Friday, May 24, 2019. At Sea from Skagway Alaska to Victoria BC

Friday, May 24, 2019. At Sea from Skagway Alaska to Victoria British Columbia Canada

It was especially hard to get up in the morning after setting our clocks back an hour.  The weather has clouded over and the winds have picked up, generating white caps and 8-10ft swells.  

We had breakfast in the restaurant this morning.  Dave, George, Franklin and Betty had a 4 top.  George said he had knocked on our door but we were still asleep.  Janet and I sat at a 2 top waited on by Theodore, our regular main Amalfi evening dinner waiter.  Janet spotted the dorsal fin of a female orca passing as the ship made it’s way south along the Queen Charolette Islands.  

As we got back to our room after breakfast, we were relieved to see our laundry had finally been completed, with Ben’s suit and slacks pressed and hanging in the closet, dress shoes newly polished, and shirts nicely starched and ironed.  Underwear, socks and other items were laid out on the bed for easy sorting and putting away.  

We won the morning trivia after teaming up with a first time cruiser Dino, who had sat by himself before we invited him to join our team.  We had entered into a two way tie, and had to have two tie breakers to determine the final winner.  That got us aluminum Princess water bottles, which we gave to Dave to pass on as presents for his daughters.  

We went to see the end of the Culinary demonstration and saw that they had rolled a crew talent show in with the Culinary demonstration.  We then got the whole family together for lunch in the Portifino dining room.  Everyone was eager to grab a nap after lunch before our afternoon activities.  

Janet and Ben attended their first Princess Grapevine wine tasting, which is complimentary for Elite members and $9.50 for everyone else.  They demonstrated a California Robert Mondavi Chardonnay, and a Dashwood Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand for two white wines.  These were followed by a Duckhorn Merlot Decoy (USA) and a Zolo Mendoza Argentinian Malbec for reds.  We then finished with an Errazuriz, Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc dessert wine, which is allowed to freeze on the vine before it is crushed and made into wine.  This made for a very sweet and fruity dessert wine.  

There was commentary for each wine by the Sommeliers that staff the dining rooms.  Each was about a 1.5oz pour, so we were pleasantly buzzed at the end of the program and had learned a little more about how to best appreciate these wines which are considered middle market wines that can be consumed on any occasion.  It was a nice perk thrown in for the Elite status Captain’s Circle level.  

We then got changed into our formal wear and headed off to afternoon trivia, which was won by a team that has probably won as many trivia games as us.  We seem to take turns winning on this cruise.  For the afternoon trivia, George joined us as well Drew, a newly trained cardiac nurse who was sitting alone and joined us.

We met up with the family for our last formal dinner of the cruise, which featured broiled lobster. Everyone went light on the appetizers and sides because we also had specialty dining reservations in the Crown Grill for 9PM.  We could do a progressive Surf and Turf evening that way.  The lobster tails were from New England lobsters, served over risotto, and were very tasty. 

After our early 5PM dinner seating, Ben, Janet, Franklin and George attended the Captain’s Circle cocktail party. Janet was able to order a pair of Moscow Mules, while Ben explored a new martini on the Menu called the Vesper, apparently inspired by another 007 character.  Franklin ordered sprite and mixed it with some red wine for his signature beverage.  George was sticking to Diet Coke.  The most traveled passengers were a couple from Kent who had completed 980 days at sea.  They looked like they were in their 80’s.  

We took our cocktails from the Captain’s Circle reception to the Explorer’s Lounge afterwards to watch some of the Marriage Match gameshow, which is always fun to watch, but you really don’t want to be the ones on stage because it can be embarrassing.  

We then went for our second dinner at the Crown Grill with Betty ordering Copper River sockeye salmon, and everyone else ordering beef.  Dave and George were drawn towards the 32oz monster Porterhouse steaks, while Franklin stayed in his comfort zone with the New York Strip Steak, which most closely resembles the steaks that Madison House serves.  Ben and Janet stuck with the Filet Mignon, which was excellent.  

We closed the evening with Franklin’s last Karaoke night.  He has managed to become a bit of a Karaoke celebrity among the cruise staff and Karaoke regulars on this cruise. 

Tomorrow, we arrive late to Victoria, BC. It’s odd that this itinerary gets us into the port after 6pm.  It’s a good thing it stays light later this time of year.  We’ll probably see the garden lights come on around the time they round us up to take us back to the cruise ship on our Buchart Garden excursion.