Back Next Week

At the end of our Alaskan Cruise Spectacular we had a stop in Vancouver, most of the passengers exited the vessel and about 1,000 more came on board to take the trip down to Long Beach. We decided to explore the city since most of us had never been there. Since we didn’t have a lot of time, we took the City Sights Hop on Hop Off bus tour.

It was air-conditioned, not that important in 55 degree weather mind you but the luxury coaches were prompt, spacious and very informative. We hopped off first at the Granville Island. Very Similar to the Farmers’ Markets in Los Angeles, and had we been hungry it would have been a more appreciated stop but after just eating our 2^nd breakfast on the cruise food was the last thing we wanted. Additionally they had Kaboodles, the worlds’ coolest toy store, two levels where child and adult can explore and play. I wish we had more time to explore that part of the market but we were on a schedule so I jotted that down as a destination that needs to be re-visited when we return. Back on the bus we hit Stanley Park (Dedicated by Frederick Stanley, who the Stanley Cup is named after), with spectacular views of the Lionsgate Bridge and a world renowned rose garden (which was not in bloom when we visited) we stopped to take some pics, get stalked by raccoons (seriously Canadian raccoons have NO FEAR) and partake in some world famous ice cream (which was absolutely delicious by the way).

Our next stop was Gastown, known for it’s quaint appeal, souvenir haven and the only Steam powered clock in North America. The clock was absolutely beautiful, just a 5 min walk from our hop on hop off bus stop we waited for the hour to come by (6 minutes) to see the steam clock spectacular music show, alas 20 minutes later we realized that not only is the clock broken but we got there at 12:54 and it said 11:50 (shows how observant we are and how frequently we use analogue clocks).

I got my customary Canadian track jacket and we looked at the 2010 Olympic swag, amazing the exact jacket I purchased for a mere $40, was $90 with the Olympic rings embroidered on it. Oh well, with the time wasted on the not-quite-as-amazing-as-we-though clock it was time to head back to our ship (and we were hungry and couldn’t justify spending money on food when a FREE buffet was awaiting us on the ship) so back to Port we headed. I think Vancouver is absolutely gorgeous and can’t wait to go back! It’s very similar to NYC but NO smog, it’s amazing. So we are planning our next excursion to Vancouver and see what we missed and check if the clock is fixed

Click on any of the pictures to go to the gallery

Note: Try to avoid the streets between China Town and Gastown….loop around in a big circle or just wait for the hop on hop off bus to come get you.  It is a very short walk but…..not for the timid or weak of heart… or kids!!!

We took a wonderfully relaxing 10 day cruise to Alaska on Holland America’s MS Zuiderdam (pronounced like ‘cider’)

(Actually, this was a repositioning cruise, so it was the regular 7 day Alaska trip, then we returned to the ship in Vancouver, and sailed for 2 more days to get to Los Angeles). We made four stops, Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Vancouver. (I’ll tell you all about the cities and excursions in another post) The cruise also had 2 scenic cruising points, one through Tracy Arm, and another in Glacier Bay National Park.

Overall the cruise was really nice. The ship was always neat and clean. Whether we needed help with our shore excursions, or special request at dinner, the crew were all nice, and very helpful.

Here’s some things you need to be prepared for on the cruise:

1) The Cold; I was freezing, average temperature for the trip was about 50 F/10 C degrees . And it rained. A lot. If you go, dress warmly, bring something with a hood to wear in the rain, and an umbrella wouldn’t be a bad idea.

2) Food; I tried not to overeat, but the food was just too good. There was a different salmon option every night. And the always popular midnight dessert buffet.

3) Animals; If you go on the cruise, you’re going to have the opportunity to see a lot of animals. We saw bears on the shore, a sea otter, orcas, whales, dolphins, and porpoises. But you have to keep your eyes open, and be prepared to run to whatever side of the ship they are on.

4) Glaciers & Fjords; simply beautiful. We went into Glacier Bay and got very close to John Hopkins Glacier, Gilman Glacier, and Margerie Glacier pictured here:

just remember what I said about the cold

We all had a great time. We just have way to many stories to tell here. If you see any of us, ask about the drunk killer whale, the bear squirrels, the Coast Guard Rescues (yeah, both of them), the porpoise army, the angry wheelchair lady, Dan (the Man), our kick but performance on the Newlywed Game, our horrible performance in the ships trivia quiz, Crazy Room Number Guy, or Rebbecca ordering 3 dinners. I highly recommend the trip to everyone. Especially with the glaciers melting, you should try and go sooner rather than later. Let us know if you have any questions, and click on any of the pictures to go to the gallery.

See you next time!

Ketchikan

This is a cool little town where we saw the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show. Which apparently featured pro-lumberjacks.

See what I mean? Professionals

After that we just walked around town and did some shopping. But there was plenty of other things to do. You can go salmon or crab fishing, kayaking, zip lining through the woods, flight seeing, and there’s tours to see everything from authentic totems, to bald eagles.

Skagway

This town used to be the best way to get to the Yukon to mine for gold. When you get off the ship, the town looks just as it did during the mining boom. It has a very Main Street U.S.A feel to it.

There is a lot to see in Skagway considering it’s such a small town. We took the White Pass train 20 miles up into the mountains following the Yukon Route to the top of the White Pass Summit. You can take it even further into Canada, then pan for gold, and take a bus back. There was plenty to see, and learn about what it was like during the gold rush days.

There's our ship!

There are plenty of other tours there too. You could also go flight seeing, salmon fishing, tour a old brothel, there’s a couple of great gardens, and more.

We ended the day at a local glass blowing place. I can’t even explain how much fun Valerie had there, or hot it was inside.

As we were at both towns near the end of their vacation season, a lot of the merchandise was on sale, so that was nice.

Juneau

We didn’t see much of the town, so I can’t say too much about it, we spent that day whale watching

Click on any of the pics to see more from our trip.