7.25.22 - 8.3.22 Boston and Provincetown

 We joined my family in Boston to celebrate my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. 

We stayed at the Hilton Boston Faneuil Hall. It was a great location. The first night, we headed to a classic Boston Irish Pub next door for dinner: Mr. Dooley's. 

Tuesday was our Freedom Trail Tour. Our niece studied the American Revolution in school so this was very exciting. We booked a private tour. It was 3 1/2 hours with our own guide. 

It was hot. Everyone did very well and we covered a lot of ground, but we were tired by the end of the tour. We had previously made reservations at Legal Sea Foods near the Aquarium for my parents, Glenn and I. It was a terrific meal. My mom had her first lobster roll. 

That night, my sister and brother-in-law went to the Red Sox. We asked the kids what they wanted to do. Our nephew really wanted to ride the subway to dinner. I was very unsure of how busy it would be so we made a plan to ride the subway one station and then go to dinner at McDonald's. It was fun. The only hiccup was that only my niece could figure out how to scan the cards. 

Wednesday was the reason we were in Boston: the Aquarium Whale Watch. This whole trip started with my Dad's wish to take our niece and nephew whale watching. We had an incredible day. We hung out with a fin whale at the surface for about 20 - 30 minutes. Even the naturalist was surprised by how long the whale hung out. Turns out the whale was pooping.  Then, we saw several humpback whales. It was awesome. 

We also took a couple hours exploring the Aquarium. Petting sting rays in the touch tank was a highlight. We had a great dinner at Bostonia Public House. 

Thursday we headed to the Franklin Park Zoo. We unknowingly entered at the back of the zoo and it appeared deserted. It was so weird. No animals were out yet. Things got better as we made our way to the front. The gorilla exhibit was awesome. 

We had set up a private meet and greet with a red panda for my parents and the grandkids. They said it was very cool. For dinner, we headed to the North End to meet up with Laurie and Kate at a classic Italian restaurant - La Famiglia Giorgio. The food was great. Then, we went to a pastry shop for gluten free canolis.

Friday, my family headed home and we switched to the Fairmont Copley Plaza. We had a great lunch at the bar at Atlantic Fish and did a little bar crawl down the street. We had a light dinner in the club lounge and went to bed early. 

Saturday, we headed to Fenway. We met Laurie and Kate at Sweet Cheeks for some barbeque. Then, Laurie has access to this special club with lots of memorabilia and nice tables to sit. 

We got to visit a little longer until we headed to our seats about 3:30 pm. We had great seats along left field. We were in the shade the whole time. The game was pretty brutal for the Red Sox with the exception of a fun rally at the bottom of the 7th. 

We walked back to the hotel. We got back around 9 pm.

On Sunday, I worked until noon. We had a nice brunch at Lucie. Then we wondered down Newberry Street - a cute street with restaurants and shops. We had some sangria and a cheese plate at a cute wine bar and then ice cream at JP Licks. We were back to the hotel around 4 pm. We had happy hour in the lounge and then watched TV. 

On Monday, We hung out at the hotel until noon. We took a Lyft to the docks to board the Fast Ferry to Provincetown. It was great. Smooth ride. We saw the fin whale again and a humpback breeching. Our bed and breakfast - Queen Vic -  is super cute and comfy. 

We walked up Commercial Street. My favorite bar was Harbor Lounge. A very small, simple lounge with good cocktails. We had a great dinner at Mezzatarean. Reminded us a lot of Turkey. We walked back and did a little people watching on a bench in front of the library.

Tuesday - ​We had our breakfast in bed from the B&B and then walked down to the coffee shop for some cold brew coffee.  I had read about some sand dune tours. We walked to the office and were able to get right on the 11 am tour. It was a great tour. We were in a large SUV with a group of 3. Thankfully, Glenn volunteered to sit in the way back since the other three weren't going to do it. It was a very informative tour. 

