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My week on the Sun 7/3-7/10 (including pre/post adventures)


ljrfrm
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This past year, I posted two reviews from my time on the Escape. I hope it was helpful to others but I also found it was a great way for me to reminisce (I can't believe I actually spelled that word correctly!!!) on my trip. SO, as I just returned from Alaska, I thought I would try this once again. If anyone is interested, here are my last two reviews:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2336702

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2428538

 

I booked this cruise the week that the 2017 Alaska dates were first available - I think I was close to 600 days out from sailing. It was a long wait - but it was SO worth it. I was a bit out of my element for this trip, I guess because it wasn't the typical Caribbean cruise I was used to. I spent a lot of time on Cruise Critic trying to figure out what clothes I needed to pack (and needed to buy), what excursions were the best, etc. How much would it rain? Do I need to buy binoculars? etc. etc. This turned out to be such an amazing vacation with perfect weather!! Alaska is incredible.

 

For this trip, I (age 50, turning 51 on vacation) sailed with my husband (age 52) and friends. This was new to us, as we never cruised with anyone outside our family before. It was fun to plan with others though - and definitely turned out to be helpful when looking for lodging, excursions, etc.

 

Although the cruise didn't leave Vancouver until July 3rd, I flew out earlier and took advantage of being free (sounds like an NCL commercial "Free, to do what I want" lalala) from work and kids and spent 6 days vacationing prior to sailing. Since I had to change planes in San Francisco anyways, I decided to spend a few days there (where I grew up and went to high school) to break up the flights. I won't write alot about pre-Vancouver because I'm sure that's not too much of interest or helpful for everyone, but will add more detail about Vancouver because we had an amazing time there and fell in love with the city.

 

Work was crazy and it was all I could do to wrap everything up in time to leave. My friend drove me to the airport and after checking in with United for my flight to San Francisco (from Virginia) I went directly to the Red Carpet Club (someone conveniently had a voucher to get in that was going to expire and graciously gave it to me) and I ordered a big glass of white wine (I'm not so sure it was a big glass, but that's what I asked for!!) and raided the crackers and cheese that was out. I only had about 25 minutes there, but I sure put a dent in their profits for the day!!

 

My flight boarded on time (I didn't get my upgrade I was hoping for - boo!) and I flew direct to San Francisco which gave me enough time to watch Deep Water Horizon (eh, I wasn't too excited about this one) and Girl on the Train. I arrived on time into SFO and took BART to my friend's house. I had a great two days visiting friends and trompsing around.

 

On Thursday evening, we took our direct United flight from SFO to Vancouver. where we would both meet up with our husbands the next day.

We were SO ready for fun and adventure!!

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Thank you for the review. We are heading to the NCL Sun, and Vancouver for a couple days after in August/September. I am reading whatever I can. Looking forward to it!

 

Great, I'll do my best to add some helpful details.

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Thursday began with a surprise trip to the optometrist. Nothing like starting a long vacation with an eye infection from your contact lenses. I found an optometrist to squeez me in and then I made the trip to Walgreens to pick up the prescribed antibiotic eye drops. While at Walgreens, I also picked up some Lifesaver Gummies (a travel staple for me!) and my friend grabbed a few things for the trip.

 

We got back to her house in time to finish packing. I traveled with two checked bags, and smaller carry on type suitcase and a weekender bag. No way I could squeeze everything into just the small suitcase and I was worried about lugging around anything larger. This worked out perfectly for me. I just slipped the weekender bag into the suitcases handle and wheeled everything around easily. This was important as we ventured to our hotel once in Vancouver (more on that later). I also was able to pack everything for Alaska into the suitcase and only had to open up and use the weekender bag while in Vancouver -which was convenient and easy while not worrying about raincoats, fleeces, etc. while in SF and Vancouver.

 

My friend and I took BART to the airport and dropped our bags off, having previously check in with the United app. I was fortunately upgraded to First this leg. I used upgrade vouchers for each flight, but as I hadn't received the upgrade initially I wasn't sure I got it. My friend somehow lost her seat that was previously assigned and was moved back to the last row. I gave her a drink coupon I had which hopefully helped her enjoy her flight a bit more. I think there was a smelly man near her too that flight - luckily it was a short 2 hour flight and we arrived on time into Vancouver.

