Windjammer
Hello,
I read that Windjammer offers a Pirate themed cruise. This sounds like a ot of fun and I think my wife and I would thoroughly enjoy it. Does anybody know anything about it? Thanks, Josh |
Windjammer
Hi Josh:
Every year Windjammer Barefoot Cruises has a Pirate Week (or weeks). This year it will be the weeks of October 11th and October 18th out of Grenada to St. Vincent & the Grenadines on 3 of their ships: the Mandalay, the Polynesia and the Yankee Clipper. They will be having sea battles between the ships and sea hunts and other pirate-y activities. Sincerely, Liz Vollan Aim Higher Travel - Travel for Couples 877-752-1858 toll-free "josh plumlee" wrote in message ... Hello, I read that Windjammer offers a Pirate themed cruise. This sounds like a ot of fun and I think my wife and I would thoroughly enjoy it. Does anybody know anything about it? Thanks, Josh |
Windjammer
"Liz Vollan" wrote in message news:MPbjc.42078$_L6.2570376@attbi_s53...
Hi Josh, I sailed on the Yankee Clipper in March 2003. I'd be happy to email you my review if you're interested. By the way, if you decide to book a WJ cruise, look no farther than Liz Vollan to help you with your booking. She knows WJ inside and out and is a true professional. Lee Hi Josh: Every year Windjammer Barefoot Cruises has a Pirate Week (or weeks). This year it will be the weeks of October 11th and October 18th out of Grenada to St. Vincent & the Grenadines on 3 of their ships: the Mandalay, the Polynesia and the Yankee Clipper. They will be having sea battles between the ships and sea hunts and other pirate-y activities. Sincerely, Liz Vollan Aim Higher Travel - Travel for Couples 877-752-1858 toll-free "josh plumlee" wrote in message ... Hello, I read that Windjammer offers a Pirate themed cruise. This sounds like a ot of fun and I think my wife and I would thoroughly enjoy it. Does anybody know anything about it? Thanks, Josh |
Windjammer
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Windjammer
ando (RTCReferee) wrote in message ...
(Lee) wrote: I sailed on the Yankee Clipper in March 2003. I'd be happy to email you my review if you're interested. I would be interested in reading your Yankee Clipper and Glacier Bay cruise reviews, and those of other small ships. Do you have a link for these reviews? If so, please put the link here so we can read your reviews wherever they are. If not, would you consider sharing them with the newsgroup here in the RTC Forum for all to read? There is more interest in alternative cruising than it might appear from reading this newsgroup. I'm trying to repost them (just cuttin' and pastin') but it doesn't seem to be working. I did post them both to rtc. The Glacier Bay Cruises one would have been posted probably around August 28, 2002. The WJ Yankee Clipper one would have been posted around March 24, 2003. I tried to déja them but for some reason, my posting archives are gone between 2003 and 1999...go figure. Lee |
Windjammer
I had better luck w/ Google archives. Here's Lee's Yankee
Clipper review (parts I & II). Cruise Review - Windjammer Barefoot Cruise Yankee Clipper. March 8-15, 2003 Who we a Lee - A frequent participant on rtc and the author of this review. 39 years old (hanging on), married, rather adventurous spirit, loves trying new things, but is very happy vegging on a beach. Minda - My very best friend in the entire world (after my husband, of course). Best friends for over 20 years, in fact. Minda=b9s a physician living in Maine, married with two sons. We don=b9t get to see each other very often, and we=b9ve never vacationed together, so being together for a week could, potentially, be quite a test of our friendship... Leaving the husbands home - Minda=b9s to take care of the kids, mine, because he=b9s a musician, and mid-March (St. Patrick=b9s day season) is very gig-intensive for him - too much work to turn down. Since this was our first Windjammer cruise, we decided to work with a TA who specialized in Windjammers. This was a great decision, because Elizabeth Vollan at Aim Higher Travel was a constant and dependable source of information, tips, do=b9s and don=b9ts, etc, and the reservations/cruise went off without a hitch. With Windjammer, you basically pay the printed brochure price, so shopping around for the best deal wasn=b9t an issue this time. I would HIGHLY recommend working with Liz if you=b9re interested in trying a Windjammer cruise. She=b9s been on many, so has picked up, along the way, lots of good ideas that she=b9s happy to share with clients. Thanks again, Liz. Sat. March 8 - The trip started out with a bang. With the help of Minda=b9s husband (who gave me her flight info), I was able to secretly book the same flight as Minda, to Grenada. She=b9d fly from Portland to Philly, I=b9d fly from LaGuardia to Philly. Then, we=b9d meet up, and fly together from Philly to Grenada. Minda had no idea we=b9d be heading to Grenada together and amazingly, we (her husband, my husband, Liz the TA) were able to keep the secret from her.I told her I=b9d be flying American from Newark via San Juan and would be arriving about 6 hours after her. My flight actually arrived in Philly about a half hour before hers, so I headed down to the gate to get myself settled in a spot where I could watch her approach, yet still keep hidden. I stopped at a gate a ways before ours, but where I knew she had to pass. Once I saw her go by, I gave her a few minutes to get situated at the gate, then I followed. I was able to sit with my back to her, and then I turned around and (to freak her out even more) ran my fingers through her hair. She jumped, turned around, screamed, we hugged, made a scene in the airport, blah, blah, blah. It was really fun, she was thrilled I was flying with her (in fact I even booked the seat right next to her), and we had a great flight down to Grenada. Landed on time at about 3:30pm Grenada time (one hour ahead of est). Once in Grenada and through customs, we got a cab ($10 flat rate) to the Allamanda Beach Resort & Spa on Grand Anse beach. Liz (TA) had mentioned that this was a popular place for Windjammers looking for a pre-cruise hotel. It was also listed on the Windjammer website. It was a nice place. Nothing special, but nothing bad, either. Front desk staff was very friendly and service oriented (unusual in Grenada...more on that later). It was situated right on the beach, had a lovely (unused) pool area, and a Neilson (UK company) sailing school right there. After we checked in, we went wandering around the area surrounding the hotel. Across the way was a mall, a KFC, and a few other shops. Most places were closed.We got some ice cream, I got a meat pattie at the market (yum), we bought some bottled water. Headed back to the hotel and took a stroll down the beach - very beautiful, clean, white sand. Dined at the hotel restaurant (de Soleil). We both had fish - mine was snapper baked in a fig leaf with some fig salsa, rice, etc. Minda had mahi mahi, I think. Presentation was lovely, service, though friendly, wasn=b9t very attentive. Okay - time to discuss Grenada. This is a lovely country/island with incredible potential to be a major tourist destination. The infrastructure is already in place. Lots of hotels, nice restaurants, good roads, nice airport, etc. And, I think Grenadians would be happy to take their share of the tourist dollar that so many other islands enjoy. The problem is that they just don=b9t =b3get it=b2 when it comes to the service industry. Restaurant and hotel owners are hard pressed to find Grenadians that are willing to provide even basic services to clients. A restaurant meal could easily take 3 hours to complete - and that=b9s for one course! When you first have to ask for menus, then have to ask for your order to be taken...we both ordered a drink (I had a vodka and Ting - a great grapefruit soda that I drink gallons of when I find it in the Caribbean), finished the drink and were never asked if we wanted another. We were never offered a dessert. And, this wasn=b9t just this one restaurant. We met a woman on the beach on Sunday who lives on the island and teaches at the Medical School (Minda says this school is highly competitive and produces excellent doctors, fwiw). She said that the lack of service is pretty much standard throughout the island - a constant source of frustration for restaurant and other tourist-driven business owners. It all