Trip Index
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(thanks to my girlfriends for providing some of the pictures!)
Just a little over a week after returning
from New Orleans, I was off to spend quality time with my girlfriends on a 3-night Star Princess repositioning cruise from Vancouver to San Francisco. We had gone on a cruise together before for
an early 40th birthday celebration - a 2-night reverse itinerary, San Francisco to Vancouver. We all agreed that the 2-nighter was way too short (embark, unpack, sleep, day at sea, pack, sleep, disembark) so when a 3-night cruise popped up, we arranged our schedules to make it happen.
The overall cost of the trip was very reasonable. We booked the cruise 7 months in advance during a Captain's Circle (past Princess cruiser) sale, starting from $199/ppdo plus tax for an inside cabin. The prices did drop as the date got closer, to around $149/ppdo plus tax, but by that time, the cabin locations we wanted were already gone or you had to get a guarantee cabin. It was worth it for us to pay a tad more to have cabins situated nearby in a location we liked. $199/pp wasn't too bad for a 3 night cruise to begin with! We ended up booking a mini-suite for me, Rachel and Sandy, and the inside cabin just across the hallway for Melissa and Jennifer. Karen also came on the cruise and brought her family and mom but they were on a different deck. One-way airfare to Vancouver (with a transfer in Seattle) on Alaska Airlines was also reasonable since it was so far in advance...the seat map was wide open. We bought tickets for the night before the cruise to make sure that we wouldn't miss it due to possible delays the day of.
The five of us carpooled to the airport (Karen and her family were independently traveling); I rented a car one-way from
Hertz Local Edition using my company's personal leisure rate. It was more convenient and cost-effective than parking at the airport, hiring a taxi or shuttle, or getting someone to drop us off on a Thursday afternoon.
Our flight to Seattle was uneventful. We were all in economy class and it was comfortable. We had a bite to eat at SeaTac airport before our flight to Vancouver.
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| this was all I packed for the trip |
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| decent legroom in coach |
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Our pre-cruise night was at the
Hilton Vancouver Airport hotel. Award nights were available so I booked two double-bed junior suites using points I bought last year through
Daily Getaways. The award stay ending up costing significantly less than booking the Best Available Rate (taking into account the price per point that I paid), but it doesn't always work out that way.
The Hilton offered free shuttle service from the airport to the hotel. We headed over to the shuttle stop after clearing immigration. The night sky started to sprinkle. I randomly asked folks if anyone was waiting for the Hilton shuttle, as the stop serviced all hotels and private parking lots, and a man said yes, but it turned out he wasn't going to the Hilton as I saw him board one for a different property. I noticed a phone booth; there were digits listed to directly connect to the Hilton so I called them. The agent told me that one would be on the way within 10-15 minutes.
It was a short ride to the hotel. Check-in was easy and the five of us divvied up between the rooms the same as our cabin assignments. As the third person in the suite, I took the sofabed in the living room since double beds can be a tight fit for two people, plus I wanted to buffer them from any potential snoring.
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| living room in the junior suite |
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| separate bedroom with double beds |
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| complimentary coffee and tea |
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| two complimentary bottles of water |
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| Peter Thomas Roth toiletries |
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| big bar for the bath |
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Even though it was 9:30 at night, we weren't ready to turn in just yet! Since we were so close to the Richmond area, I searched for a nearby Chinese restaurant that was open late and settled on
Neptune Wonton Noodle near No. 3 Road. It took us less than 10 minutes to walk there. We needed umbrellas as it was still sprinkling. As the restaurant was cash-only, I had planned on using an ATM as I had less than $15 CAD left over from a previous visit, but we had not seen one since we arrived. We asked the hostess if they would take USD (else we'd walk over to the mall to find an ATM) and she said yes, so we were all set.
There's something satisfying about having soup and porridge paired with tasty, greasy Chinese food in the middle of the night.
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| rice porridge |
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| Chinese "donuts" and sweet bun |
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| calamari and green beans |
We headed back to the hotel and went to bed. The sofabed wasn't uncomfortable, but the air conditioning unit was very loud when it clicked on and off through the night. Fortunately I had packed some earplugs. The bedroom had a door so it could be closed to limit the noise entering the room.