 

Wow! What an amazing airport. I was pleasantly surprised when I got off the plane. For those of you who have never been to the Vancouver Airport, I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Being the typical tourists we are, we stopped to take pictures so were the last ones from our flight to arrive into the customs area.

 

Customs was very organized - at least while we were there. I was very impressed - much better than other experiences in other countries, including coming back here to Virginia from overseas. We got through very quickly, and we were ushered on after being asked "What is the purpose of your visit" from the customs agent. Unbelievably, I couldn't answer that question. For some reason, I was tongue tied. It might have been the 3 glasses of wine on the flight though!! :)

 

We gathered up our luggage (which came out quickly) and headed to the hotel.

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We stayed at the Holiday Inn Downtown in Vancouver. This turned out to be a perfect hotel for us. We had enough points to cover all 4 nights there - so our only charge was one dinner. We found the location to be perfect for us. I worried at first that it would be too far from Canada Place or not in a good location - but it turned out being central to make many places walkable and we were happy with it. We found the customer service to be great, enjoyed the hotel bar and the various terraces we could sit on enjoying our drinks. They were also very helpful with giving us directions and typical tourist information.

 

I debated for awhile how we should get to the hotel. I knew the Sky Train went near the hotel but was worried about the hassle, lugging my bags and at this point it was 9:30 pm so I was also unsure about safety. A taxi would supposedly be about $40 but divided between both of us, maybe that wasn't so bad. In the end, we decided to take the Sky Train - and I'm so glad we did. It was SO quick and easy to get downtown!!

 

We bought something from the machine called a "Compass Card". This is a reloadable fare card that works on both the train, ferries and busses. You then just tap the card for the fare to be deducted when you are traveling. You could add fare to the card when needed and with the Compass Card, you get the best "faresaver" fare. You can add a "Day Pass" to it or pay as you go where they charge you by zones. We found the pay as you go was best for us, as we were able to walk to so many places. There was a small charge for the card ($6) which is refundable when you turn it in - so we planned to do that on Monday when we were leaving. Take note also that if you don't want to return the card, we found out that they also let you go "negative" in your balance, so you could use that refundable compass card amount for your last trip. That way there is nothing to return.

 

The Sky Train was right at the airport and simple to find. I used a credit card for the machine (we never did get any Canadian dollars) and put $10 on the card which covered me for the whole time I was there. The trains came often and we were soon on our way downtown. It didn't take long at all for us to get to our stop. The hotel was midway between two stops but we chose to go to the Yaletown Station. Once there, we saw a taxi waiting as we came out. As it was late and dark, and we didn't know where the hotel was exactly, we chose to take the taxi. After a quick 5 minute drive (which cost us only $5.00) we were pulling up to the Holiday Inn. The cost for the train (including the airport surcharge), taxi and tip was only about $7 each. We later saw that had we walked to the hotel, it was slightly uphill and would have been harder with all our luggage, so we made a good call.

 

We checked in quickly and went up to our 7th story room. We quickly went to bed as it had been a long day -but we were very much looking forward to our first day in Vancouver and the husbands joining us.

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We stayed at the Holiday Inn Downtown in Vancouver. This turned out to be a perfect hotel for us. We had enough points to cover all 4 nights there - so our only charge was one dinner. We found the location to be perfect for us. I worried at first that it would be too far from Canada Place or not in a good location - but it turned out being central to make many places walkable and we were happy with it. We found the customer service to be great, enjoyed the hotel bar and the various terraces we could sit on enjoying our drinks. They were also very helpful with giving us directions and typical tourist information.

 

...

 

We checked in quickly and went up to our 7th story room. We quickly went to bed as it had been a long day -but we were very much looking forward to our first day in Vancouver and the husbands joining us.

 

Glad to hear you liked the hotel. We'll be staying there for 2 nights in Sept and haven't seen anyone here choosing it. How was the immediate area? Any concerns walking around after dark?

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It's Friday, and our first full day in Vancouver. We slept until around 9 and then showered and headed out for fun. Our husbands were coming in between noon (friend's husband) and 1:00 pm (mine), so I had looked for something for us to do in the morning. I had a thought about possible walking tours and used Google (my friend) to see what was available. I found out that Tour Guys was in Vancouver and went to their Website. It turns out that Tour Guys offers four different FREE walking tours in Vancouver. And one, the Downtown and Waterfront Tour, is offered on Friday mornings. Score! You register online for the tour so they know how many guides to send and they tell you with the registration confirmation that if you end up not being able to go, there's no need to cancel. It's free, although they work for tips!

