Alaskan Cruise August 2012

This is intended for two groups of people-those who have cruised and those who haven't cruised and my apologies if I am missing a demographic along the way. You know who you are.

My first experience of cruising came out of the blue back in 1985 when a friend who had just joined a Royal Caribbean cruise ship as a musician/singer called me up after just 4 days into the job. He called me from Jamaica and said "do you want a job playing drums on a cruise ship?" I said "yes"without hesitation and celebrate that fact every day of my life since.

Luckily, back then, I could play drums after a fashion and was gung-ho to travel. I had been teaching drum students in my home-a cottage industry even though there wasn't a cottage for miles as I was in London, England (not the other one) living in leafy Dulwich, a neighbor of Mrs M Thatcher.

I spent a total of 44 weeks at sea in 85 and 86 before coming ashore to live in the USA. I was on the ship that helped Royal become the 2nd biggest cruise line in the world, behind #1 Carnival corp. That ship was the Song of Norway. Royal has become the Cruise Industry Trend-Setter over the years.

I took a couple of cruises with Carnival as a passenger-Caribbean including Grenada, San Juan and Venezuela in the very early 1990s and then forgot about cruising for almost 20 years during which the industry grew in terms of number or ships and lines and the size of the vessels.

Over the years, sitting by the fire outdoors, I would regale Carol with tales of life at sea. Even though I was part of the ship's crew I was able to mix and mingle with the passengers and ate with them in the formal dining room so I had a good impression of the fun they were having on the islands which were Cozumel, Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Labadee (Island of Haiti)

Carol is a good listener.

So it was in 2011 when we decided to cancel a week in Munich as it was Oktoberfest and our favorite hotel was booked, Carol said "let's go to Alaska on a cruise!"

I set about looking into doing just that. I looked at Royal Caribbean and Holland America, two cruise lines that I was familiar with from the past. I didn't think of Carnival as they have no reputation in cruising Alaskan waters unlike the other two. I went to their websites and also found cruising's greatest resource-Cruiscritic.com. There was no Web back in 1985. CC has 1,000,000 members (free) and that includes me. If anything happens on a cruise ship you will find out about it here....

Cruisecritic.com

There are at least 200 cruise ships at sea 365 days a year, seldom a rest. Like airplanes, the ships are run constantly day in and day out, unless maintenance is needed. There are a couple of hundred more not at sea, but rather on the rivers of Europe and Asia (China mainly). Many options for those seeking relaxation and adventure. People like us!

We decided to let a Travel Agent help us and we made an appointment to talk to one in Chicago.

Just before we left I was surfing cruises and came upon a ship I liked the look of and an itinerary that would have us start our adventure in Alaska (Anchorage) and a week later dock in Vancouver, Canada- a city we had visited before and were fond of. The ship was called Coral Princess and Princess Cruise Lines was the operator. So in the Travel Agent's we focused on that.

I found in the interview that I was more knowledgeable re the ship and Alaska (from reading) than the TA but we told him what we wanted and he held a cabin for us. When I got home and looked at the deck plan of the ship I found out that the cabin reserved had no balcony which was #1 on our wish list. I sent the TA an e mail and thanked him for his time and picking up the phone and calling Princess direct I booked exactly what we needed.

The cruise on the Coral Princess was Carol's first and exceeded both our expectations. That was August 2011 and in January 2012 we took another Princess cruise on the Crown Princes to Aruba and Curacao. Another home run! So August 2012 we wanted to return to Alaska and take the cruise in the opposite direction- from Vancouver to Alaska (Princess' own port of Whittier, 65 miles South of Anchorage.)

If you are someone who has never cruised I hope that what follows will give you a flavor of the experience and make you think about booking a cruise. Seasoned cruisers may find themselves realizing that it's time they added some Alaskan fridge magnets to their collection.

In looking back on my two Alaskan cruises since August 2011, I preferred the Vancouver to Whittier one as it left the glaciers until the end of the cruise rather than right at the beginning.

One important thing- get to your ship on time as they won't wait for you! In our case "on time" means  the day before she sails but if you can only fly/drive in on the sailing day, leave yourself a few hours of a cushion as delays may occur. Weather is always unpredictable and airlines are not the Swiss Railway!

The first step one our cruise was to get a seat on one of these things with a ticket that said Vancouver.
Canada is a foreign country (unless you are Canadian) so you will need a Passport and you won't get on your ship without one.

Boarding tickets for the ship and tags for your luggage will already have been made available to you through Princess' web site. You can book your excursions (more on those later) in advance without being charged and your tickets will be waiting in your stateroom which is what your cabin is called.

