North to Alaska!
05.06.2026 Big Sam left Seattle*
Gloucester to Vancouver
Hey Now! Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends. Come inside, come inside. The adventure of a lifetime lurks within these virtual walls. My dear Sweet Ti and I are celebrating the completion of our 70th trip around the sun. And what better way than to celebrate than to knock a couple of items off our bucket list. We fandangled a couple of casino comp from the Blue Chip Club for a seven day Northbound cruise from Vancouver to Seward and a 7 day Southbound cruise from Seward back to Vancouver on the Celebrity Summit. And in the same cabin to boot! We booked a couple of days in Vancouver to poke around before the cruise. It sounds like a beautiful place.
We left from RIC as usual. We booked the flight thru Delta but a leg of each way is on a Westjet aircraft.
On time departure and I have upgraded us to Comfortably Numb class. Dreams do come true as we score an empty middle seat for this leg.
We have a quick turn around in ATL but have informed Delta about our Sweet Ti's mobility issues and are met at our gate by a cheerful mobility assistant who was a banshee behind a wheelchair. I ran after. We made it in record time , coronary notwithstanding.
Dream deja vu! Yet another ghost in the middle. We are in Extended Comfort whatever that means. But there's tons of room and these Canadians are so darn friendly. We settle in for an Extended Comfort Journey. It turns out to be even more extended as there are strong head winds and it takes us almost 6 hours to get to Vancouver.
We slept in between the quality Westjet service calls. Free booze too!! Gotta make your own entertainment though.
The approach to Vancouver was spectacular over the water. Skyscrapers as far as the eyes can see. This place is spread out. There were golf carts awaiting our arrival. A fine Canadian chap drove us thru the beautiful terminal complex and the various customs stops. He took us just about all the way to the Sky Train station stopping along the way to grab our luggage and one of their FREE CARTS.
They make this city very accessible. Our hotel is right next to the 4th station on the line. We card thru the turnstiles and are whisked away. Next stop: Bridgeport. We hop off and make our way to our home for the next 2 days.
It's only a bit after noon here. The front desk has no line to speak of. Our room is ready in the west tower. Sweet!
Very tidy and clean. Nice consumables from the coffee and tea selection with the requisite electric tea kettle to the bathroom products.
Marina view is pushing it a bit. They are actually in the middle of a large project here on the Fraser River.
Damage from a Massive fire in 2024
Getting the lay of the land at this resort. There's a buffet but only on the weekends. A fancy Asian resturant, a Ramsey steak joint, and the food court in the casino. We opt for the food court and get some food to go. While I waited for our food, I stopped by the player's club and signed up. $20. fsp. Then I hit up the cashier and exchanged $300. USD for $430. CAD. I was informed that they would honor that exchange rate for that much money for the next 12 hours only. I thought it was kinda strange. I also hit this...
Pretty decent food at not terrible CAD prices. Nice employees too. Everyone is very polite and friendly. Sweet Ti napped while I gamboled.
Up and down etc. I recognized the majority of the slots, many were either Canadian or Australian. Very few VP machines. Well it's been a long day but we are safely ensconced in a foreign land and our adventure awaits!
05.07.026 In the year of ninety-two*
Granville Island
Hey Now! Welcome to a beautiful 8°morning. Whatever that means. It's interesting watching the Canadian Weather Channel here. They cover everything from Alberta to Nome Alaska. It's looking pretty good for the next 2 weeks weather wise. Maybe not so much way up around Seward, but time will tell. Today we are touring Granville Island. But first things first. I mosey down to Starbucks for some Coffee Elizabeth. Well that ain't happening. There's several events going on here and the crowds are out. So I hit the food court in the casino for some free coffee and some delicious pastries. Way cheaper than Starbucks too.
nice robes here....
The weather is here! We pack for bear and take off on our self guided excursion. Much cheaper than Viator. From our room to the train in less than 8 minutes. Again, clean and efficient. We even had someone give up their seat so Sweet Ti could sit.
Next stop Main Street Station. We hopped off there and elevated up. I had absolutely no sense of direction as we emerge.
Not being able to see the Science World building or the waterfront gives me pause, but as we are obviously lost beyond belief a friendly local shows us the way. Follow the signs- you just must know where to look!!
Canadian Goose. Literally.
It's a rather pleasant walk down to the river. This entire area was one of the sites of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. The Olympic Village was here too. The architecture is really impressive. Just as it is all over this town.
After our lovely morning stroll along the waterfront we came to The Village ferry stop. Awaited the next False Creek ferry to arrive and purchased a couple of day passes from today's local,Captain Derrick. He just handed us a handful of paper tickets. Off we go. Derrick is Polish but has lived here in Vancouver for many years. He's been a Captain for 8 years. Na Zdravie!
