The best food while at sea was at Palo (not surprising). Go for the dishes your server says isn’t available elsewhere on ship. You also need to try Palo both for dinner and for brunch. These are two different experiences with very different menus and styles.

Zefferelli’s in Vancouver was a completely lucky find. Late in the day while on Robson Street, our group couldn’t decide what to eat. Adults wanted Thai or Asian while the kids wanted spaghetti. The kids won out so we headed to the closest Italian place which happened to be the second-floor Zefferelli’s. Wow. Here’s my abbreviated Yelp review I drafted on my iPhone. In general though, Vancouver is a great place to sample different cuisines. There’s so much to pick from, all within walking distance. Biggest challenge for a large group is the small size of many restaurants.

I was not disappointed with the sit down meals we had on the Wonder. The menu featured a large variety, but some dishes really sang. The soups were surprisingly good and always save space for dessert. Our server would always exclaim “calorie time!” when he came to take our dessert orders. I’m not sure why, but asparagus had no effect on me during the cruise, and trust me, I tried by ordering several dishes with asparagus.

In Juneau, seek out Tracy’s King Crab Shack and soak it all in. Located right on the docks, this literal shack serves the biggest, freshest crab product you’ll probably ever find (I think I’ll post pics in a separate post).

Now, I’m getting hungry…

Juneau on Dwellable

On the Disney Wonder

Did I mention that brewed coffee onboard the Disney Wonder is free and always available. Let’s repeat that, free and always available. Whoa.

This espresso bar is happening. From the outside, it appears deceptively simple. Step inside and let the luxury enfold you.

The baristas can make all kinds of drinks, but again, for a price. Be prepared to wait since some days are slammed with caffeine addicts. There’s plush outdoor seating or you can go upstairs to the posh Outlook Cafe. I opted for outside whale watching while drinking my mocha.

Skagway

So staying caffeinated at sea is easy to do, but what about in Alaska. Now that’s a different story. First port of Skagway, Alaska with a population of 800 locals. Four cruise ships in dock, each transporting at least 2000 passengers and 900 crew members. So roughly 12,000 visitors crushing into this “city.” Could the coffee keep up? If you’re a business entrepreneur like the Excelsior Coffee Cafe, you see a definite opportunity.

Located inside of a jewelry store (and what is with all the jewelry spots in Alaska?!?), this cafe serves Starbucks but is NOT a Starbucks. But really, when you see that green mermaid logo in the window, do you really care? The menu is, not surprisingly, more expensive, and due to the constant flow of visitors, they ran out of cup sleeves, but it’s all good when the coffee enters your bloodstream. Walking around the blocks of Skagway and checking out the shopping spots is just a little more fun holding a cup of coffee.

Juneau

Our cruise’s second port was the capital of Alaska, Juneau. Of course I’d find coffee places in the capital, right? Yup, but with our activities and limited transportation, squeezing in a coffee pit stop was too tough. But after visiting the sights of the Mendenhall Glacier, we had enough time to check out the area around the dock. That’s when we came across Tracy’s Crab Shack. Featured in a Top Chef Quick Fire Challenge, this place is really a shack, a very, very crowded shack that serves the hugest crab legs you’ll ever see.

But wait, we’re talking coffee, not crabs. Luckily for me, a few shacks down from Tracy’s is the Crepe Escape. Where there’s crepes, there’s coffee, and sure enough, their full menu offered coffee options.

Did I have a mocha? I forget already, but that is my “safe” drink. If you screw up a mocha, you don’t belong in the espresso game. A mocha with king crab, crab cakes, and crab bisque? Sure, why not?

Ketchikan

A private fishing tour with Captain Jerry for four hours will make you thirsty as well. Or maybe it was from reeling in 40 salmon? Maybe it was just the salt of the Pacific Ocean, but after some great fishing, I needed a pick me up. At 3:45pm, that shouldn’t be a problem right? Hold up there, visitor of Ketchikan. Things work differently here. The Yelp app helpfully listed many coffee spots. I headed to the closest one – open but no longer brewing for the day. Headed to another location. Closed. Did more shopping and came across another closed cafe. What’s with that?

