Flying to Barcelona

We decided to head downstairs for breakfast.  We were able to order food that met our requirements with a few alterations.  Oh and that smoothie was yummy.

Just love the Fairmont.  Food, ambiance, service were all top notch.

We head to the check in around 11 and there was very little queue and within 5 minutes our bags were dropped off and we were wandering.

Remember if you are flying out of here or flying it there are quite a few amenities.

A liqour store (great spot to buy your wine if you are heading straight to the ship).  There is a 7 eleven, a drugstore, a medical clinic, post office and more.  All are located on the lowest level of the domestic side of the terminal.

We see this long line, there must be around 400 in the line to get through security.  No worries we have Nexus, equivalent to Global Entry and we go right to the front.

Once through I fill up my reusable water bottle at one of the many water bottle filling spots. 

This airport is gorgeous.  Just check out this beautiful lounge area in International flight area.

We are flying to Barcelona via Paris with Air France.  Everything is on time and so far we are managing quite fine.   

Anniversary Weekend in Vancouver at the Fairmont Waterfront

 

This weekend we decided to enjoy our 22 anniversary with a little getaway to downtown Vancouver.  

We live about 40 minutes outside of the city and it is always nice to go into town but always a pain to make our way home and also dealing with driving and parking.

A week or so ago Bernie and I decided why not enjoy two nights at one of our favorite hotel brands. So we searched for two nights at the Fairmont.  They have three locations downtown and the Fairmont Waterfront was the perfect spot for us. 

We contacted them directly when we found a better price thru Kayak and they met the price and even bettered it and then suggested we try one of their Gold Rooms.  Which we ended up booking.

Gold Rooms come with some added perks of a special concierge and a lounge for you to enjoy at your leisure and breakfast is offered in the morning and canapes and honour bar in the evening. 

We received an email Friday asking when we would be checking in and we responded back 14:15 (although check in is not until 15:00).  When we got there the room was not available so we went up to the Gold Lounge and waited. After waiting for around 40 minutes we decided to just head out for a bit. 

At 16:00 we received a text that our room was ready.  This was a little disappointing since we were told check in was 15:00.  But we let it go. 

We were given a city view room that was very well appointed.  And that king size bed was to die for.

That evening we went out for a quick bite to eat and then to Yuk Yuks comedy show. We got our tickets for the show thru Tickets Tonight that offers same day tickets for half price. Their location is within the same block as the hotel.

It was so nice and convenient to just take transit everywhere and not to worry about parking or drinking and driving.

When we returned to the room in the evening a bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries were waiting for us along with a lovely card congratulating us on our anniversary from the Fairmont Gold Staff.  Very nice touch.

The next morning we took our time relaxing.  Thankfully the lounge offers orange juice and espresso drinks and I was able to lounge in the room with my coffee before heading out into the public.

We had breakfast in the lounge too and the food was very good, and well presented and continually refilled.  The lounge was busy but the staff made every attempt to accommodate those arriving.  One couple walked and walked around looking for a spot.  We offered them the two spots at our table but they said they did not feel like being social.  Hmmm their loss.

We spent the day walking around downtown acting as tourist and enjoying our city.

The great thing about this hotel is it is just across the street from Canada Place and the cruise ship pier. So both made sure to head out and check out the Coral Princess that was docked on the North Side of the pier.  Sure made me want to get on.

When returning to the room we had naps and sipped champagne and savoured and reflected on our 22 years together.

A knock at the door?  Hmm who could that be.

Well it was our Room Attendants - Chris and Ann who delivered us a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Such a lovely thing.  They said they wanted to thank us for our generosity. Which suprised me as yes we did tip them but I believe that is standard - or is it.  But I know we truly appreciate all that the staff do for us everywhere.  They work so darn hard.  Plus the staff at this hotel are part of the same union we are - Unifor so we do have a brotherhood.

That evening (the actual day of our anniversary) we took the bus to our new favorite restaurant. The Pink Peppercorn.  For those of you who know Vancouver and may remember the Cannery Restaurant that use to be close to Ballantyne Pier.  Well it closed down due to the port security after 911 and the chef from there opened the Pink Peppercorn. 

