Vancouver To Los Angeles Cruise (2009)

Prolog

A few months ago I met a gentleman on a cruise to Alaska. He had told me that he always travel on “Repositioning” cruises at minimum prices. He told me that he always finds great deals on www.VacationsToGo.com.

Around the end of July we decided to try to find such a cruise. I found the repositioning of the Norwegian Star from Vancouver, B.C. to Los Angeles, California.

The price was hard to resist and the dates fit perfectly our schedule. We made the reservations on August 5^th, and started to count the days.

On September 18th, we travelled to Woodland Hills to spend Rosh Ha-Shana with Emly, Danny, Sharone, Gary and the kids. We planned it so we would leave from there to LAX, to start our journey.

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Day 1: September 20th, 2009 

We woke up at 3:15 am and drove to LAX. With us was Sharone, who “volunteered” to drive the car back to her house after dropping us off.

United flight left Los Angeles at 6:00 and after a short layover in San Francisco we were on our way to Vancouver B.C.

Waiting for us at the airport was my good friend Shony Bar-Ilan, who we have last seen six years ago. I was so happy to see Shony, in the waiting area, and we embraced warmly.

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We drove to Shony & Annat’s home, located in a nice area of the city. We met their three daughters and after a brief stay we climbed their car and drove to Chinatown to have lunch at a restaurant we had visited in our last stay there.

After a delicious lunch, we then drove to Granville, to buy a few bottles of wine (to be used later during the cruise) and to once again experience the beautiful atmosphere this amazing place, considered to be part of downtown Vancouver, and is physically connected to the city by a causeway from the south that provides no hint of the treasures that await visitors.

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Its humble origins are philosophically far removed from what it has become, a sophisticated home to performing arts, art education, dining, artists' studios and workshops, art galleries and a fabulous public market that offers the widest array of fresh food in the Lower Mainland as well as a favorite place for people to meet, eat and spend some time in a safe and relaxing environment.

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It was around 2:00 pm and we decided to drive over to Canada Place to board the ship. We did not see the ship when we got there and Shony found out that our ship docks in a different location, few miles from Canada Place. We drove there and thanks to Shony’s navigation skills, were able to get the car to the dock.

We said our goodbyes and were able to get Shony to promise to come and visit us in Southern California soon.

After the check-in procedures we boarded the beautiful vessel and found our suite on the 11th deck. We toured the ship and discovered that it contains 15 passenger decks, 4 specialty restaurants, 2 main dining rooms, buffet style restaurant, ice-cream parlor, pizzeria, 3 pools, gym, beauty spa, sauna, a couple of Jacuzzi, 9 bars, casino, cinema, 2 dance clubs, library, 2 showrooms, video game room, Children's programs, laundry facilities, and a spacious Internet Café. The Norwegian Star can accommodate 2,240 passengers, 1,100 crew members and weighs 92,250 tons!

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After the Lifeboat drill, we entered the Internet Café and bought service for 250 minutes for a whopping 100 bucks.

At around 4:00 pm the ship started its journey as we passed through the beautiful skyline of this majestic city. We climbed to the 15^th deck and took some beautiful pictures.

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We returned to our cabin and took a nap. We woke up a bit hungry (but mostly very tired) and right after dinner we decided to skip tonight’s entertainment and slept for the next 12 hours!

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Day 2: September 21st, 2009

We woke up at seven as the ship approached Victoria, B.C.

From our balcony we watched the beautiful island with its magic views, as we passed a beautiful lighthouse, allured with the beautiful colors of the morning.

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We had breakfast at the buffet restaurant (called “Market Buffet”) and as soon as the captain announced that the ship is cleared, we disembarked and met a nice “English” gentleman, who offered his help for the visitors. He had told us that he works for the Tourism Ministry and his object is to ensure that we will have a great day on the island. He provided us with a “Walking Tour” map and with his help, we planned our visit.

The gentleman provided us with some fact about the city: Established in 1843 by James Douglas as a Hudson's Bay Company Fort, the City of Victoria has a proud history of British custom. Some of the world’s Traveler Magazines rate Victoria one of the top ten cities to visit in the world. There are approximately 360,000 people who live on the island.

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From Ogden Point, where we docked, we walked alongside the ocean, on Dallas Road, and then found Oswego Street, which took us to Belleville Street, where we turned right as the beautiful downtown area with the magnificent Empress Hotel and the blue marina were a short distance away. We stopped at the glorious Legislative Parliament Buildings, reminding ourselves that this island is actually the Capitol of British Columbia, Canada.

Our next stop was the stunning Empress Hotel, which appears on more postcards than perhaps any other in Canada. It was built as part of the 'northern castles' chain that also includes the Hotel Vancouver across the water. It's a picture of colonial-era elegance, complete with uniformed doormen, an oak-beamed restaurant serving Raj-style curry and a high-tea room that overlooks the waterfront.

We reached the Downtown area, decorated with English-style lamp posts and hanging flower baskets that weave colors into the landscape. Shops and stores are mainly located in well preserved heritage buildings welcoming customers to browse. We stopped in some shops, along Wharf Street, before taking Fort Street to our next destination.

