Here Comes the Sun!

Monday, May 15th - Cruise Day!

Our plan was to sleep in and not go out for breakfast this morning. Kent and Laurel had stopped at the Walgreens down the street from the hotel the night before and picked up some breakfast items to have in their room. Bob and I had brought oatmeal packets from home and were going to use the in-room coffee maker to heat water.

Well...with our bodies not adjusted to the two-hour difference in time, there was no sleeping in for us. Bob decided that he would take a walk to Chinatown while I was showering and getting ready for the day. We loved exploring Chinatown on our last visit and would have loved to have gone for some dim sum on this trip...but with only one full day in the city that plan got scrapped.

I made him take my iPhone (since he is one of the few people in the civilized world who refuses to get a cell phone) and when he returned he had photos of his walk...and also some Chinese pastries for our breakfast. (And who wants to eat oatmeal when there are baked goods to be consumed?)

The bakery where Bob bought our pastries.

This pastry was filled with bean paste and an egg yolk!

When we had filled out our online documents a couple of months earlier, NCL gave us a choice of what time we would like to arrive at the cruise terminal. The half-hour increments began at 9:30 am which makes no sense when the terminal doesn't open until around 11 am. Knowing this, we chose the10:30 - 11:00 time slot.

The four of us checked out of the hotel at 10:30. Laurel and I both summoned a Lyft car at the exactly the same time...it was going to be a race to see who got to the pier first! (Switching from Uber to Lyft gave me a "new user" discount coupon code!) 

Our driver arrived 30 seconds before theirs, but we arrived at the terminal a good 10 minutes ahead thanks to their driver making a wrong turn. Our fare? $1.75 with the discount! It's not often (like never) that we give a tip larger than the fare!

There were no porters to be seen so we got in line outside the terminal and then watched as the line grew and grew until it stretched the whole length of the building. I had visions of the nightmare we encountered before our Hawaii cruise last March, but it didn't take very long before porters came along and began randomly picking up luggage. 

Once we were free of our luggage, we were able to walk to the front of the line and enter the terminal. Others who had arrived well before us were still waiting as we went in and I could tell they were not happy (and rightly so!) Not once did anyone check to see what our designated arrival time was supposed to be. Once inside the terminal the wait to board wasn't very long and we were on the ship by noon.

That feeling you get when you walk up the gangplank to board the ship!

Our first order of business was to make a reservation for the Japanese specialty restaurant, Teppenyaki, for the next night. When booking our cruise, NCL was offering several promotions and we got our choice of two for being in a balcony cabin. We chose the four nights of dining in the specialty restaurants (which normally each have an upcharge of $25/person or more) and also 250 minutes of free internet time. I had made the reservations for the other three restaurants online 90 days prior, but because Teppenyaki is such a small venue they do not make advance reservations. Mission accomplished...a reservation for 5 pm. A little earlier than we wanted, but better than the very late times available.

The cabins weren't ready when we boarded so we opted to have lunch in the Seven Seas dining room at the back of Deck 5. Even though we had entered into the Atrium on Deck 5 getting to the dining room required going up one deck...walking to the back of the ship...and then going back down again. (The galley is on Deck 5 and makes walking through impossible.)

Lunch in the dining room took almost forever, but it was still a better alternative to dragging our carry on luggage to the buffet and fighting the crowds for a place to sit. Just as we were finishing dessert at 2:00 the announcement was made that all cabins were ready.

Our cabin was port side on Deck 9...#9017 at the front of the ship. 

Kent & Laurel had the cabin to the right of ours in this photo.

Beach towels were provided...for Alaska?? Oh...and also a bottle of champagne for being repeat customers!

Our home for the week.

Our balcony door was a little stubborn at first, but Bobby figured out the trick to open it.

The bathroom...and especially the shower...was probably the smallest that we have experienced on a cruise ship. 

The weird looking contraption on the wall was the hair dryer...a sign that the Sun is showing her age.

We unpacked our carry on bags and then spent some time exploring the ship until it was time for the muster drill at 4:30.

The fuel barge. I would hate to pay that bill!

The mandatory life boat drill.

By the time we returned to our cabin, the checked luggage had been delivered. It is always amazing to be in such a tiny room, but yet have adequate storage for everything. With my new packing cubes, the unpacking process was a breeze. 

