Setting Sail from Vancouver to Alaska
Saturday,
July 2, 2016:
As usual I awoke at 6.00 am and while Llew had
a lie-in, I managed to get some blogging done. I was also excited to discover
that my internet connection on my laptop actually worked and I managed to get
and send email (unlike the last time I had traveled to Canada when I could not
even find any internet connections). However, it was a good job I did
everything I wanted for my joy was short lived. Within 20 minutes, it was gone.
A little while later, after I had done some blogging, Llew awoke, showered,
shaved, dressed and got ready. I followed swiftly, then went down to get us
coffee and Nutella croissants from the local Tim Hortons downstairs and,
not too long after, we were on the airport shuttle to get to the
Skytrain that took us back to the Waterfront. The fact that it was a holiday
weekend in Canada and a Saturday meant that trains were empty—this made it
really easy for us to load and remove our baggage from the train. From there,
we easily found our way to the cruise piers in the basement of the Convention
Center.
We
thought we’d be one of the first to embark as 2.00 pm is given as Embarkation
Time; but by 11.30 am, the place was already crawling with people and the Hall
was filled. Everything was super organized with European precision and we were
soon finding our way to the check-in counter where we were given our boarding
cards by Holland-America Lines—HAL--(our baggage had been taken earlier) and
then we were off and away. I was quite excited by this point especially at the
thought of having a few hours to explore the ship and find our way around it.
We had an ocean view room on the 4th floor which was very well
located for the Reception Counter, main shops, etc. were just a floor below. In
no time, we were aboard but went directly to Reception to try to make a lunch
reservation on one of the two days it is usually offered in the pan-Asian
restaurant called Tamarind—about
which I had read on the internet—but was disappointed to find that it has been
discontinued. So off to our stateroom we went and found that it (and the rest
of the ship) is an exact replica of the Eurodam on which we had sailed through
the Baltic Sea in 2013. There was a sense of comfort in the familiarity of it
all but it was also a trifle predictable. Perhaps it would have been more fun
to discover new horizons!
We
did not lose much time in our rooms, however, as our bags had not yet arrived.
Instead, as it was almost 1.00 pm and as we only had a croissant and coffee for
brekkie, we went off to the Manhattan,
the Main Dining Room—for lunch. It was our first meal on board and I looked
forward to something really special. Only a few people were in the
restaurant—most were still embarking. Both Llew and I chose the Cream of
Broccoli Soup for starters—it was thick and very delicious. I avoided the bread
as I am still trying to limit carbs. For our main, I had the Apricot-Glazed
Salmon served with zucchini and carrots and steamed potatoes (which I avoided).
Once I got over the sweetness of the apricot sauce that was poured over the
salmon, it actually turned out to be quite good. Llew had the Pulled Pork
Sandwich served with Red Cabbage Slaw which was really good. For dessert, the
two of us had the Biscotti Ice-Cream—I ordered mine with a few strawberries. So
that was it. It was a good meal, but not outstanding, but the cruise had not
even begun yet.
It
was time to get to our stateroom where we found that our baggage had been
delivered together with a whole lot of delicious goodies—a tray of tea-time
sandwiches (smoked salmon, brie, ham and cheese, prosciutto—all fab), a tray of
sweets (truffles, cake, a chocolate tower), a tray of cut up fresh
fruit—together with a basket of fruit and a lovely flower arrangement. We felt
very special indeed! It was time to unpack and we found spacious closets with
room enough for all our needs (I certainly travel very light and had no difficulty
accommodating all my things). Unpacking done, we stashed our bags under our bed
and went off to Reception again to made reservations for 8.00 pm dinners at
some of the specialty restaurants on board at a time that would also allow us
to attend the shows in the theater each night. All that done, we made our way
to the theater for an introduction to the facilities and amenities available on
board as well as to take a walking tour of the main areas of the ship and the
areas we intended to use—such as the gym, the pools (indoor and outdoor), the
hot tub, the Crow’s Nest which is the enclosed 11th floor
Observation Deck, etc.
