Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
June 15 ~Day #36
Budget to date
Spent today
Total to date
Daily average
Total
$3600
$39.90
$4886.42
$135.73
Miles by Road
Nautical Miles
Miles by Air
Miles by Train
Total Statute Miles
4917
3826
000
69
9385.9
Current Location: Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, BC
Early Start
Our train to Nanaimo left Victoria at 8am this morning so we had to be up and packed much earlier than we had been doing lately.
VIA Rail Station
It was a short $11 cab ride to the train station which turned out to be just a tiny ticket booth on the platform. We had pre-booked our tickets online and they were waiting for us when we arrived.
The train is just two carriages with a built in engine. More like a subway car than a train but very comfortable with lots of leg room. Way more comfortable than any airplane.
Vancouver Island Scenery
We had been told that this was a very scenic trip and we pictured traveling through the mountains and along the coast. But I’m afraid our imagination was a little more vivid than the reality.
It is a pleasant trip but a lot of it is through fairly dense forest and there is not a lot to see. It is certainly the most economical way to do the trip, at $39.90 (CDN) for both of us it is less than the cost of gas.
Vicky’s Brothers House
Vicky’s sister-in-law “F” was at the station to meet us and took us on a short tour of Nanaimo and to where Vicky’s brother “R” works.
Then we went on to their house. Vicky had been there before but I never had. I had a mental picture of what it was like but it was no where near the reality.
They live in a subdivision of custom houses built around a man made lake. Their lot backs on to the lake and F is an avid gardener so the landscaping is spectacular.
Friends For Dinner
We finished the day with a wonderful dinner on the patio overlooking the lake. R & F had invited some neighbor friends and there was lots of interesting conversation over several bottles of wine.
Today was a glorious day and we took full advantage of that.
Although the hotel we were staying at in Victoria – the Red Lion Inn – was a bit outside of the downtown area, we decided to walk into downtown anyway.
We had first thought we would get a day pass on the local bus system. The standard fare was $2.50 each and a day pass was $7.00. If we planned to “hop on and hop off” the local transit system then the day pass seemed like a good idea.
However, after speaking to a very helpful lady at the information kiosk in Mayfair Mall, we determined that it would likely be a very pleasant walk into Victoria. She told us she walked back and forth to work everyday and she lived in the downtown area.
Chinatown
I had really wanted to see Chinatown and it was right along the route as we walked into downtown.
I believe that this may be the oldest Chinatown in Canada. I seem to remember someone telling me that but I’m not 100% sure of that fact. If any of our readers know for sure, we’d love to hear from you.
Inner Harbour
The Inner Harbour, right in downtown Victoria, is a colourful and “happening” place.
All around the harbour are small cafés and pubs along with vendors selling their wares. There is also a large native component selling carvings, jewelry and other items that you simply must see.
In this vivacious downtown area you’ll also find a museum and Imax theatre, the Empress Hotel, the Provincial Parliament buildings, parks, a sea walk and so much more.
If you like to watch float planes, and we do, you can see them taking off and landing all day.
Fisherman’s Wharf
We had planned to stop at a pub and treat ourselves to lunch today but after looking at some of the menus it didn’t look like they had what Geoff would consider “authentic” pub fare, at least not at the ones we stopped at.
On top of that, they seemed pretty expensive as well and we have the budget to consider.
So, we just continued along the sea walk until we came to Fisherman’s Wharf. This is an eclectic collection of floating houses, restaurants and boats.
We had heard that there was a small restaurant called Barb’s Fish and Chips and we are always in search of the perfect fish and chips, so we headed there.
There was a huge line up to order so we figured it must be good if so many other people were willing to wait so long to place their orders.
We took our place in the line and while Geoff waited I wander over to the end of one of the docks to see a seal up close and personal. He stayed in the water but this was the closest I had been to any such wildlife. This was the kind of thing I was hoping to see on our Alaska cruise.
After placing our order at Barb’s, Geoff was given a small pager to hold on to and was told that when it went off that our order would be ready. So we chose a seat in the tented outdoor sitting area and waited hungrily for the beeper to go off.
Fish and Chips for Lunch
When Geoff went to pick up our waiting order he returned with two baskets piled high with fish, chips, tartar sauce and cole slaw.
We tucked in immediately and thoroughly enjoyed the best fish and chips that we’ve had in a very long time, and all in an amazingly interesting and pleasant setting. Neither of us could finish the entire meal. Well – okay – we only left a FEW chips each.