We enjoyed a view of the San Francisco skyline from our balcony as we sailed away from Pier 27. It would have been nice to open the balcony divider between our cabin and Kent & Laurel's as we had on our Princess Alaska cruise, but NCL says "no".

The Ferry Building.

 

Sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge.

Once we passed under the bridge and out of the bay, the the seas became very rough.

NCL is known for their free-style cruising which means casual dining options. The two traditional dining rooms (included in the cost of our cruise) both serve the same menu, but in the evening the Seven Seas has a dress code and the Four Seasons is very casual. Not wanting to dress up, we went to the latter. 

The Welcome Aboard Show in the theater was scheduled for 7:30 pm so we chose to skip dessert to get there on time. The show was a sampling of some of the entertainment planned for the cruise and included a juggler, a quartet performing rock music, an Irish folk singer/comedian, and the Norwegian Sun singers and dancers. 

Following the show we went to the buffet on Deck 11 and had some hot cobbler topped with ice cream for a late night dessert.

The buffet is at the very back of the ship and to get to the front of the ship where our cabins are located, we walked through the pool area. The water in the pools had been mostly drained, but yet the foot or so of water remaining was still splashing out over the sides. With the ship rocking and rolling, walking was difficult...and this was just the beginning as we were to discover!

Biking the Bridge

Care to see more of our weekend in San Francisco? 

Watch my YouTube video: San Francisco Weekend Video

Somewhere along the way as I was planning, I got the great idea that it would be fun to rent bikes and ride across the Golden Gate Bridge. I watched multiple YouTube videos and decided that in spite of my senior citizen status, I could do it. Bob was on board because biking is his thing. He rides several times a week and a routine route would be about 25 miles for him.

Our city has a bike path that circles our lake (remember...Minnesota IS the land of 10,000 lakes) and the trail is 6.75 miles long (the Map My Ride app on my phone said so.) I don't have any trouble making the entire circle so figured biking the 8 miles going from Fisherman's Wharf to Sausalito would be within my realm of ability. What I forgot is that SW Minnesota is FLAT and...I am used to riding a recumbant bike.

Kent & Laurel were good sports and agreed to join our adventure. The four of us were up pretty early due to the time change and walked down Columbus Avenue to Joanie's Happy Days Diner. The food was nothing to get excited about and it was rather expensive for plain breakfast fare.

From the restaurant, we walked to Blazing Saddles bike rental on Hyde Street. The four of us were given helmets and then fitted to the "deluxe comfort hybrid" bikes that we rented. Being the short one in the group, I really struggled to get my leg over the bar even though it was a woman's bike. I had the guy lower the seat more but as soon as we started out, I knew it was too low and had to have Bob raise it back up. I nearly killed myself several times trying to get on and off the bike because I just couldn't get my leg up and over that darn bar. I am used to riding a recumbant bicycle (like below) and riding the upright bike just made me realize how much I really do like recumbants!!

We were shown a safety video, given ferry tickets for the return and then...we were off. When we reached the waterfront, we watched as a group of women were getting ready to join others who were swimming in the icy water. Brrrrrr.

During our safety briefing we were told there were only a couple of hills and we "may" want to walk our bikes going up. Well...let me tell you. There are MORE THAN TWO hills!! If you are young and fit then you probably wouldn't have any trouble...or at least all of the young, in-shape people riding past us seemed to be pedaling fine. BUT...if you are over 60 and not exactly fit, then be ready for a challenge!

We made multiple stops along the way to snap photos...

This succulent garden was amazing!

Including many different views of the bridge...

The bike lane across the bridge was on the west side...or at least it was on the weekends. I'm not sure why, but on the week days things reverse and bikers cross on the east side and the pedestrians get the west lane. Riding across the bridge is just a bit harrowing. Cars in the center lanes are whizzing by and VERY loud and even though the bike lane is separated by a fence, there are bikers going in both directions...also at a pretty fast clip. There wasn't much space when going around the large pillars on the bridge and it took all of my concentration to stay focused and not crash into the oncoming bikes. Needless to say there was no chance of enjoying the view from the bridge.