It's a really gorgeous morning on the water. We change ferries at Granville Island ferry dock and continue on.
Final stop: The Vancouver Maritime Museum. There were some beautiful old sailboats being tended to on the dock.
Sweet Ti even found a book to read at the Little Library there.
We paid our admission and were informed there was a guided tour of the R.C.M.P. St. Roch starting soon. We queue up.
It's incredible the hardships these brave sailors faced in the Bering Sea. Afterwards we toured the rest of the museum.
Great museum. We hit the gift shop on the way out and made sure to thank them for everything. Next stop: The Public Market.
Granville Island is a cultural and artistic hub in the heart of Vancouver. Sounds like a press statement because it is. We got off the ferry and moseyed around a bit. The Public Market itself is huge! We were starving at this point and found our way to the food court. We grabbed a couple of slices of pizza and finally found a seat. The place is completely mobbed.
yum! bombed!
I noticed a lady was having trouble opening her water bottle and so I bopped over and helped her out.
She and her husband will figure in later on during this saga....
After a bit more poking around we made our way back to the ferry and asked the captain if there was any way that he knew for us to have a bit of a shorter walk back to a train station. He recommended the Yaletown ferry dock. " The walk to the station is much shorter " By jove, the man was right!
Every town has to have an Umbrella Street
Yaletown Station
And back home in short order. What a wonderful way to spend the day in such a lovely place. Sweet Ti crashes for a bit while I hit the casino for an early evening session.
Roll 'em Jimmy......
I asked a slot attendant about food comps earned for play. She looked at me like I was crazy. So I strolled over to the player's club and inquired there. No dice. But I have earned 35. in free play. Good enough. So I played that thru and next went to the cashier with my TITO and around 85. CAD to exchange into USD. Well boy howdy! Now I know why they did that whole receipt thingy as all about when I exchanged the money to begin with. They do not exchange back otherwise. So I ended up playing away the CAD. Then I ordered some dinner and retired upstairs to eat and pack. It's been a whirlwind journey so far. And we are just getting this thing started!!!!
05.08.2026 With George Pratt his partner*
Leaving Vancouver
Hey Now! Coffee Elizabeth and then we begin our trek across Vancouver to Canada Place. We check out and haul our load over to the train station.
Seeing as it's a Friday the subway is faily packed. Sweet Ti finds a seat while I attempt to stabilize 3 pieces of luggage from flying around the train car. Not made any easier with the jackrabbit starts and stops every few minutes, But we finally arrive at the Waterfront station. Now to find our way to Canada Place. This should be interesting especially after yesterday. At street level we follow other travelers with luggage.
We are approached by a friendly dude who comments on my Grateful Dead hat, pins, and patches. He is today's local, Yosef.
"I'll take your picture"
Thanks Yosef
Yosef has lived all over the world but says he always ends up back here. Something special about this place. He shows us a cut thru to save us a bit of walking over to the cruise port. We arrive and are sent down thru the parking garage. Strange. We find the luggage drop.
We go thru several suggestive lines including customs. Then we get tantalizingly close to our ship.
And then back inside for more line segregation. Finally to the last line and eventual embarkation.
Take us sailing James!!
Room 6024
So we had this same cabin on our West Indies Sorcery trip a couple of years ago. But that was before the big Summit refit. The biggest upgrade we spot right away is the power plug to the left of the bed. New panels on the walls too. Otherwise, pretty much the same room.
Such a beautiful cruise port. Just way too spread out. We walkabout the ship and try and find the upgraded surprises.
gumdrops!!
Sailaway
Love going under bridges!
On our way thru the Strait of Georgia
As we leave Vancouver and the shelter of land the weather started to pick up. Looks like a rock and roll evening. Back at our cabin, we meet Sharon, our room attendant for the next 14 days. Sharon is from the Philippines and writes down the few things that we ask for. I love it when they pay enough attention to you to write things down. Distilled water, Ti's birthday celebration, etc. We signed up for the Go Green program and made sure she knew. A fat tip always helps. She's a sweetheart. But enough of this. Time to gamble!
I do like what they have done
to my car! casino. Fewer slots means more room and they
rearranged the pit and put the poker tourny table over in the art gallery next
door along with several slots. They outgrew the original footprint of the place.
There are 8 VP machines with back to back o each side of the casino on the
aft end of the joint. While I was playing Paul, the casino host came up and
actually greeted me by name. "We appreciate our Sapphire players" Well
I will be sure to leave lots of hundys about the place. Nice guy.
781 tier points.