This is part of the immigration line at Vancouver airport which is one more reason why you want to allow for delays in getting to your ship. Once you get to the Border Control agent don't say anything that will delay things further. No "jokes" about the hand grenades in your suitcase. Everyone carries those in these troubled times. The last  words you should ever utter is something along the lines of "hey, do you know Wayne Gretzky?" You'll be holding up the line forever and the beating you'll receive as you wait for a taxi will be fully justified.

If you are cruising after landing look out for uniformed people holding up signs that say things like Princess Cruises/Royal Caribbean Cruises/Holland America cruises and so on. You will already have paid them for your shuttle to the port. We take taxis as we are there a day early.

So, flying in a full day earlier allows one to take delays in one's stride. We were able to sit back and enjoy the 25 minute cab ride down to Vancouver harbor as our hotel was right where the ship docked.

The rounded white building to the right of center is the Pan Pacific Hotel and we were on the 19th floor overlooking the water.

We got to our room and looking out the window I saw the Royal Caribbean ship Radiance of the Seas casting off her lines, preparing to leave...

North Vancouver as the backdrop as the Radiance heads towards the open sea

I have a friend from my days in Northern Ireland and London who has been living in Vancouver since 1977 playing in an Irish band called Killarney. On my previous visit to Van in August 2011 I had gone to the bar he was playing in (The Blarney Stone) to surprise him but when I got there I was told he was on a break. Seeing the bar packed with drunken sardines I decided to withdraw and surprise him another time.

In the interim I had made contact with him. He was no longer in the band so I didn't have to endure the Blarney Stone and escaped having to listen to Irish music which is my least favorite. He had been playing a residency in the B.Stone for 29 years and it is burned into his psyche.

So I had arranged to call him once I was settled in at the Pan Pacific. He lived in North Van so would take 30 mins to get to the Pan once he got the go signal. When I called him from the pier outside the hotel and told him I had arrived he said "I can see you". I looked across the street and even after 35 years recognized him. It was my old friend Terry.

It was a mid-80s day and there was an Anime festival taking place in the hotel so hundreds of young people in fantastic colorful costumes were milling around -a bit surreal but Terry and I were soon oblivious, sitting by the water catching up after all these years. After a couple of hours I brought him up to the room to meet Carol.

Terry declined our offer of dinner in the hotel's 5 Sails restaurant but joined us by the pool for a pre-dinner drink.

Yes, that's grass growing on the building nearby

We parted ways after an hour by the pool and will meet again next time we sail from Vancouver.

Now it was time to eat!

A great view accompanied a stellar meal.

Arctic Char I believe

Scallops on a cauliflower puree

Lobster Tortellini

Seafood platter

It was dark by the time we arrived at the espresso and Sambuca course...

After dinner a stroll through Gastown, an area filled with restaurants and bars right by the hotel.

It was still 80 degrees and the streets were packed with tourists and locals. My plan was to be up early in the morning to watch our ship return from Alaska-it was sailing South from Whittier that week and would turn around in Vancouver and retrace it's steps.

So I wanted to be in bed by midnight so I could be up again by 5 a.m. to see the Diamond Princess for the first time.

If our trip had ended that evening I would have been happy. Beautiful weather in a beautiful city by the water. An old friendship affirmed and a delicious memorable dinner-but our trip was about to take on a whole new excitement as in the late morning we would step aboard a beautiful ship that would take us in comfort on a great adventure!

Returning home

It was just a short break-left home Monday morning and returned Friday afternoon but it was a great little getaway from work and the over-familiar.

We saw Meijer Gardens for the first time, experienced Bay City and saw many fine ships sail through the Soo Locks. A relaxing drive up the Lake Superior coast was the icing on the cake.

Now we woke in Charlevoix with 300 miles still to go but it was a beautiful day for driving.

We arrived in town the night before too late to buy fudge but Carol remedied that in the morning and also bought some fresh made to order sandwiches from a cafe. We imagined a lunch in the open air somewhere along the way.

If you haven't visited Michigan yet...well maybe you should. It has more than it's fair share of natural beauty, especially near the lake that bears it's name. Inland though there are hundreds of lakes and forests and the further North you go it gets more hilly and there is even skiing in the winter. Wineries and vineyards abound. It also has the most pleasure boat registries in the USA as you are never far from water. It has I believe more lighthouses than you can shake a stick at which is a pretty  impressive number.

I took a morning walk on the beach 40 yards from our room.

Another stroll by the waterfront, aided by a double espresso

Small town America -I love it.

