American Cruise Lines - Day 4 - Coinjock/Kitty Hawk (Part 2)

With the damp conditions outside and the tons of walking on tour this morning, we were ready for a hot lunch.

Not sure if I asked to have just the Caesar Salad without salmon or they had added it to the menu since breakfast but that's what I had for an appetizer today. It became a debate during the cruise with these Caesar Salads because whether or not we got anchovies mixed throughout, a couple on the side, or not at all seemed to differ by the day and by what was served to the people at the same table. I've had anchovies by default since they are part of the Caesar dressing but I've never actually eaten them straight as much as I did on these salads. The two brownish looking curled up mushrooms on the left of the cup were today's anchovies.

Several of us got the Old Fashioned Roast Beef Sandwich and several of us at the table joked about how one plate would barely have any peas and mine had a ton piled on top of the open face sandwich. The meat, gravy, potatoes, and peas were good but the bread was kind of tough underneath.

One of our tablemates at lunch turned out to be Tim Sells, tonight's entertainer who would be performing a tribute show to Kenny Rogers. We all had a nice chat about music during the meal and we started asking Tim if specific songs from Kenny's discography would be included. Dad of course wanted to hear "The Gambler" which Tim joked about never considering such a song like that for his show. I asked about the lesser known favorites of "The Greatest" and "Buy Me A Rose" as I love when songs tell a story and especially when the lyrics feature a play on words. Tim assured me those songs would be included.

Service was pretty slow again today but according to our tablemates, it shouldn't have bothered us. We got the speech about how the waitstaff is just young people working until they find better jobs so the fact that they aren't doing their best at this job shouldn't matter. One gentleman remarked "At this point in my life, I don't care if I ever get served." Yes, we're used to foreign born crew who work hard and are grateful for any tips to send back to their families but that shouldn't mean that we can't be disappointed by the slow service on an American staffed ship. By the end of this meal, I did take the time to speak to the dining room manager taking the time to praise the good wait staff and let him know about the not so well performing staff, just like you should on any cruise ship. He listened attentively but seemed to care about my logical words as much as a child being told he can't have the candy in the store. I did notice that he stepped in a lot more as the cruise went on to do things like refill our water glasses and send other wait staff over to bring our table's meals quicker helping out our main waiter. We also started seeking out the tables belonging to the better wait staff.

After lunch we headed over to the "Next Cruise" presentation in the Chesapeake Lounge. If you chose to book another ACL sailing while on board, you could save 15% off plus your port charges and fees waived on the next cruise. Dad was really interested in considering the offer for a couple other ACL or its sister line Pearl Seas itineraries. They opened the bar and offered snacks for this as well. I've seen this kind of talk on the big ships and it's very similar to how it was today if ACL had the big giant video screen and a much more knowledgeable cruise director/cruise line representative. Granted, the talks done on the mainstream lines are done by the crew member whose job it solely is to know about the other cruise options on their line and try to sell them to you so you're going to get more of an informed sales pitch either way. 

For this talk, Ali set up a small production screen in the front of the lounge and Cheree helped her run the Powerpoint style presentation on the connected laptop. It wasn't a very engaging presentation because Ali simply showed the provided promotional slides from ACL and read off the bullet points from each slide. When other cruisers had questions, she didn't know the answers but did use her phone to call and ask someone for them. It felt a lot like I could have simply grabbed a snack before sitting down at the computer to look at ACL's limited official website and accomplished the same thing. All I personally know about Ali is that she'd sailed on the Maine/New England itinerary before our sailing so perhaps she had no other personal experience or knowledge about the other routes. However, if it was my job to try and sell you your next cruise on my employer's line, I would have at least done some research and be able to pull some key features off the top of my head that would make the cruiser want to come back for something unique and excitingly different than the one they're on now. Yes, the Puget Sound cruise visits the Northwest states. I can see that on the website. Tell me what kinds of things I could see or experience while on that cruise that I wouldn't see here in the Southeast states.

Today is the first time Ali tried adding more scheduled activities by dedicating a time and a lounge for anyone to meet up for cruiser hosted card or dominos playing. I saw a couple people who randomly picked up these games to play throughout the cruise but don't think anyone really gathered for these assigned times.

Next up for us was the Eagle Society member cocktail party in the same lounge. Bar stayed open and snacks were most likely replenished. This time it was Cheree on the microphone who gave a nice speech of thanks and then went around the room asking everyone to share what their favorite itinerary was. Dad spoke for our turn and instead chose to mention one of the choices he'd been interested in. 