05.09.2026 And brother Billy too*
Inner Passage
Hey Now! Rock and roll ship! I head out to El Bacon (Café al Bacio) with my handy dandy carrier......
Mr. Handy
The envy of the El Bacon crowd!
We have also ordered the continental breakfast and enjoy our repast. And for desert it's Bonine all around. Then we lay around in bed and got into the rhythm of the waves. Hopefully this won't last too long but the weather farther north doesn't look but so promising. But the world always looks better after a nap. I let Sharon know we are hanging tight for the morning and she said to tell Madam Happy Birthday. A bit of background, Sweet Ti's birthday was in April, and mine is later in May. We both turned 70. Might as well celebrate on a ship. Sharon gives me a wink. We awaken refreshed and fully Meclazined. We decide on a Cosmo lunch. Lower deck than the buffet.
3 to 6 meters
barf bags none for me thanks!
New and improved El Bacon !
We finally found a leeward shore and the seas calmed down a bit. We moseyed on over to the Casino....
We take a break and scoot back to the room . And what's all this???
Happy 70th Sweet Ti Darling!!!
1602 tier points
Stretch and friends
05.10.2026 They crossed the Yukon River*
Ketchikan
Hey Now! Happy Mother's Day Sweet Ti. Shh- don't wake her up. I awaken early as today holds a dream for me. I've been a fly fisherman my entire life. Hence flysrb! I always dreamed of fishing for an maybe catching a trout or salmon in Alaska. Well today that dream becomes a reality. The fishing aspect anyway. I have hired a guide to take me out today. But that's not for a couple of hours yet.
Looks like we are getting a front row center berth here in Ketchikan
Well since I've got a couple of hours till the meet up I join the crowds at the buffet. We really don't like the layout and were hoping they would change it but nope. The stations are so fa apart and with the kitchen in the middle of everything you have to walk all the way around the ends to get to the other side. One interesting aspect of this ship is the distribution of the elevators. The Silhouette class ships are actually bigger, they have only 2 sets of elevators. Whereas the Millennium ships such as the Summit have 3 sets of elevators. The ones to the aft of the ship are actually inside the buffet area. Strange. Great if your room is back there. Got that killer bacon here tho.
Paul from Cali
competition
I had plenty of bacon and descended to grab Mr. Handy and did the Coffee Elizabeth El Bacon. I also added some Spa Calf (Café)- a fruit plate and avacado toast. When I return to our room Ti is sort of awake so I wish her Happy Mother's Day and I butler her with pleasure. I had a card laid out for her and she opened it and swooned. Or some such. Pretty soon my phone goes off. It's my guide who introduces himself as today's local, Tappen. We make arrangements to meet at the statue beside the dock. I ask Tappen how many people are in our group. "Just you and me". Perfect! Well, it's raining lightly and it's supposed to do this on and off all day. At least it's in the mid 50's. I put of plenty of clothes. A kiss for luck and I'm off! "I'll probably be the only dude in waders and I drive a beat up green jeep" said Tappen.
Ketchikan is just like you would picture an Alaska frontier town. Or at least what I had pictured in my mind. There's a large parking lot and I spot the green jeep pulling in. Just slightly beat up. Out pops our Tappen and sure enough, waders. We shake hands and I hop in and we head over to The Hook Up Fly Shop. Along the way we get to know each other a little. Tappen is in his 20's. He's named after a bridge.
Tappen lives the rest of the year in Maryland. He guides there too. He studied biology and worked in that field for awhile. Wanderlust must have taken over. This his second year of guiding up here. I tell him that I would love to catch a trout on a dry fly. He tells me I'm about 3 weeks too early. But the good news is that the steelhead are running in Ward Creek. Seems that when they return there to spawn it drives the other trout up into Ward Lake for a bit. Steelhead huh? They are endangered here so it's all catch and release. At the fly shop I'm given a pair of stocking foot waders , boots, a wading staff, and full water bottle.My fly vest draws lots of attention as it's covered in dead patches. Tappen's Mom followed the Dead and Company on tour years ago. Go figure. Let's do this thing!
We drive a few miles towards Ward Cove. I notice there's at least one boat in just about every yard. The houses are of every description from mobile homes to mountain châteaus. We turn off onto a small road and commence to gain altitude. After a couple of miles we turn around in a small parking lot and stop at a pull off along the road. We are here. Tappen pulls out a fairly large rod. Immediately I spot a problem. It's strung right handed. I mentioned to Tappen that I was left handed back in the shop but in all the hustle and bustle he may not have heard. I can live with it. We take off down the trail to the creek. It's a temperate rainforest. Beautiful and very wet.
Tappen picks out a promising spot and we enter the creek. The water isn't too deep but it's moving with incredible force.
