Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
Nov 23 ~ Day #197
Budget to date
Spent today
Total to date
Daily average
Total
$19700
$15.00
$17041.71
$86.51
Miles by Road
Miles by Sea
Miles by Air
Miles by Train
Total Miles
16084.6
12056.7
7662
196
35999.3
We Did It!
When we began this adventure we set ourselves a challenge. To complete this trip on an average of $100/day or less.
As you can see from the recap of our final totals, we not only met that challenge, we exceeded it.
We traveled for a total of 197 days on an average of $86.51/day. Not bad!
Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!
First we’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to all the friends and family we stayed with along the way. We could not have achieved our goal without your generous hospitality.
We have mentioned all of you in each appropriate blog post but we would like to thank you all once again. We couldn’t have done it without you.
Putting Things in Perspective
When we mention the mileage, the number of days, places visited, etc. sometimes things just become a blur and the true magnitude is not particularly clear. So, here we’re going to recap things and try to bring some perspective.
Mileage
The total miles traveled, including road, train, sea and air, was 35,999.3. Too bad we couldn’t have added just 0.7 of a mile more. That would have pushed us to an even 36,000 miles.
But, to put this mileage in perspective, the circumference of the earth, at the equator, is 24,901.55 miles.
That means we could have traveled around the globe almost one and a half times. Wow!
Days Traveled
I don’t think we actually calculated the number of days we were going to be traveling when we started this adventure.
Oh sure, we knew the day we were going to start. We also knew the day we were going to fly back home. Both were booked before we set out. But we didn’t actually take the time to calculate just how long the time in between those dates was.
Total number of days traveled = 197.
If you apply an average of 30 days to a month, then we traveled for a total of 6.6 months, more than half a year. Again – wow!
Cruises and More Included in the Trip
It seems amazing even to us what we were able to pack into this trip. Here’s a quick recap.
Cruises
Our trip included three cruises:
a two week Alaska cruise
a six day Greek Islands cruise
a two week TransAtlantic cruise
That’s a total of 34 days – more than a month – spent on cruise ships.
Narrowboats in the UK
We were able to spend an entire week on a narrowboat on the Trent/Mersey canal system in the UK.
Orlando and Disney
We spent two weeks in Orlando at two different timeshare resorts and spent time at more than one Disney theme park.
Landmarks Visited
Along the way we were fortunate to visit many landmarks both in North America and Europe.
Here’s a few:
United States
Carlsbad Caverns
Monument Valley
Grand Canyon
Canada
Victoria, British Columbia (a must-see)
Hell’s Gate, British Columbia
Columbia Ice Fields, Alberta
Banff and Jasper, Alberta
Lake Louise, Alberta
Terry Fox Monument, Thunder Bay, Ontario
Reversing Falls, New Brunswick
St. Andrews-By-The-Sea, New Brunswick
Confederation Bridge, between New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island
Birthplace of Canadian Confederation, Charlottetown, PEI
Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia
England
Buckingham Palace
Tower Bridge
Tower of London
British Parliament Buildings
Big Ben
British Museum
Stratford-Upon-Avon, birthplace of Shakespeare
Spain
La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona
Dénia Castle, Dénia
Portugal
Madeira, the home of Madeira wine
Greece
Santorini
Croatia
the old walled city of Dubrovnik
Italy
St. Mark’s Square, Venice
the ruins of Pompeii
the ruins of Paestum
the Amalfi Coast
And, I’m sure there are things we are forgetting. It’s time for us to go back and re-read all the posts we have made along the way and to review all the photos and videos we have as well.
This was the trip of a lifetime for us. We will continue to travel, of course, but it is unlikely that we will ever again take such an extensive trip. It was a great adventure but a very long time to be away from home.
We will continue to have, we hope, many, many more adventures. But, perhaps shorter ones this time.
Thank you to everyone who has followed along with us and to those who have made comments as well. It was a pleasure to share this adventure with you.
Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
June 18 ~Day #39
Budget to date
Spent today
Total to date
Daily average
Total
$3900
$48.70
$4955.39
$127.06
Miles by Road
Nautical Miles
Miles by Air
Miles by Train
Total Statute Miles
4917 + 64
3826 + 30
000
69
9484.40
Location: Chilliwack, BC
Mileage: 128 (Chilliwack to Vancouver and return)
Nautical Miles: 30 (Departure Bay (Nanaimo) to Horseshoe Bay (Vancouver)
Today’s Total Expenses: $48.70
Transportation: $27.70 (Ferry from Nanaimo to Vancouver)
Entertainment: $21.00 (Parking for Stanley Park, ferry to Granville Island)
BC Ferries
British Columbia has an amazing ferry system to service many of their communities.