It is a bit of a distance from downtown but only about a 15 minute transit ride on the #19 bus only two blocks from our hotel.  

The staff welcomed us and remembered us and gave us a lovely table.  Dinner was sharing of calamari and then for me scallops and prawns and for Bernie the halibut.  They surprised us with creme brulee for our anniversary and boy it was one of the best we have ever had. 

We were tired and when we got back to the room we quickly melted away in that luxurious bed and woke at 8 am on Sunday.

We took our time getting ready and we were up in the lounge for another great breakfast.

The staff there took care of all our needs and it was very hard to leave.  

But back to reality and work tomorrow.  

If you are looking for a great hotel in the Vancouver area I highly recommend the Fairmont Waterfront for your stay.  

Of course any Fairmont location is amazing - have never had a bad stay - but the Waterfront is a great location for any cruiser prior or post a cruise out of here.

Short Weekend Away on Island

A great deal happened and we just couldn’t pass it up.  A three day repo from Vancouver to San Francisco.  Timing was perfect as it fell right during our weekend.

We left home with small carry on bags, two bottles of Vino Verte for dinner with Antonio tonight.

See Antonio is from Portugal and we thought he might enjoy it.  However as we swung the backpack on one bottle fell out and smashed to the ground.  Oops…. Thankfully there is a liquor  store two blocks from the pier where we buy a. new bottle.

We arrive at the pier at 1230.  We are directed upstairs to the conference center where we are divided by ship.  The Volendam is in port with us.  We fill out our health forms.  Then quickly get our cruise cards.

We snake around like we are in a parade heading downstairs to go thru security.  The line is long but it moves very efficiently.

Normally we would go thru US customs but since the ship is heading to Victoria first we don’t go thru customs.  We will however have to clear US customs when we arrive in San Francisco .

In total it took 15 min from when we got to the pier to when we boarded.  Very efficient.

Last year we sailed the island for a month, and we had been on her quite a few times prior so we know the ship.

This voyage we are in Plaza 529 which is an Oceanview cabin.  Great location midship and close to atrium and coffee bar.

We notice the cabin looks very fresh and clean.  They haven’t got the new bed/bedding but the bed we have is very comfortable.  We are told that the new bedding will be happening soon though.

There is this great little nook in the closet with an extra closet space.  Haven’t seen this in other cabins on this ship.

A beautiful bouquet of flowers and a bottle of champagne awaits us as a gift from Antonio.

Again we feel blessed to call so many crew friends who feel like family and Antonio is definitely family.

Up to Horizon Court for a quick bite to eat.  It is a zoo up here, so I quickly grab a salad and meet Bernie outside where he is grabbing a hot dog and fries.  He couldn't handle the crowds in the buffet.  I tell him how they are queuing up for food at one of the stations in Horizon Court.  
One man tried to get food at that station where no one was and was told off by another man.  I bit my tongue.  If you wander around and get food from area that are not busy it works.  Lining up doesn't as there are different stations and you can't line up for each.  If one area is so very busy I just pass it up and I survive.  I like to go with the flow.

The sun is shining and it is in the high 20s.

We both comment that the demographics of this voyage are very different than the May repo we did.  Very few kids on board, maybe a handful compared to a lot of kids in May.

This cruise carries on thru the Panama Canal so many are on for the entire voyage so there are quite a few older passengers  (my age and older).

Bernie called room service and got thru rather quickly to change out our mini bar for two coffee cards, and they delivered them right away.

Ships officers:  Captain Andrea Poggi, Staff Captain Vincenzo Lembo, Chief Engineer Vito Torre, Hotel General Manager Ivano Calandri, Cruise Director Mike Witte, Customer Services Director Carla Ramos, Food and Beverage Director Sandra Belchior,  Executive Housekeeper Antonio Pimpao, Executive Chef John Convery, Maitre D’Hotel Neville Saldanha.

Muster is at 345 with sail away at 4pm.  With Victoria being so close I wonder where we will sail as we don’t dock until tomorrow at 7 am.  Tonight we are joining Antonio for dinner in Sabatinis at 7:30.

