**Golden Princess May 14, 2011 - Vancouver To Seattle**

[deej696]

You guys bring up a good point and I do wonder why this cruise stops in Victoria. Really no point and it would be nice to take a slow sail back to Seattle through the inside passage. I guess all ships returning to Seattle have to follow a certain shipping route? Who knows :confused:

 

I wonder if it has anything to do with the need to visit a foreign port. I know a lot of the Hawaii cruises make a doofy stop in Mexico to meet some sort of customs regulation that they visit a foreign port. If I recall correctly anyway. I know we are leaving from Vancouver, but we will be visiting all US ports and returning to the US, so maybe that has something to do with it?

[hmstins]

Good guess, but there are Alaska cruises that run RT from Vancouver without stopping at any foreign port. I have sailed northbound Vancouver to Seward, Vancouver to Whittier, Seward to Vancouver, RT Seattle, and I only stopped at Victoria Island once. It makes no sense. Maybe we need to ask the Princess the reason?

[deej696]

Good guess, but there are Alaska cruises that run RT from Vancouver without stopping at any foreign port. I have sailed northbound Vancouver to Seward, Vancouver to Whittier, Seward to Vancouver, RT Seattle, and I only stopped at Victoria Island once. It makes no sense. Maybe we need to ask the Princess the reason?

 

Yeah, I didnt think about the non-round trip Alaska sailings, as they sort of blow a hole in my theory. It would be interesting to know, as it does seem to be a waste of a stop. I mean we're only there from 7pm to midnight. What are we supposed to do with that? My thinking is that there must be a "legal" reason of some sort, otherwise they would try to get us there earlier to sell some more excursions:)

[hmstins]

I have talked to others on cruises that were supposed to stop in Victoria and they said that captain just decided to skip it, said it was something about bad weather in the port which was obviously a blatant lie! We were over 1-1/2 hours late getting off the ship, but our excursions waited for us. Of course, there was no reduction in price, just in the duration of the excursion. Next time I will just shuttle to town and walk around a while. The Butchart Gardens are nice, but very difficult to appreciate in the dark. The whole situation there is squirrely.

[deej696]

Squirrely is a great word Margie:D I guess we may never know the real reason. Maybe they just throw it on the schedule if they need to kill some time before heading to Vancouver? Who knows, either way I'm not really sure what we would do with 4 hours there. My parents saw the gardens, but they were there for a full day and had the full effect. Any thoughts? Maybe some unique dining?

[hmstins]

I live in Houston and we have a plethora (that's a good word) of extremely good restaurants. When I am in the Pacific Northwest or in Alaska, I love to eat fresh salmon. Otherwise, I'm perfectly happy to eat onboard. After all, I paid for it already! I didn't hear of anyone doing anything really great in Victoria. We didn't get off the ship until after 8:00 and had to be back by 11:30. I think they may have to sail before midnight (some legality). The whole thing is a mystery. It is the last night at sea and I would much rather waste it in the casino than in Victoria! The casino would rather be open also because they don't make any money when they are closed (duh). Sooner or later I'm going to get to the bottom of this. Anyone else have any thoughts?

[deej696]

Well...apparently we weren't alone in the curiosity....

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1159354&highlight=why+stop+victoria

[hmstins]

I just don't buy that response. If a Princess ship can leave Whittier and go to Skagway, Ketchikan and Juneau, then go directly to Vancouver, why can't we go from Skagway, Ketchikan and Juneau directly to Vancouver? It still makes no sense. To me it's a wasted stop. It's a government city and everything closes up at 5:00 or 6:00, so there's really nothing to do but wander around. Done the Butchart Gardens thing (sorry, Keukenhoff Gardens puts them to complete shame) and that's about all there is. To me it's still a complete waste of our last evening on board.

[deej696]

I agree. Maybe that will be balcony dining night:)

[bellebaby]

The only time we were on an itinerary that included an evening stop in Victoria, we stayed onboard. Enjoyed dinner and drinks with friends. Nothing we wanted to see .....

 

Mary

[kath00]

When does the sun set in Victoria in May or June? Is it as late as in northern Alaska? Katherine

[LEtue]

We took a Grayline city tour last time and it was okay. Got to see most of the city with a few stops for photos. I don't see many excursion options on the Princess site but maybe some research will uncover something fun....

 

Margie, I think the shuttle to town anad a quick walkabout will do. Or we can soak in the hot tub ;)

 

 

Katherine, here is today's data.

 

Morning Twilight:

4:28 AM PDTSunrise:5:10 AM PDTSunset:9:19 PM PDTEvening Twilight:10:02 PM PDT

[bellebaby]

The only time we were on an itinerary that included an evening stop in Victoria, we stayed onboard. Enjoyed dinner and drinks with friends. Nothing we wanted to see .....