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We walked for about another mile, stopping in some of the many shops alongside the street, sipping Latte in a charming bakery and as the sun broke through the clouds we arrived at an amazing building: The Craigdarroch Castle.

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Once inside we were welcomed by one of the guides who told us some interesting facts about the castle: It is an imposing Victorian mansion completed in 1890 for Robert and Joan Dunsmuir, Scottish immigrants who made their fortune from Vancouver Island coal. Robert Dunsmuir died in 1889, just months before his majestic Castle was completed. Although he arrived on Vancouver Island a poor coal miner, he built an empire and became the wealthiest and most influential man in British Columbia.

As we toured the castle we discovered how Dunsmuir was obsessed with decorating and furnishing his Castle with the finest wood, stone and glass meticulously chosen to create his masterpiece. We found an extensive collection of stained and lead glass windows, magnificent woodwork, Victorian furnishings and decorative arts.

We easily climbed up the 87 stairs, stopping on all of the four floors and toured the various rooms and then the Tower for a panoramic view of Victoria and the snow capped Olympic Mountains. 

We returned to Fort Street and then used Vancouver Street to arrive at the Empress Hotel from the back entry. We then walked to Fisherman’s Wharf and stopped for lunch at Barb’s Place (recommended by the English Gentleman on the dock as the best Fish N Chips in town). The fish was tender and tasty but the chips… well, this is another story…

We continued our walk towards the ship and as we arrived to Ogden Point, I decided to walk on the narrow path towards the ocean as I noticed a lighthouse at the end of the reef.

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Once back at the ship, I climbed to the 12^th deck to enjoy the Jacuzzi under the blue warm skies, while sipping 2 tall glasses of Arnold Palmer. With me at the pool were Val & Rita from Vancouver, Mike & Cathy from Brea, California, and Ron from Colorado Springs, Colorado. I enjoyed their company a lot as we all introduced ourselves and conversed mostly about what we did today on the Island.

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At around 5:00 we sailed away from Victoria as some locals waived goodbyes from the shore.

After a delicious dinner we entered the Internet Café to check our email and then joined about a 1,000 other passengers to the theater for tonight’s show, featuring The Music of the Night (The music of Andrew Lloyd Webber). 

We were back in our cabin at around midnight.

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Day 3: September 22nd, 2009

We woke up at 7:00 as the ship approached Astoria, Oregon. Right after breakfast we stood in long line to clear the immigration process and amazingly the process was quick and efficient.

We disembarked at around 8:15 and found the representative of the Car Rental agency (I prearrange for a car in Astoria) waiting for us at the dock. We were taken to the Rent-A-Car agency and drove away on a 2009 Chevy Impala, heading south on the 101 Freeway.

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Our first stop was at Cannon Beach, Oregon (population 1,700). We found the Tourist Information office and were told by the attendant to rush to Haystack Rock, one of the world's largest freestanding monoliths and one of the most recognizable icons of the Oregon Coast, since “right now there is a low tide”. We returned to our car and drove to the parking area next to the beach. After a short walk on the sandy beach, we arrived to the base of the rock, which stood tall in the water. Several species of birds have made the rock their home.

We spent about 45 minutes, admiring nature and taking several pictures of the rock and its surrounding, before returning to the car and continuing our journey.

We headed back north on 101 and arrived a few minutes later to Seaside, Oregon, where in 1806, a group of men from the Lewis and Clark Expedition built a salt-making cairn at the present site of the city.

We walked on Broadway, Seaside's main street, and as we arrived to the end of it, we found, "The Turnaround." It is a roundabout designed to turn traffic around when the street dead ends at the Pacific Ocean. In the middle of "The Turnaround" stood a statue of Lewis and Clark. The statue signifies that not only tourists "turn around" in Seaside, but that Lewis and Clark turned again for home, to report their findings to a Virginia resident named President Thomas Jefferson about their expedition.

We were back in our car and drove to Fort Clatsop, which was the encampment of the 33 members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the Oregon Countrynear the mouth of the Columbia River during the winter of 1805-1806. The expedition had hoped a ship would come by to take them back east, but instead endured a torturous winter of rain and cold, then returned east the way they came.The camp site was selected by Captain Lewis and construction took place over the month of December, with the expedition moving in by Christmas Day 1805. They named the fort for the friendly local Indian tribe, the Clatsops, and remained at the fort for three months, until March 23, 1806, when they departed on their return trip to Virginia.

We took one of the (short) trails and ended up in Netul Landing, the place where the group had landed in 1805. A canoe is there on display.

 

The trail took us back to the parking lot and we headed towards the city of Astoria (population 9,500), the oldest American settlement west of the Rockies. The first U.S. Post Office west of the Rocky Mountains was established here in 1847.

We found our way, quite easily to our next attraction: The Astoria Column, a 125 foot tower that was built in 1926 and is overlooking the mouth of the Columbia River on Coxcomb Hill.