Wind Surfers
We continued our walk along the sea and just across from Beacon Hill Park we had the opportunity to watch some wind surfers on the ocean – all in wetsuits, of course.
We also sat on sun-warmed benches to rest and enjoy the day.
Beacon Hill Park
The day was starting to wane and it was time to think about getting back to our hotel and cooking dinner. We had selected an efficiency suite when booking our room.
To finish off our tour of Victoria we decided to walk through Beacon Hill Park before catching a local bus back to our hotel.
In this park there are many peacocks that actually roam free. We were able to get some awesome shots of these majestic birds.
We also passed a petting zoo where both the kids (baby goats) and kids (children) were having a great time playing with each other.
We then sauntered slowly towards Douglas Street (we were getting pretty slow at this point) to catch the local bus. Our total transportation cost for the whole day – $5.00!
We found Victoria to be a beautiful, well-kept city and would love to return here.
Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
June 13 ~Day #34
Budget to date
Spent today
Total to date
Daily average
Total
$3400
$130.44
$4752.38
$139.77
Miles by Road
Nautical Miles
Miles by Air
Miles by Train
Total Statute Miles
4917
3012 + 814 = 3826
000
000
9316.9
Current Location: Victoria, BC
I have been backwards and forwards across the US and Canada many times but I never made it to Vancouver Island. I was really looking forward to visiting Victoria as Vicky has always said such good things about it – I was not disappointed.
At Sea
But I’m getting ahead of myself we still had most of the day at sea. I don’t know why Holland America scheduled things the way they did but we were not due to arrive in Victoria until 4pm – and then leave at 10pm.
I suspect it has more to do with corporate profits than anything else but I’ll get into that in more depth when I do a wrap up of our cruising experience later this week.
Docking
We have always been asleep when arriving at the previous ports but this time we were able to be on deck to marvel at the process.
We used to have a 27’ sailboat which I docked many times but I cannot imagine bringing this monster in as gently as our pilot did to the dock in Victoria.
The dock ends in a parking lot and from our vantage point on deck nine forward it appeared that we were going to stop in one of the spots reserved for the tour buses. But after we disembarked it was clear we had a good ten feet to spare. Not bad for a ship this size.
Victoria – First Impressions
This is a beautiful city and it is really too bad most of the passengers will not get a chance to experience it. By the time we got off the ship and into downtown it was almost 5pm and the shops and street vendors were closing.
We spend a very enjoyable couple of hours looking around the harbour and the main downtown area before heading back to the ship to grab a quick supper and our bags.
Disembarking
The cruise actually ends tomorrow back in Seattle but since our personal next stop is at Vicky’s brother in Nanaimo we are leaving the ship here in Victoria.
Going through Canadian Customs was very easy and we were soon in a taxi headed for our hotel. We had pre-booked two nights at the Red Lion Inn through CheapO stay and got a good rate of $60 a night for an efficiency unit including all taxes – that’s Canadian dollars so we will convert it for our expenses chart.
The Liquor Store
Booze is not a big part of our lives but we do enjoy a drink once in a while. We refused to pay the exorbitant prices aboard ship so had been teetotal for two weeks. The Red Lion Inn has a liquor store attached so we grabbed a six pack of hard cider to quench our thirst.
Tomorrow in Victoria
Unlike our fellow passengers we will have the opportunity to spend the whole day exploring Victoria before we catch the train to Nanaimo on Tuesday. If my first impressions are anything to go by this looks like it will be the best port on the voyage.
Today we were at sea the entire day making our run from Juneau to Victoria, British Columbia.
It appears that we are now in open ocean and not in the Inside Passage. We had taken the Inside Passage at the beginning of our cruise.
Beginning very early in the morning we hit some very rough seas. According to the Captain’s Log, which we could see on the TV in our cabin, the waves averaged anywhere from 7.5 ft to 12 ft. At times the ship felt like it was rolling pretty good and often from side to side.
Fortunately, neither Geoff nor I have much difficulty with seasickness, but that certainly wasn’t the same for everyone. We noticed a lot fewer people at breakfast and lunch.
More Laundry
I took advantage of the lull in onboard activity to get in a couple more loads of laundry. Because we are trying to travel as light as possible (although sometimes it seems like we’ve got an awful lot of luggage) I find I need to laundry fairly often.
Special Chef’s Dinner
The dinner planned for this evening was a special Chef’s dinner and I was really looking forward to it. The staff was going to sing, dance make it a very special evening for all. The entire evening would culminate with the serving of Baked Alaska for dessert.