Master guide
He rigs me up with an egg pattern that he tied last night and a strike indicator.
So I'm basically bobber fishing. It takes me a while to get the hang of it and it ain't pretty. I manage to catch a stickleback (tree) or two. I finally get my roll cast to where I can put the indicator more or less where Tappen instructs me to. Then I feel something. Tappen sez "Set the hook!" I set the hook. The water erupts as the fish jumps completely out of the water. "Put him on the reel!!" About the time I get the slack line back on the reel the fish takes off downstream. Incredibly powerful fish! Tappen tells me to try and keep him away from shore. Easier said than done. Doing everything wrong handed doesn't help. But I keep him away from shore and reel him in close enough so that Tappen can net him. "Her". What? "It's a her. Female steelhead." I receive handling instructions.
action Jim!
she had enough!
Hey Now! That was just so thrilling. Tappen said she was a smaller one too. I can only imagine. We head upstream and our guide has designs on crossing the creek- probably to make it easier for me to cast left handed. But I got halfway across and called it off. I'm done. Just too much current for this aged Hippie. We head back to the car.
Tappen Crash Eisendrath and Robert the Bruce
What a great morning. Tappen whips out a nifty bag for me to change out of my waders on and we head down the mountain and into town.
He drops me off back at the dock and I slip him a little something and we share a hug. I highly recommend The Hook Up Fly Shop.
I am cold and wet and ready for a hot shower. But at least it's stopped raining. I notice quite a line to get back on the ship and finally realize that they have stopped embarkation for now as they are moving the platforms due to the changing tides.
Our on the spot reporter Jimmy James gives us this:
While I'm waiting I text our Sweet Ti to give her an update. She informs me she's shopping at Tongass Trading Company here in town. I meet her there and it's huge! This business is one of the originals here in Alaska. Besides souvenirs they are a frontier general store. We donate our share to the local economy and make our way back onboard our fine vessel.
another sailaway
We dined at the buffet and danced he night away gambled.
2179 tiers
Incredible day and this here trip is just heating up!!!!
05.11.2026 And they found the bonanza gold*
Sitka
Hey Now! We traveled more or less northwest overnight and made our way to Sitka Sound Cruise Terminal. It's several miles from town.
It's cloudy but not too cold. Hopefully it will clear up later. I do my usual C.E. routine and we make our plans for the day. I made shuttle reservations a month ago, but seing how we are the only ship currently docked here, I don't think this will be a problem. We head out.
Nice facility they have here but the walk from the ship to the actual terminal is rather brutal. Quite a hike.
We bypass the souvenir and timeshare salesmen and head straight for the busses. The queue isn't too bad and we are soon stuffed inside what for all intents and purposes is a school bus. For elementary kids. After we are seated our driver does her tour guide routine and apologizes for the bus size. Apparently since there are only 14 miles of drivable roads they need to keep the vehicles as compact as possible. Sounds reasonable if a bit sketchy. She points out the sights along the way including tales from the local Sea Mart. We arrive at Harrington Centennial Hall and we go in.
We look aound. There's some nice exhibits and we decide to check out the Sitka History Museum. It gives a nice representation of the history of the area from the first inhabitants thru the 2nd World War. Including when the Russians claimed the territory as theirs. There's still quite a Russian presence here even after all these years. We leave there are make the walk over to St. Michael's Cathedral. It's beautiful inside and has an amazing display of religious artifacts.
And just to kinda even things out we went across the street to the Sitka Lutheran Church and bought some popcorn from today's local, some dude from South Dakota. He and his wife are spending the summer here in Sitka volunteering their time and talents at the church. He makes and sells the popcorn, and she conducts tours of the sanctuary and history of the church. What a kind way to spend a summer. Then we did some souvineering and started back to the shuttle busses. We tried a short cut back thru an alley but when we tried to cross Harbor Drive we got popped by the jaywalking cops. Gotta walk way on down to the intersection. Yes Sir Deputy Fife!. We got into the queue for the kindergarten shuttle. We scored a seat up front this time on account of Sweet Ti's mobility issues. A touch more room up here. Back at the port there was a 4x4 Mule awaiting for the mobility compromised crowd. We hitched a ride. The only way to travel!
We have company!
We ate at the Mast Grill and went down to the room for a well earned nap. After sailaway we popped that wine and watched Kruzof Island pass by. Cheers! Of course I didn't imbibe. Now if Captain George can just get us into international waters.....
We actually ate at the Cosmo this evening. The Maitre d' even asked "Where have you been?". We scored a window table and are ably attended to by Rischel and Reddy.
