Kennedy Space Center

Posted on March 8, 2019 by LBcruiseshipblogger

entrance to Kennedy Space Center visitor complex

After disembarking Carnival Magic we had a couple days to spend in Cocoa Beach before going home. Getting off of Carnival Magic in Port Canaveral wasn’t the easiest disembarkation ever. Leaving the ship took a very long time because in addition to long lines a couple crew people suddenly decided to let all the passengers just coming off an elevator cut into the line right there in front of all the people who had already waited quite some time to get anywhere near that elevator. Not just one group, but everyone who came off that elevator after the crew people showed up assumingly to speed up the line which had moved in an orderly fashion before the crew showed up with all new arrivals proceeding to the back of the line. Nice for those particular people exiting the elevator. Not so much for those of us who had already spent a lot of time waiting from the back of the line to get anywhere near that point, and a wait time increased exponentially with only a few people already in line managing to slip through between elevator groups. The ship called Magic definitely lost the aura of magic on the way out that we’d felt onboard throughout most of the cruise.

rocket garden

Once we finally managed to get off the ship we had to get through customs. Traveling with our daughter and her kids, to whom the cruise was just a small portion of a long trip to America from Australia, they had a lot more luggage than what is normal for a 7-day cruise. So we did something we have never done before and had one of those porters with the big cart take all our luggage. By doing this we learned something new – if you want to speed your way through a long line at customs hire a porter. They go right past the line of people dragging their own luggage and into a much shorter line for porters and people in wheelchairs only. This was the only part of that disembarkation that went fairly quickly.

rocket in the rocket garden

Once we got through customs we made our way to the area where people wait for rental car shuttles. Like everything else at Port Canaveral it was quite crowded. When a shuttle for the company where we reserved a car finally came it had space enough for only about half the people. We were too far back in the line for all of us and our luggage to get on, but Sheri managed to find standing room so she could go on ahead and get the paperwork done for the car. It took far longer for the next shuttle to arrive than it took for her to get that done.

some things in the rocket garden are open to climb in and take photos

The overcrowded rental car shuttle took about 15 minutes to get to the lot where people pick up a car. There was a crowd waiting at that end to get to the ship heading out for the next cruise. The shuttle must have kept to a predetermined schedule because it made no effort to get those people on or out of there right away, nor did the other shuttle just sitting there ever let anyone on or leave the lot even though they had more than enough people to fill both of them waiting at both ends.

mission control display

Once we got everything loaded into the rental car we headed off to Kennedy Space Center, partly because we wanted to see it and partly because we had to go somewhere to fill the time between disembarking the ship and checking in to our vacation rental house.

astronaut display

More than just a working Space Center, Kennedy Space Center has evolved into another Florida theme park. There is still a working Space Center, but it is not located at the visitor complex. They have busses that take people out there, but we spent all our time in the visitor’s center and didn’t make the trip. My daughter and I did that years ago. Back then we saw them building components for the International Space Center there. We also saw a very slow moving crawler that they brought shuttles out on for launching. The space station has of course long since launched and the shuttle program ended so there are no more shuttle launches out there. Occasionally there is still a launch though because they do sometimes send up rockets carrying satellites. Spacex also launches there sometimes.

Heroes and Legends building

The visitor’s complex has a building called Heroes and Legends in tribute to former astronauts that includes a 3D presentation. The very visible rocket garden has a variety of different rockets standing tall and a couple space capsules visitors can climb into for photo ops or in the case of kids, just for fun. You can even book lunch with an astronaut if you are willing to pay the price.

moon rocket

There are of course displays from the moon rocket era at the Apollo/Saturn V Center. Besides space capsules and a moon rocket there are also things like moon rocks and space suits.

shuttle launch experience motion simulator ride

The children’s play area was closed for renovation while we were there, but the cafés were open. The kids developed quite a liking for uncrustables before the cruise, something not available in Australia. They tried to have one last one before leaving the country, but the ones purchased at the space center’s café were inedibley stale. The workers there had probably never eaten these pre-packaged crust free peanut butter and jelly sandwiches themselves because they didn’t seem to understand the problem even when shown that the bread was discolored and completely dry with the jelly gone liquid and soaking through it while the peanut butter appeared almost solid. We did finally convince them to take the sandwiches back. They gave the kids muffins and chicken nuggets instead so we ended up with more than our money’s worth according to what we’d paid.

one of the Mars vehicles

There was a pavilion with displays about Mars and past, present, and future missions there called Journey to Mars. The visitor complex also had an 3D IMAX theater, but due to having a late start after our tedious disembarkation we didn’t have time to see everything and didn’t go to the theater.

life size shuttle launching rocket statue

The crown jewel of the visitor’s center is the space shuttle Atlantis. This is an actual space shuttle that performed over 30 missions before retiring. It is housed in a pavilion in which the entrance has a life-sized replica of the fuel and booster rockets used for launching shuttles.

