Travel R

I am so very appreciative of all of your answers. As a newbie I am seeing so much information, and a lot of it seems either contradictory, or you have to do research on the research to find out that this contradiction is only an anomaly due to the ship, or cruise line, or time of year. As mentioned, I have read many articles which praised the food on cruise lines, such as in one of the articles pinned above (https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=2080). The article, and many other articles I have read have stated that dinners are, at most, business or country club casual (no shorts or exercise-like t-shirts). However, a recent post on this forum mentions the fact that jackets (sport jackets) are being worn on Tauck cruises, sometimes up to three times during a sailing. Is Tauck the exception? Even on their website it does not look like it is required (and some sites like AMA and Viking almost discourage jackets), but the few forums say that many do wear a jacket for the welcome dinner). May I ask those with the knowledge on this thread - are there any other river cruise lines where one should bring a sports jacket. [Note - I am actually one of those crazies that like to dress up - donned a full suit with button down, tie, black socks, and dress shoes on our last cruise (but one of the ties was Tigger and Pooh, since I did not want to give the impression of looking so serious). There was a decent amount of people in suits or at least sport jackets on that cruise. However, I do not want to be the only one overdressed (not to mention, having to haul a suit to Italy, and then to the River, then back home).]

I know, I know, I'll have to hold in the reigns. At least I can research the history of the areas (the people, architecture, etc.) we stop in. For this trip, I'll have 3 days in Rome to plan (and whatever city we visit pre-cruise). I think of myself an amateur historian. The last time we were in Rome, I led my family around the forum, spewing out facts and information so that both my DW and my then younger kids would understand. Another family followed us around the forum from site to site thinking I was a tour guide.

Pilate? Although stretching is a big part of my pre- and post- exercise routine, I do not know how much my body can stretch to do Pilates. Tai Chi, on the other hand, is more my style. Napkin and Towel Folding? I went to one of these demonstrations on my very first ocean cruise back in the early 90s and have stayed away from them ever since. Maybe I'll enjoy it more while on a river? Walking, I do not believe should be that bad, especially if softly to take in the sites with a bit of coffee. However, I am sure those sleeping in the deck below do not want to hear the loud thumping of my gait as I circle round and round the deck. [I did ask the question above; Is there enough time to get off the boat after docking, do a 30-45 minute run, then get back in time for a shower before breakfast.] Although your comment about walking poles is amusing, there is a proper way (and proper time) to use them while trail running.

Questions: When do you select/sign up for the tours? [E.g., on ocean cruises you can sign up for their tours/excursions over a year in advance (all $).] How early do the river cruises dock vs. time for breakfast and morning tours (since they are all through the boat, I am sure they do not overlap). I was wondering how possible it would be for me to disembark after the boat docks, get in a run, then get back in time for a shower before breakfast? I have sent a lot of info to our friends (and my wife). We are probably meeting with them in the next week or two (where we will discuss), as well as the initial discussion/interview with the TA, so should have a better idea as to which one. Although this has been an unseasonably warm year, and we are not cruising for two more years (at the end of August), reading the posts on here about low rivers and cancelled (full or partial) river cruises. Starting to get worried and have not even put down a deposit on anything. 🙂

Thank you for your insight. When taking excursions on ocean cruises, over the last few years I have tended to opt for either going out in the port ourselves or using a third party vendor. For a little more $, the third party vendors provide much smaller private/semi-private tours where get to see and do more. I have begun looking at some tour companies that cater to the river cruises and will practically guarantee that you will make it back onto your ship (same with the 3rd Party vendors for cruise ships). [Since we do not know yet which river (or ports), I have only been looking generally.] What I am thinking (and have not talked to my DW or friends yet), is to take the included tour in the morning and consider taking a 3rd Party tour in the PM if one is not offered from the ship. As I had mentioned previously, I also like to go off on my own, especially in these little towns - so will also keep that as an option depending on where the ship drops us off and picks us up. The planning may be for naught, but at least it will keep my mind busy, and I will learn about the history of the town we are visiting. [PS: I just received an email that AMA is opening up reservations for Asia in Summer 2024, so the European calendar may be available soon. I read in more than one place that the 2024 season may open sooner than later due to companies wanting to line up their expected revenues for 2024 sooner than later (of course, that all depends on when they are able to schedule their port and lock times).]

