But first, breakfast was served from 6:30 to 8am once again in the dining room. We made it by the skin of our teeth to enjoy buckwheat and Swedish pancakes. Both quite good. That left us some time to try to send some emails. Trouble is, they would not send, nor could we download anything. Seems we had a plugged computer, so to speak. The internet service has been acceptable here, although slow as it is on other ships. The only way to figure this out was to go to the front desk people to see if they could help, especially when we could not log off.
So at the desk, we were told by one of the staff that she would need to see our computer to figure out the problem. But there was not enough time to do anything now, because we had to get off of the ship. We promised to be back later. She kindly credited back all of the lost minutes, which was more than fair.
We headed for the gangway, then we were directed to the exit to the city. We had the choice of seeing the customs agents now, or do it on the way back. Yes, later was better. As long as we had our passports with us, we were good to go. It was a long walk to get out, because this cruise terminal is massive. Having been here just last year, we remembered the easy way out through the garage area.
By the way, opposite the Eurodam, was the Ruby Princess. Wonder if she also picked up some one-night passengers in Seattle like we did?
Once we got out of Canada Place, the terminal, we headed for a long walk along the waterfront. It was very scenic with seaplanes and yacht harbors on one side, and hotels, condos, shops, and eateries for more than a mile. Since it was Sunday, many locals were hiking and biking. A group of young kids were practicing with their master in a judo class. They were so cute as they kicked their legs high and did all the right moves. The good thing is that the wide walkways were separated with the bikers on one side, and the walkers and joggers on the other side. Once again, we spotted those self-service rental bikes in a couple of places.
After passing a whole lot of expensive yachts and sail boats, we began our walk into Stanley Park. It is a lovely place to hike, and lots to do and see there. Did we mention that the all aboard time had been extended from 3pm to 5pm? We were not sure why, but it would work better for us.
Anyway, we covered some of the 1000 acre park, stopping by the Rowing Club. You can actually pay to take rowing lessons here. Along the way, we had a surprise encounter with a nice couple that recognized us from the world cruise this year, and perhaps some previous years. They were Ian and Carol, and they live here in Vancouver. We had to laugh when they told us that for all of the years they have walked the waterfront, they have never run into any of the HAL guests they met on cruises. Since they are dedicated walkers, like us, we knew them best from the promenade deck. Quite often, we would stop and chat on our daily walks. Upon asking if they were coming back in 2018, they said no, because they were going to places they have never been. That included Moscow, parts of Mexico, and some of the Caribbean Islands. Good luck with that last one, since so many of those lovely islands were hit hard by recent hurricanes. But who knows, we may meet again, as we always joke….on another DAM ship.
Further up the road, we stopped to look at the two horses pulling the 12 seater carriage for an hour ride in the park. The price was $42, or $40 if you were a senior. In days of old, these large horses were used by the miners and loggers for hauling and cleaning trails. The hooves on these horses had to be the size of frypans. Oxen were utilized as well until 1889.
The information center was right up the road a piece. It also has restrooms, even though there is always a line. What we found there were dozens of flyers and brochures all about this area. Some had good maps, which we followed to navigate the park. Walking uphill, we came upon a field of Canada geese, some of which were crossing the road. Seems the grass was greener on the other side.
We went past the Harding Memorial Gardens, the Aquarium, and Lumberman's Arch, which was a fancy name for a food kiosk. The Seawall that surrounds this park was down at the bottom. From here, you have the ideal view of the Lion's Gate Bridge. It connects Vancouver to North and West Vancouver. Actually, or tablemates on the world cruise this year live in North Vancouver. Sure is a pretty place.
Figuring we would have an hour and a half to hike, we decided to head back. We did want to find a place for lunch in Gastown. As soon as we saw the Steam Works Brewing Co., we knew that was where we dined a few years ago. And it was good. As busy as it was, we got seats at a table right away. Ordering two pilsner beers, the waitress took our order for one southwest chicken salad and one Margherita pizza. Is that perfect or what? And all was delicious. But the best was a shared dessert of what they called the hedgehog…..a mud pie look-alike. Starting with the oreo cookie crust, it was three layers of ice cream. Bottom was chocolate, middle was almond, and the top layer was coffee. It was covered with chocolate sauce and slivered almonds. Oh so good.
