big screen as we sail in the open Pacific Ocean. The sea, originally quite calm, churns on its long wash cycle. In the upper deck swimming pools, water sloshes back and forth, emptying each end with every roll. It’s good that lunch never found its way back up. In the line dancing session, Kelly tells us the rule: if you make a mistake, blame the ship. By dinner time, we steer back into quiet waters. While sailing through the Inside Passage, we enjoy dinner and showtime.

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