 

We headed out for breakfast in the direction of where our walking tour was meeting up. There was a Starbucks right on the corner but that just seemed so unadventurous so we went on. We found a Nestle Tollhouse Cafe (who doesn't love Nestle Tollhouse?) and decided that was the perfect place from breakfast. We both ordered coffee and ham and cheese breakfast sandwiches (friend's was a croissant, mine a panini). Oh my, it was SO good. Coffee and a huge panini was only $4 (which is even less in US dollars!!! Love the exchange rate!).

 

We got to the Tour Guys meeting spot just in time. The meet up spot was only about 10 minutes from our hotel. There were enough people for them to have two guides. We had Emily and she was very good. She's also does stand up comedy evidently. We learned quite a bit of history and saw things we probably would have missed. The tour lasted a bit over 90 minutes and ended in Canada Place. We went into Vancouver's oldest church (it was beautiful), listened about their tallest building and why there is so much underground real estate, learned about the food trucks, and explored Canada Place. We also lucked out and ran into some bagpipers (well, not literally!) who were performing. It was a great tour - and at the end, we both gave Emily a much needed tip. I still hadn't gotten any Canadian dollars (fail, I totally forgot to do that before the tour) but many (if not most) were paying with American dollars, which may have made Emily very happy! So, I added my part to the hat and we wandered around Canada Place a bit on our own.

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Glad to hear you liked the hotel. We'll be staying there for 2 nights in Sept and haven't seen anyone here choosing it. How was the immediate area? Any concerns walking around after dark?

 

I was worried about seeing a few reviews on Tripadvisor, but we loved the area. We never felt unsafe and thought the location really worked for us. We walked around several nights after dark and never felt uncomfortable at all and it honestly didn't seem (to us at least) any different (for better or worse) than other areas nears Canada Place, etc. I would definitely stay there again!

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I was worried about seeing a few reviews on Tripadvisor, but we loved the area. We never felt unsafe and thought the location really worked for us. We walked around several nights after dark and never felt uncomfortable at all and it honestly didn't seem (to us at least) any different (for better or worse) than other areas nears Canada Place, etc. I would definitely stay there again!

Excellent! Thanks!

Looking forward to the rest of your review!

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The free tour ended at the Olympic Cauldron. We spent a few minutes checking out the cruise ships that were there and walked around a bit more looking around. There was a sign there pointing to a public restroom so we thought we'd find it (never pass up a public restroom, ha!) to use before we left. I swear we walked in circles for 10 minutes looking for it and then finally gave up. Why we couldn't find it, who knows. We decided to walk back to the hotel as our husbands would be coming in soon. Our feet were tired so it seemed much longer to get back, but it was very doable.

 

We got back up to the hotel room and I saw that our room hadn't been cleaned yet. Given that it was 1:00 pm or so, I was surprised, but it wasn't a big deal. Soon my husband arrived, we still didn't know where the other husband was as he hadn't made an appearance yet. My friend packed up and headed to her hotel where she was staying with her husband. She stayed on our sofa bed the night before, but they found a hotel that worked better for them pricewise. For us, since we were using points, we needed to stay there.

 

At some point, I went downstairs to get some water (they have that yummy infused cold water in the jug there). Out of curiosity, I asked the front desk about housekeeping. They were very apologetic and offered to send someone up there right away. I assured them that as long as it was done at some point (we needed towels) it was no problem and there was no hurry. It really wasn't a bit deal and we never had any other issues the other 3 days.

 

My friend's husband finally arrived - it turns out he had been at the airport waiting for my husband, who didn't see him so came to the hotel. Whoops. He went on to his hotel and we agreed to meet at the free shuttle stop to head to the Capilano Suspension Bridge at 4:00 pm.

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I realized I forgot about lunch. My husband and I went for a late lunch out and about near the hotel. There were so many cheap options, I was actually pretty surprised. We found a great place down the street where everything was $4.95. Drinks, appetizers, main dishes, desserts, etc. It does add up because when you see it so cheap, you order everything. Maybe we are already practicing for the cruise ship? We actually spent $35 on lunch but that was with appetizers, drinks and a meal so not bad.

