Vancouver Re-Do

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Today marked the beginning of the Alaska portion of our back-to-back cruises. 

This was also moving day for Jon and Michelle. Their home for the last 11 days had been an inside cabin, #6125, but now they were moving up a deck to be in cabin #7083. The layout of the two cabins was identical but now they had a window. 

This was also the cabin that Bob and I had been in for two weeks in 2023 during a cruise through the Panama Canal. The access to their cabin was from the starboard hallway (instead of the port hallway that we used,) but the exit door at the end of the hall opened right out onto "our private deck" that we had "claimed" throughout the cruise. Their cabin was a mirror image of our cabin #7086. 

What a difference in the weather today compared to the clouds and rain we encountered four days ago. The blue skies and mild temps were perfect for touring Vancouver! Prior to the cruise I had found that there is a bike rental shop located a short distance from Canada Place where the Zaandam would be docked...and the best part...they had e-bikes to rent! Even with a bad knee I think I could have managed just fine with an electric bike. I still have wonderful memories from our first visit to Vancouver when Bob and I biked all around Stanley Park. I thought it would be fun to share the same experience with Jon and Michelle.

The cows were happy to see the sunshine!

The Drop sculpture at Canada Place.

But...Michelle and I did not want to get caught in the mess that the guys were in trying to re-board the ship the last time. Four days ago when we were here the Koningsdam was the only other ship docked at Canada Place with the Zaandam. This time there would be three ships...the Zaandam, the Crown Princess and the Seven Seas Explorer. We decided the potential for long waits in line were just too great and that we would much more enjoy a day on a semi-empty ship.

Turn around day for Michelle and I meant meeting with all of the other in-transit passengers (that weren't getting off the ship) in the Wajang Theater. Four days ago this in-transit group numbered over 200 people and we met at the World Stage where we waited for over an hour before getting off the ship to go through customs. This time it was less than 50 or so people and this time the procedure went much more smoothly and quickly. With our passports and key cards, we were led off the ship as a group, through customs and back on the ship again without stopping. It seemed the staff working in the terminal were much more on the ball this time and there was far less confusion.

So while the guys went off and did their own thing (again!) Michelle and I enjoyed the hot tubs on the Lido deck. We had been talking about doing this since the cruise began and this was the perfect opportunity. We not only had the hot tubs to ourselves, but also the lido pool! 

Off to the hot tubs!

I will turn the blog over to Bob now so he can fill you in on how he and Jon spent the morning...

Blogger Bob reporting....

This was the second trip Jon and I made into the city of Vancouver.  Instead of steady rain we had a sunny pleasant day. And instead of walking 7 miles, we opted for biking the sites and did a boat load of miles. We walked just one block from the port to the bike shop and had a bike within 5 minutes.

When we walked the previous time we bypassed Stanley Park but never went in. This time I told Jon we should bike it. I knew it was very scenic and worth the peddle. So off we went biking our previous walking route. As we entered the park we had lovely views of many private boats across the bay and a great view of the city skyline.

The park has many crisscrossing paths but we opted to take the outer path around the whole island. There are lots of varieties of trees and many are rather tall and large. These giants amaze me as I just see prairie grass where I live. Our first stop was at several totem poles on display. There are markers explaining what they represent and their creators. Something in me is attracted to these symbols, and I would have loved to have experienced the First Nations culture 200 years ago. These people must have had ample resources for life, so as to allow them the time to create such wonderful works of art as totem poles, masks, baskets, canoes, and jewelry.

We moved on from the totem poles to continue our journey. The ride was so scenic we just couldn't get very far at a time, It seemed like we stopped every 5 minutes to take pictures of everything we saw. 

The air was fresh and clear and this ride was just so different and fun from my usual country rides back in Minnesota. We saw the Lions Gate Bridge up close, the wetsuit girl, cliffs, beaches, and I struggled to keep my eye on the path at times. I highly recommend this ride for those going to Vancouver. It really is a wonderful way to see this park. 

The Girl in a Wetsuit sculpture

As we left the park we found our way back on the path we had walked previously. We went by Granville Island and then kept following the bike path. This was now a new area I had not been in. We followed the path as far as we could and then it more or less dumped out into the city streets. We had no idea how to get back to the ship though, just the general direction. Off we went following our noses. After a while we decided we better look at a map and figure out our route to get the bikes back to the shop. It didn't take long and we were on the right path. 

