Trip Index
- Cruise planning, pre-cruise stay in Anchorage, Grandview Train to Seward, embarkation
- Morning at sea, Hubbard Glacier, La Cucina
- Icy Strait Point, Seven Seas main dining room
- Skagway, Cagney's Steakhouse, Juneau, Tracy Arm/Sawyer Glacier, Le Bistro
- Ketchikan, day at sea, Moderno Churrascaria
- Norwegian Sun disembarkation, post-cruise stay in Vancouver
***
It was Monday morning and the end of our
Norwegian Sun Alaska cruise, boo hoo! Disembarkation was smooth as we took advantage of "Easy Walk Off" (carrying our own luggage) and could depart at our leisure.
We had one post-cruise night, staying at the
Westin Bayshore, located 20 minutes' walk from the port at
Canada Place. It was still raining when we got off the ship; we got a bit soaked getting there, as I only had one umbrella. Fortunately our room was ready, even though we were checking in so early. I had redeemed
Starwood Preferred Guest points for a standard king room and ended up getting a complimentary upgrade to a premium corner view room!
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| comfy king bed |
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| complimentary Dasani water |
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| Starbucks in-room coffee service |
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| fridge and safe |
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| love rain showerheads! |
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| the usual pleasant white tea toiletries |
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| front view from the Juliet balcony |
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| side view from the Juliet balcony |
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We had passes for the
Hop-On-Hop-Off bus offered by Westcoast Sightseeing, but it did not pick up directly in front of the Westin like how the
Vancouver Trolley does. The bus stop was located a few blocks away in a tiny parking lot and not as clearly marked as I would have expected, so here's a picture of it:
Our first stop was
Vancouver Aquarium, located inside
Stanley Park. It continued to rain, so the interior exhibits were more crowded than the outdoor ones.
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| yum??? maybe for those snakes |
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We re-boarded the hop-on-hop-off bus to Ferguson Point and had a lovely lunch at the
Teahouse. The food was so good. Their salmon burger inspired me to stop eating Costco frozen salmon burger patties and use wild salmon filets instead.
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| what a huge (dead) tree trunk |
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| crowded bus |
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| entrance to the Teahouse |
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| bright and airy interior |
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| liquid and non-liquid bread |
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| stuffed mushrooms |
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| Annabelle's fish and chips, amazing |
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| incredible salmon burger |
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| delicious lemon tart |
After lunch, we strolled along several trails amongst the giant trees in Stanley Park.
We walked back towards Canada Place to catch the free shuttle to
Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. What a beautiful, picturesque location! With the rain gone, it was a delightful visit. The sights were too difficult to accurately capture on camera...you just have to visit this place yourself if you haven't yet.
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| shuttle schedule |
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| the suspension bridge |
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360 spherical photo of us on
Capilano Suspension Bridge:
On Capilano Suspension Bridge in Vancouver, BC #theta360 - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA
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| looking down, hard to tell we're high up |
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| oh yeah! |
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| got some beverages here |
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360 spherical photo of us walking on the
Treetops Adventure:
Walking the treetops at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park in Vancouver, BC #theta360 - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA
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| this bridge is suspended from a cliff |
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360 spherical photo of us on the
Cliffwalk:
On the Cliffwalk at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park in Vancouver, BC #theta360 - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA
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| some walkways made of glass |
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| survival in adverse conditions |
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We took the shuttle back to Canada Place, where we then went to
FlyOver Canada, a simulated flight ride similar to Disney's
Soarin'. No pictures of course, but I thought the ride was superb!
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| saw Norwegian Sun depart on another Alaskan cruise |
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| FlyOver Canada ticket booth |
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All this sightseeing can work up an appetite! I had to re-visit
Kingyo, since I had such a good lunch there
back in September 2015. Dinner did not disappoint. Everything was scrumptious, but the tuna belly sashimi was the best. After we scarfed it down, we asked for another plate and we got the last order...sold out for the rest of the night!
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| cute logo |
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| Sapporo and ginger beer |
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| tomato kimchi |
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| fresh sashimi salad |
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| first plate of toro (tuna belly) sashimi |
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| pressed mackerel sushi |
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| frozen green tea brulee, a must-eat! |
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| complimentary frozen grape dessert |
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After dinner, we headed back to our hotel and enjoyed the beautiful views from the balcony.
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| not much space on the balcony |
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| what a view |
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360 spherical photo from our balcony:
On our room's Juliet balcony at the Westin Bayshore Vancouver #theta360 - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA
The next morning, we checked out of the hotel and walked about half an hour to get to
Waterfront Station and take the
Canada Line to Vancouver airport (YVR). YVR is a pre-clearance airport for flights to the U.S., so we were able to clear customs and immigration before getting onto the plane. We had
Global Entry, an expedited service, which quickened the process. The security officer asked to see our
Global Entry Cards before we could use the entry kiosks, which fortunately we had with us. We then cleared into the USA terminal, which technically is in the U.S., though it is on Canadian land. Confusing, huh?
We headed over to the
Plaza Premium Lounge in the USA terminal, with complimentary entry thanks to having a
Priority Pass. (many elite credit cards offer this as a benefit, such as the
American Express Platinum Card or the
Chase Sapphire Reserve) There were decent offerings for breakfast. The windows offered a view into the airport arrivals hall.
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| baked goods |
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| scrambled eggs and sausage |
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| fruit, salad, yogurt, cold sandwiches |
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| half my finger in the US, the other half in Canada |
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Our flight was on
Alaska Airlines, with a transfer in Portland. I had redeemed
Mileage Plan miles for our flight. Alaska offered complimentary beer and wine in coach, which Kaleb enjoyed.
In Portland, we stopped by the
Alaska Lounge for a cup of tea, thanks again to the Priority Pass. Since writing this blog entry one year after the fact, I've noticed that there is another choice for Priority Pass holders:
The House Spirits Distillery. Passholders and their guests get a $28 per person credit to spend there, not too shabby if you like to drink your calories!
What's next on the trip list? A quick birthday getaway to Lake Tahoe...stay tuned!
***
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Another disclaimer: The intention of this blog was to remind Future Me in full detail about where I went and what I did. I could have made it private, but I frequently get questions from family, friends and internet folks about how I planned things, got deals, etc., so instead of repeating the story over and over, I direct them here. If you are offended by anything I say or do, save yourself the discomfort and kindly click away from my blog. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!
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