This morning we were up early to catch the 8:30am ferry from Departure Bay in Nanaimo to Horseshoe Bay in Vancouver where my sister would be waiting to pick us up. We had a full day planned visiting Stanley Park, Granville Island and finishing up with a BBQ with my brother-in-law’s family.
The ferry crossing was pleasant and relaxing. I was hoping to see some wildlife along the way – whales in particular – but I would have settled for seals or dolphins, but it was not to be.
We felt the charge for the ferry was pretty reasonable. We only spent $27.70 for both of us and the trip was over 1-1/2 hours long and covered 30 nautical miles.
Stanley Park
My sister was waiting for us as we got off the ferry. She had brought our car, which we had left at their house while we were on the Alaska cruise.
We threw our stuff in the car and headed for Stanley Park. This is a huge park on a peninsula in downtown Vancouver. It boasts an aquarium, totem poles, many lookout points and more. I’m really not doing it justice with my description, so you should consider a visit here.
We drove through the park to get an idea of where we’d like to stop. We then found a parking spot and the parking pass was good for anywhere in the park which meant we could feel free to stop and explore wherever we wanted.
Our first parking spot was actually just outside the park but our pass covered that, too.
It was lunchtime so we stopped for lunch at a small Arabian restaurant for a Shwarma (I hope I’m spelling that right) plate. It was a plate of spiced chicken, rice, humus, tabouli and a pita bread. We couldn’t finish it all.
Granville Island
After walking the seawall in downtown Vancouver to work off some of our lunch it was off the Granville Island.
Granville Island is a mix of farmers market, boutique stores, entertainment, restaurants and more and is a “must see” when visiting Vancouver.
We were able to leave the car where we had parked it and take a cute little ferry to Granville Island.
While we were there we were able to meet up with our niece (who is expecting within a couple of weeks and simply cute as a button), her husband and their six Afghan hounds – that’s right, I said six and they are all amazingly beautiful.
Back to Stanley Park
After taking the little ferry back to where we had our car parked, we headed back into Stanley Park and made several stops throughout the park including one at the totem poles.
Wildlife Encounter
Finally! An up close and personal wildlife encounter.
Okay, it was only a raccoon with attitude, but it was exciting anyway.
Family BBQ
From there we headed, with the help of Madge (our GPS), to the family BBQ. It was lovely to meet many family members that we have not met before and to see a few that we hadn’t seen in more years than I care to mention.
The conversations were interesting, the food was great and there was most certainly lots of it. Many thanks to my brother-in-law’s family for including us in their get-together.
Today was a glorious day and we took full advantage of that.
Although the hotel we were staying at in Victoria – the Red Lion Inn – was a bit outside of the downtown area, we decided to walk into downtown anyway.
We had first thought we would get a day pass on the local bus system. The standard fare was $2.50 each and a day pass was $7.00. If we planned to “hop on and hop off” the local transit system then the day pass seemed like a good idea.
However, after speaking to a very helpful lady at the information kiosk in Mayfair Mall, we determined that it would likely be a very pleasant walk into Victoria. She told us she walked back and forth to work everyday and she lived in the downtown area.
Chinatown
I had really wanted to see Chinatown and it was right along the route as we walked into downtown.
I believe that this may be the oldest Chinatown in Canada. I seem to remember someone telling me that but I’m not 100% sure of that fact. If any of our readers know for sure, we’d love to hear from you.
Inner Harbour
The Inner Harbour, right in downtown Victoria, is a colourful and “happening” place.
All around the harbour are small cafés and pubs along with vendors selling their wares. There is also a large native component selling carvings, jewelry and other items that you simply must see.
In this vivacious downtown area you’ll also find a museum and Imax theatre, the Empress Hotel, the Provincial Parliament buildings, parks, a sea walk and so much more.
If you like to watch float planes, and we do, you can see them taking off and landing all day.
Fisherman’s Wharf
We had planned to stop at a pub and treat ourselves to lunch today but after looking at some of the menus it didn’t look like they had what Geoff would consider “authentic” pub fare, at least not at the ones we stopped at.
