So the second morning I woke BEFORE the familiar rattle of coffee and fruits being placed in the “magic” box and the very UNFAMILIAR feeling of no first morning hangover.  I managed NOT to be a trashcan on day one!   So unlike me! I always sleep so well in that bed. I love the mattress, and I order the temperature control pillows (Viscofresh).  They’re fabulous, too.

I sat out on the balcony for a bit, watching the resort begin to wake up before I went back in and had the fruit and coffee.  It was a blustery day that looked like it was THINKING about storming, but wasn’t actually doing it, yet. (The weather report for my trip said 90 percent chance all day, every day.)  I also realized that if I looked to the right from my balcony I could see ocean.  I wasn’t able to really get it in the pictures.  Trust me, though, it was there.

“Pre breakfast” was okay.  It wasn’t my favorite EPM fruit plate.  It somewhat lacked flavor and the pastries weren’t great, but I was in paradise, I didn’t really care much!

I put a little Bailey’s in my coffee to get the day off to a start!   I think I realized I need to steer clear of the coffee there.  I was trying to figure out what was giving me such insane heartburn.  It’s the coffee.

I told the bear I was ready to get the day started and was going to head down to the beach.  He said he’d be there in awhile.  I didn’t have any true hope of getting a Bali bed as it was almost 830 by the time I got down there, but there were still two available on “my side” of the massage hut.  (There are actually 8 total, but I like to be on the side near the building 8 pool–with quick restroom access)  I also LOVE how close my room was to the beach!  Cesar set me up and I plopped down with a book for the morning.

I was amazed how quickly I entered full on relaxation mode!   Originally, I had wanted to spend about an hour there and then go to breakfast, but by the time the bear came down, I told him I wasn’t that hungry and wanted to wait.  He agreed.  So, for the next two hours, I drank bloody Cesar’s carried over by the lovely Viviana and became comfortably numb.

We had hydrotherapy scheduled for 11 o’clock that morning, and I was really thinking of rescheduling it, because I was having such a wonderful day.   Then, however, the skies opened up and changed my mind for me, so off we went.  We walked through pouring, warm rain to the spa.

I don’t love massages, but I LOVE hydrotherapy!   So much fun!   I was a little disappointed that they have gotten rid of the shower scrub part, and they shoved both my husband and I in just one shower together instead of having us switch in and out as in the past, but it was still fun!   I forgot that the giant inside water cannon is meant for lower back and let it power down on my shoulders for a long time.  Eventually, one of the attendants came over and told me “lower back only, please”  and as I opened my eyes and looked around, I could see it was because I had flooded the entire deck.  Ooooops!   (Felt great though!)

After that, I suggested that we put on some “real” clothes and go get something to eat.  Usually, I just hang around in a swimsuit and cover up all day, but it was still raining on and off, so I wanted something else.  We walked through the theater first, and they had the Las Olas stuff set up in there, but I’m not a huge fan of Yucatan roots day.  We settled on Toscana because I always feel like I should do the big buffet at least once.  There was Tonatiuh again to greet us!!!   I struggle so much with buffets.  I never know what to get.  I ended up back at my table with sushi, some cheese, a piece of pizza, chicken in mole, and some steamed cauliflower.  It was all good, but so odd all together.  I did get plenty of french fries.  I LOVE their fries!

Then back to the room, and I decided a nap on the beach or the pool sounded great.  We looked by the club pool on the way to see if there was any room, and there really wasn’t any in the shade, so back to the beach we went.  At around 4, I heard the sounds of the drums further down the beach and knew that the butterfly release had started.  It’s on my list of things to do, BUT we had been lucky enough to get a bali bed for the SECOND time that day, and I decided I’d rather enjoy it. Then, at around 4:30 we decided it was time to go get cleaned up.

For dinner that night, we had decided on Magna.  I didn’t like the first dress I put on OR my shoes.  I swell so fast in Mexico it’s unreal, but once I settled down and decided on something I wanted to wear, we were off.  We had one cocktail at the bar with Cesar, then went to Flavor Market for a plate of manchego and one of charcuterie.  I had heard that the sangria was excellent, and it didn’t disappoint.  We love Flavor Market, and will probably go for a whole meal the next time we go back, but Magna was new, and we hadn’t been before, so up to the third floor we went.

I had the foie gras, which was fantastic and the cauliflower soup… also wonderful.  The bear had the foie gras and the fish soup which he said was quite good.  We ordered a tasty bottle of Mexican wine for $100 that was excellent with the food.  I had the lamb, which was okay.  The vegetables weren’t great and the chops were VERY small.  The bear said his steak was okay, too.  The desserts were fantastic.  I had a pistachio cake that was very good!  I got to see the gin cart near the martini bar on the way out.  We didn’t choose to have one, but they all looked excellente!!!

From there, it was outside to Prelude to check in on the one, the only, Tona!

We had to enjoy a drink or 4 with him on the full moon night.  There was a great band playing some live music, and some dancers came out to preview the show.

From there, someone told me about a craft vanilla porter that I needed to try, so we made our way over to the sports bar for the Cowboys/Vikings game.  (I’m a Bears fan, who hates the Cowboys, so the best I could hope for was a tie.)  The bar was pretty packed, and the porter was good.  A group of guys at the bar convinced me to do a tequila shot.  Who was I to turn it down?

We decided to wander back near the room and stop in at Havana.  It was Diego’s night off, but there was still no shortage of drinks.

Turn down had been by the room, and we even got a cute elephant!   Day 2 had been a wonderful time of relaxation and some tipsiness!   We decided NOT to order our pre breakfast for the next morning, and instead see what day 3 would bring us.

I do love EPM!!!

 

 

So I do the recaps for a lot of reasons, but the BIGGEST one is so that I have them to look back on over the next year as I’m waiting to return.  Every trip has some things the same and some different… ALL awesome!!!  I sometimes think about going to other resorts, but I just can’t do it.  EPM checks all the boxes for the bear and me.  I’ve been to other adults-only five star resorts (Hyatt Zilara, Live Aqua, Valentin Imperial).  I like them all, but none “get me” like Excellence Playa Mujeres (EPM).

So the night before I was incredibly anxious. I’m not sure why.  I had been collecting stuff in the “travel closet” for weeks.  I had all my documents printed.  I had all my clothes together, the packing cubes, the whole deal.  Still, my heart was racing.  I always schedule our flight out as early as possible, and we were to leave at 6:05 AM.  We went to bed at about 10 o’clock the night before and when the alarm went off at 3:00 I was READY!!!

The bear and I  arrived at the airport at about 3:45 and were in and through bag check and TSA Precheck line  by 4:25… earlier than we needed to be for sure, but I don’t ever want to be nervous about catching a flight.   (Just a sidenote, I LOVE my travel rewards card.  It’s a Chase Sapphire Reserve.  It has SO many perks.  It paid for my TSA precheck/global entry,  travel insurance, lounge access, gives me $300 a year back in money for travel, AND it pays for my flights.  But I digress.)

We started boarding at promptly 5:30, off the ground by 6:10, and back ON the ground in Cancun a little more than 2 hours later.  We “lose” an hour this time of year, but it was only 9:30 by the time we landed and breezed through immigration.  I got a little nervous in line because I saw people keep stepping out to fill out their forms.  I had printed mine in advance, and I was afraid that the immigration officers weren’t taking them.  That wasn’t the case.  It was just that several planes that came in at the same time had run out of forms.  They took ours just fine.  I love terminal 4.  (That’s what you take on Southwest.)  No customs, you just keep on walking.  It took about 10 minutes for our bags to come out, which, as always makes me think about doing carryon– I just want to be able to bring all my dumb stuff (damp rid, big bottles of sun screen, personal fans, etc.), so I don’t want to think about what to carry on too much.