Thank you for your comments. I know that on some lines there is a daytime cafe (e.g., Scenic and Uniworld), and most others will usually have coffee and some type of small snacks during the day. For most lines, is there coffee available 24/7? If I get up at 5 AM and want to take a stroll, will there be java waiting for me anywhere on the ship? [Yes, depending on my time lag, I may just do that. Sometimes the best time to be atop the ship looking at the sites as the ship passes them by.] Talking about early morning . . . . I tend to exercise in the early mornings. I head that some cruises have a walking/jogging track, but people are asked not to run/jog before 8 AM [I will respect that], but I began looking into the time that the exercise rooms open (if one exists, and I know that they are small). Would anyone know what time the fitness centers on river cruises generally open?

IMO, Vancouver provides cruisers with two advantages - the ship sails the Inside Passage and it is closer to the Alaskan Ports. I do not have the Seattle port to compare it to, but even with the masses of people and the additional COVID and other security, it was very organized. Although flying through Canada was a chaotic symphony, I am hoping that in the future (even near future), many of the issues will have been cleared away. The use of the ArriveCAN app was actually very easy to use. The security issues will not go away, but we just got unlucky coming back home, and under more normal circumstances, it will hopefully not be so much of an issue. Even under normal circumstances, there can be delays, backups, and cancellations. [Flashback - for one flight back from Europe we transferred planes in Portugal. Although we had two hours between flights, the line for security was extremely long and we almost missed our flight (happens a lot to me, doesn't it). Luckily, there was a tour group of almost 50 people also on our connecting flight, also in-line with us. So the flight was delayed for this large group, and we were just the beneficiaries.] Having been to Vancouver, I would like to visit and explore Seattle. Besides hearing a lot about the city itself, Washington is one of the 5 states I still have not yet travelled (and many places to explore in the great state of Washington as well). If we do take another Alaskan cruise, it would leave out of Seward, but I would love for it to disembark in Seattle.

