So after our day at sea we woke up to our first true day in Alaska, and it was like a dream world out on our balcony.

 

 

 

It’s so hard to describe unless you’ve been there.  The color of the water is this milky turquoise.  We weren’t sure if it had to do with the temperature of the water so that there wasn’t as much vegetation, or what.  We found out later that it had to do with the silt from the glaciers.  It’s all glacier melt, and it is pretty incredible.  As you float along you see random waterfalls… and even a bear frolicking on the beach.  (He was too far away to get pictures of, but he was there.)

Every so often there’s a whale who clears out his blowhole or slaps her tail… but unless you’re VERY lucky it’s hard to get a picture of those.  You also see the otters on their backs floating lazily along.

The Bliss offers complimentary room service continental breakfast until 10:30, AM.  And Juneau what?  This seemed like a GREAT day for that.

 

 

The color of the water continued to change as we traversed through inlets.  Our excursion didn’t start until after 2 that afternoon, so we had the morning on the ship.

I dragged my willing husband around to cupcake demonstrations and trivia contests (I really enjoyed setting the schedule every day).  And, of course, we were making sure to keep up with our beverage package…

 

 

We had lunch at either Savor or Taste… I can’t remember which one.  They’re both on deck 7 and right across from one another with Mixx bar in between.  It was at this point that we decided we probably wouldn’t do a full lunch on board.  There is only the buffet, Savor and Taste (with the same menu at each), Food Republic (which is a la carte) or The Local.  The Local is probably the best of the group… but the breakfasts and the specialty dinners are much better than the lunches… and we really didn’t want to brave the buffet.  So, we did bigger breakfasts and snacked for lunch most days.

 

 

When we pulled into Juneau, we got off the boat to something of a chaotic scene.  Our first excursion was to be whale watching.  Andrea suggested we call our tour people because there was no sign readily there.  I, however, charged off because I saw a sign saying “tour busses”  completely missing the sign that said “shuttle to town/tram” even though I clearly heard Rose say we were to meet at the tram station.

Then, Wayne got in front of me saying that he saw a sign for our excursion.  In the end we wandered around for about 15 minutes that could have been saved had I not gone darting off like I was trying to win The Amazing Race.  Anyway, we ended up going back to the beginning and getting in the line for the shuttle to downtown.  Andrea was able to change our time of departure. We could have walked, but it was about a mile.  Some of the smaller ships dock much closer.  The tour buses for which I had made a beeline were only for the Norwegian tours.  Since we had booked with an outside operator, ours met us at a different location.

In the end, we were to find that would turn out for the best… We found our guide and she told us to meet her in the same spot in about 10 minutes.  Then, it rained.  I had packed my ponchos…  but I was a little disappointed.  I usually have SUCH good luck with weather.  Now, it was cold and rainy.  I mean, it’s supposed to be.  We were in the world’s largest temperate rain forest after all.  (I learned LOTS of southern Alaska facts…)  As soon as it began, however, it stopped… and it never rained on us again during our whole trip… even though it was supposed to.

We got on the bus (I was on a LOT of different transportation this trip) to go to get on our whale watching boat.  Papa Bear drove our bus through the city telling us about the good spots to eat, to grab a drink, and all the basic information.  We learned that there are no roads leading to Juneau.  You can only get there by boat or plane.  Then, we were dropped at the dock.

Two Juneau natives took us out on their boat.  Alaska is prepared for rain.  Everything had areas that were covered or inside so that tourists can stay comfortable.  The boat was no exception.  I think there were about 20 of us inside a high speed boat.  Richard and I were the last two on.  We were all the way at the front of the boat beside the captain.  I had on my heavy coat.  It was in the 40s outside, but in the boat it was very warm.

The captain sped off to a spot where he heard there were some humpbacks.  There were, but there was a crowd of boats around them, and they weren’t really coming to the surface.  Every so often you’d see a blast from a blowhole… but no whale, really.  He sped on to try to get us our “own” whale… Found another…  Blowhole spout… and nothing else.

I’m not gonna lie.  I was a little disappointed.  I kept reminding myself how gorgeous it was…  that this was a once in a lifetime trip, but I wanted to SEE a whale.  I’d seen a tail slap from the ship that morning.  That was more exciting than this cramped, hot boat.  Then, I heard the captain talking excitedly on the phone.  “Right now?  What’s the water like over there?  It’s good? ”  He called another person… “But the time… Whatever… Know what.. we’re gonna go for it.”

So he called everyone outside to come on in… and said, “If this works out, we’re going to see something really special… but hang on…  we’ve gotta go a ways out to do it…”  So as he’s driving the cabin boy (current pre-med student in Rochester, New York) is telling us about the dangerous area we’re about to traverse… and how during winter more people die in this stretch than anywhere else in the area.  I’m thinking about the float planes that have been crashing into each other and killing tourists as I watch the wild glee in our captain’s (and he was probably only 23) eyes as he is FLYING across the water.  Then, he pumps his fists in the air and yells “YES!!!!!!!!!!!”  and I see them…  the black fins in the water as an entire pod of about 10-15 orcas glide smoothly in unison–up and back down–in a beautiful arch.

The boat slows… and I push Richard… “Out, out, out…” I say as we rush to the front of the boat.

The next half hour or so was amazing.  The whales stayed near the surface.  Arching. Graceful.  Around and around they swam.  Our guides told us they saw orca maybe once a month if they were lucky because they move so quickly as they migrate.  We were lucky, and it was something I’ll remember forever.  If we had been on time, we would not have seen them.  The other people on our bus on the way back had not…even in a boat that left at the same time.

I love being lucky!

Back in town, we decided not to go immediately back to the boat.  Many people had recommended a little fast food salmon shack, so we decided to have dinner there.

