Day 1: Sailaway from Vancouver

We were up today well before our alarm time of 3:30am. Those who know me well know that these early morning (really, middle of the night) wake ups are not my favorite part of travel, but staying home for one more night made it worthwhile. Shockingly, for early on a holiday morning, security lines at the airport were long, while TSA Pre-check was a walk up. I think it was worth the entire fee we paid for Global Entry (good for five years) simply to avoid those lines today. Our flight departed on time, arrived on time, and immigration in Vancouver was also a walk up. Things were going well.

Mt. Rainer from the plane

Don't know what this was but it was beautiful!

We hit our first snag of the day when we went to the Princess counter after going through customs. They no longer accept luggage from passengers not purchasing Princess transfers. Frankly, it never made sense that they did, but they did anyway, for at least a couple of years. It would be difficult to take the train, as we had planned, to the waterfront hauling all of our suitcases. G walked outside to survey the taxi situation and returned to report that they were all Priuses, not nearly adequate for all of our luggage. That sealed the deal: we purchased Princess transfers ($29pp) left our bags and walked down to the shuttle area with just our carry ons.  The bus arrived quickly, left immediately and we received a nice narration of the city sights along the way. Roughly 40 minutes later, we were at the cruise ship pier at Canada Place and by 12:15pm we were walking on the Pacific Princess. 

Is there anything better than walking on a ship on the first day of a cruise?

It's always interesting to note how many familiar faces we see among the crew from one year to the next. It's less than we might imagine, as they do move around among the various Princess ships. But it's also more every year, as we've cruised more often with Princess and met more crew members. Several times today we recognized (and were recognized by) crew members and officers, not all of them from the Pacific Princess last year. That really adds to a cruise, but it took us ten years of cruising Princess to reliably encounter familiar faces. 

We dropped our carry ons in our cabin and made a beeline for the Club Restaurant for embarkation day lunch (beef tenderloins and salmon...our favorites!), and were thrilled to see three favorite waiters. At 2pm we had to meet with the maitre de (names will be noticeably absent tonight, as G is already asleep and I don't want to turn on the light to find our Welcome Aboard Patter listing all the senior officers). We had requested a table for two for early dining and had moved up to position #1 on the waitlist just last week (G kept chanting, "We're #1!  We're #1! ;-)) Unfortunately, we moved no higher, and were assigned a large table at late seating when we checked in today. The maitre de asked that we come to the Club Restaurant at 6pm tonight, when he would try to accommodate us. 

Returning to our cabin, our big luggage had not yet arrived. Thankfully, we were appropriately dressed for today's weather (mid-60s and sunny) and so were comfortable wearing the clothes we had traveled in. We unpacked our carry ons, and it was then time for muster drill. When it was over, Captain Lubrano announced that we'd be leaving early, and we barely had enough time to return our life vests to our cabin when we went up on Deck 10 to watch the beautiful Vancouver sailaway. Cruising past Stanley Park and under the Lions Gate Bridge is always a thrill, and we met three of the production show dancers who double as cruise staffers on this small ship while they were on deck mingling with passengers, one of the best parts of sailing on the Pacific Princess.  Just like the cruise staff last year, they were very friendly and welcoming. We love this intimate atmosphere!

Sailaway from Vancouver

Sailing out of Vancouver, there is land on both sides of the ship for several hours after the ship leaves, and so this cruise to Hawaii has a bit of an Alaska cruise feel, at least in its early hours. We had to pull ourselves away from the scenery and return to our cabin to see if our luggage had arrived. It finally had, and we started in on my second least favorite part of travel:  unpacking. G went first, then showered, and I unpacked what I could before we needed to rush to the Club Restaurant at 6pm. We are still not organized, and it will take us at least 24 hours to find things and move them to where they make the most sense. But we managed to get to dinner on time, hoping we could be seated. We will move our clocks back three hours over the next five days en route to Hawaii; with the time change we've already encountered flying to Vancouver, a 7:45pm late dinner seating would soon feel like dining in the middle of the night. 

Luckily, we have now been assigned a table for two at the early seating, and are quite thrilled with that. Even more exciting (Andrew, take note)...the first headwaiter we saw when we walked into the Club Restaurant was Antonio from Portugal. We've had Antonio as our headwaiter for at least two winters on the Emerald Princess. It was so great to see him again!  And waiters Ricky and Romeo and assistant waiter Edmund...as hard as it is to leave home, we felt instantly comfortable today on the Pacific Princess. 

