American Cruise Lines - Day 3 - Norfolk (Part 3)

As we were finishing dinner, we noticed that we had seriously slowed down. Rachel rushed to the intercom to tell everyone that we were passing through a canal. We paused just enough at the start for me to spot this sign outside the window by our table.

Once we were done with dinner, I stopped off at the 3rd deck aft balcony to watch our passage through the canal.

Only wish we could have seen this passage in the daylight. Having previously sailed through the Panama Canal, it was cool to see a canal again without ever having to leave the USA.

Tonight's evening entertainment was another concert from Robert and Stephanie, this time with the theme "Sentimental Journey." Dad chose to go back downstairs and check it out but left early to come back to the cabin.

Once back in the cabin, we discovered a "Welcome Back to ACL" card, an invite to the "Next Cruise" sales pitch being held tomorrow, an invite to an Eagle Society member only cocktail reception for tomorrow at 4PM and a "mid cruise survey."

Never seen a mid cruise survey before and it threw us for a moment because to us, this was only day 3 of a 14 day sailing. Wasn't until later that we learned how according to ACL, this was 2 separate cruises in their system. Finally got to have my first back to back experience without even intending to. The mid cruise survey is basically just like the end survey with a choose a number rating system covering housekeeping, dining staff, shore excursions etc. There was several lines at the bottom for additional comments and yes, I filled out every inch of those lines. Note the header on the back that says the wrong name for the ship we were on. We finally took a moment to fill this form out a couple days later and realized on our way down to dinner that we'd left it behind in the room. By the time we came back from dinner, our room had been turned down for the evening and Emma had taken our survey off the desk. I regret though when I got so frustrated at the end of this week that I emailed my thoughts to the general ACL customer service address, that I hadn't remembered the specific email listed in this survey for Mr. Stephen Benson. To this day, my email with concerns has never received a response.

American Cruise Lines - Day 3 - Norfolk (Part 2)

It seems I was an artist in high demand after all because it seemed like everywhere I turned today, someone was asking if I planned to come to today's art session. I was hesitant to come back even though the topic was Sailboat Art but I ended up deciding to go. Got a little bit of critique again when my initial painting of the blue water came out too dark. I took Mary's tips into consideration and trusted in my own abilities to complete the picture. As I was finishing up, Mary came by to check on my work and exclaimed with surprise "Oh you fixed it! That actually turned out really nice." Thanks I suppose. Here is my shark fins formally known as sailboats - or if you tilt your head to look at it upside down, cookie monster with claws or fangs?

While I was channeling my inner Van why did I Gogh to art class, today's 3PM delivery of cookies arrived and Dad showed up (do cookies have homing beacons?) just in time to grab one of the last cookies to bring over to me. This time we were back to a smaller amount of larger cookies and now featuring M&Ms and chocolate chips. Since it was the last one, I broke the cookie apart and shared it with my new art classmate and as it turned out, next door cabin neighbor for this first leg.

Took a moment while I was in the Chesapeake Lounge to investigate this public area on the bow of the ship. You step out here via the door on the starboard side. They have the actual machinery and anchor area roped off for crew only but you're welcome to walk around next to the ropes all you like. Several people took advantage of stepping out here for sunset photos. Just be wary of the large step to go through the doorway and if it's windy, it can be tough to open the door.

After my plan to use the downtime after class to use the internet in the library/lounge was thwarted by a gentleman who opted to play videos loudly on his tablet (a cruise itself is common space, please pick up a pack of cheap ear buds to add to your packing list), I ventured outside to the common aft balcony space. It was a lucky break because I came out there right when a sailing class was happening across the harbor. After drawing and painting sailboats, I enjoyed watching this whole group of colorful sailboats run through their techniques and shriek in delight as they passed each other. The sun started to set on the water as I stood out there and it really highlighted the sails' bright colors.

