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  • In Which I Am Going Back to Alaska

    Hi.

    So me and Mum are on our second cruise in less than a year, and our third since 2022. Our current sojourn is a repeat of our 2022 Alaska trip (7 days, Vancouver to Vancouver- You’ve probably done it, too). Same itinerary but a different boat, because we needed to change things up somehow. Actually, we chose the dates with the cheapest fare, which goes Wednesday to Wednesday. Had we chosen a Saturday to Saturday timeframe, we could have been on the same boat as before – the Konigsdam, which took us to Alaska last time, as well as Hawaii last October. Today we are on the Zaandam, which mum is pretty sure she’s been on before, but it’s been a while.

    I’m finding I’m a less finicky packer when I take a cruise. I’ve been just throwing things in to a suitcase and making do, opposed to before when I had a master list to organize all my other lists. I’ve maybe just had more practice. Also I don’t need to coordinate products and clothes to keep light enough for me to have to carry around, or lift up into a luggage rack on a train. Taking a cruise out of Vancouver is just rolling the suitcase to the ferry, off the ferry to the taxi and then that’s it. (Or today, from the Hullo dock along the waterfront in Van for a bit, and down the ramp to the cruise port – also easy). I’ll have to pack more strategically again, maybe (?) when I travel in a different style, but maybe I can skip the step where I agonize over every item I’m taking just-in-case.

    Note: Susan and My Mum will point out I still started packing a week in advance, but this was just to make sure I had all the cold medication and contact lens solution I needed before I left. It was still very lax: only one small list on one of those larger, lined post-its. So Still Not a Pack and Dash Situation.

    Today we got to the cruise port a little later than usual (around 1pm instead of 11 when boarding starts) and found that instead of having to stand in lines to check in, get through security, and boarding, there were no lines – so it was about 7 minutes from the entryway to the boat. So that was a plus. Another plus was that our room was ready (on a cruise boat, since the turnover from one passenger load to the next is so quick, there is sometimes a wait for room to be cleaned). All very easy.

    Plans for the trip: take the train in Skagway (we have an excursion booked to accommodate this); 2 trips to the spa (mannie/peddies tomorrow; massages on Sunday.)

    Food so far: Seafood cocktail (apparently, my favourite) and like half a cow. Just as well I was pretty hungry. Just as well mum has like half a chicken.

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  • Tuesday In New York.

    Long day! Good day.

    • We started with a tour at the Met Museum. To get there, Bonnie, Scott and Jordan took a stroll through Central Park; the rest of us figured out how to use public transport (the bus). It would have been a 40 minute walk! And then standing around in a museum for a tour? My feet would have been so sore! They are tired enough as it is! Anyway, the bus was both straight-forward and fun.
    • The tour was comprehensive and detailed just how I like a tour to be, and I got everyone else to come with me, too! It covered a good sample of pieces throughout the museum, and a little bit of its history, too.
    • After the tour, we broke into groups. Mum and Bonnie went to check out the period rooms in the American Wing, and then left to go get in line at the place on Broadway to see if they could get tickets for a show tonight.
    • Meanwhile, Dad, Jordan and I had some lunch in the museum cafe! Then checked out the armoury rooms and some old paintings. Then we caught some busses to get us over to watch a taping of The Daily Show. It was fun seeing the cameras and the (limited) behind the scenes of a TV. We were also asked to laugh and cheer loud because the audience is considered part of the show. I said “woo” and laughed accordingly.
    • Supper at Olive Garden!
    • We met up at the end of the night in front of the Moulin Rouge theatre, where Mum and Bonnie were able to get tickets, and walked home all together.
    • Scott had a nap and found dinner on his own, taking a break from tourist shenanigans.
    Mum at the Met!
    We’re so happy to get into watch The Daily Show!
    Mum and Bonnie at Moulin Rouge!
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  • New York Monday

    I’m tired tonight.