At the end of the bridge there is a long downhill stretch towards Sausalito. I was rejoicing as I flew down the road without pedaling...but then...there was another long, gradual hill to climb to get into the city. Once again, before reaching the top, I had dismounted and was walking my bike.

Bob and Kent had decided they were going to bike back to San Francisco and let Laurel and I take the ferry...but once they knew they would have to endure the long hill back up to the bridge it made them change their minds.

Sausalito was a busy place on a beautiful, Sunday afternoon and riding bikes in the traffic was not fun. We made a quick stop at the ferry landing to check the departure times. The next ferry would be leaving at 1:05 which gave us a little over an hour. If we missed that boat, it would be nearly 3 pm before the next departure. 

In my mind I had imagined us wandering the streets, stopping to look into the quaint shops of Sausalito and then having lunch at an outdoor cafe overlooking the marina. In reality, the combination of sore muscles and stress from riding in traffic had me so fatigued that all I could think of was to find some place to eat fast and make sure we were on that ferry at one o'clock! Oh...and I had also developed bruises on my butt bones from sitting on the hard bike seat. 

There was a small cafe across the street from the bike parking lot and we ordered a meal of fish and chips. The half dozen or so tables were all filled so we got our food to go and took it back to the parking lot where we sat on a short, concrete wall while we ate. We did have a limited view of the marina however so I guess I shouldn't complain.

We were in the front of the line when the boarding began on the ferry and by loading our bikes on first meant we were last to unload when we reached San Francisco! Lots of bikes!!

Before heading back to Pier 41, the ferry made a stop in Tiburon.

The ride across the bay was windy, but beautiful.

Pretty flowers on Alcatraz Island!

As we were retrieving our bikes to get off the ferry, a woman approached us and asked if she could ride back to the bike rental shop with us. She had been on a guided bicycle tour and the guide had taken off without her!

The five of us returned our bikes to Blazing Saddles and then parted ways with our new friend and went back to the hotel and crashed. After a shower and nap we were refreshed and wanting to find some dinner. I swore we would not eat at Denny's on this trip (last time we were in SF we ate there TWICE!) but that is exactly where we ended up. We were all hungry for something healthy...particularly vegetables...and Denny's was the closest and cheapest place. Being old does have some benefits...we all ordered off the senior citizen menu and got more food than any of us could finish.

After dinner we walked down to the beach near Ghiradelli Square and got there just in time for sunset.

Where is "spell check" when you need it?

Ghiradelli Square

Walking back to our hotel we waited as the cable cars pulled into the Powell-Hyde turnaround. On our last visit we bought MUNI passes and rode the cable cars all over San Francisco...this time we just couldn't fit it in.

MSP to San Francisco...again

Our last major trip began just a little over a year ago with a flight to San Francisco. If you've followed my posts, you know that we were there to board the NCL Pride of America for a unique one-time cruise across the Pacific to Hawaii. This time we were returning to San Francisco to board another NCL ship...the Sun...which was also doing a unique itinerary to Alaska.

The DoubleTree offered a free airport shuttle that left on the half-hour and 7:30 am worked well to get us to MSP for our 10:00 am departure. A start of vacation smile!

Our direct flight on Sun Country airlines was purchased as a Black Friday bargain last November. Since booking, the price for a piece of checked luggage on Sun Country had risen from $20/bag to $25 but I "thought" they were going to honor the lower price that had been in effect when we made the reservation. Not quite. Had we paid the luggage fee online ahead of time we would have been charged the lower cost, but at the airport, it was the full amount. Fortunately that was the only small glitch in our travel arrangements for the day.

I had read online that due to some runway construction at SFO, flights on the weekend were often being delayed...some for several hours. I was relieved when they announced that our flight would actually board EARLY. There was a small window of time that our plane was allowed and by arriving in this designated time we could avoid any delays.

Sun Country flies out of the smaller Humphrey Terminal at MSP. Good...because the terminal is usually not too busy. Bad...because the food options are pretty limited. Luckily, Subway is one of the choices and our go-to food choice by the gates. Shortly before we boarded, Bob picked up a couple of subs to take on the plane.

Our flight experienced a fair amount of turbulence, but even more disturbing to me was the amount of sneezing and coughing that was going on inside the plane. I could almost see the germs floating around in the air.

