Our Alaskan adventure begins again……By the time we woke up, we were already docked in Vancouver. The forecast was for broken clouds and 59 degrees. No rain. Breakfast was early this morning – 6am in the Lido, 6:30am in both the dining room and Pinnacle Grill. Since today was debarkation day for all but 20 of us, many folks probably ate in the Lido. Today is a "zero clearance" day where everyone has to be off of the ship by 10am or so. Also, the Canadian version of the CDC will come onboard today for inspection in all departments. Endrian said they always pass with flying colors.
Last night, we did not see any luggage sitting in the hallway after dinner. So today, we noticed the largest group debarking were the expedited guests who lugged their stuff off by themselves. Guess you can do that if your cruise is only seven days. Shore excursions was selling transfers to the airport for $29. If you had a later flight, you could book a Ho-Ho bus tour with an airport transfer for $120.
We left the ship about 8:45am without joining the in transit group. Sometimes going in a group is more time-consuming, and with an all aboard time of 3:30pm, we did not want to waste any time waiting to be released. All we needed were our passports, room keys, and the in transit card. We showed this card all the way out, but were asked to show our passports to some officials. We believe they were making sure we had them, or we would not be allowed back on the ship.
We lucked out today, since the Volendam was the only ship in port today. Sure made a difference in the terminal. We took our usual walk down past the convention center, following the waterfront past the Seaplane Terminal and Coal Harbour. The trees in the park that line the walkway were beginning to take on some fall color. In a few weeks, we bet we see a big difference. We went past the yacht area, noting some nice yachts for sale. One was priced over $900,000 Canadian $. Following Stanley Park Drive, we walked past the Rowing Club, then onto the horse-drawn carriages. The horses used today were the Percheron Draft Horses the ones with the huge hooves. Gentle as can be, they are quite impressive and well- tended by the staff here. Further up, we gathered all of the brochures we needed for local information.
We lucked out again with the weather. By now the sun had peeked out and clouds lifted. Sure was nice to get clear and bright photos. We do hope the weather improves and the rain stays away.
This park is 1001 acres with an 8.8 kilometer seawall surrounding it. Our hike took us through the woods and over the hill to the Aquarium and the Lumberman's Arch, which is fenced off now to the public. We went far enough to be able to see the Lions Gate Bridge, then it was time to turn back. We did see many black squirrels in the park, busy with the abundance of acorns. The trees are majestic here, with several of them cut down due to bad weather and storms in the recent past. There are Douglas fir, western red cedar, and Sitka spruce to name a few of the giants. Maples, sycamore, redbuds, and catalpa trees are a few of the smaller varieties. The roses are done blooming, and the rhododendrons and azaleas are setting their blossoms for next spring. Some large pink crocus were already blooming here and there.
The clock was ticking, so we went directly back to Canada Place where the ship was docked, then continued on towards Gastown. A block or two up from the Pan Pacific Hotel was our lunch destination – the Steamworks Brewing Company. They have the best beer and pizza, which we ordered, along with a shared dessert of an apple galette. It was wonderful relaxing for over an hour before we had to head back to the ship. All aboard was at 3:30pm, but the US customs officials were supposedly only there until 2pm, cutting our afternoon short.
Before we went back, we made a swoop through the Pan Pacific Hotel, where we stayed before an Asia/Pacific cruise in 2002. It was just as nice as we remembered it. Going back was simple, showing our in transit cards. All of the taxis and buses were gone by now, and there was no line at the xray stop. We scanned our passports in the kiosk, waited for the printed slip, then handed it over to an agent. From there, we re-boarded and had some time to work on photos.
We had an invitation to another gathering of the 3,4, and 5 star and President's Club Mariners in the Crow's Nest at 3pm. We enjoyed a glass or two of the sparking wine, then went off to watch the sailing out of the harbor. We have never seen such a crowd of passengers from deck 10 forward to deck 9, and a very over-crowded Seaview Pool. The festivities were already in full swing on that deck and we had a heck of a time wiggling our way to the back railing. Of course, there was not a single space to stand there, so we headed down the back stairs to deck six aft. We were about the only ones there, and appreciated the quiet. Judging by scanning the crowd, this appears to be a younger group of guests. By 5pm, it got chilly and we headed back home.
Dinner tonight was in the Pinnacle Grill with starters of the wedge salad and clothes line bacon. Mains were halibut and the rib eye steak, which was huge. Dessert was out of the question this evening. We made reservations for two more evenings in here for the coming week. The ship sailed in the Inside Passage, but it was too dark to appreciate the scenery.
Bill & Mary Ann