Outside and a beeline to Kalido who was, as always, ready and waiting to whisk us off.  (I used to do Lomas but was burned twice.  I did Seasons once, but it’s double the price of Kalido, so I don’t do that anymore.)  They had our preordered drinks on ice.  The bear said he wouldn’t want one, but I knew if it was there he’d drink it.  It never feels like it takes us long to get to Excellence, no matter how excited I am.  This was the first time the bear and I had been alone upon arrival.

 

The more times you go, the more the anticipation builds as you make your way up that driveway and around the circle.  We were greeted at the front door with towels.  No champagne quite, yet, but no problems there.  We were seated in the main lobby and it came within a minute.  About five minutes later, up to the EC lounge to see it the first time.

I wasn’t sure what to expect as many had told me that Magna is somewhat awkwardly arranged around the lounge itself, but it seems more that it’s split and off to two sides.  I wasn’t bothered by it and quite liked the chairs and the table in the bar part.  Yes, they are a little hard to get out of, but they look great and are comfortable while you’re sitting in them.

 

I had told the bear if a swim up was available for a $60 or less upgrade per night, I was getting it.  They did have one, but it was going to be $90.  I chose not to go for it, and I think that was the right choice.  For the most part, the swimups only have one set of stairs down, and they’re on the other side from the room.  I’m NOT an agile lady, so I’m probably best off with just my “regular” EC room.   Our room wasn’t ready, yet (It was only 11:20), so we headed off for the martini bar.

We talked with a whole group of Texans for awhile as I drank vodka sodas and started to think about the fact that I was going to need to get some food.  I went with my “tradition” (I don’t know if you can have a tradition if you’ve only been there twice) of starting at The Grill.  Tonatiuh (the Toscana and grill server, not the bartender) recognized us on the way in, which was very cool.  Gilberth gave us “excellente” service at lunch.  My Spanish is passable, and he definitely made me practice, which was good fun!  I had the corn soup and fish tacos my last two trips, but today I wanted a burger.  Oh, holy cow, it was good!   The fries!   What do they do with those fries?  Why are they so wonderful?

It was blistering hot.  In the two years that we’ve been there, I’d never been in the lazy river.  (It had always been too cold), so we decided to find a spot for awhile.  and get on in.

The bear actually took a siesta.  By this time it was about 2:30, and we decided to chance it and see if our room was ready.  In the future, I probably won’t bring stuff to change into while waiting.  There’s enough to do without switching into a bathing suit, and I was somewhat uncomfortable carrying all of that stuff around with me after changing.  Still, I’m glad to have had my lazy river time.  I was so glad to see that they were setting up for Mexican fiesta night outside.  The day had threatened rain, but the chances were dissipating, and I was worried about how warm it would be if they moved it to Agave.

 

Since last year, the bear insists that we make one of our nights a Saturday night because the fiesta night is SO spectacular.  He’s right!

We went back up to the lounge and the room wasn’t ready, yet.  I decided to delve into the cocktails.  I had a fresh watermelon mint gin drink.  It was VERY good.  No fake syrups or anything, all fresh fruit and mint muddled together.  Just yum!

Our room was ready a few minutes later.  I had requested building 8.  The last two times I was in 7, so I wanted something different.  I was a little disappointed to find out we were not on the Soleil/building 8 pool side, but on the lazy river instead (8152).  In the end, however, I ended up really liking it because it was very quiet.  No late night howling as people walked by our room.  We did get return guest gifts, which is always nice!   I even tried a baseball hat on for the first time in my life.  I didn’t wear it in public or anything, but I might!

 

After getting ready for the night out, we thought we’d check out Havana.  It was open, but there was no one there, yet, so we just wandered around.  The space is absolutely beautiful!  The smell of smoke is almost non existent.  It was a wonderful spot.

 

From there to the martini bar where Cesar welcomed us back (how do they remember?) and made me a lovely lavender martini.

Out to the fiesta where the food and entertainment were spectacular.  We ate until we burst.  The quesadillas, the corn with poblano, the suckling pig… Oh my!!!  There was a Mayan guy who was either angry or praying or something…  I’m not sure, but WOW the costumes.  Then, enjoyed the trek back to Havana through the resort at night.  It’s always so breathtaking.

 

Diego was back at Havana “holding court” and doing his “getting drunk with Diego” show.  He said he really likes being at the bar there because he can get creative and really has a chance to talk with the patrons.  The first night was the first of many times during this trip that I was “recognized.”  It was both flattering and unnerving.  The bear said it was a little like being with a celebrity influencer!  I just can’t help myself.  Talking about Excellence on the We Love Excellence Playa Mujeres Facebook group is one of my biggest hobbies, so I love to post… A LOT.  Many times, I was greeted with, “I swear I’m not a stalker, but…”  It really was quite fun!!!

When we returned to our room, turndown service had come.  Turndown and housekeeping had both been spotty on our last trip.  I mentioned it at checkin, and never had a problem at all this trip.  I had, however, asked for a bottle of Bailey’s that hadn’t been delivered, yet.  It was about 10 PM.  We called, and within five minutes Edgar showed up at my door and said he was my “personal minibar” for the evening.  He had a bottle of Bailey’s with him and brought me more Diet Coke in just seconds.  We called room service and put in an order for fruit, coffee, and pastries to be delivered to our magic box at 7 AM and called it a night.

It had been a long and wonderful first day, and I was so excited to start the second one.

 

 

 

One last morning… one last room service breakfast.  I pretty much do that at every resort.  I order room service for packing up and going home.  BUT my flight on my last day didn’t leave until 5:30… and no Kalido pick-up until 2:05….   I was making use of every SECOND in that room.  (Sorry Saturday arrivals!   It’s mine until noon….)  We made sure to check in on the United app to get our boarding passes and pay for our luggage.  Oddly, my boarding pass had a message about needing a special check.  I didn’t pay much attention to it.

We ordered ALL the breakfasts just to see if we had missed anything.  We packed and then went for one last swim.  It turned to 10 AM while we were in the pool… and here came the drink of the day.  I mean, as long as we were there, we might as well, right?   So “Splash” it is.

Our bellman arrived at 11:30 and we took the sad ride back up to the front to checkout.  Checkout was super quick.  I asked about the loyalty program I’d seen mentioned on the Facebook group and signed up for that as well.  Even in three days I earned enough points to get $50 off a spa service next time, AND it automatically gives you 10% off all bottles of wine you purchase and spa services on future trips! I love free stuff!!   I do ALL of my shopping with rewards cards, so I get points on everything I can.  I love to make my vacations pay for themselves!

We did a little shopping after that at both the boutique and the souvenir store; then, went to La Marche.  When we passed it the night before on the way to La Hacienda, I thought it was all outside.  I was pleasantly surprised when they asked us where we wanted to sit.  INSIDE!   Yes, please!!!!  I liked this buffet much better.  The gazpacho was super tasty as were the nutella crepes.  We sat there for quite awhile enjoying the AC before our walk of shame back to wait for our transfer.  We took our last few pictures on the way… and our pictures of each other taking pictures…

 

Went out to get our bags at 2:00 and the Kalido driver was walking up just as we went out.  Five darned minutes early… I want my plane COMING to arrive early… I don’t want to GO early.

Ride back to the airport was totally uneventful.  Kalido is always great.  Our driver even offered to charge our phones for us on the way to the airport.  A porter who wasn’t taking “no” for an answer met us at our transfer when we pulled up in front of the airport, and Jose Alberto was actually fantastic…  He all but dragged us up to the kiosk, printed our luggage tags and barged on to the front of the line.  He was super funny and super friendly!  I think I’ll use a porter every time now.  It just made things easier.