space shuttle zero gravity toilet

Inside the building besides the shuttle itself there are many other displays. Astronauts hang from the ceiling near the shuttle. Another room has a miniature space station that kids can crawl through. There’s an example of a space toilet and a motion simulator launch ride. The launch simulator ride has a minimum height that Daniel was too small for so he and I stayed at the slide while the others took the ride. While I’ve never been seasick on a cruise, I do have a long history of motion sickness and some of those simulator rides really leave me queasy so I didn’t mind missing that ride. The giant slide was lots of fun.

shuttle landing simulator slide

The slide is a space shuttle landing experience slide. Several curved stations lead up to the slide, intended for people to run through simulating the turns the shuttle takes as it works its way down. Once completing the turns a large button in the floor awaits being jumped on at which time it makes a loud noise simulating breaking the sound barrier. Then you get to the actual slide. No shoes are allowed on feet, but it’s OK to carry them with you down one of the two big and speedy slides. There’s a big cushioned mat beyond the slide’s edge at the bottom, but most people run out of momentum and slow to a stop before getting that far.

Atlantis Space Shuttle

The Atlantis shuttle hangs from the ceiling in a room large enough to hold an entire space shuttle and some other displays as well. The floor height varies so people can stand next to it or below it depending on where they are within the room.

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2019

Posted in Carnival, Magic, Port Cities, USA | Tagged Cape Canaveral, Carnival, disembarking a cruise ship, Kennedy Space Center, Magic, Port Canaveral | Leave a comment

Exploring Kodiak

Posted on March 1, 2019 by LBcruiseshipblogger

looking over boats in the ship harbor toward the Westerdam in the background

We stepped outside the Holland America Westerdam into the strong aroma of dead fish. All explained by a glance at the nearest building, labeled Kodiak Fishermens Terminal. We’ve had port stops at container docks before, but this was the first at a fishing pier. The city map has it labeled as a city dock 2. Pillar Mountain, topped by windmills, dominates the land side view from the ship.

row of canneries near the ship

Next to the ship we passed a row of canneries before reaching town. In pre-cruise research I found a site saying it was a mile and a half to town. The ship’s info said a mile. Walking into town, my garmin watch that I use to track my runs said it was just about a kilometer from the ship to the marina at St. Paul Harbor.

boats docked in Kodiak

Unlike many marinas, there wasn’t any sort of blockade on the entrances to the docks keeping anyone not owning a boat there away, so people could go down to the docks and wander around looking at the boats if they wanted to.

informative display on the fence above the docks

On the main street through town from the cruise dock, there are informational signs along the railings above the boat harbor.

Kodiak marina

A side street near there has a big fish sculpture in front of the marina building.

Russian orthodox church in Kodiak, Alaska

Kodiak “tour” bus near the Russian Orthodox church

Kodiak so far hasn’t had enough cruise ship traffic to change the town. They use school busses to pick passengers up for ship’s excursions and as shuttles for people who don’t want to walk to town. It’s mostly just a normal little town where locals shop or go out to eat, but there are a few tourist attractions. All grouped near each other there’s a wildlife center, a visitor’s center, and the Baranov Museum. Holy Resurrection Russian Orthodox Church sits next door to the Baranov Museum and across the street from the Alutiiq Museum. The Baranov Museum charged a $5 admission fee, but the rest were all free. Other than the visitor’s center and the church (which had a donation basket) the others all had gift shops.

old factory ship turned into shoreside cannery

An interesting looking cannery made partly from an old ship sits next to the visitor’s center.

map of Kodiak, Alaska

The visitor’s center has free maps showing all the area’s highlights and where to find them. It also has information on things to do and see and places to stay. We just wandered in there for a few minutes, but overheard someone booking a tour so they do that there too.

Russian Orthodox church in Kodiak, Alaska

Anyone who wants to venture a bit farther can cross a bridge and find a park with trails, a fisheries research center with an aquarium, and a road to St Herman’s Harbor which sits across the bay from where the cruise ship docks. If they want to go a lot farther, Fort Abercrombie State Park is several miles beyond the town and has hiking trails and an old historic fort.

inside the Russian Orthodox church

We just walked to the church and nearby museums, all of which are fairly small, but have interesting things to see. The church is quite ornate and at the time we were there the reverend was telling a tale of how the congregation didn’t expect him to last long until one of them decided that the reverend was going to buy his boat. He found a couple partners and did so. Initially the boat was parked outside the church where he used it for an office and the townsfolk started stopping by sharing boating and fishing information with him, which for him made a great icebreaker and led to his acceptance as a member of the town and not just the new priest.

fish display at the wildlife center

The wildlife center has no actual animals. Instead it had all sorts of displays with models of various species and information about them. It also had a seating area with a short movie.

fun with a bear

Outside the wildlife center people had fun taking their picture with the center’s resident bear…statue.

artifacts at the Alutiiq Museum

The Alutiiq museum had quite a few artifacts including woven baskets, rocks with hieroglyphics, and a very old kayak. Apparently they are the ones who invented kayaks. They even had a kayak skirt to keep them dry, though it was nothing like a modern one.

stained glass window at the Baranov Museum

The Baranov museum had things from the Russian era, which was mostly about hunting and trapping the area’s wildlife Their displays included actual animals that were no longer living rather than models like at the wildlife place. It also included artifacts of daily life in that era – like raincoats made from animal intestines, and a tiny kitchen set up with the sort of things used back then.

