Milhouse

Just a heads up on potential taxi/uber availability issues early morning. On a land vacation in Dec 2021, we woke up early and gave ourselves extra time to catch a ride to the airport from the Frontenac for a 10:30am flight on a Tuesday morning but we struggled to book an Uber and the taxi rank queue didn't move because of a lack of taxis appearing. Fortunately, a nice couple offered to share a taxi van to the airport (which we happily covered!).

Your day in port is going to obviously be a bit different but here's a bit of colour on the timelines we experienced to help with your analysis: Looking back at my notes, the trip we did the hike, we arrived in Santorini at 2pm and sailaway was at 9pm. We queued to get off the ship as early as possible so I think the wait for the cable car wasn't too bad; maybe 20-30mins(?). I think we got to Oia around 6:15-6:30pm but probably could have gotten in earlier if we didn't linger at as many spots as we did along the hike. We didn't have a lot of time in Oia before we felt we needed to head back. There are quite a few pathways and viewpoints around Oia to explore. And everyone jockeys for the perfect spot to watch the sunset. On this trip, we only had time to explore a few parts but we didn't feel we missed out because we did a bunch of exploring and watched the sunset during our first visit. We took a bus back just after 7pm and it was packed, including people standing in the aisle. Not the most comfortable trip. Journey time was just under 30mins. After getting back to the bus station in Fira, we had to try to follow the signs (on walls and steps) back to the cable car (before making the decision to run down the donkey path in the dark because the queue was so long). I guess my suggestion is to try to leave yourself with enough time to get back, otherwise it can be somewhat frantic.

I think one of the closer grocery stores is Urban Fare which is about an easy 10min walk from the Pan Pacific. It's along my walking circuit after I drop the missus off at work. If I remember, I'll try to poke my head in on Friday to see if they carry it.

Must avoid Pho Don across the street. Le Petit Saigon on the next block over is convenient and normally good. But something kind of seemed off last week and I'm wondering if ownership has changed. (Had the Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio last week and thought the spring roll tasted a bit under fried. And the missus thought the pho broth was good but a bit wimpier than it normally is.) It's a bit more of a trek but if you like northern Vietnamese, Mr Red Cafe is a 15 min walk west. Not the most interesting of walks tho. A little further away (5 min by car as I wouldn't suggest walking there even though I do) is Commercial Drive with many interesting places to eat. For pho (and other dishes), there's Lunch Lady. The owners collaborated with the lunch lady of Anthony Bourdain fame and its been a hit (after struggling in its previous iteration). I'd go more often but it's hard to get a table. I also have to mention Merci Beaucoup Cafe further down Commercial. Their pho is ok but their Banh Mi's are really delicious.

My friend used an Ubigi esim for a land trip to Japan and worked well for him. It was good enough that he recommended that I get one of their esims for my cruise in Europe next month. Let me know if you want a referral code and I'll private message you. My friend gave me his referral code and it's supposed to provide 20% off the first purchase while the person providing the code gets 50% (?) off their next purchase. I haven't bought my esim yet as I was going to buy it closer to my departure date.

We didn't question it. While in queue, it kind of implied by the Via Rail person (who was going up to everyone in the queue) that they were collecting the checked luggage to bring down to the train. We were fine not having to lug our luggage down to the platform and onto the train and obviously kept our carry-on (backpacks) with us.

We stayed in Long Beach the night before our Nov2022 cruise primarily because we had a free night stay at a Marriott property. However, there were a few attractions in Long Beach that also made it appealing for us: The Pike Outlet Mall (which wasn't great), the beach walk, Shoreline Village area, the Aqualink ferry (very nice sunset ride), and there was going to be a Dia de los Muertos parade the morning before we headed to the ship. In a nutshell, I just felt there was more going on in Long Beach that appealed to us. However, we haven't stayed in San Pedro precruise so can't fairly compare. Lyft from the Renaissance in LB to the cruise terminal was $17+tip.

We took a ~9am to noon Via Rail train from Montreal to Quebec City (Gare du Palais) on a land trip in Dec 2021. A few interesting observations by us (first time taking a Via Rail trip): Someone from Via Rail collected our checked luggage in the station while we queued to head down to the plaforms. That kind of threw us a bit because we were used trains where we just dumped our luggage on a rack at the end of a car. The train follows what feels to be an odd loop around the QC that made us question whether we were going in the right direction at the end. 😄 There was a bit of a scramble for taxis at Gare du Palais. We were slow on the go, to get ready to leave the station (luggage, washroom, get orientated, etc) so we had to wait a bit to a second wave of taxis to trickle in. (Decided not to Uber it.) Quite enjoyed the trip though and would consider using Via Rail to connect between Montreal and QC again.

Just a tourist myself but we like to head down to Seattle yearly and visit the Pike Place Market area as a default thing to do. Haven't been down there yet this year as we usually go in the summer so don't know currentl conditions. But we like to use the a path of stairs from the back of Pike Place down to the waterfront. I think the path is called Pike Street Hillclimb(?). Felt safe as we were just passing through quickly and there seemed to be a number of people traversing the stairs along with some people loitering.

