**Golden Princess May 14, 2011 - Vancouver To Seattle**

[skibear]

Carol & Jim: How about some mountain oysters from Virginia City for the Hangtown Fry? Also, some fool's gold for the gift sharing! A tad bit of snow showers today. Great skiing yesterday. I'm ready for the same weather on our cruise! Thanks for all your efforts in organizing the Meet & Mingle at 11 AM in Skywalkers on the 15th and, of course, the "secrets." I plan to bring a 3 or 5 liter box of great California wine in my suitcase to avoid the super charges for wine on the ship. Think snow! Tom

[Kyana]

Its official CANUCK NATION will be onboard the Golden Princess. First game of the Western Division Final will be on departure day Saturday May 14th. Looking forward to celebrating VICTORY over either San Jose Sharks or (original 6) Detroit Redwings!!! Kesler, Luongo and the Sedins will lead the way. Get the buckets of beer ready.:):)

[Carol & Jim]

Oh no, not the San Jose Sharks!! That's our team, if they win!!;) It will be a fun game, hope they show it onboard. Competition is good!!

 

skibear, we always bring our own wine. I was liking Black Box wine, it wasn't too bad for a box wine. We have to find a liquor store in Vancouver during our stay there. Anybody from up there know where a good place to buy wine is??

 

Here is the latest list of cruisers:

Carol & Jim.........Carol & Jim...................Placerville, CA

Skibear..................Tom& Karen..................Incline Village, NV

Kath00.................Katherine & family...........San Diego, CA

jbeb.....................Jan & Ed....................Sparks/Reno, NV

auntkani...............Karen & DH......................Augusta, GA

Kyana...................Pat & Karen.& Sean....Victoria, BC, Canada

Willygrandma.................(20).......................... New York

SlyOldLady............Steve & Val................. Seattle, WA

cherrypop..............Cherie & Tom.................Delta, Canada

travelcoupletoo........Lisa & David..................So. Calif.

2BeOnaBoat..................................................Northern VA

itsajoke..........................................................???

jauyeung.........................................................???

crazycatlady0..................(4).............................???

hmstins................Margie............................Houston, TX

bellebaby.............. Tom & Mary................ Houston, TX

gatorpwr.................George & Rhonda............St. Cloud, FL

karenannie.................Karen.............................Utah

maple........................................................Lubbock, TX

Jolie214.................Mary.............................Florida

Della1955……..…Debra.........….Toronto, Canada

Alliegirl………………….…………..Richmond, BC

[2BeOnaBoat]

 

2BeOnaBoat..................Paul....................Northern VA

 

I added a real name.

 

Also, is anyone familiar with this coffee house in Vancouver? They have a location close to the port.

 

http://www.caffeartigiano.com/

[Carol & Jim]

Carol & Jim.........Carol & Jim...................Placerville, CA

Skibear..................Tom& Karen..................Incline Village, NV

Kath00.................Katherine & family...........San Diego, CA

jbeb.....................Jan & Ed....................Sparks/Reno, NV

auntkani...............Karen & DH......................Augusta, GA

Kyana...................Pat & Karen.& Sean....Victoria, BC, Canada

Willygrandma.................(20)................. ......... New York

SlyOldLady............Steve & Val................. Seattle, WA

cherrypop..............Cherie & Tom.................Delta, Canada

travelcoupletoo........Lisa & David..................So. Calif.

2BeOnaBoat...................Paul.............. ..........Northern VA

itsajoke.......................................... ................???

jauyeung.......................................... ...............???

crazycatlady0..................(4)................ .............???

hmstins................Margie..................... .......Houston, TX

bellebaby.............. Tom & Mary................ Houston, TX

gatorpwr.................George & Rhonda............St. Cloud, FL

karenannie.................Karen.................. ...........Utah

maple............................................. ...........Lubbock, TX

Jolie214.................Mary..................... ........Florida

Della1955.................Debra...........Toronto, Canada

Alliegirl..............................................Richmond, BC

beautiful_Belly.........Stacy & Dino...........Vancouver, BC

 

 

Thanks Paul, got you on there!:)

 