Back at the terminal by 3pm, we followed the directions to the United States Customs and Border Protection, where we were cleared for our entrance to Hawaii on October 8th. Canadian customs was simple by filling out their form, one before we arrived to Victoria, and the next for our arrival here in Vancouver. These were turned in to the front desk, and we never had any other check with our passports. The good thing was that there was no line, and we were in and out in minutes.
Another surprise was finding a most familiar face at the security kiosk on the ship. One of the guards we have come to know on world cruises was clearing the guests with their keycards. He was all smiles when he spotted us. HAL has the best crew ever, in our opinion.
Since we had attended the muster drill in Seattle, those of us in transit did not have to attend today. Wonder if anyone showed up in bathrobes like two people did yesterday? We have seen some very strange things on this trip in regards to what we consider rather inappropriate dress.
Back in our room, we found a dozen more sodas had been delivered, part of our President's Club perks. The beverage manager has stopped by our table every night we have been in the dining room to inquire as to what we would like delivered. We don't believe he is counting like they do on the Amsterdam. However, since this is a collector voyage, we usually get some canapies, chocolate-covered strawberries, and another small bouquet of flowers. Those were missing. The most important thing was that most of our shipboard credit had been posted to our account. We will sort that out tomorrow.
It was great to spend some time literally chilling on the veranda, waiting for the sail away. We expected that to happen around 5:30pm, but as it turned out, we were delayed because the Ruby Princess was leaving first…..again. The Captain backed the ship up, and swung us around to go under the Lion's Gate Bridge. It was 7pm when we finally cleared the bridge, and headed out to sea. In a few hours, the Captain would drop the pilot off in Victoria, then head towards the Hawaiian Islands. Sure hope we leave the colder weather behind, and pick up those tropical breezes soon.
Our waiters welcomed us back in the dining room. Hananto and Wana are the nicest waiters, and can't do enough for us. We have a new wine stewardess, Karina, and although we do not drink wine, or any other beverage, she still enjoys visiting with us. Appetizers this evening included brie in a filo purse, tomato soup, and onion soup with short rib meat. Both of us tried the prime rib, and found it cooked perfectly. Lately on the world cruise, the prime rib entrée has been less than satisfactory. Tonight we were happy campers.
The only show in the Mainstage lounge was a preview of the upcoming entertainment of this voyage. We did not attend.
Next time we see land, it will be the island of Hawaii, and the city of Hilo. Aloha………
Bill & Mary Ann
View from our room of Vancouver
A beautiful day in Burrard Inlet
Ships in the harbor, bears in the mountains
Ship traffic
Bunkering fuel
Lions Gate Bridge and North Vancouver in the distance
Canada Place – Cruise Ship Terminal
The Pan Pacific Hotel – where we stayed back in 2002
Canada's flag
Downtown Vancouver at our feet
Eurodam docked
Vancouver Convention Centre West
Fairmont Hotel
The ship nosed into the town
HAL ships have a traditional look about them
This does have a meaning
Resting cormorants
Seaplane Terminal
A brave herring gull
Seawall Walk
Sight-seeing and commuter flights
Seating along the Seawall
Industries on the opposite shoreline
These planes were in the air all day
Nice scenery
Sailboats
Chevron station in the marina
Stanley Park
A very "green" city
Oaks and maples
Apartments along the Seawall
Divided walkway – pedestrians on the right, bikers on the left
Fall colors were sure pretty
This also has a story
Coal Harbor Quay
Good name – Fish & Chics
Some nice boats here
A real houseboat
Dense trees
Sunday morning class
Homes with a view
So many boats
Restaurant on the water
Westin Bayshore Vancouver Hotel
Coal Harbor
The evergreens make a good backdrop
A nice place to live for sure
Boat sheds
Bet this is a good fish restaurant
Changing colors of fall
Sleek yacht
The walkway continues
Fountain
A busy place for the sailors
Flock of Canada geese
Start of Stanley Park
The views get even better
Authentic paddle wheeler for harbor tours
The Rowing Club
They offer rowing classes here
Park scenery
Neatest building here
Modern high rises across the lagoon
These do help
Practicing rowers
A tree for climbing
$270 to join the Rowing Club annually
Bet there is some history here
More private boats
Bet these trees will be brilliant soon
Stanley Park Horse-drawn Tours
Large working horses – 1 ½ hour ride for $42 (65 and older - $40)