comes down to how much they (Grenadians) want =b3it=b2. They seem like a generally happy society, and it=b9s kind of refreshing to visit a tourist spot not so driven to have its visitors part with their dollars (or Euros). It=b9s just a different feel than what I=b9ve experienced elsewhere in the Caribbean, and as about opposite as what you=b9d find in Jamaica. Similarity to Jamaica? Although the aroma of gange was prevalent, none was offered for purchase, as so often happens on the streets of Ocho Rios. Sun. March 9 - Up at my usual 6:30am (even on vacation...pretty sick, huh?) and settled on the beach by 8:00am. (I usually eat breakfast early, but Minda wanted to wait). I=b9m happy to sit on a beach all day - someone can roll me over every once in a while, and baste with sunscreen as needed. Minda can=b9t sit still (although, as the week progressed, and her relaxation level increased, she became better at it). So, she went across the way to the market to pick up some breakfast munchies. They didn=b9t open until 10:00, so she came back. At 11:00 or so, she went back to the market, but by that time, I was in the mood for more lunch-type stuff, so asked her to get me another meat pattie. She came back with a bag of granola - the patties would not be done until 12:00. Oh well. Over the course of the morning, we were approached by several vendors selling various crafts and things. We were actually interested in seeing what was being offered, and bought a few things (spice necklaces, as Grenada is THE spice island, woven palm frond baskets, black coral bracelets, etc.). If we weren=b9t interested, usually a simple smile and =b3no thanks=b2 were all that was needed. Unfortunately, once we were seen buying, we were descended upon by every vendor on the beach, to the point of it becoming rather annoying and trying on the nerves. Unfortunately, we had to resort to more harsh tactics to rid ourselves of the vendors, which we felt bad about. But, it was getting too ridiculous. After one vendor tried to save my soul : ), we started chatting with a woman close by, who turned out to be an instructor at the med. school and had lived on Grenada for 4 or so years. It was she that told us of the service issues on this island. We had an interesting talk, and invited her to have lunch with us at the hotel. She was glad for the company, and we were very interested in what she had to say about her life on Grenada. After lunch, we showered, packed (had gotten permission from the hotel manager to use the room for the afternoon, until it was time to leave for the ship), and checked out. Took a taxi to the ship which was docked in St. George=b9s. I guess we arrived at about 3:30, and boarding doesn=b9t begin until 5:00. After we dropped our bags, we walked into town, which was completely shut down.Found one restaurant that was open, and ordered Tings (yum). We had a good view of the ship from our seats at the restaurant (Nutmeg=b9s) and could see people up on deck, so we decided to head back to see if boarding had started earlier than announced - and it had! We boarded at 4:30 and were happy to find lots of snacks available out on deck. Did the meet/greet thing (everyone knows everyone on a Windjammer). At afternoon snack time, the rum swizzles are free and free flowing - that=b9s every day on a Windjammer. Oh...should mention that this pre-sail night is called a =b3stowaway=b2 night and is not included in the cruise fare ($55 extra) but most WJers do opt for the extra night, and I would definitely recommend it. By the end of the night, you=b9ve already met so many people. Those that boarded the next day were kind of, not left out, but in a position to have to play catch-up to get into the =b3groove=b2. By week=b9s end, it=b9s no difference, but I think it=b9s awkward for the very few late arriving passengers. So, after we had filled up on snacks (wings, cheese & crackers, fruit, etc.) we were called into the dining salon for orientation. The meeting was conducted by Purser Jane, the only female member of the crew - a very funny Scottish woman, the leader of the fun for the week. The ways of Windjammer were explained to us (most importantly how bar doubloons work) and then we stood in line (the only line for the week) to turn in our passports, set up our sign & sail accounts, sign our releases and get our cabin assignments. There were 62 passengers on board this week (max. 64) and about 20-25 crew. The passengers were all from the US, mostly from the midwest. Most pax travelled as couples and there were two groups travelling together - a group of 8 (siblings, spouses, cousins), and a group of 12 (all had previously been on WJ cruises, some were connected through business, but seemed to be just a group of friends). The majority of passengers were in the 35-50 year old range. There were 4 elderly (75+) women travelling together who were all certified in SCUBA so spent a lot of time diving/snorkeling. These women (nicknamed =b3the Spice Girls=b2) were a hoot! Once done with our paperwork we were escorted to our cabin by Jamel, our steward, and given a =b3tour=b2. Folks, you only have to go on one Windjammer (or Glacier Bay Cruiseline as we did this past Summer) to cure yourselves of ever complaining about cabin size on a mass market cruise ship. We had booked a =b3Captain=b9s Cabin=b2 - only the =b3Admiral=b9s Cabin=b2 was a higher category. We=b9re talking small...didn=b9t help that when we entered the cabin for the first time, our suitcases were taking up pretty much all of the available floor space. Once we had unpacked entirely and stowed the suitcases under the bottom bed, the cabin was really quite comfortable and just fine for the amount of time we spent there. I=b9d advise against bringing any really huge, inflexible suitcases on a WJ because if you aren=b9t able to fit it under the bed, it=b9ll be in your way the whole week, out on the floor (if you=b9re only using the lower bed, I suppose the suitcase can be stored on the upper bunk). The cabin was all wood with a double lower bunk and a single upper bunk. The beds were made up with red plaid blankets, with an extra blanket folded at the foot of each. Each bed had two pillows, sheets were a soft pink. I offered to take the upper bunk, and Minda didn=b9t argue : ). On each bed were a bath towel, hand towel, washcloth, bars of soap and a few Hershey Kisses. There was also a cute question/answer book about WJ as part of the orientation thing. Each bed had a small reading lamp. There was an adequate size closet (no door) with a hanging area (half-height) and lots of shelves. Three hanging hooks on the outside. For what you bring to wear on a WJ, the shelf/hanging space was plenty big. We had a large picture window and a smaller window in the door. Our cabin opened directly onto the outside deck, though there wasn=b9t much traffic, as the only folks walking by were the people in the cabin to our right (the forward most cabin) and a few crew members. Under our picture window we had another table which housed our dorm-sized fridge. This was really great to have a place to keep water bottles cold, and to stash our Kisses so they wouldn=b9t melt. We offered fridge space to a few fellow passengers who didn=b9t have this luxury in their cabins. The bathroom was an all-in-one affair with toilet, corner sink and shower head all in one very compact space. There was only one shelf, a handicapped bathroom-style bar, a retractable clothesline and drain hole in the floor. Some additional shelf space near the sink would have been handy. There really wasn=b9t a spot to keep toothpaste (there was a toothbrush holder), contact lens stuff, etc. The tabletop over our fridge became the auxiliary bathroom counter. The cabin was well air-conditioned. Back up on deck we went to have dinner and meet more WJers. Dinner was a buffet on deck tonight with chicken, beef stew, rice, vegetable, shrimp cocktail, salads, etc. After dinner we enjoyed a 12 piece, very excellent steel drum band - lots of dancing, drinking, fun. As is my norm, however (and Minda=b9s too) we were in bed by 11:00. I=b9ll say a few words about the layout of the ship. It=b9s basically three decks. The top deck can be broken up into three areas - aft, midships, forward. Aft was considered the =b3sun=b2 deck. The sail back there was never raised, so it was a favorite spot for sun worshippers like me. Along the rail were wooden storage