Then we got our next gift of wooden cheese boards. One of the people who just happened to be in the lounge reading when the cocktail party started was the husband of a couple we'd gotten to know at meals who were on their first ACL cruise. We all joked later about how he also got asked his favorite itinerary and received a cheese board. I remember being asked when we booked this sailing if we were members like it was a requirement to book. Guess it was another inconsistency like how these two itineraries were displayed for people to book. Several couples only took one cheese board when Cheree passed them around and I am pretty sure the expectation was to only offer one per cabin. We both ended up taking one as they were passed around not realizing otherwise at the time. They are quite nice heavy duty cheese boards emblazoned with the ACL Eagle Society logo and gift wrapped. I like the extra touch of the wooden tag as well. They are almost the entire width and depth of my large suitcase.

Back up to the cabin to put away our latest gifts and to relax until the regular evening cocktail hour. Tonight I branched out and tried a vodka and cranberry on the rocks, hold the vodka. The cheese and crackers were back and I tried some mini quiches.

Tonight's dinner choices were definitely not lacking in the cheese or vegetable department.

My appetizer for tonight was the Cauliflower Cheddar Soup. Reminded me of some French Onion soups where the cheese layer just sits like a disc you push around to get at the soup versus the better French Onion soup where the gooey cheese layer melts into the soup. If you ever get the chance to sail on Princess in their Crown Grill specialty restaurant, definitely try their version of French Onion soup. I believe they refer to it as the Black & Blue Onion soup. Just be sure to wear your napkin as it is gooey and drippy. Brought home a couple grease based stains of honor over my Princess cruising history. All of ACL's soups were served in these little bowls the size of their coffee cups so don't hesitate appetite wise if you want to try the soup and another appetizer.

For my entrée I stepped out of my usual box and tried the Blue Cheese Bacon Crusted Strip Steak. The steak itself was a pretty decent size and the crust on top had good flavor. After a while I didn't care for the hard crunch that it took to get through chewing the topping to get to the steak. Note the lack of any toppings besides the always present butter pats on the table for the rolls. One thing I was surprised by was that when we ordered the steaks (Remember, you put the words steak and potatoes in front of Dad and it could have been encased in the cauliflower cheese soup. He still would have devoured it.) our waiter Kevin warned us that it would be cooked medium rare. Never have I been told what my meat choice would be cooked to instead of being asked what level I'd prefer. I believe that if it wasn't the better waiter of Kevin, we wouldn't have been given a choice at all. We both asked for medium well instead and that was what we were served. Honestly, that's a plus for ACL because we've had to send undercooked beef back on the bigger lines even after asking for medium well.

I give kudos to Cheree as well here for her routine presence in the dining salon helping out with the little things like water refills. The couple times I've gotten the wrong order, she had it whisked away and replaced instantly. When Dad asked her about yet another day without chocolate ice cream, she apologized and blamed it on herself for not having the time to go buy some. The next day she had gone out shopping and told Dad that she got so much chocolate ice cream, he'd never be able to eat it all! 

Tonight's dessert was a choice I rarely make, red velvet cake. The cake was good but the raspberry syrup swirl throughout the vanilla ice cream made it too sweet to finish.

Back up to the cabin to relax until showtime where we found a new gift left on our beds, a small but very soft throw blanket stitched in one corner with the Eagle Society ACL logo. Having been given two tote bags on day 1 and two cheese boards during the party earlier, it made me wonder why we now only had one blanket. I was concerned given all the effort we put in to make me show as Eagle Society on the books that the ship still only had Dad on record. The next night when Cheree happened by our table, I took the time to ask if the gifts were one per person or one per cabin. She confirmed that it's supposed to be one per cabin but then asked if I wanted another one. I said no thanks, we don't need another blanket I just wanted to know for information sake. She countered by asking "Yes, but do you WANT one?" I said no thanks but now that I use it here at home to cover my arms while watching TV, Dad is jealous that we didn't get two since it's so soft!

