Alaska Trip Diary Day 3: Embarkation Day!
Day 1 (Saturday, May 28): Chicago O'Hell
Day 2 (Sunday, May 29): Vancouver, Better Late Than Never
Monday, May 30, 2016: Embarkation Day, Vancouver
Embarkation Day began at about 6 am. I'd hoped to sleep in, but I woke up stuffy and sore. Of course, I forgot to pack Afrin, and after a day wandering under the lovely trees - no doubt full of unfamiliar pollen, my sinuses were torturing me.I decided to find the nearest drug store before my room service breakfast was due at 9 am, but what's this? No pharmacies open before 9 am? On a weekday?! What kind of lazy-ass shopkeepers are these, this-here's 'murica - oh, wait.
Okay, new plan, store after breakfast.
At least it was a leisurely start to the day. I walked down to a local pharmacy that opened at 9:30 and got my hands on Canada's equivalent of Afrin, thanks to a helpful clerk, and had a nice walk back to the hotel in lovely 60-degree weather and sunshine, admiring the flowers blooming in gardens and the birds hopping around the trees (refusing to hold still long enough for me to identify their feathered asses, contrary little shits!)
Took a cab with my luggage to the pier, and it was boarding time at last. Check-in and customs were painless, and I was relieved to see that most of the families with noisy kids seemed to be headed for the Disney Wonder. We were herded into the waiting area around 11:30 to await the noon boarding call, but they actually started boarding us early, and we were on board by 12:30.
From the gangway while boarding the Norwegian Sun.
Almost there!
The Norwegian Sun's atrium.
The pool deck.
A view from the aft dining area, the Great Outdoors Cafe.
Tug boats on the harbor.
The pier and the Disney Wonder.
I wandered the ship and decided on the buffet for a few nibbles rather than a full lunch in the restaurant - was still a little full from breakfast. I really liked the Observation Lounge, forward on Deck 12, and considered that maybe on this cruise I'd even have a go in the casino. Joined the guided tour briefly, but abandoned it after Stardust Lounge. It was nothing I hadn't seen before. I caught a few whiffs of the sewage smell that we'd been warned about on Cruise Critic, but it was only noticeable in the Stardust Lounge. Good thing I wasn't that interested in on-board entertainment.
Cabins were ready by 1:30 - impressive! 9036 was marvelous except for one minor detail - the heat was cranked all the way up, and it was stifling. I opened the balcony door and turned the a/c all the way down, and was very glad I had splurged on a balcony cabin.
First impression of my cabin, a mid-ship balcony.
So worth the splurge!
Did a lot of writing at this desk.
Aw, yeeeeah!
My itty bitty bathroom.
Met my steward(ess) Marilyn, and she said she would check on the air conditioning to make sure it was cooling the room off. Luggage hadn't arrived yet, so I went back to exploring.
The pool deck, where passengers got an early start, since this would be the warmest, sunniest weather we'd have on this trip!
The "sports deck" above the pool deck with North Vancouver and Grouse Mountain beyond.
The skyline of Vancouver from the Promenade Deck.
The Promenade/Observation Deck, highest point on the ship (for passengers, anyway).
Some American chick on the upper Observation Deck.
The Observation Lounge, one of my favorite spots on the ship, all the way forward.
Above the Seven Seas main dining room entrance all the way aft.
Deck 5 aft, outside the Seven Seas Dining Room.
The ship's library and conference room.
Inside the Library. I meant to come back here, but never got around to it. On a less scenery-heavy itinerary, this would be a great place to relax.
The Windjammer Bar, another place whose decorations I really liked.
The Windjammer Bar with its model ships and piano.
Dazzles Nightclub, a popular hangout and activity site on board.
The casino, where I spent a grand total of 30 minutes because it was always so full of smoke.
The pool deck getting busy for the sail-away party.
A view from the Sports Deck as we began our departure.
Muster drill was quick and simple, except for one minor detail - I had managed to leave my room key card with the muster station in my room, so I had to rush to get a new one from Guest Services. Durr! Afterwards, my bags had arrived, and I was very glad to have packed and checked that 12-pack of bottled water I finished unpacking just in time for sail away. We backed out of our dock and said farewell to Vancouver and the Disney Wonder.
North Vancouver.
Vancouver Harbour, facing Burrard Inlet.
Vancouver, Canada Place cruise ship terminal, and the Disney Wonder, who would be leaving sometime after us.