 

 

Now, I’m no fan of seafood, but the salmon burger at the Salmon Spot was VERY tasty.  My nine year old nephew, Caleb, claimed that the salmon chowder put all other chowders he’d had to shame.  He also said this was the best whale watching trip he’s ever been on.  (This was his second.  It was the best one I’d been on, too… It was my first…)

We bought an Alaska ornament in one of the shops.  Then, we boarded the shuttle and got back to the ship.  Richard participated in the pyramid game show, but he got ripped off in the preliminaries when the buzzer went off on him in a “hot potato” style game.  Too bad!  We would’ve kicked butt if we’d gotten to the final round.  We could have won a deck of cards!

After that, since it was piano Paul’s night off, we decided to go back over to “Q” to listen to Mickey Utley again.  Brian and Andrea met up with us, and we shut the place down.  They turned the lights on… the party was over.  We all definitely made sure that we got our money’s worth for the beverage package.  As we stood talking to one another across our balconies.  I snapped a picture.  This was just before midnight.

I may not be able to handle Alaska winters, but I sure could do with some Alaska summers.

We went to sleep that night knowing we’d be in Skagway the next day.  That was the day of our BIG excursion, and I could hardly wait.

Woke up for the first morning on the ship thinking, “What’s that noise…and how hungover am I?”  I kept hearing the clinking noise as I wandered to the bathroom and stumbled from side to side.

Then, I realized, it was the hangers in our closet swinging back and forth into one another.  We turned on the TV to sea what that bridge report was, and the waves were swelling over 11 feet.  I had been told you don’t feel the waves on a ship that big.  I had been told incorrectly.  We tried to look for a few other things on television, but there’s really nothing except Fox and MSNBC, so we kept switching between those two so that we could yell at the left and the right equally.  If we wanted to, we could have gotten wifi or movies and watched more things, but it was expensive on the ship. REALLY expensive.   I didn’t know that about cruises.  I just assumed they were like all-inclusives where I could stream away merrily.  No streaming for me.  Instead, I just watched the only movie I had downloaded, Wine Country, over and over again.  (It’s cute…if you haven’t seen it nine times…)

A few times while I was blow drying my hair, I felt that cold sweat start and had to go outside to get some air.  That helped with the nausea.  If I had known, I would have taken Bonine the night before.  Now, I do.  (Oh, that hair dryer in the room?  Pretty good, actually.  It is attached under the desk, so you have to do it in the middle of the room. But if you care about hair products, bring your own.  It’s that 2 in 1 shampoo/conditioner stuff.)

So… we were at sea all day, and I immediately started marking all the things we would do on my app.  Our only plan was the first of our 3 dinners as part of our package.  We were going to the Italian restaurant with my in laws.

For breakfast, we went to The Local  (midship on deck seven.) They had an abbreviated breakfast menu and a little bowling alley right behind. We ran into the Herbst family there who were also struggling with the ups and downs of the day…  but they said that dinner at La Cucina had been quite good.

I decided I wanted to go check out more of the ship… have a look at the racetrack and the pool…

It was definitely a challenge to walk around up there on decks 19 and 20.  I literally thought the pool was a wave pool.  It wasn’t until I went back to it a few days later (and got MUCH better pictures) that I realized it was just the motion of the ocean, baby…

 

 

On the top of that ship there are two water slides, a race track, a putt putt course, and laser tag.  This is a BIG SHIP.

It was too cold and rocky up there, so we went back down to 678 Ocean Place (that’s floors 6, 7, and 8) for awhile.

I threw five dollars in a slot machine…  immediately won 6 more; then, lost it all in a matter of moments.  That’s how you’re supposed to do it, right?

 

 

We took a crab-walking stroll through the duty free shops, hung out for a few games in the atrium.  We kept going out to get some fresh air from time to time.

After all that wandering, we got back to what we’re really supposed to do on a cruise:  eating.  We hadn’t braved the buffet, yet… so we decided why not… just for snacks…

This may have been the most enormous and overwhelming thing I’d seen so far.  It was TEEMING with people.  Some looking worse for the wear.  It was still quite rocky.  There were a few areas roped off where people had lost their battle with the sea.  We had some cheese and meats and then ran away…back up to the observation lounge.  I saw my sister-in-law there again, sipping on Ginger Ale (Have I said it was rocky)? I grabbed a glass of rosé  that I just had to pay a little extra for.  I mean Jon Bon Jovi owns the label, and I’m from New Jersey, sooooo  The captain came on and said things would settle down soon.    We were truly starting to feel better by then… so we went back to the room, opened up the cheese we bought in Seattle, and had an appetizer.

This was the night that we had plans for dinner at La Cucina, the Italian restaurant with Richard’s parents.  The whole family was feeling much better by that point.

When you have the meal package, the food consists of two appetizers, one main, and one dessert per person.  I’m used to the smaller portion sizes that you get at all-inclusive restaurants in Mexico.  These are not small sizes!   You can eat youself silly on a cruise ship if you’re not careful!  The food was good, but I didn’t want to be taking pictures through the meal with my in-laws.  I may be well-planted in the family by now.  I still don’t want to be “that girl.”  It was a great meal, though, right by the wine cellar.  I did force my in-laws into getting pictures taken.  We went by on the last day to take a look at our binder (indicated right on our handy dandy key card), but we didn’t really want to spend $25 for picture or $50 for a flashdrive, so you get to see the NCL watermark on our faces.  If you go to login.com while you’re on the ship, but DON’T login, you can see all the pictures the ship photographers have taken from you as you’re going along.  Pretty cool!

After dinner, I still had my list of things to do that night…  so we went to go see Piano Paul Mullen in the observation lounge  He did your typical piano bar fare.  Lots of Neil Diamond, Elton John, and Billy Joel. (The video in the link is from the Norwegian Sky, but you get the idea.) He did them all quite well, and he became our “go to” guy when we had downtime.  I have videos, but I’m too cheap to pay for videos on WordPress, so you’ll just have to imagine that it’s happening in the observation lounge on the Bliss.