I recommend the Lamb. Doesn't matter which of the Celebrity ships we have been on. Trust me on this one. A couple sat next to us and as soon as they sat down Sweet Ti said to the lady "Hey! I know you! My husband opened your bottle of water in the Public Market on Granville Island". I would have never remembered. But I found the photo proving it!
Carol and Allen from Tulsa
I swear the chances of
this rendezvous' actually happening are pretty crazy. But we had a grand old
time getting to know each other. What a nice couple. We figured we would see
them around the ship. I regret to say this didn't turn out to be the case. After
dinner we repaired to the cabin and I went to the gym and worked
out. gamboled. Brutal. I never got a 4OAK all evening. And as he
was serving me our favorite waiter Apri said to me- "You leave your wife in
the room every night! " Everybody's a stand up comic. 2524 points.
05.12.2026 Below that old White Mountain*
Juneau
Hey Now! As we cruise further North the sun rises earlier with each passing day. And setting later. Very cool. I do my usual 2 step Coffee Elizabeth and allow our Sweet Ti to get a bit more sleep. Meanwhile the scenery going by is frilling beautiful!
We broke our fast on the veranda as we prepared to tender here in Juneau. It's a beautiful day. 58º.
What a beautiful capital city Juneau is. We are enjoying the fine morning and watching as they launched the tenders. This is the first time the Summit is doing this circuit for this season. Looks to be a first time pilot on one of them. They practice bringing her in but it's tough with these tides running the way they do. After a few tries they release the hounds and start their ferry service. We are joined by today's local, Carry the crow. Carry was very loudly busking for breakfast, flying from deck to deck and railing to railing.
He's got a passion for cookies.
Right James??
We also watched the HA Noordam, Discovery Princess, the Norwegian Bliss and another Norwegian ship docked. No wonder we have to tender. So this town doubles in size today. Sweet Ti is not going to try and do the tender waltz so I'm going into town a bit later. They only are using 2 tenders, so it's a slow process. They call out tender queue numbers for 2 hours. That's okay- this just came.
So apparently they are expanding the Seward cruise terminal and it's not quite ready for prime time. Therefore we aren't doing our turn around there. We're headed to Whittier instead. Well that certainly changes quite a few things. First of all I need to cancel our Glacier and Whale watching trip with Major Marine. So I get on the phone with them and they couldn't have been any nicer. Especially since they are depend on that trade. But they cheerfully refunded our money and gave me the name of an outfit in Whittier that does excursions. But I checked and they don't kick off their season till next week. We were really looking forward to this but these things happen. We aren't gonna let this setback rule the day. Meanwhile I've got a destination in mind here in Juneau. It's a couple of blocks from the pier but it looks prett easy to get to. They finally quit announcing tender departure numbers so now's my chance. I catch a ride in short order.
Take us there please James!
Quick trip, and once I get my bearing I'm on my way thru the crowds. It's just abut what I pictured it would be here. Some wooden boardwalks and some concrete. The place is hopping.
Nice local farmers. Bargain pricing too. Maybe if we weren't on a cruise ship I'd be a better customer. Today, I bought some stickers.
So in late April 2026, there was an accident on the Goldbelt Tram. Not that you could ever get either of us on a tram anyway. Last time I checked (July 2026) the tram was still closed. I believe they found more damage than originally thought. 2026 certainly isn't starting out the best as far as being a moneymaker for the Alaskan economy. Plus the weather is supposed to close in this evening too.
We took our dinner at Cosmo and retired to the room and binged on BBC Mysteries. Didn't even gambol!
05.13.2026 Just a little southeast of Nome*
Icy Straight Point
Hey Now! Well it's cloudy and chilly this morning. 46º. We docked early and I ran my errands. So Icy Strait Point is an "Alaska cruise destination" whatever that is. It's owned by the Huna Toten Corporation. It serves the Hoonah area. It's also a great place to spot marine mammals and we hope to see some today. It's not too foggy which is good. We go topside.
Where Whales!!!!
There whales!!!
Here's the thing. Just scope out wherever the excursion boats are hovering and there will be whales there. I spotted some activity near a couple of boats but way far away to point out to Ti. They looked to be Orcas. Later I also spotted an otter swimming by our veranda but I didn't get a shot.
We went into the Sky Lounge to get out of the rain and stumbled upon a game activity that was just getting underway. They were desperate for contestants. AND they had a crew there to film it for training purposes. Why not?
Professor Gizmo's Science Experiment Fiasco!
It's supposed to be teams competing against each other but there's only 1 team. Sweet Ti, 2 other passengers, a couple of crew members and me. Nobody here has ever played this. Including the crew. It's a sleuth game as you are given problems to solve. Very complicated problems. Set up a bit too cutely. Everyone is lost. We lost the other 2 passengers in short order. Then the film crew lost interest. A full 45 minutes we spent on the problems. I think we got 2 right. It was a mess!! We whiled away the afternoon and chilled till casino time.