 

I was happy to see that Capilano had a Twilight discount where they offered 30% off of the entrance price after 5 pm. This sounded perfect for us, since the husbands weren't getting in until mid-day. I also research the free shuttle they had, and decided that would be the best place to go. I initially thought we had to go to Canada Place for the shuttle but then realized when looking at the shuttle schedule that there was a bus stop one block from the hotel. Yes! We agreed to meet our friends there for the 4:15 pm shuttle. We got there a few minutes early, and the bus came at 4:10...... 5 minutes early! Our friends hadn't arrived yet so we didn't get on. Bummer. They showed up right after, just in time for the 4:15 bus that already came. No worries, there was another one scheduled for 4:35. Well, that one didn't come until 4:40. So keep that in mind when using the shuttle, times may vary. BUT, it was free and the driver was a nice guy who shared Vancouver information and chatted over the microphone. We easily made it to Capilano in time in plenty of time to enjoy it without feeling rushed. I would highly recommend the free shuttle - there is a blue line and a red line, so check both for all the bus stops to find one near you.

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Here are a few photos from the Vancouver airport:

https://pix.sfly.com/CR0W34

https://pix.sfly.com/GOSz6w

https://pix.sfly.com/gUF2jP

https://pix.sfly.com/YbyAJM

 

And here are a few from our walking tour:

https://pix.sfly.com/2r27jR

https://pix.sfly.com/JQpGFw

https://pix.sfly.com/ewRxPE

 

We got to Capilano around 5:10 pm - in time to see many people leaving and the lines for the shuttle home for them were long. That said, it looked like they had several shuttles going and most people got on. We paid our money (and got our 30% off!) and went in. We first went to cross the suspension bridge. So fun. Once on the other end, we did the Treetop Adventure and then crossed back over the suspension bridge again to complete the Cliffwalk. We really enjoyed ourselves and had fun - this evening was a definite hit for us! Once we finished the Cliffwalk we went to get a drink and sat and listened to the live music. The weather was gorgeous and the atmosphere was perfect. By this point, most people seemed to be heading to the exits and we felt like we practically had the park to ourselves.

 

https://pix.sfly.com/Erj3mq

https://pix.sfly.com/oGi69t

 

My friend got a certificate for making it across that bridge. There were a few screams involved!!

 

Take note that the last shuttle leaves before the park closes so keep that in mind. We grabbed the last blue shuttle (a red was leaving later but didn't stop as close to our hotel) which was shortly before 7:00. We had plenty of time in the park and we were ready to leave so it was good timing. The shuttle left right when we got there and we had it to ourselves. We were dropped off at the same spot we were picked up, and walked back to the hotel.

 

Once at the hotel, we grabbed some drinks from the bar and took them upstairs to the outdoor terrace. Our friends eventually went back to their hotel and we went downstairs to the restaurant to grab some food before they stopped serving. We ended up just ordering a few appetizers and another drink and enjoyed some time relaxing at the bar before heading back up to the room and going to bed.

 

Tomorrow is Canada Day - time to celebrate!!!!

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Oh where did you go ?????? Come back and tell us more !!!!

 

Sorry! :) I got sidetracked working on my photos on Shutterfly and the night got away from me!!! I promise to get through Vancouver today after work! I'll get started with a quick entry now - clearly, I have no problems procrastinating leaving for work -ha.

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It's now Saturday!!! Happy Canada Day!

 

Our plan for the morning was to relax and meet up with our friends around 1 pm to head to Canada Place to celebrate. However, around 10 am our friends texted that they were out and about having fun and we were jealous. We told them we'd get moving and meet them over at English Bay. On our walking tour yesterday, they talked about the "laughing men" at English Bay - I didn't know exactly what type of statues they were but my friend sent me a photo as they were there, and it looked fun. So we got up, dressed and went downstairs to head to Starbucks for breakfast.

 

Holiday Inn had decorated the lobby in celebration of Canada Day and it was filled with Canadian Flags, red streamers and a few balloons. Fun! We walked across the street and had our necessary coffee and a delicious Orange-Cranberry scone (this would be the beginning of my 27 pound weight gain on this vacation. Ok, maybe it wasn't 27 pounds but the way my clothes fit me now, I wouldn't be surprised if it were close to that!!).

 

We went back to the hotel and up to the room to gather our stuff for the day. I also talked to the concierge desk at the hotel (it was actually more of an information desk - but you get my point) and told them I wanted to go to English Bay and which bus would we need to take. He pulled out a map and showed me where it was, and told me it was definitely walkable. Yay!

