We go cruising!

Monday - September 7, 2014

I wake up and think Yay!  I get to go on a cruise today!  Can you tell I love cruising?  With a rare and beautiful passion?  We (I) jump out of bed, eat their free breakfast (eh.  But it’s free.  And they have waffles!) and go back to our room to pack up our stuff.  Yes, in one night we managed to spread out.  Raymond went to the Nordstrom was severely disappointed.  Clearly he is used to South Coast Plaza’s Nordstrom and not teeny tiny Alaskan Nordstrom.  He came back a little sad.  Me, I was just excited about embarkation and was hurriedly stuffing things into my duffle.  Then I sat on pins and needles waiting for everyone to be ready to go because check out was at 11 am - we had to drop our rental off at the airport and then wait for pick up by Anchorage Tours and Transfers (I found that they had the best reviews on Tripadvisor and I liked the idea of a smaller shuttle with less people) at the south terminal at 12:30 pm.  I had no idea how many terminals there were, so I wanted to get there early to scope it out.  Yeah...I shouldn’t have worried - there are only two terminals, and as nice as the airport is, it’s still pretty small, well marked and easy to find our way around.  We dropped off our mountain of luggage with the parents and Raymond and I went to return the rental car...where I was provided with a receipt for $538.  Say what?  It seems that when it’s not my brother’s money, he doesn’t choose to read contracts very closely and opted for the stupid useless $30/day “collision/damage waiver.”  If it weren’t for the fact that a pebble flew up (during one of the many road repair segments when we were driving on loose gravel.  And the little Civic in front of us kicked a pebble our way) and chipped the windshield, I would have thrown a $h*t fit to end them all.  But since I was expecting a big ass bill from Enterprise and was thinking I’d then have to contact my credit card company for compensation (the Explorer Card from United Mileage Plus offers primary insurance coverage rather than secondary coverage like most Visa cards).  Now that I’ve paid an extra $180 in unanticipated insurance, the guy said that I’d be off the hook if they find something wrong (they couldn’t see the chip under all the dirt) since I had the insurance.  Yay!  So an unhappy circumstance (which would otherwise lead to me bitch slapping the crap out of my brother) ended up working out in the best possible way.  Yay!

waffles!  Once again, the waffle saves an uninspired free breakfast.  But it's free!  You can't diss free :)

pretty Anchorage airport.  It may have been the train station - but it's still much prettier than LAX!

Once we dropped off the car and staked out where we were supposed to get picked up we picked up a snack at Cinnabon since we figure we weren’t going to be able to eat until at the very earliest 4:30 pm and didn’t want to end up eating our fists while on the shuttle bus.

12:30 pm arrives and we see a shuttle pulling a trailer drive up.  The driver, a very nice and rotund man with a booming voice (I think his name was Dave) gets out and announces the people he’s looking for.  And it’s our ride.  What ended up being really funny?  We were in a shuttle the seated 26, including the driver.  He was suppose to have 23 passengers on the shuttle.  His manifest stated 23 passengers.  Our shuttle was super full to the point where one in our party had to sit in the front seat next to the driver.  We never did actually “catch” who the couple who slipped on were even though the driver took roll (yes, we were all on the manifest and all paid for) - but Raymond and I think it was the European couple in front of us who never stopped making out because neither of us recalled either of them raising their hands or saying “here - party of 2” when names were being called.  Hehehe.  Anyhoo, I thought he did a really good job.  The driver/guide was friendly, knowlegeable, gave us a good mix of entertaining anecdotes, local yore a well as history as we drive by various landmarks.  We made a 10 minute stop at Beluga Point - but no whales because it was low tide...looked like you could walk to China or something.  Some passengers saw a small Beluga whale beached by the low tide (they’re round and white), but I didn’t see it :(

Then we spent an hour at the Alaskan Wildlife Conservation Center where we saw a bald eagle who had an amputated wing (he’s been at the AWCC for the last 20 years) because he’d been shot - I’d never seen a bald eagle before.  Especially one who was eating frozen dead mice while I was visiting.  Yeah...we got a little bit grossed out.  He would grab a dead mouse, take it to his perch and start ripping into it (surprisingly delicately) and consume the whole thing.  Then he’d go and grab another one.  Uh...ew.  But we couldn’t stop staring until Raymond said it was just too nasty and he couldn’t watch anymore.  Hehehe.

see his buffet of dead mice on the right?  Ewww...