Insert Coin
Take me to the bridge J. J.!!
tier total so far: 3166
05.14.2026 Sam crossed the Majestic mountains*
Hubbard Glacier
Hey Now! The weather is here! Not the best either. Especially for glacier watching. But our veranda does it's best. Brrrrrr!!!
Memories please Jim
Because of the weather we stop our approach quite a ways from the face of the glacier. Well, there's always next week. Still an awesome experience. Next up is a "Consecutive cruisers gathering" in the theater.
Of course they had laid out sparkling wine for the event. Sweet Ti stayed in the room. She had a small bout of vertigo earlier but she warded it off thanks to quickly jumping into bed and keeping very still. Our instructions for turnaround day were pretty simple. Especially if you weren't planning on leaving the ship too early for excursions. Not a problem now! Should be a piece of cake. Time to gambol!!
BOOM!!!!
Time to do my favorite thing
Hit it Jimmy!!!
I left most of those in Ti's custody and went back to work...
Mo' Money James!!
And some random line hit Jimbo!
What an incredible run! I kept cashing out nice sized tickets. After a while I called it and went up to Make it rain on Sweet Ti...Again!!
6518 tiers final total for the first leg
05.15.2026 To the valleys far below*
Seward Whittier
Hey Now! Turn around day here in very beautiful Whittier. So unlike most of the passengers aboard who are fixin' to leave we are just hanging out. So we watch 'em pull this monster into place.
A bit of background. This place has quite a story. In 1941 the Army built a secret military base here which included the Buckner building and the Begich Towers. Both are still here and the Begich Towers houses most of the town's residents.
Roll it J.J.!
Our only requirements for us for the turnaround are to go by the muster station and stop by the Cosmo to surrender our old Sea Pass cards and pick up our new ones. Done and done.
We had a very nice Cosmo lunch
After, I decided to do a souvenir run. This should prove to be interesting. There's not a whole lot around here.
Luggage shuffle
It's another really long walk to the Chugach Glacier Cruise Terminal
Not a kiosk in sight
They do offer a shuttle into town as it's pretty much too far to reasonably walk. After a minute I figured out where to wait and joined a couple on the side of the building and commenced to wait. They are supposed to run pretty often. In time a black short bus pulls up and the driver steps out. He's the manager of the terminal and it seems as though they are having trouble finding drivers for the shuttle. Seems reasonable considering the Summit isn't supposed to be here. Eventually we take off.
The bus lets out it's meager load and I set about my exploration.
Prettier in Whittier
or maybe not...
I'm interested in going downtown, and apparently this is my route under the railroad yard .
There's really nothing much around here with the exception of the Prince William Sound Museum. I went inside.
Play somebody else's video please Jimmy....
Very interesting museum. They certainly pack a lot of facts and artifacts in this space inside a general store. Must see!
Back over in the Marina I strolled about looking for an open shop. I found Log Cabin Gifts. There's a reindeer stable next door.
Today's local, the indigenous owner of the place was sitting with her dog in a pickup and moseyed on over as I was looking over her stock. Lots of stuff here. Many small carved animals. Made locally. She greeted me and when I asked after the local craftsmen she she replied "Our winters are very long". Her prices were very reasonable too. I bought our Stretch some new friends and thanked her for being open. I walked over to the marina boardwalk and stopped by the other couple of shops that were open. It's such an incredible setting here surrounded by mountains.
I ran out of Marina and waited for a shuttle bus to happen by sitting on a guardrail next to Whittier Creek. There was a fair amount of local traffic including several pickups pulling boat trailers. Looked like they were getting ready to launch them at the boat ramp. It's a bit after noon on a Friday. Even with 2 ships in port there's just about no one walking around here. I finally flag down the short bus and jump in the front seat and have a chat with the cruise port manager. He said that he knows the owner of the company in charge of the Seward Cruise Terminal construction and doubts if they will have the project finished before June. Turned out he was right as it didn't open till June 10, 2026. Back at the terminal the crowds have thinned out which is good seeing as they had me go thru customs.
getting quite the collection!
We enjoyed another Cosmo dinner and were seated next to a different couple and had a nice chat. There was a band playing in the Rendezvous Lounge and we ran into Tracy and Karen and sat down for a drink. Well we had soda and tea and they had drinks. I had been playing VP on and off with Tracy. Karen we had not met yet. They are from Alberta. Swinging Divorcees they are. Tracy does love her Da Vinci Keno. We left them to their cups and strolled back to the room for sailaway. I was awesome. Still not used to the views...
incredible
Time to insert coin. Since today is the start of a brand new cruise, my points balance is back to 0. I did earn the 6500 point instant cruise certificate for a veranda room and 750 free slot play on the just ended cruise. And for this leg I have a nice fresh 500. in free slot play to use and abuse! If it ever gets loaded....