 

Mary

 

Our friends had a huge aft wrap around balcony on the Westerdam. Enjoyed the scenery and the company. Very good memories....

 

We, too, will skip formal nights on this cruise. Not a priority for us anymore. We used to love it, but now find ourselves looking for comfort and relaxation. We usually eat a late lunch on formal nights and have a snack from room service for dinner.

 

I don't understand the stop in Victoria either. We're departing from a foreign port... PVSA requirements should be satisfied... Guess they think it's a benefit.

 

98 degrees here yesterday... Hot as a firecracker!

 

Mary

[LEtue]

Seems none of us are excited about the stop in Victoria :rolleyes:

 

Oh, well maybe I missed something during the last visit and I could be surprised :p There are some wineries in the area but I doubt they have any evening tours - other than the ship excursion.....

 

Hot, hot, hot here today. Just finished the lawn and I'm ready for a nap ;)

 

Enjoy the rest of the weekend and the U.S. Open!

[bellebaby]

Mary, it seems you and I have similar weekend plans, as I'll be glued to the Open. Promises to be a great tournament as always. The USGA was not very pleased with how Tiger embarrassed the course the last time at Pebble, so I'm sure it will play quite tough. I have high hopes for his performance, but I'm not too optimistic.

 

I was pretty shocked to see the Big 12 stay together. All the way till Sunday it seemed but a forgone conclusion that Texas and the others were leaving. I'm assuming you're a Longhorn anyway:) Either way, I'm glad it happened the way it did, cause I think it could have started a domino line of conferences merging, etc.

 

Anyway, back to cruising:) We have a short 4 nighter on Radiance of the Seas planned for our anniversary to get us by till next May. With all the excitement surrounding this cruise though, I've sort of forgotten we're doing that one...

 

Did anyone find it strange watching golf so late at night? Seems like it will be an exciting final round....

 

Yes, I'm a Longhorn fan, but also a fan of all the Texas teams. Very glad the conference found a way to stay together... at least for now.

 

BTW, I'm a big University of Florida fan, too....

 

Just wondering... it seems as though Carnival will be sailing a brand new ship out of Galveston in the fall of 2011. Anyone have any thoughts? Usually the Galveston ships are older... Is it worth considering for a quick getaway?

 

Mary

[deej696]

Yes, watching golf at 11pm was quite odd. I was thrilled to see Tiger put up a great performance, and I'm hoping for some fireworks today! One thing is for certain, Pebble Beach is definitely on my 'bucket list.' Sadly I have to work today, but I'll get home about when the leaders tee off.

 

I also think my wife is about tired of being subjected to the World Cup. I think I've watched at least some of every single match. We will be at Disney's Vero Beach resort the day of the Final, and I've forewarned her that she won't be seeing me during that time.

 

I do think its odd that Carnival is sending the new ship to Galveston, but then again Texas could be a huge market for cruises, so maybe it makes sense. We in Florida don't need to hog all the news ships I guess;)

[hmstins]

Mary, I didn't know Carnival was sending us a new ship! Praise be. We usually get the old workhorses. That said, my very first cruise was on the old Carnival Jubilee, which I really loved. So it's not always the ship that makes the cruise.

 

Deej, Texas is a HUGE cruise market. Just think, people from both coasts AND the midwest can reach Houston easily, and the cruiseport is only 45 minutes from Hobby airport (on the SE side of Houston). Cruises from Galveston are usually my first choice since I too can be there in about an hour, no need for a flight, no need to go the night before, and disembarkation is just walking off the ship and into my car. It's a dream, but we are pretty tired of doing the Western Caribbean from Galveston! We once had a Celebrity ship (old) doing the Panama Canal, but it didn't take that opportunity and missed out. Now one of the ships there is alternating W Carib with a Key West/Bahamas cruise which would be a nice alternative. There are only so many times I want to see Cozumel! The good thing is the repositioning cruises. I have done Galv to Barcelona and Galv to Rome -- pretty nice. We need a bigger and nicer port before we will attract more and new ships, though. It's pretty decrepit now and Hurricane Ike hasn't helped matters much. We'll get there one day, though.

[LEtue]

Yes, rumor is that the new Carnival Magic will be home porting in Galveston. The TA is published and it ends there. Could be only a few sailing until it transitions to another permanent home - no one knows for sure yet.....