Feeling spunky, we went down to “Q.” It’s another of the a la carte restaurants, but it turns into a country bar at night, so we went to listen to that for awhile before retiring to bed.  We went to check out Mickey Utley.  It was pretty fun semi-modern country.  We were having a good time. We knew we’d be waking up the next morning in Alaska, however, so it was time to hit the sack for our first day with an excursion!

That’s our ship taking a look at it from the market in Seattle.  The Norwegian Bliss She’s a megaship with 20 decks and 4000 people.  It truly seemed to have nearly limitless things to do.  Planner than I am,  I tried to hit them all.

This was our first cruise ever, so we didn’t know what all went into the planning.  I was PARANOID about packing, but I did just fine.  I didn’t know that the dinners, for the most part, would be very casual.  I only wore two dresses.  I read all the things that said to bring leggings and moisture wicking clothes, but I didn’t have any… and I didn’t bother buying any.  I brought one pair of sneakers, two pairs of open toed walking shoes, one closed toe walking shoes, four pairs of blue jeans, and one pair of black jeans.  I also brought one heavy jacket, one heavier sweater, one lighter sweater, and a poncho.  Then, just tops and a few cardigans.  I had plenty to wear, BUT it never got cold and it never rained on us, so you be the judge… Plus, I was able to shove my coat and all the pairs of jeans in one packing cube!   I love those things to keep the luggage organized!

I also didn’t realize all the paperwork to print out before hand. But I’m a rule follower, so I packed a stapler, too, and attached my luggage tags in the hotel room before we left.  We wandered the streets of Seattle a little the next morning while our luggage waited at the hotel.  We went to an unremarkable breakfast.  Back to the market where I bought a beautiful, handmade, pressed flower necklace, Then, had a remarkable ginger beer at Rachel’s before going back to summon our Uber.

Luggage drop off was a little unnerving because you dump it at one place before walking another block or so down the street to go through the whole process of boarding the ship.  If we had an earlier boarding time, I probably would have packed a carry-on.  But, as it was, I just strolled along confidently with my handy dandy Travelon purse.  (I love these things.  There is enough space and a pocket for everything.)  The signs on the streets were clear.  As one of the last boarding groups at 1:00, we never even paused anywhere.  We were passed on through security, showed our passport (which picture came up every time we ordered anything) were given our room card, and got on board the ship.

For first time cruisers, I was not aware of the HUGE importance of the room card.  You need it for everything.  It’s the only thing you can use if you want to purchase anything on the ship.  You show it at every restaurant, use it for every drink, scan it each time you get on or off the ship.  It tells you where you need to go if you have to evacuate, everything.  It even has your number on it for overpriced pictures at the end of the trip.

This cruise was a gift from my fabulous in-laws for their 50th wedding anniversary.  My husband, his sister, brother-in-law, nephew and, of course, Richard’s parents were all in 3 rooms ,side by side, on the 13th floor.  We had balcony rooms, so we were able to talk to each other back and forth through the partition.  (We originally thought we’d be able to remove the partitions, but it was often windy, so the captain said, “no.”  Turned out fine!)

 

 

When we got on board, people were running down to guest services on the 6th floor to make their reservations.  We had done ours in advance.  We found out pretty soon that most places if you went stand by you’d get in anyway…  Still, for our trip we had reserved tickets to Jersey Boys and Havana (complimentary), dinner at Taste, Savor, and Manhattan Room (complimentary), and Le Bistro, Cagney’s and La Cucina (all a la carte but part of the dining package my in-laws purchased.)  We also had excursions booked for Juneau (day 3 aboard ship), Skagway (day 4 aboard ship), and Ketchikan (day 6 aboard ship).

My sister-in-law texted that they had commandeered a spot in the observation lounge.  The Bliss was built for Alaskan cruising and nothing makes that more obvious than the 15th floor observation lounge.  It encompasses the front half of the ship and has floor to ceiling windows with a huge bar up near the front.  Service is MUCH faster if you go to the bar on your own.  We saw a few people tipping, but not many.  I know that tipping is not the norm on cruises, but we wish we had brought some tip money.

You can look at Google images, but it’s hard to get an idea of how massive this thing is until you’re in it.  They set up small bites and tastes from morning through early afternoon, and the bar is one of the first to open and last to close.  Speaking of the bar, if alcohol is one of the things you enjoy on a cruise, go ahead and get the beverage package.  It’s $100 per person per day, BUT with the average cost of a drink being $12, and including all drinks under $15, it’s not too tough to get to that amount.(Well, okay, fine… it wasn’t that tough for ME to get up to that amount… Think about it… a mimosa for breakfast, a bloody mary mid morning, a beer with lunch, 2 drinks while you’re sitting outside watching the water, 2 glasses of wine at dinner and you’re already there, and you haven’t even gone to see the night time entertainment.)  While you’re in port in Seattle, you do have to pay the taxes on it.  That all shows up on your last day bill.  You can check the status on that bill on your app at any time or look at it on the television in your room.

In the lounge, we had our first drink(s), and had our family fill us in about following the fish on the carpet to the front of the boat so that when we looked at front and rear, port and starboard, we’d know which way we were walking.  We also learned that the heart of the ship was on floors 6-8, but there was stuff EVERYWHERE! I took this picture from the 8th floor where you could stand out on the waterfront and many of the bars were.  Below is the 7th with the casino and many of the complimentary restaurants, including The Local which is open 24 hours.  Below that the 6th has the atrium with much of the daytime entertainment, the theater with a nighly show, comedy lounge with 3 shows a night before it turns into a dance club, and guest services with excursions and dinner reservations.

We went back to our room to unpack.  Our luggage was sitting outside our door by about 6 o’clock.  We like to unpack ALL the way, and there were plenty of nooks and crannies to stash all of our stuff.  We used all of it.  It’s somewhat odd that the minibar drinks in the room are not included.  I mean, they’re all on the ship… but whatever.  I suppose we could have had our steward remove them, but we just didn’t use them.  We were able to put all four suitcases under the bed and had room to walk.

