We spent the tenth day of our Ultimate Alaska Cruise “At Sea” as we steamed south through the Gulf of Alaska from Prince William Sound to the Inland Passage region. We were heading directly into the wind field of a North Pacific Storm front, which also meant significant swells due to the large fetch out here on the ocean. Indeed, we felt the motion of the ship all night long, and were glad we chose an inside stateroom with an amidships location.
We woke up early, as always, and headed up to the Breakfast Buffet. Not only was the food good, both varied and plentiful, but there were window seats available. Views like these are why people shell out extra money for balcony upgrades.
On a long, 17-day cruise like this one, the ship’s entertainment contingent try their best to keep everyone busy. Let’s face it: There are only so many things you can do on board a ship at sea besides sleep. One of those is a chance to get dressed up. There were a total of four days At Sea and therefore a total of four Formal Nights. To that end, Vicki made an appointment at the salon to have her hair done in a fancy braided style.
After that, we wandered around the ship. It was fun up on the Sun Deck, even though it was blowing hard and raining. We were dressed for the weather, which is all that really matters. Still, it was most pleasant to stay near the stern, in the lee of the gale force winds. We enjoyed watching the stern swimming pool as it steamed and sloshed around in the swells.
Bored, we headed to the gym for our daily workout. I got properly sweaty on the treadmill, attempting to maintain my hiking legs. After a shower, we went to check out the room with the big indoor pool, and decided to try a bit of Ping Pong. It was fun to do while the ship was rolling. It was a whole new dimension in Ping Pong.
Later on, just after lunch, there was another event that we saw in the daily “Princess Patter” brochure that was left in our stateroom the previous evening. Reading the Patter was a good idea, as it let us know about all the entertainments available on board. It told of the nightly shows in the theatre, for example, or when and where the Captain would be dining in the evening on Formal Night. We decided to check out the “Axe Throwing Contest” after lunch. Throwing axes on board a rolling ship sounded rather swashbuckling, if you ask me. The reality was a bit less thrilling, but still fun. They were plastic axes, with a plastic target, and each player got three shots at it, much like darts. The big teams were Passengers versus Officers of the Crew. Vicki signed up along with many others. She definitely has more derring-do than I.
Vicki took her turn at Axe Throwing, but didn’t manage to score. They never gave the passengers a chance to practice, whereas I have a strong suspicion that the Officers have played this game before. They won handily. This was good to know, in case of mutiny, as the officers have classically been the ones with all the weapons.
At one o’clock it was time for the third round of the Golf Tournament. I went there early and got in a bit of practicing. I needed it, especially with the rolling the ship was doing. Some of my fellow contestants forgot to show this time, just like last round. Lovely arrived, set up an even more diabolical course, and pulled out the red “Money Ball” (which was worth extra points). We each got three shots, and we got to choose when to shoot the Money Ball. Once again, I totally lucked out and got one ball through the final croquet wicket. I was still in the running for a prize, I figured, although I knew I wasn’t the one with the most. We’d find out on the next Sea Day.
Later on, we went back to our cabin and got fancied-up for Formal Night dinner. Not enough people were bothering, if you ask me. Although maybe it was different in the fancier restaurants, like the Captain’s Dinner. Still, the food was good, and so was the company. We had a fine time.
Once again, we went on our after-dinner Constitutional, but not on the Promenade Deck, which was still closed for safety reasons due to the stormy weather and high seas. We donned our foulies in the stateroom first, then ascended to the Sun Deck to experience some energetic weather. And it certainly was!
That night, we were rocked to sleep by the rollers passing beneath the ship. We were getting used to this lifestyle. We checked tomorrow’s “Patter” and also checked our excursion tickets. We were going to be in Sitka, and would be learning more about native culture and Alaskan history.
For a topographic map of the cruise see my CalTopo Page
For LOTS more photos of the voyage see my Flickr Page
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