As we made our way back we passed the steam clock. I had seen this on a prior trip. When we went by it, the clock blew its top with steam and sounded the time. It said "get back to the ship! You may have to wait in lines for 3 hours!" We made it back to the rental shop and turned the bikes in, and by golly we had fun. At least I did. I think Jon was really sore and didn't let on until the next day when we all noticed he couldn't move. I can now say I have seen Vancouver by bus, bike, and foot.

We both were wondering how our boarding would unfold this time around. We crossed our fingers and went in the terminal with "In Transit" cards in hand. We found a port worker where the lines were forming and showed her our cards and she said "Oh, you guys can go in this line". We followed an entirely different path with no one in it at all. We then passed 2 security guards, showed them the cards, and they waved us on through. We were on the ship in literally 5 minutes. To good to be true! We looked at each other and felt rather smug for having made a little noise the previous time that produced such a change. 

Back to Mary...

Michelle and I went to the buffet around 11:30 so we could beat the crowds of people anxious to have their first meal after boarding the ship. When the guys texted around noon that they were back in the cruise terminal we joked that it would be several hours later before we saw them. How surprised we were when they came walking into the buffet just minutes later! They grabbed some food and they filled us in on their adventures while they ate.

Later in the afternoon I had gone to the cabin to shower before dinner while Bob was playing pickleball with Jon. It was almost time for the Zaandam to leave Vancouver and the phone rang. Someone from guest services wanted to know where Bob was. I said I could go get him, but it would be awhile since he was on the upper deck and I had just gotten out of the shower. I had no idea what they wanted.

A few minutes later Bob walked into the cabin and I told him that he needed to go to guest services. He headed down to deck 4 but was only gone a short time. I was curious what they wanted but he said "the line was too long, I'll go back later." About then we started hearing a ship-wide announcement. "Will Mr. XXX (Bob) and Mr. XXX (Jon) PLEASE come to guest services IMMEDIATELY!". Oh my!! 

They were informed that when they bypassed many of the lines to get back on the ship they had also skipped going through customs! (Not intentionally on their part, they had gone exactly where they were told!) No wonder they had gotten back on the ship so quickly! But because they had not gone through customs, the ship could not sail!! The two guys were personally led off the ship and through customs. 

Once that little detail was attended to, the ship was ready to sail away from Vancouver and start our one-week trip to Alaska. We stationed ourselves on "our private deck" as the ship left Canada Place and took many of the same photos we had just taken a few days earlier...except this time they were bright and colorful under the sunshine! 

Float planes at Canada Place.

"Digital Orca" sculpture at Canada Place

Regent Seven Seas Explorer in front of the Crown Princess

Stanley Park

Zoomed in view of the cauldron from 2010 Winter Olympics

The path around Stanley Park where Bob and Jon had biked.

Girl in a Wetsuit sculpture that the guys saw on their bike ride.

Lion's Gate Bridge

Good bye, Vancouver. See you again in a week!

We weren't able to stay outdoors long enough to see my favorite lighthouse because we wanted to get to dinner in the main dining room. Our table assignment was still Table #20 but we were surprised to see that we had a new wait staff. 

The World Stage evening entertainment was billed as "Destination: Alaska: The Route. The Ports. The Tours." I can't give any details about the presentation since we didn't attend. I'm guessing this was a slide show narrated by cruise director, Erin, that took the place of the 150 Year HAL Celebration talk usually given on the first night of a cruise. And yes...after having Stone for the previous four nights as our cruise director, Erin was now back. 

Not attending the show gave us a chance to see a beautiful sunset! I'm sure our evening also consisted of a card game over a cup of tea at the lido buffet as we anticipated a beautiful week in Alaska!

Vancouver 1st day of 3!

 Saturday, April 27, 2024

Today marked the end of the seven-day coastal cruise...but for us Vancouver was just another port on our eleven-day cruise. All it took was one look out the window and Michelle and I decided our plan for the day was to stay onboard. But of course Bob and Jon couldn't pass up the chance to have one of their little adventures. Since I have little of interest to report, I will turn the blog over to Bob.

All I saw of Vancouver was what was visible from "our private deck".

It was a rainy, soggy day at Canada Place in Vancouver.

Blogger Bob's report...