On top of that, they seemed pretty expensive as well and we have the budget to consider.
So, we just continued along the sea walk until we came to Fisherman’s Wharf. This is an eclectic collection of floating houses, restaurants and boats.
We had heard that there was a small restaurant called Barb’s Fish and Chips and we are always in search of the perfect fish and chips, so we headed there.
There was a huge line up to order so we figured it must be good if so many other people were willing to wait so long to place their orders.
We took our place in the line and while Geoff waited I wander over to the end of one of the docks to see a seal up close and personal. He stayed in the water but this was the closest I had been to any such wildlife. This was the kind of thing I was hoping to see on our Alaska cruise.
After placing our order at Barb’s, Geoff was given a small pager to hold on to and was told that when it went off that our order would be ready. So we chose a seat in the tented outdoor sitting area and waited hungrily for the beeper to go off.
Fish and Chips for Lunch
When Geoff went to pick up our waiting order he returned with two baskets piled high with fish, chips, tartar sauce and cole slaw.
We tucked in immediately and thoroughly enjoyed the best fish and chips that we’ve had in a very long time, and all in an amazingly interesting and pleasant setting. Neither of us could finish the entire meal. Well – okay – we only left a FEW chips each.
Wind Surfers
We continued our walk along the sea and just across from Beacon Hill Park we had the opportunity to watch some wind surfers on the ocean – all in wetsuits, of course.
We also sat on sun-warmed benches to rest and enjoy the day.
Beacon Hill Park
The day was starting to wane and it was time to think about getting back to our hotel and cooking dinner. We had selected an efficiency suite when booking our room.
To finish off our tour of Victoria we decided to walk through Beacon Hill Park before catching a local bus back to our hotel.
In this park there are many peacocks that actually roam free. We were able to get some awesome shots of these majestic birds.
We also passed a petting zoo where both the kids (baby goats) and kids (children) were having a great time playing with each other.
We then sauntered slowly towards Douglas Street (we were getting pretty slow at this point) to catch the local bus. Our total transportation cost for the whole day – $5.00!
We found Victoria to be a beautiful, well-kept city and would love to return here.
Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
June 09 ~Day #30
Budget to date
Spent today
Total to date
Daily average
Total
$3000
$222.76
$3949.66
$131.65
Miles by Road
Nautical Miles
Miles by Air
Miles by Train
Total Statute Miles
4917
2288 + 421 = 2709
000
000
8032.35
Today’s Total Expenses: $222.76
Krappy in Kodiak
If you’re on an Alaska cruise and Kodiak is not on your itinerary don’t worry about it you’re not missing anything. Kodiak is a fish processing port. Even the cruise director said it’s a fifteen minute walk into town, fifteen minutes to look around, fifteen minutes back and you’re done.
Just as well really cause I was still feeling pretty crappy. Just went back to the cabin and slept while Vicky worked on the computer.
By the time evening rolled around I was feeling much better but not ready to face a formal night. After years of living on a small island in the Bahamas I figure I’m dressed up if I’m wearing shoes.
Anyway we went to the Lido deck where jeans are OK and I managed to eat a little but really didn’t have much in the way of appetite.
Vicky was really looking forward to the Chocolate Buffet to be held at midnight. I’m sure she will have more to say about it tomorrow but it was not what we were expecting.
All the chef’s and culinary staff worked very hard to present an incredible desert extravaganza but it was mostly the same things we had seen for deserts other nights, just dressed up a little.
Tables had been placed all around the pool loaded with cakes, pastries, ice sculptures and chocolate fountains. Apparently it took 50 hours work to put it together and would take less than an hour to consume.
If I had been feeling more like myself I may have appreciated it more but all I could see in my mind were pigs at a trough. It is amazing just how much food some people can pile onto a small desert plate. I can’t help wondering how much gets wasted.
Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
June 06 ~Day #27
Budget to date
Spent today
Total to date
Daily average
Total
$2700
$222.76
$3277.38
$121.38
Miles by Road
Nautical Miles
Miles by Air
Miles by Train
Total Statute Miles
4917
1307 + 717 = 2024
000
000
7244.6
Location: At Sea
Daily Cruse Expense: $222.76
Heading for Anchorage
Today was another “at sea” day meaning that we are simply putting miles behind us in order to get to Anchorage tomorrow.