Things I have noticed:

• Prices have gone up.  All specialty restaurants are $29.  Drink prices too have gone up for some items.   Coffee card is now  $31 plus tip.  They may of gone up earlier and I just didn’t notice.  I later check my notes and prices for special restaurants went up in May.
• Ship looks great.
• Embarkation was very smooth and well organized.
• Staff on board are very helpful, friendly and very patient.
• The water pressure is very strong.
• Many people are staying on for Panama portion.

All Aborad the Grand Princess

We walked down to the bus stop and jumped on the 160 that heads straight downtown in about 50 minutes.  Terry was driving and it was busy but it was lovely talking with him all the way there.  We promised to have a drink for him.

One of my Facebook fans Anthony runs into me at the pier

Arriving at the pier at 11 am we noticed that the Noordam is in port too.  Things are right away a little different.  We are asked what ship we are on and we are directed up an escalator to one of the large conference rooms.  There they have the lovely staff there giving out our health forms and then we are at the booth and collecting our key cards right away. 

Then we walk around the room to the exit and back down the escalator and back to the “normal” security area and thru there quickly too.  Now the Noordam is heading to Alaska so after security they had to enter US Customs.  But for us we are heading to Victoria first so we don’t have to enter US Customs.  We just head to the boarding area. 

Now all of this took 15 minutes!  Very impressive, but now we have to wait.  We sit in the Preferred area until they start boarding at exactly noon. 

We pose for the boarding picture but do have a giggle because the background is says Alaska – ahhh wrong itinerary but I guess they are limited to what they can put up.

As soon as we get on we see Victor who is right by the elevators escorting people up and down the elevator.  Huge hugs and kisses.  So lovely to see him again. 

We are in cabin C505 and since we just have carry on bags for this voyage we are able to unpack right away.  The cabin looks great.  I think this ship looks better than the Crown does inside.  This cabin’s walls are in perfect condition, and the carpets, chairs, woodwork look excellent. 

Again take note if you are coming on this ship that the closet is smaller, and the cupboard too.  But certainly enough room for two people.  The bathroom is a nicer configuration and a bit bigger.

After unpacking we walk down to the Promenade to Crooners to buy the All Inclusive Drink Package.

Then of course Bernie is excited because there is an Alfredos pizzeria.  We get two pizzas and two drinks – yup Bernie got the Blue Moon and I got Sangria, and then soda water too.  The menu here is limited, not as big as on the Royal/Regal but it is still substantial and good.  No salads or appetizers, but we never have room for that anyways.

Okay now what?  Time to explore and we are up on the pool deck and enjoying the beautiful weather.  The aft pool is quiet and we take a seat and enjoy a drink there.  Okay I have now had three drinks in two hours!  Time to slow down.

Soon I am forced to slow down – yup!

Back in the cabin I am in the washroom and I forget all about the lip in the floor (that is on every single ship) and I don’t lift my foot up and boom.  I go flying to the floor!  I cry out and Bernie comes running and I know something is wrong. He helps me up and hobble to the bed and ouch my foot.  Yup foot is starting to swell.  Hurts like heck (I wanted to saying something else buy this is a family blog). 

Bernie is giggling – well you have never done that before, he says.  I give him a dirty look. 

I am not sure if it is a sprain, it isn’t in the normal area of the ankle.  I have had my share of sprains and this feels different.  I am not too worried about it.  I have asked Norma who we are seeing tomorrow to bring me a tensor bandage.  But there is no way I am able to wear shoes. 

Dolores and Laura are on board and they are in a full suite!  They text me and we head down to their cabin – that thankfully is on the same deck as our cabin.  So I hobble, boy I now understand how it must be for someone who has an issue with walking on board cause boy this ship is big when you have trouble walking.

We are welcomed with open arms by Laura and Dolores.  Hugs, kisses and just joy in seeing such great people.

Earlier we got two small bottles of Korbel each and brought this down with us to their cabin.  We spend an hour or so catching up with them until we have to head down to the Muster Drill.