Then, we set off to the 8th floor waterfront.  It’s a long deck at both port and starboard with a passway through the middle.  There’s PLENTY of seating, some of it heated, some of it not, and there are a variety of bars along the outside and inside.  You place your hand against the sliding doors to go inside and out.  I looked at my “what’s happening app” and could have gone to a party to see us off up on the pool deck, but we decided a glass of wine from the cellars wine bar would be more our speed.  And off on our first cruise we went.  That’s me…  day one…

 

We decided on the Manhattan Room for day one dinner.  It’s the “fanciest” of the complimentary dining rooms. There isn’t an actual “main dining room” or formal night like friends have said there usually are on ships.  You don’t get seated with a certain group.  It is just typical restaurant seating.  You can reserve dining if you want to, but you don’t have to.  It’s “free style” dining.  Some of the a la carte restaurants (Cagney’s, in particular) fill up early, but you can always go wait.  You can also do reservations online in advance, or from kiosks all over the ship, or from your app, or from the reservations desk on the 6th floor.  We got there at about 5:45.  It turned out to be a good thing.  By about 6:15 there was a VERY long line.  The dinner was okay, nothing remarkable.  We are pretty into wine, and there weren’t a whole lot of choices that fit the “has to be under $15 a glass” price range, but the tempranillo in that range is rather tasty.  The drink list is primarily the same on most of the ship with a few different specials depending on the bar.

 

After dinner, we went to the Bliss theater to check out the Beatles tribute band Britain’s Finest.  They were really quite good.  (The seats in Bliss theater are NOT.  The ship is only a year old, but the seats are worn, cramped, and uncomfortable.) The Paul guy particularly screamed like the actual Paul.  The cruise director mentioned that they would be at the Cavern bar throughout the week and would begin with the Beatles’ early days and be at their later years by the end of the week.

By that point it was the end of another long day, and time for our first full sea day as we motored all the way up to Juneau to begin the cruise; then, we’d work our way back.  Turndown service had come.  They had the list of all the times things would be open and all the things to do.  I carried that in my purse every day, but still used the app more.  I marked my “favorites” with hearts before we left the room each morning so we could be sure to keep the whole day planned! (Relaxing on vacation is not my thing.  I’m better at relaxing at home.)

….I should have taken a Bonine that first night.  That first day at sea had HUGE swells… and the water was more than a little rough.   But we’ll get there soon enough.

Here they come… the cascade of blogs.  Well, it’s summer, and it gives me something to keep myself busy!  Mostly I write these “day by days” for me to look back on while everything is still so fresh, but hopefully other people who have been, who plan on going, or who just live vicariously will enjoy.

So, I worked graduation Friday night and we had an EARLY flight Saturday because neither the bear nor I have ever been to Seattle… and we had ONE day.  (I took the picture above from the balcony room on our ship.)

We left for the airport at what should have been TOO early for our 6:40 flight.  (We left before 4 AM). But, as we got to the airport, we saw a line to drop our luggage for Delta which went clear down past all the other check-in places.  The gate agents started calling people out of line who had flights that were sooner than ours.  Okay, so maybe this isn’t nice of me… But I’m sorry.  If you get to the airport at 5:15 for your 6:15 flight and know you’re cutting it close, I’m not sure why you get to cut in line…  We PURPOSELY get to the airport VERY early so we don’t have to rush…  but on Saturday, we literally walked up to the gate as it was boarding even though we were at the airport more than two hours early.  Not cool, people!

Regardless…

We got on the plane, and I had intended to be MUCH thinner by now and booked a middle seat for me and the aisle for the bear.  We fit… but kinda like sausage does in a casing.  When the poor window seat guy stopped at our row, I apologized to him.  Luckily he was a very nice man with good humor and a fantastic German accent…  But I kept eyeing a row just behind us.  NO ONE was in it…  When I heard the cabin door close and there was STILL no one in it, we moved!   Yay!   So now, comfortable flight with a middle seat wide open between us.   I don’t think I’ve ever flown on Delta before.  They actually still even offer meals (for a price…and it’s airplane food… and I didn’t buy one…but still).  And all of their movies are free–even the new releases.  I watched the Ruth Bader Ginsberg one, which was interesting… and I looked over and saw that the bear was watching the Dick Cheney one…  even on the plane our politics were showing.

(Sheesh, I haven’t even GOTTEN to Seattle yet, and it’s already this long?   Uh oh…Anyhoo…)

So disembark in Seattle on to Uber and off to hotel.  I love the ride in a new state.  It’s so much fun to look at the difference in all the foliage and the topography.

If you know anything about me, you know I’m a nutty researcher, so where we were going to stay for our one night in Seattle was important to me.  I chose the Palihotel. It’s only been open for less than a year and it is RIGHT up the hill from that big, world famous “Public Market” sign.  (Okay, if it’s time I “start getting real”  I mostly know what it is from Real World: Seattle.)

 

 

Yes, it was pricey for a itty bitty room, but all of the Seattle hotels were pricey… and yes it was noisy being right on the street, but we LOVED it.  And we were so tired by the time we went to bed… We couldn’t have cared less.  Lucky for us, even though we got there at about 10 o’clock in the morning, our room was already ready!   So, we were able to drop our stuff off and head on out.  Again, since we’re researchers we didn’t just jump down to the market.  We decided to find a tasty breakfast spot on the way.

 

The weather was GLORIOUS as we made our way to Shaker and Spear.  I don’t know what people are talking about with rain in Seattle… we never saw any.   So we had some coffee, beet juice, and cocktails because, well, vacation.  I was glad that we chose to have our little bit of peace and quiet to begin the morning because then… market…

 

 

Eeeeek.  Okay, so that place is definitely not a hidden gem.  The hustle and bustle of people was overwhelming… so we walked down a hill which was so steep I felt like I should be calculating slope.  We stopped first at the alley, which seemed like it was in front of the market… although I suppose the front is actually the water, right?  We saw the things you were supposed to see–guys throwing fish, the ferris wheel,  and all that.  I was blown away by the sheer SIZE of it.  Just when you thought you went down to the bottom, you saw a sign that listed there was still another level.  I liked that it was a lot of local artists, local food, etc.  but MY there were a lot of people.

