September 27, 2024 - Friday - Thunder Bay

September 27, 2024 - Friday 

Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada 

We sailed into Thunder Bay in heavy fog. We are at a dock here, which is very nice. The fog began to lift as the sun came up. It was close to 8:00 before the sun did come up. 

We are scheduled for a 10:00 am excursion to Fort William Historical Park and Kakabeka Falls. It has been nicknamed “Niagara of the North”. The falls have a drop of 130 feet. 

We were in the 3^rd group to leave, and our guide is “Russ”. A former high school history teacher. He is fairly funny and keeps his audience engaged. The Historical Park is a recreation of the fur trading fort that was located where the city of Thunder Bay now exists. It was built the way it was in 1815 when it was the headquarters for the North West Company (the world's largest fur trading enterprise). We had two local docents dressed in period costume escort us around the grounds with stops and stories. It was very well done. We learned a lot in a very interesting and entertaining way. We visited the Surgeon's quarters, a warehouse for the furs, and a birchbark canoe building shed. 

One of our guides at the park.

The palisades were installed with a point to shed rain and snow.
Protecting the wood. It would rot much faster without the point.

Firewood was stored under several of the buildings

In the physician's quarters. All sorts of remedies were explained to us.

The fur store house. When operational, this would have been packed with furs.

Birch bark canoes that have been built here. Very impressive.

This one would have held about 30 warriors.

A Great Lakes Cradleboard. Used to carry babies 
from 6 months to about 2 years.

A scale model of how the shelters were built

 

After a comfort stop, we headed for the Falls. A very short walk down a paved path to some viewing platforms gave us a nice view of the Falls. Water is low at this time of year, so they weren’t as stunning as we were led to believe, but still a nice waterfall.

Looking downstream

 

As to whether they compare to Niagara Falls, we will see in another week or so. 

Back to the ship and a late lunch, but the World Café had stayed open so we had a great selection. 

We continued getting the room organized and made great progress. We attended the Daily Briefing and were introduced to the Captain and his senior officers. 

Early to bed.

September 26, 2024 - Thursday - Embarkation Day in Duluth

September 26, 2024 

Duluth, MN 

Awake around 5:00 am. 

Breakfast, then a bit of a walk around. Back to the room, then back out hoping to see the Octantis sail in. Nowhere in sight until we saw one of her tenders headed for the DECC (Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center) which is the embarkation point. We’ll head that direction a little after 10:00. 

The Lift Bridge in Duluth, MN

We packed up what few belongings we had unpacked, retrieved a luggage carrier, loaded it up and wheeled it downstairs. Tried calling Uber, but the pick-up point was not at the address where we were standing, thus that was not going to work. The hotel had provided a list of local cab companies, we called the first one on the list. They were sending someone immediately. It took less than 10 minutes to get to the DECC. Minimum fare of $10. 

As usual, things were very well organized. People on hand to take the checked luggage. They were sent through a scanner and loaded onto carts. We were offered to turn over any carryon’s that we didn’t need to have with us and that was tagged and also scanned and loaded. 

Water bottles were on hand and we sat for a little while, then were called up to anyone of several people checking passengers in. They photo'd our passports and kept them, providing us with a receipt. We completed Canadian customs forms for the 3 entries into Canada that we will be making over the next couple of weeks. We then headed to the tenders. 

About 11:10 am we were leaving the dock. Getting on the ship was very similar to the process we experienced on the Neptune. Our actual carryon luggage was scanned before we got on the tender, so only our keycard was scanned on boarding. We were directed up to the Living Room for a mandatory safety briefing. As we entered the area, we were offered champagne or orange juice. The briefing was just that, brief. Explanation of the life vests that are actually a jacket that you put on, zip up, and fasten a couple of buckles. 

We explored the ship a little, then decided to check out the location of our room. We aren’t supposed to have access to it until 3:00 pm. The door was open and we met our cabin stewards. Wilhelmina is the primary, she indicated the room was ready enough that we could leave our backpacks. GREAT! The secondary cabin steward is Augustina. He looked at us oddly, then said, “I know you from the Neptune”. Sure enough, he was not responsible for our room, but just down the hall. We saw him a lot in the hallway as he was working. Very friendly, always a big smile. 

Next was lunch at the World Café. While we were sitting there, an announcement was made that ALL rooms were ready. (It was just after 1:00). So, after finishing lunch, we headed back to the room to begin to unpack. 

We got one backpack undone before the rest of our luggage arrived. The next couple of hours were spent on trying to find places to put everything. We got 4 out of 5 pieces of luggage unpacked. 

We attended the Daily Briefing at 5:30 pm. The Daily Briefing reminds us what to expect for the next day’s adventures. From there we went to dinner. Dinner was sushi as they have a daily spread of sushi for dinner and do a great job in the preparation. 

