Snazzylass
Guest
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2018
- Messages
- 1,145
- Reaction score
- 1,087
- Location
- Broad Ripple, IN
- Resorts Owned
- Sedona
My first cruise ever! I may cruise again but not sure another adventure would live up this one.
I was a guest of my mother. It is spendy! But, she has the $$ to spend and at 88, limited mobility. She might have been the oldest one on the boat. Still, she was able to enjoy all the activities she was interested in, including a Jet Boat ride through Hell's Canyon in ID. We did our research (would you expect anything less of a TUGer? By the way, my posting profile shows me as a guest, but I've been here 20+ years and apparently my payments go to another profile).
We picked the time of year for the chances of the best weather for us, September, and studied the layout of the boat to pick our room on the 3rd deck with a balcony. It was perfect! So enjoyable each morning to have my coffee on the balcony and knit! We let them book our flight and it was all seamless and super simple. Loved our room with the 2 Q beds, and gal who made it up daily was a doll! I learned they use Downey Wrinkle Release spray to make the bedspread so pretty - wish I knew this as a Realtor. In addition to our balcony, there were plenty of decks to choose from. My favorite might have been the front with rocking chairs. The weather was perfect! So sunny and warm and beautiful!
Apparently it's not uncommon along the Mississippi and in Europe for the river to be too low or too high in spots, but I don't think that's a problem where we were. The Locks were so interesting! And, our Lecturer, Hank was delightful! So interesting and charming with a beautiful baritone to sing those Cowboy songs with his guitar. And, he knew everything about the rivers and the area. Outside of him, the nightly entertainment was meh. I'm guessing it's better on the MS, but I'm early to bed and not a big drinker. So, no lose for me.
As another poster mentioned, it is a booze cruise. LOL! They were very generous with the booze. It was always available, along with snacks, etc. None of that tempts me and I'm not someone who gains weight on vacation, but it was fun to be greeted as we returned to the boat in the afternoon with a cocktail of the day. The staff was young and energetic. So, they were a lot of fun. They were our mixologists each evening at happy hour with the appetizers and drinks.
And, like another frequent poster here, I have a lot of connections to the restaurant industry. So, I am familiar with prepared food. It was very classy and a lot of fun to see what was on the menu each evening. My mother enjoyed going down to breakfast and being served. I liked the buffet on the 4th deck where I could take it outside.
I had never been to the PNW. It was one of the reasons I was excited to be asked to go. That and to see where Lewis and Clark traveled. Apparently this is part of the Oregon Trail which I think of as a computer game boys played for years on our first Mac. LOL. Hank did a wonderful job of explaining about these brave pioneers along with the Native Americans. We flew into Portland, traveled up to Astoria then back to St. Helens (yes! I wanted to see that! I blew a week after I graduated from college. I remember the Newsweek and Time mag stories about it).
The to The Dalles where we learned about Data Centers, and a side trip to Pendleton was available. We skipped that! My only interest in Pendleton is the beautiful wool blankets and fabric but I understand the store is no longer there. No biggie. We enjoyed the tour bus around town (loved the one in Astoria, too!) and found a yarn shop. By this time, my mom was ready to re-explore knitting which she mastered in the '60's and dropped when my dad bought a business in '67. We had a delightful afternoon in the shop picking out a project for her and getting her started. And, yes, I bought more yarn!
Then on to Richland. Hank and another local guide educated us its contribution to the A-bomb. Wow! I knew nothing of this! Some crazy details including the US government going in and buying up houses and giving people 30 days to move! Yikes! We rode the bus to a State Park Sacajawea and her people camped along with Lewis & Clark. There was a SP in Astoria where some cruisers hike. There was a kayak trip in The Dalles. So, lots of options for more active folks. I love riding on a bus, looking out the window while a local guide educates me. Reading placards in a Museum? Not so much. So, we skipped at least one of those. Additionally, there were activities on the boat - crafts, trivia, etc. We flew out of Lewiston which was a hoot! I'd love to go back and explore more along the OR coast. We got spoiled shopping with no sales tax. And, I'd love to see more of ID. The people were terrific! Nothing bad to say about WA
I was a guest of my mother. It is spendy! But, she has the $$ to spend and at 88, limited mobility. She might have been the oldest one on the boat. Still, she was able to enjoy all the activities she was interested in, including a Jet Boat ride through Hell's Canyon in ID. We did our research (would you expect anything less of a TUGer? By the way, my posting profile shows me as a guest, but I've been here 20+ years and apparently my payments go to another profile).