Well, we didn’t make it for the dinner and it wasn’t because either of us was seasick.
Migraine
Unfortunately I am prone to migraine headaches and, for some reason, one decided to strike this afternoon. It was most likely caused by someone wearing WAY TOO MUCH perfume. Why is it that some women seem to BATHE in the stuff? Even if it’s a nice scent, please, please limit the amount that you wear. There are lots of people like me – a strong scent is one of the things that can trigger a serious headache for many of us migraine sufferers.
I ended up in bed for several hours while taking lots of painkillers in the hopes of getting rid of it.
Being in bed in high seas actually worked pretty well as it felt like I was being rocked to sleep.
The headache finally subsided at about 9pm, but our dinner seating was at 8pm. We decided to head for the dining room anyway.
Great Staff
When we arrived at the Main Dining Room the staff was parading around waving light sticks, singing and carrying the Baked Alaska before delivering it to each table. It looked wonderful.
We joined our usual dinner companions and made our apologies for our late arrival.
Immediately both our Steward and the Maitre D’ inquired if we were okay and what they could do for us. As the kitchen was now closed for dinner they managed to get us each a lovely club sandwich for dinner and we really appreciated it.
We were so sorry to miss the festivities of the evening.
Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
June 06 ~Day #27
Budget to date
Spent today
Total to date
Daily average
Total
$2700
$222.76
$3277.38
$121.38
Miles by Road
Nautical Miles
Miles by Air
Miles by Train
Total Statute Miles
4917
1307 + 717 = 2024
000
000
7244.6
Location: At Sea
Daily Cruse Expense: $222.76
Heading for Anchorage
Today was another “at sea” day meaning that we are simply putting miles behind us in order to get to Anchorage tomorrow.
On this cruise we will have a total of three “at sea” days. The first, of course, was the Inside Passage, our first full day on the Amsterdam. The second is today as we head towards Anchorage and the third will be after we leave Juneau and head for Victoria, British Columbia where we will actually be disembarking. We want to spend more time in Victoria and then take the train up to Nanaimo to visit with my brother and sister-in-law before heading back to my sister’s in Chilliwack to pickup our car and start the eastward bound part of our North America trip.
Motion of the Ocean
For most of our voyage the seas have been fairly calm but have been a couple of days where we’ve had some significant waves. Certainly not what we would consider rough seas but enough to sometimes get the ship rocking a bit from side to side.
Neither Geoff nor I are particularly susceptible to seasickness but other people, including one of our dinner companions, were feeling the effects from time to time.
As you exit the main dining room each evening you are presented with a choice of mints, hard candies and crystallized ginger. Both of us have been indulging in the crystallized ginger and recommending to anyone who is a bit queazy because of the motion of the ship.
Ginger is wonderful for settling the tummy.
Entertainment Onboard
Each evening there is entertainment in the Queen’s Lounge, a large, two-storey theatre at the bow of the ship. There are two performances so they can accommodate all of the passengers onboard.
They have a talented group of singers and dancers that stay with the ship in addition to guest performers.
Classical Music at Sea
Our absolute favorite so far was a pianist – Elliot Finkel. He not only played for us one evening but today, at 3:00pm, he gave us a classical music performance that ended in a standing ovation.
Weight Loss Challenge
Perhaps the title for this part of my post should be – “What was I thinking?”
I guess it kind of goes right along with the obvious senior moment I had when I decided I didn’t really need to pack a warm jacket for our Alaska cruise. Thanks again to my sister for the warm fuzzy jacket that I have used extensively on this trip.
No, I haven’t yet weighed myself since the first time I weighed in, so I have nothing to report.
I did promise myself that I wouldn’t have dessert with lunch, though, and I kept that promise for a full 24 hours!
Whether you’ve cruised or not, everyone knows that it’s pretty much non-stop food on a cruise. Most of it is really quite good, too.
Last night we decided to eat in the Italian restaurant onboard rather than in the Main Dining Room. You need to make reservations for this restaurant, but it is included in your cruise fare.
I had veal and Geoff had cod and it was obviously cooked to order and delicious. We had a lovely table to two right in front of a large window.
I was hoping to sight some whales but no such luck. Maybe tomorrow.
The Land of the Midnight Sun
We’ve all heard this expression and tonight we actually experienced it.
After watching a movie in the small theatre we went to the Lido Deck for a midnight snack and cup of tea. It was midnight and the sun still hadn’t completely set.
We witnessed a section of bright blue sky with rose-colored clouds and the sun attempted to set just past midnight – incredible!