 

It turns out that he was correct and it was an easy walk from our hotel. We passed lots of shops and restaurants on the way, in addition to many people out and about decked in red for the holiday. I was also wearing red and doing my part to celebrate. My husband was too....initially.....until he dribbled coffee down his front and had to change!! It was a nice walk and the weather was perfect. We got to English Bay and I was SO happy we added this stop to our itinerary (I hadn't planned on it initially) as it was such a nice morning.

 

We walked around the "A-maze-ing Laughter" statues (AKA Laughing Men statues) and up and down the beach. I ran into some men decked out for Canada Day with great outfits, flags, etc. so of course had to approach them for a photo. We then grabbed something to eat for lunch at a Mediterranean type restaurant. Once again, our lunch was very much on the cheap side. I expected everything to be much more expensive in Vancouver, as many larger cities are. And while there are definitely more expensive places to eat there, we had no problem finding decent places throughout the weekend. And again, that exchange rate didn't hurt either!

 

Views from English Bay:

https://pix.sfly.com/PnHSFJ

https://pix.sfly.com/fQogWj

https://pix.sfly.com/hzgXP5

 

Our friends met up with us at the restaurant and after a quick stop in 7-11 for M&M's (which were almost as expensive as our lunch I think!!) we hopped on the bus for Canada Place. They have such an easy public transportation system there, and buses were always plentiful. Tapping in with our Compass Cards made it easy. We were off to celebrate Canada Day with many thousands of our friends.

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The bus to Canada Place didn't take any time at all. When we got there it was crowded with red. One of the first things I saw were two men on stilts. At least I think they were on stilts.......unless those Canadian Mounties are taller than I thought they were.

https://pix.sfly.com/pNC9Up

 

There was a band playing Shania Twain "Man, I feel like a woman" and of course I had to sing along. I'm sure many were thinking "Crazy American who can't carry a tune". It was crowded but not unbearable.

https://pix.sfly.com/1UFvQw

 

The only time we really had a long line was for the bathroom. Luckily, while we were in line, someone came up to us and told us of a different bathroom in another area where there was no wait. That initial line must have had over 30 women in it. Of course, the men's line was empty, quiet, crickets chirping. But, we left the line and went into the area we were directed to for the other bathroom. As we entered there, we found they had a whole big display up of Canadian military vehicles. It was very interesting and it was too bad that not many realized it was there.

 

While there, we saw three cruise ships in port. What a day to be there! The Golden Princess, Star Princess and Nieuw Amsterdam were all in port. We pulled up the itineraries and one of the Princess ships was on a 35 or some odd day cruise. Wow, what an itinerary!!! Alaska and Bora Bora on the same trip? Love it! Anyhow - seeing the ships made us even more excited for our upcoming adventure.

 

We went up to the Tap and Barrel restaurant and put our name on the list to sit outside on the terrace. They told us it would be an hour wait, which was fine - as what else did we have to do. During the wait, we walked around a bit more over to the Olympic Cauldron. They had lit it for the day - so cool. Actually not cool, that thing sure gives off some heat!!!

https://pix.sfly.com/oa-Ckt

 

The men decided they couldn't wait any longer for a beer and found a stand near there to buy a few cold ones. I felt like it might be soon that our table would be ready so went back to the restaurant to sit (and people watch) and wait. So, they called my name and led me to the perfect table overlooking the Sea Planes. What a view!! I texted the others to join me and we spent about 2 hours drinking and eating some pretty delicious appetizers.

 

Throughout this time we were debating about what to do about fireworks that night. We knew that it would be crowded and we had the perfect spot right there for prime viewing. But, we had over 3 hours more until it was time. We didn't really want to sit there for that long but I just hated to give up the perfect table. Soon the waitress came over and told us that anybody who stayed after 7:00 pm had to pay $20 per person cover charge to watch the fireworks. Hmmmm. I actually contemplated it for a moment but the others nixed the idea right away. SO we paid our bill (giving a big holiday tip to the waitress) and went on our way.