By
this time, it was close to Embarkation Time and we had the mandatory Emergency
Drill procedure to attend on deck. Having gone through this before, we knew
exactly what to do and in no time, we were on the deck, participating in Roll
Call, listening to evacuation and other instructions and chatting with a few
other passengers. When it was over, it was time for departure so we made our
way to the Lido Deck on the 9th floor at exactly 4.45pm to attend
the Sail Away. This included drinks on the deck, the opportunity to grab one of
the deck chairs that we positioned at the very front of the ship (it helped to
get there early--but this turned out to be the aft or back) and to enjoy views
of Vancouver as we departed. Going under a great big bridge was an additional
treat as we listened to music, chatted with a few of our companions, enjoyed the
complimentary nibbles—salmon, beef steak in horseradish sauce and spoons of
baked brie with cranberry sauce and nuts--as we saw Vancouver recede in the
background and the islands of the Archipelago that we had seen en route to
Whistler by road come into view. Llew enjoyed lying on the deck chair while I
left at 5.30 to pick up the complimentary ship’s charm that was offered to
anyone who arrived at the Main Shopping Desk. I then reconnected with Llew as
we returned to our stateroom. I ordered a cup of tea from Room Service and we
began nibbling on our savory goodies in our room as Llew sipped some wine.
It
wasn’t long before we dressed for dinner and went in search of the
complimentary glasses of champagne offered by the jewelry showroom and art
gallery on board and with that in hand, we made our way back to the Manhattan to have dinner before we could
attend the live show in the theater. Only we discovered that our wait for
dinner would be 20-25 minutes and, rather handily, since the Explorer’s Bar was just next-door, we
sat down to enjoy a violinist and a pianist do wonderful soft classical chamber
music. We were hugging the coast of Canada throughout our sail and the movement
of the sea could barely be felt at all.
Very shortly, we were
seated for our first dinner at sea in the Manhattan,
a massive dining hall, where we found the menu for the evening was devised by
chef Elizabeth Faulkner of whom I have never heard. I started with the Broiled
Scallops with Bacon, Avocado Mash and a vinaigrette—but my scallops were tiny,
the mash was bland and I found no interest whatsoever in the dish. Llew had the
salad of mixed greens with caramelized apple which was far better. Since I was
dying to also try it, I asked for a tiny portion of the Ketchikan Fisherman’s
Chowder in a sample serving (it was served in a bread bowl as a regular
portioned starter) and found it to be simply delicious and filled with tiny
scallops. For a main, Llew had the Shrimp and Chorizo with Grits which was
served with okra—a typical New Orleans dish—while I chose the New York Strip
Loin done medium rare. Llew got three very large shrimp and I got an outsized
piece of steak. We split our entrees and while they were both good, there was
nothing to shout about either one of them. For dessert, Llew got the Mango
Mousse while I got the Klondike Gold Rush Baked Alaska which was a brownie,
topped with Vanilla Ice-cream and Meringue with a chocolate sauce poured over.
Again, it was good but not outstanding. Since we needed to rush off for the show,
we grabbed our things and left right after dessert.
In the theater, we
found ample room. Nick, our Cruise Director, was holding forth, calling out a
few raffle numbers and giving out prizes before the main act of the evening
arrived—a stand up comedian called Chad—who entertained up for about 15
minutes. His jokes and his acting were pretty lame and by that point in time,
my eyes were closing. It was 10.00 pm and any hopes I had of sitting in a Piano
Bar and singing along were wiped off as we decided instead to get back to our
stateroom and call it a night. But after changing and getting into more
comfortable wear, we headed to the Crow’s Nest to see what it felt like to
enter the Seymounr Narrows, a tiny inlet just past Vancouver Island. However,
it was very dark and while we could see land on one side close to us, we saw
nothing on the other side. We did see—literally—a ship pass us by night. It was
a Holland America ship returning to Vancouver—which is where we will be a week
from now. It was time to well and truly get back to our staterooms to sleep.
It had been a packed
first day and we did not have a dull moment.
Until tomorrow…
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