Mini Break - Sailing the Grand Princess to San Francisco

Finished work for the day and now we are on vacation, well a mini vacation, but a vacation none the less.

Tomorrow we sail on the Grand Princess for a three day cruise to San Francisco with one stop in Victoria.

The reason we booked this cruise was because our friends Dolores and Laura are on board and we wanted to see them again. Plus the days of this cruise fell right in line with our days off this week and next.  So very few days were needed to get covered for us to pull this off.

Oh and the price was right.  Read all about it here.  

We are going to head down to the pier early tomorrow.  We will take the bus.  Not only cause we are transit drivers and we got a transit pass, but because it really is the most convenient way to get downtown.  After the trip we will take transit back home too.

I plan to take some pictures and video of the routing for anyone wanting to take the skytrain downtown from the airport.  Will do a separate blog just for that when I get home.

We should be down at the pier for around 11 am.  Normallly we never head to the pier that early but we both agreed we just want to get this trip started.  

Our cabin is C505 and our friends are also on Caribe.  We know a few crew on board currently - big shout out to Victor (watch specialist) and Paul the Deputy Cruise Director.   We recently found out that one of my Facebook fans that has been on the page for a long time will be on too - YEAH Chuck.

We are looking at getting the All Inclusive Drink Package too.  Not something I would normally consider but for a three day trip with only half a day being in port I think we can get our money's worth. Plus I said to Bernie we need to get it cause it is research for my Facebook fan page.  To read more about Princess' drink package click here.

After some discussion we agreed to just bring on carry on.  We will carry our bags on board too.  We are not planning on bringing any wine/champagne - sort of like bringing a sandwich to a buffet.  

So stay tuned.  Will be blogging throughout the entire cruise and posting lots of things. If you have any questions post them to my Facebook Page and I will try and respond quickly.

Sea to Sky Gondala

Today we wanted to head out and try something new. Earlier this year the Sea to Sky Gondola opened near Squamish. 

Because it was a Saturday the roads were busy but then as we were driving we remember, oh yeah it is the Squamish Music Festival too. But the park was not too bad and we arrived around noon after about an hour and a half drive from our home. About 45 minutes from downtown Vancouver I would guess.

Bernie bought the tickets and we had a very short wait to get in the gondola. Each gondola can hold 8 people but going up we were just 5 and coming down we were 6. They will group families/groups together and ask for smaller groups to go together.

The ride was stunning. The length of the ride is ten minutes and it is 1920 metres long, it rises 850 metres and in total the summit is 885 metres above sea level.

Once up at the top there is a lodge that serves food and has a gift shop and washrooms. If you feel adventurous you can travel across the suspension bridge to the Spirit Trail platform for a stunning view.  

We continued on along the Spirt Trail 400 m, then once we were back at the summit plateau we decided to head along the Panorama Trail which is is only 1.6 km and very easy to walk. There are a few view points and a stunning platform view from the Chief.  

We even ventured along the Look Back Trail that was marked difficult, but I really would say it was moderate. The end of the trail takes you out to the View Point with a stunning vista of the gondola and a bit of the town of Squamish.

We didn't see much wildlife today, but that doesn't mean they are not around. I am sure with all the noise from the people they were not interested in coming too close.

There are numerous other trails you can take while you are there but we were late in the day and the sun was hot and we had hiked around for about 2 hours. We would definately like to come back and we even talked about actually hiking up the Sea to Summit Trail which is about 4-5 hours one way and about 10 km with an elevation gain of 916 m.

But today is not that day.  

For more information about the attraction you can visit their site at Seatoskygondola

A Day on the Crown Princess

After spending such a long time on the Crown this year and reconnecting with old friends and making many new friends we were excited to be getting on the ship as guests of one of the crew.  This would give us time to see the ship again, and see so many of the crew again.

Of course Bernie stopped by Purdy's Chocolates to pick up some treats to hand out to the crew we knew.  

We arrived at the pier at around 9 am and went to the security area where we were happy to be lead to the line for the crew.  They confirmed we were on the list as visitors for the day.  Scanned our bags - guess no issue with bringing chocolates.  

