July 8 Part 2 - Crab as far as the eye can see
Our driver picked us up from the lumberjack show to drive us to George Inlet Lodge. Along the way, we stopped at the falls.
We then arrived at the lodge. The feast wouldn't start until the rest of the group arrived from the boat ride, so we walked around and took in the beautiful scenery.
The event started with salad and our choice of beverage. The first drink was included - Alaska Amber for me!
Then, we got a short class on how to properly shell crab. I've been eating crab legs for years, but I've never been "taught" how to do it. Game changer!
I was so much faster when the delicious goodies started to arrive.
You'll notice the "side dish" of a red potato. I'd wondered how much they would push the sides to save on crab, but the crab really was free flowing. The staff walked around throughout the meal and refilled everyone's plates. (As a side note, they also offer chicken for kids.)
During lunch, we were also participating in a crab shell tower building contest. There's a trick to it though. It's not just how much crab shell you eat, it's that crab is on top of the tower. Any guesses how people get it super tall?
In terms of shells though, this was about halfway through our meal.
During dessert, which was delicious blueberry cobbler, they brought cute crab necklaces to all the kids. DD wears hers regularly.
So, the rest of the people at lunch were on the Disney excursion (
KE31.) We paid less than that option and, from what we heard, the lumberjack show was a better match for DD in terms of enjoyment.
But, because the rest of the folks were from
DCL, we opted to just ride back in the bus with them rather than the car.
On the way back, the bus driver did a great job narrating the sights along the way and talking about all the special things that happened in town.
The salmon were just getting ready to run.
We also drove by the Saxman Village. If we get to go back, I really want to go see that and creek street.
We got back to the ship around 3:30. Mom and dad stayed in town to shop, and I took DD to nap. We saw some cool boats on our way.
DD crashed right away and I read until mom & dad came back. Then I went ashore and wandered the shops. I got myself a really nice fleece for $10 and a couple Christmas ornaments that were made in Alaska. The ornaments took some searching. The store mostly had mass produced stuff, but there was a section dedicated to local artists. This was also the only port that I found the coupon hawkers and jewelry folks annoying. Oh well, I was back on board by 5:00.
Because it was nap time, I headed to Promenade for my daily visit. Today there was live music to accompany my journaling and pomegranate martini. I didn't realize at the time that this was actually a Palo specialty drink. I did notice it was amazingly delicious though.
Next Up - Dinner, Characters, etc.