A. Colorful Commentary Sorry, the review itself is over, so no more colorful commentaries. I enjoyed writing them. My 9 to 5 is an endless world of non-fiction. For the most part, this review is non-fiction, and I write a non-fictional blog. This subsection provided me with a creative fictional outlet. I had begun writing the ultimate fictional All-American novel and have taken it up and put it down over the years – life has gotten in the way. Maybe one day I can work on it in earnest. What did you, the reader, think of the colorful commentaries? Did it add to the review or detract from it? Although the next review on here is a year coming, should I include it in future CC reviews? B. Comparison of this Cruise to Past Cruises A true comparison of this cruise to others would not be very accurate at this time. Our last cruise was on another line, a much larger ship, and five years ago before COVID was even a warning. Our last RCI cruise was nine years ago on the Legend (currently employed as the Marella Discovery 2). The food could not positively compare to any cruises we have experienced before due to supply chain issues, staff shortages, inflation, etc. and the entertainment was lacking due to staff shortages and the industry making its way out of the pandemic. When things go back to normal, I will compare cruises. For now, I am going to let these things slide. I do want to note that service from all around the ship was just as good as, or better than other cruises we have had in the past. C. If I were to Do it Again One of the major worries I had, caused by several comments on these boards was that I would regret not going to Glacier National Park. Honestly, I have absolutely no regrets that we visited the Sawyer Glacier (sailing down the beautiful Tracy Arm), we visited the massive Hubbard Glacier, and even have a magnificent view of Mendenhall Glacier (albeit, from afar). If the same itinerary were to be offered again, I would take it again - - - if no other option were available. However, if you look at my signature below, I have been on nine different cruises, all with different itineraries and ports. So if I were to take another Alaskan cruise, it would be a different. If I cruise those waters again, I would like to try a southbound out of Seward (with a few days pre-cruise to visit Denali and other sites), with visits to GNP, College Glacier, Skagway, ISP, and maybe Haines, and disembarking in Seattle – all completely stops and ports than this previous cruise. I was also reading an article about “cruising” the Inner Passage by Ferry. Sounds like a very interesting idea. D. Attitude There are many, many negative reviews by cruise passengers that post on Cruise Critic. Many are one-and-done that post only once to make their complaints. A great deal of their bad experiences could have been resolved with a minute amount of research. Others allow one bad moment to define their entire vacation. My family had experienced a number of these moments, but luckily we were able to let them roll off our sleeves and enjoy all of the great things that this vacation had to offer. The things that happened to us, that some may have let ruin their vacations: · Extra precautionary measures due to COVID (e.g., testing and posting all the information) · Cancelled flights going to Vancouver, leaving on the spur of the moment, and almost not arriving in time for the cruise · Food on the cruise ship was much lower than expectations (in addition to the Korean BBQ in Vancouver) · Entertainment was lacking · The only enrichment speaker cancelling for this cruise · Not getting very close to the Hubbard Glacier · My long-time friend, my Kindle stop working in the first day of the vacation · Hair blower did not work · Clouds hanging over us in the mornings for most of the trip, and rain in Vancouver on our last day · The elevator incident · Wait staff mistakenly served bread with cheese and on another occasion, a on another occasion, a dish that contained cheese · It was too cold, wet, or windy to run on deck every morning · There was little to no air conditioning on the bus for our outdoor adventure · Seeing the homeless situation walking around Vancouver · Having to literally run to connecting flight back to NJ (and having to throw out two bottles of drinks I had just purchased at a second security stop). I am sure that there are more, but who cares? We made it onto the cruise, and everyone was healthy and safe. When it is all said and done, it is the good things that we are going to remember. In contrast to the above list, there are multiple pages of good, scratch that, great things that happened. E. Reasons for Why we Cruise (Transportation vs. Destination) All of us cruise (or do not cruise) as the choice for our vacations for many different reasons. While researching our next cruise, one thing really did home for me. I don’t give a darn about the ship we cruise on (except for looking at demographics, which do not matter as much anymore). As of now, it looks like we will be on Lady G (Grandeur of the Seas) because of the itinerary. I was looking at an extended family trip out of the NY/NJ area. I saw that the Oasis has a “Perfect Day” itinerary with Florida, Nassau (Bahamas), and CocoCay. I know that people love, love, love CoCoCay, but I would not look to spend money on such an itinerary where I go to Florida (been there a hundred times), Nassau (been there one, not one of my favorite islands), and what I refer to as “Corporate Cay” (to me it is a beach – I spent the summers of my youth on the beach, and can avoid them as an adult). Once again, I know people like it, it’s just not my cup of tea. There are some, like my mom that love, love, love beaches and sitting out in the sun - I guess I just did not inherit that gene. For me (and my family), we cruise to see and experience new places, history, culture, etc., etc., one of the private islands just does not have what we are looking for. But the cruise would be on the Oasis of the Seas that has all the new bells and whistles, you may say. It would be nice if the ship had that stuff on the itinerary I would like to sail, but they are things that would tantalize me to sail that ship if it did not have the itinerary I wanted. There are no real right or wrong answers here. We all like different things and therefore we take different vacations. F. Style, format of this Review Hopefully you have all enjoyed the way I had presented this review in both the writing style as well as the format. Although writing a day-by-day review would have been easier, I think (and you can tell me if I am wrong), this format (by time of day) allowed me to consolidate all of the information on a specific subject in one post (e.g., all 7 dinners at once, instead of discussing each dinner separately every night). As I stated earlier, I added the “Colorful Commentary” section to begin each topic as an outlet for my own creativity. I know that most of those do not provide any assistance to the reader as far as cruising is concerned, but I believe it alights the reader into a better frame of mind for reading my sometimes-lengthy dissertations. I like the format I used by structuring the beginning of each section with a separate post introducing it with the time and title in a large font, followed by another separate post with a quote related to the subsequent content. Are my posts too long? Probably. But that is the writer I am (except at work). I want to make sure that you, the reader, receives as much information as possible to better plan your own cruise. The one thing I am disappointed in myself is with the photos. I do not believe the quality or photographic artisanship was present for all but the pictures of nature. Most of my others pictures seemed more like random snapshots than framed photographs. I also did not like how they were displayed in their own separate post instead of within the proper call-outs after the discussion of said graphic. Visually, it would have also broken up the long segments of text. I should have also re-read some of my posts. Due to time constraints, and the vast amount of data I wanted to provide, I would usually write during the time I had available, without re-looking at what I had written. I am not sure how many spelling, grammatical, or other errors there have been – or worse yet, an unintentional word that reverses the meaning of a phrase or sentence. For those mishaps, I apologize. However, my biggest disappointment with writing this review is the lack of back-and-forth. If I titled this review in a negative context, such as “Worst Cruise Ever,” I would have 150 members post comments almost instantly. If I wrote “Royal Caribbean is the Worst Cruise Line Ever,” the number of posts would jump at least three-fold. Overall, I enjoyed writing this review. G. Thank you First, a shout out to all the people that work hard every day to make sure tourists like me have a great vacation, from the people at the airlines (stewardesses, pilots, baggage department) to people in the cruise industry (from the captains to the guys that take your bags at the port) to the individuals in the hotel industry, to the people from the farmer to the trucker that brings us our food, and to everyone else I have forgotten to mention. Without every one of you vacations for everyone would not be possible. I once again want to say thank you to all of the readers of this review. My intention was to help others, as I have been helped before on this site; and I hope I have succeeded. Cheers, Travel R and the Travel R Family Up Next . . . . Q&A [I’ll keep coming back to check this thread for any questions.]