We were looking forward to tonight's entertainment and it looked like a lot of other cruisers were as well since by the time we walked down to the lounge, most of the single chairs were taken. We ended up sitting on one of the couches pushed off into the front corner of the room. When Tim spotted us walking in, he told me that he was going to dedicate a song to me tonight. I asked which song and he only replied "The one you asked me about at lunch." I asked which he meant since I'd brought up two songs but he just nodded. The show was very nice and included a handful of songs I either hadn't thought of in years or didn't even realize were Kenny's songs. He performed "The Greatest" and I noticed several cruisers singing along. Everyone laughed and applauded at the unexpected ending in the lyrics. Then Tim mentioned me asking him to sing a song in the show tonight and so he was dedicating "Buy Me A Rose" to me. A loud "aww" rose up from the crowd. The song was beautifully done but it was a little embarrassing when Tim then took the time to confirm that I appreciated the gesture in front of everyone. Apparently my random seat choice and Tim's spotlight made lots of fellow passengers take note of my singing along and toe tapping during the show. I got tons of pleasant comments about how much I was visibly enjoying the show. I was a little taken aback though by one cruiser I'd gotten to chat with frequently who stopped me after the show to share how shocked she was that I'd actually requested a song from Tim. Her tone and reaction made it seem that she thought such an action should have sent me to the stockade back in Williamsburg. I explained that it was more a chance conversation while sharing the same table at lunch and she seemed reassured that I hadn't committed such a capitol offense. 

Tomorrow's port visit has us stopping in Beaufort, NC named after a prominent figure from the area. The town has a sister city of the same name in South Carolina but they distinguish the two by pronouncing the one in NC like the man's name Bo-fort and the one in SC is so beautiful, they call it Bu-fort. It was comical during Ali's pre-port visit talk tonight as they all tried to remember how to pronounce tomorrow's city. After going over tomorrow's shore excursion, Ali was asked about whether there would be a shuttle into town for those who just want to walk around. She insisted that there wouldn't be any such option and people would have to find their own transportation either by taxi or rideshare.

American Cruise Lines - Day 4 - Coinjock/Kitty Hawk (Part 1)

Today's efforts had us taking a ship to the birthplace of flight. Today we docked in the town of Coinjock, NC for a pretty short port day until 1PM. Due to the short time here, there was only one excursion choice and most likely the one everyone would have chose anyway, visiting the Wright Brothers National Memorial. It had been raining during the night and the grey clouds continued this morning making for a bit of a walk dodging puddles. The dock itself is long with close wooden slats plus you can venture off onto the paved road shortly after leaving the ship to get to where the buses park.

For $65 per person you get a 60 minute bus ride to the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kitty Hawk, NC. Enjoy an introduction by a park ranger and learn about the fascinating history of aviation that took place at this site. Guests will have time to tour the Visitor's Center where the Wright brothers' story is told through exhibits and reproductions or climb Big Devil Hill for a breathtaking view of the area from sound to sea. This excursion is wheelchair and scooter accessible, 2 hours long, a level 3 out of 4 in physical activity, cameras permitted, and bathrooms available.

The excursion started at 8:45AM so we had an early breakfast from 7AM to 9AM. My choice today was chocolate chip pancakes and even the waitress asked me to check and make sure the chocolate chips were there since they had stacked them face down.

Today's art class themed as Mixed Media Collage was scheduled for 9:30AM to 11:30AM. The one tour today ran from 8:45AM to 12:30PM. So me and I'm guessing half the ship was not in attendance at Mary's art class today. I can understand the scheduling issue since the same space was used for the Next Cruise talk at 2PM and the Eagle Society party at 4PM. This particular theme sounds like it would have been really enjoyable (a.k.a. less opportunity for me to get yelled at for "messing up") and I was sorry to have missed it. Was a little tough when I kept getting asked later why I didn't attend more art sessions by the same people over and over. My answer of "I was on tour" didn't seem to be acceptable. Guess I need to work on that whole being in two places at once thing some more.

Our ride today was an enclosed double decker bus. You had the option of sitting on the bottom level or climbing the slightly winding staircase to the top level. The top level had windows all the way back and we chose it for the great views. There is a secondary door at the back so loading in and out of the bus was quick. Plenty of space to spread out on either level and the guide used her microphone to make sure everyone could hear her.

Once at the Wright Brothers National Memorial, our guide checked in with the staff there and learned that we hadn't needed to be so rushed since the ranger talk wasn't scheduled until 11AM. We were given the option of browsing the visitor center or following Rachel up to Big Kill Devil Hill while we waited. Dad and I opted to peruse the visitor center which was full of exhibits, pictures, and stories. I also took the time to browse the gift shop where I found the first of a new souvenir collection, handmade wooden magnets from each port stop.

