Alaskan Cruise 2017 - Day 4: Juneau, Part 1

July 9th - Port of call:  Juneau, Alaska

On this morning we were still under power with a noon arrival in Juneau.  We crossed time zones and gained an hour so I was up earlier than usual.  It was about 55 degrees and the sky was overcast with a light rain - perfect weather for traveling north in my opinion.

I put on my shorts, t-shirt and hoodie to go walking and left Todd sleeping.  Since it was raining too much to walk on the track on deck 11 I went down to deck 4 - the outside area there (where the lifeboats are) encircles the entire ship and is almost completely covered.  I don't think I've already posted it, so I've included a cutaway of the ship's layout below.

This morning's view from our stateroom.  Love it.

Deck 4 with the lifeboats hanging above

I've drawn this handy diagram to show...
Just kidding.  Picture from royalcaribbean.co.uk

I walked 2 miles in relative solitude (it was just after 6am and no one was out - every now and then someone would pop their heads out the door and go back inside) except for one really dedicated marijuana smoker who thought he was being covert but stunk up the back section on the port side.

It's like Skull Island from the movie the night before

Love it

Quick break for ship terms:  Port is the left side of ship when facing forward, starboard is the right side.  The front of the ship is the bow and the rear is the stern.  Fore is the direction toward the bow of the ship, aft is the direction toward the stern.  The very front of the ship above the water line is the prow, and last but not least:  it's a ship; don't call it a boat.

After the walk I went back to the room to change into jeans then left (with Todd still sleeping) to go the Windjammer Cafe for breakfast at 7am which is when they start serving.  The food was fresh and the place was empty, so it was a good time to go.  I had a custom omelet with bell pepper, onion and tomato, bacon, potatoes, a banana, orange juice, and Raisin Bran cereal with skim milk.  I also grabbed a box of Froot Loops and put it in my pocket to take back to the room for...something.

Remember in the prior post I mentioned that I had a naughty idea re: the towel bunny our cabin steward left in our room?  Here's a reminder of what it looked like before on the bed:

Cute and innocent...

...aaand here's what it looked like after my sock and Froot Loop makeover:

I know it's juvenile, but I entertained myself so much making this.  I laughed so hard I almost woke Todd up while I was putting it together.

It's like the worst centerfold ever

There - I made it black and white so now it's "art"

Todd eventually got up and was aghast at my creation.  Meanwhile I had tears in my eyes I was laughing so much.  I'd blame it on the 2nd-hand marijuana smoke, but I had this planned since the night before.  Good times.

I had second breakfast (like a Hobbit!) with Todd once he was up and running at 9:45.  Why not?*  I had sliced bananas, pineapple, and strawberry yogurt.  When we left the Windjammer we had to make our way around the tables they had set up at the entrance where they were hawking yet another watch sale.  I thought for sure that I'd wake up the next day to find a card table loaded with watches (low, low prices!) set up inside my room.

We spent some time on deck and in the room, then went back to the Windjammer for lunch at ? time. I kept it light this time with beef broth and a wheat roll...then followed up with a chocolate pavlova, apple coffee cake, and a chocolate mudslide cookie.  By the time we were done we were nearing Juneau so we went back up on deck to watch our approach.

The channel narrows and we begin to see some small boats

It's so lush and green

The first buildings appear

There it is.  Juneau straddles both sides of the Gastineau Channel and is connected by the Juneau-Douglas Bridge.  The land mass on the left side is an island - Douglas Island.

Douglas Island side on the port side

The mainland on the starboard side with the bridge in the middle left of the photo.  Two other cruise ships are already docked.

Panorama.  Notice the structure at the top right of the picture.

That's the Mount Roberts Tramway.  You can just make out the tram near the top in the photo.  Riders board a gondola at at the docks and ride to the top where there are scenic views, hiking opportunities, a nature center, shop, restaurant and more.

To be continued.

*A word of caution if you're thinking about going on a cruise:  I knew in advance that people tend to overeat and under exercise and gain weight while cruising.  In no way did I diet or hold back while on this trip, I just stayed active and didn't gorge myself.  While I sampled a lot, I kept portions small and exercised every day.  Thankfully, I weighed the same when we got back from the trip as I did before we left.