Hit us up please Mr. Jim!!
Hey Now!!!!
Helluva evening! 1034 points! small profit!
05.16.2026 He talked to his team of huskies*
Hubbard Glacier/ Cruising
Hey Now! Good Morning! I think we have shaken the bad weather. It's a gorgeous day out. Today ought to make up for our drive by last week. Plus today's viewing is in the early afternoon so there's that. We just chill out in the room for a late breakfast. On my way to El Bacon I was looking for ducks as usual, and found the mother lode! We ended uo keeping some and re-hiding some.
Then the closer we got to the Hubbard, the chillier the outside temperature got.
On our way in we had to wait for a Princess ship the exit the area. I spotted a group of Elephant seals. Hard to see them in the photos.
Wow!!!
We got so much closer this time. It's just hard to fathom that the Hubbard is so big! Today's local, Milos Radakovich is the naturalist on the ship for the season. We have been checking out his lectures on the boob tube. He's really an interesting speaker. They have him doing play by play piped into the ship's PA system and supposedly on channel 1. Only the PA is working and we can't hear it on the Veranda. No problem. The Captain did the obligatory 360 so that everyone got a good close up view of the glacier, we got back underway. Amazing experience. We ordered room service and enjoyed a bit of _ _ _ _ . Just another lovely day in the wilderness. Life is Good.
Insert coinage
Boom!
3073 pts.
But they still haven't uploaded the free slot play. "Computer issues"
05.17.2026 As he mushed on through the snow*
Juneau
Hey Now! Welcome back my friends. Here on the southbound route they changed things up a bit. We get into Juneau much later in the morning than last week. Seems to be norm for this leg. So that means we get a short gambling window this morning which is quite unusual for a port day. They are pretty sneaky about these things. Always check the daily planner for opening times. I butler our two step fast breaker and am down at the VP machines by opening bell. There's only 8 VP machines here, but very few serious players. I.C.
We are at the AJ Dock which is the furthermost pier from downtown Juneau. They so have shuttles for $5 round trip but we aren't going ashore today. Good thing too because the weather is spitting rain on and off. The temperature is around 58°. Buffet time.
Outstanding breads every day.
Other than the fact that we don't like the layout of the buffet, the offerings and service was first rate. As long as the crowds were at bay, we did enjoy several meals there. Another tip: you can order whole pizzas that you can take back to the room. Extra anchovies please!
The Solarium frillin' rocks on port days. We pretty much had the place to ourselves. The water was perfect!
Since the casino doesn't open till 10 p.m. This was the perfect afternoon for a nice long nap.
Insert coin!
And let's head on over to our cameraman James!!
Still no free slot play. Getting all kinds of excuses tho..
4k tier points
05.18.2026 With the northern lights a-runnin' wild*
Skagway
Hey Now! This our first time being in this neck of the woods. We actually do have a shore excursion booked here. This one was through the cruise line. The White Pass and Yukon Route railway. Now when we first looked at taking one of the rail tours out of Skagway it's a bt intimidating. There's one way trips, longer trips, shorter trips, and everything. We went with the round trip where you just stay on the train the whole time. We got a fairly early start on the day and went up for a buffet and to watch as the ship pulled into port.
We grabbed our stuff from the room and headed over to the theater where we met the rest of our group, 31. Looking out over the harbor we spotted a couple of sets of railroad tracks that have lines around them. Who knows where our train is. Plus there's 5 ships docked in Skagway At the approved time we paraded thru the ship and down to the departure level. Once we cleared the ship it was just a short walk down the length of the ship to the awaiting train just yards from the ship. We showed our tickets and grabbed the rear seat of one of the vintage rail carriages and we're off!
The railroad does a superb job maintaining everything. Now, the seats are a bit tight for some of us 21st century folks, but they are authentic. We past thru the outskirts of town and our spanking new guide enlightens us as we make our way up the mountain.
We passed the border and started our big turn around loop
Into the Abyss please Jim!!
Hey Now! What an incredible train trip. I would absolutely recommend this trip. We decided to depart at the train station and walk back to the ship through town. We found a likely souvenir shop- Skagway Trading Company. Really great selection and the prices weren't too outrageous. And... they carried old fashioned buttons. We grabbed a sweet old school peace sign one and this:
It was a pleasant walk back to the ship. This is a great little town.
They obviously have a talented pastry crew.