guns and things in a display case at the Baranov Museum

Kodiak doesn’t get nearly the sort of cruise ship traffic the major Alaskan ports have, but as more and more ships head to Alaska they need more places to go. A lady at the gift shop in the wildlife place said they had one ship about every other week throughout the summer of 2018, but expect over 30 cruise ship days in 2019. She said the locals are hoping to find a way to accommodate all the tourists without changing the nature of their town, which is at this point as she put it, a real town.

public garbage cans around Kodiak look like cans of salmon

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2019

Posted in Alaska, Holland America, Port Cities, Ports of Call, USA, Westerdam | Tagged Kodiak, kodiak tourist attractions, photos, things to do in Kodiak, travel | 1 Comment

Hits and Misses on Holland America Oosterdam

Posted on February 22, 2019 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Oosterdam Hits and Misses

Oosterdam in Sitka

Every ship has things to like about it, and usually something not so great. Of course what people like or not is always a matter of opinion. One person’s absolute favorite thing about any particular ship could be the exact thing someone else hated most. That’s one reason it’s nice that ships have a variety of spaces and places so most everyone can find something to their liking. These are the things I did and didn’t like about Holland America Oosterdam.

Hits on Holland America Oosterdam

I found a lot to like about the Oosterdam. The thermal suite is a definite hit. Holland America’s Vista class ships (and P&O’s Arcadia which is the same hull design) all have excellent thermal suites. This includes a large mineral pool with jets around the walls, a rack over jets to sit on, and an intensely jetted area inside a metal circle. Besides the pool, the thermal suite also includes heated ceramic chairs which may not sound comfortable, but are actually awesome. There’s also a sauna and aromatherapy steam rooms. It does cost extra to use the thermal suite, but worth the extra cost on these ships since it is so nice.

spa pool in the thermal suite

The Oosterdam had cloth hand towels in public restrooms, which is touch of class that is far nicer than paper towels and miles above air blower hand dryers, both of which are found on some cruise ships.

heated ceramic chairs in the thermal suite

Cruise ship cabins sometimes have just one outlet for the entire cabin. The Oosterdam had 2 outlets as well as 2 USB ports in our cabin, and we just had an inside room. Newer ships and those that have been recently renovated are far more likely to have extra outlets and/or USB ports while older non-renovated ships usually just have the one outlet and no USB port. It’s definitely a bonus to have more than one place to plug things in.

making fresh crepes at the buffet

Their buffet breakfast on the Lido deck includes a crepe station serving fresh made-to-order crepes and waffles. They also had daily specials there serving something different each day. That station also had some gluten free items. Another station served eggs Benedict made fresh to order rather than sitting out ready made under lights like at the buffet on some other ships. Surprisingly the eggs Benedict station never had a line. There’s also the always popular omlette station. Overall an above average cruise ship breakfast buffet.

pool with the dome closed

The Oosterdam has a retractable pool dome, which means on bad weather days or cruises to cold places the main pool area can be inside rather than outside which is definitely a plus on a cruise to Alaska.

back Lido deck with covered smoking area

Oosterdam had the best smoking policy of any ship we’ve ever been on from a non-smoker’s point of view. There’s no smoking on the promenade deck or anywhere inside the ship. Smoking was limited to just one area on one side of the Lido’s outside back deck only. They did have a cover over the seating in that area so people would not have to be out in the rain or anything. It’s the perfect location for a smoking area. It’s not on the way to anywhere so you don’t end up inadvertently walking through it, and at the back where the ship sails forward out of the smoke. There are two sets of doors between the elevators and that deck so less smoke gets inside. It is next to a pool and hot tub, but since it’s not the only pool or hot tub on the ship people have other options. Way to go Oosterdam! Being allergic to tobacco smoke I greatly appreciated the ease of avoiding it on this ship. Unfortunately that is not a standard smoking policy for all of Holland America as it varies from ship to ship.

sunrise on the Oosterdam’s smoke-free promenade deck

Lots of people exercise by walking or jogging around the Promenade deck on ships that have one encircling the entire ship, as the Oosterdam does. Besides being smoke-free, the outside area of the Promenade deck also had several drinking fountains making it a very exercise-friendly place to go.

TV in a cabin

Programming for the cabin TV’s included lots of free movies to choose from.

While most internet usage is an extra charge, it was free to use the internet for their onboard website. It had information about the cruise including daily menus and schedules of the onboard activities for the day. They did have a daily paper newsletter listing the activities as well.

towel elephant in our cabin

Each evening we came back to find a new towel animal in the room.

Misses on Holland America Oosterdam

There’s always a few things on any ship not to like, or that could be improved.

Open times for the ship’s shops were not posted at the stores or in the When & Where daily newsletter.

The ship has no self-serve guest laundries.

Doors on the showers and dressing rooms in gym/spa changing area are see-through glass rather than anything offering privacy.

There’s no oatmeal in serve yourself areas of the Lido buffet at breakfast. If you want any you have to wait to be served and it’s located at the middle of the most crowded station so it’s a long line.

