Life and live from Nieuw Amsterdam up north to Alaska

[Copper10-8]

Day #1 - After a leisurely breakfast on the 23rd floor of the Pan Pacific, we rolled our luggage downstairs to the co-located Canada Place cruise ship terminal (the hotel has a dedicated "cruise ship level" elevator.) It was an easy hop, skip and a roll to the porters. From there, it was the actual cruise ship check-in which, with four ships in port, was a busy affair. After check-in, it was a bit of a "zig-zag livestock style" meander to get to shore-side security screening of individuals and carry-on luggage, and then another "hurry up and wait" for pre-clearance border screening, not by Canadian CBSA, but by officers of the United States Customs & Border Protection (CBP).

 

You see, the United States federal government operates border pre-clearance facilities at a number of ports and airports in foreign territory. The process is intended to streamline border procedures, reduce congestion at U.S. ports of entry, and facilitate travel between the pre-clearance location and U.S. ports of entry unequipped to handle international travelers.

 

After the obligatory welcome aboard pic by the ship's photographers (hey, no one is holding a knife to your throat to later purchase these pics!), we took one of Nieuw A's scenic elevators to Deck 7 and to our floating crib. Dropped off the carry-on's and headed for the Lido Marker for a salad and soup lunch. As we were leaving the abode, our luggage was delivered pronto; fast service by Nieuw A's Housekeeping Dept.!

 

The 4:00 PM mandatory passenger emergency safety drill was one of the fastest and most efficient "mustard" drills that we've seen in twenty-seven years of cruising. Everyone showed up, got scanned in by the asst. boat commander and, at least as was the case with our boat, #10, paid attention/quit flapping their lips" as Captain Marco Carsjens and CD Rebecca read their safety and health schpiel via the ship's P/A system. We were dismissed exactly nineteen minutes after arriving, a fact which drew an applause from many of our fellow shipmates! Impressive feat!

 

After unpacking, we did some jelling and vegging until it was time for dinner (we chose a casual one in the Lido and had Rigatoni). From there, it was a beeline for the last portion of the first set (8:30 PM) of the B.B. King's All-Star Band which, we found out, was standing room only, not one available seat in in the house! The band sounded spectacular as usual, with lead female singer Stephanie Bolton standing out.

 

We stuck around for the entire second set (were able to locate two front row seats) and then finished up the night with the two Billboard Onboard pianists/vocalists Ivy and Jonathan. The main entertainment in the show lounge tonite was the movie "Avengers Endgame"starting at 8:30 PM

 

Pic is the reason behind this ship's name prominently displayed opposite the Deck 2 port-side scenic elevators. New York City's nick name "The Big Apple" was first popularized in the 1920s by John J. FitzGerald, a sports writer for the New York Morning Telegraph.

 

[canadianbear]

Enjoy your cruise!!

[Copper10-8]

Nieuw Amsterdam, upon arrival at one of the two west berths of Canada Place, right below us

 

 

 

[Copper10-8]

Without a doubt, the most efficient and fastest mandatory passenger emergency muster drill I've/we've been associated with!! We arrived at our muster station, Boat #10, at 4:00 PM and were dismissed at 4:19 PM. What no doubt helped are the PDA (personal digital assistant as opposed to public display of affection ) handheld devices used by the asst. boat commanders to take role. Outstanding job by Nieuw A Staff Captain Martijn's guys and girls! Very impressive!

 

 

 

Edited August 11, 2019 by Copper10-8

[Canadianweaselette]

I am looking forward to your review. we will sail on NA in just 5 weeks time. Bon Voyage!

[Copper10-8]

Our humble abode/crib/casa on Deck 7/Rotterdam Deck port side. I've included pics of the loo/head. Why? I don't really know 🤓

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Copper10-8]

The Canada Place cruise terminal is located on the Burrard Inlet waterfront of Vancouver. It is the home of the Vancouver Convention Centre (British spelling), the Pan Pacific Hotel, Vancouver's World Trade Centre, and the virtual flight ride ‘FlyOver Canada’. The building's exterior is covered by fabric roofs resembling sails. It is here where Vancouver's cruises to Alaska originate, although Vancouver has a second cruise ship pier, the Ballantyne Pier, located just to the east.