Sorry Stacy, I had forgot to put you two on the list! Glad I remembered!!:)

[skibear]

Good morning all: I note in the posts that jbeb, of Reno/Sparks, Nevada, won't be on the cruise because of illness. Tom

[skibear]

No need to get on the ship thirsty or empty handed! BC Liquor Store, 555 W Hastings St, near Canada Place, 10A-6P, takes credit card. A tad bit further from Canada Place is BC Liquor Store, 1120 Alberni St, 9:30A-11P. Check internet for other BC Liquor Stores. Tom

[willysgrandma]

Just got back from a cruise on the NCL Epic - can anyone from Canada update us on the current temps in Vancouver? Swapping summer clothes for winter clothes, LOL.

 

Just a few more days!!

[Kyana]

There will be a lot of upset Hockey fans if they don't show the games. San Jose has a great team as does Detroit. We are in for some outstanding Hockey. Their should be thousands of Canuck Jerseys worn on our departure day. Canuck blue everywhere. CANUCK NATION RULES....:):)

By the way my wife Karen is not impressed with my hockey fanaticism.

[Carol & Jim]

Getting ready to leave today! Haven't packed yet!:eek: Can't take suitcases out until dog is at dogsitters. She already suspects somethings up, crazy dog!!

Looks like Friday with just be partly cloudy and Saturday maybe rain, so that's not too bad.

Our Sharks lost, big bummer!:( Still have one more, maybe we can win it!

Time to take dog, thank goodness!!:rolleyes:

[willysgrandma]

You aren't the only one not packed! I am thinking about it - I am sitting here supposedly paying bills yet look where I am!

 

I was steaming at Delta airlines yesterday. We booked our flights 9 months ago for this cruise - a connecting flight into Vancouver and a direct flight home from Seattle.

 

In January, we got a notification they changed both our flights - our connector now had a 45 minute layover in Seattle, and our flight home went from non-stop to a connection in SLC with a 49 minute layover. Now our flights NEVER lave NY on time I knew I would never make a 45 minute layover, so we were able to change the connector to a later flight into Vancouver, but they had nothing to change to coming home.

 

Don't know what possessed me to check Delta again yesterday but when I did, I found they re-instated a direct flight from Seattle to JFK on the 21st - and didn't put us back on it! I called Delta and they moved us back to the direct flight home, so no stressing now about a 49 minute connection in SLC. But they should have automatically put us back on that direct flight after changing us in the first place! Luckily there were 10 seats left on the flight - otherwise, we would have been out of luck.

 

 

Getting ready to leave today! Haven't packed yet!:eek: Can't take suitcases out until dog is at dogsitters. She already suspects somethings up, crazy dog!!

Looks like Friday with just be partly cloudy and Saturday maybe rain, so that's not too bad.

Our Sharks lost, big bummer!:( Still have one more, maybe we can win it!

Time to take dog, thank goodness!!:rolleyes:

[Buckeye Fan]

Invite them all. :) I added my name and cabin# below.

 

We are David and Ann from Oceanside, California and will be on the Golden Princess 7 day Alaska sailing from Vancouver to Seattle on May 14, 2011. Our cabin is E 307 as we speak. Please send an invite if possible as a mind jogger as we sometimes have those senior moments. Look forward to meeting everyone.

 

David and Ann:D

[skibear]

Hi David and Ann: 11 AM on the first sea day, May 15th, in Skywalkers is the Meet and Mingle as arranged by Carol and Jim. I'll be glad to meet you. It's really a lot of fun to meet other cruisers! There seems to be no invites as some other cruise lines provide, just be there or be square! Also, you may want to consider bringing some small gifts, $5-$10 per person, to exchange with the other fantastic cruise criticers (?)[maybe a bottle of Southern California sunshine]. It might be my kind of weather on the cruise (as in Lake Tahoe), cool and moist (perhaps snow!). Tom

[Buckeye Fan]

We are David and Ann from Oceanside, California and will be on the Golden Princess 7 day Alaska sailing from Vancouver to Seattle on May 14, 2011. Our cabin is E 307 as we speak. Please send an invite if possible as a mind jogger as we sometimes have those senior moments. Look forward to meeting everyone.