benches, and at the very back, a tarp covering, what we discovered later in the week, a small fleet of open cockpit sea kayaks. Other than that, the =b3sun=b2 deck was just an open space. Midships revolved around the center table area that had storage benches all around it. It was here that our morning Captain=b9s storytime and Purser Jane=b9s briefings took place. It was also where all of the buffets were set up - lunches, afternoon snacks, some dinners. This area was covered by a large tarp for shade, when we were anchored, but the tarp came down when the sails went up. Forward was the wheel/compass set-up (always with two crew members there when under way) and large bins containing deck pads that we could take anywhere for lounging around. Just aft of the =b3bridge=b2 was a big open area where many of the planned activities took place. The deck space was plentiful - never an issue finding a spot to call your own. Next deck down (main deck) had the dining =b3salon=b2 all the way aft, the bar just forward of that, the activities board and cabins (our cabin was on this deck). As you leave the dining room, the bar is ahead of you to starboard. Ahead and to port was another counter where early morning coffee/pastries, late night snacks and sea chest (the ship=b9s store) were set up. The steps up to the top deck were to the right of the bar and to the left of the other counter. Directly ahead of you, leaving the dining room, was a staircase leading down to the lower deck, which was all cabins on both sides of the ship. All the way forward on the port side was the captain=b9s cabin. It was pretty close quarters down on the lower deck. The cabins had portholes but were so close to the water line, that, when we were moving, what you saw was more =b3washing machine=b2 than anything else. Thanks again to Liz for advising us to book the main deck category cabin. Not only was our cabin slightly bigger, we had lots more daylight, and was a lot more comfortable for those times when seasickness became an issue. Mon. March 10 - Up at 6:30 (what else is new) put in my contacts, dressed and went outside to enjoy the morning. Sweet rolls, muffins and fresh fruit were already out for the taking. I filled my large insulated travel mug with tea (thanks again Liz, for suggesting we bring these with us - you=b9re right, the mugs they provide are too tiny), loaded a plate with yummies and headed up top to savor the quiet. Quite a few folks were already up and about, so we luxuriated in our surroundings together. At 7:30, the breakfast bell was rung and we all piled into the dining room. The dining room has 6 tables which can each seat 6 people. There is no assigned seating or dining time. For meals in the dining room, you either choose 1st or 2nd seating. Breakfasts didn=b9t take long, so those who waited for 2nd seating didn=b9t have long to wait. The tables were set with various syrups (nutmeg syrup - yum), jams and jellies (nutmeg jam - yum), and small boxes of cereal. The stewards (stewards serve meals as well as service cabins on these ships) brought around yogurts and baskets of toast. Then, the hot breakfast plate was served. Usually, you=b9d find eggs of some sort or pancakes/french toast, and a breakfast meat. There is no menu to choose from - breakfast is what it is. After breakfast, we gathered up on deck for the first of our storytimes with Captain Julian. Nice enough fellow, but didn=b9t really have too much of value to share with us. His chats were always followed up by Purser Jane who, in my opinion, runs the ship. Jane described the day=b9s schedule, presented the various excursion options for wherever we were, etc. The schedule was also posted on a dry erase board right outside the dining room. Next to the schedule board was another dry-erase board where, a few times during the week, you were asked to select your entree (meat or fish). Since we hadn=b9t really explored the island of Grenada yet, we opted for the island tour, with stops at a spice plantation and waterfall. The tours, in my opinion, were much more reasonably priced than what you ordinarily pay on a regular cruise ship. Anyway, off we went on our tour. The driver=b9s mic wasn=b9t working so we couldn=b9t hear much of what he was saying, which was kind of a drag. The spice plantation was pretty darn interesting. They harvest nutmeg, clove, cinnamon and cocoa there, and having never seen any of these in their natural, unprocessed form, it was pretty fun. This plantation also grows lots of lilies for commercial sale to cut flower distributors. Next time I get flowers which include one of those large, bright red leaf-like lilies, I=b9ll think of this farm. Next stop was Concord Waterfall where we only had a short time. At the entrance were a few vendors selling spice-related items at very reasonable prices. I picked up some cinnamon stick (jumbo size compared to what you find in the market) and =b3cocoa balls=b2 for making Grenadian hot chocolate - drop one of these wonderful smelling balls (1.5=b2 diameter or so) into 3-4 cups of water and simmer for a while. Then, add milk and sugar to taste and drink! Haven=b9t tried making any yet, but if it tastes as good as it smells... Also bought some hot sauce. Considered buying a pint of vanilla for $10.00, but heeded my own warnings about unsavory additives sometimes added to =b3pure=b2 vanilla and skipped. They promised me it was pure, no coumarin added, and it smelled really nice. Bottled in Grenada, too. Perhaps it was a good buy, but I=b9d be reluctant to use it, so I=b9m glad I passed on it. We were rushed to get back to the ship because we were being kicked out of port at 12:00 instead of the usual 1:00, so I didn=b9t swim in the falls - just stuck my toes in. Minda was feeling pretty overheated, so she went right in. Almost as soon as we returned to the ship, the anchor was raised, the sails were hoisted to the sounds of Amazing Grace and we were on our way. Volunteers are encouraged to help with the hoisting of the sails, but you don=b9t have to help if you don=b9t want. I didn=b9t help, Minda did. The afternoon sun, the wind in the sails (the drone of the engine) made for a relaxing time until about 4:00 or so when I started feeling pretty queasy. I=b9d been on Bonine since Saturday morning, but I guess the motion was too much for even medicated me. The rest of the day, until we dropped anchor at 10:00pm or so, I spent up on deck trying to keep the seasickness at bay. I nibbled on some crackers during afternoon snacks, to keep something in my stomach, and I guess that helped a bit. It was a really long day of sailing, and by the end, I think there were quite a few folks not feeling very well at all. Lots of us skipped dinner - going into the dining room was something I couldn=b9t do. Probably around 8:00 or so, Minda went down to the cabin and got blankets and pillows for us, brought them up on deck, we laid out a few deck pads, and went to sleep topside. Once we laid down we felt a little better (Minda wasn=b9t feeling well either) and easily drifted off to sleep... Tues. March 11 - Woke up at 4:30am anchored in Bequia (I=b9ve heard it pronounced two ways - beckway and beckwee so take your pick - accent on the first syllable) and feeling much better. We=b9d be spending all day and night here, not pulling up anchor until early tomorrow morning. Captain Julian=b9s wife, mother and other family live on the island, so he likes to maximize his time here - that=b9s one of the reasons we had such a long sail yesterday. Headed down to the cabin for a shower. The shower (if you can call it that) was a negative. There WAS warm (sometimes even hot) water, but it was little more than a dribble coming out of the showerhead. We were able to get clean, rinse the shampoo out, etc, but I wouldn=b9t call it particularly relaxing, invigorating, etc. At some point, the shower was set up so that you had to push a button in to get water, and when the button was released the water would stop - all in an effort to conserve. I think the push button method would be wiser than the current dribble method. Once my hair and body are wet enough to soap up, I don=b9t need water running at that time - give me more water for rinsing. Whatever - I got clean, got the suds out of my hair... Headed outside for my morning tea, fruit and pastries, then breakfast at 7:30. This morning, launches to town began at 9:45, then we were