Monday-Tuesday 2-3 October 2023
Sailing To Juneau

Monday

So far it’s smooth sailing from Seattle, with mixed blue and gray skies. Temperatures are cooling down, but it feels like a pleasant autumn. The captain is taking a slightly longer route to Juneau, avoiding the Inside Passage, where the waves can be rough. Back in 2008, the first night of our Holland America Oosterdam cruise (sister ship to the Westerdam), almost everyone on board was sick or sicker--even most of the crew. Fortunately everything was calm the next day and for the rest of the week-long cruise. That was our fourth cruise and certainly didn't persuade us to avoid future voyages.

My day begins with breakfast in the main dining room. I try to avoid the pushy crowds in the Lido Marketplace in the morning. Unfortunately even the dining room does not do well (I know, it’s always problematic on the first day). The first solo table I am taken to is hidden away in a very back corner where the motion of the ship (deck 2) can be felt under my feet. It’s like being condemned to a dark closet. I refuse that table, so instead am placed at a table for four, just for myself, in a much better location. I enjoy fresh orange juice , hot coffee, and yogurt with fresh berries. But after waiting one hour, theTexas toast French toast arrives cold. I do eat it, of course, but I lodge a quiet and polite complaint with one of the managers. 

It is a sea day, so the next important event is lunch in the Lido Market: large salad, small sandwich, fresh fruit, and two scoops of ice cream. Prior to dinner, the Captain's greeting and introduction of the ship's officers--with a glass of Champagne--takes place in the World Stage theatre.

Dinner is excellent tonight, with shrimp cocktail (five large shrimp), rack of lamb with mustard crust (two large chops), dessert, along with my usual Perrier and, tonight, a crisp Pinot Noir. Since I'm a little tipsy after all that liquid, I decide to stay awake for the late show in the World Stage theatre. The performers are a modern dance group, "The Step One Dance Company," that I have seen on a previous cruise. A mixed company of six dancers perform to contemporary music, with a stage backdrop of really exciting and imaginative video programming. The theatre isn't very full for the evening's second performance.

Waiting for the Show to Start

Bedtime is not exactly uneventful:  the Westerdam starts rocking side to side at around 11pm. I get out the trusty anti-nausea cloth bracelets given to me by Will. Placed below the palm, with the white button exactly between the central two tendons, the bracelets worked really well on previous cruises. They serve their purpose tonight and when I wake for my 4am bathroom break, the rocking has ceased and the sailing is smooth for the rest of the night

Tuesday Morning

The Westerdam continues its smooth sailing up the Alaska coast, even though the skies are dark and light rain is falling. But by 11am, an hour before we reach Juneau, the sky has lightened, the view improved, and intermittent sunshine has appeared.

Today's dining room breakfast is much improved: fresh orange juice, yogurt with fresh berries, coffee with a raisin roll, and Eggs Benedict. The assistant waiter who serves my dinner, Oky from Indonesia, serves my breakfast today as well. I previously met Oky a year ago on my New Zealand-Australia cruise. You can see him below, serving "Milford Biscuits" on deck as the Westerdam enters Milford Sound on the west coast of New Zealand's South Island.

Oky in White Shirt and Glasses

The Westerdam continues northward, edging closer to the densely-forested shoreline.

Just prior to arriving in Juneau, I opt for a quick lunch of pizza and salad in the Lido Marketplace. But I will end this blog posting here and continue with Juneau and my afternoon shore excursion to Mendenhall Glacier in the next entry.