There’s constant air blowing inside the cabin. You can adjust the temperature, but can’t turn the airflow off which means the sound is there day and night. This is an issue on a lot of ships, particularly older ones. They seem to have solved that problem on the newest ships I’ve sailed on.

chicken dinner

The food on our cruise was not on par with what we’ve come to expect from Holland America. Food does vary from ship to ship and even on the same ship over time. It’s not that the food was bad, just the last time I’d been on Holland America the food was the best I’d ever had on a cruise ship and in comparison the food on this ship was a disappointment. One 0f the items on their everyday dinner menu said steelhead salmon, but steelhead is a sea run trout. So is it steelhead or is it salmon? The chef knew that was wrong yet nobody had ever changed the menus and we were there at the end of the season.

the curtain over nothing but wall makes the room feel smaller

Inside cabins have a curtain over a wall at the back of the cabin, trying to give it the look of a window. What that curtain actually does is make the room seem smaller. Some ships have a mirror on the back wall of inside cabins, which make the room feel bigger.

life ring

Yes I realize most of the misses are minor and petty, but it’s a hits and misses blog so there have to be some misses.

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2019

Posted in Holland America, Oosterdam | Tagged bad things about Oosterdam, cruise ship, good things about Oosterdam, Holland America, Oosterdam, Oosterdam smoking | Leave a comment

Kodiak Cruise Ship Port

Posted on February 15, 2019 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Westerdam in Kodiak

Kodiak is one of Alaska’s lesser visited cruise ports with just a few mostly smaller cruise ships visiting each summer. Because of this the port currently remains as it was before cruise ships came to town rather than having the near port shopping area taken over by the typical cruise ship shops found at all the frequently visited ports like you see in Ketchikan and Juneau.

map of Kodiak, Alaska

Less frequented ports don’t have dedicated cruise ship docks. In Kodiak ships dock at City Dock II, about a kilometer south of town. Kodiak’s main economy derives from the sea, mostly in the form of fishing. Government jobs are second in importance to the economy with the largest Coast Guard facility in the USA located there. Tourism comes in third for the island’s economy.

crab pots stacked near the ship

The pier where the ships dock is at Fishermens Terminal with a row of canneries between the dock and town so it wasn’t surprising that a heavy smell of fish hung about the port. There’s a bit of a flat parking area between the road and the ship. Land on the other side of the road rises nearly straight up in the form of windmill-topped Pillar Mountain. One of our dinner mates on Holland America Westerdam climbed Pillar Mountain, though not directly straight up from the ship. There’s a road winding up the mountain and he found a trail off the road somewhere.

docking at Fishermens Terminal

The town provided school busses which were used both for ship’s excursions and as shuttles into town for those who didn’t want to walk there. It’s a pretty easy walk into town on mostly level ground. Besides shopping and food there are a few tourist attractions including the boat harbor, an old Russian church, a few museums, a visitor’s center, and a wildlife center, all near to each other.

Kodiak Visitor’s Center

There’s also trails and an aquarium on the other side of a bridge. Fort Abercrombie State Park has trails too, but at over 4 miles out the opposite side of town from the cruise dock it’s too far for most cruise ship passengers to walk there and back and still have time for hiking around in the time available during their port stop. The shuttle let people out by the visitor’s center. It had walking maps of the town, people to answer questions, and tours available to book.

Kodiak uses school busses for cruise ship tours

Kodiak has mild coastal weather which is often wet and cloudy. At an average of 68 inches of precipitation annually it is much drier than Ketchikan’s average of about 150.

walking from the ship to town in Kodiak

Kodiak was originally occupied by Alutiiq people who lived in small villages on the island until the Russians settled there in the late 1700’s mainly for fur trading. After trapping sea otters nearly to extinction Russia sold Alaska to the USA and fishing replaced sea otters as Kodiak’s main economy.

sign by the dock at Kodiak boat harbor

The biggest volcanic eruption of the 20th century covered Kodiak in nearly 2 feet of ash in 1912. During World War II the USA built military installments on the island. One naval base became the coast guard station in 1972. Forts Greely and Abercrombie are historic now.

lighthouse at Kodiak boat harbor

A tsunami from an earthquake in 1964 damaged or destroyed much of the town’s commercial infrastructure, but the people rebuilt and the fishing industry rebounded. Disaster struck again in the form of the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989, which did significant environmental damage that took years for the area to recover from, and for fishing to return to pre-spill catch levels.

Baranov Museum in Kodiak

Kodiak hasn’t seen much cruise ship traffic in the past with just a few ships a month during the summer, but expects to triple that starting in summer 2019. Townsfolk voiced concern over balancing keeping the integrity of their town while servicing the expected increase in tourism.

Kodiak boat harbor and houses

Excursions offered from our ship included a scenic drive, Kodiak highlights with stops at museums and Fort Abercrombie, sightseeing with afternoon tea at the Russian church, a walk through the harbor, a walk through town with tasting stops at various eateries, a hike at Fort Abercrombie State Park, and a couple wildlife watching cruises.