Love it -or leave it, and we had to leave it as home was calling. First we would have to fuel-up and that meant a visit to a small mom and pop breakfast joint.

Simple fare-bacon, eggs, potatoes and we were ready for a six hour drive.... (video)

Next trip? An Alaskan cruise with bears and glaciers, sailing from Vancouver!

Charlevoix

Once through US customs (a very fast and friendly process) we retrace our steps (in a car) back Southwards to the Mackinaw Bridge. It looks just as good on the way home, seen here from a scenic overlook before the bridge.

We're not in a rush, which is the great thing about driving holidays. We can stop and smell the roses, even though there weren't any.

As we drew nearer, many miles on, to our resting place for the night-Charelevoix we still found time to turn off the road and visit a scenic tranquil spot from previous trips. The only sound in these restful lay-bys would be the lapping of lake Michigan and maybe a seagull heading home to the wife and kids.

Only two people got to enjoy this moment

Tranquility is my favorite word with peace a close second

The stones were resting after another hard day of laying in the sun, not moving

After 100 or so miles of grinning and enjoying the stunning scenery of Upper Michigan we came to Charlevoix (pronounced Sharley-voy). A quiet little town blessed with beauty.

This is the restaurant we would dine in tonight and we were ready for a slap-up feed with salt and pepper on the table. Huzzah!

The Hotel- the Weathervane Terrace had a suite with Lake Michigan views waiting for us.

While Carol was unpacking I wandered down to the main street to take some photos. The main street has many restaurants, bars and fudge shops. A visit here always involves stopping into a fudge shop where they are usually making the fudge right there in the shop . It is superior fudge and we load up!

Some of the quirkier houses, like the one on the left are the work of Earl Young a noted architect in the area who started building stone homes in the 1920's and in fact built the Weathervane in 1959.

The water in the far distance is Lake Charlevoix which drains into Lake Michigan

A recent addition to the waterfront.

Dinner in the Weathervane is casual American food and there's nothing wrong with that-steaks and burgers, seafood including Whitefish from the lake. We always enjoy eating here. The outdoor balcony over the water, wasn't open in the evening as the sun was going down and it was cooling off.

video........

Heading home

After a short, two night stay in Sault Ste Marie it was time to head back South. All of or previous Ontario trips had been a week long as after tleaving the Soo we would drive 250 miles to the Killarney Peninsula to stay in a rustic lodge on the banks of Lake Huron, known as Georgian bay in this area. A more quiet  and restful place might be hard to find. We had 4 wonderful visits there in October 05 06 07 and 08. The Killarney Mountain Lodge was our home and we indulged our love of Fall Color there.

No time for that in May 2012 alas. We have many happy memories of simple relaxing times there and hope to return some day.

Once packed and armed with an array of British candy from the Shell gas station next door we decided to stop at the locks on our way home to see if there were any ships passing through....we hit the Motherlode!

A gritty -looking barge being towed and pushed by two muscular tugs

There's ample street parking, hotels and restaurants where fish and chips is the staple dish, right by the locks on the Michigan side of the river.

back to the Locks!

And another one!

Two coming though at the same time. The Alpena is at least 40 years old.

The Alpena is gone. Now the lock sits empty waiting for the next traversal.

Looks like a hard working ship. Time for a dry dock?

She's not Cruise-ship-pretty but she has a different kind of job to do

The Arthur M Anderson heads towards Lake Huron while the Algoma Discovery dips it's toes into Lake Superior.

Although we could have stayed there longer it was time to go. We would pass through US customs quickly and be welcomed back into the USA for a nice leisurely drive to Charlevoix in Michigan.

First a look at the traffic board in the Locks welcome center

Bye for now Soo Locks!!

Hotel video

Here's a video of the hotel we stay in, when in the Soo. It's remarkable in that after the hotel shots there are shots of us eating a meal which was satisfying and came with a view of the water. The restaurant was The View and is located in the Delta Hotel down by the St Mary's River. It pretends to be fine dining but I wouldn't go that far, however the meal was decent and rounded off a nice relaxed day of sight-seeing on a higher culinary note than normal. I don't think that the technique of plating a steak on top of the fries (a wobbly platform when cutting a steak) is a sound one. You want your fries to remain crispy and not soggy from the steak drippings surely?

We would return though given the choices in the Soo.

As we were eating the first ever 1,000 foot freighter to sail on the Great Lakes appeared in the distance so I had to step outside, still chewing the escargot, to capture her on video.

Our mini-break only allowed us two nights in the hotel and next morning we would begin the long drive towards home, with an overnight stop planned in the picturesque lakeside town of Charlevoix to break up the drive.