Cruising Tracy Arm Fjord
Tracy Arm Fjord Waterfall

Tracy Arm Fjord: While Wednesday was technically another day at sea, as there were no port stops, the morning hours were spent traversing the Tracy Arm Fjord. Located in the Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness within the Tongass National Forest, the fjord extends 30 miles inland, is flanked by 7,000 foot high mountains, and sinks to a depth of over 1,000 feet. One fifth of the fjord is still covered by the twin North & South Sawyer glaciers, which we saw at our turnaround point. The area is abundant with wildlife, including black and brown bears, wolves, mountain goats, deer, harbor seals, whales, and a variety of birds. There were also many waterfalls cascading down the surrounding granite cliffs. Tracy Arm is named after the Civil War hero, brigadier general and Secretary of the Navy Benjamin Franklin Tracy.

The Great Egg Drop Event: After our buffet lunch, Peep and I went to see the Great Egg Drop Event. Earlier in the cruise passengers were able to sign up as teams to build a device to protect a raw egg from cracking after being dropped off a balcony three stories high. The event was held in the ship's Piazza. No one from our family chose to participate, nevertheless we enjoyed watching the event. Of the seventeen teams participating, only two failed to protect their egg. Points were given for protecting the egg, landing on or near a target, and creativity. The winner was chosen by a panel of judges.

Hula Hooping Nate

Hula Hoop Rock 'n' Roll Competition: Next on our list of activities was the hula hoop competition, also held in the ship's Piazza. Due to the large number of passengers interested and the limited space and time, the names of those wishing to participate were placed in a hat and two heats of five contestants were picked. The winners of the two heats then had a hoopoff. My sister was chosen to participate in the first heat while her youngest son was chosen for the second. Neither made it to the final but had a great time competing. The finalists were expert hula hoopers and I wasn't sure a winner would ever be crowned.

Navigation & Technical @ Sea: Late in the afternoon a talk was given by the third officer and third engineer detailing many of the technical aspects of ship and its operations. Topics included ship layout and operation, crew shift rotations, crew schooling and training, among others. Peep wanted to watch the movie "Mirror, Mirror", so I attended the lecture alone.

Movies Under the Stars Venue

Movies Under the Stars: After the lecture was over, I went out to find Peep relaxing in a lounge chair on the top deck watching her movie at Movie Under the Stars. Despite its name, movies are shown at all times of the day on the outdoor screen. Since it was an open air venue, Peep started feeling the chill of the evening air, so I went and picked up one of the blankets they made available to the movie goers for her. I didn't stay to watch the end of the movie with her, but rather went to get ready for dinner. The movie didn't end until after dinner started, so Peep was late arriving. But so were my parents, who were at the Captain's Cocktail Party.

Captain's Cocktail Party: Each cruise the top 40 most cruised passengers, as determined by number of cruise days, are invited to a private cocktail party with the captain. This was my parents 18th cruise with Princess, giving them 184 cruise days, and ranking them within the top 40 for the first time. They were first greeted by the captain's circle hostess and assistant, then walked together down a long entrance way leading to the Skywalkers Lounge, where they were greeted by the captain himself. They were treated to fantastic appetizers and desserts, presented by the chef. After everyone there took their seats, the captain walked around the entire lounge speaking individually to each person.

The Ship's Piazza

World Class Adagio Act: Following dinner, my niece Calaen decided she wanted to hang out with Peep and me for the evening. After making a quick stop to look at pictures taken by the ship's photographer, we headed over to the Piazza to watch the World Class Adagio Act. Two entertainers, Alexander and Evgenia, performed a very elegant, very acrobatic dance to the accompaniment of classical music. They then disappeared behind closed doors and, a minute later, what appeared to be two costumed wrestlers in an eternal grappling hold emerged and wound their way around the room, over chairs, up against walls, trying to take each other down. At the end of the routine, when the costume was taken off, only Alexander emerged!

Illusionist Alexander

Illusionist Alexander: For our next show, we decided to go see a magician that was performing on ship. Peep, Calaen and I met up with my brother and his son in the Princess Theater. The show was very popular and by the time we got there all the seats were taken. We claimed a spot where we could watch the show while standing. Shortly thereafter, we saw my parents, as well as my sister and her family, arrive in the theater. They also were able to find a place where they could stand and see the show.