A Short Summary (Short? . . . Who Am I Kidding) estions or comments.]

Before anyone asks why I am posting so much this morning . . . I have a very busy week at work ahead of me (I actually spent most of yesterday and plan on spending most of today working), so I figured I would just post the remainder of what I had already written in case I do not have the time to do so this week. [Right now I am procrastinating - there is a lot of work, and not looking forward to beginning my day. But I have to work to make money to go on more vacations.] Yes, I will post the Compass's whenever I get a chance. It's a PITB to do so from my computer/printer, so I have to use my DD's, and need to find the time. Sorry for the delay.

My pleasure! Details and map are attached . . . . My review of our walk through Sitka (Post #137) . . Walk through Sitka was amazing (even without paying for the museums). Depending on time, the $2 public bus may be your best low-cost option. I have taken many busses/trains in non-English speaking countries, so this should be a cinch. The Mendenhall Glacier looked amazing from our view out in the Bay, so it must be even more amazing up-close. From what I read the visitor center is nice, and the walking trail is not too tough. I've seen some pretty poor parts of this world. However, I was taken back at Vancouver. Whatever I read (except for a few random comments on CC), it was a beautiful city. I had taken a virtual run through Stanley Park and it was amazing. I grew up in NYC with homeless on the streets (before Bloomberg swept them under the rug), and walking around Times Square on a late Saturday night in the early 1980s was something out of the movies with Pimps dressed to the max sitting in their Bentley convertibles as street walkers did their business (with the occasional cat fight when one thought another was taking their John). [One of the best video-game/pinball places was a block off of Times Square.] Harlem (before its revitalization), or even parts of Brooklyn showed its darker side. I am not sure it it is an East coast perspective more than being confronted with the contradictions of what expected from my readings (or maybe I did not research enough). If my family wanted to experience the more touristy parts of Vancouver by turning left (west), we would have experienced a different city. In hindsight, even knowing what it is like, I am glad we took the course we did. The Vancouver Police Museum, and the Chinese Gardens were gems in that part of the city. SitkaWalkingTourDetails.pdf Sitka Walking Map.pdf

Photos from the airport in Vancouver (Calgary was a blur and no time for photos)

