On the way to College Fjord Carol performed with the small Pop Choir in the Piazza. Afterwards she would change into clothing more suited to the drizzly weather.
The ship approaching Harvard Glacier seen from the comfort of Skywalker's where cocktails and munchies were being served to Suite, Elite and Platinum card holders.
The drizzle softened and we went out to the Skywalker's balcony
The expansive aft decks on the Diamond Princess, more spacious than the other Grand Class ships in the Princess Fleet
One last look before we had to go to dinner in the Savoy.
We walked through the indoor pool on our way to dinner. This is a great thing to have on an Alaskan cruise and something not found on later Grand Class ships like the Crown, Emerald and Ruby nor the new Princess ships-Royal and Regal.
The ship has a large library and computers if you want to stay in touch with those on land. There are by-minute Internet packages so you'll pay (handsomely) for this access. At that time we, as suite passengers were getting complimentary unlimited Internet access but that has since been removed from the list of suite "perks". Now with more cruises under our belts (odd saying) we are Platinum card holders and get 150 free minutes each.
This is the Captain's Circle desk off the Piazza where you can browse and reserve future cruises. If you want cheap deposits for future cruises (called FCCs) you can get them at $100 per person versus laying down a 20% deposit at the time of booking.
Sit and relax opposite Explorer's Lounge on deck 7
Excursions desk.
Patisserie on deck 5 with big viewing windows over the sea. Early morning coffee is found here.
There comes a time when you have to add an odious task to your daily to-do list and that task is packing up all your clothes and souvenirs as, in the morning, you will be leaving your ship.
It's something I always do at the last minute.
Until the last minute there is a ship to be enjoyed and as one cruise is ending we always have an eye on the next one to take the sting out of parting: in this case it was a Caribbean cruise in January 2013 on the Ruby Princess.
Yes I was up early as I wanted to savor every minute of this day. I had an Ultimate Ship Tour scheduled at 10.30 after my Sabatini breakfast. That would be a three hour Behind-the-Scenes visit for 12 lucky passengers-the first 12 to sign up for it at a cost of $150.
First my quiet time, pretty much alone with the sea as most passengers are still fast asleep, Carol among them. The ship wakes up one person at a time, minute by minute. Coffee and hot food is waiting for all in the buffet, the Patisserie and around 7 am the dining room opens for an elegant breakfast experience. We only go there on our last morning when Sabatini's is closed (sigh)
We are within sight of land as we continue on our 500 mile trek from Glacier Bay to College Fjord.
Other people with coffee cups in hand and maybe a plate of food emerge to join me on deck by the aft pool. A nod and a smile to a kindred spirit. Your food would stay hot longer indoors but you wouldn't be able to watch the wake as the ship eats up the miles and the clock.
Carol had a schedule today too. She had to attend a final rehearsal of the Princess Pop Choir to prepare for their show in the Piazza at 5.15 with hundreds of people looking on. On her first pop choir adventure aboard the Crown Princess in January 2012 she was in a choir of 40 people but on this trip only 7 brave souls participated. She never missed a rehearsal and that won my admiration. I coined a phrase "the Show MUST go on!" which has now entered the lexicon.
Bears, whales, eagles and glaciers flitted across my mind as I sat reflecting, staring out to sea.
We always have great vacations as we dream, then plan, then follow-through like a well-oiled machine but the cruise ones always seem to have a sprinkling of fairy-dust applied. I blame the sea, the comfortable surroundings, the constantly changing scenery, the friendliness of people we meet on board and the crew who make you feel welcome and attend to your every need. If I have a crumb of toast at the corner of my mouth at breakfast there is always a crew member, maybe even the captain, who will come dashing over with a napkin to dab the offending bread-speck from my lips. Now-that's service!
The crew, far far from home for most of the year and living three to four in a cabin without a 160 sq.ft balcony and with only one tiny bathroom, work up to 12 hours a day with never a day off. Yet they smile and work, work, work to a high standard. They can't slack-off: YOU would notice and complain and then their boss would not be happy with them. There are of course cruise lines where the management on board may not give a rat's ass....but if you do your homework as I do then you avoid those.
The crew on an American-owned cruise ship, flying the Bermudan Flag, are not Union workers from the USA. They may come from 50 or more countries and there are 1100 of them. Maybe two are from the USA. Some don't speak English but you won't mix with them as they are in the engine room or among the crew who wash the decks and paint the hull in port. They are in blue overalls. They won't bring you a drink so don't bother clicking your fingers or raising an eyebrow.
Those that serve you food and drinks will speak English if that's your language of choice.
A Philippino gentleman brought me my breakfast in Sabatini's. I met the Captain half an hour later and he was Italian. The Chief Engineer was British as was the young woman who led Carol's choir practice. My Mexican waiter Juan whom you saw in the video brought me drinks on deck after my ship tour. My two waiters at dinner were from Thailand and the funny MC at the karaoke evenings was from India. It's a harmonious melting pot.
Here's a video of some of the happenings on our last day at sea. You'll notice we are having dinner while still in College Fjord as we don't get there until 6pm and by 8.30- glaciers or no glaciers- we had to eat dinner. The glaciers will still be there next time we cruise Alaska. Shrunken? Perhaps.
You don't HAVE to go to the show in the theater (which seats 700 of the 2600 on board the Diamond -all seats with good sight lines as there are no supporting columns in the way).