 

David and Ann:D

 

We booked just about 2 weeks ago and joined the thread on April 30. I thought we were added to the list but did not see our names on the last list so joined it again.

 

Stacy and Dino, we need your help. We are looking for an inexpensive place to stay in Vancouver on Thursday and Friday before we get on the ship on Saturday. If you could email me a suggestion, I would appreciate it. We are not picky, just need a place with a bed and bathroom and not too far out. We will have a car rental so transportation will not be a problem. My email is annandme4664atyahoodotcom. Thanks for your help. David:D

[skibear]

I'm staying at the Sandman Hotel on Georgia St. Booked through Orbitz.com for $105 plus tax = $121 USD. A long walk or short ride to Canada Place where the ship is berthed. I had found less expensive hotels, a bit further out, thru choicehotels.com but I didn't want to deal with taxis. Tom

[Buckeye Fan]

I'm staying at the Sandman Hotel on Georgia St. Booked through Orbitz.com for $105 plus tax = $121 USD. A long walk or short ride to Canada Place where the ship is berthed. I had found less expensive hotels, a bit further out, thru choicehotels.com but I didn't want to deal with taxis. Tom

 

Thanks, Tom. The Graduate is a play adaption of the '60's movie at the Granville Theater and we plan to go either Thursday or Friday night. Maybe we will see you there. We are in Chillawack today and will be going to Vancouver for the cruise.:)

 

David

[alliegirl]

Hi Carole,

Could you add Tom and Lydia Cook Victoria BC

Carol & Jim.........Carol & Jim...................Placerville, CA

Skibear..................Tom& Karen..................Incline Village, NV

Kath00.................Katherine & family...........San Diego, CA

jbeb.....................Jan & Ed....................Sparks/Reno, NV

auntkani...............Karen & DH......................Augusta, GA

Kyana...................Pat & Karen.& Sean....Victoria, BC, Canada

Willygrandma.................(20)................. ......... New York

SlyOldLady............Steve & Val................. Seattle, WA

cherrypop..............Cherie & Tom.................Delta, Canada

travelcoupletoo........Lisa & David..................So. Calif.

2BeOnaBoat...................Paul.............. ..........Northern VA

itsajoke.......................................... ................???

jauyeung.......................................... ...............???

crazycatlady0..................(4)................ .............???

hmstins................Margie..................... .......Houston, TX

bellebaby.............. Tom & Mary................ Houston, TX

gatorpwr.................George & Rhonda............St. Cloud, FL

karenannie.................Karen.................. ...........Utah

maple............................................. ...........Lubbock, TX

Jolie214.................Mary..................... ........Florida

Della1955.................Debra...........Toronto, Canada

Alliegirl..............................................Richmond, BC

beautiful_Belly.........Stacy & Dino...........Vancouver, BC

 

 

Thanks Paul, got you on there!:)

 

Sorry Stacy, I had forgot to put you two on the list! Glad I remembered!!:)

[alliegirl]

Here is a quick heads up for all my fellow cruisers. There is expected to be 20,000 passengers either embarking or disembarking at the Port of Vancouver on Saturday, May 14th as per the morning news today. Cabs will be in short supply so I recommend if you are coming here one or two days prior that you pre-book your cab through the front desk of the hotel. The reason for this congestion is there are 4 ships in at the same time and Vancouver doesn't have the same port facilities as, say, Miami or For Lauderdale. This happened last year as well and we were not off the ship until 11:00AM and those boarding weren't able to do so until 3:30. Hopefully this won't happen this time or I will be travelling with 30 very unhappy people. Here is a suggestion to all of you, if it is crowded, give your bags to the baggage handlers and the go upstairs to the bar at the Pan Pacific rather than stand in line for hours. That's where we will be.

See you on Sunday, Trish

Go Canucks go

[willysgrandma]

Trish, thanks for the heads up! Guess we will be walking from the Metropolitan to the ship pier - not like I can't use the exercise.