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Once we left the terrace, we decided to walk to Gastown. We still weren't sure what we'd do for the fireworks, but we knew we'd figure it out eventually. It was just about 7 pm at this time, and the fireworks were supposed to be around 10:30. The walk to Gastown wasn't too far, but by this time, my feet were starting to get tired from being out and about all day. Gastown had a great vibe and there were lots of people out and about. We wandered through a few souvenir shops and debated about spending money. Knowing I had lots of vacation left, I chose to just wander but not spend. We saw the Steam Clock which was great. Make sure to be there when it whistles and steams - every quarter of the hour!

https://pix.sfly.com/JiXgHE

 

By about 8:30 we figured we had to make a decision. We decided to go view the fireworks at Stanley Park, as rumor had it that there would be less people there. A taxi van happened to be driving by so we jumped in. We really didn't know exactly where we were going but figured the taxi driver would know - or if he didn't we could just follow the crowds. He took us to the main entrance of Stanley Park - which was around $12. We got out and then figured we'd walk from there. We followed others we saw walking until we found the area where many people were sitting. It wasn't far from the totem poles - which gave a few of us something to do while we were waiting for darkness and the fireworks show. We sat down next to others who seemed much more prepared than we were. People had chairs, blankets, food, beverages. We had......nada! So, it wasn't such a comfortable wait - but we made the best of it. The weather had been beautiful that day, but it actually started getting chilly. We had about an hour and a half to wait. This was our view:

https://pix.sfly.com/w6uA8V

 

I have to say this was a long day and I was cold and tired. But, I was up for the challenge and we chatted with others around us while we staked out our spot. This better be good!!

 

The fireworks show finally started but just before it did, hoards of people came rushing in and stood in front of us. Don't people sit for fireworks in Canada? Or lay down and look up? Guess not. They were completely blocking out view. No problem - we stood along with others and waiting for the show that was about to start. The display finally began and it was......eh.... Don't get me wrong - it was fine, but nothing amazing. It was a fun night but by this time we were cold and tired, and I guess I was expecting more. It's all good though as I was in Canada celebrating Canada Day and about to go on a cruise.

 

Once the fireworks finished, we knew there was no way we'd get a taxi and the lines at the buses were crazy. SO, we made the decision to walk back to our hotel. It took us about 30 minutes, and while I was exhausted, my feet hurt and my back made me feel like I was 90, it was actually a fun walk. The town was hopping, people were partying and everything was so lively. We made it to the hotel around midnight. Exhausted but happy after a full day of fun. And, we had walked almost 11 miles this day. Surely that would help me work off some of my vacation weight gain, right? (wrong!)

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Sunday was our last full day in Vancouver. We had originally planned to spend the morning in Stanley Park. I wish we had more time there, but we really wanted a leisurely morning to relax after such a busy Saturday. Since we had a last minute trip to Stanley Park the night before, we decided we'd skip it and just chill for a bit. We had a nice breakfast at the hotel restaurant and relaxed in our room and spent some time talking to our children.

 

I had registered us for another free walking tour this afternoon on Granville Island. We went downstairs to the hotel lobby and asked our "concierge" the best way to get there. It turns out that the Aqua Bus stop was just a 10 minute walk down the street. This is when we realized that this hotel really was in a good location - as we pretty much walked to everything. We followed the road down and easily found the stop. We were on Hornby Street which turned out to be a quick (very quick) trip to Granville Island. Like literally, once they shove off you arrive practically. The Aqua Bus also had multiple other stops but we just used it to cross over to the Island. The price was $7 round trip.

 

Once over on Granville Island we met up with our friends and walked through the market. We then used the map to figure out where the walking tour was leaving from. It turns out it was on the edge of the island - over the bridge actually off the island. Granville Island is actually really not an island - it's a peninsula (geography lesson of the day). Ok, well it used to be an island but it's not anymore.

 

Our tour group today was much smaller than Friday - with only about ten people in total including the four of us. Our tour guide Eric was great. The tour was supposed to last one hour but ended up lasting 90 minutes. We learned so much about the history of the "island", and quite a bit about many of the stores and cultural events. My friends who didn't take the tour felt like they missed half of what we saw - so I highly recommend it. And the price is right........FREE. (plus tip)

 

I fell in love with the houseboats on the island - and I heard one is for sale!!

https://pix.sfly.com/ePJUOt

 

They even make the concrete factory look cute - and check out the strawberry cement truck:

https://pix.sfly.com/f_cdRP

https://pix.sfly.com/iowAwK

 

The tour ended in the public market, where we bought a few treats and walked around a bit. We then went to a restaurant behind the market and had a few drinks out on the terrace. It was another beautiful day and it was nice to sit out and watch the boating, kayaking and paddle boarding. Once we finished, we took our return Aqua Bus trip back to the Hornby Street stop.