I love simple melon balls! 

Seafood starter

Flourless chocolate cake. Is there another reason to cruise??

I am fading quickly here, so I'll wrap this up early...

We listened to the Pacific Princess show band perform in the Cabaret Lounge, then stayed for the Welcome Aboard show with comedian Cary Long. We sat in the same seats in the tiny theater that we did last year and, while we were waiting for the show to begin, G looked at me and asked, "Did we really go home?"

We did, but now we're back home again. And in our lives, that statement makes perfect sense. 

Today was good, and tomorrow, after eight hours of sleep will be even better

Day 15: Home!

No matter how enjoyable the trip, it's always great to get home.

We were lucky today...we were some of the last passengers to leave the ship around 10am, and after claiming our suitcases and officially entering Canada, we took some time to explore Canada Place a bit. Such a beautiful facility, and yet you have to walk though a parking garage to board a cruise ship there! We sat for awhile at the very end of Canada Place, where we had seen the yoga class the day we had sailed, and watched the boat and floatplane traffic.

Eventually, we started walking toward the Canada Line train station to go to the airport. I recommend, upon leaving the ship, that you take an elevator from the parking garage up to G level, at the base of the Pan Pacific Hotel. This saves pushing your luggage up the sidewalk that aligns the ramp down into the parking garage. Once we arrived at the train station (an easy block and a half walk), the elevators made it easy to go to the ticket level and then to the train level. Although we had to load our luggage onto the train, it was level and easy, and $3.75 each and a 30 minute ride delivered us stress-free to the airport. Again, an elevator made our exit from the train station simple, and we were less than a 5-minute walk from the US terminal.

We were a bit surprised that, after we "exited" Canada and cleared security, we went through immigration into the US while still at the Vancouver airport. This saved us having to arrive at the immigration terminal at our home airport. Easy peasy!

We arrived home to record heat, but all was fine and the heat seemed a lot more tolerable after 14 days in Alaska. Just the attitude adjustment we needed after our long, hot summer.

North to Alaska:  this was one fantastic trip!

Photo 1: a Canada line ticket from waterfront to YVR

Photo 2: one step closer to home

Sailaway and our first evening on board

As we left Canada Place, there was a yoga class being held on the furthest point of the pier, and in the harbor a man on a small boat serenaded our ship with first the Canadian national anthem, and then those of the US and England played on a saxophone. The quality of the performance degraded a bit with each progressive song, but it was good fun.

Canada Place in the foreground - the cruise ship pier

We sailed out of Vancouver Harbour along the edge of Stanley Park, in amongst float planes landing and taking off. Vancouver, when seen on a sunny day from the ship with the sail-type roof of Canada Place, the cruise ship pier, in the foreground is a spectacular thing. We were on an upper deck, and Joel, a native Vancouverite who works in the Passenger Services Department was up there on his break, trying to get in a last minute phone home. He became our personal guide, pointing out the various things we were seeing along the way.  The ship passed under Lionsgate Bridge and we were on our way.

North Vancouver

Our next stop was the Elite lounge for pre-dinner drinks. If there has been any disappointment at all, it was this lounge. There is no lounge with expanisive views on the top of this ship; no Skywalkers at all. The Elite lounge was held on one side of the Explorers Lounge on Deck 7. While there are windows on one side, it is completely lacking in the kind of views Skywalkers provides on the Emerald Princess. This, coupled with the fact that, on average, this ship is filled with what are fairly novice cruisers who aren't eligible to attend made the lounge seem pretty dull compared to what we enjoyed all winter.

I was still in my traveling clothes, although G had changed into shorts during the afternoon. We decided to swing by the Bordeaux Dining Room to see what kind of wait there was for a table for two for dinner. Headwaiter Roberto told us that we could have one right away, and insisted we be seated dressed just as we were. This was a good thing, because I have a feeling that if I had gone back to the cabin to change, I would have been asleep in five minutes.

Although we had a table for two, we were seated inches away from an older couple and, of course, struck up a conversation with them. They were from upstate New York, had just celebrated their 50th anniversary and this cruise, as well as a 7-night land tour of Alaska afterward, was a gift from their four kids. We had a wonderful meal (served by waiter Tee from Thailand) talking with them. So, a table for two turned into a table for four, but we were happy.

