mk-ultra

No starfish yet, sadly. I’ll figure out where to fit it into my animal party if one appears.

Yuppers. Grilled tomato. I used to kinda scoff at them, but they grow on you after your one-thousandth Full English.

Obligatory nerd content. Internet speed is still holding up (other than the Solarium). 55N.

The trip to Annette Island for the "Wildlife Safari & Beach Bonfire" was worth it. It's about a ~40 minute boat ride from the cruise dock to the island, where they lightly beach the boat and you climb down a ladder from the bow to lightly beach your person. On arrival, the "bonfire" has already been lit. Okay, they're doing a little marketing. It's a damn campfire. One over which you will roast some reindeer sausages if you desire. Take that, Rudolph. Plenty of beer. You get about an hour to poke around the beach area, but you aren't at risk of going far. The hillsides leading to the beach/cove are steep and the ground above the beach is an impressive (I mean that genuinely) pile of blow-down timber. HUGE timber. Boat has two captains, a deck hand and a naturalist giving a play-by-play on the PA while you're underway. Saw multiple whale spouts, a couple of breaches, and a ridiculous bunch of adult and juvy bald eagles trying to get themselves a herring-run brunch. Boat returned a bit late, so no Chef's Table for me tonight. I'll trade extra time seeing what we all saw today, all in good company, over Chef's Table any day. Tomorrow: Sitka, with a Tongass Forest Nature Hike.

You can’t leave the damn towel animals unsupervised for a second.

Lunch with a view from CK. Caesar salad. Roasted chicken (yum) with a weird, cold “farro and veg risotto.” You're not allowed to use farro and risotto in the same sentence. Not yum. Crème brûlée with a side of snow-capped mountain.

Passing what I believe is Annette Island, which is where the excursion boat will be taking us for our hike and bonfire thingy in a few hours.

Oh, and this is the onboard itinerary my Genie Yen put together. I let her do pretty much everything except shore excursions. I made a couple of minor mods after this was printed out.

BTW. WX as we approach Ketchikan is phenomenal. Clear skies. Calm seas. 49F. We totally are going to miss the wind/rain Mother Nature has scheduled for the 2 days following us bugging out.

Day 3 - Ketchikan Brief iPhone update from the deck 12 aft Suite Lounge. It’s 0845. Docking in Ketchikan at 1400. Gangway down at 1445. All aboard at 1930. Short-ish stop Suite lounge hasn’t been crowded and has a pretty great view. Quantum strikes me as having a unique wake. Seems like props are synched much more closely than other ships. Last night’s dinner at Chops was very good. Tuna tartare, mushroom soup, rack of lamb with mashers and asparagus. Glass of Argentinian Malbec. Skipped dessert. 1.5 hours. MO5IAC show was kinda meh for me. Bailed early for the casino. It was all $10 6:5 BJ tables. Don’t do it. Asked the boss to open a $25 3:2. As long as it’s not dead, most PB’s are happy to. Did well Internet still doing well. Day 3 Cruise Compass came with a little advisory that it may have suckage Poked around in my suite. It’s got its own NEC AP400S access point. We’re now at 54N latitude, having started at 49N in Vancouver. IMG_3762.mov

Day 2 Started off with the C&A Top Tier event at 1115 in Two70. Here's this cruise's pax breakdown: Top dog on this cruise is a gentleman named Craig. 289 cruises and over 5200 points. Sheesh! Lunch was at Izumi. I'm not big on sushi rolls drowning in miso mayo, so I asked if they could do an omakase-style sampler of nigiri. They were glad to oblige. Dinner tonight at Chops. Sorry for the lack of photos. Quantum does have the new-ish Starlink service. Happy to report that on the pool deck, WJ, promenade and my cabin it's not bad. Nothing to write home about -- and definitely an improvement over last December's experience on Navigator. The only place I found WiFi unusable is in the Solarium. [after the trip edit... wifi at Solarium was sorted out by day 2] This is definitely a colder AK trip than my one back in 2016 (also in May). No chair hogs at the outdoor pool (LOL - because nobody wanted to sit out there). Not bad at all at the indoor pool either. No wait. They have the little pink covers that have been popping up telling pax to not be chogs and it seems to be working. It really started to cool off once we got past Vancouver's myriad of islands and poured on the coal (21.5 knots). More just the wind than it being really cold temp-wise. This evening: Headliner Showtime "MO5AIC" in the Royal Theatre. Tomorrow: Ketchikan. Wildlife Safari & Beach Bonfire for me. Swapping in my heavier jacket for this one since it's got some boat time to it.