 

Here's a photo I took on the way back. To give you an idea how close the two stops are to each other, we are more than halfway across in this shot:

https://pix.sfly.com/gFES_C

 

We went back to the hotel and did a bit of packing and organizing for the next day - it was almost cruise day!! We then walked over to Yaletown and ate at The Hub. We had a great dinner there out front on their patio and people watching while eating. A few drinks might have been involved as well. Yaletown is a cute neighborhood with lots of personality. It's a great place to go eat. The restaurant we ate at was right across the street from the Sky Train station - the same station we grabbed the taxi from the first night. It was nice to see it all in daylight. It was also good to confirm our decision of taking a taxi that first night. The walk to Yaletown was a quick 5 minutes, but it was downhill the whole way to the restaurant. Which meant the walk to the Holiday Inn was uphill. Not an issue this night - but with luggage, etc. it might have been a bit more difficult.

 

Soon we were back in the hotel and happily making plans for boarding the next morning. We wanted to do a load of laundry but didn't have any Canadian Dollars. No worries - the front desk helped us out and cashed out $5 for us and gave us Canadian coins. So, in a way I guess I lied when I said we never took out Canadian money.

 

Once laundry and last minute packing was finished we headed to bed. We went to sleep with visions of unlimited drinks dancing in our heads! :)

Edited by ljrfrm
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I definitely have an old brain now because I totally forgot something we did while at Canada Place on Saturday (Canada Day) which was so much fun. I bought tickets online a few weeks earlier for FlyOver Canada. I had decided that Saturday made the most sense for it since I knew we would be there that day. I bought the time Fastlane tickets for 2:00 - 2:30 pm timeslot. They were $22.95 as opposed to $27 in person. It costs the same for the Fastland tickets are regular ones so I figured why not. The good thing is if you miss your time, you can still use the tickets - you just don't get the Fastlane perk.

 

Now for us - I don't know how much of a perk it was. For as crowded as it was at Canada Place that day, there wasn't much of a line for the Flyover ride. But, there were two different lines and I can see how going at your "set time" would pay off.

 

We arrived right at 2 pm and we had probably a 10 minutes wait to go in. The ride itself took about 20 minutes but part of that was the pre-ride film, safety info and going in to get seated. The ride itself was a little less than 10 minutes. We loved it!! It was fun and beautiful to see. We actually had just as much fun after the ride also. They had an area where you can dress up, put on hats, be a Mountie, put on flannel, etc. and take pictures within a "FlyOver" mini stage. We got some great pictures and had a lot of fun. And it was a nice break from everything else we were doing that day.

 

While we initially debated about doing this since it was a bit pricey for the short time. But, it was a blast and I would highly recommend it.

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We woke up on Monday - I love embarkation day! All the waiting, planning, preparing and finally it was time. My husband ran across the street Starbucks and brought back another scone - those things are sure good. I made coffee in the room with the single serving Kuerig they provided. They did a great job of keeping both the K-cups and creamers stocked. After our small breakfast (saving room for the ship!) and some last minute packing (or shoving) of items, we were ready to go!

 

Our friends got a taxi from their hotel and came by to pick us up and the four of us headed to Canada Place around 9:30 am. The ride cost us $21, but that was probably because the taxi went between two hotels and had to wait for us to come downstairs. The taxi knew right where to go for us to drop off our luggage and soon we were doing just that.

 

Once our luggage was dropped off we went over to the Sky Train to return our Compass Passes. For the life of us we couldn't figure out where to go to return them. We found an information phone in the Sky Train station and picked it up to see who would answer. We asked them about returning the card. Evidently in the building attached to the station is the office. However, because Saturday was Canada Day, the office was closed. Bummer. Our friends were in the negative and only had about $2.50 owed back to them between the two cards. My husband had $4.00 or so left over and I had my full $6.00. They did tell us that we could mail them in for the refund, but as I type this I realize this is something I haven't done yet. I may just hang on to them for the next time (hopefully) I am there - or if I have any friends that go. I'm still glad we got the card - but probably next time I would put less money on it and spend it down so I didn't need to worry about the refund.