Special shout out to this deckhand named Sean. He and my Dad really hit it off becoming buddies. Sean would come hang out with us around the ship if he wasn't called to work. One day, a new deckhand joined the crew and we'd enjoyed chatting with him as well when we saw him on gangway duty. When he saw us talking to Sean in the hallway he stopped to chat as well and Sean told him that he'd better "take good care of us." He was definitely a bright spot during our cruise and I made sure to praise him in our post cruise survey.

Back down to the Chesapeake Lounge for cocktail hour had me trying the new to me food of falafel. I'd heard of it but never had it. I asked the young lady serving tonight what was in it and she said "I don't know. I keep asking but they won't tell me." If only I'd had my camera out to capture her reaction when I looked it up and shared with her that it's a cake made from fava beans or chickpeas. Dad liked the beef topped crostini they passed around. When another young lady came by offering pigs in a blanket, Dad was ecstatic and she was just as relieved because we were the first people to actually want some. He'd been saying after the first day, "Can't they have different snacks, you know like pigs in a blanket?" Guess the walls were listening. :) Only downside is that they drizzled mustard across each one. Dad wolfs them down and says "they tasted a little weird though." "That's because they had mustard drizzled on top." "Mustard?!" This from the guy who didn't want to try his first Cubano sandwich during a tour of Miami because it had mustard and pickles so they special ordered him one without those ingredients. Shh, no one tell him it also had ham on that sandwich he devoured.

Above: beef crostini with horseradish.

Below: crab cake, pigs in a blanket, dried out falafel (reminded me of a green version of "If it's round and brown, go around." 

Down to the dining salon we trekked where our tablemates informed us that the Botanical Garden tour was disappointing as well. Another tablemate tonight was one of those frequent cruisers who had so many stars on his nametag, they just gave him one big star on the board. He told us that the slow service is not the norm and when he talked to management about the issues we've all experienced, the answer was "Well this week is just a repositioning cruise to bring the ship down from the Maine route to Charleston where it will do the southern route back and forth." This combined with the unfamiliarity with these ports in between was the excuse given for all the organizational and scheduling mistakes.

Tonight's appetizer for me was the Caramelized Garlic and Crab Soup. I found out where the rest of those cocktail hour crab cakes went.

The entrée was the BBQ Pork Shank. The abovementioned tablemate got the same dish and he spent so much time talking about how it was too much meat to eat that I almost felt guilty about devouring 90% of mine. Had plenty of appetite to finish it since the broccoli on the side was barely edible.

Not a fan of coconut or lemon so back to the ice cream options we go. Tonight's choice was rainbow sherbet. Imagine the overt sweetness I described in the orange sherbet times 10. Could only stand a couple bites and that was only in the name of science - had to taste each color after all.

American Cruise Lines - Day 3 - Norfolk (Part 1)

We continue our visit to the state of Virginia today with a stop in Norfolk on this Monday morning. We arrived here at approximately 10PM Sunday night so roughly a 4 1/2 hour commute from Yorktown. I missed being able to see us pulling into port on this cruise since we'd travel during the evening after dark and arrive either late night or in the wee hours of the morning.

Today's tour options are (both $50/per person):
Naval Station & MacArthur Memorial (wheelchair accessible, scooter accessible, 2 1/2 hours, Level 1 in physical activity, cameras permitted, and restrooms available). This tour had two time slots available, 8:45AM and 1:15PM. Described as a narrated tour of Norfolk with a stop at the Naval Base and ending at the MacArthur Memorial which is within walking distance to the ship. When MacArthur Memorial is closed, we will visit St. Paul's church where you can walk the cemetery and grounds, and if there is no service being conducted within the church, you are welcome to enter the building. A note is added that we must being picture ID for Naval Station. The preceding was what Ali included in the daily schedule for today. In the tour descriptions page we got on day 1, it says nothing about St. Paul's Church possibly being substituted for MacArthur Memorial.

