LIVE from Radiance of the Seas Alaska September 22nd 2023

[laurieal]

Pre-Cruise in Vancouver Day 2 - continued

 

Once I was done visiting the garden, I was very close to my next destination: New Town Bakery and Restaurant. 
 

 

 

 

 

The placed was pretty packed, which is usually a good sign. You can either sit down and order something to eat, or get something to go. The price will change depending on whether you get a table or not, and they don’t take credit cards (only cash or Canadian debit cards). 

 

The line moved quickly and soon I was out clutching a warm bag of steamed bun and sesame ball. I found a quiet spot close to the accessible entrance of the Chinese Garden and I devoured my bun. It was delicious and the slightly sweet sauce of the pork complimented the bun so well. 

 

 

[laurieal]

Pre-Cruise in Vancouver Day 2 - continued 

 

I was pretty thirsty, so I stopped at a shop called Boba Run for a Vietnamese Coffee. I knew I wanted to end the day in North Vancouver, which meant I had to go to the Waterfront Station to catch a ferry. 

 

It doesn’t look too hilly, I told myself. I’ll just do it on foot. Sometimes I just never learn. 

 

I went up to Gastown, made my way through a hoard of people staring at a clock, then up up to the Waterfront Station where I saw that a Celebrity ship was docked at Canada Place. I wanted to see which ship and get some pictures, so up up up I went to Canada Place where there were actually three cruise ships docked, one of which was the Brilliance. I stayed to watch all three of them sail away because there’s just no feeling like watching those giants as they set off towards new adventures. 
 

 

 

 

 

[laurieal]

Pre-Cruise in Vancouver Day 2 - continued

 

Once they were all gone, I made my way back to Waterfront Station and got on the ferry. It’s a pretty simple process, simply follow the signs for the SeaBus. As with most boats, there are some ramps and bumps, but nothing too steep. 

 

 

 

 

 

While there were a couple of doors with the little wheelchair dude on them, I didn’t see any wheelchair spots inside the ferry. I just parked in a spot and tried not to be in the way, which really would make a great title for my autobiography. 
 

 

 

 

[laurieal]

Pre-Cruise in Vancouver Day 2 - continued 

 

It’s a pretty short and scenic ride to North Vancouver and as we got out of the station we were greeted by a dancing bear. I had a little boogie with him and then checked out the Lonsdale Quay Market. 
 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 19, 2023 by laurieal

[laurieal]

Pre-Cruise in Vancouver Day 2 - continued

 

By the time I got to the Lonsdale Quay Market, a lot of the shops were closed. Still, I found a pie place that looked good and I got a West Coast-Style Tourtière and a Butter Tart. We’re very serious about tourtières where I’m from, so I was curious to see what it was on the West Coast. The answer is: very different, but still nice. 
 

 

 

 

After my meal I spent some time outside watching the Vancouver Skyline get darker as the sun was setting. The day before had been a long and tiring day, so I decided to return to my hotel and get an early night. 

 

 

[Bunny12av]

I love your reviews.  Thank you for sharing them with us!

[Coochuck]

Will be boarding next week for a B2B Cruise from Vancouver to Tampa...If you get an opportunity and  you please note how well the internet is working or not working.  Great job with your review so far,  looking forward to your review of the ship  

[laurieal]

4 hours ago, Coochuck said:

Will be boarding next week for a B2B Cruise from Vancouver to Tampa...If you get an opportunity and  you please note how well the internet is working or not working.  Great job with your review so far,  looking forward to your review of the ship  

I’ll be reporting on the internet for sure. It will be my first time on a ship with Starlink internet and I’m excited to see how well it performs. 

[laurieal]

Pre-Cruise in Vancouver Day 3

 

I had an another group tour booked for that morning, and this time it was all about food. I was supposed to meet the guide at 10:30, but I was up early and decided to make my way over to Granville Island even if the tour didn’t start for a couple of hours. It was an absolutely beautiful (but windy) morning and it seemed like everyone was out for a walk with their floofers. 
 

 

 

 

The easiest way to get to Granville Island from my hotel seemed to be the AquaBus. According to their website, the station closest to my hotel (Plaza of Nations) isn’t accessible, so I went to the closest one which was Yaletown. 