We got back and went to Provincetown Brewing for some nachos and beers. Then, we went to the Lobster Pot. Glenn got steamed clams and I got a hot lobster roll. I had to head back to work so Glenn enjoyed the backyard. We went to Red Inn for happy hour. They have a great view of the waterfront. 

We headed back toward our B&B. We had dinner at the Local - a hot dog and a burger. We walked down to the gelato shop. Glenn tried pumpkin pie gelato with whipped cream gelato. He said it was very good. We enjoyed sitting in front of the B&B and headed to bed early.

Wednesday ​morning we had our breakfast in bed. Glenn walked down to get a cold brew. We checked out around 10:30 am. We visited the Portuguese bakery. The fishermen who started the village were Portuguese. Then, we went to Mayflower Inn so I could try the Portuguese kale soup. It was pretty good. They use kale and a spicy sausage similar to a chorizo. Lunch was a lovely waterfront table at Ross Grill. We had great oysters. I had a French dip and Glenn had a oyster po'boy. Glenn got a soft serve. Then, we headed back to the B&B to grab our things. We headed to the dock and waited for the ferry. 

 We took the 3 pm fast ferry. No whales this time. Taxis were waiting at the dock so we followed a guy to his taxi around 4:50 pm We were in the lounge by 5:30 pm. Yay for Sky Priority status and pre-check. Overall, a great trip. I'd definitely go back to Provincetown, but I think I'd like to see a few more East Coast seaside towns first. 

7/13/22 - 7/25/22 Vermont: Stowe, Lake Eden, Burlington, Brattleboro

 7/13/22 

Yesterday was a 10/10. 

Lyft driver was early

Flight was on time

Luggage was first out

Uber didn't work so we saved $25 by switching to Lyft

Turo pick up was seamless

Traffic wasn't bad

The Kitchen on River Road lived up to the hype

Cabot cheese and Smuggler's Notch Rye Whiskey was delicious

Green Mountain Inn is perfect

Weather is gorgeous

Ciders in an Adirondack chair was a Hallmark dream at Stowe Public House

Dinner at Harrison's was a delight. We walked up to patio seating. The mushroom toast and burger with bacon jam were

a little time at the fire pit and then back to our lovely room in the Mill House

2022 June Weekend at Dircks

 We had a terrific weekend at the Dircks

June 9, 2022 

We arrived Thursday afternoon in time to go to Leo's baseball game. We watched him play 3rd base before the game was called due to the Mercy rule. We headed out for pizza and got the added bonus of live music from the American Legion. 

2022 Majestic Princess Alaska Cruise

 May 29, 2022 Hubbard Glacier 

We had a very lazy start to the day. For lunch, we went to the noodle bar. It replaced the pizza on the pool deck. The noodle bowls are so good. We found a great location on Deck 17 in a couple chaise loungers to watch the scenery. We headed back to the cabin to view the Hubbard Glacier. 

It was a beautiful day with a lot of calving. We had dinner in the dining room: crab cake, salads, and halibut. All been good. Service has been great too. We enjoyed a little music in the Piazza and then went to bed.

2022 Off the Beaten Path Princess Cruise Tour

 May 21, 2022  - Anchorage 

We tested at the Fairmont WatefrWaterfrontont and then flew first class on Air Canada to Anchorage. We had clear skies and incredible views. It was so cool to see Ketchikan and Glacier Bay National Park from the air. 

2022 May Holland America Koningsdam

 On May 14th, we boarded the Holland America Koningsdam with my parents. We booked Neptune Suites to enjoy the large balconies and Club Orange dining. 

This summer Holland America is celebrating 75 years of sailing to Alaska. It's so fun being onboard during an anniversary year to experience all the special touches. Pike Brewery in Seattle created a Holland Hazy IPA.

At dinner each night, there's a special Alaska selection. Last night, I had delicious smoked salmon chowder. I'm excited to experience all the other anniversary surprises Holland America has in store.

