Vancouver

Sunday – May 6

Originally, we had booked this cruise as a 22-day itinerary along with our friends, but after our cruise last fall, I bought some Future Cruise Deposits (FCD’s) and re-booked the cruise using those. Not only did we have a lower deposit, but we each got $200 in on board credit for making the reservation within 60 days of our last cruise. I could not use the FCD’s and rebook the same, EXACT cruise, so we switched to the 23-day itinerary which really worked better for us anyway. Getting off the ship in Seattle meant more affordable flights home.

After having breakfast and saying good-bye to Danny and Stan (who were ending their cruise in Vancouver) we took a detour down to Deck 1 – the Dolphin Deck.  Next January, we have booked a cabin on this level (steerage?) for our next adventure. (Stay tuned!) I was hopeful that whoever was in our cabin on this cruise might be getting off and we could get a peek at the room, but no luck. BUT…we were able to check out another cabin a few doors down that our good friends will be in. This will be their first Holland America cruise so I knew they would appreciate seeing a few photos of their future home. Being on Deck 1 I know I will miss the newly remodeled bathroom that we had this time and also the easy access to the promenade deck...but not enough to pay a lot more money to move up two decks.

I also took a few photos of Canada Place (where the Zaandam was docked) and then we walked off the ship around 9 am. There was still $90 worth of on board credit in our account so to use it up, I had purchased a shore excursion on the Hop-On-Hop-Off (HOHO) bus. It was about the same price as it would have been booking it independently and was a good way to use up the credit.

Off to explore Vancouver!

Our tickets were good for all day, but when we checked in to get our passes for the bus, we were told that because of a race in town, many of the roads were blocked off and we couldn’t get to Stanley Park until afternoon. The HOHO bus does a city route and a park route. We would have to do the park route later and we boarded a bus doing the city route.

There were different styles of buses being used and the one we were on was a trolley-style bus. (The brochure showed an open-top double-decker bus but we never saw any of those.) We got on in front of Canada Place and right away the driver had hard time getting through the mess of closed roads and extreme traffic. He called it a “perfect storm” because besides the marathon and three ships in port (Zaandam, Westerdam, and Noordam) there was a large crowd in town for a Shania Twain concert. 

Not the greatest way to see a city. The windows are small and the bus was hot & stuffy.

Information center at Canada Place

The guy in the green shirt was selling HOHO bus tickets so it isn't necessary to purchase in advance.

Many roads were closed due to the marathon.

We “hopped off” the bus in Gastown to see the famous steam-powered clock. We just missed hearing it “toot” at 10 am but were lucky enough to catch the 10:15 whistle just as the next HOHO bus was pulling up. I believe this is where we switched and got on a Park Route bus. 

Statue of Gassy Jack.

Such a beautiful day in Vancouver!

Stanley Park was still closed because of the race so after going past Canada Place again, the bus headed to Granville Island…our next stop. We wandered through the public market admiring the gorgeous fruits, vegetables and many other types of goodies. We had spent quite a bit of time at Granville Island on our first trip to Vancouver, but it was a beautiful day and it was a perfect spot to sit outdoors and enjoy the sunshine. An outdoor painting challenge was going on and artists of all ages were painting on small canvases outside the public market.

Crossing over False Creek 

Walking from the bus stop...under the bridge...to Granville Island.

Yes please!

Sea urchins anyone?

Outdoor patio at the marketplace overlooking False Creek.

A good place for a selfie!

Lunch time rolled around and rather than eating at the market we walked back to the bus stop (browsing through shops on the way) and went back to the ship. Free food always wins.

When we got back to Canada Place, passengers were lined up all the way down the long, long hallway at Canada Place to board the three Holland America ships leaving for their first cruises of the Alaska season. Since we had “in-transit” cards, we were able to bypass the lines…thank goodness.

Around 3:00 we left the ship again and boarded the next HOHO bus to arrive…finally we would get to Stanley Park! This time instead of a trolley style bus which was hot & stuffy and had limited viewing through small windows, we boarded a larger bus with a glass roof and good AC.

A bus with a glass roof means we could see the tops of the beautiful buildings.

