- Getting there, my first day at Cruise360
- Radiance of the Seas ship inspection, trade show, Taste of Vancouver reception
- Nieuw Amsterdam ship inspection, heading back to YVR airport
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Early Saturday morning, I checked out of the Vancouver Airport Marriott hotel and rode the Canada Line out to the Vancouver Convention Centre. I brought my carry-on with me as I found out from the conference staff the day before that there was complimentary luggage storage available. This would help me save time by taking the Canada Line straight to Vancouver airport (YVR), versus returning to the hotel to retrieve stored luggage and taking the airport shuttle.
Breakfast was provided for this morning's keynote session...so much variety! I appreciated that the main plate was vegetarian-friendly, with meat options offered on a separate platter. Of course I indulged in everything. That banana loaf was delish! Overall, the food was really good, considering there were hundreds of attendees served at the same time.
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After breakfast, I attended a ship inspection on Holland America's Nieuw Amsterdam. The event was more organized than yesterday. We were led aboard in small groups, then were given a printout of all the cabins available for viewing and helpful information. There were purple bows affixed outside each cabin to highlight it from the hallway. To keep this blog entry from blowing up in size, I will include photos from the Neptune Suite, an accessible verandah stateroom, and a large interior stateroom (one in which I wouldn't mind staying in, as the floorplan is open and spacious!).
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Neptune Suite - 7062:
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Accessible Veranda Stateroom - 6052:
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Large Interior Stateroom - 1053:
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Some of the public areas I was able to get to:
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After touring the ship, travel agents enjoyed a five-course plated lunch in the main dining room.
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During our meal, agents at my table with cellular data service found out that Celebrity Infinity had collided with a dock in Ketchikan. Fortunately no one was hurt in the incident, but some were concerned that the vessel wouldn't make it back to Vancouver for tomorrow's ship inspection event. (it did end up arriving in time) With one of the docks out of commission in Ketchikan, I wondered how it would affect my cruise next week...
After the ship inspection, I retrieved my carry-on bag from conference storage and headed towards Waterfront Station to board a Canada Line train to YVR for my flight to Anchorage. It would transfer in Seattle, where I would meet up with Kaleb. I bought my ticket on the WestJet website, paying in Canadian dollars with a SPG Business AMEX credit card that had no foreign transaction fees, which ended up cheaper than purchasing the same itinerary on Delta's website in USD. This I had found from using Google Flights to get the lowest fares. (another is Hopper for mobile devices)
Though marketed as WestJet, my flights were actually operated by Delta. Incidentally, the fare I purchased included one free checked bag, as it was the least expensive at the time of booking, even though I wasn't planning on checking anything. I wasn't sure if I would still get the free checked bag while flying on Delta metal, since it was unclear on the WestJet documentation. I was traveling with just a carry-on so it wouldn't matter, but during Delta check-in, I saw that I would in fact receive a free checked bag if I had one. Good to know!
Kaleb was flying on a Delta award ticket. He was only traveling with a carry-on so no need to worry about checking bags.
Sorry I didn't take a picture of all that I packed in a carry-on for a 13-night trip that included a business conference and an Alaskan cruise! Okay, back to my journey to YVR...
The plane was departing around 4:30pm so I had enough time to get to the airport, as I did not need to check a bag. The train ride took about half an hour...not too bad for $4 CAD.
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| last bit of walk from train station to the airport |
Vancouver has US Customs pre-clearance, so I was able to clear immigration before landing in Seattle. There is Global Entry here, which can help speed up the process. Note that you must show your Global Entry card to airport security staff, else they won't let you get into the expedited line.
Once past customs, I located the Plaza Premium Lounge, with complimentary admission thanks to Priority Pass membership provided by the AMEX Platinum Card. It turned out that my gate was conveniently right across from the lounge entrance. There were many food and beverage choices, along with comfortable seating.
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Stay tuned for my next installment about our pre-cruise stay in Anchorage, followed by a 7-night southbound Alaska cruise on Norwegian Sun, and a post-cruise stay in Vancouver!