We picked the time of year for the chances of the best weather for us, September, and studied the layout of the boat to pick our room on the 3rd deck with a balcony. It was perfect! So enjoyable each morning to have my coffee on the balcony and knit! We let them book our flight and it was all seamless and super simple. Loved our room with the 2 Q beds, and gal who made it up daily was a doll! I learned they use Downey Wrinkle Release spray to make the bedspread so pretty - wish I knew this as a Realtor. In addition to our balcony, there were plenty of decks to choose from. My favorite might have been the front with rocking chairs. The weather was perfect! So sunny and warm and beautiful!
Apparently it's not uncommon along the Mississippi and in Europe for the river to be too low or too high in spots, but I don't think that's a problem where we were. The Locks were so interesting! And, our Lecturer, Hank was delightful! So interesting and charming with a beautiful baritone to sing those Cowboy songs with his guitar. And, he knew everything about the rivers and the area. Outside of him, the nightly entertainment was meh. I'm guessing it's better on the MS, but I'm early to bed and not a big drinker. So, no lose for me.
As another poster mentioned, it is a booze cruise. LOL! They were very generous with the booze. It was always available, along with snacks, etc. None of that tempts me and I'm not someone who gains weight on vacation, but it was fun to be greeted as we returned to the boat in the afternoon with a cocktail of the day. The staff was young and energetic. So, they were a lot of fun. They were our mixologists each evening at happy hour with the appetizers and drinks.
And, like another frequent poster here, I have a lot of connections to the restaurant industry. So, I am familiar with prepared food. It was very classy and a lot of fun to see what was on the menu each evening. My mother enjoyed going down to breakfast and being served. I liked the buffet on the 4th deck where I could take it outside.
I had never been to the PNW. It was one of the reasons I was excited to be asked to go. That and to see where Lewis and Clark traveled. Apparently this is part of the Oregon Trail which I think of as a computer game boys played for years on our first Mac. LOL. Hank did a wonderful job of explaining about these brave pioneers along with the Native Americans. We flew into Portland, traveled up to Astoria then back to St. Helens (yes! I wanted to see that! I blew a week after I graduated from college. I remember the Newsweek and Time mag stories about it).
The to The Dalles where we learned about Data Centers, and a side trip to Pendleton was available. We skipped that! My only interest in Pendleton is the beautiful wool blankets and fabric but I understand the store is no longer there. No biggie. We enjoyed the tour bus around town (loved the one in Astoria, too!) and found a yarn shop. By this time, my mom was ready to re-explore knitting which she mastered in the '60's and dropped when my dad bought a business in '67. We had a delightful afternoon in the shop picking out a project for her and getting her started. And, yes, I bought more yarn!
Then on to Richland. Hank and another local guide educated us its contribution to the A-bomb. Wow! I knew nothing of this! Some crazy details including the US government going in and buying up houses and giving people 30 days to move! Yikes! We rode the bus to a State Park Sacajawea and her people camped along with Lewis & Clark. There was a SP in Astoria where some cruisers hike. There was a kayak trip in The Dalles. So, lots of options for more active folks. I love riding on a bus, looking out the window while a local guide educates me. Reading placards in a Museum? Not so much. So, we skipped at least one of those. Additionally, there were activities on the boat - crafts, trivia, etc. We flew out of Lewiston which was a hoot! I'd love to go back and explore more along the OR coast. We got spoiled shopping with no sales tax. And, I'd love to see more of ID. The people were terrific! Nothing bad to say about WA