There may be a comedian in Explorer's, karaoke in Club Fusion, a juggler in the Piazza, a small dance band in the Wheelhouse Bar and always a pianist/singer in Crooner's Martini bar.
The Piazza, set up for a string quartet performance. Home also to live bands, jugglers, acrobats, group dance lessons, goofy games, Captain's Welcome Aboard party, Pop Choir Performances....a lively hub of the ship. Shops, cafes and Passenger Services Office/ Future Cruise booking/Excursion Offices are all located here spread over the three decks that are open.
Crooners Martini Bar is always busy at night.
Wheelhouse bar is a comfortable room to drink and chat or listen to a dance band. There's a polished wooden floor for dancing.
Classic Gentleman's Club look
Of course you can also spend your evening (and money) in the Casino...
There is smoking allowed in the Casino on most evenings with usually two non-smoking nights.
If you want to have a drink and smoke then there is Churchill's Bar close to the Princess Theater.
Yes, that's an inverted Pool Table stuck to the ceiling.
Unique to the Diamond and Sapphire is the Wake View Bar, a cosy nook reached by a spiral staircase from Club Fusion above and affording porthole views of the ship's wake.
Another entertainment option is a Movie under the Stars up on the pool deck, watching a movie or pop concert on the 30 foot screen. Princess provides blankets and popcorn. Movies also run during the day. In Alaskan waters they were mainly Nature movies.
The Movie screen in the daytime, showing the feed from the webcam above the bridge.
Or you could simply take a walk on the Promenade Deck and breathe that fresh sea air....
Even if you just spend the night in a bar, talking to some new friends you have just met or go to your cabin to read, you will hardly be bored and wishing you were still on land.
Having left Glacier Bay and now back in the open sea we realized that we were heading to the inevitable conclusion of our stellar cruise. We had this evening and one more before we would be tied up at the dock in Whittier and asked to vacate the premises.
We would have to leave our hotel at sea and deal with the real world again (ouch!)
So, after dinner it was time for a show in the Princess Theater, near the bow of the ship, to watch a 35 minute show called Born to be Wild which starts out with office workers at their desks looking forward to their weekend. It's all singing, all dancing- cruise ship staple fare, Las Vegas at sea.
I didn't record the whole show-I am not supposed to be recording any of it as the police could come around and beat me with their night-sticks (truncheons for our UK readers) but I wanted you to see some cruise ship entertainment, included in the price of your ticket. Unlike some cruise lines Princess uses a hidden live band. The video that follows was taken on another Princess ship this past January but it's the same show. The show is unique to Princess and the rights allow them to have it on many different ships for a number of years.
The shows are short so more people can see them in the same evening. The will be at least two shows. Waiters are available to get you drinks and there are fold-out tables to set them on. Each ship drink has a 15% gratuity tacked on as a server tip. Cocktails are about $8 but not as strong as you would mix for yourself at home (of course!), beer about $6 US.
You are on vacation so don't think about the price. Drink up!
As we sailed back towards the sea to begin our journey North to College Fjord we once again enjoyed Afternoon Tea on the balcony. A promenade deck walk was needed after that otherwise we would have had a nap after so much food. While on deck the boat which had dropped the Park Ranger off some hours before-that voice you heard talking about the glaciers-returned to pick her up as her cruise on the Diamond was now over. (video)
As tonight was a Formal Night, where passengers are expected to dress for dinner in the MDRs, and we had chosen to pack light and not bring suits and evening gowns, we had reserved a table in the ship's Sterling Steak House which is actually a back corner of the Horizon Court Buffet, screened off for the evening. As a "specialty" restaurant there is an extra charge for this as opposed to the food already included in your fare in the main dining room. The fee was then $20 per person but now $25 I believe. Steaks are occasionally available in the MDRs but better cuts are found in the dedicated Steakhouses on Princess ships-either Crown Grill or Sterling, depending on the vessel. Crown is the preferred choice as it is a dedicated steak house in it's own space, as opposed to a "pop-up" like the Sterling.
Before dinner of course there would have to be a nap in our cabin, followed by drinks and canapés up in Skywalkers. Alas tonight, the last of two Formal Nights is also the night of the Captain's Cocktail Party to which we had an invite (it's by invitation only) but looking at the long line to get in we decided it wasn't worth it and headed to Skywalkers early only to find that the bar staff serving the Cocktail Party are taken from Sky so there was nothing going on there to keep us. Disappointing.
So we strolled around the ship for a while...
The center of the ship, the Piazza, seen in the early morning. All day it is used by acrobats, jugglers, bands, games for passengers, demonstrations (including fruit and vegetable carvings), dance lessons, string quartets and so on.
Explorers Lounge is used for the stand-up comic shows and for games like the Newly-Wed game and band appearances.
There is comfortable seating outside Explorers for those who want to sit and watch the sea go by while talking to friends or playing cards. These are on the main Promenade deck which runs the length of the ship and the area is much traveled as the Photo Gallery, Princess Theater, Sabatini's and Club Fusion are all located on this deck.
Norwegian Pearl has already been to Marjorie Glacier and is now heading back towards the open sea.
A crowd is gathering on the bridge roof
While in Glacier Bay there will be bar waiters with trolleys loaded with drinks working the upper decks for the captive audience. There are also hot drinks available toward off the chill. You can have lunch outdoors with this view. We had the excellent thin crust Princess Pizza (Carol) and a bratwurst and fries for me.
The Marjorie from our balcony
It was time for the ship to return to the open sea....
