{"id":516,"date":"2016-07-17T04:46:00","date_gmt":"2016-07-17T04:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochellesroost.com\/index.php\/2016\/07\/17\/cruising-the-inside-passage-en-route-to-alaska\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T04:59:36","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T04:59:36","slug":"cruising-the-inside-passage-en-route-to-alaska","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochellesroost.com\/index.php\/2016\/07\/17\/cruising-the-inside-passage-en-route-to-alaska\/","title":{"rendered":"Cruising the Inside Passage En Route to Alaska"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\nSunday,
\nJuly 3, 2016: <\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\nAt Sea\u2014Sailing to Alaska Along the Inside Passage<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span><\/span><\/b>We had the kind
\nof <\/b>day today of which people think
\nwhen you say the word \u2018cruise\u2019, i.e one on which you eat too much, drink too
\nmuch and overdo everything.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nSunday
\nMass on Board: <\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\nI awoke early (as is my
\nwont) leaving Llew to lie-in while I showered and got dressed. He followed right
\nafter and we were able to make it to 8.00 am Mass on board as it was a Sunday
\nand we wanted to start the day right. In the Hudson Room, over 150 people had
\nassembled so that there was only standing room although we managed to find
\nseats. The priest was an Irishman but we did not get his name. Later on, we
\ndiscovered that he is Fr. Tim McCarthy from Vancouver.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>The
\nsea was choppy and for the next two hours, we were off  <\/span>balance. Father, therefore, suggested we sit
\ndown throughout the service which was very inspiring. By the time Llew and I
\nmade our way to the Manhattan Dining Room<\/i>
\nfor brekkie, it had calmed down somewhat\u2014but, apparently, several cruisers on
\nboard were sea sick and actually had to see the doctor on board for a shot. But
\nhere is how we spent our free sailing day on board:<\/span><\/div>\n
\nSit-Down
\nBreakfast in the Manhattan<\/i>:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>The
\nDining Hall was packed when we entered but we were seated with three other
\nfolks right by the window\u2014we kept our eyes peeled on the water for whales but
\nnone revealed themselves to us. We are still probably too far south. Breakfast
\nfor Llew was the Full American: eggs over easy with sausages, hash browns,
\nbrown toast. Mine was a custom-made omlette: I chose ham, mushrooms and Gruyere
\ncheese with smoked salmon on the side. Both of us had freshly squeezed orange
\njuice\u2014which is always a treat on Holland America Line ships. We both declined
\nthe trays of baked pastries that came around as we can do without the carbs.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nSetting
\nUp Internet:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>At
\n10.00 am, I returned to our stateroom to set up the Internet on my mobile
\nphone. For some reason, I am unable to get on to network connections on my
\nlaptop when I am traveling unless I use a dongle. I am not carrying one with
\nme, so there is nothing I can do now. Anyway, set up was very simple and
\nbecause Llew was keen to watch the UEFA match between Iceland and France that
\nwas being screened live in the Casino Bar, we split up and off he went.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nCookery
\nDemonstration:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\nI headed off to the
\nCulinary Arts Room to watch a live demonstration of three dishes that are
\nserved in the three specialty restaurants: Dungeness Crab Cakes (Pinnacle Grill<\/i>), Rigatoni with Sauteed
\nVegetables (Canaletto<\/i>) and Penang Red
\nCurry (Tamarind).<\/i> We were given
\nsamples of the pasta and it was very good. An hour later, I left to join Llew
\nfor the next item on our agenda.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nChampagne
\nArt Auction:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>Our
\nnext stop was the Art Gallery where a glass of Champagne was offered to each
\nperson who participated in the Art Auction. Although Llew and I had no
\nintention of bidding on any of the works, it was fun to watch the proceedings
\nwhile sipping bubbly.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nLunch
\nat Lido:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>We
\nintended to head off for lunch next to the Manhattan<\/i>
\nbut when we saw that the line for a table was so long, we decided to get to the