Lion's Gate Bridge.
I moved from aft in the Great Outdoors to forward on the Observation Deck. When we got up to speed, the wind was very brisk, and I retreated to inside the Observation Lounge. Took a ton of pictures of Stanley Park and North Vancouver, then decided to relax in my room until the Solo Cruiser Meetup at 6:45.
Approaching the Lions Gate Bridge, with a big cargo ship ahead of us.
Vancouver Harbor, with Stanley Park on the left and North Vancouver on the right, joined by the Lions Gate Bridge.
The peak of Grouse Mountain and the Eye of the Wind Turbine. What a marvelous day yesterday was! I hope to go back and have more time and energy for hiking some of its trails, maybe even riding to the top of the turbine!
North Vancouver.
More of Stanley Park as we approached Lions Gate Bridge.
A close up of one of Stanley Park's buildings. Speaking of places I hope to see someday!
The seawall on the edge of Stanley Park.
More of Stanley Park close to the bridge.
Lions Gate Bridge as we sailed under it.
Waving passers-by on an overlook in Stanley Park.
Back at that same overlook after we passed beneath the bridge.
More of the sea wall on the western end of Stanley Park as we cruised out into English Bay.
The mountains above North Vancouver.
A sailboat on English Bay.
Looking down from the Observation Deck.
Beautiful Lighthouse Park on the north side of English Bay.
A cargo ship on Howe Sound.
Howe Sound and (on the far right) Bowen Island.
The mountains to the north.
Beautiful mountain peaks beyond Bowen and Gambier Islands.
More of Howe Sound, Gambier Island and the mountains beyond.
A sailboat on the north side of the bay.
The view from my port-facing balcony.
My cabin was still very warm, and I'd had the a/c going full blast since 1:30, so I called Guest Services and they said they'd send someone to check it. I went back out onto the balcony for some cooler air and - oy! There was the Disney Wonder, having departed after us. She overtook us as I watched - dang Disney showoffs!
Can someone tell the Captain to light another boiler or two? We seem to be in a race! What, we don't have boilers anymore? Damn!
She's getting away! Load the canons, avast ye scabberous dogs!
Headed down to the solo meetup, then went to a liquor tasting in the duty free shop just out of curiosity. Sheridan Layered Coffee Liqueur is great. Crown Royal Apple is nasty. Bailey's Caramel is good. Browsed the shops, wasn't inspired by anything ( at least not by anything in my price range.) The main dining room menu for the evening wasn't inspiring either, and I was feeling rather introverted, so I just went up to the Garden Cafe to see what was at the carving station. Roast beef and rice and some nice, crusty cuban rolls. That suited just fine.
I was proud of myself for mostly taking the stairs around the ship. I landed a window table and watched the shore mountains glide by with barely any sensation of motion from the ship. The water was so calm. A lady at the table next to me got all excited because she thought she saw a seal on a rock. So I aimed my camera at full zoom and identified it as - a buoy. She was disappointed, but we had a good laugh.
My cabin being on the port side, I had more open water and less mountain scenery that evening. I was bummed, at first. Then close to 9 pm, we were sailing through the Georgia Strait between Texada Island and Lasqueti Island. The view was incredible then, and I bundled up and sat out on my balcony just looking at it.
The Strait of Georgia.
Pacific Rim National Park to the south.
The shoreline in the late evening sun - did I mention it was 9 pm?
Occasionally I did get stinky whiffs of something, either from the ship or maybe the water, but at other moments, I could smell evergreen - that's how close to the shore we were.
The shower in my cabin packed some serious punch and got wonderfully scalding if I wasn't careful, but I power blasted off the sunscreen from the day, then put on my jacket over my jammies and sat on the balcony again, just reading and admiring the mountains and rocky alpine islands in the light of the sunset. Once it got too chilly and dark to be worth it, I found the ship's navigation channel, which was great for figuring out exactly what places I was looking at. If possible, the water was even calmer now. I could feel no motion at all.
The a/c had been fixed while I was at dinner, and Marilyn checked up on me to confirm it. So now the cabin was a pleasant temperature, astonishingly quiet - seriously, unless people really raised their voices in the hallway, I could hear nothing and never heard a peep from the neighboring cabins! Quieter than most hotels!
Sadly, by 9:30, I was crashing, and doubted I'd stay conscious to try to see the Northern Lights, given that the sun wasn't expected to set until almost 11 pm. But I left the drapes open just in case I might wake up during the night.