 

 

 

The flowers are breathtaking… and CHEAP.  Several people bought bouquets to take on the cruise with them.  We decided to escape the market for a bit.  But first, we darted across the street for some CHEESE!  This was tasty stuff…  They had lots, but some they made right there at Beecher’s.  I’ve heard the grilled cheese is excellent, but we just opted for a few wedges.  Then, since we were in Washington.  It was wine time!

We made our way back up the alley to the wines of Washington tasting room.  The servers were knowledgeable if somewhat distracted (weed is legal in Washington, and it was quite clear these guys were partaking), but the bar was really interesting… and in the heart of things without being amid the masses… and there was no line for the bathroom which had one of the coolest entrances I’ve ever seen!   I may need to do that to a wall.

 

 

 

After our early start and a little drinking, we were getting pretty sleepy.  We went back to take a nap.  We knew we were going to do an early dinner because I had tried and failed to get a reservation at Pink Door.  When I failed to get reservations online a month in advance, I called.  It’s worth the phone call just to listen to the message…  But Yelp said that if you get there early, sometimes they have a space, so we were going to try.

Since we were in Seattle, we decided to do an oyster appetizer.  It doesn’t matter how many times I try them.  I never like them, but I keep on sucking them down thinking that one day it’ll click.  Richard said these were okay… to me, they just tasted like oysters.  (I usually do two.)

 

 

There are oyster places all over the market.  The only reason we chose the one we did was because it was right below The Pink Door.  The restaurant is also right across from the wine tasting place.  It is very hard to find if you don’t know you’re looking for it.  There’s no name on it.  It’s just a pink looking building.  We got there at about 4:30.  They told us they’d have a seat available outside in 15 minutes!   SCORE!   It turns out that they only take reservations for the INSIDE.  Since it’s Seattle, you never know if the outside will be open.  Our lovely day and our luck continued… so we sat at the bar to check out the amazing decor and waited for our table…

 

 

 

This place was phenomenal.  They do acrobatics shows in there a few times a week, too.  Everything about it was fascinating and interesting, including he waiters.   Then, there was the FOOD.  Oh MY.  We split a few appetizers and the signature lasagna.  All were excellent.

 

 

 

Some people were dressy… some very casual, but it was a very comfortable place to be.

After that, we decided to check out a bar or two.  We walked by Von’s 1000 Spirits but it was so packed, we decided to go up to Purple.  It was just up the street a little, after all…  Sheesh, up the street in Seattle is decidedly different than up the street in Austin.  Still, huffing and puffing, we walked in.

 

 

 

Holy schmoley… let’s just say they have a TAD bit of wine there.  I went with the Washington flight again.  It was getting late, even though it was still light.  The cruise started the next day, so we decided to call it quits and make our way back to the hotel for a nightcap… or two.  (I may have decided on a white Russian….  sometimes you just need one.)

We had a boarding time the next day of 1:30, so we knew we would still get to do a little exploring in the morning before getting on the Bliss.  So off to bed we went!

So ends Part 1 of 8 or 9…  (I may combine the last day on the ship with getting OFF the ship, we’ll see.)  I hope you enjoy traveling with me!

I have a friend who often suggests that I’m Vulcan.  He tells me that I approach everything with more logic than he has ever seen (and he sometimes appears annoyed by it.)

My husband has been known to say, “I can’t continue this conversation with you if you’re going to insist on being logical.”

And I have many friends all across the political spectrum who are surprised that although I am on the left in social issues that I am logical for my reasoning about WHY I’m left.  My emotions have almost no place at all in politics.  It’s not about what I feel… it’s about what’s logical…

So many highly emotional subjects are being discussed… and let me start with the biggest.  Late term abortion.  Feeling emotional? So, I’ve got my friends on the right that say, “I don’t care what you try to say!   That’s murder!”  And I have my friends on the left saying “Her body.   Her choice.  Unless it’s your uterus and your vagina, you can’t say a word!”  It’s all emotion… no logic.  How do we ever reach any kind of understanding with all of that?

So… to my friends on the right:  It’s horrible isn’t it?  How very sad to think of a baby being put to death.  It’s absolutely awful.  But let’s be logical about this.  What woman is going to carry a baby for nine months, allow her entire body to change forever, let people see her and know that she’s pregnant… then, at the last minute decide to terminate?  The logical answer:  almost none.  Women who are in this position at 7,8,9 months have to make the most heart-rending choices of their lives.  “Is it better for me to give birth to a baby who will only exist for painful moments before dying than it is to euthanize my child?”  “Is it better for me to go through labor which will most certainly kill me and leave my child without a parent than it is to take my child’s life before it is born?”  Could there be a few that do it for selfish reasons?  I’m sure… but “perfect” is not realistic.  A perfect solution doesn’t exist…

To my friends on the left:  We have to stop saying things like “my body, my decision.”  That will never resonate with the right.  They see two bodies (or three, when you include the father) and you can’t pretend that they don’t have a point.  When you call it a “women’s reproductive rights” issue it makes it appear as if you don’t understand that you’re talking about potential life.  You, of course, understand that there are literally INFINITE reasons a woman may have to make the decision to end a pregnancy.  You understand that you can’t make that choice for every woman.  But by being vulgar and saying things like “until you have a vagina, you can’t talk” you do nothing but perpetuate the hostility and anger towards women making the most difficult decision of their lives. You don’t allow for the open dialogue and communication where you can explain that for the vast majority abortion is not a decision that is made flippantly.