So.. again… we are at the airport very early… and again, I’d rather be early than panicked.  With my Chase Sapphire Reserve card I get free access for a guest and me to  lounges in many airports…  We decided since we had a long time even after we were done shopping that we’d hang out in the lounge… and since we still got “free drinks” and food we might as well finish off the vacation the same way we started.

 

Eventually, the app texted us that it was time to board.  I found out why my boarding pass was different when we were getting ready to board.  I had been randomly selected for a more thorough search…  so they swabbed my hands and went through my carry on item by item before I boarded the plane.  I like knowing that they do that.  It gives me a sense of security!

Again, the hop skip and a jump back to Houston.  Susan and Heather downloaded mobile passport app since IAH allows for mobile passport and I have global entry with my credit card, so no one  had to wait in any silly lines on the way back into the country.

As always, I wish we had stayed a day longer… and as always, it’s nice to be back home.

Ninety seven days left until my next time in Mexico!   I’m already deciding what I’m going to do while there!

So… I had ALL the fancy drinks the day before… so the next morning was a little shaky start.  Yes, I took the liquid IV, and yes it helped… no nausea or headache really.  Just feeling out of sorts.  I mean, I can’t drink from 10 AM to midnight without coming up for air and expect no ill effects…

We decided since we had come all this way to Mexico we should at least go see the beach.  One person in our group is a BIG beach person.  One is indifferent… and then there’s me.  I’m one of those people who likes to be in the ocean and SEE the beach… but even I figured we should at least go…  Even though there are 3 of us, there were only 2 towels in our room.  They left 2 towels every day.  I found that odd.  Couldn’t they see three beds?  Of course, you can always get more from your concierge, but they’re not always there.  Anyway, we decided we’d leave those there for later.  When we called to ask if we’d be able to get some at the beach, we were told we could.  That turned out not to be true.  I like how at Excellence they leave a towel rolled up on every single chair and have extra stations for grabbing towels EVERYWHERE.  But that’s a pretty minor complaint. It’s not like you need a towel card or anything.  Valentin is awesome!

We went to the breakfast buffet at Mar y Tierra.  It was going to be a hot day and it was HOT by 9 AM.  Mar y Tierra is all outside… and my sweat was making my sunscreen drip into my eyeballs.  And you know how that is?  Once it starts you can’t even open your eyes into the sun?   Not a great start to my day.  Plus, I find breakfast buffets overwhelming.  I end up getting like a croissant, a sausage link, 3 slices of cheese, and a mango because it’s just so much stuff!

From there, we decided to walk down to the beach.  We actually exited the “wrong way” from the back of the restaurant, but that turned out to be a happy accident.  We took the path to the right instead of the left, so we had to walk a long way down the beach to get to the swimming area…but it was a GORGEOUS walk.  I had heard that the seaweed the further south you get of Cancun has been really really bad for the last few years… and had  been really bad as recently as last week.  We had NONE of that.  It was GLORIOUS.  There was none on the beach OR in the water.

 

 

One of my friend’s coworkers mentioned to her before she went how bad he felt for her “having to go to Cancun” because of how bad the seaweed was.  At one point she picked up one tiny piece and said, “Look at ALL this seaweed.” and laughed at the silliness. Now, I know we just got lucky… but BOY did we.  We walked down to the beach bar with the swings.  (Sunrise?  Maybe?  I don’t know.  We never did really look at the map and that’s the only one we went to.)   It was all shady and literally cool in there with the breeze coming off the water.

 

Again, as soon as the bar opened promptly at 10 AM, there was someone coming by to give us drinks of the day to try.  (You can get drinks with breakfast before 10.  It’s just that the bars open at 10.)  From there, we went in search of towels.  The main pool is right up the pathway, and they have them at the water sports place.  So we grabbed some and walked down the jungle path right across (it felt like a secret passage) to get a spot on the beach.  The water was gorgeous, so there were ZERO open shaded spots in the swimming area at 10:30 AM, but there were plenty of sunny ones.  So we found three together and went in the water for awhile.  It’s not the clear, clear turquoise that I remember from the hotel zone in the mid 90s.  It was more of a mint green hue and slightly more milky than crystal… but still beautiful.  And it feels cool and comfortable in the water.

We went back to the beach and saw a palapa opening behind us.  We snagged it and ordered some drinks.  Drink service was VERY slow on the beach and size of the drinks was smaller than at the pools.  I only saw one server, and she needed to go all the way back to the pool bar to get the drinks filled.  I could have handed her my tumbler to have filled; then, I’m sure drinks would have been the same size.  I just feel bad doing that… making them carry those heavy tumblers on the hot days.  I usually just order the drink in the regular cups and pour it in to my tumbler myself.

After a little more time in the ocean, I really was getting hot.  I STILL had stupid sunscreen in my eyes.  I told my friends that I was all salt watered and sanded out, so I was going to hang at the main pool for awhile.  I was thinking I might go see what was happening at the party end.  I LOVE the feeling of an outdoor shower and getting all the sand and salt off…  I was trying to rinse my eyes the best I could, too.  As I walked over to the pool, I was kind of trying to see if there were open spots.  I saw all the reserved privilege beds.  I didn’t really see any bodies in them.  I saw no other spots with shade.  But then, I saw an open table right by the bar… and they were grilling HAMBURGERS!   Eureka!!!  I had literally only had a few bites for breakfast… and I was STARVING.  Hamburgers!   They had cheese and all the fixings out there, too!   Boy did that hit the spot!!!  My friends showed up quite quickly.  We decided since there really weren’t many places at the main pool, we’d just go back to our swim up and hang out there.

Again, the service at the golden pool was spectacular….  More mini beer shots needed to happen!   I discovered mango mojitos and LOVED them.  Late afternoon we were still hungry and ordered room service vegetarian quesadillas.  They were terrific.  All that sun, fun, and drinking made it a great afternoon to take a really long nap.  I think I slept for almost 2 hours?  By the time we all woke up and got moving it was significantly later than I usually go to dinner at resorts.  I’m usually a “when they open”  kinda person, and I’ve never had a wait.  I saw what happens when you don’t.  We left the room at around 7:30. We did our own personal photo shoot (channeling our 20-something selves, 20-something years later) for our last night there while we were waiting for our golf cart.

 

We decided we were going to go to sushi for an appetizer and then, since we were in Mexico, we were going to try some Mexican for dinner. We’re from Texas, so we have plenty of Tex-Mex, which we know isn’t the same.  We went to Ginger first.  There, they told us it would be an hour wait.  I said we just wanted to sit at the sushi bar… not a table.  They still said an hour.  So then, we walked over to La Hacienda to decide if that one was the same, what our plan would be.  The walk over was STUNNING.  Oh, the sunset.  None of these pictures have any kind of filter on them.

 

The courtyard at La Hacienda at dinner was so pretty!   The lights were twinkling.  It was just lovely!   And SO HOT.  We said we wanted to wait to sit inside. They said it would be about another 45 minutes and to come back.  We went back to Don Miguel.  We sat at a table and service was slow and sort of odd.  I think something must have been lost in translation.  I ordered a hibiscus martini, which I ended up not caring for.  My friends ordered “five secrets” martinis, of which they also were not particularly fond, but it’s fun to try new things.  When we got to the restaurant, my friend Heather wasn’t feeling well.  It wasn’t anything particular, just too hot, too many weird drinks, so she decided to go back to the room.  I’m not gonna lie.  It made me INCREDIBLY nervous to let someone go back to the room alone, but she assured me she was fine and would let me know as soon as she got to the room.  I’m glad that wifi generally work really well at the resort.  She let me know and was fine.