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We sat in a shaded area on top of the hill and consumed our lunch, which consisted of sandwiched and fruits we had packed earlier on the ship, while looking at the magnificent views all around us. Tova opted to wait for me at the basin of the column, and I climbed the 164 steps to reach the top and to discover the most amazing panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and the Columbia River where the entire city was laid out at the bottom of the hill.

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We drove through the Downtown area and returned the car. A shuttle took us back to the ship.

Tova wanted to take a nap and I climbed one deck up to enjoy the hot water of the Jacuzzi, and as the ship sailed away, I was able to take some great pictures of the bay and the 4 miles bridge, which connects Oregon State to Washington State.

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After dinner we entered the Internet Café. As Tova logged in she discovered that her remaining minutes on the internet is 708 and as we only purchased 250, I immediately assumed that Tova clicked on the “Purchase more minutes” button by mistake. I found Vlatco, the charming person in charge of the ship’s computer services, sitting a few tables away from us. As I told him what we had found out, he smiled and pointed to a plaque, which stated that Tova had won 500 minutes! He then explained that out of all passengers (2,200 of them!) Tova was randomly picked up to be the winner!! What can I say, I am married to a lucky lady!!

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Tonight’s show was a combination of a Chinese group, who excited us with their acrobatic skills in a spectacular show that kept all of us on the edge of our seats, and a comediane, who was funny and entertaining. Her name was Maryellen Hooper.

We returned to our cabin at around 11:00.

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Day 4: September 23rd, 2009 

 

Today we spent a “day at sea”. We woke up at 9:00(!) and after breakfast Tova went to the gym as I was studying to prepare to my upcoming Real Estate Agent exam.

At 12:30 we joined some other passengers to the Captain “Welcome Back Party” where Tova won a scrapbook with the logo of NCL. (Is she lucky or what??) We then had lunch in the dining room and when we returned to the cabin I continued to study as Tova took a nap (What a hard life!!).

Tonight’s dinner included a yummy lobster tail as we sat in the main dining room, right next to the window with a charming couple from Chicago: Dana & Kevin.

After tonight’s show, which featured (by popular demand) the Chinese group and the dancing company of the ship, we surf the Internet and returned to our cabin at around 11:00.

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Day 5: September 24th, 2009

I woke up at 5:45 am looking forward to experience the ship crossing underneath the Golden Gate Bridge and entering the San Francisco Bay. To my dismay, the fog was so thick this morning that I was able to see glimpse of the bridge only when we were directly underneath it. We approached the bay and watched the City at the Bay, appeared at the twilight. The views of the Bay Bridge were unbelievable at this time of the day.

We had breakfast and then disembarked at Pier 32, about 2 miles away from Fisherman’s Wharf. We walked the entire stretch and arrived at Pier 39, which had only few shops opened at this time of the morning. Many seals, at the back of the pier, were fighting for spots under the sun. The view, smell in the air, and the action were unforgettable.

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We tried to purchase tickets to visit Alcatraz Island, but when we found out that the next available boat leaved at 3:30 pm, we opted to postpone the visit.

We crossed Fisherman’s Wharf and found a Starbucks at the corner of Hyde Street and Bay Street where we called our long time friend Liki who we had plans to meet her in the city. We decided to meet at Ghirardelli Square, across the street from where we were.

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We entered the Chocolate Factory and purchased few of the brands as souvenirs and for personal consumption (oh, how I love the 60% mocha dark chocolate...)

Liki showed up about an hour later and after the excitement of seeing each other (last we met was at Odie & Joy’s wedding in June 2008!) we decided to walk to Boudin Restaurant for some chowder and salads.

We talked for a couple of hours (there was so much to update!) and then walked with Liki to her car, which took us back to Pier 32 and to our waiting vessel.

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We both napped for a couple of hours and then joined a hungry crowd in the dining room for a delicious dinner.

The show tonight was The Second City from Chicago, as they brought sketches comedy and improve. They were extremely entertaining. After checking our email we entered the main dining room for a Chocolate Feast, featuring many different deserts and fruits, all topped with chocolate. We returned to the cabin at midnight.

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Day 6: September 25th, 2009

Today was another “Day at Sea”.
 

I woke up at 9:00 and after breakfast continued studying.

At 3:00 we entered the theater to watch the Black Street Boys – a couple of very funny and talented and professional guys from Los Angeles. We returned to the cabin for an afternoon nap and after dinner

we spent about an hour on the Internet.

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Tonight's show was the farewell show, featuring the ship’s entrtetainmet company. At the end of their show, the officers of the ship were introduced to the cheering crowd and thanked us for choosing their ship.We returned to the cabin and packed our luggage as tomorrow we will reach The Port of Los Angeles (San Pedro), the final port of our journey.

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Day 7: September 2th, 2009

We woke up at 7:30. The ship already docked at pier 92 and after breakfast we said our goodbyes to the ship and to our new friends as we disembarked.

Emly & Danny showed up an hour later with our car.

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