Clearly abortion is one of the most emotional topics we could discuss… but the same can be said for health care, immigration, taxes, harassment, racism…  We all want to use what we “feel” to support our arguments, but if we are ever to have any kind of solutions we have to stop caring so much about what WE feel and be more understanding of what others feel.

We need to be logical and understand that they have reasons behind their beliefs, too…  and we need to listen instead of picking up our pitchforks and screaming back and forth.

We don’t have to become what our parties want us to, or what social media is making of us.  We can rise above and be reasonable and understand that the loud-mouthed outliers don’t represent the whole.

Day 5: Eviction Day

I woke up just slightly before 6, realizing this was our last day. Bellman was coming for the bags at 1045, Kalido was coming for us at 1110. It had been a very good trip, and I was ready. Our flight is just over 2 hours, and staying for four nights was perfect for us. There are still things we didn’t get to do and things we want to repeat, so we’ll be back.

(I always book my transportation in Mexico before we arrive.  Based on many reviews on the We Love Excellence Playa Mujeres Facebook page we went with Kalido Travel.  They were great.  I’ll use them again for sure.  It was only $65 round trip for a private transfer, and you can order extras.)

I stayed in bed for a few minutes; then, I thought, “I’ve seen those pictures of sunrise on the beach. I want to experience it.” My husband said he’d rather stay in bed.

Walking through the corridors on the way to the beach was very dark and kind of eerie. No, I never feel unsafe in the resort, but it was a little unnerving to be the only one up, wandering alone in the dark.

I didn’t see anyone until I passed by the building 8 pool. Maintenance was out literally scrubbing down the buildings. I went and sat on one of the beds and watched the show. My pictures don’t do it justice at all. The color was so much more intense than my phone could pick up. I saw when the sky began to light up in anticipation of the sun breeching the horizon then continued to watch as it intensified. I wandered down the beach the the X lounge and sat there to watch the finale as a group of pelicans flew in formation over my head.

On the way back to the room, I stopped at aroma and got us coffees. I was going to get one croissant, but I knocked an extra one off the plate on to the shelf with my tongs, so I figured I should take that one, too.

When I got back, we decided that today was room service day. I read so much about the french toast that I needed to try it. I also wanted a champagne with cranberry juice. They said they could only bring a whole bottle… Hmmmm… I had 3 hours until our transfer was coming: challenge accepted! I also had the healthy breakfast. My husband got the eggs, sausage, bacon, etc…

Thank you for all who recommended the french toast. It was marvelous. It was airy and delicious. It definitely didn’t need any syrup at all. All the rest of the breakfast was good with the exception of the hash browns which were like a cold hockey puck.

Packing the room is always funny to me. My husband follows me around saying, “You forgot this… You forgot that…” with me responding, “I haven’t even started on that, yet!” Eventually, he usually goes to sit on the sofa to watch TV and lets me do it. He is, however, invaluable for the final room check.

That morning I received the 54 percent off email–early Black Friday. The prices looked great, and perhaps I should have rebooked while there. I was a little nervous about the price being honored after booking in Mexico. It seems I would have saved about $300.  Ooops.  Oh well, I booked today, and the Fan5 code was cheaper than the BlackFriday code.

Our clothes were so damp this time, and the room did have a mildew smell. It did not at all last time. Next time, I’m bringing damp rid just in case. We affixed our brand new luggage tags (return guest gift) to the luggage and waited. Our bellman showed up at the door at EXACTLY 1045.

We began the trek to EC. Checkout was painless. We were charged for our tequila tasting and our wine from Chez Isabel. There were no surprise charges.

We went to the lobby to wait for Kalido. Our transfer showed up exactly on time. We were “upgraded” to an SUV. (I ordered a van. In truth, especially when there’s 4 people, I prefer a van to an SUV… but no big deal. )

We were at the airport within 40 minutes. I considered changing the time to 1/2 an hour later. Kalido picked us up almost 4 hours before our flight. It was PLENTY of time, and I probably will change it next time… I just get nervous about the “what ifs” There is plenty to look at in the airport. We had a quick flight home, no issues in customs, and were back home in no time.

Funny, last night I dreamed I heard the xylophone music from the Mexican fiesta, and I was surprised when I woke up this morning and my feet hit carpet getting out of bed instead of marble.

Looking forward to next year, already…I can’t wait to go to one of the aloe classes, do the bike tour, see a movie on the beach, try Toscana, return to Flavor Market, have a burger at The Grill, check out the new EC lounge and restaurant, go to the mixology class, see the wonderful staff… And, until then, I’ll just stay on Excellence  site and read and comment WAY too much! Only 351 days to go!

(Most of the pictures are mine.  Some I got from Google images.)

Recap Day 3

Saturday, November 17

Today would sadly be our last day with Mark and Heather. Luckily, Paul and Julie would still be there.

I was finally learning my way around the resort.  It has 9 sit down restaurants, plus a sports bar, a pop up on the beach, and snacks to the chairs.  We choose to go excellence club so we also have access to a lounge and 3 additional pools.  It can be a little overwhelming!

 

This morning I woke up FULL of energy and feeling great. All the rooms at the resort are identical unless you get the imperial suite or the honeymoon suite.  The only thing that is different are  the views and whether or not you get a swim up or a rooftop terrace.  We’re very happy with the basic room.  Well, sort of basic.  We like the Excellence club so we get the added amenities with that, but the room is the same.  I kept nudging the bear to get out of bed so that we could be at lobster house as soon as they opened. We stopped at Aroma on the way over because we’re not fans of the restaurant coffee and were at the lobster house by a little after 8 on the GLORIOUS morning.

We shared the famous peanut butter pancakes– a little too rich and sweet for my taste, but I’m glad I tried them! My actual breakfast was the grilled cheese, which I really liked! It was a panella cheese (which is similar to paneer) with avocado and bean sprouts. The potatoes on the side were decadent! Richard had a Mexican egg dish that he said was very good. He had a bloody mary and I continued my love for sangrita.