Oh, and the bed was hard as a rock. Excellent!
Day 2 (Sunday, May 29): Vancouver, Better Late Than Never
Monday, May 30, 2016: Embarkation Day, Vancouver
Embarkation Day began at about 6 am. I'd hoped to sleep in, but I woke up stuffy and sore. Of course, I forgot to pack Afrin, and after a day wandering under the lovely trees - no doubt full of unfamiliar pollen, my sinuses were torturing me.I decided to find the nearest drug store before my room service breakfast was due at 9 am, but what's this? No pharmacies open before 9 am? On a weekday?! What kind of lazy-ass shopkeepers are these, this-here's 'murica - oh, wait.
Okay, new plan, store after breakfast.
At least it was a leisurely start to the day. I walked down to a local pharmacy that opened at 9:30 and got my hands on Canada's equivalent of Afrin, thanks to a helpful clerk, and had a nice walk back to the hotel in lovely 60-degree weather and sunshine, admiring the flowers blooming in gardens and the birds hopping around the trees (refusing to hold still long enough for me to identify their feathered asses, contrary little shits!)
Took a cab with my luggage to the pier, and it was boarding time at last. Check-in and customs were painless, and I was relieved to see that most of the families with noisy kids seemed to be headed for the Disney Wonder. We were herded into the waiting area around 11:30 to await the noon boarding call, but they actually started boarding us early, and we were on board by 12:30.
From the gangway while boarding the Norwegian Sun.
Almost there!
The Norwegian Sun's atrium.
The pool deck.
A view from the aft dining area, the Great Outdoors Cafe.
Tug boats on the harbor.
The pier and the Disney Wonder.
I wandered the ship and decided on the buffet for a few nibbles rather than a full lunch in the restaurant - was still a little full from breakfast. I really liked the Observation Lounge, forward on Deck 12, and considered that maybe on this cruise I'd even have a go in the casino. Joined the guided tour briefly, but abandoned it after Stardust Lounge. It was nothing I hadn't seen before. I caught a few whiffs of the sewage smell that we'd been warned about on Cruise Critic, but it was only noticeable in the Stardust Lounge. Good thing I wasn't that interested in on-board entertainment.
Cabins were ready by 1:30 - impressive! 9036 was marvelous except for one minor detail - the heat was cranked all the way up, and it was stifling. I opened the balcony door and turned the a/c all the way down, and was very glad I had splurged on a balcony cabin.
First impression of my cabin, a mid-ship balcony.
So worth the splurge!
Did a lot of writing at this desk.
Aw, yeeeeah!
My itty bitty bathroom.
Met my steward(ess) Marilyn, and she said she would check on the air conditioning to make sure it was cooling the room off. Luggage hadn't arrived yet, so I went back to exploring.
The pool deck, where passengers got an early start, since this would be the warmest, sunniest weather we'd have on this trip!
The "sports deck" above the pool deck with North Vancouver and Grouse Mountain beyond.
The skyline of Vancouver from the Promenade Deck.
The Promenade/Observation Deck, highest point on the ship (for passengers, anyway).
Some American chick on the upper Observation Deck.
The Observation Lounge, one of my favorite spots on the ship, all the way forward.
Above the Seven Seas main dining room entrance all the way aft.
Deck 5 aft, outside the Seven Seas Dining Room.
The ship's library and conference room.
Inside the Library. I meant to come back here, but never got around to it. On a less scenery-heavy itinerary, this would be a great place to relax.
The Windjammer Bar, another place whose decorations I really liked.
The Windjammer Bar with its model ships and piano.
Dazzles Nightclub, a popular hangout and activity site on board.
The casino, where I spent a grand total of 30 minutes because it was always so full of smoke.
The pool deck getting busy for the sail-away party.
A view from the Sports Deck as we began our departure.
Muster drill was quick and simple, except for one minor detail - I had managed to leave my room key card with the muster station in my room, so I had to rush to get a new one from Guest Services. Durr! Afterwards, my bags had arrived, and I was very glad to have packed and checked that 12-pack of bottled water I finished unpacking just in time for sail away. We backed out of our dock and said farewell to Vancouver and the Disney Wonder.
North Vancouver.
Vancouver Harbour, facing Burrard Inlet.
Vancouver, Canada Place cruise ship terminal, and the Disney Wonder, who would be leaving sometime after us.
Lion's Gate Bridge.