 

We left the Sky Train station and walked back across the street to Canada Place to check in. The lines weren't long at all, but instead of just waiting in a longer line like I'm used to at other ports, they had us sit in chairs in the order we arrived. We were able to fill out our Health Questionnaire while we were waiting. They then had the worker excuse us section by section and move into the line to check in. After about a 5-10 minute wait, we were told to go get in line. The line itself was short, and after another 5 minutes wait we were checking in.

 

Passports - check. Photo - check. Credit card - check. It was quick and painless and the next thing we knew, we were sitting in the larger waiting area for boarding. They came around with juice and water and we waited for about half an hour maybe. Around 11:40 pm they began boarding. The last few cruises on the Escape we boarded by groups. This time, we had been seated in order and we were given instructions on when to stand up and follow each other in an "orderly" line. Yes, we were asked to stay orderly and not rush ahead of anyone else. They asked nicely - and it was so nice that everyone listened and there was no rushing ahead of anyone else. A bit different from the Escape and rush to Vibe.

 

Before we knew it, we were sitting by the pool with our first yummy beverage in hand! While by the pool waiting for the room to be ready, I had two mojitos, a pina colada and a mud slide. Are you seeing the trend? The UBP would definitely be my friend this week.

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Usually we go to the main dining room for lunch on embarkation day. I'm not necessarily one that enjoys the Garden Cafe. It's not that I don't find the food ok, I just prefer a sit down restaurant and not having to find a table, go through the buffet line, etc. I usually enjoy NCL's lunch menus in the dining room so I just tend to do that. We never quite made it to the dining room though. We were enjoying ourselves around the pool and as we were making use of the UBP, we started getting the munchies. My friend went and got multiple sandwiches on a plate and brought them out. I had a hamburger craving though so went and got a cheeseburger and fries. It was really good - or at least tasted really good after my drinks. We hung out at the pool until we were able to go to our cabins.

 

They made the announcement at 1:20 that the rooms were ready. We had only carried on one small backpack and my husband had his computer, but we wanted to drop them off and also check out the room. We were staying in cabin #9277 - an aft balcony. I had seen pictures of the room and read about it, but was looking forward to seeing it in person. After my last two cruises on the Escape, I wasn't sure if this room would look old and run down or not.

 

It turned out we loved the location of the room and definitely enjoyed the aft views. As others have posted before, the bathroom was small for sure! And as I've also read, the shower itself was minuscule - with a shower curtain that was basically up against you. I had read to bring some kind of clothespin or weight to hook onto the bottom so the curtain wouldn't stick to me during the shower. I forgot this - but a sticking shower curtain was not a problem for me during the cruise. The small shower was functional and it was totally fine - albeit small. The sink didn't have much room around it for toiletries but there were plenty of shelves around it. After our Escape Haven upgrade, the bathroom was definitely small - but I really don't have any complaints at all about it. The room itself seemed older but it didn't give a rundown feeling and the updated TV's made it at least a bit more modern. The balcony was roomy enough that our friends were able to sit out there as well with us. We were going to ask our steward to see if there were any extra deck chairs, but we started using the desk chairs (we just brought them in when finished) and that worked well so never got around to the request.

 

We spent some time unpacking and had no issues finding a place for everything. There were some hooks on the walls which we used for our raincoats, fleeces, and sweatshirts. There were tons of shelves in multiple places, as well as some drawers. We also found we had enough hangers for everything we wanted in the closet. Storage was definitely not an issue for us.

 

Our friends were staying around the corner from us in an inside cabin - # 9337. My friend came over to our cabin and knocked on the door. "You have to come see our cabin. It's the biggest inside cabin we've ever stayed in". I went over and it was huge. Not only did they have the area with the bed, but over to the left was a huge other part with a full sofa (we had a shorter one) and then the bathroom. If you ever plan for an inside cabin, definitely check this one out!

 

We went back to our cabin and went onto the balcony. We looked to our left and saw that the suite to the side of us had a huge balcony compared to ours (to be expected). A man was on the balcony and I told him "Your deck is bigger than our deck". He laughed and invited us over to check out their cabin (Penthouse Suite 9276). We actually have a connecting door with their suite. We took them up on their offer and went next door to check the cabin out. It was nice with the bedroom and then living room - with a Jack and Jill type bathroom between the two rooms. After touring the suite, we bid farewell to our neighbors and went back to our room to relax for a bit until it was time to head out for the muster drill.

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