Day 1 Didn't report on my Day 1 last night. By the time I got situated on the ship, unpacked and explored -- I'd racked-up 9.8 miles according to my watch. For lunch on boarding day I went to the Dog House and got a regular dog smothered in onions (I'm fancy that way). For my first dinner, ate all the snacky canapes they put in a suite. Mini Japanese-ish shrimp cocktail with a miso mayo, assorted tuna and shrimp nigiri sushi, burrata cheese and tomato with a splash of balsamic. Smoked salmon with pickled caper berries. Washed it down with a beer. 12 pack of Corona split between the fridge and counter above it, plus one bottle each of Domaine Ste Michelle and Moet Brut in the ice bucket. I'll take it. Usually assortment of juices and sodas. Last night I watched the 2030 Star Water show (the one with something like $39M of robotic tech pumped into it). Not bad. Left about 3/4 of the way through it because I was beat. Bedtime for moi. Concierge at the JW convinced me to forgo trying to book private car service to get to the ship. He said there are so many ride-share and taxis available 24x7 it's not worth it unless you just want to be in a big black vehicle. I opted instead to just hop straight into the taxi that was looking for a fare when I hit the curb. Less than 15 minutes and CAD $8 to the port. Taxis are reasonable here. That would barely get you a flag drop in SF.

CRUISE DAY! Bags re-packed. Safe emptied. Caffenating, hydrating and Ibuprofen-ing my way out of a mild hangover. Overdid it a little last night at the casino. Looks like we're the only ship at Canada Place this morning. I'd heard some boarding horror stories about CP on a multiple-ship day, but looks like that's not in the cards this time. W00t!

More good fortune. Looking forward to climbing on-board tomorrow.

Ha! Totally wrecked the casino trying to rid myself of Canadian Monopoly money this afternoon. It paid for my hotel stay, plus some bonus additional $CAD. Adhering to my rule to just walk away when good-fortune visits you.

@WAAAYTOOO -- Yen says it was sweet of you two to remember her.

Just received departure instructions. I think it's going to be a bit of a tango, since you technically "pre-clear" US Customs outbound before getting on the ship -- your next stop is a US port. No clue about what happens on the return stop in Victoria, since that's Canada again. Then the US again for Seattle. Shrug. Whatever. Toss my baggage. It's a little bit different from the normal Star Class bag drop. Royal app is borked again. No credit for watching the safety-videos ahead of time. That happened last cruise as well, and the crewmember at the muster station just flagged it as done. Easy-peasy. "Dear Mark, It's almost time for you to experience the wonders of the Royal Suite Class as Star Class guests, your Royal Genie eagerly awaits your arrival. With regards to that, please be advised that your drop-off point at Canada Place Cruise Ship Terminal (Address: 999 Canada Pl, Vancouver, BC V6C 3E1, Canada) Upon arrival at the Cruise Terminal, please drop your luggage at the designated luggage drop off area and please identify yourself that you are in Star Class Suite. Right after, please look for Star Class Purple banner which will be set up at the entrance of door ‘D’ and please be advised you to contact below Pier Staff. (Please refer below photo for door D location & Star Class purple banner) Pier Staff Contact number: 604-834-9261 Pier Staff will assist you from the Check-in to the CBP area, onboard Genie will meet you right after immigration. Here is my WhatsApp number WhatsApp XXXX , it will be the main communication method while you are onboard. Kindly be advised that there may be a line for the security screening process and check-in. There will be multiple verifications of your traveling documents, so kindly keep them available. I suggest you to have it printed. If I am escorting another guest onto the ship, as I am responsible for other Star Class suites as well, kindly wait for me in the waiting area inside the terminal after security screening, and I will be there to escort you as soon as I can. Kindly be advised that there might be some waiting time involved, especially if you are arriving early at the terminal. Please do not proceed to the ship on your own. Also, I might have to escort multiple guests at the same time, if they arrive together. I thank you, in advance, for your kind understanding and patience in this matter. The suite will be ready by 12.30 pm to 01.00pm latest. You can also proceed to do the mandatory guest safety briefing in your designated assembly station (TWO70, Deck 5) while we wait for your suite to be ready. Coastal Kitchen opening hours on boarding day is from 12.00 pm till 1.30 pm. I would highly suggest to download the Royal App, before starting your vacation to review the menus of the Specialty Restaurants onboard on Quantum of the Seas. The Royal Caribbean International app is available for free from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Wishing you a safe and pleasant journey to the beautiful Quantum of the Seas!".