The Disney Wonder was in port for several more hours and other cruise ships were also docked so people were aplenty. But why all the early closures? I guess that’s the way Ketchikan rolls?? Did more shopping and spied this garage-looking space with people in it. And they were drinking coffee! I hurried on over and yes, the Good Coffee Company was open, even after their posted closing time. The workers said they go with the flow so if there’s business, they stay open. I had another “safe” mocha but should’ve gotten a larger size since it was so good.

So coffee addicts, there you have it, my coffee tales in Fresno, Vancouver, and lastly, Alaska. After writing three installments, I’m tired. I think I need some coffee.

Don’t forget about Part 1 and Part 2 of Coffee While Cruising.

Ketchikan on Dwellable

While I’m not a dedicated fan of the recently passed Cory Montieth, his performance of Don’t Stop Believing was one of the reasons I started watching Glee.

Anyways rest in peace Finn Hudson.

Oh, and as a tip, try to plug your iPhone in. This periodic recording absolutely drained my fully charged battery.

Our first port on the Disney Wonder was classic Skagway, Alaska. Population of 800 with temperatures in the 50’s on a sunny day. Is this hot or cold coffee kind of weather? I went with a hot Americano.

Our second port was the landlocked Juneau. Even in the proximity of a frozen glacier, we experienced our warmest Alaskan temperature of 61 degrees.

Our last stop was at the rainiest city in America, Ketchikan. Amazingly, 57 degrees, and no rain while we were there. There was some drizzling but no umbrella needed. From 55 to 106 degrees, yeah, that’s a 51-degree swing, and it’s tough to pack for both hot and cold climates.

What did I see when entering a Canadian Starbucks? A scene not much different from that in America, but Starbucks CA is promoting their True North Blend. True North is a blonde roast that’s “named by Canadians for Canadians.”

While I’m not sure if True North is merely a Canadian-version of the regular Starbucks blonde roast, I had to pick up a bag just because. I also got a Canadian Starbucks card featuring the iconic maple leaf.

Not a bad introduction to Starbucks Canada, eh?

And although we stayed in Vancouver for less than three days, I managed to go back to the Robson location for yet another Clover brew.

But Starbucks definitely isn’t the only coffee game in town. There are independent cafes and coffee bars on each city block, and I came across many Blenz locations. While hiking back from Stanley Park to the hotel, I had to take a pitstop for an iced mocha. Damn good stuff I must say.

That’s it for Part 2. My Coffee While Cruising series will conclude in Part 3 as I stay caffeinated in Alaska and onboard the Disney wonder.

Vancouver on Dwellable

The only real way to start time off is with good coffee and good kicks. That means a cup of Kati Kati Blend from Starbucks while wearing (gasp!) New Balance MO673.

From HNL to SFO and stuck there for a bit due to continued delays from the Asiana Airlines accident, I partook of a Peet’s Iced Coconut Latte. I didn’t take a pic of this sweet (and airport-overpriced) concoction though. From SFO, we flew to FAT to spend a few days in the scorching heat.

I have my usual coffee sources in Fresno but changed it up just a bit, visiting Barnes and Noble (remember bookstores?) and its cafe.

From FAT, the next vacation leg was to YVR in Vancouver. Did I mention FAT now has two Starbucks locations? There’s the one in the forest check-in area and the newer location is inside of the security gate, making it easier to stay caffeinated while waiting for your flight.

This location still seems new with newbie employees. While the workers were courteous, asking each other to how assemble a sweetened iced coffee was a little disconcerting for me. But if you’re still looking for that limited edition wooden Starbucks cards, I found a cache for you!

Hmmm, I have more coffee pictures from my trip than I originally thought, so I’m gonna break this up into a series of posts. Part 2 will cover coffee in Canada, but here’s a peek of my pictures without all the backstory.