 

Great news for Texas and the surrounding gulf coast but my one experience was costly. Cruise ship shuttles and rental car rates are high and if the ship sails on Sundays rental care availability is an issue. Add on the Galveston hotel prices, airfare and higher cruise fares it wasn't a good deal. :(

 

We had a great family reunion cruise aboard the Ecstacy though :D

[LEtue]

Margie, I'm shopping for a new duffle on wheels. The one I have is a little big and they always stop me and make me measure it in the template. I wonder which one of us will end up with the most luggage :p

 

I am determined to make the 1 duffle - 1 backpack work for this trip since no formal attire is required......:D

[hmstins]

Linda, I know my wheeled luggage fits in the overhead and I can cram that sucker full. I don't know what my other carryon item will be, but FAs are getting sticky about it fitting either in the overhead or under the seat in front of you. Both Continental and Southwest have made a point of that on my latest flights, so be prepared.

 

I know Galveston is not the most attractive cruise port but it's what we've got. It's only convenient for those of us who always have to fly to other ports! It would work a lot better if they would use the new, modern cruise terminal that sits empty (not in Galveston, but actually further up the Ship Channel on the east side of Houston). Contracts and all that, but sooner or later it will be used. That would put it in shuttle or taxi range of IAH and open up many more options for hotels near the airport or downtown. Downtown Houston hotels are great bargains as many sit near-empty on weekends.

[bellebaby]

Margie...I'd love to do a TA that originated or terminated in Galveston. I don't know enough about the Carnival product, but will be reading up on the Magic. For people that fly-in to Houston, it can be a hassle. IAH is MILES away. Flights to Hobby are limited. Hotels in Galveston aren't that great, nor is the beach.... Due to limited availability, prices don't drop that much. We can usually find a better itinerary, ship and price by flying to FLL.

 

Deej, I have a World Cup question. Why does it take so long? It seems as though the teams only play once a week.

 

Next spectator sporting event.... Wimbeldon :D

[LEtue]

Linda, I know my wheeled luggage fits in the overhead and I can cram that sucker full. I don't know what my other carryon item will be, but FAs are getting sticky about it fitting either in the overhead or under the seat in front of you. Both Continental and Southwest have made a point of that on my latest flights, so be prepared.

 

I know Galveston is not the most attractive cruise port but it's what we've got. It's only convenient for those of us who always have to fly to other ports! It would work a lot better if they would use the new, modern cruise terminal that sits empty (not in Galveston, but actually further up the Ship Channel on the east side of Houston). Contracts and all that, but sooner or later it will be used. That would put it in shuttle or taxi range of IAH and open up many more options for hotels near the airport or downtown. Downtown Houston hotels are great bargains as many sit near-empty on weekends.

 

Ya, my wheeled bag and my wheeled dufflle both fit in the template and the overhead - no problem there. Both are old and I need to replace one or the other though.

 

I agree with you about the Bayport Terminal. It would be a great option and bring all the hotels and transfer options into play! What is the latest on it? I've lost track. I know Carnival renewed their contract and made a longterm commitment to Galveston - right?

[hmstins]

I haven't heard anything about any change since what you mentioned, Linda. NCL was going to occupy the new cruise terminal, but they pulled their only ship from our area. About 10 years ago I sailed on NCL out of what was then called Barbour's Cut, which is near the new terminal, and it was sooo much easier to get to. One day we will be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century here in Houston.

 

I'm not familiar with Carnival's arrangement with the Galveston cruise terminal, but they're not doing themselves any favors with it. Parking is miserable, dropoff and pickup is difficult at best for those not familiar with the area. The whole area is a blight and will be for several years at best. It seems shortsighted to me, but then I'm not an insider to the agreements so I don't know what is up their sleeve, if anything. There has to be a better way.......

[hmstins]

I just did a quick search but nothing new. We have the Barbours Cut Container Port and the cruise terminal, also the Bayport Container Port and cruise terminal, both inactive right now. I guess they think no one lives in Texas and wants to cruise? Both would be a much more attractive option than Galveston or having to fly anywhere!

[bellebaby]

I haven't heard anything about any change since what you mentioned, Linda. NCL was going to occupy the new cruise terminal, but they pulled their only ship from our area. About 10 years ago I sailed on NCL out of what was then called Barbour's Cut, which is near the new terminal, and it was sooo much easier to get to. One day we will be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century here in Houston.

 

I'm not familiar with Carnival's arrangement with the Galveston cruise terminal, but they're not doing themselves any favors with it. Parking is miserable, dropoff and pickup is difficult at best for those not familiar with the area. The whole area is a blight and will be for several years at best. It seems shortsighted to me, but then I'm not an insider to the agreements so I don't know what is up their sleeve, if anything. There has to be a better way.......

 

Margie... I totally agree. We have only sailed from Galveston once about 5 years ago. On the Grand Princess. While it was convenient to drive to the port instead of flying, you are correct about parking and access. It is miserable. Further, it's just not picturesque, if you know what I mean. That coupled with a Western Caribbean itinerary, did not make it something we were anxious to try again. If Carnival sails a brand new ship? That would make us look at Galveston again.

 

In the mean time, Vancouver/Canada Place, here we come.....:D