I had the octopus ceviche appetizer.  It was okay, but it wasn’t cold enough and the texture was odd.  The corn soup, however, was very rich with just one little wonderful dollop of goat cheese.  Finally, I had the chicken with mole.  The mole was absolutely fantastic!

When we were leaving, we considered going to the circus show, but wow that theater was hot…Plus we wanted to check on our friend.  We made our way back to the room and got ready to say goodbye to the resort the next day.

 

You know how it is when you’re a grown up and sharing another room with other grown ups with whom you usually don’t share a room?  You wake up and try to figure out how early is too early to start talking and moving around.  Should you just lay there for awhile longer?  Should you get up and do something?  Hmmmmm…

But eventually, someone starts talking.  (It was probably me), and you get ready for the day.  In Mexico, for me that involves taking preventative Pepto, other pro-biotics, and this trip, I added Liquid IV, which most definitely helped.  There was no first morning hangover.  I’ve never gotten “sick” in Mexico, but when I try all the fruity drinks and eat differently than usual, I for sure feel it.

We decided we were going to “start” at the golden pool since it was right outside our door.  This is the first time I’ve done a swim up pool at any resort.  (I’ve stayed at a resort I don’t remember way back in 1995, Live Aqua, Hyatt Zilara, Excellence Playa Mujeres, and Gran Caribe Royal.)   I am going to have a hard time doing something OTHER than swim up now that I’ve had the sweet taste of that!   The view from a room was always “nice,” but really… I get views all over resorts and am not in my room that much. The convenience of the swim up…  oh wow.

Since we wanted to get straight to enjoying, we figured we’d slather each other up with sunscreen, give it some time to sink in, and order room service.  I was kinda bummed at the lack of selection for room service.  You could choose one of 3 meals: spa, Americana, or Continental.  I sometimes like a side of French toast or pancakes or something.  I suppose I could have asked if they do that, but I just went with the menu as written.  The spa breakfast was excellent.  Spinach mushroom egg white omelet, celery juice, yogurt granola, fruit, and pastries.  PLENTY of food.  I just wish there were more choices.

I loved the Golden Pool.  As much as I appreciate the PARTY of the main pool, this really wasn’t that kind of trip.  Had we been there for a few more days… maybe?  Still not sure.  My last two trips have been to Excellence Playa Mujeres.  They also have activities at the main pool.   More than someone yelling into a microphone all day,  however, I prefer the live bands that EPM has up above the pool in the late afternoon.  That’s why Cancun area resorts are so great!   There’s usually something for everyone at all of them!

We were in room 8103, so the “lazy river” part outside our pool was about hip level deep… Just slightly too deep to just step in… but we could walk past two other rooms to our right and step in easily.  Outside our patio door were two chairs and a small table.  Then, you step down to an astroturf yard with two loungers and a table.  The rooms may not be IDEAL for 3 people because there’s really not a lot of room to move furniture around, but it was fine.  The pool has “rivers” surrounding islands.  It’s open to everyone at the resort and is definitely a quieter vibe.  It has a bar between the buildings, and you can order food directly to your chair.  For those with a swimup it is a great place to spend an entire day!   Even though that wasn’t our plan in advance, that’s what ended up happening.  The morning started with a spectacular sun shower and then cleared up for a glorious day!

The golden pool is a great place to be.  We had an excellent afternoon with our Denver neighbors sharing the amount of personal information you only share with strangers after you’ve had a massive number of mini beers.  We ordered salmon snacks and nachos directly to our deck for lunch.  Every so often someone would happen by and ask us if we wanted a drink or to sample some food.  It would be rude not to, right?  The service all day was outstanding!  It couldn’t have been much more relaxing.

Sometimes after that much “work” (read drinking), it’s hard to even convince yourself to go to dinner, but Susan had said something earlier about wanting to try a French dinner, and I had heard great things about l’Alsace, so we got gussied up, called for a golf cart, and off we went.

Oh, my… this dinner!!!!  Okay, so when I travel with my husband we often travel for food.  We like to go to Michelin starred restaurants and spend truly silly amounts of money on meals.  (I’m not gonna tell you how much, but we did the tasting menu at Robuchon in Vegas WITH the wine pairings. you can look for yourself.  Yes, I harbor guilt about this… but this is our main hobby and we have no kids… so… anyhoo…) So this dinner, even in comparison with other dinners,  was IMPRESSIVE.  Our service from Isaac was out of this world.  I mean they even brought us a stool for our purses.  You get your choice of breads… just YUM!  For an appetizer, I couldn’t decide between the foie gras and the escargot, so I ordered both.  They were both terrific!   That’s the thing.  People talk about the portion sizes being small.  Well, thank goodness!   Plus, it’s all inclusive.  If you want more, order more.  I went on my first cruise this last year and portion sizes at specialty restaurants were HUGE…  but you only get one.  Maybe that’s what people were expecting?

From there, I had the French onion soup.  I really was getting full, but then the filet.  It was slightly overcooked, but very tasty.  It was better than many of the other filets I’ve had in Mexico.  I know the meat is often different there, but this was yummy!  I ended it with the baked Alaska because I wanted the “show” with the flambe, and all that good stuff.  I’m too cheap to upgrade my WordPress so that you can see how pretty it was, but it was fun!   It was definitely too much booze to really taste the dessert, but I ordered it to see the show (an all inclusive resort is NOT Robuchon, and I don’t expect it to be.)

Speaking of shows and things that you really should see…  Don Miguel.  On our way over we paused in the plaza to listen to a beautiful rendition of Conte te Partiro by a 3 tenors group.  It was lovely.  Then, Don Miguel. We went in and sat at the bar…  The service there was excellent.  (When we went another time and sat at the tables, it wasn’t as good.)  I told them there that I wanted drinks that “did stuff” and specifically ordered the martini imperial and cotton candy mojito because I asked for suggestions on the Fans of Valentin Imperial facebook group.  They did not let me down and were loads of fun!

Again, I’m too cheap to pay for the actual videos, so if you see this on a Facebook page and want me to upload them, I can there.  :-).

We considered being the party types briefly as we went back outside to watch the groups who were enjoying getting their groove on… but then decided we were wiped out.   Back at the room, we knew we were probably breaking the rules a tad, but we did have a swim up and all… So back in the water for just a little bit.  We were quiet and not crazy (and looking down that lazy river, we also were clearly not the only ones.)

Finally, we hit the beds for the night at the end of our first full day.  I definitely had more than my share of the drinks… and would find out the next morning the liquid IV didn’t QUITE keep up… but much better than if I hadn’t tried at all…  Well, when you only go for three nights, ya gotta make the most of the two full days, amiright or amiright?

 

 

For several years my “lizard” tribe has talked about doing a “girls’ trip”  (always sounds so weird to say that about people who are knocking on the door of 50.. and some who have crossed the threshold… but whatever…).  This January at our 25th annual “camping” trip, three of us decided to go for it!

I drove in to Houston on Tuesday night so the three of us could take a trip bright and early Wednesday morning.  One of my former students, Rachel Burk, acted as our travel agent and got us a great deal for 3 nights at Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya.  I’ve been to several other resorts in the area.  Excellence Playa Mujeres is my favorite, but they won’t do double beds in their Excellence club rooms…  so new resort it is.

Our flight left at 9:20 AM.  We got to the airport at 6:30 because you just never know when you’re trying to check baggage and stuff on those international flights. but it was seamless.  I have global entry that I got with my Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card.  I’m not sure if it’s because I booked the travel or what, but all 3 of us were listed as having TSA precheck.  (Maybe it was an error, I dunno…) but there was no waiting in line and we were through security and in the terminal before 7.  (Bummer!   No booze…. yet).