F. Return Flight(s) Home – “the Sprint” We woke up early, got dressed, and headed down to the hotel lobby. I inquired the concierge about transportation to the airport, and he happily called a cab, which arrived within a few minutes. We placed our baggage into the car and enjoyed a nice ride to the airport (who had taken an Alaskan cruise with his family two weeks prior). Although this time we noticed the obvious contrast of the inner city with it’s much lusher outside with its immense expensive homes. Our cab arrived to our terminal in good time (luckily, once again, we experienced very short lines for check-in (which we did electronically) and customs). We arrived at the gate, dropped our stuff, and my DD and I solicited multiple vendors to put together breakfasts (and lunches) for each of us, which was not easy since we have our own likes and dislikes and many of the venues at the airport have limited menus and they cannot be altered (even for a place that made the sandwiches themselves). [Unfortunately, locating breakfast or lunch sandwiches without cheese (due to my allergy) was one of the toughest challenges.] But once we returned, we sat back, ate, relaxed. That is, until we received word that our flight was going to be delayed. [The flight cancellations of the week prior was still ongoing. As early as two hours prior to when the flight was originally going to be delayed there were multiple people waiting at the desk. All trying to get onto our flight after cancellations of their previous flights.] When we saw the new flight time, we became worried. The delay provided us with only 59 minutes to get from our first flight to the second. My wife asked the agent at the counter if this would be an issue, the agent responded that an attendant on the flight will let us know. We did not receive notification from any attendants on our flight. Our initial odyssey to Vancouver was hectic, why shouldn’t the way back be any easier? It makes for a better story. Besides the delay, we arrived at the gate in Calgary even later than expected. Time was short and we hit yet another roadblock. We had to unexpectedly pass-through customs yet again. No, I did not realize that we would be going through another customs station (we were flying domestically one Canadian City to another Canadian city; and we remained within the “Gate” areas). I was PO’d that I had to throw away the two bottles of drinks I had purchased just prior to the first flight, but that was to be a minor point of aggravation. My DD17 was flagged by the border agents and was “asked” to undergo a super-duper security check. The agents rummaged through every inch of her carry-on (including dusting for explosives), her entire body was rescanned with manual detectors, and was questioned (interrogated) about where she had been, who she was with, and where she was going. Separately, they had also flagged my backpack, although luckily it was a quick search. When they finished with my search, there were only 15 minutes before the flight was going to be taking off (leaving us behind watching it fly away through the large airport windows without us) – and my DD was still in the clutches of the border patrol. We decided that myself and my DD22 would run ahead while my DW remained with my DD17. There was one additional checkpoint where they scanned our tickets to track the whereabouts of our luggage (i.e., if it will be on the flight). We were cleared and told that the luggage would be on our desired aircraft – with or without us). We ran. I am not talking figuratively – we literally sprinted from one side of the Calgary Airport (YYC) to the next and got onto the end of the waning line of passengers. I did not expect the airport to be that long – we ran from the end of Terminal B to the far end of Terminal D (fortunately, we were not in A). [Memories: The last time something like this happened to me, myself and some companions had a connecting flight in Cincinnati; the flight attendants had already talked to the gate (and notified us while we were still on the airplane), and one of those little passenger cars was ready and waiting for us, which whisked our way to the next gate. The driver sped through the airport honking his horn the entire time to warn everyone to get out of the way. Yes, it was fun. We were so late that they had to re-open the hatch to let us in. Our luggage arrived to our destination a day later.] A few moments later, just as we got to the gate to present our tickets, my DW and DD also appeared running down the terminal. We waited for them to arrive (we told the ticket agent why). We all boarded together as a family and were the last to enter the airplane before the hatch closed behind us. Luckily, there was enough space to place our carry-ons in the overheads (which was a worry since some passenger’s carry-ons can be larger than my checked-in luggage and tend to take up a lot of room). I almost never fall asleep on an airplane, but this almost became an exception. Although tired, I could not find any sleep. Instead, I turned on my TV monitor, plugged in my headphones and watched a Disney movie (Encanto). I know I am a 50+ year old man, but I like Disney and will watch their releases when I can. Since my DDs are older, I do not get a chance to see as many (and none in the movies), so I figured this was my chance. Unfortunately, I really did not care much for this animation. The plot was paper thin and did not find many of the songs to my liking. Although we all are made to feel sorry for the main character (which we did), her character was very vanilla and had very little depth. [Yes, it’s a movie for kids, but think about all the other Disney characters that have interesting back stories.] In fact, I would have rather heard more about some of the more interesting side-characters in the story. But it kept me entertained enough to pass the time. Boringly, there were no further incidents. We landed on time, our bags were the first to come down the chute (probably because they were thrown on last), hailed a cab very quickly (there is a booth at EWR to do so), and made it home without any traffic. I did not unpack. I did not even shower (although I did change). Once my head hit the pillow, the sandman paid a visit and the rest, as they say, is history. * * * * Brave adventurers our story has come to an end. We arrived safely to our home, and this is where we must part (although feel free to stay around for the summary / wrap up). Thank you all for coming along on this adventure with the Travel R family. Hopefully, you learned a few things that you were able to use on your own journey, or maybe just stuck around for the enjoyment. What began as my DW coming down to my office with a mailer telling me to “book it,” has gone its course. Planning for our next adventures is already underway with a trip over the Niagara Falls, a walk in Memphis, and multiple visits New England in the near future, in addition to sailings to the Yucatán Peninsula and upon the rivers of Europe in the next two years. Will there be reviews (of the cruises)? Of course. I hope you can all accompany us again on these adventures. Up Next . . . . A Summary

Photos from our Korean BBQ dinner, our hotel room, and a few more shots from Vancouver

More photos from our walk around Vancouver and the Vancouver Police Museum . . . .

Photos from the Chinese Gardens . . .

Random photos from Vancouver, including: Walking - A scene from beside the court buildings Mural over a parking lot Protest over the US abortion ruling A concert honoring Japanese Canadians Dr. Seuss Exhibit Memorial (maybe to Mariners?) The Steam Clock