I saw him actually stretch out his wing and flap - and his wingspan was enormous - I wished I was fast enough to have caught a photo - I can see how he'd look incredibly majestic flying. But it made me sad that he only had one wing.

We saw brown bears, we saw black bears as we drove by, but they wouldn’t come out and say hello when we were outside their house (pen).  We saw elk, moose - big ass moose and baby moose, musk ox, a super stinky porcupine and two lynx.  Which are surprisingly small.  We wandered into the gift shop (small, but they have lots of cute things...all made in China) and then used the facilities, which really aren’t that bad.  At least they had running water and soap and paper towels!  My standard are pretty low now.

captain stinky the porcupine.  So his name isn't captain stinky.  It should be.

musk ox.  He was kinda not pretty.  Then again, we were looking at his butt the whole time.

baby moose!

Ray was enthralled by this moose.  So we got lots of pics of him and with him

here's his friend the attention hog.  This moose was hanging out outside with people snapping photos of him like paparazzi.  We snapped a photo walking by - as we were leaving we saw him charge the fence and we hoofed it out of there.  Death by moose (especially before your cruise) is not the way we wanted to go.

We got back into the shuttle and stopped at the Portage Glacier overlook which was cold, windy, and beautiful.  Also, there were a gazillion mosquitoes buzzing everywhere!  NO BUENO.  We snapped some pictures before we got in line for the Anderson Memorial Tunnel, which is pretty freaking awesome.  I was fascinated by the 8 safe houses.  I tried to take a photo, but it was just too fast and too dim to be able to.  I know it’s not that exciting, but I enjoyed the tunnel.  I also enjoyed that the big ass bus that rolled in late and tried to get ahead of us was stopped by the tunnel nazis and forced to wait until ALL of us have passed.  Hehehe.  

I'm not sure what glacier this was.  But it was pretty.  Even though there were flies and mosquitoes buzzing everywhere.

getting ready to enter the tunnel (crappy pic courtesy of my camera phone)

there were 8 safe houses.  I tried snapping photos of all 8.  It's a telling display of my lack of mad photos skills that this was the best photo from the multiple attempts I  made to take a photo of ALL EIGHT of the safe houses.  

the Whittier side of the tunnel (actually taken from the balcony of our cabin)

We passed through the tunnel and enter Whittier.  It is...small.  But I expected it.  I was just glad it wasn’t raining.  Apparently it’s always raining there, so we had our umbrellas and waterproof shells ready in our packs and purses to bust out when needed.  It was smooth - we got off the shuttle, grabbed our luggage and handed them over to the porters who were right next to where we got off.  Then we get ready to embark!  Yay!

Hello Norwegian Sun!  We're so happy to see you again!

everyone getting off their buses/shuttles at the cruise port

the tiny town of Whittier as seen from the NCL Sun

Uh...we walked into what looked like a warehouse and it was kinda a hot mess.  Multiple shuttles from multiple companies all arrived at the same time and there were a ton of people trying to figure out where they were suppose to go.  We had to do a health declaration and one of the women sitting next to me as I was filling out my declaration was complaining because she had been pulled out of line and told to sit to the side for further evaluation when she said she had a cough/cold she caught while at Denali.  No bueno.  

craziness at check in because literally - 6 buses pulled in at the SAME time.  I guess it's because of the tunnel schedule, you can't just roll in when you feel like it.