On this cruise we will have a total of three “at sea” days. The first, of course, was the Inside Passage, our first full day on the Amsterdam. The second is today as we head towards Anchorage and the third will be after we leave Juneau and head for Victoria, British Columbia where we will actually be disembarking. We want to spend more time in Victoria and then take the train up to Nanaimo to visit with my brother and sister-in-law before heading back to my sister’s in Chilliwack to pickup our car and start the eastward bound part of our North America trip.
Motion of the Ocean
For most of our voyage the seas have been fairly calm but have been a couple of days where we’ve had some significant waves. Certainly not what we would consider rough seas but enough to sometimes get the ship rocking a bit from side to side.
Neither Geoff nor I are particularly susceptible to seasickness but other people, including one of our dinner companions, were feeling the effects from time to time.
As you exit the main dining room each evening you are presented with a choice of mints, hard candies and crystallized ginger. Both of us have been indulging in the crystallized ginger and recommending to anyone who is a bit queazy because of the motion of the ship.
Ginger is wonderful for settling the tummy.
Entertainment Onboard
Each evening there is entertainment in the Queen’s Lounge, a large, two-storey theatre at the bow of the ship. There are two performances so they can accommodate all of the passengers onboard.
They have a talented group of singers and dancers that stay with the ship in addition to guest performers.
Classical Music at Sea
Our absolute favorite so far was a pianist – Elliot Finkel. He not only played for us one evening but today, at 3:00pm, he gave us a classical music performance that ended in a standing ovation.
Weight Loss Challenge
Perhaps the title for this part of my post should be – “What was I thinking?”
I guess it kind of goes right along with the obvious senior moment I had when I decided I didn’t really need to pack a warm jacket for our Alaska cruise. Thanks again to my sister for the warm fuzzy jacket that I have used extensively on this trip.
No, I haven’t yet weighed myself since the first time I weighed in, so I have nothing to report.
I did promise myself that I wouldn’t have dessert with lunch, though, and I kept that promise for a full 24 hours!
Whether you’ve cruised or not, everyone knows that it’s pretty much non-stop food on a cruise. Most of it is really quite good, too.
Last night we decided to eat in the Italian restaurant onboard rather than in the Main Dining Room. You need to make reservations for this restaurant, but it is included in your cruise fare.
I had veal and Geoff had cod and it was obviously cooked to order and delicious. We had a lovely table to two right in front of a large window.
I was hoping to sight some whales but no such luck. Maybe tomorrow.
The Land of the Midnight Sun
We’ve all heard this expression and tonight we actually experienced it.
After watching a movie in the small theatre we went to the Lido Deck for a midnight snack and cup of tea. It was midnight and the sun still hadn’t completely set.
We witnessed a section of bright blue sky with rose-colored clouds and the sun attempted to set just past midnight – incredible!
Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
June 02~Day #23
Budget to date
Spent today
Total to date
Daily average
Total
$2300
$222.76
$2302.34
$100.10
Miles by Road
Nautical Miles
Miles by Air
Miles by Train
Total Miles
4917
676
000
000
5694.4
Location: Ketchikan, Alaska
Time Zone Change
As we headed towards Ketchikan we also crossed into another time zone and the clocks were set back an hour giving us either more party time or sleep time. I’m afraid we chose the extra sleep time. I guess we were still trying to catch up on our sleep from our 40 hour experience.
Shopping, Coupons and Free Stuff
When we boarded the m/s Amsterdam in Seattle, we were given a large book for coupons that covered the ports of Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway.
Many of the coupons offered free gifts without any purchase necessary. I know I don’t really need most of this stuff but I just can’t resist. So, coupon book in hand, we headed down the gangway and into Ketchikan.
The Weather
The weather, unfortunately, was overcast and rainy but we tried not to let it dampen our spirits and we began to explore our first Alaskan town.
I’m not sure I ever seen so many jewelry or souvenir shops all in one place before. A lot of the jewelry was beautiful and even, sometimes, tempting, but I stuck to my free coupons and collected all my “loot”.
I have collected coins and charms (you get the whole set of eight by visiting the designated shops in Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway). I have also collected some other lovely items like a pearl pendant, pearl earrings, a charm bracelet and other items.
We did a small walking tour to Ketchikan along with taking a ride on the free shuttle.
Keeping Expenses Down
In keeping with our goal to keep our expenses under control for the 6+ months that we are traveling, we bypassed any excursions or attractions but still managed to enjoy our day despite the weather and the crowds.