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2019

Posted in Alaska, Holland America, Ports of Call, USA, Westerdam | Tagged Alaska, Holland America, Kodiak, Kodiak Cruise Ship Port, Kodiak Cruise Terminal, photos, travel, Westerdam, what's in port Kodiak | 6 Comments

Surprisingly Good Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on February 14, 2019 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Chocolate chip cookies are delicious with or without oatmeal, so what makes this recipe so surprising? Carrots, that’s what. Carrots are quite sweet and over half the sugar from the original recipe in an ancient cookbook has been replaced by carrots in this version, yet they taste surprisingly delicious and not at all like carrots. Coconut helps too, which besides being sweet has replaced half the original recipe’s fat making these cookies that much less unhealthy. If you want the carrots to blend unseen into the dough you could boil and mash them instead of just shredding them. While unpeeled carrots are fine for savory dishes, when used for sweetening they work much better without it because the peel kind of has an earthy taste.

Surprisingly Good Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

3/4 cup finely shredded peeled carrots

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup softened butter

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup flour

1 cup flaked coconut

2 cups old fashioned oats

8 oz semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

Instructions

Heat oven to 375 degrees F

Cream butter, add sugar and beat until thoroughly blended. Mix in finely shredded carrots. Beat in egg and vanilla. Blend in soda and salt, then add flour. Stir in coconut and oatmeal by hand, followed by chocolate chips.

Drop by spoonfuls or round into balls and place on greased or ungreased pan. Bake 12-14 minutes until cookie centers are set. Cookies retain the shape they start with, they do not flatten or spread as they bake so flatten them down to the height you want.

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2019

Posted in recipes | Tagged #chocolatechipcookies, cookie recipe, healthier cookies, low sugar cookies, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies | 2 Comments

Food on Holland America Veendam

Posted on February 8, 2019 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Veendam in Costa Maya, Mexico

Cruise food varies greatly from line to line, even from ship to ship on the same line. Sometimes it even varies from one sailing to the next on the same ship. Menus change over time. Sometimes they change due to the itinerary. Other times it’s the same menu, but the food just tastes better on one ship than another, particularly when a ship has a superior chef and galley crew.

not your average taco

Dining room food on the Veendam was generally quite good. Sometimes excellent like the bean tacos they served one night as a port-inspired option on the menu of a cruise with two stops in Mexico. The tasty food was quite a relief. We weren’t sure what to expect after the food on the Oosterdam last time we sailed with Holland America didn’t quite live up to their usual high standards. Especially not the best cruise food ever standard set by the Veendam several years back on a trip out of Boston.

Where’s the chicken?

There’s a few things not up to par though. We tried the Dive-In poolside grill one day. After a 15 minute wait for the chicken breast sandwich because that’s how long they said it takes to cook, when said sandwich came I thought they forgot to put the chicken in it. I had to open the bun and look inside to find the tiny piece of chicken hidden there. More like a chicken tender sandwich, breasts are much bigger. The good news is they do have gluten free buns on request. The bad news if you’re gluten free is that they coat their French fries in flour “to make them crispy” and have no uncoated ones available.

taco bar on the Veendam pool deck

There’s a taco bar next to the Dive-In, which is one of the few places serve-yourself food is available. Throughout much of the buffet you have to wait for someone behind the counter to get things for you, which really stuffs up the line. The taco bar has taco shells, chips, tortillas, and a variety of things to put on them so people can have all sorts of do-it-yourself Mexican food options. The food is good, but the set-up is a bit weird because all the toppings are next to the chips and taco shells and all the meats and beans and things down at the far end. So you have to either get things out of order or go back and forth, which works fine when nobody else is there, but not so much if there’s a line.

gluten free pizza

Gluten free options are available for the asking in a lot of places. Besides the buns at the burger place, the buffet has gluten free bread options, and the pizza place has gluten free pizza crust. All of the pizzas are made to order so you have to wait for it to cook regardless of whether ordering gluten free or regular pizza crust. The good news is you get the toppings of your choice and a hot fresh pizza. The bad news is you get a whole pizza even if you really only wanted one slice, and the gluten free one seems to take longer to bake.

the fruit plate is always a dessert option for dining room dinners

In addition to all the complimentary food options, the Veendam does have some pay-extra eateries. Holland America ships all have the upscale Pinnacle Grill. At dinner time a portion of the Lido buffet gets converted to their Italian restaurant, Canaletto. They also had a café with things like premium coffee and some goodies in the Explorer’s Lounge. I don’t really have anything to say about them because we didn’t eat at any of those places on our Veendam Caribbean cruise.

pasta shells in the dining room

You don’t have to go to the Italian place to get pasta. There’s always pasta options on the dinner menu and in the buffet.

double surf no turf

The dining room is willing to alter things from what the menu says. For instance if you just want a meat that is offered, but not the side dishes it comes with, you can have that meat with something else on the side. Or if the menu has surf and turf and you just want surf or turf, but not both, you can order one without the other.

there’s always fancy desserts to top off a cruise ship meal

Lunch and dinner options change daily at both the buffet and in the dining room. Overall the ship has a pretty good variety of tasty food.

pork dinner in the dining room

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2019

Posted in Cruise Food, Holland America, Veendam | Tagged #cruisefood, cruise, cruise food, food, Holland America, photos, Veendam | 1 Comment