to return to the ship for lunch, with launches to the beach beginning at 1:30. There were a few tour options but Minda and I decided to go on our own in town rather than sign up for anything offered. The two of us and another couple decided to share a cab and take our own tour of the island - what a great time we had. We were charged $5 per person/per hour. We spent about 2 hours with our driver and gave him $50 - what a deal! There were a few stops on the organized tour that we were interested in seeing, so our guide happily obliged. Our first stop was at a =b3fort=b2 from when Bequia was protecting itself from the French, I think. Not much of a fort, really - a few canons. But, the view was beautiful. Next, we went to Brother King=b9s Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary which was a great stop. Brother King has dedicated his life to safely releasing Hawksbill turtle hatchlings back into the nearby water. He collects the eggs from the beach, and raises the turtles until they=b9re 3 years old. It=b9s an endangered species, and the turtles are most vulnerable as eggs and young little things, so he=b9s quite an advocate for the hawksbills. We gladly gave a donation and bought t-shirts to support his one-man effort. A really sweet guy. Next, we drove up to the highest point on the island for more terrific views and then down to Friendship Bay, a beautiful beach/resort area - a place I=b9d like to revisit and spend more time. Our driver left us back in town with about a 1/2 hour to spend shopping. I wanted to head to the recommended book store to pick up a nautical chart of the area (Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines). Captain Julian told us that if we bought charts, he=b9d have our week=b9s course mapped out on it for us and it would be signed by the officers. Seemed like a great souvenir of the trip, so that was my shopping priority. After to Grenada, Bequia was the most populous and largest (3-4000 residents, 21 square miles, I think), so this would be our last real shopping opportunity. Oh...at morning story time, we were also told to buy a bottle of wine while in town, for that afternoon=b9s wine & cheese party. So, a stop at the market was made as well. Back to the ship for lunch then took the first beach launch at 1:30. Lounged on the beach until the last launch back at 4:30. I=b9m having a mental block and can=b9t visualize the beach on Bequia, but every beach we visited was spectacularly beautiful, so I guess you can just assume that was the case here as well. At each beach stop, we had a mini bar set-up. One of our bartenders (Rodney) would come ashore with a large cooler filled with beer and soda, so you have to remember to bring your doubloons with you when you head to the beach. He was pretty accommodating though, so if you forgot your doubloon, he=b9d give you a drink anyway, with a promise of payment later. Gave Sylvester, chief mate, my chart I had purchased in Bequia. Was promised it would be taken care of and returned before cruise=b9s end. Doubloons - these are round card stock pieces of paper with 20 black dots (doubloons) around the perimeter. Each card of 20 doubloons costs $10 (charged to your sign & sail) and each drink costs a certain number of doubloons. For instance, a very generous serving of Grey Goose vodka (very glad to see my favorite behind the bar) costs 7 doubloons ($3.50), which I think is a very fair price. So, high end drinks, frozen concoctions, etc. were in the 7-9 doubloon price range, while sodas and beers would be 5 doubloons or less. As you use up your little round card, the black dots are punched with a hole punch. So, that=b9s how it works. On to part 2..... Lee and Minda's WJ YC adventure continues... You won=b9t find lounge chairs on the beaches that are visited on a Windjammer (there were some on Mayreau, left over from when Princess used to call on this island - their private island at some point in time, or so I was told?). So, be sure to bring a beach towel or two, or you=b9ll be laying in the sand. Returned to the ship, showered (dribbled) and went topside for the wine & cheese party. There were quite a few bottles of wine up there and we all tried different ones - it was a sharing thing..hoarding your own bottle was discouraged. WJ provided really nice platters of cheese, crackers and fruit. And, a live band was also brought on board for entertainment, which was nice (not as good as the steel drum band, but, being married to a musician, I=b9m always happy to see musicians gigging). Lucky for me, there were large blocks of chevre that were practically untouched, so I was happy to fill up on my favorite. It was a great party - a good time was had by all. Then, we took a launch back to town and headed by taxi to a restaurant called Coco=b9s. At our morning storytime, Purser Jane described many of the restaurants on Bequia, if we decided to dine in town, rather than on the ship. We liked the sound of Coco=b9s, as did many of our fellow passengers. In all, we were 35 who opted for this place. Jane asked that those who were interested in the spiny lobster to pre-order so she could call the restaurant so they=b9d be prepared. Minda pre-ordered the spiny lobster, so she could compare it to the Maine lobster she eats so much of. I decided to see what their fish special was when we got there. We ended up sharing our meals, and the food was great. Service kind of sucked - similar problem on Bequia as to what we found on Grenada. Back to ship and to bed. Wed.. March 12 - Woke up as the anchor was raised, but wasn=b9t ready to get out of bed - big mistake. I should have. I knew we were only sailing for about 4 hours today, and I was feeling pretty good, lying in bed. But, as the morning progressed, I was itching to get topside. Every time I climbed down from the top bunk, I got all queasy and had to crawl back into bed until the waves of nausea subsided (sorry to be so graphic - but good info to know if you=b9re considering a WJ). Finally, in baby steps, I managed to get my bathing suit on, my contacts in, my teeth brushed and my body up on deck, where I immediately laid down on a cushion until we anchored. What can I say...sea legs elude me. Well, we anchored at another amazingly beautiful spot - Tobago Cays, which is a national park of the country of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It was quite windy on the beach, which was annoying, but other than that, just wonderful. WJ brought lunch to the beach (burgers, salads, sides), then Minda went for a dive with some other passengers while I went snorkeling on the other side of the island with a friend/fellow passenger we met. WJ rents snorkeling gear for $20 (or is it $25) for the week. Decent enough stuff, and easier than trying to fit my own in my suitcase. Snorkeling was lovely. Headed back to the ship for a short sail to Mayreau (heard it pronounced as myroo and mayroo so take your pick - accent on the first syllable). While under way, Purser Jane conducted crab races up on deck. This was surprisingly FUN (we were pretty skeptical when we were advised of this event that morning). Nine hermit crab athletes competed for the championships. If you=b9ve never witnessed crab races, a large circle is drawn (with chalk in this case) with a smaller circle drawn about 7=b2 inside the outer circle, to create a ring/donut. The winning crab is the one that makes it from the center of the circle to within the outer 7=b2 ring, positioning his little body entirely within the ring, in the fastest time. First, all 9 crabs competed at once, so we would have some basis on which to place our wagers. Then, with standings established, we placed bets ($1.00 minimum). After all bets were in, odds/payouts were established. There would be three heats, each with 3 crabs competing, and then a final race with the three heat winners racing for the championship. I bet $5.00 on one crab for each race, and won two out of the three heats. Unfortunately, the winning crab in the finals was not one of my two, so I didn=b9t win any money. The winning crab had =b39 to 1=b2 odds, so paid quite well for those that picked it. Sounds pretty goofy, but it was actually really fun :). Dinner was to be served on the beach at Mayreau, so that=b9s where we headed once we were anchored. The crew had gone ashore well ahead of the passengers and had created a nice torch-lit path along the beach, headed