Crowds
That’s right – I said crowds. There were four cruise ships in port, some considerably larger than ours. At times, apparently, there can be as many as seven cruise ships in port, swelling the town to more than twice it population for a few hours.
Formal Night
This was our first formal night of the cruise. I wore my favorite “little black dress” and Geoff looked extra spiffy in his white dinner jacket and black pants.
We have lovely dinner companions at our table from Colombia who have traveled extensively and their English is just so much better than our Spanish. But the conversations are enjoyable and we are using the few Spanish words we know.
We are actually seated at a table for six but so far whoever is supposed to occupy the other two seats have not yet shown up.
We are also very lucky to have a window table with lovely views whether in port or underway.
Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
June 01~Day #22
Budget to date
Spent today
Total to date
Daily average
Total
$2200
$222.76
$2079.58
$94.52
Miles by Road
Nautical Miles
Miles by Air
Miles by Train
Total Miles
4917
At Sea
000
000
4917
Current Location: At Sea
Mileage: 000 Total:
Today’s Total Expenses: $222.76
Alaska Cruise Cost
Vicky did a nice long post yesterday but she didn’t say anything about the cost of the trip and how we are showing it on this blog.
As you might expect, the cost of your cabin is based on size and position. A suite with a balcony can cost a small fortune but if you settle for a small cabin on the lowest deck in the center of the ship (no windows) it can be much more reasonable. And guess what, the small cheap cabin goes to all the same places the expensive one does. You also get served the same food and the entertainment is also the same.
There are many ways to get the best deals on cruises which we’ll cover in our book but for this particular cruise the best price was $2895.92. This is not the advertised price; it is the total for both of us including port taxes.
Since the cruise is for 14 days that works out to $206.85 per day, all inclusive. That’s not too bad but quite a bit more expensive than the other two cruises we have booked for later on in this adventure.
The final port before we get back to Seattle is Victoria, BC, which is out next planned stop. Rather than travel back to Victoria from Seattle we have arranged to disembark in Victoria which means we will forfeit one night’s accommodation and one dinner and breakfast. So our actual cost is $2895.92 divided by 13 which is $222.76
Inside Passage – Overcast and drizzle
The Inside Passage between Vancouver and Vancouver Island has some spectacular views of the rugged Canadian wilderness – at least it would be if only the sun would come out. The sun teased us yesterday with a brief appearance as we left Seattle but has been absent ever since.
Internet Access – Sort Of
The cruise literature promises Internet access on the voyage and indeed a satellite connection is available while we sail. What they don’t mention is that the connection is very slow and the charge for using it is between 40 and 75 cents per minute plus a $3.95 activation fee.
Other Things They Don’t Want You To Know
OK there isn’t really a conspiracy of silence but there are a couple of things in the fine print that you need to be aware of when booking a cruise.
1/ The cruise line will likely put a hold on your credit card to cover any anticipated purchases. In our case Holland America is charging $60 per day per person which works out to $1680 for our 14 day cruise.
Of course if you don’t charge anything to your room that money will be released but you do need to have the room on your credit card or may not be allowed to board – check your fine print.
2/ You will automatically be charged $11 per day per person for gratuities. At the end of the cruise you can dispute this charge after you get your final bill and pay whatever you think is fair in gratuities but you do need to allow for it during the voyage.
Personally we believe in tipping for excellent service and do not think it should be automatic.
First Port Ketchikan, Alaska
The clocks go back 1 hour tonight and we dock in Ketchikan at 7am when we get our first look at Alaska.
Many, many thanks go out to my baby sister and her husband for making us feel so at home during our stay with them.
Also, thanks for the warm, fuzzy jacket my sister gave me. As I mentioned in a earlier post my brain must have been elsewhere when deciding what to pack. I didn’t think to pack a warm jacket and I knew we were cruising to Alaska – DUH!
So thanks, TA! I know it will be much appreciated during the cruise.
Early Morning Departure
As we needed to be back in Seattle to begin our Alaska cruise, we looked a several options.
The first option was to just take our car with us and park it for the two weeks we would be away. Parking close to the cruise docks would have cost almost $250.
