Earlier I speculated on the things that would make me happy on the cruise I was about to take. Here are my reactions half-way through the cruise.
Boarding: Easy. Pleasant.
Room: Cute. Comfortable. Small, but spacious enough.
Sleep: Okay. Not my favorite pillows or mattress, but I slept well.
Nausea. None. I brought anti-seasick wristbands and pills, but have not had to use them. Dining: Great. I really enjoy the fresh salmon. I've enjoyed eating in the formal dining room and the buffet on the 10th floor.
Pool: Okay. The indoor pool, where I have been swimming, is heated to about 93 degrees – it's like a giant hot tub. It's really not good for swimming. The outdoor pool is not heated at all, so nobody swims there.
Onboard activities: The hour-long evening shows have been well produced, and have been fun. I was disappointed that there was no movie theater.
Excursions 1 and 2: Okay. Juneau and Skagway were fun tourist cities to see. Near the glacier, we got to see some black bears, and we saw some salmon trying to swim upstream.
Excursion 3: Great. No tourist towns, but several whales swimming, diving and spouting water. All this from a dock near Hoonah, after arriving there on a shuttle boat this morning. Staff: Very courteous. Helpful. Other Passengers: Mostly friendly. Mostly seniors like us.
Bugs: The only mosquitos encountered we're near streams. None on board.
Worries in general: None.
Other: Only a few small concerns so far. It took a couple of hours to get our safe's battery replaced. There is no clock in sight of the heated indoor pool – a sign said not to stay in the pool for more than 15 minutes, so I wish there was a clock to see. The dock's walkway at Hoonah was slippery – after falling down I wished I had seen a “Slippery” warning sign.
All in all the cruise is fun. Will I cruise again? I don't think so. I think I have as much fun on solid ground.
Mr. Ebsen may be contacted at robertebsen@hotmail.com.
