Evening entertainment

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!

Leaving Glacier Bay

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.

On to dinner...... (video)

Glacier Bay stills

Lamplugh Glacier

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....

Glacier Bay II video

A small boat from shore had brought a park ranger onboard and she would be the narrator you'll hear in this video clip.

A crowd is assembled on top of the ship's bridge. We are up above in the Sanctuary enjoying our blankets and hot chocolate. Jessica from South africa, the ship's photographer who documented our Ultimate Balcony Dinner worked the crowd on the bridge, taking shots of couples and groups with Marjorie glacier as their background. These photos later appear in the photo gallery on deck 7 for purchase ($20 for an 8 x 10).

The first glacier we see is the Lamplugh which is just 8 miles long.

(video)

No matter which side of the ship your balcony cabin is on you won't have to leave it to view the Marjorie Glacier as the ship will stop and very slowly rotate for an hour. As we were in an aft cabin we would be at the end of the rotation and so we went back down to our room for a closer look....

(video)

The fog is lifting over the Bay

The ship would be in Glacier bay for about 5 hours so a little fog in the approach wasn't cause for alarm and the fog did lift soon after I shot that last video. The ship sails slowly in the Bay as you can see from the gentle ripple of the wake in the next video which was shot from our aft balcony.

It is cold and very quiet in the Bay as there is nothing man-made on shore making a racket to disturb the calm peace that prevails there. The word "Magical" springs to mind and that magic eventually brings people from their breakfasts, wrapped up warm and toting their cameras and camcorders, up on deck. They are in a special place and they know it and act accordingly.

We are surrounded by mountains all the way.

I shot some more video as we sailed along.

Glacier Bay

Glacier Bay is an excursion where you don't have to get off the ship. There are no buses waiting, no jewelry stores being set up, no Internet Cafes: if the ship wasn't there it would look as it has done for hundreds of years. It's not "on the road" to anywhere so you have to come looking for it, miles from the open sea.

It's cold. There are gigantic fields of ice, hundreds of feet thick and receding back into the mountains for many miles so it's like opening the door to your freezer and standing there for hours. It's a good feeling when you are nicely wrapped in a winter coat and have a hot breakfast inside you.

Up in the Santuary, where we spent part of the day we had warm blankets and constant refills of hot chocolate brought by the "Serenity Stewards". Day prices were hiked to $60 a person (not us as we had paid for the week) and many took advantage.

Of course I was up early that morning! (video)

The foghorn was sounding as I took my after-breakfast coffee up on deck to my usual spot by the Tradewinds Bar.....

On to Glacier Bay

It's never a good feeling on a cruise ship when you walk up the gangway for the last time which is what we did in Skagway.

Only two days left and no more port excursions.  Sailing North along the coast we would visit Glacier Bay on the Thursday. Friday would find us entering College Fjord to see more glaciers and once we left there it was only 4 hours sailing to Whittier to berth the ship at midnight. We had to leave the ship on Saturday morning.

A nice relaxing dinner was in order and we asked the Head Waiter for the window table we had had before in the Savoy Dining Room so we could enjoy the service of our two Thai waiters Siwa and Sadudee.

(video)

and a couple of food shots.....

You will not go hungry on a Princess ship.

As always a walk on deck follows dinner. A look at the stars if any are visible. Then maybe a visit to Club Fusion for Karaoke or to Explorer's Lounge to see a stand-up comedian.

Eventually the effects of a day of excursions, eating and drinking, walking miles on and off the ship takes it's toll and as a luxurious bed is a three-deck elevator ride away it was time to retire for tonight as I would be up early to savor every moment of the approach to Glacier Bay.