    The day started with me and Bonnie at a ballet class. It was beginner level but it was challenging and we had to work hard. That’s good! It was good! We can now say that we’ve studied ballet in New York. We also peeked into some of the other classes to see what was going on and saw some tap, a Broadway class, and a stretching class. A contemporary class came into our studio as we left and and it looked interesting, too.

    In the afternoon, Dad, Jordan, and I went to MOMA and looked at art. We all art-smart now. I didn’t take photos, but

    Now I’m full and sleepy because Mom and me went for a vegan feast. Vegan restaurants are my favourites because, with a dairy allergy, I can eat everything on the menu, and that is what I attempted to do tonight. With panna cotta for dessert!

    Dad, Bonnie, Jordan are at the hockey game at Madison Square Gardens. Reports indicate that they are all ecstatic to be in attendance. Me and Mum are watching along from here in our hotel room, hoping to see them on TV.

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  • Bus Tour of New York

    Today was our comprehensive and entertaining tour of the highlights of New York. It included looking around Rockefeller Plaza, St Patrick’s cathedral, and Madison Square Park. I liked riding the Staten Island Ferry, where we had a nice view of the Statue of Liberty, and the skyline of New York. We lunched on Staten Island! – or at least some people had hotdogs, I had Subway, and some people weren’t even hungry after having too many plates of breakfast earlier.

    After lunch included a visit to the 9-11 memorial, which was stunning, and we were given enough time on the tour to take it in.

    Then a stroll around Central Park to look at John Lennon’s memorial; and Bonnie and Dad found a hawk in the process of eating another bird.

    For supper – or lupper? because it was early at another pub with approx 400 beers on tap? I don’t know the exact number, as I had a banana-pineapple cocktail.

    Then a little shopping and then back to the hotel because everyone is tired. We’re watching the Oscars in the wrong time zone and deffo will not be making it to the end.

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  • Going to New York

    This trip, involving my whole family, has been a while in the making. We had a loose idea to visit in 2021 for my parents’ 50th anniversary. As that date approached however in the fall of 2021, we decided it wouldn’t be practical to travel. For, you know, reasons. I can’t remember when we decided to do it this year, but hotels and planes were being booked in November; and me and Bonnie booked tours and show tickets a few weeks ago, and now here we are, in New York.

    First views of NYC

    Our hotel was thoughtfully chosen by Bonnie and Jordan. Close to the park and Broadway and easy to get anywhere we might like to go. It’s POURING RAIN right now. As we drove into the city we were driving through puddles that made us feel right at home. Note that we had a driver and mini-van scheduled to pick us up from the airport. Good idea! as we were all stressed out from the traffic just as passengers, nevermind driving; but the driver insisted that it was just normal traffic, which didn’t make us feel better at all! We landed in New Jersey, so we were giddy to experience the Holland Tunnel, the Lincoln Tunnel, and the New Jersey Turnpike – or at least the signs indicating their approach.

    For supper we dashed through the POURING RAIN to an Irish Pub that has a How I Met Your Mother theme. Pub food and beer!

    Before that, I found the airplane ride quite do-able – 5 hours from YVR to New York is much shorter than 9ish to London. We had a quite short layover in Van, but the wait times at security and customs were manageable and we made it to our gate in time to hear the boarding instructions – so oodles of time. Then on the plane we had seats all together, which was fun for most of us.

    Tomorrow is a bus tour of the highlights of NYC.

    P.S. Maybe one not-so-great thing about the day was having to get up to be at the airport at 4:30 In The Morning. But everything else was ok. Also we had to wait a looooopng time (loooooong time!) for our checked bags to appear on the conveyer belt over here. Annoying! But our ride waited for us so not too much of a problem.

    P.P.S. I forget what I was going to write. So here’s a video I took from the airplane.

    Flying out of Vic.

    P.P.P.S. I remember! This hotel includes breakfast! So excited. I love breakfast.

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  • Cruise home from Hawaii

    Lazy days at sea continue!

