On a boat

Well, the week of vacation, which seemed to take it's own sweet time getting here, evaporated far more rapidly than expected. Overall, any vacation is wonderful by comparison to the alternative, but there are of course the roses and thorns of even the most sublime experiences. So, without further ado:

Roses:
- The sheer size and sense of wonder that glaciers evoke. We had an excellent view of one and it was truly magnificent. Even got to see and hear the glacier calving (large chunks falling off into the water). Truly the highlight of the trip.

- The tour of the lesser traveled parts of Juneau was really pleasant and unexpected. It is nice being able to experience things via cruise ship because it is, relatively, inexpensive. However, ports all look pretty much the same no matter where you are. The same shops full of kitchy tourist crap, high end jewelry, and a smattering of 'local' goods packaged in a way that scarcely suggest regionality.......so it is a rare pleasantry to see more of where the locals live, eat, and what there is that draws them there. I can't say I hope to move there, but it was interesting.

- The food as always, was very good and occasionally excellent in the dining room. The experience in the Pinnacle Grill (the upscale restaurant on board), was uneven but reached higher apexes when it hit them. Best steak I have had in a long time.

Thorns:
- The entertainment on the boat (save the comedian who was the best I have ever seen on a cruise ship......not necessarily a high bar) was spartan and generally uninspired. It was almost like they weren't even trying. Frequently what things they did plan were at the exact same time leaving you to pick one of three activities and then having nothing else to do.

- Food in the Lido (the serve yourself buffet which is the only real alternative to the sit down meals) was inconsistent in quality and rarely achieved more than mediocrity.

- The weather while not expected to be spectacular, was ruinous on day 1. The swells were about 30 ft and forced us to the inside passage. This caused us to lose a day in Sitka and not actually disembark the boat until Tuesday morning. One day did include an hour plus at a glacier, but it did not include any time off the ship. When you are choosing to not entertain people, 3.5 days on a ship is a long time. It was, however, exceedingly pleasant in Victoria.

- The itinerary could not have been worse and then did so after the weather shifted our schedule around. They shortened our day in Juneau (8-3:30), we had barely 5 hours in Ketchikan (itself not really much of a town), and didn't get into Victoria until nearly 8 at night, leaving four hours later (and the ship parked 1.5 miles outside of town and required a long walk or a $7 each way trip by bus into town). All told, only about 16hrs ashore in the week. Weak!

Overall, the trip was worthwhile without a doubt. It has, however, sated my desire to ever visit Alaska again.....at least by ship. It also probably sated my need to ever sail with Holland America ever again. They can't control the weather, but they can control the entertainment, the food, and the amenities on the ship and they did so poorly. The redeeming qualities were the pleasantness of the staff, the spectacular library, and the covered pool. But they made little use of every other amenity on the ship.

Well, as with every vacation, it ends with laundry.......and lots of it. Best to get to it then.