[Carol & Jim]

Carol & Jim.........Carol & Jim...................Placerville, CA

Skibear..................Tom& Karen..................Incline Village, NV

Kath00.................Katherine & family...........San Diego, CA

jbeb.....................Jan & Ed....................Sparks/Reno, NV

auntkani...............Karen & DH......................Augusta, GA

Kyana...................Pat & Karen.& Sean....Victoria, BC, Canada

Willygrandma.................(20)................. ......... New York

SlyOldLady............Steve & Val................. Seattle, WA

cherrypop..............Cherie & Tom.................Delta, Canada

travelcoupletoo........Lisa & David..................So. Calif.

2BeOnaBoat...................Paul.............. ..........Northern VA

itsajoke.......................................... ................???

jauyeung.......................................... ...............???

crazycatlady0..................(4)................ .............???

hmstins................Margie..................... .......Houston, TX

bellebaby.............. Tom & Mary................ Houston, TX

gatorpwr.................George & Rhonda............St. Cloud, FL

karenannie.................Karen.................. ...........Utah

maple............................................. ...........Lubbock, TX

Jolie214.................Mary..................... ........Florida

Della1955.................Debra...........Toronto, Canada

Alliegirl......................................... .....Richmond, BC

beautiful_Belly.........Stacy & Dino...........Vancouver, BC

Buckeye Fan..........David & Ann................ So. Calif. E307

Alliegirl friends.........Tom & Lydia........Victoria, BC

You're on here Buckeye Fan. Welcome. Hope you found a hotel. Priceline is always a good way to go, even same day reservations. I'll try to get an invitation to you before Sunday on the ship. If not we'll come knocking on your door, all of us!!!:eek:

You don't have to be on the list to come to the party. All are welcome!!

We are here in Vancouver. Hotel is nice, right across from the shopping center. It is rainy today, oh well, can't have everything! Need to go try Japadog and the Swiss Bakery. Fellow sitting next to me on the plane recommended both. His uncle owns the bakery!!:rolleyes:

Bummer news about the crowds at Canada Place Saturday! Maybe we'll catch a cab really early on Sat morning and run the bags over then walk back to the hotel for awhile.

[willysgrandma]

Carol, how far from the hotel is the pier? The gal I spoke to said it was walkable, maybe a 7 or 8 min. walk.

[alliegirl]

Hi Carole,

 

I can't believe it is raining in downtown Vancouver. It is a beautiful day and evening in Richmond. Tomorrow you should try a stroll through Steveston if it is still raining in downtown. I'll let you know in the morning what the weather is like here.

[Carol & Jim]

7 or 8 min??? Maybe if you're 20 years old, without luggage. Maybe 15 minutes, up and down hill. It's about 10 blocks, roughly. I'm taking a taxi but we have 3 bags of luggage and I'm lazy.

Had a great dinner at Coast restaurant, great seafood.

We're headed to Steveston tomorrow afternoon. Going to the gold mine tomorrow morning then to Steveston. Looking forward to it! Have to go back in messages to see what the restaurant was there.

It was nice this afternoon, no rain on the way to the restaurant.

Found a good local wine, Tinhorn Creek Merlot, very good.

[alliegirl]

It was the Sockeye City Diner

 

See you tomorrow

 

Trish

 

7 or 8 min??? Maybe if you're 20 years old, without luggage. Maybe 15 minutes, up and down hill. It's about 10 blocks, roughly. I'm taking a taxi but we have 3 bags of luggage and I'm lazy.

Had a great dinner at Coast restaurant, great seafood.

We're headed to Steveston tomorrow afternoon. Going to the gold mine tomorrow morning then to Steveston. Looking forward to it! Have to go back in messages to see what the restaurant was there.

It was nice this afternoon, no rain on the way to the restaurant.

Found a good local wine, Tinhorn Creek Merlot, very good.

[Carol & Jim]

We went for lunch, good place. Walked around town some, cute little town. Wind was too cold for me so we didn't walk too much.

Tonite we have a loud Indian concert going on a block away and it is reverberating in our room!! Not liking this, hope it doesn't last too long.

See everyone onboard tomorrow and Sunday. Good luck to us all trying to get to and on the ship!!