E. Vancouver E1. Downtown and Dishonest Coffee Our plan was not to leave to see the views from beyond the city. We decided to remain within the downtown area and get about by walking and taking cabs to the three main areas I had outlined above. After checking in and unloading our bags in the hotel room we were hungry, and my DW wanted coffee, so we walked to the nearby Starbucks for a sip to drink and a small bite to eat. Although it was a normal Starbucks no different than anywhere else, there was one incident that caused me to become upset. I wanted (needed) to use the restroom, but there was a sign that read “out of order.” After seeing several homeless people on the street in the one and a half block walk, I figured that they put up the sign (and locked the door) to deter non-customers from using it. When I walked up to the counter pick up my food, I asked the barista if I could us it. They responded that the person with the key was not there yet. However, moments later, someone from behind the counter opened the door with their key and entered. From that point on, I began referring to Starbucks as the “dishonest coffee” (and have kept it up). We had to then walk back to the hotel for use of the restroom before taking off again on our journey. E2. Steam Clock The first stop on our journey was to see the famous Vancouver Steam Clock. Although the streets were fairly populated, and we passed by some high-end stores, some of the people out and about seemed a bit unsavory. Otherwise, it was a decent walk, which also gave us a view of Canada Place and their version of the Space Needle (we did not go up). It is not a very large clock, but it was cool to look at. The exterior is glass, allowing spectators to view its inner workings. There was a large crowd about, which was to be expected, and the first thing I thought of was to tell my family to watch out for pickpockets. Although the clocks looks like it is from the 1800s and would make use of the system provided in this area to heat homes, it was built in 1977. [Did you know: This is the second steam clock ever built (the first was built in 1859 in Birmingham, England). The reason for this clock being erected? The sad reason was to cover up a grate covering steam pipes on that corner so that the homeless could not camp out there for warmth.] E3. Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Gardens The walk to the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Gardens was a short distance from the Steam Clock, so we figured it would not a long walk, and decided to continue walking. The area between the Clock and the Gardens was even more depressed than the earlier streets we had traversed. There were many homeless on the street, and a few makeshift shanti towns areas along abandoned stores. Although I was not afraid (I’ve unfortunately seen worse), my daughters and wife did not feel safe – and we crisscrossed the streets multiple times in order to avoid certain areas. It was enlightening for my daughters to see this – for most of their lives they have grown up with a view of the pretty side of suburbia, and although they are well travelled for their age, it is usually visits to the more touristy areas. To be fair, there were not only homeless in the area, the second largest demographic of the area were students (or at least individuals of, or around, that age group). I had (still have) a friend from work that I spoke to regularly but was stationed at an office on the west coast. They that told me that they had once “experienced New York.” I asked them where they went, and they rattled off all of the usual tourist spots – Broadway, Times Square, Statue of Liberty, etc. I then stated that they did not really experience New York, they just saw the tourist side of town. Until you really live in a place and do what the locals do, you really cannot truly experience it (and this includes a few people I have known that have lived in Manhattan and only know it from the aspect of $ - never setting foot in any of the outer boroughs, only seeing these foreign lands via a cab to the airport). I was most surprised that this apparent depression was so close to the city’s downtown area. It is never a good sign of the times when the underbelly of a city is so noticeably exposed, but I digress . . . . . From out of the storm comes a ray of light. The Gardens are like an oasis in a barren dessert. Although the small alleyway to the entrance is very unassuming, after you pay and walk through a little wooden door you are transported almost instantaneously into an area surrounded by tranquility and serenity. There are several small courtyards, each containing beauty of their own. The architecture, stones, plants, and trees are placed and constructed precisely to create an amazing effect that transcends both the body and the mind. We walked around slowly and enjoyed all of the views, sitting in some of the benches strategically placed throughout. [Note: there are two major parts to the garden, and you need to go out into the alleyway to reach the second area, which includes a nice little gazebo.] There is a little guide booklet that provides information on each area, as well as information on what each element of the garden represents. There is also a little (meditation) room with complimentary soothing hot tea for visitors. Can you tell, we enjoyed our visit there. E4. Vancouver Police Museum The next stop of our journey was