I moved from aft in the Great Outdoors to forward on the Observation Deck. When we got up to speed, the wind was very brisk, and I retreated to inside the Observation Lounge. Took a ton of pictures of Stanley Park and North Vancouver, then decided to relax in my room until the Solo Cruiser Meetup at 6:45.
Approaching the Lions Gate Bridge, with a big cargo ship ahead of us.
Vancouver Harbor, with Stanley Park on the left and North Vancouver on the right, joined by the Lions Gate Bridge.
The peak of Grouse Mountain and the Eye of the Wind Turbine. What a marvelous day yesterday was! I hope to go back and have more time and energy for hiking some of its trails, maybe even riding to the top of the turbine!
North Vancouver.
More of Stanley Park as we approached Lions Gate Bridge.
A close up of one of Stanley Park's buildings. Speaking of places I hope to see someday!
The seawall on the edge of Stanley Park.
More of Stanley Park close to the bridge.
Lions Gate Bridge as we sailed under it.
Waving passers-by on an overlook in Stanley Park.
Back at that same overlook after we passed beneath the bridge.
More of the sea wall on the western end of Stanley Park as we cruised out into English Bay.
The mountains above North Vancouver.
A sailboat on English Bay.
Looking down from the Observation Deck.
Beautiful Lighthouse Park on the north side of English Bay.
A cargo ship on Howe Sound.
Howe Sound and (on the far right) Bowen Island.
The mountains to the north.
Beautiful mountain peaks beyond Bowen and Gambier Islands.
More of Howe Sound, Gambier Island and the mountains beyond.
A sailboat on the north side of the bay.
The view from my port-facing balcony.
My cabin was still very warm, and I'd had the a/c going full blast since 1:30, so I called Guest Services and they said they'd send someone to check it. I went back out onto the balcony for some cooler air and - oy! There was the Disney Wonder, having departed after us. She overtook us as I watched - dang Disney showoffs!
Can someone tell the Captain to light another boiler or two? We seem to be in a race! What, we don't have boilers anymore? Damn!
She's getting away! Load the canons, avast ye scabberous dogs!
Headed down to the solo meetup, then went to a liquor tasting in the duty free shop just out of curiosity. Sheridan Layered Coffee Liqueur is great. Crown Royal Apple is nasty. Bailey's Caramel is good. Browsed the shops, wasn't inspired by anything ( at least not by anything in my price range.) The main dining room menu for the evening wasn't inspiring either, and I was feeling rather introverted, so I just went up to the Garden Cafe to see what was at the carving station. Roast beef and rice and some nice, crusty cuban rolls. That suited just fine.
I was proud of myself for mostly taking the stairs around the ship. I landed a window table and watched the shore mountains glide by with barely any sensation of motion from the ship. The water was so calm. A lady at the table next to me got all excited because she thought she saw a seal on a rock. So I aimed my camera at full zoom and identified it as - a buoy. She was disappointed, but we had a good laugh.
My cabin being on the port side, I had more open water and less mountain scenery that evening. I was bummed, at first. Then close to 9 pm, we were sailing through the Georgia Strait between Texada Island and Lasqueti Island. The view was incredible then, and I bundled up and sat out on my balcony just looking at it.
The Strait of Georgia.
Pacific Rim National Park to the south.
The shoreline in the late evening sun - did I mention it was 9 pm?
Occasionally I did get stinky whiffs of something, either from the ship or maybe the water, but at other moments, I could smell evergreen - that's how close to the shore we were.
The shower in my cabin packed some serious punch and got wonderfully scalding if I wasn't careful, but I power blasted off the sunscreen from the day, then put on my jacket over my jammies and sat on the balcony again, just reading and admiring the mountains and rocky alpine islands in the light of the sunset. Once it got too chilly and dark to be worth it, I found the ship's navigation channel, which was great for figuring out exactly what places I was looking at. If possible, the water was even calmer now. I could feel no motion at all.
The a/c had been fixed while I was at dinner, and Marilyn checked up on me to confirm it. So now the cabin was a pleasant temperature, astonishingly quiet - seriously, unless people really raised their voices in the hallway, I could hear nothing and never heard a peep from the neighboring cabins! Quieter than most hotels!
Sadly, by 9:30, I was crashing, and doubted I'd stay conscious to try to see the Northern Lights, given that the sun wasn't expected to set until almost 11 pm. But I left the drapes open just in case I might wake up during the night.
Oh, and the bed was hard as a rock. Excellent!