The next morning, we enjoyed a complimentary breakfast buffet, thanks to the hotel being very generous with their policy. I had Hilton Gold status from having a
Citi Hilton Reserve credit card, and breakfast is included as a benefit. It was a pleasant surprise at check-in to receive breakfast certificates for both rooms. (at most I'd have expected just 2 for the room I was staying in but we got 5).
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| hot items and fresh fruit |
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| fresh pastries |
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We checked out of the hotel and walked to a drug store as some of the girls needed additional toiletries. Then we headed over to nearby Lansdowne Station to catch the
Canada Line (SkyTrain) to Waterfront Station near Canada Place where Star Princess was docked. The ticket machines were easy to use and took credit cards as well. ($2.75 adult fare) On the platform, many passengers were waiting with luggage - we were all headed to the same place. When the train arrived, everyone seemed to take their time entering the cars. Then the doors slid shut as our group was boarding, stranding Melissa and Jennifer. Jennifer had her arm in the door, but it did not re-open, and she had to pull it out as the train was taking off. The next one would arrive within 10 minutes, and as we were riding to the end of the route, it wouldn't be hard to meet up again.
Our car was quite crowded and we stood for some of the time before seats opened up after a few stops. As the journey took over 20 minutes, I was conversing with Sandy and wasn't paying attention to where we were as I thought the train would pause for a bit at the very end of the route like in other cities. It did not - we missed Waterfront Station, despite Rachel asking, "Isn't this our stop?" and my reply: "I don't think so..." At least one of us was truly observant! (how can one miss the end of the train tracks?) The train started in the other direction, so we got off at the next stop and waited for the train containing Melissa and Jennifer. They were surprised to see us - we joked at first, saying that we were waiting for them, but I confessed my mistake.
It was a short walk to Canada Place, seeing familiar landmarks and buildings from the last time we were here.
The line to check in looked deceptively short, but after entering into a secondary area, passengers were snaked around like a ride at Disneyland. A savvy vendor set up a booth in the middle of the switchback to sell hats, binoculars and other knick-knacks. Once we made it into a different room, the line split up into regular and "preferred" guests, policed by a Princess agent. Since I had
Elite Member status, I was directed to the preferred line and could bring one guest. The girls discussed quickly and Sandy was chosen. The preferred line saved the two of us about 20 minutes' wait.
Our mini-suite was D224 on Dolphin deck. Rachel, Sandy and I had stayed in a mini-suite on the last girlfriend cruise so we were familiar with the layout. It was roomy enough for 3 people. Melissa and Jennifer were right across the hall in D230, an interior cabin. With everyone together, we headed over to the buffet to grab a bite to eat before muster drill and sail-away. (no food pics as it wasn't very interesting)
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| twin beds |
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| sitting area with sofabed |
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| view out the balcony |
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| our room steward brought us champagne |
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| welcome drink coupon |
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| complimentary bar set-up for Elite members |
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| mixers and water were part of the bar set-up |
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| closet and robes |
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| bathroom with shower/tub combo |
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| Lotus Spa toiletries |
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| other extras |
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| bulk toiletries in the shower |
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| how to safely jump into the ocean |
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Then it was time for dinner! When I booked the cruise, I cross-referenced all our cabins (including Karen and family) so that we could sit a table for 10. I forgot to take pictures of the menu so I don't remember what I ate. I do remember that we ordered multiple entrees and desserts!
We caught a show in Vista Lounge, then headed over to the Explorers Lounge to sing some karaoke.
There was an interesting show in the Atrium...we weren't exactly sure what was going on!
13-second clip of the performance: (click
here if you cannot see the preview below)
When we got back to the cabin, the sofabed was all made up and ready for me. Everyone received a milk chocolate heart and Princess Cruises tote.
Tomorrow, Star Princess stops in Victoria...boy we sailed a long way, didn't we? ;) Stay tuned...
***
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