We got a pretty good deal on a penthouse (category SG) when they ran the Kids Sail Free (even though technically we’re not “kids”, though we are our parents’ kids.  Even in our 30’s) and upgraded from a mini suite (it was a good one too!  9278 - an aft mini we booked 9 months out) to a penthouse when my brother said he was going to be able to cruise with us.  An aft mini is fine for 3 - but for four it would be too tight, especially since the sofa bed is so small. My parents an I figured we could hack it with just 3 - they'd take the beds and I'd take the sofa bed. But yeah...that wasn't going to work with two grown kids.  We weren’t going to sleep on that sofa bed together (we haven’t shared a bed in almost 30 years, since we were both in the single digits and he said I bitch slapped him in my sleep and he refused to share a bed with me.  I think he was like, 4) and it was too small for my parents.  I figured we’d just cope (and sob a bit)...that is until the Kids Sale Free promotion came out.  When I had originally priced the SG suite (we had the same suite the last time we did Alaska, on the same ship)  it was about $6500.  We got our aft mini for around $4200 or so.  When we added my brother on, it ended up being just over $4800 for the four of us in an aft mini.  After the KSF promotion rolled out the SG priced out at $5300.  So for $500 more we could be in a penthouse - a MUCH larger room with a larger balcony, a HUGE bathroom, not to mention all the suite amenities NCL provides for their penthouse guests.  What’s funny is that our room that we had booked for $4800 was selling for $5500 at the time.  So…who wants to pay less for a smaller room in a lower category?  I suppose we could have gotten an inside room and kept the aft mini if we wanted more space - but an inside room for two on this sailing was going for $1400.  I doubt they’d let me move out of the aft mini since it was after final payment anyway - but assuming they did, it would still cost more than all of us in a penthouse - and with none of the amenities.   We like each other and get along well enough to all stay in the same cabin, so for a week, that wasn't going to be a problem. Also, it's a cruise! We're going to be all over the place, so it's not going to be a big deal to be sharing a room.

The first time I called NCL refused to allow me to upgrade...even though I was asking to spend more money for a better room - and free up a room I booked low so they could sell high.  Uh...okay.  They wanted to penalize me for $1000 to cancel and then rebook - OR pay close to $7,000 for the room.  Yeah...no. Now, I realize that the KSF is for new bookings and blah blah blah, but I was still a little sad and let down. But I talked myself into feeling better about it. Except being an anal retentive OCD person who has a hard time letting things go, I called again the next day and this time got someone who went and spoke to a manager, who was fine with applying the promotion since I was asking to pay more than what I’d already paid.  Either way - happy ending!  We got into a penthouse! (btw, we booked through Orbitz because they had a better price on the aft mini than NCL did - so we had to do everything through Orbitz, which was a pain in the ass. The first guy didn't really ask or care, at least, that's the impression I got. The second time I called I got a super nice lady, and when I told her what I wanted to do and let her know that I'd be okay if they wouldn't let me, she was super cool. She was on top of it and kept me in the loop even though I was on hold forever).

One of the perks of the penthouse?  You don’t have to wait in line to check in.  There was a butler (actually Randy, our butler) with a sign for penthouse guests - you walk up to him and once he ascertains you’re in a penthouse (from his manifest) he escorts you to an agent without waiting.  I guess we looked like bums because people kept telling us we were in the wrong line. Do they think suite guests go on Alaskan cruises wearing designer jeans, stilettos and carrying their little Chanel totes? Because then we'd totally look like bums. They run your credit card (for incidentals), take your photo, check you in and and then you’re escorted to the concierge (Leah).  Leah gave us our room cards, introduced herself and gave us a brief overview of her services.  She’s friendly without being pushy and intrusive, so I like her.  She had Randy escort us onto the ship and into our room where he gave us a brief orientation on his services.  Basically he can make magic happen, even though we’re pretty self sufficient and didn't need a whole lot of magic. At this point, I was just soooo freaking happy to be on the ship.