We had breakfast…  I misordered.   I ordered a breakfast pizza that was HUGE… like big enough for 4.  I had no idea…  but after chatting for awhile we went to have our first champagne and get on the plane.  A quick 2 hours later we landed in Cancun.  We had done our Mexico tourist cards in advance, so we had those ready to go on our way through immigration.  We were in terminal 3, though, so we still had to fill out customs forms, and they didn’t have those on the plane.  We needed to fill those out in the airport, but it didn’t take any time.  We hit the button, got the green light, our bags were already waiting off the carousel, grabbed them and ran outside to find our Kalido van ready and waiting for us.  I cannot recommend Kalido enough.  They only do private, non-stop transfers; they are locally owned, reasonably priced, you can order drinks, sunscreen… whatever from them… the best!  Try to find one single bad review of them.  It won’t happen.

And then…  we reach Valentin… and, just as I thought I would be, I was impressed from the first moment!   As we exited our transfer, we were greeted with the cool towel and sparkling wine that I have become spoiled enough to expect at the Mexico resorts where I go.  A cart of goodies was wheeled over to us where we could enjoy some savory snacks in the gorgeous lobby while we waited.  This resort is by far the most lush and gorgeous in the main areas of any resort I’ve seen.  The pictures just can’t do it justice.

When we were checking in, we were asked if we’d like to upgrade to a swim up!!!   I had no idea this would be an option.  I was told that there were no double bed rooms in the swim ups, and I had really wanted one!   For forty dollars a day, you betchya!   The “hitch” is that they are the handicap accessible rooms, so you don’t get a tub in the room, but we were good with that!   We ordered a rollaway bed so that we could all have our own sleeping spot.  It took them until the second day to deliver the bed (despite the fact that we called three times), but it did come eventually, so no harm no foul.  Of course we CAN share a double, it’s just nicer for everyone to have her own space.  So the accessible bathrooms are not as luxurious as the others, but it was still nice.  The shower was ENORMOUS and got soooooooooo slippery.  On the last day, Susan threw a towel on the floor and that helped a lot!   Next time, I might bring one of those suction cup floor mat things…There is no bathtub, which is a little sad, and no bidet (which I can’t imagine actually using.)  The “view” from the room is just of the pool, but that’s a good enough view for me!

Even though we arrived at the resort at around 1 o’clock, our room was already available for us!   Sweet!   We hopped in the golf cart and off we went through the gorgeous, lush resort.  Once at our room, I unpacked a little like a maniac… trying to find all the nooks and crannies for stuff.  The room had a SLIGHT mildewy smell, but I hung three Damp rid and I never noticed it again.  We put on our swimsuits and headed out for lunch to Mar y Tierra.  Other than the a la carte items you can get at the golden pool (where our room was), VIM only has buffet choices for lunch.  Mar y Tierra was just okay…  I’m not sure why they don’t have a restaurant with a view of the beach.  This is CLOSE to the beach, but kinda in a jungle area with no view.  It turns into the seafood and the steak restaurants at night.

This was the ONLY time we walked from our room anywhere.  It’s very easy to call for a golf cart to come and do a pick up.  We walked both to and from the pool, and it was a solid 10 minute walk.  In that heat, it’s a lot!   The buffet was okay… nothing great but it did the job.  We went from there to the main pool.  This pool is QUITE spectacular.  It is a HUGE pool with two swim-up bars, two waterfalls, a quiet end and a “party” end with activities and music all day long.  We spent the next several hours enjoying the pool.  At one point, near the end, I got out to get us a refill on our drinks.  On the way back in I slipped on the top stair and fell rather spectacularly and solidly on my tailbone… before rolling down the stairs like someone wearing a sumo wrestler costume… whacking my head on the railing on the way down.  You know you’re old when instead of laughing, everyone’s initial reaction is “Are you okay????”    I was, in fact, fine… my tailbone still has me saying “oh dear” each time I try to stand days later.  BUT I saved the drinks.

We went back to our room to get dressed for dinner.  I love that part of the nice resorts in Mexico.  I love the way they go from beach resort to elegant dinners in just a few hours.  Dress codes at the nice resorts in Mexico are relatively strict, especially for men, but it generally means that people look very nice.  Based on some reviews, I heard that Taman Sari was the best of the restaurants   (I disagree.  It was actually our least favorite).  We phoned for a golf cart to come get us and headed back to the heart of the resort.  That was really our first time walking around the plaza and the grounds at the main part of the resort.  No pictures would really do it justice.  It has to be seen to be believed.

The restaurant had a special drink that night which was the Taman Sari.  It was wonderful… and we had SEVERAL, but dinner was just average.  I had an odd pad thai with chicken.  Nothing really stood out or was exceptional, but the company was great, the decor was beautiful, and the service was fantastic!

Next, we wandered over to the theater for the burlesque show.  The people were talented dancers, but it wasn’t really burlesque. And that theater…Oh my goodness!   What were they thinking?   It’s entirely enclosed… walls on all four sides… and NO air conditioning?   In Mexico?  In August… Um… no… We didn’t stay for long before catching a golf cart back to the room.

Now, I know that at VIM, the party goes on after the show, and that I’m supposed to stay up to listen to the Imperial band and to do dancing with the DJ at the sports bar, but it was hot, we were tired… so we made our way back to building 8.  We made sure to keep the bathroom door closed and the curtains drawn.  We brought small fans with which to sleep and the room was never too warm for sleeping.  I like to stream old tv shows all night long with my earbuds in to sleep, and the wifi worked just fine for all of that.  I bring a power strip to plug in all my junk so that it’s handy near the bed.

Went to bed happy to be there with my lizards and was looking forward to our first full day!

 

From Ketchikan we had only one more port, Vancouver, British Columbia.  Apparently there’s some cruise ship thing where all Alaskan cruises are required to go to Canada, so our stop in Vancouver was to be only for about four hours (8 PM to 12 AM) before we motored on back to Seattle to arrive in port by 6 AM.

The weather had been good our whole trip.  On the last day, it was GREAT.  I told Richard we had one more eating spot we needed to check out, Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville did a seafood dinner buffet that had a charge, but they had a breakfast buffet for free.  So, my plan was to go up there, have breakfast, wander around the pool on a nicer day than our first sea day, and watch an ice carving demonstration before checking on the disembarkation method.  (I ALWAYS have plans in mind.)

After breakfast we got a closer look at the race track from above.  Pretty amazing to have that on a ship.

 

On this side, you could also get into the water slides, one that dropped you straight down and vertical and turns you upside down and all over or another more gentle one that you ride on an inner tube.  We actually never even put our swimsuits on.  Plenty of other people did, however.  The water was heated but not hot.  People looked very comfortable.

 

From the other side of the ship, we checked out the laser tag .  It’s not my thing, and you have to pay extra, but it looked really cool.  We also saw the dining room and sun deck for “The Haven” which is the way to make an already fancy cruise just a little bit fancier (or a lot).  If we went alone or with other adult friends, we’d probably opt for the Haven, but as a family, the way we went was PERFECT.

We watched an ice carving demonstration on the pool deck which I don’t think went according to plan (It was supposed to be sailfish, but a sail dropped off). It was still interesting nonetheless.

 

I went down to the internet lounge to check-in for my flight the next day.  We still had 10 minutes left on our plan.  I was also going to pay for my luggage.  When I looked, I saw that first class seats were available for $140!   Score!   My luggage was going to cost $70 anyway, and it would be included with my first class ticket.  And this way, I could be more comfortable for the four-hour flight.  And, more importantly, my seatmate could be more comfortable.  Our Internet timed out while I was paying, so I had to pay the $2 a minute overage, but it was worth it!