We then snaked our way thru the terminal to the check-in for crew at the pier just before the gangway. Here they once again checked our id, gave us visitor passes to be worn and held on to our driver's license till we got off.  We headed up the gangway against all the traffic coming off the ship.  Kind of felt like salmon going upstream.  

Princess security was there and they scanned our visitor pass and took our picture and binged us in.  

Our friend Laura was called and she came and met us and big hugs and smiles ensued.  

Down to the International Cafe and so excited to see Beatrice again.  But that is one of the only faces we recognize in the IC as all the others have gone home already.

We sit and catch up with Laura and as we sit there we have so many come by and welcome us on board and big hugs again.  

It was great to see so many - too many to list - and of course everyone was asking "are you on for the week". Sadly no.... we have to head back to work but will be on in September.

We found out that Claudio the Hotel General Manager is still on and is heading home today but he is still around as his flight isn't until later.  We get the chance to meet his beautiful wife and two lovely children.  

We find out that Niki is the new Hotel General Manager while Claudio is away.  We both smile and say oh we remember Niki from the Star when she was the Customer Service Director.  She comes by and we catch up on what she has been up to and congratulate her on her promotion.  We are sorry to hear that she won't be on in September, but then again we are happy Claudio will be back on then. Although she does mention to us that she is getting on the Golden and will be there when we are on it in November.

Johan and Laura join us for a lovely lunch in the dining room.  Note:  Check your Patter when you get on as at least one dining room is open for lunch usually from noon until 1:30.  

It had been a while since I had embarkation lunch so I was curious to see what had changed.  Not much but it is enough of a selection to really be worth the effort instead of fighting the crowds in the Horizon Court.  

I started with the avocado and shrimp salad.  I remember it being served in a half avocado but now it is more just a few slices of avocado, but still very tasty.  

I decided to go with the hamburger for lunch, I know boring but the other options just didn't entice me enough and I really enjoy their burgers and this one did not disappoint.  

I did decide to have the apple Tarte Tatin, but it really was different and not a tart tin at all but the apples were very tasty, but I knew I should behave as I am not on holidays - although I wish I was.

Laura and Johan need to get some work done, so we part ways and tell them we will met up later.

We find all the shoppies (staff from the stores on board) at the forward elevators helping passengers and it was really cute to see how happy they were to see us.  Nancy from Mexico was in charge of one of the elevators and she kept saying "stay here until I come back".  Sanja came and met us and we caught up with her and gave her a belated birthday card and of course a big hug.  We also were so happy to see Clare the Shop Manager as she was getting off today but was still busy doing handover stuff and she informed us she is heading to the Grand so we thankfully will get to see her there.

As the afternoon progressed we both are saying how odd it feels to be on board but having to get off soon.  We are not use to that.  We don't really have an interest in going back to Alaska but we wish we could stay on and just relax, but something tells me this is going to be a busy cruise.  

Why you ask do I say that... well the demographics.... we noticed right away that many passengers were first time or had just a few cruises under their belt.  Lots of questions to the staff, lots of younger people, lots of kids.  I am excited for them.  I remember when I was like them and how everything was so new and fresh and exciting.  So many kids will get to experience this amazing adventure and I am pleased. 

So around 3 pm we decided it was time to head off (we had to be off by 4) and make our way home.  6 glorious hours on board the beautiful Crown Princess.

Not sure if we will get back on again this summer.  We have arranged to meet up with other crew in the coming turn around days to show some of them around and we will be seeing many in just over two months.  

Until then....

Touring Our City with the Crown Princess

Yesterday the Crown Princess was in and I was finally off so we coordinated with some crew on board to show them around.

We arrived at the pier early (around 8) as we were not sure what time they would be able to get off. While standing on the overhead walkway we saw Al Katz the guest entertainer we became friends with many years ago. We knew he was coming in and had hoped we could see him before he flew up to Juneau to meet the Golden.

He had some time before he had to catch his bus to the airport so we hung out at Starbucks and enjoyed catching up with each other.