Sail away was a little before 7:00 pm and just as the sun was setting. The “lift” bridge is very interesting. It goes up and down all day long as boats need entrance to the harbor. According to the Uber driver, the whole process only takes about 15 minutes. Lots of people were out for an evening stroll as we sailed through the entrance canal into Lake Superior.

September 25, 2024 - Wednesday - Travel Day

September 25, 2024 

Travel Day 

2:45 am up and at em !

3:30 am, our driver picked us up. We were at the airport at 4:10 am. We quickly checked in and got to the gate. Early boarding, settled in row 2. A bloody Mary certainly hit the spot. 

On-time take off and arrived in SLC on time. Long long walk from arrival gate to departure gate. Thank heavens we had a wheelchair pusher for Russ. About 1-1/2 hour wait. On time departure and a pre-flight cocktail. Lunch was served along with another libation. Lunch was excellent. We had selected a charcuterie and really enjoyed it. Everything top quality. Some sourdough crackers went with the meat and cheeses and a little pot of fig jam. What a great way to start.

 

On-time into Minneapolis/Saint Paul. Wheelchair pusher was there and off we went. Glad we had a guide as we took a tram and he knew which stop to get off at. We were quickly settled in at the gate and waited about 1-1/2 hours, for the final leg. After boarding, I looked out the window and watched as some of our bags were loaded onto the plane. 

Duluth is a small airport, easy to find everything. Chatted with Viking Reps in the luggage claim area, used the Uber app to order a ride, our luggage was some of the first off, yea! Many people on that flight had Red Viking Luggage Tags. So we met several people we’ll be sailing with. 

Uber was on time, about 20 minutes later we were stopping by a liquor store to pick up an evening libation. 5 minutes later we were being dropped off, only to discover we had been dropped off at the wrong address. The correct place was just next door, but still a challenge to get there with all our luggage. 

We were so tired, we opted not to go back out to try to find food. Decent room, harbor view (as much as there could be). Fairly early night as it had been a long day, even with a 2-hour time change.

September 15, 2024

Date:  September 15, 2024 

Location:  Home in Arizona – Under 2 weeks from sailing and counting. 

We are at it again. We’ve got another grand adventure planned. 

When we returned from our World Cruise in May of 2023, we were tired. We had an absolutely wonderful trip. We just didn’t feel we needed to go anywhere anytime soon. By Christmas time at our home in Mazatlan, Mexico, we began to think a bit about travel again. Russ started looking around on the internet and spotted another Viking “World Cruise”. Our first was a full five months. This one is half that time, and about half the distance, but it is still considered a World Cruise. A "Longitudinal World Cruise". In this case, from top to bottom.

To be specific, we will be flying to Duluth MN. There we will board the Viking Octantis on Thursday, September 26^th.Our route will take us through all of the Great Lakes, past Niagara Falls, eventually finding our way into the St. Lawrence Seaway and out into the Atlantic. We will then proceed south along the east coast of the United States, through the Caribbean and through the Panama Canal into the Pacific where we will continue south along the west coast of South America. Eventually, we will be landing on the White Continent (Antartica), our 7^th continent. We will return to Argentina and fly home from Buenos Aires.

The Octantis is one of two identical ships purpose built by Viking. They are referred to as “Expedition” ships. They are designed to sail in the Artic, Antarctic, and Great Lakes. They are of the Polar Class 6 rating. She sails in the Great Lakes during the northern summer, then repositions to the Antartic for the southern summer. 378 passengers with 256 crew. 7 decks with “a” deck at the water line and Deck 6 open air with a few cabins. Of the 256 crew members, quite a number of them are scientists performing various types of research.

As with all Viking ships, no one under 18 is allowed. There is a no smoking policy. There are no casinos and the dress code is relatively relaxed. There are 4 restaurants on board. 2 (The Dining Room and Manfredi’s) of those are only open for dinner and request that you make a reservation. The World Café is a buffet with assorted stations spread throughout the venue. The 4^th is Mamsen’s and they offer traditional Scandinavian dishes. There are several bars scattered throughout the ship. And room service is complimentary and available 24/7. 

An auditorium at the back of the ship that is 2 decks high with floor to ceiling windows that give a 270-degree view. A lounge 2 decks high at the front of the ship on Decks 4 & 5.

At many stops on this itinerary, we will not be at a dock. The ship positions itself offshore and automatic thrusters keep it in one location no matter what the current or winds are doing. At these stops, passengers are either tendered to shore for excursions or passengers can elect to utilize the ship’s toys. These consist of zodiacs, a couple of high-speed rigid inflatables referred to as Special Operations Boats, and 2 person kayaks. There are even 2 6-passenger submarines. [There is an extra charge for the submarines.] Each port includes a complimentary shore excursion as well as several options for optional excursions.

Viking also provides expedition gear as needed. Trekking poles, binoculars, snowshoes, waterproof pants and boots are loaned to the passengers. For anyone going to Antarctica, a waterproof jacket with fluffy liner is included in your fare. All cabins have a floor to ceiling drying closet with warm air circulating inside. 

Stay tuned!