 

[laurieal]

Pre-Cruise in Vancouver Day 3 - continued

 

Approximately 50% of their fleet consists of accessible pontoon-like boats. When the first boat that docked wasn’t one of those, the driver called their dispatch to let them know someone in a wheelchair was waiting at Yaletown and it wasn’t long at all until an accessible boat came to pick me up. The price will vary depending on where you’re going, but for Yaletown to Granville Island I paid 5.75$
 

Small boat above is not accessible. 

 

Pontoon boat is accessible. 

 

I didn’t have time to take a picture, but they have a ramp for wheelchair users to get on board. 

 

 

Edited September 20, 2023 by laurieal

[laurieal]

Pre-Cruise in Vancouver Day 3 - continued 

 

It was a pleasant and quick ride to Granville Island. Once there, it looked like the place was just waking up and most of the stores seemed closed, so I had a quick look around before I picked a spot and worked on my review until it was time to meet the tour guide. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[laurieal]

Pre-Cruise in Vancouver Day 3 - continued

 

We were a small groupe of five, but we were a fun group and for two hours we feasted on all the good things the Granville Island Market has to offer. 

 

First of all, we had the best chai I’ve ever had in my life from the Granville Island Tea Company. Apparently the secret is that the spices are cooked in butter. It certainly felt buttery and decadent and it tasted like Christmas in a cup. 
 

 

Then, we tried two types of sourdough bread from A Bread Affair: one with nuts and one with cranberry. They were both excellent. 

 

 

Then, it was cheese time with a selection of four to try from Benton Brothers. We had cheese curds, which the four Americans in our groupe had never had before. Cheese curds are so prevalent in Quebec that I tend to forget they’re not a thing everywhere. Then, we had some goat cheese mixed with blueberry jam, some smoked Gouda and an aged cheddar. All very nice, even the goat cheese, of which I’m not usually a fan. 

 

 

After the cheese came the charcuteries from Oyama Sausage Co. Out of the six we had to try, the standouts for me were the Black Truffle Salami (you could see actual pieces of truffles inside) and the beef that just melted in your mouth. An honourable mention to the pâté de campagne that tasted very good spread on some of my leftover nutty sourdough. 

 

 

 

The next stop was pickle chips, but I forgot to take a picture. I’m really not a fan of pickles, so I ate one just to try, but it wasn’t for me. They were a hit with the other people on the tour, though. 

 

The next course was salmon from Longliner Seafoods. The cold smoked lox was so tender it practically chewed itself while the maple candied nuggets were a sweet surprise. Both excellent. 

 

 

From Sen Pad Thai, we had Pad Siew. This dish was a favourite for everyone in our group. It was incredibly flavourful and the rice sheet noodles were a first for me and I loved them. Considering how easy and fun it was to get to Granville Island with the AquaBus, I may go again just to get a full portion of the Pad Siew if I get the chance. 

 

[laurieal]

Pre-Cruise in Vancouver Day 3 - continued

 

Then, it was time to start on desserts. First, we had a lemon square from a place called… The Lemom Square. Tart, sweet, delicious…it was a hit for sure. If I get the chance to go back to Granville Island for Pad Siew, I think my dessert will be a lemon square. 
 

 

 

After that, we had chocolate from ChocolaTas. We could pick between white chocolate matcha, milk chocolate salted caramel or dark chocolate mint. I went with the mint one and didn’t regret it. You know it’s good quality chocolate when the solid chocolate casing is so incredibly fine. 

 

 

Reading this, are you starting to feel like we were eating for ages? Yeah, it felt like that too. After the chocolate, we had a salted caramel macaron from Le bon macaron. So good, so delicate. They have a bunch of flavours, some of which are savoury, and I wish I could have tasted one of those. 

 

 

 

The last two stops were enjoyed at the same time: coffee from JJ Bean and a honey glazed donut from Lee’s Donuts. Apparently those donuts were featured in a Netflix show and since then it’s quite common to see a huge line for that shop. I get it. The donut was excellent. 

 

 

And then, we were done. It was an excellent tour and while it was a bit pricey, I feel like it was worth it. We got so much food! 