Double Glacier Visit to Glacier Bay

Posted on February 1, 2019 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Westerdam at Johns Hopkins Glacier

In a span of just a few hundred years Glacier Bay went from a fertile valley where native Tlingit people lived in the 1600’s with the Grand Pacific Glacier on high mountain ridges above the valley to completely buried in ice to filled with water. During the Little Ice Age this glacier surged across the landscape covering everything in its path in ice up to 4000 feet thick. In the early 1700’s the glacier reached its peak with a terminal moraine jutting out into icy strait. By the time the first European explorers came with Great Britian’s Captain George Vancouver in 1791 the glacier had retreated 5 miles back into its own newly dug bay. The face of the glacier was an impressive 20 miles across at that time. Just 85 years later when John Muir came by in 1879 the glacier had already retreated another 26 feet back into the bay that hadn’t existed before its mighty surge.

arm of Glacier Bay visited by our ship

Glacier Bay of today is vast national park covering over 5000 miles with a network of fjords and glaciers. The many fjords create over 700 miles of shoreline with inlets leading to a variety of mostly tidewater glaciers. Some of the park’s glaciers are no longer tidewater glaciers, having retreated to the point that they no longer reach the sea. Cruise ships head over 65 miles from the mouth of the bay and up Tarr Inlet before reaching Margerie Glacier, one of the most active glaciers in the park. The ship passes by inlets terminating in other glaciers along the way. The remains of the unglorious and now not so Grand Pacific Glacier that dug the bay in its mighty surge sits in a mostly unnoticed grey flow down the hill next to the blue and white of Margerie Glacier.

The little gray bit that looks something like a road coming down the mountain to the right of Margerie Glacier is what remains of Grand Pacific Glacier whose surge and retreat created Glacier Bay

Previously on a cruise to Glacier Bay on this very ship (the Westerdam) we went just to Margerie Glacier, but this cruise we went to Johns Hopkins Glacier as well, which someone said the ships could only get to very late in the season. This time we came in October, past the normal Alaska cruise ship season which usually ends in September.

seal on ice near Margerie Glacier

On the way into Glacier Bay the ship picks up rangers much the same way they pick up or drop off pilots coming and going from port – that is from another boat without stopping or going to shore. The rangers spot wildlife and provide narration and education throughout the journey through Glacier Bay, which can be heard in the Crows Nest Lounge observation room or on the outside portion of the Promenade Deck. I went up to the Crows nest to see the Rangers on the off chance one of them might be a former 4-H kid from back when I used to be leader of a 4-H horse club, who is now a forest ranger stationed in Alaska. He wasn’t there, but the ones who were there knew him and said they’d deliver a note.

Crew member serving pea soup on the Westerdam

Our ship first went to Margerie Glacier. Here they served their traditional pea soup, which Holland America ships always have on glacier day on Alaskan cruises, but which I had not tried before this cruise. They open up the big deck 4 bow for scenic cruise times such as glacier watching, which is where they serve the soup.

passengers on the bow near Grand Pacific Glacier

They also open up small bows on decks 5, 6, and 7 on ships of the Westerdam’s class, which is where I usually go for glacier watching. Far less people know those decks are open since they rarely announce it so there isn’t such a crowd. This time we went to the deck 4 bow for Margerie Glacier so I had a chance to try the pea soup, which tasted delicious, and helped to warm me up a bit for the short time it took to eat it.

Margerie Glacier 2018 on the left and 2013 on the right

I packed long johns this time because on past cruises I’ve always wished I had them for glacier watching. This time I was definitely glad I wore them, but it was so cold a ski mask might have been nice too. Margerie Glacier seemed smaller than I remember it from several years ago. Most glaciers are in recession these days. Possibly it also looked smaller to me because the last glacier we saw prior to this cruise was the far more impressive Hubbard. Comparing pictures from this trip to the previous one though, it does look like a bite has been taken out of either side of the face of the glacier now where it was straight across on the last visit and most of the black area was gone.

cormorants on a bergy bit

On the way into Margerie Glacier we saw a seal sitting on a bit of ice. Also lots of seagulls, an eagle, and one bergy bit full of cormorants. A bergy bit is a very small iceberg – perhaps a bit of what was once a larger iceberg.

reflections of Margerie Glacier

After doing a slow full spin at Margerie so everyone on board regardless of where they chose to glacier watch had a chance for a view the ship moved on to Johns Hopkins Glacier. The day warmed up by then and it was actually quite pleasant outside with long johns and a jacket, though the position of the sun in regards to the glacier made it hard to get good pictures there.

Johns Hopkins Glacier through an opening near the bow of the promenade deck

It probably also helped that I didn’t go out in time to get a good position on any bow so I went to the promenade deck instead, which had plenty of room to stand by the rail and watch the glacier calve a few ice bergs with a loud crackle. The promenade deck is a bit more protected than the open bow, especially from wind caused by ship movement. Hardly anyone went there so I had great views and lots of options of where to stand and see the glacier.

ice caves in Johns Hopkins Glacier

Johns Hopkins Glacier was bigger than Margerie. It had an ice berg sitting out in front of it that was big enough to be grounded in the area between ship and glacier rather than floating like the many smaller bergy bits. The glacier had a whiter half and a dirtier half, the dirty part of which had a couple ice caves at the waterline.