 

Canada Place was built on the land which was originally the Canadian Pacific Railway’s Pier B-C. Built in 1927, its primary purpose was to serve CPR and other shipping lines trading across the Pacific Ocean.

In 1978 Federal, Provincial and Municipal governments commenced planning for development of convention, cruise ship and hotel facilities.

 

Four years later, the Government of Canada created a crown corporation, Canada Harbour Place Corporation, to develop the Canada Place project on the Pier B-C site. Construction began when HM Queen Elizabeth II arrived on the Royal Yacht Britannia with the Right Hon. Pierre Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada and The Hon. William R. Bennett, Premier of British Columbia to initiate the first concrete pour.

 

During Expo 86, the Canada Pavilion at Canada Place was opened by HRH Prince Charles and The Right Hon. Brian Mulroney, Prime Minister of Canada. Among the largest and most elaborate pavilions presented by any nation at any World's Fair, the Canada Pavilion hosted more than 5 million visitors prior to the October 13, 1986 closing date.

 

Canada Place can be reached via the Sky Train line at the nearby Waterfront Station terminus or via West Cordova Street in Vancouver. The white sails of the building have made it a prominent landmark for the city, as well as drawing comparisons to the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia and the Denver International Airport in Denver, Colorado.]

 

The structure was expanded in 2001 to accommodate another cruise ship berth and in 2009/10, for the 2010 Winter Olympics for which Canada Place served as the main press center.

 

Today on our departure, all four of Canada Place’s four cruise ship berths were occupied by Nieuw Amsterdam, Crystal Serenity, Golden Princess and the French luxury cruise ship Le Soleal. We were the first out of the starting blocks right around 4:30 PM

 

 

 

 

[Copper10-8]

Outbound Vancouver, BC via Burrard Inlet, past Stanley Park, underneath the Lions Gate Bridge, into English Bay and into the Straight of Georgia. We had a good look at Brockton Point Lighthouse located in Stanley Park. The light was first established at the location in 1890. A square tower, painted white with a red horizontal stripe, was built in 1914. The light has a red lantern and an arched base with a walkway underneath. It has been officially inactive since 2008 but may still be displayed occasionally for decorative purposes. The site is owned by the Canadian Coast Guard and has been managed by the Vancouver Parks Board since 2006.

 

As is customary with cruise ship departures in Vancouver, we received an escort from "VFPA 5 Yapanec," a port tender from the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. Inbound and passing us at high speed was a Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) / Garde Côtière Canadienne (GCC) Zodiac RHIB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 11, 2019 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

The Lions Gate Bridge, opened in 1938, officially known as the First Narrows Bridge, is a suspension bridge that crosses the first narrows of Burrard Inlet and connects the City of Vancouver to the North Shore municipalities of the District of North Vancouver, the City of North Vancouver, and West Vancouver. The term "Lions Gate" refers to The Lions, a pair of mountain peaks north of Vancouver. Northbound traffic on the bridge heads in their general direction. A pair of cast concrete lions were placed on either side of the south approach to the bridge in January 1939

 

 

 

 

 

[Copper10-8]

And a good look at Prospect Point Lighthouse, also in Stanley Park, and located just west and below the Lion's Gate Bridge. It was built after the steamship ss Beaver slammed into Prospect Point in 1888. Starting in 1899, the light was fully manned by a lighthouse keeper for 38 years until 1926 when the it was converted to electricity use which made it no longer a necessity to have a keeper.

 

 

 

[Atomica]

Love the live report! Enjoy your time onboard; we're still reminiscing about our own voyage on Nieuw Amsterdam two weeks ago!

[*Miss G*]

This is fabulous!  Enjoy your cruise and watch out for the shower curtain!

[cat shepard]

Bon Voyage!

[Mtn2Sea]

Enjoy your cruise!  I really like all the background information you provide in your review.

[T8NCruise]

Quick question, and just curious - the Pan Pacific takes your luggage from your room to the ship.  Why did you take your own luggage to the porter?  Just wondering if you have had a bad experience with luggage going astray.  We have stayed at the PP and like that part of the service.

[Copper10-8]

6 minutes ago, T8NCruise said:

Quick question, and just curious - the Pan Pacific takes your luggage from your room to the ship.  Why did you take your own luggage to the porter?  Just wondering if you have had a bad experience with luggage going astray.  We have stayed at the PP and like that part of the service.