toward the buffet and picnic tables. Dinner was yummy tonight - there were ribs, chicken, mahi mahi, sides, salads, desserts, etc. And, sitting on the beach gave it a nice atmosphere. Our bartender, Oxford, was from Mayreau and planned a =b3culture walk=b2 for after dinner, for those interested. Basically, it was a pub crawl. This tiny island of 300 souls has 5 pubs, and the plan was to visit each this night. We=b9re not big drinkers, so this really didn=b9t appeal to us much, so we headed back to the quiet of the ship. It was a very warm, beautiful evening, so we decided to bring our pillows and blankets up on deck and sleep out. Probably 8 of us spent the night out on deck this time. Previously, someone had posted that sleeping out on deck could be a risky venture - with rope railings and the potential danger of rolling off the deck. I=b9m happy to say that sleeping on deck, on the YC was no more risky than sleeping in the upper bunk of my cabin (high bunk/low ceiling led to many collisions between my head and the wood). Along the railing were the storage benches which acted as a barrier between a person and the edge, and they were also a nice windbreak. So, once we were flat on the deck, it was quiet, wind-free (though still breezy) and safe. At about 1:30 in the morning, we were awakened by heavy footsteps pounding the deck, and folks peering into our eyes with flashlights. Apparently, a passenger was missing, and her boyfriend was afraid she had fallen overboard, so they were searching the whole ship. With no luck, they asked if they could check our cabins, which of course we had no problem with. She was finally found in the cabin next to hers, asleep in the bottom bunk (that bunk=b9s usual occupant was sleeping up on deck). The truth is still up for debate, but her story was that she was really drunk, and when she=b9s drunk she sleepwalks, and she accidentally found herself in the wrong cabin. Later, we learned that she was pretty much naked, and had been spotted by a crew member walking the decks - and this crew member didn=b9t do anything about it. We also learned that she and her boyfriend had had a fight, and she just left the cabin, knowingly, and just crashed in the first bed she found. We=b9ll never know the real story, but it was good gossip fodder for a few days - even if it disturbed our glorious sleep up on deck. Thurs. March 13 - At storytime this morning, we were advised of the activities for the evening. They would include Sea Hunt before dinner (a scavenger hunt type thing) and a costume party/competition for dinner, with dinner being served on deck, buffet style.Captains for Sea Hunt were established (4 teams - Minda captained our team) and we grabbed the first tender over to Mayreau, and headed up the hill to the other side of the island, where, we were told, was a beautiful beach (not that the one we were tendered to wasn=b9t beautiful as well). The hike (and it WAS straight up and over) was well worth it. The views from the high point were amazing, with the whole Grenadine chain visible. And, Saltwhistle Bay was a great beach. As it happens, many of the folks we hoped to have on our Sea Hunt team had also decided to make the trip to Saltwhistle, so lots of strategizing (or strategerizing as our Prez. would say) took place as we floated in the crystal clear water and lounged on the beach. First, we had to come up with a name for the team, and after much deliberation, decided on the Whinejammers. Whining on board had been explicitly forbidden by Purser Jane, so we thought we=b9d have some fun with it :). We weren=b9t really sure about what would be expected of us, so it was hard to plan anything else. We were expected to have a song or chant prepared, but we didn=b9t really get to work on that until we were back on board the ship. We ate lunch at the Saltwhistle resort. This is a place I=b9d really like to re-visit. There are 6 or 8 bungalows here, and a full service bar/restaurant. The beach is beautiful, the island is beautiful. A great destination if you=b9re looking for no crowds, peace and quiet. After lunch, we did some snorkeling and found a lobster trap filled with HUGE spiny lobsters - bodies well over a foot long. We figured they were being held there, but had been trapped in deeper water. Rather than make the hike back to the ship, over the steep incline, we opted for a water taxi, which, for $5 each, brought us right to the boat. By 3:30 we were back on board. This afternoon, they were allowing swimming right from the boat, so we had to take advantage of that. If you wanted (we wanted) you could jump in from the top deck, or you could use the steps available from the main deck. The water was yummy, and was a great way to get all the sand off our bodies (as you probably remember, the shower wasn=b9t too effective at accomplishing this). Showered and gathered the team on deck for our final pre-Sea Hunt meeting and rehearsal of our song (don=b9t remember a bit about it, so can=b9t share the lyrics with you, I=b9m afraid). After afternoon snacks and rum swizzles, the four teams gathered in the game area and got ready to rumble. After introductions of the teams and our team songs sung, cheers chanted, we began. Rather than having 62 passengers running all over a pretty small ship, one person from each team would retrieve the requested item, while the rest of the team waited up on deck. We were asked for one item at a time, and then you take your place back up on deck in either the 1st (worth 4 points), 2nd (3 points), 3rd (3 points) or 4th (1 point) place box as you re-enter the =b3arena=b2. No running was allowed, but speed walking was encouraged, with bonus points awarded for an extra wiggle in the walk. It was all good fun, though I understand that there were some passengers that took offense when things got a little risqu=e9. We started out tamely enough, with Jane asking for us to get a yellow or green toothbrush from our cabin (mine=b9s red, so I wasn=b9t eligible for this race). Once all the teams have their guy back on deck, Jane examines the items, judges them for compliance and awards points. When Jane asked for a pair of boxers from a man on each team (not from the cabin, from the man), things got interesting, as they did when she asked for a bra from a woman (again not one you retrieve from the cabin). The final competition was a team effort - dressing one of the men on our team, as a woman, complete with nail polish and all the trimmings. Anyway...final results??? Whinejammers Win!!!!! After the big competition, we all went to our cabins to get dressed in our costumes. We were asked to dress as something beginning with the letter P, B, L, T or N. I don=b9t think we ever learned of the significance of these letters. Having been forewarned about the costume thing, by my fabulous ta Liz, (although she had told us that we were limited to things starting with the letter =b3P=b2) I was prepared with my =b3P=b2irate costume, and Minda was ready with her =b3P=b2arrot Head costume. We had extra pirate stuff which we shared with a fellow passenger/friend. Dinner was served only to those in costume (and to the very few non-participants). After dinner, there was a costume parade where finalists were chosen, a finalist showcase and finally, winners announced, prizes awarded. It was a busy, and fun evening, and we were wiped out pretty early. Decided to head to bed, but realized that our cabin was pretty much directly under the band, so it was impossible to escape the party - a major disadvantage of small ship sailing. Fatigue prevailed and we slept. Friday, March 14 - We awoke anchored off the island of Carriacou (pronounced carry-ah-koo with the accent on the first and last syllables) this morning, having motored the short distance the previous evening. Took the first launch to town this morning, and wandered the streets, did some shopping, visited a small museum. This island/town is really not geared for tourism. The abundance of T-shirt shops can be boring when visiting some islands, but what=b9s even more boring is visiting a town that has none - when the town has little else to offer. I love visiting grocery stores in foreign places (and even in other regions of the US), so we spent some time looking at food on supermarket shelves, and buying a few interesting things. This island is known for producing Jack Iron rum, which is a particularly strong variety. I did