After we said goodbye to Al we walked around and then went and waited just outside security for Thais and Beatrice.  

But after spending 49 days on this ship this year we recognized quite a few faces.  

We saw our cabin steward coming out with all his bags and I smiled not sure where or what department he was from. Then he smiled back and said hi and it came right back. Yup our Cabin Steward who said "I won't forget your name as it is the same as my wife's name". He is heading home back to the Philippines, safe journey I say as he rolls his bags to the bus.

Beatrice comes out after doing an early shift at the International Cafe dressed to the nines and the shoes! Thankfully we won't be walking too too much. I walk with her to Starbucks and we sit and catch up while Bernie waits for Thais.

Thais also works in the International Cafe but today is the day she is going home. We had offered to transport her to the airport and show her around Vancouver for a bit before her late night flight home to Brazil.

While sitting at Starbucks we ran into a few other friends... Mark our waiter from the dining room and James from the photo department. Bernie also got to see Francesco while waiting for Thais.

We quickly got in the car and heading out as Beatrice only had another hour and a half before she has to get back on board for her next shift.

Out to Stanley Park for a quick drive around and a few photo stops. Then down to English Bay and then along Davie and over to Yaletown, Chinatown, Downtown Eastside and then Gastown before dropping her off at the pier.  

We hug goodbye and we will be seeing her again this season for sure.

Now we have more time so we are back in the car with Thais and we drive to Spanish Banks beach and the University of British Columbia grounds.  

We head down to Granville Island (boy was it busy here) and we walk around and end up having a lovely lunch on the patio at Bridges restaurant.  

A drive thru Shaughnessy and then up to Queen Elizabeth Park (which was busy with a grad class taking pictures for their prom).  

We still have more time so we head South to Steveston and grab some ice cream and walk the pier and check out the daily catch and the sights.

Off to the airport and big hugs and wishing her all the best.

We don't know when we will see Thais again but we were so honoured to have met her and been able to show our city to her.  

February 9, 2012 Vancouver To San Francisco

We are off! Hard to believe it is finally here. We booked this trip in the Fall of 2010 and now it is February 2012 and we are starting our journey.


When we started looking at flights we knew we didn't want to fly to Rio via anywhere that was cold and could get hit with weather issues. We found a great one way flight from San Francisco and since we end the cruise there, it made sense to book a return flight Vancouver to San Francisco with the return being after the cruise.


Then it came down to when do we fly to San Francisco? Our flight to Rio wasn't until 11 ish on the the 11th of February, but Bernie and I both love San Francisco and we have friends there so we discussed it at length, he originally wanted three nights, I wanted one night because as it was the trip was already long. We settled on two nights.


Our flight we booked with airmiles with United. We left Vancouver at 3:52 and arrived in San Francisco at 6:16 pm. We had arranged a room at the Best Western El Rancho Inn near the airport -
http://www.elranchoinn.com/ we booked it via Priceline.com http://www.priceline.com like we do almost all our hotels at a rate of $80 per night. We have stayed here before and it is a great place with a good restaurant and a shuttle.

Our friends Barb and Craig who we met on a Panama cruise a few years ago is meeting us at the hotel for two nights and will be showing us around the next day. When we finally arrived at the hotel after waiting almost a half hour for the shuttle at the airport we were assigned to room 219. A basic room that looks like it has recently been remodeled.

Barb and Craig are just a few doors down so we stop in to say hi. Bubbly is opened up to toast the reunion. And soon after we have to eat, so we ended up at the restaurant at the hotel. Which I will say is very very good, not your typical hotel fare.

We head back to the rooms to change into more comfortable clothes. Yes I got into my pjs and Bernie into his shorts and Barb and Craig also got into their pjs. We then closed the night up with a beautiful bottle of 1984 port from Prager Winery. But we are now beat! And I am feeling a little head ache coming on, it could be the wine, champagne, or the port but no I think I am going to blame the travel.