to the Vancouver Police Museum. Not too far of a walk, a few blocks further west. Yes, the mood of the surroundings became bleaker as we continued to add distance between us and the city’s center. The weather was much the same. Fortunately, although the sky was overcast the entire day, it only drizzled once or twice in the morning and only hinted at additional rain the remainder of the day. The museum was a very interesting place to visit. It is not usually listed as one of the must-visit places in Vancouver, and we found it on a website I found on “unique places to visit in Vancouver.” But it is what we, as a family, decided would be of most interest to us. The museum is not very large. All of the exhibits are contained in a half dozen rooms on the second floor of the old police coroner’s building. Displayed upon some of its walls were guns and other strange and interesting weapons confiscated by the department over the years. There is a room dedicated to the history of the Vancouver police force, another with some exhibits used during crimes (e.g., an axe used to murder a family, which still includes a piece of hair of one of the victims), and a room focusing on investigation and fingerprinting. he most interesting room (for us) was the one that concentrated on autopsies, and included exhibits of several samples from autopsies that had been performed. I was told that there was one thing that I could not photograph – of course it was a restriction on these samples. The museum was very interesting and glad we took the time to visit. As mentioned, it is not one of the “must see” attractions, but it is what was best for my family. By the time we headed out of the museum the afternoon was getting late (where had the day gone?). We were all tired and getting hungry. There were still two hours until our restaurant of choice was to open, so we decided to walk back to the hotel, chill for a little while, and then head off to dinner. Which is exactly what we did. Our hopes of strolling along Stanley Park or having a snack at the market on Granville Island were defeated by exhaustion. Those were both on the “must see” lists, and although they seemed nice, we are glad we chose the options we did. [Reflection: I had once performed a virtual run of Stanley Park and was looking forward to seeing it in person; a lot prettier than the slice of Vancouver we had experienced.] [Note: Please do not let any of my comments above bring you to believing I have ill feelings towards the homeless, that could be furthest from the truth. Because someone is homeless does not make them bad people, evil, or dangerous. As mentioned, (I think above), I had regularly volunteered at a homeless shelter, so I was able to interact with many of these individuals – they are mostly good people that are down on their luck. However, the reality of the situation is that I would not have wanted my DW and/or DDs to walk around that area of Vancouver themselves.] E5. Dinner After a quick nap at the hotel (I was tired) we walked the few blocks to the venue for our evening meal. It was at a restaurant named Shabusen Yakiniku House, which served both an all-you-can eat sushi and Korean BBQ. My family is no stranger to either (and really enjoy both), and because this combined the two (and served fish, which Vancouver is known for), we believed it would be perfect for our last evening of our journey. A quick review of our dining experience could be summarized as “just okay.” We have been to much better sushi houses and Korean BBQ establishments, eve back home in New Jersey (and New York). The restaurant portion is located upstairs, and its aesthetics were okay – providing a semi-Asian motif. One fun thing we experienced was being seated into a booth where we squatted on a low bench surrounding the table and barbeque (and we had to remove our shoes) – although simple, this provided more of an “authentic” feeling. Most of the other tables were more normal/traditional. The portions served were very small (although it was AYCE, so we could order more), and the quality was not as high as other similar restaurants we have frequented, in addition, and the menu was limited – especially for what they charged. For instance, some of the staple items I was looking for on a Korean BBQ / Sushi-Ya menu were not present (e.g., bulgogi, galbi or a wide variety of sushi). Interestingly, customers were limited to an hour and a half (we were told this upon entering, and it was noticeably posted all around the restaurant), which technically means it is not an AYCE restaurant. [One excellent Korean BBQ near our house also includes a salad/side bar buffet, an option not included in this venue.] However, the timing did not affect us. Because we were extremely tired, it affected our appetites, and were probably out of the restaurant within 45-50 minutes (one of my DD’s was literally beginning to fall asleep in the restaurant). Overall, it was a nice dinner with the family, but not a great bang for the buck for quality, variety, or taste. If we ever travel again to Vancouver, we would look for somewhere else to dine. After the completion of the meal, we sluggishly strolled back to the hotel and as expected we all fell asleep (after setting the alarm to awaken only a few short hours later). [Interesting observation: I do not remember any of us ever turning on the Television in either of the hotel rooms we stayed in during this past week.]