find one t-shirt I liked, that had beautiful tropical fish on the front and Carriacou written along the bottom. I just like the name of this island, how it looks, how it sounds. And, it=b9s not an island you hear about very often. So, decided to buy a shirt to commemorate the trip. Back to the ship for lunch, then we sailed to the other side of the island to Anse La Roche beach - the quintessential tropical paradise. The YC passengers were the only ones on the beach, and it was heavenly. Unfortunately, we could only stay for 2 hours - but it was two great hours of fun in the sun. Back on board, we set sail for Grenada. Before the sun went down, we all gathered for a group picture - one of the crew and one of the passengers. That=b9ll be a nice thing to have... Tonight was the Captain=b9s dinner in the dining room. Although we were sailing, I actually felt well enough to sit in the dining room - I think I finally got my sea legs! Dinner was a multi-course affair starting with a yummy clam chowder, followed by a homemade caesar salad (Turbo, the chief steward prepared the dressing from scratch in front of us), then we had a choice of mahimahi or prime rib (choice made earlier on tally board). Dessert was served out on deck - bananas foster (flamb=e9ed with Jack Iron rum) served over vanilla ice cream. Sylvester, the chief mate, returned my chart to me, with the route precisely mapped (dates and anchorages) and signed by the captain, the purser, the chief engineer and himself. They did a great job on it... Good-byes were said, hugs all around. Purser Jane had provided an address-email sign-up for whomever was interested, then made copies to hand out. That was a nice touch. We docked in Grenada about 10:00 and headed to bed about that time. Many passengers had very early flights, so it was a quiet night. Saturday, March 14 - Our final day : ( Those with early flights took the taxi transfer to the airport (WJ charged $8 per person), while those of us with later flights (or for those passengers extending their vacations on Grenada) were offered an excursion option for this morning.A few folks did the excursion. We opted to walk into St. George=b9s once more, for some last minute shopping. WJ allowed us full access to the ship and our cabins until our airport transfer at 1:30, and they also fed us a large buffet breakfast and lunch, which I thought was really nice. The ship Vistamar (German, I believe) was docked next to us. St. George=b9s is quite different on a Saturday than it is on a Sunday. It was bustling, and the street vendors were a bit more aggressive - still not even close to what you=b9d find in Jamaica, but more than what we had experienced so far on this trip. We found a few nice shops. In particular, we found a great shop with handmade batik garments. Beautiful things, kind of on the pricey side (compared to other shops in town), but all handmade in Grenada. Minda bought two shirts, I bought some pants and a pair of shorts. Bought some more spices and spice necklaces at the spice market. And, finally, I treated myself to a pair of diamond/tanzanite earrings at the Colombian Emeralds store (they=b9re all over the Caribbean). They were reasonably priced, tiny (I don=b9t like big jewelry) and really pretty. I was totally not expecting to buy jewelry on this trip - I rarely buy it at home. But, these just tickled my fancy, so I went for it :). Trip home was uneventful, though the hour layover in Philly was pretty tight - had to make it through immigration, retrieve my suitcase, go through customs (customs inspector searched my bag), recheck the suitcase, go through security check again with carry-ons, and get to the gate. Whew. I wish I had known, before I ran what felt like a marathon, that my flight was delayed a bit. There=b9s lots of walking at this airport, the way they have it set up for the immigration/customs thing. Overall, this was a great trip.I can=b9t remember when I=b9ve been quite that relaxed. I=b9m usually not much of a joiner, but the planned activities were fun, and those that didn=b9t take part were the exception. If you=b9re not into getting silly, having a laugh, screaming your head off as your crab reaches the finish line, etc., WJ might not be for you. The crew was great - so friendly. By the end of the week, they knew most of our names. When they say Windjammer BAREFOOT Cruises, they really mean it. While on board, bare feet were the norm. Leave your hair dryer, make-up, jewelry at home. This is about as casual as you can get. I love dressing up, and have no problem with formal nights on the big ships, but it was kind of nice to be in this =b3come as you are=b2 atmosphere for a change. Negatives? Seasickness was my biggie. Wasn=b9t bad enough to really impact my good time, but there were times of discomfort. It won=b9t stop me from taking another WJ in the future, if that puts it in perspective... The shower was a bummer, but, again, not a big enough deal to make me sour on WJ cruising. It is what it is. Kind of fits with the whole casual WJ mentality. And, as I mentioned before, the small ship size makes it hard to escape the party, if that=b9s what you=b9re looking to do. For the most part, this was an early to bed, early to rise group, so there was only one night when the music and party disturbed me. Again - not a big deal. I=b9ll put the food into the neutral category. It wasn=b9t bad, it just wasn=b9t great. You won=b9t go hungry - food was plentiful, though not available 24/7 and no room service. It=b9s basic chow - no fancy presentations, no exotic or rare ingredients. We did have a few things that were definitely homemade island cooking - mama=b9s recipe. Everything was flavorful and fresh. You won=b9t go hungry on this ship, but choices are limited, so picky eaters might be challenged. So, I guess that=b9s it. WJ is a really fun cruising option that you might want to consider. I=b9d have a hard time actually recommending a WJ to folks, because they might not be well suited to what a WJ cruise offers. Give me clear skies, warm weather, beautiful beaches and I=b9m happy. I didn=b9t look for problems and didn=b9t find many, so my cruise was happy. There was a couple on board that hated the cruise - the same cruise I loved, so go figure.Get used to meeting people, talking to everyone, being comfortable in this very intimate environment. I=b9m not a great person for meeting strangers, but fortunately Minda will talk to anyone, so she acted as our ice breaker, which worked great for us. If you=b9re not a joiner on a WJ cruise, you=b9ll miss out on a lot of the fun and comraderie. The youngest on board was 18 years old, travelling with mom & dad. She had a great time, but she was a great kid. I don=b9t think WJ is a great choice for kids - unless you pick one of their family cruises. WJ is kind of like a week at summer camp - it=b9s got that kind of feel. Minda and I were camp counselors together, 21 years ago, so we definitely fell right into that mode while on board. Please ask questions, make comments, let me know you=b9ve made it to the end, and that my efforts were not for naught. Lee |
Windjammer
What a detailed review. I feel like I was actually on this cruise. Thanks Lee, for taking the time to write this tome; and thanks Diana for retrieving this, so those of us who have never done this kind of cruise were able to read about it. Howie |
Windjammer
On 27 Apr 2004 12:09:06 -0700, (Lee) wrote:
