We arrived late for lunch with no idea the buffet would be closing soon. No one blocking the food, I managed to take these pictures of various stations.
The buffet servers work eight months on the ship and return home for the remaining four.
A boom-boom disturbance overhead disrupted after lunch coffee. No other patrons seemed worried or appeared to pay attention. A couple noticed my bewilderment and the man explained there was a basketball court overhead.
“You’re not pulling my leg?” Mary asked.
“I’ll bet my lunch that’s the sound of a bouncing basketball.”
Mary giggled. “You’ve no lunch to bet.”
The sun struggled to brighten the day but dark clouds had other ideas, thrusting it into the background. Huddled in our jacket collars, we jogged a couple laps around the promenade deck after lunch—three and a half laps = 1 mile. A biting wind forced us back inside. Had the weather cooperated, we would have logged a few miles more. We passed a few pairs of walkers, a meditating woman on a blanket (b-r-r), and another one practicing yoga. Three men in white overalls painted the outside deck walls. Phew. I gagged on the fumes, though we were outside. I wondered why none wore masks against the toxic vapors. Seems Health and Safety rules do not apply to painting with nautical paint. Or is this a non-issue since all the workers are from poor countries and nobody cares? Shame. Shame.
I had my heart set on a generous feed of fish and shrimp, but we were late arriving. The buffet had run out. More arrived after we’d finished a fish dinner and Mary scooped up a half dozen to share. I’ve only had shrimp that huge once when I purchased them for a New Year’s Eve dinner party years ago. Thank goodness, I hadn’t invited the neighborhood.
Tummies happy, we searched for advertised entertainment. The Hudson room offered a piano/violin duo and inviting deep chairs but the music didn’t suit our mood—too sedate.
Next, we discovered the duty-free store. A female employee in the jewelry area talked us into sticking around for a free draw in ten minutes. She tore off matching tickets: one for each of us and the twin for the bin. We figured with only a half-dozen participants, we had an excellent chance of winning something. Soon the employee hooked 50 or 60 male and female shoppers and those waiting for the piano bar to open. Ten minutes turned into a half-hour.
What a setup. The person with the winning number had 30 seconds to open as many boxes as they could manage in an effort to extract one containing a jewelry surprise. Soon, a couple of the ‘winners’ asked if there were indeed prizes as the first handful were not lucky. The employee threw the empty boxes back in the bin to encourage deeper digging. What felt like hours later, we left empty-handed and yawning. Six happy winners dispersed to the bar. The lounge singer behind a ¾ wall crooned for some time to clinking glasses and the murmur and hum of energetic conversation.
It had been a long day fighting bitter winds, moody clouds, and noxious paint fumes. The first full day surrounded by nothing but water and food drew to a close. I wished for my pillow to hasten our time of arrival in Juneau the following day.
~ * ~
Next on April 13th – North to Alaska: Yay! Juneau Ahead
© 2018 Tess @ How the Cookie Crumbles
April 6, 2018 at 8:03 pm
A piano-violin duet–sounds glorious! Sigh. Love your trips, Tess.
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April 13, 2018 at 12:15 pm
It was lovely but I sank into the chair and become so relaxed, I almost fell asleep. Why? I haven’t been working hard. Because of the ocean air? Late night? Nah. We decided to move around to get the blood moving. ;-D 😀 🙂
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April 6, 2018 at 9:22 pm
Your trip is off to a challenging start, Tess, but you’d never know it by that lovely picture of you above. At least you had the jumbo shrimp to munch on, thanks to quick-on-the-draw Mary 🙂 ❤
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April 13, 2018 at 12:17 pm
Hate to admit it by the time we left for our trip, after visiting with my other sister, I wanted to go home. Still, we did have a few challenges. Sigh. 😀 ❤
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April 7, 2018 at 7:17 am
YOU look amazing! I hope the rest is leading up to a stunning adventure of Alaska views and experiences.
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April 13, 2018 at 12:20 pm
You say the nicest things, Colleen. Thank you for you kind words though I spewed my coffee as I read it. Moi? Oo-hh my.
There are some ups and downs on this trip figuratively and literally. I have the giggles now cause I can’t tell you right now. 🙂 ❤
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April 13, 2018 at 2:43 pm
I like the way you are letting this trip play out Tess. I don’t mind waiting. Who wants to live a vacation all in one day!
And yes, you. 🙂
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April 7, 2018 at 12:17 pm
Are you one of those women who always look glamourous Tess?
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April 13, 2018 at 12:21 pm
Go away with you, Gilly. You’re too kind but I think you. Nice thought.I must have just washed my face or something. Maybe I just look clean? Haha. 😀 🙂 😉
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April 7, 2018 at 4:29 pm
I need a job on one of those cruise ships.?
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April 13, 2018 at 4:19 pm
Not sure the long hours without even a minute to stop and breath will be worth the effort of getting that job. Early morning or late at night I saw the same people slaving away. Maybe their shifts changed here but it sure seemed they were always at it. 😀 😀 😀
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April 7, 2018 at 4:58 pm
Enjoyed this day. Tess. Seemed pretty restful.
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April 13, 2018 at 4:20 pm
Haha. Resting up for the real deal: Juneau (I think, no, I hope 🙂 )
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April 13, 2018 at 6:16 pm
😀
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April 7, 2018 at 5:11 pm
You look fabulous! What fun. I always eat too much on cruises.
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April 13, 2018 at 4:22 pm
Hi Darlene: Thank YOU. I just washed my face and combed my hair for a change. After all, I was cruising. 😀 😀
I ate too much at first too but then decided it wasn’t worth buying new clothes because the ones I brought didn’t fit. Haha. And paying in American dollars for them. Yikes.
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April 7, 2018 at 7:55 pm
Too bad about the buffet. It looks like it was a good one.
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April 13, 2018 at 4:23 pm
I can only eat ‘out’ so long before I want to go home and cook up something homecooked. It’s nice not to have to cook, clean up and do dishes for a while, though. 😀 😀
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April 8, 2018 at 2:40 pm
Reblogged this on Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life and commented:
My second travel experience each weekend is in the company of Tess Karlinski in whatever adventure she is writing about at the time.. This week she is settling down to day 1 on her cruise to Alaska…buffet and giant prawns, duty free lucky dip and some cultural distractions. Always great fun to tag along after Tess.. and she does have some duty free wine left…..
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April 13, 2018 at 4:25 pm
Thanks so much for coming along and re-blogging, Sally. I bet you’re waiting for a little excitement on this cruise. So far I have nothing. 😀 I like walking and touring not sitting around. 🙂 😀
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April 13, 2018 at 5:33 pm
Haha.. just being in your company Tess is reward enough..hugs xxx♥
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April 8, 2018 at 4:39 pm
You look marvelous dahlink! 🙂 xx
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April 13, 2018 at 4:26 pm
Dahlink? Why thank YOU, Debbie. Sigh. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I better get me some new glasses. 😀 😀
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April 14, 2018 at 12:48 pm
Lol, it’s not glasses but frame of mind. You look great! 🙂
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April 9, 2018 at 5:35 am
Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.
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April 13, 2018 at 4:27 pm
Thank you for your generosity as I am not here often. ❤ ❤ 🙂
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