Since we’d never been on a cruise before, from there we went down to guest services in the atrium to see what happens during dismbarkation.   I saw a sign saying that they did it by certain colors.  I grabbed luggage tags for the latest time in the day I could.  It turns out there are several ways you can do it.  You can pay for a package where people come get your luggage and take it to the airport for you.  They literally check the luggage in at the airlines, so no lines for you.  You don’t see it until you get to your final destination.  You can get off the boat early if you just want to haul your stuff through the ship yourself.  Finally, you put luggage tags on your luggage and your steward comes and gets it.  Then, you exit later according you your tag color.  Richard had to go early because he needed to board a train to Portland.  My flight wasn’t until late, so I just got one of the tags.   We went back to the room, packed, and then went to a black glass wine tasting with Andrea and Rose.

 

It was a lot of fun!  It was led by a sommelier.  You were to guess whether it was an actual champagne or just a sparkler, whether it was pinot based or chardonnay based, and whether it was pink or white.  It did cost about $19 extra with the beverage package, but I thought it was worth it.  It was a good time.  Richard and I tied for correct answers, only getting the grape in one of the champagnes wrong.

After that, Richard and I ran down to the comedy club to see if we could get in on standby since all the shows had been sold out all week.  We did.  It was the earliest show of the night, so it was also the cleanest.  We were able to see Flip Schultz (no relation 🙂 ).  He was funny, we had a good time, and now I could check the box for “saw comedian on the cruise ship” off of my list of things that I needed to accomplish for the week.

We went the The Local for dinner, but the bear was really starting to not look well. I took him back to the room and filled him full of medicine.  He took a nap.  When he woke, we were nearing Canada, but knowing he had a big few days ahead of him in Portland, he decided to stay in.   I went back up to the observation lounge and chatted with a few people. I considered getting off the ship and going to check out the hotel or the gardens.  I’m one of those people, however, who tends to enjoy those kinds of things a lot more when there’s someone to share them with.  Plus, you had to pay for the shuttle to town. It was too far to walk, so I watched some of the seals playing by the dock and wandered around.  I went to watch Beau Tahana again, but that was one of the bars that was closed.  Canadian laws require a certain amount of bars to be closed, which was so weird because there were waiters standing in the brew pub who would go to other bars to bring the drinks to you…  I stayed long enough to sing “Sweet Caroline” one more time… (bum bum bum)… Then, was off to bed. (to bed, to bed, to bed, to bed….)

Richard said he felt better the next morning and went to catch the train to Portland (alas, that did not last long.  He had to leave the conference early to come home the next day.)  I took my sweet time getting ready, knowing that my lime green color would not be called for hours.  I stayed in the room until the last possible minute; then, went out to the deck to enjoy the Seattle air.

Once called, I stood in line as we snaked through the ship getting off.  I scanned my card one last time.  Then, we were sent to a room with the luggage, organized by our color tags.  I grabbed my two bags, walked through customs, and out into Seattle.  I walked down the pier a bit and across the street to the waterfront Marriot to call an uber to take me to the airport.  I could have shuttled for much less (the uber was about $40), but I had my share of being smashed in shoulder to shoulder with people for a bit.  Plus, I had PLENTY of time.  My flight wasn’t scheduled to take off until 5:20.

I settled in and got the lay of the land at Vino Volo.  I realized at that point that I’d forgotten my Priority Pass!   What a bummer!   It comes as a perk with my Chase Sapphire card.  I LOVE my card.  It paid for my TSA precheck, my global entry, gives me $300 back on my travel a year, AND it gets me into lounges.  I also get 3x points on all travel and beverage purchases and 50k bonus points after the first 3k spent.  Richard and I use the card for EVERYTHING.  I’ve had it since February, and we’re already over 100k in points–which equates to over $1500 travel dollars.  Love that card!  Luckily, I found out that I could download a digital pass and that SOME lounges and restaurants may take it… the ones in Seattle did, so… just want I needed!   More free booze. (lol)  My flight was delayed a little bit, but I was really pretty comfortable.  I had my lounge and my book.  I did some window shopping, and had my champagne and first class ravioli once I was on board.

 

We landed a little after 1 AM.  I was home a little before 2…  and excited about seeing my Cava girl and dog sitting for the Waffles and the Buddy for the next few days.

So, final thoughts on my first cruise, then.

I LOVED it.  I was not sure what at all to think.  Alaska had never been on a bucket list of mine.  A mega ship was nowhere in any of my thoughts, but I loved it!   I loved getting to spend time with family.  I loved getting to see new places.

Cruising?   Meh, it’s ok.  I wouldn’t do it to the Caribbean or anyplace like that unless I was doing a girls’ or couples’ party trip or something like that.  I’d prefer to go to an all-inclusive resort for the relaxation sort of thing, but as far as a mode of taking my hotel room with me to go visit new places?  Yup, I really loved the ship for that.

I can’t WAIT until I have an excuse to do my next set of travel blogs!

 

The boys were up bright and early for salmon fishing, as I rolled over and went back to bed.  Eventually, I got up to look at the adorable town outside my window!   I sat out on the balcony and took advantage of the amazing cell signal (truly, it was the best since Seattle) and had a chance to catch up on life outside Alaska for the first time in days.

 

After a slow start I met Rose and Andrea for breakfast; then, we discussed wandering around in town for awhile.  I went back to the room and took a good LONG time to get ready.  It was kinda nice to have some space and time all to myself.  So nice, in fact, that I considered just staying int the room.  Then, Rose texted and asked if I was about ready… I decided I was, and I was glad I did.

Andrea, Rose, and I set off to the visitors’ center.  They had a really cute map for a walking tour of the city, but we kinda did our own thing, Ketchikan is known for fishing, totem poles, and… well…  historical homes for the oldest profession…  I had looked at booking some of the tours in Ketchikan… wilderness boat, hmmmm hadn’t I already seen plenty of wilderness on a boat?  lumberjack show?  maybe, but kinda hokey,  So, I figured I’d save the money and just wander.

 

I got my 3rd of three souvenirs in Ketchikan.  I call my husband “Bear” he calls me “Honey,” and he often refers to himself in the 3rd person:  “Bear loves Honey.” so that makes this coaster even more sappy, silly appropriate (and I just noticed the city name is misspelled on the coaster, but I decided that makes it cuter).

By the time we were returning to the ship, the bear was back and resting (didn’t know yet that he had the beginning of a KILLER cold which would waylay him for the next week).  Poor guys!   The hadn’t caught a single salmon… didn’t even see any…. didn’t get a nibble.  They saw another bald eagle, but we’d seen a whole lot of those!

We went to lunch, came in second in a a beer and wine trivia game; then, he went back to the room.  I went exploring (read: drinking).  It was taking us longer than planned to leave port.  It turned out someone had a medical emergency–passed out in a hottub and had to be resuscitated, it would seem.  Who knows what actually happened, but the rumors were everywhere.

I went to the whiskey bar, got a sambuca and sat outside to listen to speculation.  Then, I went up to the pool deck and ordered a piña colada (apparently to remind myself that I don’t like them, but feel like that’s what I should drink by a pool); then, back up to the observation lounge, deciding it was a dirty martini day.  While there, Andrea messaged me.  Tonight was the big family dinner at Cagney’s Steakhouse.  This was easily the most popular a la carte restaurant on the ship.  If you plan to go, you want to book early.  Andrea suggested getting some family pictures done first.

So, I went downstairs to collect the bear and remind him that, as always, I had plans.  We had ONE more bar we needed to hit.  “The A List” which was outside of Cagney’s.  Then, we’d go up to meet the family with piano Paul prior to pictures.  After all, Andrea insisted that we’d look better in pictures after a few drinks.  Who am I to question her expertise?