I'm trying to repost them (just cuttin' and pastin') but it doesn't seem to be working. I did post them both to rtc. The Glacier Bay Cruises one would have been posted probably around August 28, 2002. The WJ Yankee Clipper one would have been posted around March 24, 2003. I tried to déja them but for some reason, my posting archives are gone between 2003 and 1999...go figure. Lee, Here's your Glacier Bay cruise report. (I started with Day 9 - when your cruise began). Here's the URL in google for the whole report: http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=e...mor.com&rnum=1 ttfn, jan Day 9: Decided the night before, to share a cab into town with the third couple - they had arrived in town too late last night to wander around, and wanted the chance to shop and see the place before meeting up with the tour. So, instead, this morning, the b&b owner offered (hard to refuse, and be polite) to take us (all 6) to a favorite spot of hers, where we did a short nature walk/hike, which was very pleasant. Then, she drove us around an area even farther from town, for more sightseeing. By that time, couple 3 were very anxious to get into town, us less so, since we had had the opportunity the day before. Finally, she brought us to town (saved on the cab fare anyway), we had a quick lunch, then met up with the rest of our boat-mates at the Tlingit Cultural Center (not the real name of the place, but that was what it was) where we were treated to a Tlingit dance, drum, song exhibition. Beautiful building, and very enjoyable show. After the show, we boarded the buses, and visited a few other Sitka sites, including the Alaska Raptor Rehab Center, Totem Park (one more place, I think...but canıt remember), then finally to the boat for boarding (our bags were supposedly being picked up at the b&b and would magically appear in our cabin). With such a small capacity, boarding was a breeze. We were checked in by Jessie, the purser, who informed us that we had been upgraded to a bigger, higher level cabin on the ³300² deck. Woohoo! We were escorted to our cabin by one of the Naturalists on board (Mark) who took a lot of time showing us around, how things worked (PA, ³multi-purpose² room, etc.), then left us to settle in. The room was tiny. I will never, ever, ever complain about any shipıs cabin size ever again (donıt think I have actually have ever complained about that). Total space was 8x11. The bed was really wide - wider than it really needed to be, and took up all but about 2 feet of the width at the far end of the cabin. It was two beds, pushed together, but was very comfortable. Small nightstand was on one side of the bed. Nice big picture window that opened, which was nice when the cabin got steamy from showers. As you enter the cabin, thereıs a very small closet to the right with lots of hangars and two drawers. We used that pretty much for hanging our outerwear, and some sweats, and left the extra blanket and life preservers in there as well. Our suitcases stowed out of the way under the bed, but we had no place to unpack, so we had to pull them out almost daily for clothing, and stuff. Beyond the closet on the right wall was a corner sink with medicine cabinet, which was big enough for us to unlpack all that kind of stuff. On the left wall, as you enter, was the ³multi-purpose² room - your typical marine head with toilet/shower all in one. You draw the curtain in front of the toilet for showering, tuck it back otherwise. Remarkably, towels, tp stayed dry. The system worked really well, and the shower itself was great. We were summoned to the top (4th) deck for our intro talk, where we were introduced to the crew (crew of 23). Lucky for us, only 55 passengers on our cruise. We were also asked to pick an entree for dinner at this time. A brief kayaking lesson was given (how to put on your spray skirt, life vest, etc.). The main reason we chose this boat over the Cruise West offerings or some of the other small ships, was because this one featured a fleet of sea kayaks on board. Couldnıt wait to paddle around and explore. Okay...after the intro talk, we went down to the dining room/lounge (midships to forward on deck 2) where there were yummy fresh cookies - something we became accustomed to all week. Then, it was muster (yes, even on these little boats), settling in, and back downstairs for cocktail hour and dinner. Ship left port at probably 6:00pm or so. Anchored in Shultz Bay that evening. Typical day aboard Wilderness Discoverer: 6:30 am wake-up announcement comes right into your room. Breakfast is at 7:00am - buffet with some egg dish, pancakes or french toast, potatoes, meat. Check the dayıs schedule on the dry erase board, pick your dinner entree (choice of either seafood or other - menu is posted in the morning).With the exception of our full day in Skagway, we were pretty much on the water. Sea kayaking/hiking/skiff rides in the morning/afternoon (depending on which day - 3 times total), cruising in the morning/afternoon, lunch served at 12:30 (family style - usually a crock of soup and platter of sandwiches), 3:00 was cookie time - always fresh and always different. 6:00 was cocktail hour with the hors dıoeuvre of the day (mussels marinara, shrimp cocktail, smoked salmon, veggie eggrolls, etc.), dinner at 7:30, nature lecture at 8:30, and usually bed by 10:00pm. Day 10: Spent the morning anchored in a Deep Bay on the northwest end of Baranoff island. Very protected waters - perfect for a first paddle (we are somewhat experienced, but this was a first for most of the passengers). This was a group paddle - we all kind of stayed together and explored the shoreline, looking for bear, mostly. We did see many eagles, a few harbor seals, and lots of other birds. Back on board, we travelled through Peril Strait in the afternoon, watching a humpack lunge feeding in Hoonah Sound, harbor seals eating and dog salmon breaching. Day 11: Glacier Bay - Stopped early in the day at Bartlett Cove to explore Glacier Bay Lodge and surrounds. Took a brief mile-long nature walk, looked at the exhibit in the lodge (very nice) and headed back to the boat. Our ranger, Jessica, boarded at this time, and the rest of the day was spent visiting the west fork of Glacier Bay. First stop was at South Marble Island for a great look at a sea bird rookery (saw puffins) and a Stellar sea lion haulout. In the afternoon, we explored the west arm where Lamplugh, Johns Hopkins, Marjerie and Grand Pacific glaciers are. As we approached Lamplugh (during dinner, actually) Barry and I ran up on deck with a few other lucky ones, and saw a tremendous calving. Couldnıt believe how loud it was! Went back downstairs and finished dessert, then everyone piled up on deck for the rest of the evening. There were some smaller calvings, but nothing like the one that so very few of us witnessed, so we were lucky. Left Tarr Inlet almost in complete darkness, so it was very slow going for the captain, dodging bergs. One of the mates, or deck hands was manning the spotlight as we worked our way back into open water. Dropped our ranger off early in the morning. Day 12: Cruising and kayaking. After dropping off Ranger Jessica, we headed down through Icy Strait. Morning was spent whale watching - a large pod of humpbacks (nine were counted) were spotted off of Point Adolphus. Also saw Harbor porpoise, Stellar sea lions, gulls and bald eagles. As we headed out, two whales breached right off the bow. Headed to Idaho Inlet fo an afternoon in the kayaks for an unsupervised paddle. Spotted sea otters on the way. Night was spent underway. Day 13: Skagway. Got off the boat at about 7:45 and boarded a few streetcar tour busses for a quick nickel-tour of Skagway (included in our package). The, most of us boarded the White Pass/Yukon Route narrow gauge train for a pretty scenic, beautiful ride into the Yukon Territory (purchased the excursion on the boat - same price if we had bought it directly on our own). It was an overcast day (to say the least) so vistas werenıt great, but getting up into the clouds was pretty cool. It was a great couple of hours - very enjoyable. Once we were off the train, Barry left for his hike to Lower Dewey Lake and I hit the stores. Actually found some really nice deals in Skagway. Wish I had bought more there, because the only other shopping opportunity I had left was Juneau, which I thought was awful. After a long day on land, we were glad to return to our boat. Just got our pictures back, and Barry took a great one of the harbor, with the mega ships and our little one in the same shot, for perspective. Left Skagway and headed south down Lynn Canal, the longet fjord in North America, passing the town of Haines, Eldred Lighthouse and another sea lion haulout. Day 14: This morning we cruised Tracy Arm Fjord/Terror Wilderness Area - amazingly gorgeous. Spent quite a bit of time parked in front of South Sawyer and Sawyer Glacier. As we turned away from South Sawyer, I walked the perimeter of the boat until I was aft, again looking at the glacier the whole time (stuff always happens when you turn away). Well, again there were just a few of us who were still watching, and again only we got to see another big calving. Barry missed this one, unfortunately. Paddle this afternoon in our most challenging conditions yet, in Sanford Cove. Still pretty tame water, but it was a less protected area, and there were