After dinner we returned to our cabin and were met by a gorgeous view of Georgia Strait, interspersed with small islands. And sitting on the balcony enjoying it all is where I began to type today's blog entries.

The view that got my attention after dinner

G left the cabin to go to the 8:30am Welcome Aboard show, but there was no way I was going to leave that balcony. It got dark around 9pm, and after G returned we continued to sit out there until the air cooled enough to chase us in.

We were asleep about two minutes after our heads hit the pillow.

View to the east at sunset, with the Volendam in the distance

At home on the Island Princess

Once on board the beautiful Island Princess, we headed right to the dining room for a quiet lunch at a table for two by a window. The Welcome Aboard lunch menu in the dining room is our very favorite. G always gets beef tenderloins and I get the salmon with lemon dill sauce. For dessert G had a souffle and I had mixed berries (which I've come to look forward to on our Princess cruises.

At 2pm we left the dining room and headed to our BALCONY cabin. It's on Aloha Deck in the back of the ship (how did they know that was our favorite location?). Awaiting us was Choochout, our cabin attendant from Thailand...and our luggage! What a gift that was to not haul those suitcases on the train (although we'll have to on our return).

Although this balcony cabin is slightly larger than our inside cabin, it's not that much bigger, and the storage is virtually identical, with just two small drawers as the only difference. It's notable feature, of course, is the balcony, and we're lucky that there is an overhang provided by the pool deck above. Even in a strong, windy thunderstorm we will stay dry out there.

We were in the side of the ship towards the freight area, but we could see downtown Vancouver and North Vancouver, and every few minutes helicopter tours of the harbor left from the nearby shore.

We quickly unpacked and headed up to walk around the open decks, exploring the ship. Muster drill was held at 4pm; we were scheduled to sail at 4:30pm, but the captain announced we were waiting for 26 more passengers (who must have all been on one flight), and it was a little after 5pm when we finally sailed.

Yoga at Canada Place

The Volendam sailed just before us

The quickest Canadian visit on record...almost

We walked what seemed like a very long way from our gate to immigration. A 747 from Japan had arrived at the same time, and although it was crowded, the lines moved fast. We officially entered Canada at 11:10am PDT.

As we walked toward our baggage claim, G spotted a Princess representative greeting people arriving for our cruise. In reality, he was greeting people who had paid for a Princess transfer to the cruise ship. G was his usual pleasant self, talking to anyone with an ear to listen, and told the rep we were taking the Canada Line train from the airport to Canada place, the cruise ship pier downtown. The next thing we knew we were being instructed to leave our suitcases at the Princess counter in the airport after passing through customs, and they would see that our bags were taken to the ship with those of the people who'd bought Princess transfers.

!!!!!

In getting to the train, we had to cross the traffic right outside the airport, go up two levels (by elevator or escalator), purchase our tickets and get our things on the train. Not having to schlep our luggage along the way turned that process into a fun adventure.

Vancouver was enjoying one of its best weather days of the summer, and it was sunny and about 80 degrees when we arrived. That is not very often the the case, and although I was dressed too warmly, I was certainly glad it wasn't cold and rainy.

While the initial part of the train ride was above ground, most of it was spent underground (Mom- it brought back great memories of us on the Paris subway). But it was much faster- and cheaper- than a taxi, just $8.75 per person. A bargain! We rode it to the Waterfront Station at the end of the line, and then walked just a block and a half through downtown Vancouver (beautiful!) to Canada Place, the cruise ship terminal.

Our first glimpse of Canada Place

Once there, we never stopped walking through the check in process. We first had to complete the Princess health questionnaire, promising we were well enough to board (a 30 second exercise), then we passed through security, similar to what is at airports. I laid my backpack on the x-ray conveyor and my iPhone in a basket. After passing through myself, I picked up my backpack and reconnected with G, and together we went through immigration back into the US. Yes, the cruise ship was a little island of America sitting in Vancouver Harbour.

Our next and final stop was- or should have been- checking in for the cruise and getting our cruise cards. Unfortunately, after we once again presented our passports to the agent, I patted my waist, double checking that my iPhone was still in its holster attached to my waist...and it wasn't.

