SUPER ALASKA CRUISE
H. Day 3: Juneau
Throughout the night and during most of this day the Norwegian Wind sailed the inside passage. Since it rained and was foggy out, and because I was all-scenic-viewed out after Grenville Channel, I did not take time to watch scenery pass by. Luckily there was a lot to do on the ship.
During this day I played Bingo. The bingo games, held in the theater, are lots of fun. Each bingo caller has a unique performance and plenty of jokes (both funny and lame). Also, whenever a mistake is made the crowd yells ‘teapot’ and the caller is forced to sing ‘I’m a little teapot’ with hand gestures. Especially impressive was one caller who sung the song in German. Winners get some cash and a ‘MOOSE-MOOSE-MUG’ cup. A ‘MOOSE-MOOSE-MUG’ is an NCL mug with a balloon in it that has a picture of a moose on it.
We were originally scheduled to dock in Juneau around 2pm or so. In Juneau we were scheduled to tender to the dock. Tendering involves lowering some of the lifeboats (the ones with windows and extra propellers are the tendering lifeboats) to the water, exiting out of the ship through a side hatch into the boats, and riding the boats to the dock. This is a more time consuming way of departing the ship. Also, you must obtain tickets for the tender rides with persons going on cruise line-scheduled tours getting priority. (I saw this process in action with the Dawn Princess in Ketchikan. There was a long line on the dock for people awaiting the tenders to return to the ship. It is much more convenient and pleasant to depart when the ship adjacent to the dock with a ramp or stairs to walk down. Also I guess tendering is more expensive for the cruise line because of the extra labor involved in both running the tenders [including the extra maintenance and cleaning required on the tender boats] and the ticket process). In addition, since the ship is not at the dock, exterior maintenance (painting and cleaning) cannot be done using dock equipment (cranes and cherry pickers). Since we were running slightly behind schedule because of the Grenville channel detour we did not have to tender (I think we slowed down slightly to further refine our arrival time). The late arrival did not affect the excursion schedule because the schedule took into account the time required for most of the ship to able to tender. We arrived about 4:15, but because the Sea Princess was scheduled to depart at 5pm (from the South Franklin Street Dock {also called the Princess Dock}), we waited for it to depart. (Note: Because we were waiting the Sea Princess left the dock at exactly at or before 5pm [its scheduled departure time]. Thus it is always important to get on the ship before the time they tell you to be there in the cruise news letter which is always before the advertised departure time by at least ½ hour.) Since we were waiting behind the Sun Princess, that ship had to use the services of a tugboat in order to get out. When it left we pulled right in.
When a ship docks passengers cannot immediately get off. First the ship must be secured to the dock and ramps must be set up. Also, because the ship originated in a foreign port and there are many foreign national passengers and crew, it has to be cleared by customs officials. Once the ship is cleared an announcement is made over the public address systems that passengers can depart. Usually more than one ramp is set up to speed up the departure. If there is a long line to get off the ramp, look out the side of the ship (from the Promenade deck) and see where the other ramp is. The other ramp will probably not have a line, you should be able to walk up or down one level and get right off the ship.
Very very important note: When you get off the boat, make sure that you have your boarding pass with you. I am not sure what happens if you don’t, since there was no official ID picture taken of passengers (the pictures taken when you get on the ship were only for the purpose of selling pictures in the photography studio).
In Juneau I took the ‘Glacier View Sea Kayaking’ excursion. As we got to the lake it stopped raining and the sun came out. Our guides said we were lucky, it had been raining all day and the people on the previous 3 cruise ships who took the tour that day were kayaking in the rain, hampering the views and making it less pleasant. The guides also said that the weather in Alaska is very changeable and it rains a lot and on any given day, the weather cannot be predicted. Also, often where the ship docks it may be raining, but at the location of the excursion it may be sunny and clear.
‘Glacier View Sea Kayaking’ given by Alaska Travel Adventures (http://www.alaskaadventures.com/) was a great excursion. There were about a dozen people in our group. We rode a school bus on a 20-minute or so ride. The bus went through downtown Juneau, crossed a bridge onto Douglass Island. The bus then turned right (north) and we rote along the water’s edge and came to a boat landing area on the edge of Auke Bay. This is an especially beautiful area. The water in this area is very cold because it fed by the waters melting off of the Mendenhall Glacier that can be seen off in the distance. As we got off of the bus one of the guides pointed out a dolphin that was playing in the bay 50 or so feet from the shore (cool).
When we got off the boat we were fitted with rain shells, sea-skirts and life vests and given kayak paddles (poles with paddles on both sides) and proceeded to the kayaks (two person kayaks). At the kayaks we were given instructions on how to paddle and steer the kayaks. We were told that people did not tip over since the kayaks were stable and the water was very still. With the help of our 3 guides we pulled the boats to the edge of the water and were helped in. Even though none of us had ever kayaked before we all took to it very easy. The guides had us kayak for an extra long time since we were the last tour of the day and because it was the first good weather of the day. The guides paddled around in single person kayaks and told us all about the wildlife and sights of the area including the Mendenhall Glacier. They also told about the houses ‘off the grid’ (no phone, electricity, sewer, public water) on the edge of the water and what it is like to live there. We paddled for 2-2 1/2 hours. We went so far across the water that we could not see the area where we departed from.
On the water we saw lots of wildlife. There were a lot of seals. They were all over the place, following our boats and bobbing their heads up frequently. We were told that seals raise their young in the area we were since killer whales (which eat seals) do not come into the area usually because of the cold-water stream coming off of the glacier. We also saw lots of bald eagles. They were perched on top of trees as well as on a sandbar. We got close enough to the sandbar that I was able to take a picture where they were visible.
Paddling takes some upper body strength, and lots of endurance, but anyone who even does a moderate amount of exercise should have no problem. The guides are very patient; stop frequently to point out sights. Since there are several guides, one always trails the group to make sure slower paddlers are ok. Make sure to bring a camera, but make sure it is on a cord around your neck so you can shove it down the front of your life vest and pull it out when you want to take pictures. Binoculars could also be used, though they will be too cumbersome if you also have a camera or sunglasses with you and anyway you can see lots of wildlife with the naked eye. Bring a hat to protect you from either the sun or the rain. If it is very sunny out you may need sunglasses, but make sure you have glasses cords so they don’t drop into the water if they fall off.
Since the inside of the kayak was wet because it rained all day prior to our arrival, everyone’s pants were sort of wet. Since it did not rain while we were there and we were wearing spray skirts (sealed to the boat) and raincoats. The rest of our clothing stayed dry.
Since it does not get dark in June in Juneau till after 11pm it was light during our whole excursion. The bus took us back to the ship (some people got off of the bus in Juneau to walk around). We were told that when cruise ships are in port the gift shops stay open past their regular closing time to accommodate the visitors. Since my pants were wet I went back to my stateroom and changed and then went to eat. While I was eating the rain resumed; since I was tired I did not feel like leaving the ship again. After dinner I went out to the Promenade deck (sheltered from the rain), watched the Volendam leave at 11pm and watched as my boat pulled away from the dock at midnight.
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