Dad - go over there by this sign and make it look like you're walking in step behind Orville and Wilbur. Umm, well close enough:

You could also view a model of the plane inside the visitor center. It was interesting to learn that the cloth used was a muslin more commonly used for women and children's undergarments. Gives new meaning to the superhero of children's literature, Captain Underpants.

This venue also held historical significance as one of the first recognized "visitor centers" in the country:

The "minipix" puzzle with a picture of the first flight cost me $5.95 while this wooden magnet cost me $6.95 in the gift shop. I had envisioned needing the puzzle to help me pass the downtime only to end up getting engrossed in two of the puzzles in the lounge on board that everyone worked on as desired throughout the trip. There were moments where I was the only one sitting in the lounge for the longest time focused on the puzzle. Apparently there's a limit to how many times other passengers can walk by and still find you there before they start calling you "the puzzle girl."

With still more time to kill, we ventured outside where they have recreations of the hanger and home of the Wright Brothers.

That building in the distance is the visitor center. This picture below is to show how far of a walk it is to where the hangar and former home stand. The path is completely paved.

They also have a big rock commemorating the starting point, the track used to move the plane, and a marked out path with stone pillars marking how far they flew in each attempt. Dad checked out the initial stone monument and opted to stop while I walked the entire path to the final distance marker. I took a moment at each one to look back, touch the stone, and imagine what it was like to be in their shoes. After making the walk back, a kind fellow cruiser took the time to tell me how proud she was to see me walk all the way out to the end and back.

The path from the big rock to the base of the monument on top of the hill:

The track the plane was moved on:

Standing with the big rock at my back:

Having reached the distance of flight #1, looking back at the distance traveled. The green squares marking this path is like woven mesh plastic so the grass grows up under it and around it. Safe and sturdy to walk on but definitely be cautious if you're rolling a walker or using a cane.

Flight #2 marker and looking back:

Flight #3 marker and looking back:

Final flight #4 marker and looking back:

Having been told that the ranger talk would happen outside on the steps behind the visitor center, the bulk of our group found seats to sit and wait. When the ranger finally did come out to give her talk, she spoke for no more than a couple minutes on safety and staying on the marked path for the grass holds little bugs that you'd want to avoid. Then launched into a much longer talk about swimming safety and avoiding riptides. I get that the Outer Banks area nearby is a popular beach destination but hearing this topic from a ranger while visiting the Wright Brothers Memorial left a lot of us scratching our heads. And not just those of us who strayed off the marked paths into the grass. I talked to a couple people who'd been to the Memorial before in our group and they were shocked that the ranger's talk was about riptides. Then the ranger invited everyone to follow her as they walked over to the replica buildings of the hangar and former home so I'm guessing there was more of an in-depth talk happening once they were over there. Having already been over there and now short on time, our guide instead gathered everyone back to the bus in favor of driving up to the base of Big Kill Devil Hill so we could see the monument on top and the plane replica sculpture nearby. Guess all those people who'd chosen to make the walk earlier were kicking themselves.

The monument on top of Big Kill Devil Hill as seen from the base of the hill:

I found it symbolic to be taking a photo of the sculpted photographer representing the photographer capturing pictures of the first flight.

Amazingly lifelike sculpture inside the plane as well:

When we got up to the base of the hill, the guide asked that we only spend 10-15 minutes off the bus taking pictures. The plane replica is very cool to see and is completely accessible. Several children were climbing all over it like playground equipment while their parents snapped pictures. Great for access, not so great for getting a picture without little Johnny peeking out from behind the wing.

Since everyone kept to the given time limit, especially since a good 1/3rd of the group didn't bother to get off the bus, we had some extra time to take the long way back and get an extra sightseeing tour of the homes along the Outer Banks. Great discussion on which Nicholas Sparks' books turned into movies were really filmed here or just took place here.

As it turns out, the skies remained dry for us while we were at Kitty Hawk with enough cloud cover to keep the temps comfortable as we spent 70% of our time outside. Once we returned back to the ship, we learned that back in the port of Coinjock, they'd had a massive downpour while we were gone. It unfortunately made the wooden dock very slippery and thankfully the one person who did nearly slip was close enough to quickly grab a handrail to stop himself from hitting the hard ground. Several of us passengers stepped up to make sure those with assistive devices safely crossed over the wooden dock access from the road until they could step onto the gangway where the deckhands took over helping. This is definitely an itinerary for comfortable walking shoes. No one cares how stylish your heels are when you're slipping and possibly injured on the dock.