Another option was to leave our car at my sister’s home and find another way to get to Seattle. We checked the cost to fly and the best we could do was about $114 each and that didn’t include getting to the airport. We checked taking the train. It was about $75 total for the two of us but it didn’t included getting to Vancouver from Chilliwack. The option we actually chose was the Greyhound Bus. From Chilliwack to Seattle was only a total of $52.16 for the both of us. Additional costs to that would be a cab from my sister’s house to the bus station and another cab from the bus station in Seattle to the cruise port. The only catch with this plan was that the bus left Chilliwack at 2:55am! But, we decided this was the most cost-effective way to go and that’s exactly what we did.
We pre-arranged with the cab company to pick us up at 2:30am and then I called again at 2:00am to confirm that they, indeed, has us scheduled. The cab arrived on time and we got to the bus station in lots of time. The cab cost, including tip, was $15.00.
The trip into Vancouver was kind of a “scenic route” as we stopped may places to pick up and discharge passengers. Once in Vancouver we had about an hour to change to the bus heading for Seattle, so we picked up a cup of coffee and waited.
Back in Seattle
The trip to Seattle was uneventful, even when we crossed the border. The US customs and immigration officers were friendly and cheerful and we got through in record time. Of course, the fact that, at this point, there were actually only six of us on the bus probably made the process speedier than usual.
All in all the trip took just a little over 7 hours. We left Chilliwack just before 3am and arrived in Seattle just after 10am.
We had hoped to get a little sleep on the trip, but this just didn’t happen. We had decided that since the taxi was picking us up at 2:30am, there was really no point in going to bed earlier that night. Actually, I was worried that we might not get up in time if we did that. So, we just watched TV until it was time to go.
By the time we arrived in Seattle we realized that we had now been up for about 26 hours and we still had to get to the ship and board.
Checking in with Holland America
We were able to get a cab just outside the bus station that took us directly to the cruise ship dock. The cost for this cab, including the tip, was $23.00. Our major expenses for today, not including the cost of the cruise, naturally, was transportation.
We arrived at our ship’s check in point at about 10:30am. I was a bit worried that we would be too early to check in. (I just LOVE to worry about stuff.) The information we received was from Holland America was that check-in was a 1:00pm and we would sail at 5:00pm.
However, as is normally the case, I needn’t have worried. There were already lots of people there ahead of us.
Check in is much like going through airport security: you need to show your passports lots of time to just about everyone; your luggage goes through the x-ray machine and you have to go through the metal detector. A plus, though – we didn’t have to remove our shoes.
All through this process Geoff was the one lugging our big duffle bag which contained all of our clothes and carrying the computer as well. I was carrying our toiletries and my purse. That’s seems fair, right?
Well, after we had checked in with the duffle bag in tow, we were told that we could have checked the duffle bag downstairs where we came in, otherwise, we’d have to keep it with us until the rooms were ready – sometime after 1:00pm.
So, Geoff schlepped the duffle bag back downstairs, we put the toiletries bag inside the duffle bag, too so that meant that we only had to deal with the computer and my purse – much better. We headed back upstairs, back through security and then waited until we could board.
By the way, the Holland America check in staff we both helpful and welcoming.
Boarding the MS Amsterdam
At around 11:30am they started the boarding process. When we checked in we were issued to boarding group number. We were in group 3 so once the process started we didn’t have long to wait before our group was called.
They took to inevitable boarding photos as this seems to be a standard thing on all cruises and then we walked up the gangway to the ship. The weather was overcast but fortunately it wasn’t raining as parts of the gangway was not covered.
Food, Food and More Food
Anyone who has cruised before, or even knows anyone that has cruise before, knows that there is pretty much non-stop food available on a cruise, and I’m not going to tell you any different.
Upon boarding the ship we were directed toward the Lido Deck where there was a huge buffet of all kinds of food waiting for us. There were buns and salads and sandwiches made to order and hot food – Asian, Italian, etc. – and, of course, desserts and lots of other items that I haven’t mentioned.
We got some rolls and salad and a couple of other things and settled into a window seat and enjoyed our lunch while trying not to give in to how tired we were.
Another Challenge?
As you know, our main challenge for the entire time we are traveling is to average no more than $100/day. The cruise will skew this average for a while until we can add in a few less expensive days after the cruise.
However, another challenge that I have set for myself is to actually try to lose weight during the cruise. Probably a more realistic goal is to try not to gain any weight, but I feel I’m up for the challenge.