May 15, 2022 - Sea Day

We had a great Sea Day sailing from Vancouver to the Inside Passage. We really enjoyed the Spa Pass we purchased.

 Juneau, Alaska 

This time we booked a luxury tour with Alaska Luxury Tours. It was eight guests, Andy, the naturalist, and Captain Sergio.

The sun was shining. It was a small miracle. This is the fourth time I've been to Juneau. It rained every other time. I felt like I was visiting a new place. I had never had this view of the Mendenhall Glacier before as we left the marina. We had about twelve whale sightings. It was quickly discovered that if I put my camera away, the whales would appear. Once again, I have no photos of whales. We also saw sea lions.

Glacier Bay

Glacier Bay National Park allows two large cruise ships entrance per day. During the summer, the Park has a team of about 40 rangers to support the Park and the cruise programming.

At around 5 am, three National Park Rangers boarded a small boat that met our ship near the entrance to Glacier Bay National Park. They boarded and spent the day onboard offering different programs including narration, a formal presentation, and a table for informal questions.

We had incredible weather for Glacier Bay - clear skies and sunny. The ship opened the bow so we could have better views sailing into Glacier Bay. It did get very windy at one point and only my Dad and Glenn stayed out.

Skagway 

Skagway is my favorite Alaska cruise port. I love Klondike Brewing and Skagway Fish Company has the best soups. 

We also took my parents to Skagway Brewing Company. This time I really paid attention to sailing out of Skagway. It's a gorgeous fjord. 

Ketchikan

We visited the Bar Harbor Ale House. They changed the menu since our August 2021 visit and we didn't enjoy it as much. A visit to Arctic bar is always fun.

Inside Passage

We got permission to sail a different way back to Vancouver due to fog. It was absolutely gorgeous.

Glenn's Review of the Holland America Koningsdam

 As we have just finished most of our packing, time for some final thoughts on the cruise.  

Wonderful staff. Some of the best I have encountered on over 60 cruises and all the major lines.  Great service in Club Orange and the Crow's Nest. The concierge in Neptune Lounge was so helpful.  

Some very good food, especially at the Pinnacle Grill.  We ate all other dinners at Club Orange.  While the food was generally good, I was hoping for a slightly more elevated experience in that venue. The Gala night menus didn't "wow" me.  Neither had a lobster starter or main which I thought was odd.

The entertainment is a mixture of good and bad.  Some very good live music with the BB King band and the dueling pianos.   Didn't spend any time in Rolling Stone Rock Room but I heard the band and they sounded very good.

The shows on World Stage were almost all interpretive dance shows from a single dance company.  Perhaps that is what the key demographic on this cruise wants to see, but it wasn't for me.  Would have been nice to mix in some other types of musical shows.  They did have a great BBC Planet Earth show which was amazing.  

The ship is in great shape for being six years old.  It looked the same as I remember when I sailed in the inaugural season in July 2016.

We upgraded to the Elite beverage package.  It was worth it to me since there were several wines I

 liked that weren't in the $11 price range.  I also liked having unlimited canned waters.  I probably drank at least five a day and usually brought one back to the cabin each night. The cocktail program is strong and each bar has a unique menu of special cocktails to try.  Makes it fun to put together your own bar crawl.  

Having the Neptune Suite was definitely worth it for this sailing. We spent a lot of the scenic cruising time out on the large balcony.  On Glacier Bay day, the concierge arranged an afternoon tea which we enjoyed there.  I don't think I would need that suite for all sailings but it really enhanced this Alaska sailing.  

The Navigator app could be frustrating at times but I found myself using it more as the cruise went on.  And the ability to mobile order from NY Pizza and Dive In was so helpful and a great timesaver.  We would order while having cocktails at Crow's Nest then run down to pick up and being back to the bar to eat.  

Overall a great cruise.  Definitely will consider this ship class for our next Alaska sailing.