\nmore casual Lido Buffet style restaurant where the menu is identical to the one
\nin the Manhattan and the choices more plentiful. Before long, I picked up a
\nsmall plate of Middle Eastern appetizers (hummus, babaganoush, feta cheese, one
\ndolmas\u2014vine leaf wrapped rice\u2014and an olive) which I ate with focaccia bread
\nwhich was great. For my main course, I went to the salad bar and ordered the
\nAsian Sesame Salad with Seared Tuna which was simply great and made me feel
\nvirtuous. Llew chose the Roast Lamb Au Jus from the carvery and the Steak with
\nMashed Potatoes and Veg. Since the salad made me feel good, I opted for a small
\nice-cream sundae made with chocolate and biscotti ice-creams, a splash of
\nchocolate sauce and nuts and I tried something I had never eaten
\nbefore\u2014Holland-America\u2019s signature Bread Pudding with Sauce which was every bit
\nas delectable as other bloggers say it is. I had a tiny sample portion as I was
\nalready beginning to feel I was eating too much. I hate this Gourmet Remorse
\nwith which cruising tends to leave you.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nA
\nShort Nap and Some Surfing:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>It
\nwas time for a short 20 minute nap which I enjoyed thoroughly in my stateroom
\nas the sea was back to feeling as calm as a mill pond. Half an hour later, I
\nwas dressing to head out again while Llew decided to shower and relax some
\nmore. Iceland had lost the match and he was disappointed. Together we watched a
\nprogram on TV in our room about London\u2019s Food Scene that was great fun.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nHigh
\nTea in the Manhattan:<\/i><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>I
\nwent off for High Tea on my own as Llew was too full to eat another morsel, he
\nsaid. The place was packed and I wondered how I would cope on my own (as eating
\nalone is not my favorite thing to do) when I spotted Kathleen, another cruiser
\nwho was also sipping tea alone. Her husband had also decided that High Tea was
\nnot his thang! She had a daughter named Rochelle who was exactly the age of
\nmine! How was that for coincidences? We had a lovely cozy conversation over
\ndelicious finger sandwiches (I had smoked salmon on mini bagels and roast beef
\nwith tiny cornichons), the fluffiest scones with cream and strawberry jam and
\nbite- sized pieces of chocolate cake which were all washed down with decaff
\nEarl Grey which made for a really wonderful tea.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nBrisk
\nThree Mile Walk Around the Deck:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>It
\nwas time to find a way to work off all those accumulated calories and since we
\ncan get to a gym at home anytime, it made sense to enjoy a more unique
\nexperience\u2014walking around the deck of a moving ship. And that was exactly what
\nwe did. The air was bracing so we bundled up well in our hooded parkas and
\nbegan our brisk walk. Three rounds make a mile and within half an hour, we did
\nthree miles. No marks for guessing how much we wanted to pat ourselves on our
\nbacks. But not for long as food beckoned again.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nInvitation
\nto a Wine and Cheese Reception for Returning Mariners:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>With
\nbarely ten minutes left before the Wine and Cheese Reception ended, we rushed
\noff to meet Tina, one of the PR people on board, who had invited us to a very
\ncool reception to meet other returning mariners like ourselves to try to get us
\nto sign for their frequent cruiser program. Each of us was given a goodie bag
\nwith a very neat gift\u2014a selfie stick! How appropriate for a cruise that
\npromised to offer a lot of opportunity to pose. We each picked up a glass of
\nwine (red for Llew, white for me) and after chatting with Tina for a long
\nwhile, we carried our wine glasses out with us and rushed off to our next venue
\nof interest.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nSip
\nand Savor in the Explorer\u2019s Lounge:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n <\/span>           <\/span>One of the most loved dishes on board
\nthis ship are the Dungeness Crab Cakes (served in the Pinnacle Grill<\/i>). Earlier in the day, I had watched chef Felix
\nprepare them. Since Alex, our Culinary Hostess, had informed us that they were
\nsampling the crab cakes at 5.00 pm, I was keen to take Llew along to get our
\ntidbits. And how fabulous they were! They really are among the best crab cakes