Day one was great - and it is only the beginning

3 Day Coastal on the Golden Day One - September 24/25

We originally were just going to head down to the pier on the Sunday the 25^th to board, but Bernie won some Canuck Hockey tickets to a pre season game on the Saturday.  So we thought why not make it an early start to our mini vacation and head into the city on the Saturday and stay a night at a hotel. 

I booked the Hyatt http://vancouver.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp?null on Burrard thru Priceline.com for $125 a night.  The hotel is a great location, and the room was wonderful.  We were given a room on the 20^th floor facing West.  Thru the buildings we could see Stanley Park.  The room had a lovely king size bed, flat screen t.v., desk and the bedding was like sleeping on a cloud.  The bathroom was outstanding, in fact we took pictures of it because we loved the décor so much we are thinking of using some of the ideas for our future bathroom remodel.

Saturday night before the game we headed out for a nice meal at Rouge http://www.roguewetbar.com/ which is located very close to the pier and in the same building as the West Coast Express, Waterfront Skytrain Station and the Sea Bus terminal.  Had a lovely meal or chicken coconut curry and Bernie had the halibut, and the drink I had called “The Cougar” was divine.

The game started at 7 pm and it has been a long time since we went to a hockey game and now I remember why we dislike going to games.  First the tickets were $80 each and they weren’t that great a seat and this was a pre season game.  The thought of getting a glass of beer was soon put out of my mind when I saw the prices, and they say drinks are expensive on the ship?

Everyone around us seemed to forget that they were there to see a game.  Two women in front of us dressed to the 9s (I swear they spent more on their outfits/hair/jewelry than I make in a week) and sat there chatting about everything under the sun except the game as they each sipped their wine.  The two guys to our left, chatted and took pictures the entire time.  The young couple to our right appeared to be on a first day, and if they took another picture of themselves I was going to puke!  Now really is a hockey game the ideal place to go for a first date and learn about each other?  Then there were the two behind us who drank so much I am sure they must still live at home cause there is no way they could afford all they drank without free housing. 

At the start of the third period, with a clear loss for the Canucks, we looked at each other and said, “do you want to go” and we did. 

We slept like babies and slept in the next morning until 8 am!

 

Sunday morning we had arranged to meet up with friend who were just getting off the Golden on its one day from Seattle.

We had not set a time because the ship was coming into Ballantyne pier

www.vancouverinfocenter.com/merchant2.php/list2/318/Ballantyne+Pier+Cruise+Terminal and we knew that they had to bus everyone from that pier to the Convention centre.  Bernie and I were hungry so we went for breakfast at our favorite place, the White Spot www.whitespot.ca  (locations all over British Columbia).  While at the restaurant we got a call that they were on their way and we met up with them and grabbed a coffee at the local Starbucks.  It was great to catch up with them both.  They currently live in Denver and are hoping to move to B.C. next year.

It is just before noon and we are back at the hotel but don’t really want to head to the pier right away as we knew things could be crazy with five ships in port and us having to check in at the Convention Centre and then get bussed.  So we dropped our bags off at the concierge and went out walking.  We walked to Canada Place and walked around and checked out the three Holland America Ships in port.  We then walked to Gastown as we wanted to pick up something for a friend of ours we will be seeing in the Fall, and I even got a little something I’ve been wanting.  A lovely pair of Haida engraved silver earings.  A quick stop back at the hotel for our bags and we walk a short few blocks to the Vancouver Convention Centre located two blocks to the West of Canada Place. 

As we arrive (around 1:45) the crowds appear minimal, a lot of people wondering where to go, but there were numorous Princess Reps. around to direct.  We delivered our bags to the waiting truck, to be seen in our cabin very soon.  We fill out the necessary health form, go the other necessary lines and get our cruise cards.  Yeah our 25^th cruise on Princess!  Then there was a large area with long tables with about 200 people sitting waiting for their group to be called to proceed to the bus.  Thankfully because of our Elite status we were able to go right to the line for the bus.

We were quickly loaded onto waiting busses and transported to Ballantyne pier.  We boarded the ship around 2:30 (which considering all the unusual circumstances was rather quick). 