I think I read that you are staying in Tokyo for 2.5 days (?). For that limited amount of time for a first time trip, I would tend to agree with @skipsaur and forgo a daytrip. We went to Kamakura on something like our third trip to Japan. I thought it was was a nice and easy daytrip but was happy we saved it for a future trip. I think Tokyo public transit is very good but the metropolis is very large and some of the connections within a station are a bit of a effort. Eg. It can take like an hour to get from one side of the city to the other (eg Shibuya to Asakusa) by metro. So you can end up spending a lot of time commuting. Generally, I don't think a visit to the new fish market in Toyosu would be worth it. It's a lot more sterile and visitor centre experience than the hustle and bustle previously at Tsukiji. There's some well known eateries that migrated to Toyosu with the market but the lines are going to be long. We combined our Toyosu visit with a visit to the teamLab Planets exhibit and Tsukishima Monja Street. Personally, I highly recommend the teamLab Planets exhibit but it might not be for everyone (eg. My friend didn't want to go because you have to walk through barefoot). But also as referenced above, the outer markets of Tsukiji didn't migrate and are still potentially worth a visit.

Thanks for the tip. I have not been to Salmon n Bannock yet. Will add them to the list!

Saw Solstice docked at Canada Place this morning while dropping the missus off at work. We sailed on her in November and it brought back great memories!

I'm a fan of Blue Water Cafe too. Wanted to also suggest trying sablefish (aka blackcod and gindara) if on the menu. It's a very buttery whitefish.

A couple of steak options: I think an obvious option is Chop Steakhouse which is located across from the Pan Pacific along the side of the Convention Centre West building. I have not eaten there yet but it's on my list. Chop is a chain and this location opened about half a year ago. Apparently it has a very nice room. I'm not sure if I'd call Cactus Club upscale but I think it's a reasonable option located on the other side of the Convention Centre West building in Jack Poole Plaza. It also has a nice room with great views. My friend kept pestering me to order a steak at Cactus Club and I was pleasantly surprised by it when I did (not at this locaton though). They're not a steakhouse though so they don't have a wide variety of cuts but serve Certified Angus Beef. At the edge of where you probably would want to walk (~15mins), there's the Keg, Hy's Steakhouse, (and Gotham Steakhouse). The Keg is a relatively cheaper steakhouse chain (but still nice) with a variety of AAA grade cuts and typical steakhouse fare/sides/appies. I find this location's dining room really dark if that's an issue. Hy's is a smaller steakhouse chain that's a step up from the Keg and serves prime grade beef. It's probably going to push your $100pp target. (Gotham is a part of the Hy's group but operates under it's own banner. It's a la carte and serves prime grade beef but is likely going to be above your $100pp target).

We've also stayed at the Riverside previously and agree it has a great location in the Las Olas Blvd area. Very lively area. In 2017, we ended up at the Oasis Hotel after scrambling to find a replacement for another hotel we originally booked that wasn't able to reopen quickly after Hurricane Irma. It's located just off a major street/(highway?) which has some handy retail but it's not really a fun street to walk. However, it's only a short 5 min taxi/uber ride away from Las Olas. We thought the rooms and outdoor common areas were surprisingly nicely furnished with the pictures on Google Maps being a fair representation. Would also recommend Oasis Hotel if you're ok being a few mins by car off of Las Olas Blvd.

Have you seen this "Japan 2024 canceled" thread on the Celebrity board? I only lightly skimmed it but the discussion might be applicable to your situation even tho your cruise is for 2023. On the surface of what I read, it sounds like X oversold cabins and are having to cancel some reservations.

What days of the week are you going to be in town? Some financial institutions are not open on the weekend. The two currency exchange places I use are: Vancouver Bullion and Currency Exchange on Pender which is about a 5-10m walk from Canada Place but this branch doesn't open on the weekends. (They have other branches outside of the downtown core that are open on the weekends.) Charlie's Currency Exchange on Granville Street which is about a 15m walk from Canada Place and are open on the weekends. They're a small business that on the surface kind of looks a bit sketchy but they are legitmate and have been operating for a few decades.

My route to Canada Place to drop people off for their cruise on a weekend morning is similar to @Heidi13, down Powell (watch out for jaywalkers), through Gastown on Water, and a right on Howe so I can drive into the Canada Place dropoff area within the parkade. On the way out, a traffic cop should be there allowing traffic out of the parkage back onto Howe and can reserve it down Cordova instead of Water/Powell. Looking at the road closures, this should be ok. I've also seen traffic patrol sometimes close the west side of Canada Place road but allow traffic in and out of Canada Place's parkade via Howe Street. For pick up, I usually meet people in front of the Convention Centre West area just before Jack Poole Plaza. It's only a flat/slight downhill block and a half from Canada Place but generally pretty quiet. There's a parallel road/driveway off of the main Canada Place road beside the Convention Centre. It's not official parking but it should be fine for pickup. (I've done it with no hassles but YMMV tho!) There's legit meter parking on the south side of Canada Place road beside the Fairmont Pacific Rim all the way back towards Canada Place though.