 

We took a bunch of pictures before dinner at a couple of different locations.  They did turn out well.  I went to look at them in the photo lounge the next day.  They print all of them full size, and you can buy them from the binder–at $25 a pop…  or can do packages and photobooks and things of that ilk.  To me, the concept seems a little dated.  In this day and age when everyone has a phone in their hands at all times, and you can look at them on the spot and edit them however you want, I think they’re overcharging for the pictures.  Still, it’s a great way to get some shots of everyone in some cool places without bothering other people on the ship.  It’s also pretty cool that you can see them on your phone by going to login.com but not logging in.  They keep all the pictures attached to your number so you can see them. (But watermark them, so if you’re too cheap to buy them you end up seeing them like I posted.  🙂  )

 

Cagney’s was tasty for sure.  Many felt it was their best meal on the ship (I’m still partial to Le Bistro).  Andrea arranged for her parents’ 50th anniversary to be celebrated.  The staff (mostly Filipino and Malaysian) crowded in around Wayne and Rose while they serenaded them “Let Me Call you Sweetheart.”  (It’s much cuter if you try to hear the accents of the staff while imagining the song. 🙂  ).  The staff placed Wayne’s and Rose’s hands on top of one and other and brought them a big piece of cake.  So sweet!

After dinner, most were ready for bed.  It was the last REAL night aboard the ship, though.  The next day we’d be packing and getting ready to go, so I decided I wasn’t QUITE done, yet.

I went down to the brewery to see Beau Tahana, and this might be my one regret of the trip….I regret that I didn’t see him earlier.  He was another piano guy… but full of bone dry humor.  He did impressions of Tony Bennett and Elton John all while sardonically refusing to do certain songs… He did Blink 182 and Oasis.  He did some kind of Top Gun tribute that turned into Justin Bieber and n’Sync at some point….but I only saw his last set.  I think we would have been down there quite a few more times if we had checked him out earlier in the cruise.

Then, I wandered down two floors to the atrium for an 80s video dance party–Bon Jovi, A ha, Def Leppard.  And, of course, Journey.  The dance party moved to the Social Club, so I did for a bit, too… but decided I wasn’t feeling dancing.  I watched the silent dance briefly in the atrium before wandering the very quiet deck outside.  This was the first time I’d seen full dark since stepping foot on the ship.

I decided it best to go to bed.  I was tipsy, alone, and I still had one more day.

 

All day in Skagway I had heard people talking about where they were going to be to view the glaciers.  Most mentioned the Observation Lounge.  I even heard some saying they were going to sleep there.  I don’t think that’s allowed.  There are, however, an amazing amount of people who treat the observation lounge like their living room…  taking their shoes off, bringing up pillows and blankets and napping for the afternoon, but I digress.

I had read that Glacier Bay day was generally the coldest, often rainy… but as I stepped out on our balcony I was overcome with the almost total silence.  The air was fresh and crisp but not too cold as we were gliding along the water, smooth as glass, on a clear and gorgeous day.  The seagulls were at eye level as the ice was beginning to appear.

 

We were informed by a park ranger via intercom that we would be stopping close to a few glaciers throughout the morning, and she narrated the  things we MIGHT see.  And she narrated what she WAS SEEING as she spoke from the front of the Observation Lounge. Bear to the port side, llama to starboard, moose to starboard, otters everywhere, there’s another bald eagle…

We heard all of these announcements from the comfort of the balcony in our room (port side–I saw the bear swimming). We didn’t want to be part of the masses in the observation lounge, so we decided to go to breakfast… (Taste?  Savor?  who knows…they’re basically the same) and wander around.  We had a window seat at breakfast and it was spectacular. (The view, I mean.  Breakfast wasn’t half bad either!)

 

We decided to take a stroll out around the deck.  It was cold, but it felt good and clean.

 

I started to see some of that outrageously beautiful blue topaz color that I had been expecting.  One of the ship’s photographers was walking on deck, and I asked him to get a picture.  He definitely captured the beauty of the glacier.  That’s not a green screen or a backdrop.  That’s real.  That’s what we saw while we were standing on deck.  (He wasn’t quite as good at catching OUR beauty, but the glacier looks great…)

You could see pieces of glacier breaking off, and then hear them seconds later.  It was like seeing the lightning, then hearing the thunder.  It was sad to learn how much the glaciers have regressed in just the last ten years.  I was glad to see them, now.

Since Richard had some emails he needed to answer for work (he had bought 100 minutes of wifi), we decided to watch the tail end of our glacier cruise from the balcony in our room.  Because we also had to make sure to get the most of our beverage package (ha), I asked my brother-in-law, Brian, where the nearest bar was.  He said to go up to deck 17 and straight back to Spice H20… The adults only bar.  Whoa….  had I been up there earlier in the cruise, that’s definitely where I would have dragged the bear through glacier bay.  Heck, we could have watched while sitting in a hot tub (although they were pretty well jam packed with people who had the same idea–and who had been drinking for, well, awhile.)  This ship is so massive I had no idea this huge bar was even there!

 

The emails complete, we went to listen to a lecture from the park ranger, which turned to be more about how we need to appreciate ALL of our “wild spaces” than it was about Glacier Bay.  She spent most of her time talking about the Everglades.  Still, it was interesting.  She was certainly passionate about her love for the job.  She said that this day in Glacier Bay had been the best she had seen all year.  I tend to believe her.  The weather was perfect.

We spent the rest of the afternoon doing some further exploration of the ship.  So many little touches make so many things interesting–the 3 dimensional artwork at Food Republic, the paintings and flowers everywhere.  Ultimately, we settled down at the craft beer bar with a rotating 22 beers on tap.  I found that I greatly enjoyed the Alaskan Amber.  I know you can get that most anywhere, but I’d never tried it before.  I will again now!

 

We had relatively early plans (7:30) to see Jersey Boys with all the adult members of the family, so we went for dinner at Savor or Taste before going back up to the piano lounge with Paul and a pre- show drink.

 

Jersey Boys was VERY good.  I knew it was about Frankie Valli, but that was all I knew.  Andrea had read that the language and some of the content matter may be a little rough for a nine year old, so she dropped Caleb off at the kids’ club, and all the adults met at the theater.  I agree, the language was rough, but it seemed appropriate for a play about a group of young guys with mob ties from New Jersey.  The play was just as good as any of the Broadway tour type of plays I’ve seen at the big concert halls in Houston or Austin…and the seats at the theater were just as uncomfortable.  :-)!
The boys had an early day fishing in Ketchikan the next day, so Andrea and I decided to check out the Beatles tribute band, Britain’s Finest, at the Cavern Club.  I got there early while Andrea went to go get Caleb, and it was already getting packed.

Since it was getting to be later in the week “The Beatles” had moved on to some of their Abbey Road and later music, so we got to sing along with “Birthday,”  “Back in the USSR,”  “Come Together,” and, of course, “Hey, Jude” among many others.  Some of the people in the Cavern Room were VERY serious about their “Beatles” and shushed us for standing all the way back by the bar and occasionally chatting.

After the “Beatles” had us shake it up baby… and twist and shout, I was excited for our last Alaskan port which was coming up bright and early…and only for a short stay…the next morning in Ketchikan, so it was time to call it a night.

 

 

I love the idea of waking up to see new colors in the new water.  We were still well within the gorgeous mountains of Alaska.  This was the day I had been warning Richard about… This was our BIG day.  3 excursions in one, fancy date night for dinner, and a play at 10 PM.  LOTS in front of us…  The time for our excursion had changed, but I was able to also change the time for our dinner reservation easy peasy…

It didn’t really START until 2:45, however.  So, we had fruit in the room and wandered around for awhile. We checked out some demonstrations and some game shows.  Eventually, we made our way up to the observation lounge for some sandwiches and snacks.  And, of course, to make sure we were taking full advantage of our drink package.