Photos of our arrival into Canada Place, Vancouver and views from our hotel window... As you can see the clouds were thick and remained so during the day. It was raining/drizzling when I took a few of the photos out the MDR and hotel windows. [And we finally sat at a window table for breakfast!] Note: the street art pictured is actually on the roof of a building across the street from our room.

A. Colorful Comment The illustrious English poet Chaucer once wrote “All good things must come to an end.” This includes a good book, a good relationship, and also unfortunately a good vacation. [Did you Know: Technically, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote “But at the laste, as every thing hath ende, She took hir leve, and nedes wolde wende.” However, that would not have sounded as intriguing as an opening sentence. Anyway, most of us know this idiom in the way I have written it originally.] In my youth, the idea of travel, or anything other than travel the roads east of Mississippi in my dad’s station wagon was no more than fantasy. From Florida to Canada, we travelled each summer, staking out our baker’s tent at every campsite, seeing the back road and big cities of this side of America, and meeting people of all walks of life from every corner of the globe. Travel by airplane, lodging in a hotel, or sailing on a cruise ship were things I read about or saw on TV. They were not things we did – we just could not afford it. I was in my twenties before I had stepped on foreign soil besides Canada, although it was just an afternoon foray into Tajuana, Mexico with some friends during my first time west of the Mississippi River. At 30 I had not visited more than two countries, yet at 22, my DD has visited two dozen. We feel so, so fortunate that myself and my DW have been able to provide the gift of travel to my children. Maybe it is the reason I enjoy writing about these adventures – I want the enjoyment of the travel with my family to live on long after we have disembarked from the ship, airplane, or auto. In fact, for me, the vacation kind of begins the day I begin to perform research and does not end until the final period is place at the end of my reviews. But this review is not over yet. After this penultimate segment where I discuss leaving the ship and our time in Vancouver, there will be a final post where I provide some concluding thoughts. Then the review will be over but allowing for questions in the days or weeks that follow. B. Departure / Disembark The past few cruises we have made use of the self-disembarked option, and this cruise was no exception. Myself and my family are still physically fit enough to carry (really roll) our luggage off of the ship ourselves. I do not enjoy the idea of having to give up control of my belongings many hours prior to docking (the evening beforehand), and then being required to wait for permission to disembark. This is followed by making our way downstairs crowded together with a few hundred other “friends,” then subsequently trying to identify our luggage in a crowded pen amongst hundreds of other similar bags). Although the whole process may sound very authoritarian, I have gone that route in the past, and never enjoyed it. Therefore, we find it less hassle to just get the heck off the ship ourselves. The only long wait for an elevator was on this last morning when trying to go down to the deck for disembarking (which was Deck 2). A tip is to take an empty lift going up, then once it has reached its apogee ride it back down. We required a taxi to take us to our hotel in the downtown area, and there was a line for taxis as soon as you get to the outer doors of the port building. It was all very convenient – we provided the logistics manager at the front of the line with the number of people in our party and where we were headed; they directed us which lane and spot # for us to walk to. A cab came within moments and whisked us off to our final leg of our journey. [It was a fairly quick and direct ride to our hotel. More on the hotel below.] C. Tipping I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – tipping is a personal thing. If you have paid for your appreciation prior to your cruise, you are not obliged to pay more. However, if you think a member of the went above and beyond, then give them a little more. What do they want? Cash, money, moolah, clams, dinero, etc. However, sometimes if you are going to a port that has places for shopping, ask them if they need any personal items – they work hard and if you can pick it up for them, it would greatly help them out from spending their limited free time from having to shop (and better if you pay for the item). I have heard stories of the wait or dining staff sometimes asking for a favorite cake or candy, which is also nice to bring them. For those that do not know, their living quarters is very, very small, so anything but the bare necessities takes up space – personal items will be used and discarded and food/drink will be consumed. If it is the last day of the cruise and I am in a foreign port, I will leave them with all (or most) of the foreign money I have with me (they will be able to use it, and you do not need to convert it). I once took two bottles of wine aboard, but only drank one, so the other was left to the steward (in addition to the cash). D. Hotel The hotels (comparatively to many other cities) in the downtown area are expensive. I wanted to stay downtown, since it was centrally located to all of the sites we were considering visiting (Gastown/Chinatown; Granville Island; and Stanley Park); literally in the center of all three locations. While staying in this area was more expensive, I did go with my pocketbook in our decision and chose the Holiday Inn Downtown Vancouver, which was at the lower end of the available options. Having stayed in many Holiday Inns over the years, I was very impressed with this one. First off, we checked in at a little after 9 AM, and they were able to provide us with a room (as you know, many hotels do not have anything until after 3 PM; 1 PM if you are lucky). I reserved one room for the four of us (double beds) and the room was very spacious (for a Holiday Inn), and included a large and well-designed bathroom, and it was overall aesthetically pleasing. The only negative was the view from the window which looked down upon a dreary back street of the city – the intensity of the sun, or lack thereof, was also impeded by the rain clouds that were persistent in the sky until we said farewell to the city on the following day. Although, at first glance the area did not look too bad, once we got outside to explore, it became evident how depressed the city was. A fact that the tourist brochures do not mention.

“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” [Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter]

Post Cruise

Photos from some of the evening's entertainment: Picture of the Tropical Theater stage, awaiting a show to begin, and a photo of the balcony seats Here's Johnny . . . John Blair, our Cruise Director for the sailing A few photos from the production numbers Waiting for the Hush Party to begin (notice all of the lighted headsets on the table) The House Band (they were very good) One of our cruise friends singing Karaoke