I had left it at security. Although we were only several hundred feet apart, It was in Canada. I was in the US. Yikes!!

I quickly grabbed my passport back from the agent and took off running back through the oncoming passengers to get back to my phone. When I reached US immigration, I was flummoxed- how should I go about leaving the US and then entering Canada, just to get to the security area, within sight of me? Luckily, a customer service rep noticed my confusion, and came over to help. I was able to tell her exactly which security scanner I had passed through, and she was able to step over a rope that separated the two countries, and retrieve my iPhone, handing it back to me (in the US).

Whew!

I made my way back to the cruise check in area, where G was waiting. He had been able to get us checked in for the cruise and get our cruise cards while I was running through the terminal. (Apparently the check in agent had enough time to glance at my passport before I grabbed it away in my rush to GET MY PHONE).

Two hours of sleep. I was eight hours into my day on two hours of sleep and it was beginning to show. But thankfully we had arrived!

Day 1: Flight to Vancouver and embarkation day

Today in a word? Wow. Just wow.

I'll start with the end of the day and then backtrack. I am sitting right now on our balcony. At 8:20pm it is completely light outside, but I can see the orange glow of twilight beginning to streak across the water. We just came from a wonderful dinner (vegetarian ragout for me; prime rib for G) in the dining room and, interested in nothing else but the scenery passing by my room, I am foregoing any further evening entertainment.

We are cruising in the Georgia Strait, a mostly north-sound passage between Vancouver Island and mainland British Columbia. The ship is probably cruising at about 12 knots, and the water is mirror smooth. The temperature is so warm that even dressed only in my nightgown, I am perfectly comfortable on the balcony. I have my feet propped up and am leaned back, enjoying the scenery and typing this post. Every couple of minutes the scenery is so staggering that I am using my iPhone or picking up my Nikon camera to take a photo. The mild, dry breeze is like a balm on my weary body.

Life is so very, very good.

So now that I've explained where I am, let me tell you how we got here.

When the alarm went off this morning at 4:45am, I had had just two hours of sleep. In fact, at 2:30am I debated sleeping at all or just pushing on through the night. Finally exhaustion must have won out, because I did get some rest. I don't know why my body does this; whenever I know I have to get up early for a trip, sleep eludes me at the time I need it most.

Luckily, excitement is good adrenaline, and so we managed to complete the items on our "last morning" checklist of things to do in a peaceable manner ('cause I can get pretty grumpy when I haven't had enough sleep) At 5:45am, Martha arrived and told us our limousine was ready. ;-) Now, that's a true friend!!

Since we were taking an international flight, check in at the airport needed to be completed a full hour before flight time, and took a bit longer than usual due to extra checking of passports. By the time we got through security and to our gate, we waited just a few minutes before we boarded our plane, a 64-passenger Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) 700 for the three hour flight to Vancouver. Not my first choice of aircraft for a 3-hour flight, but its non-stop service won out over larger, more comfortable planes requiring two flights.

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When we booked this flight, seat options were limited, but we managed to get two seats together one row ahead of the last row on the plane. We definitely wanted seats that reclined. When I did the preliminary check in online yesterday, I confirmed our seats and noticed that, while the seat numbers were the same, we were now in the last row of the plane, right next to the restroom in seats that didn't recline.

Ruh-roh. This didn't look good, but furtively hoping it was a mix up, I tried to distract G with "extra leg room" seats for a $44 a piece upgrade. No dice. So I decided to hope for the best. When we boarded the plane, it looked like the luck we've had with this trip had just run out- we WERE in the last row next to the restrooms. I asked the flight attendant standing there if the flight was full and she thought it was, but she would check when she did her headcount. We sat tight and didn't settle in too much...since we were in the last row we weren't holding anyone up. Finally she came back and said, "Row 9". Thinking there was one seat available, I told G to take it. The flight attendant then leaned over and whispered that there were two seats together. The luck returned!

Mt.  Rainier  from the plane

It was immediately obvious what had happened: the last row of four seats had been removed and two or three rows of seats mid-plane had been moved a bit further apart- the "extra leg room", extra $44 seats I had told G about. We were in one of those rows! This small victory kept me fueled through the flight, and although we arrived in Vancouver 30 minutes late, the friendliness of everyone at the airport kept me going.