    Today we’re invited to the fancy Mariner’s Luncheon, for individuals who are repeat offenders with Holland America. We counted and Mum’s been on 6 cruises with HA, and I’ve been on 2. Mum would like to note that we get the same luncheon as those who have been on dozens of cruises.

    There was champagne. As you can see, I was SHOCKED and AMAZED!

    My starter was poached lobster on cucumber and decorated with other little goodies (dairy free!) There’s just one left here, because I got excited and ate the others right quick.

    Our filet mignon mains: mine on the right with extra veggies and mo dairy; Mum’s is on the left with how it’s supposed to look with hollandaise sauce.

    Two desserts!
    Treat plate

    I got two desserts! And Mum got a treat plate

    We don’t think we’ll be hungry for supper later! So we have a plan to go for a walk before we go.

    At this very minute Mum is waiting for me to finish this post so we can watch the last two episodes of the first season of West Wing.

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  • Cruise to Hawaii – update from today

    If you were wondering how lazy we were today!

    I have gotten Mum addicted to “The West Wing” and we spent most of the day watching episodes. We’re on the first season. an interesting show, and also easy to nap with.

    We also took an after-lunch constitutional around the Promenade deck.

    Tomorrow we have to remember to go to the Mariner’s Lunch in the dining room we were invited to.

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  • Cruise to Hawaii – At Sea!

    Lazy day at sea!

    We’ve adapted to our at-sea routine again. Breakfast and a swim/hot tub to start, then yesterday we did some activities; today there’s nothing we want to do. We’re lying in our room after getting changed out of our swimsuits and going to decide the degree of lazy we will be today.

    The activities yesterday were a talk about agriculture in Hawaii, followed by a Q&A session with the piano players from the piano bar. We’re big fans now, so that was interesting.

    Being in the open sea means the boat is rocking, and which also means the water in the pool is swaying back and forth violently making big waves to swim through. Very fun.

    Tonight is dress-up nice night in the dining room so I guess we’ll be prepping for that at some point. But not yet!

    There was an elephant on the bed!
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  • Cruise to Hawaii – Two Days in Honolulu

    We got to spend two days in Honolulu, our last days in Hawaii. On the first day Mum and I went shopping and figured out the public transit system. On the second day, today, we used our knowledge of the busses to go to Waikiki to go swimming. Today we also decided we are going to move to Waikiki because it’s warm there, and we will go swimming every day.

    Note 1: the public transit system if just like any other public transit system in the world, i.e. I figured it out with Google Maps. Except? that there was always a bus waiting for us when we wanted one, which is kind of weird, but certainly fortuitous.

    Note 2: We went shopping at Walmart!

    We are currently en route to Vancouver, having lifted off around supper time. We have plans for our final days at sea, including finishing our books, watching some dance shows, watching more piano shows, and we’re going for a swim tomorrow morning.

    My supper was delicious tonight. I had some super rare beef with Thai sauce for a starter, and stuffed zucchini with tomato sauce and noodles for my main. Vegan choco cake for dessert. This dinner is in second place after the night of the filet mignon.

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  • Cruise to Hawaii Day 9 – Hilo

    Hi. I didn’t update for a few days. I was tired. But Anyway. On day 9, which was Sunday, Mum and I did a bus tour of some of the things to see in Hilo, and we actually took some photos.

    First up was Liliuokalani Park, where I explored some small bridges.

    Mum Likes this Tree

    Next was a look at this statue of King Kamehameha

    Rainbow Falls
    Giant foliage at Rainbow Falls

    Then Rainbow Falls. I guess there’s a rainbow if you’re there at the right time of day. I didn’t see it.

    Then a visit to Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Visitor Centre. We were given time to shop in their store but Mum and I chose to hunt for macadamia nuts in the wild, instead.

    Our tour ended with a stop at a fancy chocolate candy store that had good coffee, too. Everyone was keen to sample all the treats.

    We stopped at a black sand beach in there somewhere. The sand is black because of volcanoes. I have a video but it won’t upload right now.

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