Bob wanted to see the totem poles at Stanley Park so we got off the bus at that stop a little after 3:30. While Bob was viewing the totem poles, I walked across the street and was taking some photos of the waterfront area. As I walked back I heard someone yell my name…it was Danny! He and Stan were spending a couple of extra nights in Vancouver and had also bought tickets for the HOHO bus!

When we saw the next bus pulling up around 4 pm, the four of us got in line to board with several others. Unfortunately, Danny and Stan got the last seat so Bob and I and several others were left to wait for the next bus. The sun was warm and the only place to sit in the shade was on the ground under a tree. I was watching the time and 20 minutes went by…then 30…and finally at 4:35 a bus pulled up that had some space.

I breathed a sigh of relief…at first…but then realized we still had almost all of the park route left to travel. Traffic was very congested and at times we came to a standstill. All aboard time for the Zaandam was 6:30 pm and I was getting nervous that we may not make it. I was already forming a mental plan in case we missed the ship. The bus went by some beautiful gardens and other scenic spots. I would have enjoyed them more if I wasn't worried about getting back to the ship on time.

Looking across the Lion's Gate Bridge.

Vine covered Sylvia Hotel.

It was about 6:10 when we got off the bus at the port. The Zaandam was still there waiting on us and all we had to do was get through Canada Place, down one level and we would be walking across the gangplank and onto the ship.

But…when we got into the building it was deserted. The long, long lines of people waiting to board the ships were gone and the hallway was empty. We found the door where we had gone through to go down the escalator earlier in the day and it was locked. The Zaandam was right there but we couldn’t find a way to get to the ship! We leaned over the railing and yelled to a crew member walking by on the Promenade deck of the Zaandam and asked how to get to the gangplank. He didn’t speak English well nor did he have any idea of where we were supposed to go.

Bob went running down the outside of the terminal looking for someone who could help. I was directly above the gangplank and when I saw some other people boarding, I yelled down to them for help. They got one of the officers standing nearby who told us that we should have entered the terminal through the hotel. From there we were to take an elevator down to the lower level, walk through a parking garage and finally get to where we could exit the building and go up the gangplank to the ship. TOTALLY DIFFERENT THAN EARLIER IN THE DAY!!!

It was right at 6:30 when we stepped foot back on the ship and the officer said “we were looking for you.” 😒

As we walked back to our cabin it felt like we were on a different ship. At the beginning of our cruise (from Ft. Lauderdale to San Diego) we were on the younger side of all of the passengers. There were no children but many, many passengers using walkers and scooters. In San Diego the passengers that boarded there were somewhat younger and there were even a few families with kids.

BUT…things were really different now. This final night of our cruise could be booked as a one-night cruise from Vancouver to Seattle and those that did were a young crowd. Lots of 20 and 30-somethings and also babies & kids!

I wanted to watch sail away so we grabbed some food from the buffet and took it outside and found a table next to the aft pool. Even though we ate in the buffet, here are the dining room menus I copied from the Navigator App.

MAINS

The aft pool area was a great place to be as the Zaandam left Canada Place.

After 3 weeks on the Zaandam I still find it odd that there are colorful cows in the pool.

Sulfur.

It was getting really chilly on the open deck around the pool so Bob and I went down the outdoor staircase that lead to an open area on Deck 6. We were totally alone there and the area was a little more protected from the wind.

Sailing under the Lion's Gate Bridge.

Passing Stanley Park. On our first visit we rode bikes on the waterfront path.

We stayed there as we sailed under the Lion’s Gate Bridge and until I was able to get a photo of the Point Atkinson Lighthouse (love lighthouses!!). At that point the ship was getting into more open water...and we were frozen.

The production show in the theater was “Road House” …one that had been performed earlier in the cruise. We enjoyed it the first time, but not enough to sit through it again on our last night of the cruise. Instead we sat outside our cabin on the Promenade Deck watching the sunset and feeling sad that our cruise was coming to an end. The sunset was extra spectacular…sort of a going away present for us to enjoy. One of our Aussie friends joined us and the three of us stood there all alone snapping photo after photo as the sun sank into the horizon.