Day 2

                                                                        Day 2

                                                                Inside Passage

                                                                     8/25/11

     We awoke to an overcast day.  It had been three days since I’d gotten any exercise so I headed straight to the gym.  There, I took a spot on one of the many treadmills with a view of the open sea ahead of me.  It was really spectacular.   It did take a bit of concentration to avoid falling off (which I’m sure would have been amusing to everyone in attendance), for although there are massive stabilizers on these ships minimizing the rock and roll of the seas, there still is a some movement, and this was quite noticeable on the treadmill.  After 60 minutes, which was the caloric equivalent of half of last night’s desert, I stepped off and immediately had to sit down to restore my equilibrium.  I longed for terra firma.  Once back at the cabin, the work of the day squarely behind me, we headed straight to the Kings lounge which is the exclusive breakfast eating area for those with gold key status.   This was cleverly placed just within eyeshot of those dining in the Rotterdam, reminding them with every bite what they could have had had they simply chosen to upgrade, which they regrettably did not.   I’m sure they thought we were eating something incredible and unusual.  It was.  But as far as I could tell, it was the same food they were eating. 

     After breakfast, Kris headed off to a talk entitled, “Additional ways to spend money on this cruise that you hadn’t even thought of.”   Anyone that has been on a cruise knows that cruise ships are floating cash registers.  The Volendam was no exception.  From the moment you walk down the gangway you are confronted with a coordinated effort to extract as much money from your wallet as possible.  The ultimate goal is to leave you penniless.  Wine tastings, photo shots, special luggage transportation, soda, bottled water,  wine, beer, specialty coffee drinks, seating at their gourmet restaurant “The Pinnacle”, spa treatments, colonics, and sadly spin classes were all a part of the effort.  This is in addition to numerous shops, art shows, and the biggest money maker of all- the casino.  So far, we had completely stymied them at every turn.   Kris’ attendance at this 10AM talk, aka “Shore Excursions” would be the final test.  These shore excursions were additional side trips you could take when in port or in some cases before reaching port.  There was an infomercial loop that ran nonstop on one of the TV channels advertising these.  The thrust of the pitch was that you would be missing out big time on these once-in-a -lifetime opportunities.  Each sounded more exotic than the next.  The “ultimate” was one where you were taken by helicopter to the top of a glacier and then met by a sled dog team that took you to an ice palace where you were treated to a glass of champagne and a toboggan ride down to the water where you were met by a tame humpback whale that you got to ride bareback to the boat while watching trained bears and eagles scoop salmon out the ocean.    Once back on the ship you were treated to another glass of champagne and a simultaneous colonic.  This adventure could even be filmed for a small additional fee.  We managed to turn down “the ultimate” and instead chose a tour for the next day where we’d get picked up by a boat before our stop in Juneau and be brought to see a glacier in the Tracy Fiord. 

     The rest of the day was very nice.   In addition to more eating, we attended classes on digital photography and “The Secrets of Sudoku.”  Suffice it to say, I can now figure out any Sudoku puzzle and I would tell you how but I’ve been sworn to secrecy…plus the book they sold me cost me ten bucks.    Later in the day we went to a trivia quiz contest where we met for the first time, the rarest of onboard species, a couple younger then ourselves.  We had realized within a few minutes of being onboard that the average passenger on this ship was about 10-15 years older than us, thus it was an unmitigated joy to spend time with people closer to our own age, even if just for a few minutes.  After that we headed back to our rooms to prepare for  “Formal Night.”  I had brought a suit along for the occasion and after putting on my newly shined shoes and pressed clothes, (all done complimentary for those with gold keycards), Kris and I headed off to the Rottendam where we had a lovely dinner, in spite of the emotional trauma of having  been stood up by Donna and Roscoe.  We proceeded to stuff ourselves.  Afterwards, we took in some music at the piano bar and then attended a 10PM musical tribute to Old Broadway in the main theater.   It was surprisingly good.  After that we retired to our cabin, took our Geritol, and prepared ourselves for tomorrow’s shore excursion and our arrival into Juneau where we would once again would be able to plant our feet on solid ground. 

Misty day in the Inside Passage