\nI have ever eaten. We had two each\u2014served with a very light Sauce Marie-Rose
\n(mayonnaise lightened with a bit of tomato ketchup) and as we continued sipping
\nour wine, Alex began a Foodie Trivia Quiz\u2014Llew and I formed one team. We called
\nourselves the Almeida Allies\u2014and though we did not do too badly, we did not
\nwin. However, participating in the quiz was a great deal of fun and we had a
\nreally good time. <\/span><\/div>\n
\nMeanwhile, we watched people
\ndressed to the nines making their way to the Main Dining Room to begin the
\nfirst sitting on what HAL calls one of tis Gala Nights\u2014a formal night which
\nmost people take seriously. It was grand to see how well everyone was dressed
\nand as they began to troop through the ship, it was a delight to take in the
\nfancy clothing.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nTime
\nto Dress for the Captain\u2019s Cocktail Party:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>It
\nwas time for Llew and me to dress for a very special event\u2014Llew and I were
\ninvited to the Captain\u2019s Cocktail Party in the Silk Den, the Asian bar on the
\n11th<\/sup> floor\u2019s Observation Deck. On our last cruise to the Baltic Sea,
\nwe had received a similar invitation and we were delighted by the sense of deja-vu<\/i>. I ordered a margarita (as I had
\ndone the last time) while Llew got some more red wine. We met some of the more
\nimportant members of the officer strata and as we nibbled on Asian eats such a
\nshrimp tempura and spring rolls, we got to know them a little better. As we
\nwere already togged out in our own formal gear, it seemed like a very special
\nparty indeed.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nDinner
\nat the Manhattan<\/i>:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\nAnd on to the next
\nitem: if one has a cocktail in hand, dinner cannot be far behind. We were seated
\na good half hour later but we enjoyed every bit of our meal. Both of us started
\nwith the Escargot Bourguignon\u2014which was absolutely scrumptious\u2014served with a
\ntoast point. I then moved to an Arugula Salad with apples and peaches (also
\nvery good) while Llew chose the Roasted Artichoke and Carrot Soup. For a main,
\nI got something I had really enjoyed on the Baltic cruise\u2014Maple glazed Duck
\nBreast with Cranberry-Corn Stuffing and Candied Figs (divine) while Llew got a
\nversion of Surf and Turf (Steak and a large grilled Shrimp). For dessert, I had
\nthe Black Forest Cake while Llew had the Chocolate Souffle with Warm Chocolate
\nSauce. Overall, it was a very good meal and we enjoyed it thoroughly.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nThe
\nMarquee Show at the Showroom on the Sea:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>It
\nwas time to race off again\u2014this time to see the stage show called The Marquee<\/i>\u2014which is a song and dance
\nextravaganza\u2014with a number of really talented young people who performed all
\nsorts of circus-style acts including juggling, gymnastics as well as well-choreographed
\ndance routines. The quality of the show was quite amazing indeed and we had a
\ngrand time. Just when I thought it was time to call it a day after what had
\nbeen a most eventful 12 hours, we got side tracked again.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nA
\nBeatles Sing-Along at the Piano Bar:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>Passing
\nby the Piano Bar on our way out from the theater, we simply could not resist
\npopping in there to enjoy the singing and piano playing of Jimmy Madox who had
\na faithful band of fans around him joining vigorously in the sing-along. It was
\na 60\u2019s special night and he played a lot of Beatles, Rolling Stones and other
\n60\u2019s artistes. Needless to say, Llew and I joined in lustily and had a really
\nfabulous time. <\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>At
\nalmost midnight, we finally decided to call it a day. We headed to our
\nstateroom and passed out after what had been a truly amazing and most enjoyable
\nday for me.   <\/span>   <\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

            <\/span>Until tomorrow\u2026                 <\/span> <\/span>      <\/span>  <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sunday, July 3, 2016: At Sea\u2014Sailing to Alaska Along the Inside Passage             We had the kind of day today of which people think when you say the word \u2018cruise\u2019, i.e one on which you eat too much, drink too much and overdo everything. Sunday Mass on Board: I awoke early (as is my wont)… <\/p>\n

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