Mary and I had been in Vancouver before, but it had been awhile, and there were many parts of the city that we had only been through by bus. I suggested to Jon we do a walking tour on our own since we both like to strike out and explore with no set objectives. I think this frustrates Mary at times, that I can have no plan ahead of time. It was raining, and expected to rain all day, so Mary and Michelle announced they were not getting off the ship and this was just the chance I was looking for. Guys day with no feminine input.

Jon and I dressed in our rain gear and headed out with our "In Transit" pass in hand. Once outside the ship we headed off on a path that led toward Stanley Park. This route took us along the coast and there were lots of things to see as we hiked. We had a great time visiting about everything and anything. After quite some time we arrived at the point where we could get over to the main part of the park and I knew to circumnavigate the park would be just too daunting of a task. We opted to head back to the main part of the city.

We passed through a lovely park that had tons of beautiful flowers. I was wishing the day was dry and Mary was along to see it. There were lots of intertwining paths but we opted to stay on the main trail and make our way to Granville Island. This path took us by the shore with lots of sandy beach areas. When we neared the city again we took a water ferry across to Granville Island. Jon and I spent a short time there thinking we would return with the girls when we came back to Vancouver again. Jon sampled some of the culinary delights and bought some lemon treats for our card game that night. 

Granville Island Market

After exploring the market, we took the ferry back across to the city and continued our walk heading back toward the ship. It was still raining steady as we went right through the heart of downtown. There are not a lot of hills in Vancouver, but just enough to prevent us from seeing the ship in the distance. We used city maps to find the right street to get us directly back.

An approximate route that Jon and I walked.

 

There were other ships boarding new passengers at Canada Place, but we figured we would be able to get right on since we were continuing a cruise and had the "In Transit" pass. WRONG!

As we entered the port building we were met with a line for luggage carrying passengers boarding their ships for the first time. We had no luggage but were still required to wait in this line. We showed the "In Transit" pass to port workers but to no avail. We then went into the next set of lines for getting through customs. This is where we waited another 2 1/2 hours.

This is the line that we should have been able to by-pass.

 

This line was really long and slow. I remember thinking we were here hours ahead of when we needed to be, and it was looking like we weren't going to get on in time for sail away! This was very aggravating and so much so Jon called a Holland America hot line to vent. He thought he woke someone up in India who was of very little help. We just wanted someone on the ship to know we were there but couldn't get on.

We eventually did get on board, but were at a loss to see how the "In Transit" pass was to help us speed the process along. We went to the Guest Services counter on board and let them know, nicely, that the process was severely flawed. This netted us each a bottle of wine, (none of us drink), and some measure of release. Jon and I had been in communication with the girls the whole time and I think they thought it was funny. We eventually got a good laugh out of it as well. After all, these kind of problems are 1st world problems. But...later in this trip this Vancouver outing would come back to haunt Jon and I.

Back to Mary...

When the Zaandam did finally leave Vancouver, the four of us took our positions on "our private deck" for sail away.  As I was taking photos of the city skyline, Michelle wanted to know why I was taking them in black and white. It wasn't my camera setting, it was just how everything looked in the rain! A little photo editing after the fact made some look a little more colorful but in real life the world was just shades of gray!

Leaving ahead of the Koningsdam from Canada Place.

Brockton Point Lighthouse in Stanley Park

Bright yellow mounds of sulphur against the gray mist.

Note from the future: This blog entry is being written in mid-June, over a month after returning from the cruise. This past week, Vancouver made the news when a Harbor Air float plane taking off  near Canada Place collided with a boat in the water. Fortunately there were no fatalities but watching the news coverage brought back memories of watching the planes take off by the ship.

Vancouver is one of my favorite ports to sail away from. I love sailing under the Lion's Gate Bridge, seeing all of the ships lined up in the harbor and most of all...the Point Atkinson Lighthouse. 

Enjoying sail away protected from the elements on "our private deck"!

Lion's Gate Bridge

A brave soul paddle boarding on a cold, wet day.

Point Atkinson Lighthouse.

Goodbye Vancouver. See you in four days!

So as we continued with the rest of our eleven day cruise many new passengers had boarded the Zaandam for a brief 4-day cruise. It was interesting how the passenger demographics changed for that segment of our cruise. Quite a few of the new cruisers were locals from the Vancouver area and many were of Asian descent and tended to be a relatively younger crowd. 

The evening entertainment was comedian Jose Sarduy...AGAIN. The lack of variety of entertainment on our cruise was disappointing so I was extra glad that we were sailing with friends and made our own fun each evening!