Thanks! Similarly, I wasn't a big fan of eggplant, octopus, fish in general, and other stuff growing up. But trying foods with different preparation methods when travelling kind of changed my mind on many items. I can't say I enjoy everything I come across but it's nice to discover new dishes that become favs.

Trying to determine what fish and seafood are commonly caught locally in the Kusadasi area and will be in season when we go in June to get a better idea what we may want to order at a restaurant.

Would someone be able to confirm the following are representative of local fish and seafood for Kusadasi? Fish Market in Kusadasi It is on the right before coming to the port.You can find the fresh catch of the day. Whether it is mackerel, octopus, sea bass, gray mullet, red mullet, anchovy, sea bream, squid, or many other types of fish you will find it for sale here. I didn't seem to be able to pull up a lot of good results when searching "Kusadasi local fish". This was the best result I got as most of the results were just seafood restaurant recommendations.

Apologies, I don't want to scare people off from going to Gastown in the evening and maybe grabbing some dinner. As I mentioned, we still feel comfortable enough to go to Gastown for a meal in the evening whenever we feel like hitting up one of the places we like going to. There's going to be enough pedestrian traffic going to the restaurants and pubs in the area, particularly on the weekends, and there always seems a crowd by the steamclock, even in the evening.

Vancouver, like many other cities, has seemingly had its social problems become more pronouce since the start of the pandemic. Issues around stanger violence, degration of the downtown core, homelessness, etc are regular topics on the news, are election issues, etc. That said, both the missus and I still regularly go downtown for walks, eat lunch/dinner, attend an event, etc. even late into the night in some areas. Doesn't hurt to travel in a pair. There's really only one area we'll avoid: Hastings Street roughly between Abbott and Gore because the mayhem there is just too concentrated. However, there are a few areas tourists may go/stumble upon, that we visit (due to businesses we frequent) but kind of try to stay alert. Here's a bit of a list: Pender Street in Chinatown. There are a few places here we'll go to get snacks or takeout. There are also a few couple of interesting tourist attractions here. It's just one block off of Hastings Street so you get a bit of spillover onto Pender. Pender Street between Richards and Seymour can feel a bit sketchy because of the social housing in the area. South end of Granville Street in downtown Vancouver (roughly between Drake and Helmcken). We'll occasionally walk through here during our walks and attend some events along Granville Street. There's some social housing here; boarded up failed businesses. Some businesses complain about brazen theft. The middle section of Granville Street (roughly between Helmcken and Robson). Granville Street is closed off to most traffic and turns into "an entertainment district" during the weekend evenings with the bars, lounges, and clubs. On the rare occasion, I'll meet up with friends to have drinks. There can be a lot of intoxicated people on the streets and that occasionally leads to trouble. There's typically a visible police presence though to keep the peace. During the day it's pretty normal and there's enough pedestrian traffic. The north end of Granville Street (roughly from Georgia to Pender) can feel a bit sketchy. The dollar store seems to be a magnet for shoplifters. Gastown. There are a number of eateries here we visit. And of course the neighbourhood is a tourist attraction along with the Steamclock. Again, you get a bit of spillover from Hastings Street and along with some social housing. There's typically enough pedestrian traffic to feel of safety in numbers. There are other areas (like CRAB park, Oppenheimer park, etc) to be aware of but I don't think the typical tourist would normally end up in those areas. Sunrise/Sunset in May: https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/canada/vancouver?month=5&year=2023

The missus and I were in Busan during a land vacation in 2015 (during the MERS outbreak 🙄) and went to Gamcheon on our own using instructions from a coworker that went the previous year (but she seems to go South Korea somewhat regularly). Here are her instructions we followed. They're obviously close to a decade old so I can't confirm their current accuracy (eg the pricing has got to be wrong by now) but maybe you can use them as a starting point. 감천문화마을 (Gamcheon Culture Village) Take subway to 토성 (Toseong station) - 2 stops west from Nampo station Take exit 6 and go straight until you see the intersection. Turn right (don’t cross the street) and walk straight until you see the Busan National University Cancer Centre and you’ll see a bus stop. Take bus 101, 2 or 2-2 and get off at 감천문화마을/감정초등학교(Gamcheon Elementary School) – where you see most of people get off, it’s about 5-10 ride. The bus is 900W (use cash or the metro card, can’t use day pass) The Information centre sells vaillage map (In English) for 1000w and you can use the map to see all the sites. There are signs on the wall (like a fish), so you can follow the fish as a direction as well. The bus stop is across the street when you want to return to the subway station. The bus stop at Toseong station exit 8 or 10. From my recollection, the instructions were fairly easy to follow on the fly and the bus ride was comfortable enough. We enjoy walking through and exploring neighbourhoods when we travel so Gamcheon was a good activity for us. Lots of interesting nooks and crannies to poke your head into.

Just looked at my pics of the missus' sailaway with the inlaws in 2022. The Koningsdam started sailaway a minute or so just after 4pm and was completely past Brockton Point by 4:22pm. 26 mins is probably a pretty good estimate.