It was a little after 9 when we finished, and we headed down to the beach. We don’t like to grab a spot early when we’re not sure when we’re coming back or how long we’re going to stay, so we didn’t have high hopes of getting a premium spot on the beach. We thought we’d try anyway. Lo and behold, there was not only one but TWO bali beds and PLENTY of palapas for the choosing. We went with a bali bed since we had never had one before.

I thought it was very comfortable, but it was hard to get a good angle for reading. Anyway, Erick set us all up Saturday and Anaselma gave us the most amazing, smiling service EVER. This was our second trip but our first day on the beach as I usually can’t sit still for very long. I had looked at Bingo games and trivia contests at Sol bar, but I was settling in to doing nothing pretty well. Staff came around occasionally with skewers of cucumber or a kiwi mojito to try. All were wonderful. The only time I left in the morning was to say goodbye to our friends.

When Anselma was on lunch break, her relief came by and asked if we needed anything. We ordered some nachos to the bali bed. He told us he would return “quick as a bunny” and he literally RAN away. When he came back, he told us that he made sure to get his order in FIRST, just as they were opening, otherwise it could take a long time. The nachos were tasty but very messy!!

I did feel a little bad later as I realized I could have gotten them myself. I hadn’t been over by Sol bar at lunch time and didn’t realize that there is a buffet set out behind the bar with burgers, nachos… all the things on the chair side service menu… but I suppose they wouldn’t have a menu if they didn’t expect people to order things. (We do tip.)

We weren’t particularly hungry, but it was Mongolian day, and I had heard so much about it, I felt like I couldn’t miss it! Besides, it was about time I got some more vegetables in my system. We made our way down to Las Olas with our friends and I made myself a small vegetarian bowl with some noodles before we went back to our bed.

We decided to go back to building 7. Again, all of the spots at the pool were taken even though there didn’t seem to be many people there, so we went to pool 8 and found a spot there easily with some other addicts we met on this trip. I really like this pool with its dedicated bar.  They inquired about my lost phone again. Richard asked “Did you check the liner inside the suitcase? Doesn’t that liner zip out?” And it all of the sudden occurred to me that I hadn’t! (Yes, of course, I tried “find my phone” the problem was that since I hadn’t logged in on the device I was using, it kept telling me it was going to send a text to my phone, which was on silent, NOT useful! 🙂 )

On the way back to the room we jumped into the main pool and the swim up bar for just a few songs from the band. They were great! They started with an instrumental/Mexican version of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” that was so fun! We danced around a bit and then headed back to the room. We picked up a Hawaiian and a pepperoni pizza. I didn’t really like the Hawaiian, tasted like a bad frozen pizza. Richard said his pepperoni was quite good.

We were bummed that housekeeping had not come yet when we returned at about 445 but decided that we would call them when we left the room and just ask for housekeeping and turn down at the same time. I went immediately to the closet to our swimsuit bag, unzipped the liner, and there was my phone! (My friends had been tearing their rooms apart for the two days prior. Apparently, in my frenzy, I had put it in there for safe keeping. Ah, well..)

We got ready for Mexican fiesta night. Originally, I had planned to go to Toscana or restaurant hop on Saturday night. This was my second visit and I have yet to go to The Grill (at dinner), Spice, or Toscana (at dinner). I was going to do all three (Spice for sushi, Toscana for dinner, The Grill for dessert), but as our trip got closer I saw more pictures of fiesta night and more people raving about the food. Jim Stoddard’s videos sealed the deal for me, so the other restaurants will have to wait until next time!

When we got there, I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen my husband quite so excited. Buffets are a little overwhelming for me, and I have trouble choosing. But he grew up in South Texas and was so excited for all of the authentic Mexican food. He said, “Thank you for insisting we do this!” (He had been a bigger fan of the original restaurant hopping plan).
He also said, “So, from now on, we always have to be here on a Saturday.” The suckling pig, the leg of lamb, the cactus, the tacos al pastor, the barbacoa quesadillas, the homemade tortillas. He was beside himself with joy! It was fun that we were sat right beside one couple from Canada and another from Germany. I love that people from all over the world come to EPM.

We decided we needed to walk around for awhile and went back by Sol bar. We grabbed a few drinks and sat down on the sand at the X Lounge. We could hear the party going on at finest next door and watched fireworks from the tip of Isla Mujeres. We strolled back toward he fiesta and took a seat to watch the end of the entertainment with the mariachis and the lariat and had some more of that wonderful tequila liqueur.

The urban show was starting in the theater, but we were tired and wanted to head back to the room. We had tried to go to Aroma the night before, but they had JUST closed.
This time, we each got an ice cream. (The caramel was EXCELLENT), and I was there so I HAD to grab a macaron.. (Okay, two…). Housekeeping and turn down had come. The room was lovely and dark. Last time we went, we only stayed three nights. I was excited that we still had one day left.

Day 2 recap:

Friday, November 16.

(Since I didn’t have my phone, some of the images are mine, and some I found on Google images.)

Before my eyes even opened, the scent of the room hit my nostrils and reminded me where I was. Tiniest bit of a headache behind my eyes reminded me of how I had ended the night before… eeeek…

My husband often calls me a “trashcan” during my first day of vacation… the half of a dirty martini in one glass and a half finished sparkling wine in the other reminded me I didn’t disappoint… Ooops!

Well, it was our first full day, and I was going to enjoy it no matter what! Husband ordered fruit, pastries and coffee through room service, and I decided to start with the hangover remedies. I put a generous splash of Bailey’s in my coffee and scarfed down some delectable croissants to combat the shakes.

It was about 9 AM by this point, and I had a an 11 o’clock hydrotherapy appointment with my friends. Richard and I decided to wander the resort some. First, we went down to the club lounge. Protein seemed like a good idea, too, so I got some cheese and turkey to go with my croissant. I inquired about the magical and mysterious chlorophyll water. They told me they didn’t have any, so I asked for just a Diet Coke.