Virginia Beach & Botanical Gardens Exploration (wheelchair and scooter accessible, 3 hours long, a 3 for physical activity rating, cameras permitted, and bathrooms available). This tour also had two time slots, 8:45AM and 1:45PM. Described as a relaxing riding tour through the beautiful port including a stop at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. Due to the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse being under renovation, you will be able to view grounds, the exterior of the lighthouse, and have free time in the gift shop. Dad had surprised me when he said he wanted to sign up for both tours today as he's not really a "go look at pretty flowers" kind of person. Hours later he changed his mind and tried to visit the office multiple times between embarkation day and this morning to tell Ali that we were canceling the afternoon session of this tour. He ended up leaving a note for her in the drop box on the door yesterday and told her about the note when we saw her in the hallway. She had no knowledge of the note but didn't have any issue with us canceling.

Dad loves military history and war museum type tours so we definitely were going for the Naval Station option. I'm not as into the topic but I highly recommend the World War II museum in New Orleans as it is really well done and arranged. Book tickets in advance and devote several hours to a full day there. Since we had initially considered booking both tours, we chose the 8:45AM Naval Station time slot. Because of the early tour time, Ali changed the breakfast times to 7AM to 9AM.

Went simple today with scrambled eggs and sausage. I did notice during the cruise that sometimes the sausage looked different so I'm guessing it was either different brands or one was pork and one was turkey. If you have religious or dietary objections, I advise asking which it is that given day. My fruit garnish looks so naked without a tiny skewer stuck through it.

After breakfast we headed to the gangway and discovered that due to the tide, we were now disembarking from deck 2. Now I see why the onboard gym doesn't have a Stairmaster, they just use the gangway.

When we got on the pier there was a small group of passengers crowded around a guide so we hung around waiting for direction. Soon this guide explained that she was there for the Botanical Garden excursion but encouraged everyone to check out the Nauticus museum and the USS Wisconsin that was our neighbor when I stepped onto the balcony this morning. We were really interested in that idea and decided to check it out when we returned from our tour. 

Ali joined us on the pier and divided everyone up into lines so she could check people in for their tours. Our group had to walk a while past the museum and up to where the bus was waiting. Outside the museum was a sign advertising their harbor tour. Dad had just been talking about wishing something like that was offered so he was even more excited about checking out the museum when we returned.

Since we were a relatively small tour group of 10, it didn't take long to get settled on the bus and ready to go. Our guide took a head count and called roll as he had to turn in a sheet with our names on it to the Naval Station when we arrived. As we started the drive and passed by Nauticus, he mentioned the museum and lamented that it was too bad we were here on a Monday when it's closed. Dad and I just looked at each other flabbergasted. It's closed on Mondays? Why would the other guide be encouraging us to check it out if it was closed today? We also were annoyed that no one on the ship bothered to point that out. Even more so when I posted the above picture to Facebook prior to our tour and later read a comment from a local to Norfolk friend who commented about how unfortunate we were there on Mondays when it's closed! I shouldn't have to look up every place these pre-arranged tours are visiting just to make sure they are really open that day! That's something the other local guide should have known, much less the cruise director.

We arrived at the Naval Station early so we had to sit on the bus waiting while they finished their own morning roll call. Our guide helped pass the time by telling a joke about a retired military man who took a job as a Wal-Mart greeter when he decided he was too bored sitting at home. The veteran was loved by all the customers and enjoyed the job. One day the boss calls him in to his office and the veteran is sure he's going to be given a promotion. The boss praises him for his work but asks what they would have said to him if he'd been coming in late everyday to his military job like he has been to Wal-Mart. The veteran's reply was "They'd say Good Morning Admiral, would you like some coffee?"

Once we were given the go ahead to head inside the visitor center style building, our guide led us off the bus and quickly ushered us through two metal detectors. Those with joint replacements and pacemakers were asked to identify themselves and be wanded by hand. Our guide jumped in to hand out little baskets to hold our purses and phones etc so they wouldn't trigger the metal detector. We filled each basket and handed them back to him. Once our bodies passed through the metal detector, he'd hand us back the basket. The basket and its contents never got scanned or checked. Neither did our picture IDs we were told we had to bring. After we were each through the metal detector, we were given the chance to use the restrooms. A few of us wandered into the gift shop just beyond the metal detectors. I stopped to chat about the game with the couple we'd talked to about it at dinner the night before and before I even had a chance to browse the shop, our guide was hurrying us all back onto the bus. Really wish I'd had the time to pick out one of those NCIS branded shirts.