Skagway was the smallest town we would see on our trip.  Most of its residents bug out for the winter, but there is an extreme shortage of high priced apartments ($1900 for a 2 bedroom) during the summer.  Our tour guide told us that Skagway had three booms… The gold rush of 1898, World War II, and the cruise lines.  There were plenty of ships lined up to show that.  Rose and Wayne had taken Caleb to see sled dogs earlier in the day.  Brian and Andrea were meeting up with him later to go zip lining.

Skagway seemed as though it may have been more rough and tumble back in the day than a lot of the towns in Alaska.  The churches were painted green because most of the men who first settled there couldn’t read, but they could tell colors.  And the houses that were painted red… well…

We had another GORGEOUS day ahead of us… and actually pretty warm in the sun.  I was very comfortable in a sweater and jeans.  I had a coat with me, but I’m not sure that I ever put it on.

This excursion we booked through Norwegian.  The tickets were in our room when we boarded ship, and it was very easy to find our tour.  We showed our tickets and we were directed to “Pyrite Pete”  (who later told us his name was Craig and that he just kinda bounced to wherever the wind blew him throughout his life–right at that moment, it was Alaska.  He reminded me of my my students–and cousin Eddie)

This was a pricey trip.  It was $250 a person.  I heard some complaining about it, but all I could think was “When will I be able able to pan for gold, play with sled dogs, AND take the White Pass train through Alaska again?  I think this is worth it to me!”

So, again we boarded a bus and went to a combination gold mining/sled dog place Gold Rush Dog Tours.  We started with a quick, fun lecture about panning for gold and the chance to do it ourselves.  We learned that gold is heavier than the stones, so we kept adding water and pouring out gravel until eventually we saw the shine from the bottom.  Richard and I combined our gold to find we had amassed $26 worth.  (We figured we’d give it to Caleb.  He can hoard it in case the dollar collapses…)

We were told if we behaved, there would be puppies… so behave we did.  We learned about the Iditarod.  I had no idea it had only been around since the 1970s as a way to save the sport of dogsledding.  The lecture was also sure to let us know what great care was taken of the dogs.  They are vet checked over and over.  They get taken care of even before the musher.  Many of the dogs we met had done the race a number of times, and it was easy to tell that they were very happy dogs.  Since birth, they had been HIGHLY socialized and handled by many people to make their work easier.  I always pictured huskies, but they’re mixed breed for the most part.  Several breeds combined to create the best overall dog for the conditions and the work.

To be honest, I didn’t listen to much of what the musher was telling us once the dogs cam out.  I was far too preoccupied by doggie hugs and kisses which the big dogs gave readily.

One dog, Apollo, was my DEFINITE favorite for the demonstration.  He was a German shepard mix… VERY friendly, jumping up for hugs… and quite mellow.  UNTIL his harness was attached.  Then, he began screaming and crying like a banshee…  surging forward with reckless abandon.  Apollo was in the back during the demonstration.  One person mentioned that it seemed he’d be a good lead dog.  The musher told us that Apollo was like an unguided missile.  He would never run the Iditarod.  Each of the other dogs was panting slightly at the end of the demonstration.  Apollo though?  COMPLETELY winded, big ol’ tongue hanging out to the side.  He did NOTHING to try to conserve his energy which would NEVER do on a thousand mile race.

Then… there were puppies.  They were itty, bitty 3 week old babies that we passed around and snuggled and kissed.  Again, all of these things in an effort to make them great sled dogs.

When we were exiting, I was holding Richard’s coat and binoculars wrapped inside my coat.  “Pyrite Pete” looked at me and jokingly (I thought) said “I think we have a dog smuggler here.”  The musher gave me a side eye….and I unwrapped and handed the coat to Richard.  Came to find out, it actually happens!   People steal puppies and smuggle them on the ship.  They get in heaping loads of trouble for it, but they do it!   Crazy people!

As the final part of this portion of the excursion, they gave us the opportunity to feel an Alaskan winter, without the wind.  You hang out in a room that is 40 degrees below zero for 5 minutes.  So… it was a warm day out…  We’d been in the sun. Truth?  It felt kind of refreshing, but after being a kid in Chicago, I know that refreshing feeling passes…

From there, it was time for the famous White Pass Railroad.  I say famous because no matter who I told I was going to Alaska, if they had been, they said, “You HAVE to take the train…”  So we did.

We were actually the last train of the day–climbing up 3000 feet in 20 miles, through tunnels and curves and GORGEOUS scenery.  It is a “narrow gauge train.”  I didn’t know how much that mattered until Richard and I wedged ourselves into a seat that didn’t leave much room for two children.  Still, I sat way forward, he sat way back, and we were fine.  You can’t walk from car to car, but you can go outside on the platform of your train.

Since we were on an excursion, we had two tour guides… Pyrite Pete (Craig/Cousin Eddie) and the live narration over speakers.  On the way up, the right side looks at the side of a mountain… pretty much the whole time the left side has all of the scenery… and the people from the right side LEAN over them taking pictures.  For this reason, I would suggest sitting on the right side.  On the way down, you see ALL the same things, but no one is crowding your space when you’re trying to get the pictures.  I am inserting a slide show, but this is DEFINITELY one of those “you have to experience it” things to get the beauty.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The train was running a little late, but I learned if if the excursion is with the cruise line, they’ll usually hold a ship.  It didn’t come down to that, but it was close.

We got back to the room and prepared for our dinner at Le Bistro.  I thought this was supposed to be one of the fancier meals on the ship, so I chose to wear a dress.  I told Richard he just needed long pants so he could wear jeans if he wanted.  In the end, he wished he had worn khakis, but he was fine.

This was my favorite meal of the trip.  I know people hear “French” and get freaked out because instead of green beans they say things like “haricots verts,” but they’re just green beans…  If you like butter, you like French food.

Le Bistro was a smaller restaurant… and one of a very few with a dedicated bar.  It was on the 17th deck and our view as we were leaving Skagway and getting ready to go towards the glaciers was GORGEOUS.  One waterfall after another all through dinner.

Again with the two appetizers, the main and dessert.  Oh so good… my French onion soup, escargots, and lamb were out of this world wonderful… and a creme brulee with a coffee and some Bailey’s Irish cream…  YUM!!!!  Richard had veal and said it was excellent as well.  Now, for the people who think they don’t like escargots… If you like sauteed mushrooms in garlic and butter, you like escargots.  Honest, I promise…  (Yes, they’re snails… but you’d never know unless someone told you.)

Dinner ended a little after 9 and our reservations for Havana (the musical) were at 10, so we decided to go back up to the observation lounge for an after dinner drink and some piano Paul.  Once up there, thought, we decided to forgo Havana, and hang with Paul. Brian and Andrea said it was good–pretty costumes and good dancing–but not great.  I figure if we gave up our seats, someone got to go in on standby.  The Jersey Boys, Havana, and all comedy shows were complimentary on the ship.  The only “pay for” performance was Prohibition.  You did get 5 cocktails and a show at that one, but we decided we didn’t need to do that.  We contacted Brian and Andrea (If you have the app, you can pay $9.95 for messaging on the ship), and they came up and joined us.  We got to see awesome videos of Caleb ziplining for the first time like a pro!  Andrea and I were still feeling frisky, but the only choices left after Paul was finished was a dance club and line dancing…  which didn’t appeal to us.

Besides, the next day was Glacier Bay!   When we went back to the room, turndown had come and made an animal (rabbit I think?)  I know lots of people LOVE towel animals… and it sure is a nice extra touch, but I don’t get extra excited about it.  What I DO get excited about are the next day plans.  We needed to fill out our customs for for Canada, and we also had a map of Glacier Bay.  I could hardly wait!