 

My fault; didn't pay attention when booking the room and didn't find out about them providing the luggage service until breakfast yesterday. Their deadline to get it done was 11:00 AM. By then it was too late and we humped it ourselves which was no big deal  We know better next time!

[erewhon]

Thank you for taking us with you on your Alaskan cruise.

Best wishes to you both for a wonderful cruise.

[Copper10-8]

2 minutes ago, erewhon said:

Thank you for taking us with you on your Alaskan cruise.

Best wishes to you both for a wonderful cruise.

 

Kia ora Phil and thanks! Please give our regards to the Mrs. 

[rafinmd]

Bon Voyage!  Will you be doing the Allen Marine tour to Tracy Arm or are you headed straight to Juneau?

 

Roy

[erewhon]

26 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Kia ora Phil and thanks! Please give our regards to the Mrs. 

 

Kia ora,   Will do.

[Himself]

2 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

Day #1 - After a leisurely breakfast on the 23rd floor of the Pan Pacific, we rolled our luggage downstairs to the co-located Canada Place cruise ship terminal (the hotel has a dedicated "cruise ship level" elevator.) It was an easy hop, skip and a roll to the porters. From there, it was the actual cruise ship check-in which, with four ships in port, was a busy affair. After check-in, it was a bit of a "zig-zag livestock style" meander to get to shore-side security screening of individuals and carry-on luggage, and then another "hurry up and wait" for pre-clearance border screening, not by Canadian CBSA, but by officers of the United States Customs & Border Protection (CBP).

 

You see, the United States federal government operates border pre-clearance facilities at a number of ports and airports in foreign territory. The process is intended to streamline border procedures, reduce congestion at U.S. ports of entry, and facilitate travel between the pre-clearance location and U.S. ports of entry unequipped to handle international travelers.

 

After the obligatory welcome aboard pic by the ship's photographers (hey, no one is holding a knife to your throat to later purchase these pics!), we took one of Nieuw A's scenic elevators to Deck 7 and to our floating crib. Dropped off the carry-on's and headed for the Lido Marker for a salad and soup lunch. As we were leaving the abode, our luggage was delivered pronto; fast service by Nieuw A's Housekeeping Dept.!

 

The 4:00 PM mandatory passenger emergency safety drill was one of the fastest and most efficient "mustard" drills that we've seen in twenty-seven years of cruising. Everyone showed up, got scanned in by the asst. boat commander and, at least as was the case with our boat, #10, paid attention/quit flapping their lips" as Captain Marco Carsjens and CD Rebecca read their safety and health schpiel via the ship's P/A system. We were dismissed exactly nineteen minutes after arriving, a fact which drew an applause from many of our fellow shipmates! Impressive feat!

 

After unpacking, we did some jelling and vegging until it was time for dinner (we chose a casual one in the Lido and had Rigatoni). From there, it was a beeline for the last portion of the first set (8:30 PM) of the B.B. King's All-Star Band which, we found out, was standing room only, not one available seat in in the house! The band sounded spectacular as usual, with lead female singer Stephanie Bolton standing out.

 

We stuck around for the entire second set (were able to locate two front row seats) and then finished up the night with the two Billboard Onboard pianists/vocalists Ivy and Jonathan. The main entertainment in the show lounge tonite was the movie "Avengers Endgame"starting at 8:30 PM

 

Pic is the reason behind this ship's name prominently displayed opposite the Deck 2 port-side scenic elevators. New York City's nick name "The Big Apple" was first popularized in the 1920s by John J. FitzGerald, a sports writer for the New York Morning Telegraph.

 

I have seen this many times and love ut.  My disappointment is that the dining room has become the dining room--NOT THE MANHATTAN DINING ROOM as it should be called.  Have they lost their sense of History?

[Himself]

John, You have a great sense of History and I love it.

[RocketMan275]

Wonderful.  We're on board 13 Sep.  How long did it take to get through the check in process?  We're also in Pan Pacific and trying to figure out should we go early or just hang out at the hotel to  maybe 1330.

Edited August 12, 2019 by RocketMan275

[ozcruizer]

Your wonderful photos bring back lovely photos of our leaving Vancouver on the Volendam in 2016.  Looking forward to your posts and photos!

[portofrome]

Enjoy your cruise! Thanks for your wonderful photos.