Day 10: WEDNESDAY

I have never seen Ketchikan when it wasn't raining. Neither, I suspect, have many Ketchikan natives. The city gets approximately fourteen to fifteen FEET of rain per year. Raindrops are the only thing in the sky more plentiful than sea planes, which are only slightly higher in number than the bald eagles that kept dive-bombing the boats and pier.

We hadn't planned any specific excursions for this port, so we rode the tender in and wandered around for a little while, more for sightseeing than for shopping. Within a few minutes, we were drenched. My hair, jacket and two layers of clothing were soaked through before we reached Creek Street (the heart of the tourist district, so named because it is built on pilings over a small river).

Our trip was fairly uneventful, except for dealing with a very snarky and rude shopkeeper who violated federal law right in front of us when she threw a disabled woman out of her shop because she had an assistance dog with her.

Bad move, lady. Particularly when there are two professional dog trainers as witnesses. Compounded by insulting said trainers and using foul language when one of them tries to explain federal disability requirements. Even worse when those trainers are in touch with over 4,500 other trainers and animal professionals around the world, and can spread news very quickly via the Internet. Furthermore, we know that such a violation, reported to the proper authorities, could result in up to a $25,000 fine...

The short version is that we left the shop (without buying the jewelry we were considering) and hung out with the disabled woman and her dog to make her feel better. We reported the rude and ADA-violating shop owner to the ship's shopping director, who will likely be having a nice chat with the owner on the next trip to Ketchikan (you don't ruin a paying cruise customer's day and get away with it!), and Laura and I have written letters to send to the Feds and various assistance dog organizations. The shop owner, despite what she told us, has not heard the last of this.

By the way, the shop is called Storm Island. If you ever have occasion to visit Ketchikan, I encourage you to join us in boycotting it.

After dealing with that unpleasant situation, we waited in the rain for the tender back to the ship. We ate lunch on deck 11, watching more than a dozen bald eagles vie with little sea planes for airspace near our ship. One of the eagles was still a juvenile, and had the gorgeous gold-and-brown pattern over its entire body. They're so pretty in that stage, before the white feathers grow in on their heads and tails... Unfortunately, they were circling too far away to get a good picture, and when they came near the windows they were moving too fast to photograph.

After lunch, I wandered to the other end of the ship and made an acupuncture appointment for the next day (hey, it works for dogs; I'll try it).

Then Laura and I joined Mom and Dad at Battle of the Sexes trivia. This has been going on all week, with the score carrying over from day to day. When we joined the game, the men were ahead, but that's because Dad has been playing and we haven't. :) Laura and I contributed some answers, got outvoted on some, and learned a few things we hadn't known. The questions are straight out of Trivial Pursuit, all categories. I'm not that great at Sports, but I'm pretty good at some of the others.

We had a little time before dinner, so I worked on one of the daily crossword puzzles for a bit before getting dressed. It was the second formal night, but I was wearing a full-coverage dress and keeping my hair down, so there really wasn't anything I had to do to get ready except change clothes and jewelry, brush out my hair and dab a little Chanel #5 behind each ear. Poof! In ten minutes, I'm ready for dinner. :)

I was torn between the salmon and the fillet mignon. I finally went with the salmon, because I'd had beef the previous night.

After dinner, we went to the third big production show, A Touch of Broadway, which consisted of excerpts from various musicals: The Producers, Crazy for You, Hairspray, Contact, Cabaret, and The Lion King. It was by far the best of the three shows, mostly because there was a point to it. :) The singers were very good, and showed off their versatility (switching between Hairspray and Cabaret is serious stylistic whiplash). The dancers, as usual, were incredible. This show had a ton of lifts and jumps that are doubtless incredibly dangerous to do on a moving ship. We were sitting in the center of the front row, and I think I saw Patrick wink at us from stage during the bows. It's nice to get to know people working on the ship. :)

After the show, we returned to the stateroom, and I started packing (I don't want to think about leaving yet, but I know what last-minute panic is like) while waiting for the midnight buffet. Tonight was the Grand Buffet, which for some people is worth the entire cruise just to see the thing. Ice sculptures, chocolate paintings, lutes made of bread, peacocks and phoenixes made of fruit and vegetables, roast turkeys decorated with scenes of vegetable fish and seaweed, and more things you can't begin to imagine until you've seen it. All of it is at least partially edible. Laura and Dad went down early to photograph the buffet, since it's open for photos for half an hour before you can eat.

At about 12:15, when the doors opened, we went through and stuffed ourselves shamelessly. (Like we needed more food!) The beef wellington was excellent. The smoked salmon was delicious. The desserts were deadly. Yum.

Toward the end of the buffet, when the culinary masterpieces were beginning to be removed, we ran into Vladimir (our regular waiter, who is great). We talked and joked with him for a few minutes, and Laura took a photo with him. Then he surprised us by bringing roses for each of us, taken from one of the buffet displays. Awwww...

We were in port in Canada for a while tonight, but we weren't allowed to disembark. It's just to satisfy the U.S. maritime requirements, which stipulate that a ship of a foreign registry cannot travel between two U.S. ports unless the final destination is a foreign port. Since it is vastly cheaper for ships to hire foreign workers at lower pay and not have to follow U.S. regulations for emissions and environmental impact, nearly all cruise ships are registered in foreign countries. The Mercury is registered in Nassau; the Century was registered in Liberia. I can't remember what our Princess and Norwegian ships used. Of all the lines I've traveled, only Delta Queen had domestic registries, and that's because all of their travel is within U.S. boundaries. (They also charge more for their cruises to pay for it.)

Tomorrow is our last day on the ship, and it's spent at sea. I'm going to get poked with sharp pointy things, and dance one last time, and try to enjoy the little time left I have on the ship as much as I can.