[laurieal]

Pre-Cruise in Vancouver Day 3 - continued

 

I stayed outside the market for a bit to finish my coffee and listen to some live music. Then, I took a stroll around Granville Island to see what it has to offer outside the market. It really is a pretty spot. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

[laurieal]

Pre-Cruise in Vancouver Day 3 - continued

 

After that, my plan was to take the AquaBus to the Olympic village to see the big ball up close. While I was on the AquaBus, I got the phone call that I was expecting, but also kind of dreading at the same time. It was my mother to say that my grandfather had just passed away. 

 

We fully knew (him included) that he was living his last days. He had been having a really rough time this summer and was in a lot of pain, so I feel relieved that he can finally rest. But it’s still sad anytime someone great dies and I can say without any doubt that he was not only one of the greatest grandfathers, but one of the greatest people. 

 

Feeling a bit floopy, I went to find a quiet place where I could be alone with my thoughts for a bit. Strangely, there was a kiosk selling local raspberries close to Science World. One thing my grandfather and I shared was a love of raspberries. He even used to make me jars of jam before his health started degrading. So I got myself some raspberries and found a quiet spot overlooking False Creek. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

I had plans to hang out in Gastown for the evening, but I wasn’t really feeling up to it, so I took the SkyTrain to my hotel instead where I purchased some cheese crackers from the vending machine and settled in for an early night. 

[Husky1987]

So sorry to hear of your grandfather.  Your words about him are beautiful.

[Ozark_Kid]

Laurie, sad to hear that you lost your grandfather.  Good hearing that you had a great relationship with him.  Sounds like you will always have great memories of him.

[Cherful59]

I am so sorry to hear of your grandfathers passing, but as you mentioned, his pain is over and you can take comfort in that and your wonderful memories.

[perfect match]

Laurie, I’m sorry to hear about your grandfather‘s passing. It’s never easy to lose someone you love. My thoughts Ndebele prayers go out to you and your family.

 

I noticed that you have a Wonder review in your signature. I’ve enjoyed the past reviews of yours that I’ve read, but I can’t remember if I’ve read that one. We recently booked Wonder for next year so I’ll be heading over to that review most likely after I finish with this one. I’m enjoying following along with you during your stay in Vancouver and I don’t want to mix the two reviews up by jumping back and forth between them. 
 

update: I just checked and I have read your wonder review. However, at that time I had no plans to book Wonder anytime soon. I’m still going to go back and re-read it from a different point of view now that we have Wonder booked.

Edited September 20, 2023 by perfect match

[cruiser52forever]

On 9/18/2023 at 11:50 AM, laurieal said:

I booked the Radiance cruise last fall while I was on the Anthem of the Seas. Originally, I had been hoping to book an Icon crossing, but since that wasn’t an option I decided to do Alaska for the first time because I was peer pressured by the guy at the Next Cruise desk. I chose that particular sailing (September 22nd), because a couple of cruising friends who were with me on the Wonder were already booked on that sailing. Eventually, our two other friends from the Wonder cruise decided to join and now the whole gang’s going!

 

Because I have never been to Vancouver, I decided to extend my trip by arriving six days before the cruise to give me plenty of time to explore. I left Quebec City on September 16th on a direct flight (jackpot!) to Vancouver. The Radiance will leave on September 22nd on a round-trip cruise and will be stopping in Sitka, Juneau and Ketchikan. At least, theoretically that’s what the Radiance will be doing. 

 

The Radiance experienced some propulsion issues that resulted in the cancellation of two cruises (September 1st and 8th). Then, when she was finally fit to sail again on the 15th, she couldn’t because of bad weather and she had to stay docked in Seward for a few more days. 

 

I wish I could tell you all about the excursions I plan to do, but those have not been confirmed by the Accessible Shore Excursions department yet, so it will be a surprise. For you and for me. 

 

It’s the ship’s last cruise to Alaska of the season and originally I was supposed to stay onboard for a B2B to San Diego. However, I had to cancel the second leg when I realized I would need to buy a new computer as well as have my cat’s teeth cleaned under anaesthesia. It’s fine, that second cruise would have made packing quite complicated, anyway, because of the big weather difference. 