Gilman Glacier

The face of the far smaller Gilman Glacier sits right next to Johns Hopkins and calved far more actively than its larger neighbor while we were there.

all the view and none of the cold – glacier watching from the spa (Gilman and Johns Hopkins Glaciers)

One advantage of having purchased the thermal suite this cruise is the view from the heated ceramic chairs. We went up there for a bit while still in glacier bay and saw the tail end of our time at Johns Hopkins as well as seeing a few more glaciers along the way as the ship traveled back toward the mouth of the bay.

Johns Hopkins Glacier

More Glacier Blogs

Baird Glacier
Endicott Arm
Glacier Bay
Hubbard Glacier

we went farther down the inlet to Johns Hopkins Glacier than what this map shows.

Posted in Alaska, Holland America, USA, Westerdam | Tagged #glacierbay, cruise, Glacier Bay, Holland America, Johns Hopkins Glacier, Margerie Glacier, photos, Westerdam | 5 Comments

Dinner At The Captain’s Table

Posted on January 25, 2019 by LBcruiseshipblogger

the captain’s table set up for dinner

In the afternoon of the first formal night on Royal Caribbean‘s Explorer of the Seas we found an invitation in our cabin to eat at the Captain’s Table that night. Of course we responded yes. We’d never been invited to a captain’s table before, nor actually even realized it was a thing. Maybe it’s not on the other lines we’ve sailed on, or maybe we’ve just never had the honor of receiving an invitation before. Even the staff captain that we had dinner with had no idea who they would choose or why, though I assume special invites are most likely extended to suite guests, high rollers at the casino, and people high in their loyalty program, of which we are none. Sometimes being a cruise ship blogger has its perks.

even the napkins are special at the captain’s table – and resemble a shirt and jacket

Our dinner at a large circular table at the center of the main floor of a 3-tiered dining room consisted of 4 invited couples, Staff Captain Luther Bradley Olson, and Chief Safety Officer Ivan Ramirez Villaneuva. Seating was assigned by little name cards set at each chair. We sat next to the captain, who was a very nice guy. The chief safety officer was at the far end of a very large table so we never got a chance to talk to him. The staff captain is the second in command of the entire vessel. Besides being in charge of all the ship’s employees, he is also responsible for docking the ship. Hierarchy must not be the same on all cruise lines because some ships we have sailed on said the ship’s captain docked the ship. When underway it is usually the officer of the watch driving – though more likely than not it’s actually the autopilot.

menu from the Captain’s table

Although some of the crew like stateroom stewards often work 9 months straight before having any time off, the staff captain said his hitches ran 10 weeks on and 10 weeks off. He could have his wife on board if he wanted, but said she had a life of her own on shore and didn’t stay on the ship with him all the time. The cruise director was traveling with his wife and young daughter though so family privileges extended farther than just the bridge staff. Originally from Canada, the staff captain now lives in the USA, in the same general region where we do. My husband found lots to talk to him about since they both enjoy fishing.

people at the Captain’s table

The meal had a special menu separate from what everyone else in the dining room ate that night. We got to keep the menus as a souvenir. They also took a photo of everyone at the table from the deck above and gave one to each of the attendees. The food was superb, the best food we ate in the entire cruise.

goat cheese soufflé and salad

pan seared scallops

After an extra little starter the appetizer course had three choices, a goat cheese soufflé, scallops, or a Caesar salad. I chose the soufflé and John went with the scallops.

roulade of chicken

The main course offered 4 choices, a fillet of beef, fillet of salmon, roulade of chicken, or stuffed avocado. We both went with the chicken.

dessert at the captain’s table

Dessert was a generous portion of banana, oreo chocolate mousse with salted caramel and wild berries. It’s an honor to get invited to the captain’s table and we quite enjoyed the dinner as well as the company.

Posted in Cruise Food, Explorer of the Seas, Royal Caribbean, Shipboard Life | Tagged #captainstable, #dinneratthecaptain'stable, captain's table, captain's table menu, cruise, eating at the captain's table, Explorer of the Seas, food, invitation to the captain's table, photos, Royal Caribbean | 2 Comments

Décor on Carnival Magic

Posted on January 18, 2019 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Carnival Magic

Each cruise ship has its own unique décor. On Carnival décor ranges from the way out there over the top décor of the Splendor to the does it really have any décor of the Vista. The Magic has décor to suit it’s name. Things seen throughout the ship are fun, vibrant, sparkly, bright, or in some instances magical.

lights throughout the Magic’s atrium constantly change colors

When entering a ship for the first time, often the atrium is the first thing passengers see since the gangway at initial boarding often leads there. The atrium on the Magic is mostly decorated with color changing lights, which give it somewhat of a magical feel. Actually a lot of the décor throughout the ship is done with lights.

it’s only fitting that a hallway on the Magic is named Lower Magical Way

Some of the artwork on the ship depicts magical type scenes, and there’s even a place called Lower Magical Way.