We enjoyed an early buffet and sail away. We spotted a pod of Orcas much too far away for photos and many many flocks of sea ducks.
When we move in, we really move it.
Insert coin
This VP streak is insane. But they still haven't given out the free play!
5009 tier points
05.19.2026 In the land of the midnight sun*
Icy Strait Point
Hey Now! It's a take it easy kind on day. There's not much we really want to see here. Well, except for maybe some whales. The usual suspects, we are docked in the same spot as last week. We break our fast on the Verandah.
It's about 60º. Them we mosey on down to the Solarium. We had it just about all to ourselves. That's what I'm talking about. The only company is the whale watchers who are looking out the windows. Like me. I brought out the binoculars and the monopod.
It didn't take long to spot some. Just follow the excursion boats. I walked over to the Sky Lounge and joined the crowd.
Action J.J.!!!
We ate lunch in the Spa Cafe and soaked in the pool water and hot tub. What a life! Then, of course, it was nap time. Then it's back to work at the old salt mine. As I was awaiting opening time, today's local, Paul the Casino Host popped by and gave me the latest update on the missing free slot play. Apparently they can see the free play on the affected accounts, but it doesn't show up on the machines.
Boom!!
Fire and Water please Mr. James......
6523 points
I earned another 6500 instant certificate. Still no free play. 2 days left in the cruise.
05.20.2026 Yes Sam McCord was a mighty man*
Ketchikan
Hey Now! We took one look out this morning as we were pulling into Ketchikan and went back to bed. Plus we are tendering today so screw that. We are full up with assorted ducks, otters, bears, more ducks, magnets, stickers, hats and t-shirts, not to mention a goose. So we won't be making a surprise visit to Tongass Trading Company.
Practice makes perfect.
We pulled out at the prescribed time and watched as the pilot ship came in. The Captain said the pilot will stay aboard till we get to Vancouver. I find things like that pretty darn interested. But then I am easily amused. How about it today's local, Jimmy????
We went to the Cosmo for dinner. Rishe finally got some large bottles of Aqua Panna still water in stock. I understand why so many passengers eat in the main dining room every night. They learn your preferences. We do enjoy eating here, but it really does take quite a while to get thru it. Like 90 minutes. Our attendant Sharon left another bottle of wine and a a birthday animal for my birthday. Nice!
I couldn't hit shit on VP. But they finally got the free play sorted. So at least I wasn't losing our money!
7064 points
05.21.2026 In the year of '91*
Inner Passage
Hey Now! This being our final day and a sea day to boot, we lounge against the machine in the room and try to figure out how the hell we got all of this stuff into our luggage!. Today's local, Sharon. stopped by and we hooked her up with a nice toke. Sharon is from the Philippines and is almost finished with her first contract and is ready to go home and see her family. Such a sweetheart.
Meanwhile, outside the scenery is magnificent!
We finally finished packing and hit the buffet. I made sure to stock up on cookies for the journey home. It's gonna be a long trip. Delta cancelled our connecting flight out of Detroit and we have to spend the night there. Not particularly interested in claiming our luggage and dealing with everything but that's just the way it is. In the casino I asked about any earned comps and Paul said he would take care of it. Meanwhile I turned my earned points- 7882 into 157. slot play. That earned me exactly 1 quad.
last hand of the trip!
05.22.2026 Where the river is windin', big nuggets they're a finding*
Hey Now! We ended up booking the cruise line shuttle back to YVR so we enjoyed one last El Bacon (and stashed more cookies) then showed up at the theater along with quite the crowd. They had their shit together and got us off the ship, thru customs, and on the buses in short order. We even got up front seats. The driver gave us quite the narration in the 40 minute drive there. In the airport Westjet had some issues with our bag tags but got it sorted and had wheelchair assistance. Canadians are the best. Another empty middle seat and excellent service to Detroit.
Deplaning in Detroit, Westjet had another wheelchair at the ready. We explained to the attendant that we needed to go talk to Delta customer service and he was on it. After we got there we cut him loose as we weren't sure what to expect. I got in the short line. At the desk I explained our situation and the fact that I had already booked a room and just needed a voucher for it and a couple of meals. Our flight leaves at 10 a.m. in the morning. She asks " Well, we can do that, but wouldn't you rather fly into RIC tonight? I have seats available leaving in an hour." Yes please!! We didn't even have to mess with our luggage. Till we got to RIC that was. Quick flight and we were back in VA. And safely back to our screaming felines. What a trip! What a journey!! What an experience!!! And with that my friends, I bid you all farewell- for now that is. Thanks for playing along with us.
Hey Now!
North to Alaska, by Mike Philips and Tillman Franks