As was announced, we arrived in San Francisco just a little ahead of schedule...no delays! On the ground, we collected our bags and called an Uber.

The traffic on the way to our Fisherman's Wharf hotel was horrendous. Maybe not by San Francisco standards, but to us small-town Midwesterners, it sure was. The drive took 47 minutes and along the way we chatted with our driver, a Russian gal, who had only lived in the city for one month.

Our hotel, the Columbus Motor Inn, had been booked 10 months earlier. It was the same place where we stayed for several nights before our previous cruise. I had requested the same room on the top floor...it had a balcony with a great view of Coit Tower and also a little bit of a bay view. I was disappointed to find out that instead we were on the first floor. We still had a balcony, but it looked out onto a construction zone on Columbus Avenue.

Our traveling companions, Kent & Laurel, were scheduled to arrive at SFO shortly after we did, but they became victims of the runway construction delays and arrived a little later. They were also staying at the Columbus Motor Inn and had a room right down the hallway.

Once Kent & Laurel arrived, the clock didn't say so, but our tummies were telling us that it was time to eat. Staying at Fisherman's Wharf, I felt it was our obligation to start off our stay with a bowl of clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl from one of the street vendors. Not bad soup, but waaay to much bread for one meal. (Score for the sea gulls!)

The Wharf was much more crowded than on our last visit and had a carnival-like atmosphere...music, street performers, etc.

We walked down to Pier 39 and spent quite a bit of time watching the sea lion antics and then took time to walk through Musée Mécanique. This is a huge collection of antique arcade machines and mechanical musical instruments. 

It was fun to wander around, poking our heads into some of the shops and checking out the attractions along Fisherman's Wharf, but by 7:30 pm, the day's travels and two hour time difference had us heading back to the hotel. We had big plans for the next day and needed to get some rest!

We're Off...Alaska Here We Come!

Here is an itinerary of what we did on our two-week Alaskan cruise on the Norwegian Sun. The links will take you to the daily posts...or you can use the archive list on the right.

• Saturday, May 13 - Fly to San Francisco & Exploring Fisherman's Wharf
• Sunday, May 14 - Biking the Bridge!
• Monday, May 15 - Here Comes the Sun! (Embarkation Day)
• Tuesday, May 16 - Sea Day
• Wednesday, May 17 - Astoria, Oregon
• Thursday, May 18 - Sea Day #2
• Friday, May 19 - Ketchikan, Alaska
• Saturday, May 20 - Endicott Arm to Dawes Glacier, Juneau
• Sunday, May 21 - Glacier Bay
• Monday, May 22 - Skagway (Klondike Highway), Flight Over Glacier Bay
• Tuesday, May 23 - Icy Strait Point
• Wednesday, May 24 - Hubbard Glacier
• Thursday, May 25 - Sitka
• Friday, May 26 - Prince Rupert, BC
• Saturday, May 27 - The Inside Passage - Our Last Sea Day
• Sunday, May 28 - Nanaimo, BC
• Monday, May 29 - Vancouver & Home to Minnesota

When you book a cruise eleven months ahead, it seems like there is all the time in the world to research and plan. And then...BAM...it is time to pack the bags and go!! I over packed the last time we cruised to Alaska and this time we were cruising for TWO weeks instead of one. 😲😲😲 We each took one checked bag, one carry-on, and one backpack. This was more than sufficient for Bob, but a stretch for me to pack everything I needed (and wanted.) A few of my heavier items (hiking boots, hair products, etc.) managed to find their way into Bob's luggage and he still had extra space.

Our pre-vacation began by spending a few days at our middle son & daughter-in-law's house in the Twin Cities area. I got in some quality grandma time while Bob was hard at work doing some handy-man jobs. Some last minute planning also enabled us to have dinner with our oldest son and his girlfriend. Getting Chinese food to-go and eating outside at a park was a great decision on a beautiful night in Minneapolis.

Spending the night at the Hilton DoubleTree hotel was when I really began to feel like the vacation was starting. I had gotten what I considered a decent deal on a one night stay with two weeks of parking ($100). After checking on times for the morning shuttle to the airport, we were off to bed. Alaska...here we come!