Hat Trick Casino…where they make passengers’ money disappear

The casino too fits the magic theme with the name Hat Trick Casino and sparkly décor that includes a rabbit in a hat.

stairway art (with reflections of nearby lights)

Wall accents around the ship are green and sparkly, and match the green of the lights in areas where they don’t change color. Stairways have fun and bright artwork, some of which includes birds or beachy scenes.

hallway art in a cabin area

Hallways between passenger cabins also have brightly colored artwork in sort of a patchwork quilt style with the patterns repeating down the hallway and toucans and other birds in some of the patches.

there are some rather odd paintings

Some of the ship’s artwork is a bit strange.

some of the dining room décor is done with lights

Many bars, restaurants, and other public places each have their own décor unique to that space on this ship. Following with the theme of the ship, some of those areas also use lights within the décor of the space.

Red Frog Pub on Carnival Magic looks the same as on other Carnival ships

Places such as the Red Frog Pub or Guy’s Burger Joint that are found on multiple ships have similar décor on each ship on which you find them rather than fitting in with the theme of individual ships.

lights are part of the décor here in the Spotlight Lounge as well as in the main theater

Overall the Magic has a happy and fun vibe both in the décor and the ship itself.

Posted in Carnival, Magic | Tagged #carnivalmagic, Carnival, cruise ship, cruise ship decor, Magic, photos, travel | Leave a comment

Victoria Cruise Ship Port

Posted on January 11, 2019 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Victoria, British Columbia

Emerald Princess in Victoria taken from the deck of the Oosterdam

Canada’s southernmost city and British Columbia’s capital, Victoria, sits at the south end of Vancouver Island on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Cruise ships sailing out of Seattle pass through the straight on their way in and out of port. Since Alaska is part of the USA and ships without USA registry and crew – which is nearly all cruise ships – can’t do a completely domestic cruise, Victoria is pretty much a mandatory port stop for Seattle to Alaska cruises. Most ships make late evening stops there, arriving around dinner time and leaving near midnight.

Empress Hotel

As one of the oldest cities in the pacific northwest, Victoria has lots of historic buildings and the second oldest Chinatown in north America. Both of Victoria’s most famous buildings, the Empress Hotel and the parliament buildings, sit near the inner harbor. If you arrive by seaplane, Victoria Clipper, or the Coho Ferry from Port Angeles you disembark in the inner harbor, but the cruise ship docks are out at Ogden Point, not in town. It is within walking distance if you don’t mind a bit of a hike, or passengers can take shuttle busses or taxies from the port. Fisherman’s Wharf is a closer walk than the inner harbor, or it can be a stop along the way when taking the seaside path. It’s also a stop for the Harbour Ferries which can take people to town when the ferries are running.

view from the Oosterdam of Victoria and the seawall walk along the breakwater at Victoria Harbour

There’s not a lot right at the cruise ship dock, but there is a seawall walk with a lighthouse at the end.

lighthouse at the end of the seawall

Victoria has a mild climate with average winter lows in the high 30’s and average summer highs in the high 60’s (Fahrenheit). It has the least rain of anywhere on British Columbia’s coast due to the rain shadow effect of Washington State’s Olympic Mountains.

map of Victoria with walking routes from the cruise terminal

Victoria has a lot more to do than can be done in the average cruise ship visit. Since the ships usually come in fairly late some things are closed or too far to get to by public transportation in the available time. Booking an excursion through the ship is often the way to go if there is something specific you want to see or do there, particularly if it is far from town like Butchart Gardens or only open at that time for booked excursions as is often the case for tea at the Empress Hotel. You do not need to book an excursion to see the Empress from the outside, or to walk around inside and visit the shops. Some other shops around town stay open at least through the earlier evening hours and it’s easy enough to get to town for people who just want to look around on their own with the shuttles and taxis at the port for anyone who doesn’t want to walk into town.

Craigdarroch Castle, Victoria BC, Canada

Cruise Ship Excursions in Victoria

Excursions offered by cruise ships visiting Victoria include a walking tour, Butchart & Butterfly gardens, city highlights, museums, lighthouse, whale watching, parliament buildings, high tea, horse-drawn carriage tour, Craigdarroch Castle & brewery tours.

Parliament Building in Victoria

More Blogs About Victoria

Craigdarroch Castle, Victoria Harbour Ferries, Port Stop in Victoria, Princess in Victoria

Posted in Canada, Holland America, Oosterdam, Port Cities, Ports of Call | Tagged British Columbia, Canada, things to do in Victoria, Vancouver Island, Victoria, Victoria cruise ship port | 1 Comment

Cruise Stories

Kennedy Space Center

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Exploring Kodiak

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Hits and Misses on Holland America Oosterdam

Oosterdam Hits and Misses

Hits on Holland America Oosterdam

Misses on Holland America Oosterdam

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Kodiak Cruise Ship Port

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Food on Holland America Veendam

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Double Glacier Visit to Glacier Bay

More Glacier Blogs

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Dinner At The Captain’s Table

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Décor on Carnival Magic

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Victoria Cruise Ship Port

Victoria, British Columbia

Cruise Ship Excursions in Victoria

More Blogs About Victoria

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