icebergs to paddle to (not too close), which was fun. Day 15: Docked in Juneau at about 8:30am, off at 8:45 or so. Bags we brought down to the lounge. They would be transferred for us to airport, hotel, ferry...wherever we were going. So, that was nice. I was thinking weıd have to go all the way out to our hotel by the airport, check in, leave our bags and then come all the way back to town. Very convenient to let them deal with it all. Raining like crazy in Juneau, but that didnıt stop us. We shopped, literally, all day. None of the sightseeing attractions would be worth it on this day, because the weather was awful. Lunched at Twisted Fish, which was very good. Dinner at El Sombrero. Unfortunately, we waited until Juneau to buy many of the things we wanted to get for people at home, and for us. Wish we had bought in Skagway or Sitka instead. Found lots of rip-offs in Juneau, including one particular store that had obviously peeled place-of-origin labes off of merchandise - when asked, they claimed the stuff was Alaskan made. When we asked where the Made in Alaska label was, the story changed - now the stuff was Canadian. We left...then decided to go back and ask for a business card...maybe let the Chamber of Commerce know. Well, they didnıt have a card, and...big surprise, the story changed again! The stuff was made in the Orient. No kidding!!!!! Back to the hotel really early (Frontier Suites - Airport. Free shuttle). Day 16: Got up at 3:00am to be picked up at 4:15am for a 6:00am flight. We were beat. Amazingly, all three legs of our journey home were on time, our limo driver awaited us at baggage claim in Newark, and we were home around 1:00am. Glacier Bay Tours Summary: Did we enjoy small ship cruising? Absolutely - weıll do it again. Was it worth the premium price? Not sure. The crew was amazing, especially Beth, the lead naturalist/²cruise director², Kitta, our bartender (knew all of our names by the second day), Mark, another naturalist, our Captain Joel, the stewards - all great. Rooms were all made up in the 45 minutes or so we were all eating breakfast. Turn-down service during dinner - complete with pillow mints. No towel animals, however. Food was disappointing with a few exceptions. One night we had a buffet dinner with chicken, ribs and Dungeness CRABS - all you can eat! These were amazing! You on those big ships, you can keep your lobster night (lobsters arenıt even trapped in Alaska). Iıll take the crabs. Yummmmm. Fresh cookies daily were a treat. But, the galley needed help. Everything else was the worst Iıve had on a ship (including Carnival!!!!) At the end of the cruise, we all signed an address exchange sheet which we all got copies of, along with a little newsletter recapping the trip. That was nice. If the boat had been full to capacity, it would have been miserably crowded. Fortunately, with only 55 passengers, we had enough room to be comfortable. But, whoıs to say that next time we book, it wonıt be a full boat.There was one large group from Texas that kind of kept to themselves, a family of four (two really young kids - I love kids, but this cruise is completely inappropriate for them, as there is really nothing to keep them occupied - these kids were bored beyond belief, and understandably had some behavioural problems as a result) who pretty much kept to themselves (I donıt think anyone wanted to sit with them and their loud kids at meals), grandparents, son-in-law and two slightly older kids, who also kept to themselves (their choice). The rest of us got to know each other pretty well. Sitting with different people every night did get kind of old, though. Got tired of the ³whatıs your name, where are you from, what do you do² thing. My first taste of ³freestyle² and I didnıt like it much. But with only 55 passengers, you kind of have to meet everyone - more like summer camp than a cruise. Suggested tipping was $15-20 per person per day. Could be paid in cash or added to your account. No credit cards were taken for on-board expenses until it was time to settle up, at the end of the cruise. Dress was totally beyond casual. You canıt be more casual. Jeans, flannels, sweats, fleece, sweaters were the uniform. One day, I wore a black sweater with my jeans, put on some blush and lipstick, and everyone commented on how ³dressed up² I was. Pretty funny. I love getting dressed up on big ships, but this was fun for a change. Smoking on board was almost non-existent. The outside aft section of deck three was the only approved smoking area on the boat, and that was used only by one fellow who enjoyed a pipe a couple of times a day. Other than that, no one smoked, which was great. Glacier Bay Cruises has alos, apparently, been hit by the Norwalk (Norfolk?) virus that had hit HAL so hard this summer. It seems the virus was running rampant throughout the state. We wer given an info sheet on the virus, and were asked to wash our hands often, and to use one of those hand sanitizers also (was supplied in our cabin). Two folks did become ill, and were quarantined for 24 hours, but it was inconclusive what it was they suffered from, as their symptoms did not match, entirely, the ones that the virus sufferers did experience. Alaska in General: We fell in love with this state. Everyone we met was polite, helpful, friendly, genuine. It was really refreshing. The air smelled so clean, so good, I couldnıt inhale enough into my lungs. They should bottle that stuff. Weather was as I was expecting - would have liked a few more days with at least a little sun, but I canıt complain - we saw ³the mountain² and we are lucky for that. Weıre already thinking about our next trip tot he 49th state. This time, I think weıll head to the Kenai and Kodiak Island, maybe do a Prince William Sound cruise (definitely on a small ship). We saw many big ships in the distance and parked next to us in port. But, we didnıt see any in the narrow, pristine passages we navigated - I donıt think the big ship passengers can even believe what they miss, being so far away. Having a captain literally stop the boat for 45 minutes, to watch whalesı flukes as they dive, resurface in 5 minutes, breath for a few minutes, lunge feed, sometimes breach, and dive again. Stuff that only happens on a small ship. Loved it. That about wraps it up. Probably way more info than you needed, but Iım a detail oriented person - canıt help myself. Hope you enjoyed my review. Thanks for reading. Let me know if you have any questions or comments. Thanks! Lee |
Windjammer
wrote:
Lee, Here's your Glacier Bay cruise report. (I started with Day 9 - when your cruise began). Here's the URL in google for the whole report: http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=e...=UTF-8&oe=UTF- 8&selm=lee-2808020921220001%40whitefish.campmor.com&rnum=1 Wow, great read, as was the Yankee Clipper review. Lee has to go on more cruises and post more reviews. I'm still interested in small ship cruising, but the Glacier Bay ship/food/deck space experience would not fit what we want. We are more likely to try either Clipper or a Cruise West ship. Thanks again to Lee and to Diane and Jan for posting her reviews. |
Windjammer
Howie wrote:
What a detailed review. I feel like I was actually on this cruise. Howie, you probably remember Lee Burke who died of a heart attack about 7 years ago. He had a very good Windjammer website but it is sadly gone. I wondered if anyone else used the information from his website. Becca -----will have to try Windjammer one of these days... Norwegian Dawn http://www.cruisemaster.com/dawn.htm Sleazy3 http://www.cruisemaster.com/sleazy3.htm MOAGC http://www.motherofallgroupcruises.com/ |
Windjammer
Becca wrote:
Howie wrote: What a detailed review. I feel like I was actually on this cruise. Howie, you probably remember Lee Burke who died of a heart attack about 7 years ago. He had a very good Windjammer website but it is sadly gone. I wondered if anyone else used the information from his website. Actually, I don't Becca. That's because I'm really a newbie to the group. Although Eileen has on RTC many years, I really only started reading regularly about 2 1/2 years ago. Becca -----will have to try Windjammer one of these days... Norwegian Dawn http://www.cruisemaster.com/dawn.htm Sleazy3 http://www.cruisemaster.com/sleazy3.htm MOAGC http://www.motherofallgroupcruises.com/ |
Windjammer
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