However, just a few minutes later a Diet Coke AND a chlorophyll water came to our table! The bartender (I wish I had been writing down names, but I had “lost” my phone on the first day, and didn’t have any place to take notes) was kind enough to send someone to get it for me. It tasted minty and fresh and may have helped a little.

After that, I went on a hunt for the storied cabanas by the spa. I found them. Alas, they were all taken. I went to Revive because I wanted to try coconut water from an actual coconut. I was told those were available from 12-2 only. I ordered a “Tommy” smoothie instead. It was parsley and mint and cucumber and quite yummy for my angry tummy and head.

We found a bali bed right behind revive on the corner of the spa pool where the hammocks are, and I read the newspaper and enjoyed the peace with my husband. Eventually, birthday boy Mark and Heather joined us to go to the aqua therapy at the spa.

As we entered for our appointment, I had one of those… “Uh oh… I’m gonna throw up right now…” morning after moments that reminded me of college… But we entered the spa, the essential oils hit my senses, and all was good at that moment. This was my second time to do the hydrotherapy, and knowing what was going to happen made it even BETTER than my first.

I gotta say this for first day overindulgence.. doing hydrotherapy on day two was PERFECTION. Go from sweating it out in the steam room, to the cold showers, back to the sauna with some water… Oh, yeah… by the time we left, I was feeling ALMOST human…I don’t like massages… Too much time in one place with my eyes closed and not knowing what’s going to happen next, but I DO like hydrotherapy. A LOT. I’m fine with the cold water and the crazy jets.. ALL of it. And, it was free(ish), since we’re EC. (My husband, who DOES like the spa, did this one with us on Friday; then, since hydrotherapy comes with all treatments, he did it again when he got his massage on Sunday.)

As we were leaving, we stopped BACK by Revive, and I got my fresh coconut and my first taste of coconut water right from the source.

Next up, since it was Friday, I have been thinking about Rock-n-Burger on the beach ever since I heard of it last year. I LOVE Rock-n-Roll more than Joan Jett and burgers more than Ronald McDonald. Still, when I walked into Las Olas, my tummy did a tentative turn. I braved it, however, and got some grilled onions and swiss cheese and got that big fat patty on a bun.

Oh my goodness! It was better than I expected… for real. I LOVE burgers. I really love thick juicy burgers. These really were to my taste for sure. It was HUGE. But great. Sitting and listening to the band with my toes in the sand was a great way to ease into the afternoon. This is what I needed for the last remnants of my hangover. It was about 1 o’clock in the afternoon by this time. Still, there were plenty of palapas available on the EC beach, so we snagged one. I wandered up to look at the sushi. It really looked quite lovely. I didn’t eat any, as I was all full of burgers.

It was Mark and Heather’s last full day, so I saw them get their pineapple eviction notice. Then, we went to pool 8 to let Tonatiuh abuse us a bit.

There, I had my first real drink of the day, a Mexican flag. Then, Heather and I went to paint lizards. We both have lizard tattoos. We both call ourselves “lizard b***es” (which is a quarter of a century old complicated story that I may share on my NEXT first day there…). Regardless, we needed to paint some lizards. They turned our VERY cute thanks to our limited skills and the skills of the touch up artists. It was a lot of fun! Back to EC pool 8 to hang out with Heather’s new friends…

Then, back to the room to clean up. Richard stopped by Sol bar and brought a meat lover’s pizza up with him, which was okay, but didn’t live up to the hype in quite the same was as the burger had for me.

From there, on to Lobster House for an appetizer of steamed lobster tail. This was MUCH better than I anticipated. I’ve had Caribbean spiny lobsters before, and they’re always small and chewy. This was larger than I expected and sweet and tender like I want a lobster to be. The view was perfect. And, somehow, the staff was aware it was Mark’s birthday, so they came and brought him cake and sang happy birthday to him.

Next, it was inside for actual dinner at Barcelona. (This was my second visit to the resort. The first time we went to Basmati, Chez Isabel, and Flavor Market. I LOVED Basmati, thought Chez Isabel was okay, and Flavor Market was my favorite. It was my goal on trip 2 to repeat as little as possible.)

Barcelona was pretty dark inside and not a whole lot of other people. In my opinion, this restaurant had less ambiance than any of the others I’ve been to. It was stark and cafeteria like. I had the artichoke/ham appetizer. The artichokes tasted canned. It was just okay. Then, I asked for the seafood fideua to be made into vegetarian. (They did). I also ordered lobster canneloni. I wasn’t aware that the main dishes at this restaurant were so large. The fideua was HUGE. It was okay. It didn’t taste much better than a frozen spaghetti. The lobster canneloni was quite good, and my husband said the beef ribs were excellent. Service here was VERY slow. There were long times between taking our order and getting our food, and very long times between courses. The staff was kind and attentive. The food was just quite slow in coming. Maybe it will be better next time. It wasn’t a bad meal. It just wouldn’t be at the top of my list.

After dinner, I saw Cesar who made me a thin mint girl scout martini which I LOVED…

Then, out to the magic show in the theater. I LOVED the over-the -top drama of this! Yes, it was cheezy, but it was such, good fun! I particularly liked the spinning into another dress and the laser portions of the show. I was suitably entertained!

After that, back to Diego for a nightcap and to watch the silent party for awhile. We didn’t participate, but it seemed like the people who were doing it were having a great time. Diego gave us some Agavero, which is a tequila liqueur. It’s not creamy like 1921, but it’s sweet with a floral infusion. I really liked it a lot.

We were sad when we got back to the room that turn down had not come, but I planned to contact the concierge the next day to let them know that we generally came back to the room around 10 or so… I had hoped to get an Excellence Times to plan the next day, but no worries… I knew one would be on the door when we woke up.

I went to bed that night with NO fear of waking with a hangover in the morning for day 3… which is ALWAYS a good thing!