We are back on the Golden, this our fourth voyage on her, our third after her retrofit two years ago.  We booked the cruise back in June thru Best Price Cruises www.bestpricecruises.com/ for a very good rate.  We booked an Inside cabin, and the price of our cabin never went lower than what we paid; however for a few dollars more it was very easy to get a great Outside Cabin or even Balcony Cabin.  Even though we prefer a balcony for these short voyages that we take just for a long weekend we felt we couldn’t justify the added expense, not to mention the weather was too cool anyways to enjoy the balcony.  Our cabin was C720 which is aft.  I will go into details tomorrow on the cabin, it’s positives and negatives.

Our steward Marco introduces himself and advices us of the Muster Drill set for 3:45, our Muster Station is the Vista Lounge.  We advice Marco to put the beds together, add a top sheet, add an egg crate (beds are horrible, and bearable with the egg crate), an extra towel and robes.  We did tip him an extra $10 at this time, they work so hard and Marco did not disappoint.

We head to the International Café in the Atrium for a latte and some snack items.  I grab some chicken salad and a tomato and mozzarella/basil Panini and Bernie gets his greek salad and a Panini too.  I order my latte using my coffee card I purchased on the Island (no problems) and Bernie requested the English Breakfast Revolution Tea, but was informed that they don’t have English Breakfast.  We found that odd but figured we will check again tomorrow (sure enough the next day they did have English Breakfast but a different Brand, the new Brand was called Eco and it was quite good he said).

We visit the Future Cruise desk and purchase two Future Cruise Deposits for $100 each.  If you don’t know about the Future Cruise Deposit, learn more it is the best deal in town and always make sure I have a few FCC in my account, just in case.  We also stop by the Crown Grill to make a reservation for Tuesday night, and are given a 6 pm reservation for that night, we can’t wait.

We wander the ship a bit and then head to our stateroom and get our life jackets when the Muster Drill alarm sounds.  We head to the Vista lounge using the stairs (elevators are not recommended if you can use the stairs) our first giggle is a woman who says where is deck 7?  We say this because we are on deck 10 Caribe, on the carpet in front of the stairs is the number of the deck that you are on, the wall has a sign that says what deck you are on.  We politely say, Deck 7 is just a few more down just after deck 8.  The crew in the Vista Lounge are swiping the cards to track who is there.  We wanted to test this so we only got my card swiped and Bernie didn’t hand over his.  No one said anything and no one came looking for him; however he was there.  So obviously they do not track who attends and who doesn’t.

After the Muster Drill we head back to the cabin and unpack our items.  Not much for a three day voyage but we like to have our things in place and feel like we are on a real voyage.  Lots and lots of storage space, and the one nice thing about the inside is the three narrow shelves on the side of the desk beside the drawers, a handy place to put items like cologne, brushes, electronics, etc.

With Elite status you get a free mini bar set up, and even though we love that, for the three day voyage we knew there was no way we could drink 8 mini liquor bottles, two beers, six sodas, and two Perriers.  So we exchanged the entire thing for a bottle of white wine (red is available too – and there were a few varieties). 

Up to the Lido/Sun deck for sailaway, the weather is perfect and the band is good they were called the Melody Band.

We decide to eat in the dining room tonight, it is Italian Night, one we do enjoy and we arrive around 7:00 and are okay with sitting with others and are placed at a table of 8.  Ironically we are sat with a couple where the husband actually works for the same company we do, small world! 

The meal was very good, and we brought our bottle of wine from our mini bar and they opened it up and we drank half of it, corking the remaining wine for tomorrow. 

After dinner we decided to check out the Leonard Maltin Movie Trivia, we teamed up with the couple from our workplace and even though we were not the lowest scoring team we didn’t come close to wining either. 

I did ask about the Power Hour drink specials, and the waiter said yes they do have it and found this ship is serving a blue margarita as part of it’s special along with three others.  The price is $3.99 and it was quite good.  This Power Hour Drink special I did not see advertised anywhere but is usually available after 8 pm in all bars.  Just ask.

We walk around the ship and head back to the cabin and hit the hay.  It has been a great day and it sure is nice to be back on board a ship after 9 months!