For breakfast, we had ordered room service before retiring - a little disappointing because there was so little choice on the menu. After this first day, we figured out that it was better to order in the morning after waking up. Then we could order whatever we wanted, like scrambled eggs and toast. The service never took longer than about twenty minutes to deliver. One day Ruth ordered, and it didnt really work out well. So the routine was that Ruth showered, and I ordered. Then I showered, and about the time I emerged, so did the breakfast. The funniest part was that there seemed to be no standard of what an order meant. So Monday morning we ended up with eight pieces of toast with scrambled eggs to match, and Friday morning we got only one piece of toast. Never did we starve!
About we decided to get some vigorous exercise by walking around the Promenade deck. 2.7 times around equaled one mile. As we were sailing the Inside Passage , we found it a wonderful way to watch the scenery. Walking on one side of the boat gave rise to one beautiful view. Walking on the other side
gave another beautiful view. Returning to each side opened up yet more views as the ship moved along. We did about three miles before our first scheduled activity. An archeologist gave a talk about the native peoples of Alaska. She was bit dull as a speaker, but the information was good for preparing to see the totem poles in Ketchikan tomorrow.
After the lecture, we took the elevator up to the top deck for a quick lunch, because the naturalists talk was scheduled only half an hour after the archeologists. We were surprised at the range of different cuisines on the buffet. To avoid the we skipped the salads in favour of the The spicy vegetable curry was particularly good.
The naturalist was a good presenter, using photos to illustrate his talk and telling stories from his travels. He had been up and down to Alaska many times, which added to his stories, since he could talk about the changes he had seen. He will be the Friday at College Fjord .
By this time, we needed to walk around the Promenade deck several more times, if only to justify enjoying afternoon tea. Unlike
on the Panama trip, tea was served in a fairly formal manner in the dinning room, with white cloths and formal service, including both tea sandwiches and cakes. Once again, swapping stories with other people was fun.
As an evening at sea, this was the first formal night at dinner. Ruth valiantly went off to the other end of the ship to iron her dress and my jacket, while I conked out on the bed. This eating was a great challenge!
Dinner was preceded by the captains party, featuring cocktails and hors doeuvres. We gave up standing in line for portraits, mainly because the photographer took about ten poses for each couple. By moving away and sitting down, we met two elderly women. They were experienced cruisers. The luggage of one woman was lost, and she was hoping to get it in Ketchikan. and then discovered that they were going for a helicopter ride and the next day. The thrill of anticipation was evident. (We met them again a few days later at dinner. The luggage had been found. And, the helicopter was more than the One at least seemed to think
After dinner we went out onto the Promenade Deck for a short stroll before collapsing for the night. A group of people were looking off the deck, so we went to look too. We were by seeing a young humpback whale frolicking not far from the ship. Ruth wondered where its mama was because it was so small – probably not far off. At one point it jumped nearly clear of the water - a real high point for Ruth.
