Today was embarkation day for most and in transit for us. We followed the same routine we did last week, beginning with breakfast at 7am, which worked out well. Clar, our cruise director, called the groups debarking in an orderly manner and it was about complete by 9am as planned.
The day sure looked promising with the weather with temps in th mid-60's, 10 mph winds, and mostly clear blue skies with a hint of haze. The best thing – no rain.
We hiked the seawall along the harbor, but stopped short of Stanley Park and the horse and carriage rides because we wanted to be at the restaurant for lunch when they opened. The funny thing was that neither of us paid attention to the fact our departure time to leave had been moved to 3pm and not 4pm. All aboard was 2:30pm instead of 3:30pm. The problem today was the fact that three cruise ships were in port. The wait to go through Canada's Border Services and US Customs and Border Protection could be quite long, as we would find out later on.
So on our way back, we made another stop at The Waterfront Fairmont, entering The Food Court located under the hotel. Needing some supplies and room snacks, we went back to Rexall where they had everything we needed.
We planned the walk just right as we were the first customers to enter the doors at the Steamworks Brewery. Guessing they opened at 11:30am was correct. Ordering 2 Lions Gate lagers, we added a Hawaiian pizza, and later a caramel apple galette for dessert. SO good. Located in the heart of the downtown area, the place filled up within 10 minutes with mostly the local working crowd.
Back at the cruise terminal, we realized there was a possible total of 4300 passengers boarding the ships now. We ran into the longest line to pass through the x-ray, however we were detoured to a different line despite the fact we had our "in Transit" labels visible. We were in the wrong line, and told one of the security ladies we were in transit. She said step to the side. So we waited and waited and said where do we need to go. Another rep came over and said come under the ropes, and go to x-ray. We knew that but you have to be careful switching lines and going under ropes. Then we were directed to the Canadian and US passport holding line, which was thankfully shorter. Both of us passed the facial recognition and proceeded to the way out and to the gangway. The one for the international guests was like a Disneyland zigzag mess.
We were back onboard after 2pm. By the way, there was no network TV feed once again. We think that it is shut off while we are approaching the harbor and turned back on after we leave. Captain Smit talk was at 2:30pm, which we thought was early. That's when we looked at the Daily newsletter and saw all aboard was at 2:30pm. Lucky for us that we cut our hike shorter today. Anyway, the Captain went over the safety and muster directions, which we are exempt since we are good for 30 days now. The predicted weather was a little disappointing because it appears it might rain in every port. This time of year, that is not unusual. Then the ship pulled away from the pier, and we were on our way at 3pm. Right on time.
When we entered our room, we expected to see the canape and strawberry tray, along with the sparkling wine on ice. We opted for 40 Coke Zeros for our President's Club perk. Easy, right? Well there was no food, one bottle short on the sparkling wine, and short on the Cokes. This happened last week but we followed up with our Mariner rep who eventually got the bar staff to send it, but later in the week. None of us likes to have to complain, but if we remained silent, we would have gotten nothing. Making a phone call to two of the head officers, did produce one tray of pretty chocolate-covered strawberries. But nothing else. April, our Mariner rep did call to see if everything had arrived, which we said no it did not. We did have another invite to the 3-4&5 star Mariner and President's Club exclusive reception in the Crow's Nest. With all of the activity happening with or room perks, we missed it.
Then we had another knock on our door from the nicest Assistant Head of Housekeeping, Vikas. We met him last week when he came to check on our broken bathroom exhaust fan. He saw to it that it would get fixed, and it did. He listened to us about the mix-up with these perks, took notes on what was missing, and promised he would make it right. We thanked him for going out of his way to help us.
With that, we went to deck six forward to watch the sail away. It amused us seeing some of the guests dressed in summer clothing – no sweater or jacket. The bow had been opened and many folks were out there, but not for long. When the ship's speed picked up and we went under the Lion's Gate Bridge, it got very chilly. We could see that we were heading into a cloud bank the further away we got from Vancouver. Then we went back to the shelter of our veranda, while keeping an eye out for some orcas or whales. The Coral Princess was following us, and the Seven Seas Explorer may have been behind her. We never saw it however.
It was a happy moment when we spotted some whale spouts in the distance as we headed north into the narrows. This was around 6pm, and the sighting lasted for an hour. And it was around the same time, that our veranda buzzer rang. This time it was Dining Room Matre'd Hakim, who had at least three bar staff bringing us canapies, more strawberries, and more sparkling wine. We were happy to see the Cokes were also there. Now we have a good supply until next week.
Much to our surprise, Vikas paid us another visit to make sure all was delivered. Yes indeed, it had been and more. Obviously he did have the power to make things right, so many thanks to Vikas. We thanked him for his help with this. It was obvious to all of us that the departments involved with these perks are not familiar with President's Club benefits. They do not get that many of this group on these shorter trips, although that is not an acceptable excuse according to Vikas. He is right…we should not have to beg for this.
Dinner was good with starters of a shrimp cocktail and tomato/mozzarella appetizer. Both of us had Caesar salads. Mains were one chicken dinner and a pork tenderloin with lingonberry sauce. Ordering some watermelon was just right. When we entered the upper dining room, we saw Hakim who introduced us to Adi, a new face for us. Perhaps a new head waiter?
The singers and dancers were back for Solid Gold, a blast from the 70's music. Get ready for groovy vibes and dance floor magic. And all of the shops were fully opened tonight. Strolling through them, one of us saw a few items that might need to be purchased.
So much for another busy day in Vancouver.
Bill & Mary Ann