Had breakkies at the "Honey Salt" restaurant here at the JW (gotta use up that property credit). For the second time in my life, I remembered to snap a pic before demolishing the plate. Holding up the [APPLAUSE] sign. It's their slightly-modified take on eggs Benedict. American bacon and sautéed spinach, with the world's crispiest skin-on breakfast potatoes. Really, really good. They actually decently toasted AND lightly buttered the English muffins, which makes me want to hug a chef.

The Parq has a park on floor 6, where The Victor restaurant is. Comes complete with a view of the BC Stadium that nothing short of a wide-angle can capture decently, and a Canadian goose that will stare menacingly at you for intruding into its domain. The Victor does a full-on Sunday "roast" with prime rib and a Yorkshire pudding on weekends -- which will be dinner tonight. Inside. Away from the goose.

When you least expect it, BOOM... A marathon appears right outside of the hotel. It actually ends at Canada Place where the cruise terminal is. I should grab my luggage and join in. Also, met a Vancouver native PD officer. She was super-nice and gave me a little history. This is the off-ramp from Cambie Bridge.

Taking some pics yesterday I totally missed that mama bear has a cub. So, cub:

Jerks opened a really decent double-deck 3:2 blackjack table at 7PM. So, so much for giving them my money tomorrow. Did a couple of hours there. Haven't seen DD dealt cards-up anywhere, so it was a little weird. Took a beating though. Met some nice folks who played well.

Oh, I also promised to mention how it went with Canadian Customs. Zip -- done. Walk to a kiosk, scan your passport, have it take your photo... collect the paper ticket it spits out and walk to the exit where they collect the ticket. Just past that, grab your bag(s). Everything except waiting for the bags to hit the luggage carousel was FAST. Kiosk noted I'd already filled out my GENDEC. All it did was ask if I wanted to modify it (vs. having to answer all the questions). ArriveCAN is definitely a way to shave some time off getting through Customs.

Friction-less trip from YVR to the JW Marriott Parq. About 20 minutes in a ludicrously oversized black SUV. Got the usual FH&R room upgrade to a floor 16 "water" view room that overlooks False Creek to the southeast. The big silver globe on the other side of the creek is Science World. May check that out tomorrow. Looks like it's geared for kids though. Luckily, I'm still brat at heart. There's a walking/running/biking track all the way around the False Creek basin. Gonna ask the concierge to pre-book another car for boarding day. Learned my lesson in L.A. when several thousand other people also had the bright idea to hit the Uber or Lyft button at the same time to get to the ship. 1100 show time on Monday. A lot of the restaurants here at the JW appear to be closed. I read that on Tripadvisor after I'd already booked. Still, there's plenty of food on-property (I had poutine and a beer while watching the Oilers <> LV Golden Knights game). Did I mention the JW is also a casino? Oops. I'll give them a shot at my money tomorrow. There's only one 3:2 shoe-dealt blackjack table in the entire place. $25 min, so fewer ploppies. All of the others are continuous-shuffle-machine and there are a bunch of stupid ones that require a $1 side bet each hand. Tons of food (at every wallet level) within a 5-10 minute walk from the JW. If you want to buy yourself wine for your one-bottle allotment the closest place, Robson Wine & Spirits, is a little under 10 minutes. It's in the direction you'll want to go in to check out local restaurants, so not wasted time.

Pushback and wheels-up were on time. SF is catching the East side of a low, so we get a nice tailwind to Vancouver. 1+46 en-route. It's Bailey's & Coffee o'clock onboard.