Once back on the bus, we were joined by a young female Navy sailor. She now provided the commentary as we drove throughout the base seeing planes, housing, and their own shopping, restaurant, and movie theater all seen through the bus windows. Our guide did another head count but seemed convinced that we were missing someone. It was suggested that he call roll again but he said he couldn't because he had turned in the list of names when we arrived. After a bit of recounting multiple times, he declared that "we'd pick them up on the way back" and off we drove. Due to security restrictions, there is no getting off the bus to explore or get further pictures.

We learned that they transport planes down the roads within the base so they put the traffic lights down low to the ground so the plane wings can clear over them.

Above: Memorial to the lives lost on the USS Iowa.

Below: Memorial to the lives lost on the USS Cole.

We were allowed to take as many pictures through the window as we wanted until we reached a giant parking lot adjacent to the battleships and aircraft carriers lined up along the water's edge. The Navy sailor warned that as we left the parking lot and drove around to get a closer view of the ships, if anyone took pictures after that, their camera would be confiscated and this tour would be over. Thankfully everyone followed the rules. We stopped back at the visitor center long enough to drop off our sailor guide and got back on the open road. Guess our mystery tour member is lost forever to the arrival of common core math.

Expecting to be visiting now the MacArthur Memorial, our guide soon announces that we're going to St. Paul's Church next. Someone asks about the memorial and he replies "It's closed." Once at the church we head inside and meet a parishioner that the guide seems to know personally. We all pile into the pews as this parishioner gives a lecture on the history of the church. It's famous for having a cannonball from the war still lodged into an outside wall. The parishioner finishes his speech and checks in with the guide expecting us to be leaving now. The guide tells him that we've got plenty of time and to keep talking. You could tell this parishioner was put on the spot and was making up things to talk about as he went.

Eventually we were sent off to look around inside the church with the promise that we'd be soon led out to view the cannonball. Several of us took the opportunity to duck outside and find the cannonball on our own.

In case you get lost walking around the brick pathway surrounding this church, there's a sign to point out said cannonball.

I noticed a few grave plots in the cemetery had the larger headstone and then a little flat but upright stone at the bottom. Curious to know the explanation behind this. They didn't seem to have any writing on them so I don't think it was a second person's grave marker. 

As we waited in the front graveyard for everyone else, I used my phone to look up why the MacArthur Memorial was closed. I expected to find that it's closed for restoration or construction. Nope, closed simply because it's Monday!

Once back on the bus, our guide admitted that we were finished really early because he was used to having to push groups of 40 people through the metal detectors. Apparently our small group was too efficient for him.

Loved the mermaid depictions throughout the city:

Back to the ship where I worked my glutes climbing back up to deck 2 on the gangway until the passengers in front of me stopped short near the top. Okay, guess it's working glutes and core now as I was stuck mid climb until they started moving again.

We headed down to the dining room for lunch. Today's lunch service hours were also modified due to the afternoon tours, 11:30AM to 1:30PM.

I skipped the salad appetizer in favor of having the Marinated Steak Salad entrée. Is there some law that every dish has to include blue cheese on this sailing? I don't normally choose blue cheese at home but I'm pretty sure I morphed into a giant block of blue cheese by trip's end. This was a nice balance of salad and protein. 

This lunch is where we first tried to get chocolate ice cream for dessert and was told they'd run out. Our waitress Elexus offered to make up cups of vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup so Dad went with that. I was pleasantly surprised to not only see mint chocolate chip ice cream as a new option this day but it was my favorite brand! I love the Turkey Hill green mint chocolate chip because it has the chocolate in flecks, not huge chunks or tiny chips that you have to stop and chew through as you're eating. In case you didn't already believe I'm a food nerd that is...