I plan to weigh in tomorrow morning and then track my weight throughout the next two weeks. No, I’m not going to tell you what I weigh but I will let you know if it’s going up or down. Wish me luck!
Cabin’s Ready But Where’s Our Luggage?
At about 1:30pm there was a ship-wide announcement that all the cabins were ready so we headed to our’s to check it out.
We realized when we checked in that we had been upgraded without even knowing about it. Thanks Jennifer! (Our Holland America cruise consultant).
As we are trying to do this entire trip in the most cost-effective way we, naturally, chose the least expensive cabin. We had expected to be in the smallest stateroom on the lowest deck (Deck 1). To our surprised, we were upgraded to a larger stateroom on Deck 2.
Our luggage had not yet been delivered to our stateroom so we spent some time just exploring the ship and trying to stay awake. By this time (about 2:00pm) we had been up for about 30 hours. I think at this time we were well passed overtired and into our second, or possibly third, wind.
Leaving Port
At about 5:30pm the ship began to leave port. It was lovely and sunny – a welcome change from the overcast and slightly raining it had been most of the day – and we reclined on deck chairs at the aft of the ship while we slowly left Seattle.
Wet Clothes and No Shower!
We headed back to our cabin to see if our luggage had arrived yet and to get ready for dinner. We had chosen the late seating for the dining room which meant we would be seated at about 8:00pm.
Still not having slept, we wanted to shower to get refreshed and then dress for dinner. For the first evening aboard ship the dress for the dining room would be casual.
Our suitcase had arrived – Yay! I began to unpack and start to hang things up when I realized that several of the items in our suitcase were very wet. Had our luggage been left out in the rain? Dropped in a puddle? We didn’t know. But, when I reported the problem to the office they sent a room steward to pick up the clothes to have them cleaned and returned to us at no charge.
Next, we headed for the shower, turned the knobs and NOTHING happened! No hot water, no cold water – nothing. The sink worked fine, the toilet worked fine, the shower stayed dry no matter what we tried. It was getting close to dinner time and we really, really wanted to shower.
The office promised they’d send someone right down but we waited for as long as we could and then used the sink in our bathroom to wash ourselves down before heading off for dinner. The office said they’d get the shower fixed while we were at dinner.
Discretionary Purchase
On the way to the dining room we noticed a liquor-tasting event and stopped for a bit. We tried some Sheridan’s Coffee Liquor – it comes in an impressive bottle that is actually two bottles in one, one side is a creamy white and the other side is a dark brown. There are two spouts and you pour both at the same time. The white liquor floats on top of the dark brown coffee liquor and the resulting taste is exquisite.
As you can purchase liquor duty-free onboard they were offering two large bottles for $39.95, but the clincher was that there was a third, smaller bottle that came along with the purchase, that you could take back to your room as long as you finished it before disembarking. No problem there!
As the challenge we have set means we need to keep costs down whenever possible, we will not be purchasing any alcoholic drinks while we’re on this cruise. So the temptation to have such a tasty liqueur in our stateroom proved irresistible. So, yes, we bought the two bottles for $39.95.
As this is a discretionary expense, we have not included it in the daily total.
First Dinner Onboard
There are always many, many choices of meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner aboard a cruise and this cruise is certainly no different. Both Geoff and I opted for the “Chef’s Recommendation” for our first dinner. Unfortunately, we found we were both somewhat disappointed. The soup – double baked potato soup – was lovely, but the baby back ribs were fattier than I like and not very tender. But, this is only the first day and I am looking forward to wonderful things! So, I don’t plan to dwell on such a slight disappointment.
Evening Entertainment
Immediately following dinner we headed to the Queen’s Lounge for the first evening’s entertainment.
The entertainment was light and there was a lot of information about upcoming events and entertainment and the introduction of the cruise’s social staff. The real entertainment begins tomorrow night.
Still No Shower?
We arrived back in our stateroom around 11:00pm still craving a long, hot shower to find that the shower still wasn’t working!
Instead of calling the office we went directly there and they promised they’d sent someone right away.
True to their word a maintenance person arrived very quickly and fixed our shower. Yay!
Time For a Good Night’s Sleep
It was now almost midnight and that meant that we had been up for almost 40 hours straight. Yikes!
Not knowing how long we would sleep in after being up for so long we put a Do Not Disturb sign on our door and settled into our comfy king-size bed and quickly drifted off to sleep anticipating the second day of our cruise.
