Day 2 Cruising the inside passage

We could still see the mountains in British Columbia for quite a while even after sailing all night.
B.C. is a huge Province but eventually it disappeared into the mist. We enjoyed a nice breakfast which for me included my longtime favourite HALs muscelli. Today it had grated green apples and the traditional raisins. Hubby eats a big brekkie of an omelette cooked to order, sausage, bacon, toast and a bowl of mixed fruit. Sunrise was at 07:03 and the temperature today was 15ºC. By lunchtime the mist disappeared and the sun came out to play.
Some of the things happening today: an acupuncture seminar, card and game players meet, Texas hold'em tournament, autograph scavenger hunt, dance class and competition, Alaska beer tasting, cupcake teatime, how to use your digital camera, bingo, a cooking demo on how to make grilled prawn bruschetta, wine tasting, trivia contest, the movie playing in the theatre was Belle, a toast with our Captain PJ Maurik, showtime with the Zaandam singers and dancers called Rock'in Roadhouse, karaoke hour, name that tune with piano man Jeff, dance party and entertainment going on in every bar onboard with piano players, violin, guitar and singers of all sorts. The pools and hot tubs were open with the retractable roof over today,as well as the spa, sauna and thermal suites, gym, casino with a slot tournament, library with a large selection of books, magazines, videos, dvd's, music listening stations,internet stations and a nearby cafe that serves beautiful cakes and cookies and they make awesome smoothies too. Some families with small children, even babies, lots a seniors and everything in between made up the 1400+ passengers and 600+ crew members. Other highlights were cooking demos with the chefs showcasing recipes from the restaurants of the Zaandam, info talks on shore excursions, how and where suggestions for shopping at the three ports that we will stop at, an in depth look at the geographical features of the volcanos and glaciers that have formed the landscapes of Alaska as well as art auctions and studies of great artworks. The shipboard shops are open to browse jewellry, clothing, souveniers, alcohol, cigarettes etc.So much to do and so little time to sit and read a book. We are on our way to our first port at Juneau. Ships clocks will be set back an hour and so we will get an extra hour of sleep tonight.

 The Lido

 Dining on two floors

 Bob plays chess

"Wa-e-ak-we" is Tlingit for goodnight. It's pronounced "Wah-eh-ahi-way" Tlingit is a language of coastal southeastern Alaska from Yakutat south. The total Tlingit population is around 10,000 with about 500 speakers of the language.

Wa-e-ak-we!

Day 3 tomorrow