 

My robot vacuum never needs to have its teeth cleaned. Just saying…

So exciting! I love your adventures!

[MJSailors]

@laurieal I am hoping that all is good with you and that you are continuing to enjoy exploring Vancouver.

Your posts and photos were excellent.

Condolences to you and your family for the passing of your grandfather.

I am thinking that he would want you to continue your travel adventures and was proud of you for living your best life.

Take care-

MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

[laurieal]

Thanks for the kind words, everyone! I’m here, I’m alive, and I’m trying to catch up before I board the ship tomorrow. Live reviews on land are a lot harder for me than at sea where there are more down times 😂 

[laurieal]

Pre-Cruise in Vancouver Day 4
 

This was supposed to be the worst day of my stay weather-wise so there was some uncertainty. I wanted to see Stanley Park, but I wasn’t really interested in doing the whole Seawall walkway if it was pouring rain. As a backup, I was thinking of visiting the Aquarium. 

 

Since the aquarium opened at 10:00, I decided to get a slightly later start, take a bus to the park and see what the weather would look like. Sky was dripping a little while I was at the bus stop, but it looked absolutely lovely once I arrived and it was supposed to stay that way for a few hours so I decided to hit the walkway. 

 

Flat. Blissfully flat. Flat, even pavement as far as my eyes could see. The scenery was beautiful, too. It took me approximately two hours to do the whole 10K walkway, but I was stopping often to take pictures. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 22, 2023 by laurieal

[laurieal]

Pre-Cruise in Vancouver Day 4 - continued

 

I decided to stop close to Davie Street where some men were having a hilariously good time. By then, I was feeling pretty pleased with myself for having just done 10K like it was nothing. I was feeling fabulous, my shoulders were absolutely fine, too. I was riding that roller’s high. 

 

 

 

And then one of my front wheels got stuck in something and I was catapulted out of my wheelchair and into the street. Thankfully, there were some people around who quickly helped me get back in my wheelchair, but wow what a way to take me down a peg. My left arm was hurting pretty badly and my phone screen was cracked, but otherwise I felt ok. 

 

Because I had just exercised (kinda), I had to refuel and I had the perfect spot in mind for that.  Since my arrival in Vancouver, I had done three guided tours and all three tour guides when they learned I was visiting from Quebec told me I had to visit this place: La belle patate on Davie Street. 

 

 

The place looked like someone had set off a Quebec bomb in it. It was full of Montreal Canadiens memorabilia and straight away I could hear a couple of people having a very French Canadien conversation in it. Most of their menu featured poutines with all sorts of garnish,  but I ordered a small regular one and picked a good spot from which I could people watch. 
 

 

 

The poutine was excellent. The fries were on the thick side, which I appreciate in a poutine. The cheese curds could have been more squeaky, but they didn’t melt when in contact with the gravy so all was good there. The gravy, though. It was thick, tasty, and I’m afraid to say superior to the gravy of my favourite poutine place from home. I would have licked the container clean. If you’re in Vancouver and looking to try an authentic poutine, La belle patate has got you covered. 

[laurieal]

Pre-Cruise in Vancouver Day 4 - continued

 

After that, I decided to head back to my hotel and make sure there weren’t any injuries I couldn’t feel and needed to take care of. My left arm was still very sore, but it was downhill all the way to my hotel, so I knew I could do it. I grabbed a pumpkin spice latté and a cinnamon mochi donut on the way; it would have been rude not to while I was passing in front of the store. 

 

Once at the hotel, I confirmed that other than a scraped knee and some bruises my body was fine. I took something for the arm pain and decided to hop into bed and rest before dinner. 

 

Two of the friends I was going to sail on the Radiance with were arriving in Vancouver that day and we were meeting up for dinner at the White Spot restaurant attached to their hotel. Another two cruising friends we had been on the Navigator with back in 2018 and who live in Vancouver were also joining us for dinner. 
 

 

 

I had my first cocktail of the trip, can you believe it? For dinner, I had the pierogi with bacon and cheese sauce. It was alright; the highlight of the meal was the company. We ended up chatting for so long that it was past midnight when I made it back to my hotel and crashed.