Our room (9202) is nice.  It’s starboard forward room, almost a mirror image of the one we had last time (9003) except it doesn’t have the stripper pole 9003 has.  I know a lot of people don’t like forward facing balconies, but I really like them for Alaska since you see everything.  And you see it first.  You don’t have to choose which side of the ship you want to be on, and it’s so freaking awesome when you approach a glacier.  I don't know about others, but I personally didn't feel like it was too windy to use. Too cold to hang out on like I could in Hawaii or Europe or Mexico - but it wasn't too windy to use when it mattered.

the cabin as you enter

looking right towards the beds (and they separate!  yay!)

couch on the left

toilet stall and shower.  We might have used the shower once.  I preferred to show in the tub because of the space and the ledge where I can stash all my crap

dressing area that faces the bathroom

our front facing balcony.  The loungers were wasted because we never used them :(

other side of our balcony

obligatory family photos.  Yes, we are that family.  The annoying one with the tripod that takes lots of family photos.

snacks from the butler!

these were the best sandwiches the entire trip.  Not as in the most delicious sandwiches ever, but the nicest we got.  The rest of the sandwiches were just on plain wheat bread.  Though they did cut the crust off.

We didn’t get on the ship until around 4 pm, and because the only dining venue open at that time was the buffet, to the buffet we went!  Actually, I went to Moderno instead. They have a pasta bar, fresh pizzas that keep coming out, and a little sandwich and salad bar.  There was plenty of seating and a few people there.  Cognizant that we were going to have diner later (because come on, we’re on a cruise ship) we tried to exercise some restraint even though at this point we were going to eat our fists.  Well, I wasn’t because I had snacked on chocolate chunk cookies I’d purchased from the bakery the previous day (I was patting myself on the back while devouring my fatty goodness btw).  I was just a fat ass glutton who wanted to eat.  But everyone else was about to eat their fists.

Then we went to explore the ship.  Yes, the same one we’d sailed on 8 years ago.  And it looks the same.  And the convoluted floorplan and layout of the 5th floor was the same.  I went to the two sit down restaurants, Four Seasons and Seven Seas and took photos of the menus so we could figure out where we wanted to eat.  

it was too freaking cold for the pool area to be a happening place.  It didn't even become a partially happening place until the last day of sailing when it was nice and sunny outside.

The Great Outoors from the 12th floor (right outside Le Bistro)

I think this was the Four Seasons' menu

And I think this was Seven Seas' menu.  But I could be totally talking out of my butt and be completely wrong.

We ended up at Four Seasons because they had a rib eye on the menu.  It was...okay.  Not bad by any means, but it wasn’t an amazingly divine culinary experience.  And come on, it’s free!  I’d probably rate it at about the level of a Fridays or Applebee's.  Not gourmet, but perfectly edible.  Though it was much prettier than a plate from Fridays.  The french onion soup was pretty good and I really liked the bread pudding.  How can you not love something drizzled in caramel sauce?  Mmm…

French onion soup.  I liked it, even though the others thought it a little too salty

eggroll/spring roll.  It ended up being the same thing at both restaurants.  Maybe someone should tell them that a spring roll is not deep fried.  Not that there's anything wrong with deep frying, but my mama was confused when the spring roll came out deep fried.  

I think this was the potatoes and shrimp.  But I could  be totally wrong

the shrimp scampi

rib eye.  It was okay

my brother's genius creation that ended up being way too salty.  Spaghetti with a mixture of beef bolognese and bacon carbonara. 

the special of the night - beef short ribs and fried shrimp

probably one of my favorite desserts of the trip: bread pudding with caramel sauce.  Mmm...

kind of a crappy photos - but we had a view of snow capped mountains during dinner

Tired (and full), I wasn’t in the mood to disco with the partying seniors (this being Alaska, the average age skewed a bit higher - but man could they boogie. I felt like the old lazy person who just wanted to lay down after excursions), so I went back to our room to unpack and chill.  This was a good day.

Oh!  For those who are wondering (like I was, as there are so many conflicting reports out there) - yes, the beds in the SG suite (ours at least) DO separate into two twin beds.  I know the description says 1 queen bed and 1 sofa bed, but the queen does separate.  I had emailed the pre-cruise concierge about a few things 2 weeks out and they were ALL fulfilled.  I asked for the mini bar to be emptied (done), the beds separated (done) and for a sharp container for needles (mama is diabetic - also done).  So I had a good experience with the pre-cruise concierge.  I heard back from them in about 3-4 days that they had received our request and forwarded it to our ship and I was very happy that everything we asked for was done.  Yay!