Vancouver-Seward-Tokyo-Hong Kong-Singapore on Silver Shadow

I've put this off for a couple of months, but I'm in Vancouver now, so I guess it's time to start.

My official birthday and retirement day is September 12, so I've scheduled a retirement party for myself. I'm on a 51-day Asian (well mostly Asian) cruise starting in Vancouver (31-Aug) and disembarking from the Silver Shadow in Singapore (22-Oct). In addition, I flew up to Vancouver a week early (24-Aug) and will stay a few days late in Singapore. Woohoo!

I'm loving Vancouver. I'm from San Diego, and weather-wise, Vancouver has been exactly like San Diego since I got here. Food is great. I'm in the Pan Pacific Hotel, which is in the same building as the Cruise Terminal in Vancouver. Hard to imagine an easier transfer. I didn't understand the City View vs Harbor View, so I let my TA choose City View for me. Next time I'll choose Harbor View. I'd rather see the float planes coming and going than the commercial port.

I haven't eaten at Tojo's, Cioppino's Mediterranean's Grill or Vig's yet, but I have eaten at Japadog, photo below. (No, that's not me in the picture!)

I embark on Thursday and will be reporting as I advance along my 2-month retirement party!

Some pictures from Granville Island:

Pictures of Coal Harbor

Hi, Rick! Appreciate these great pictures and super details. Hope you keep up with this excellent sharing. Have never explored these areas of western Canada, Alaska, eastern Russian, etc. Looking forward to as many details and insights as possible. This might be an area to put on our future "to-do" priority list.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

AFRICA?!!?: Lots of interesting and dramatic pictures can be seen from this live/blog at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

Now at 34,208 views for this visual sharing including Cape Town, along South Africa’s coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta area.

Great retirement gift to yourself . I did a cruise for my retirement celebration too,just around the Iberian Pennisula.

Look forward to your cruise report. Never been to BC but it is on my list.

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Happy retirement.

Enjoy every moment.

Congratulations on your retirement! You've given me something to shoot for in mine one day.

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Have a great time Rick and happy retirement.

Looking forward to your reports with interest. We almost booked a reverse section of Seward to Tokyo and ended booking another reverse part of your journey so hoping for lots of great tips for voyage and the Shadow.

Enjoy.

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Rick, congratulations on your retirement and on your retirement trip.

Have a great time in Vancouver and on this voyage.

Keith

Congrats on your retirement!

Enjoy your cruise!

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The happiest retirements Rick ......... and what a way to celebrate!

I'm excited to see that get to spend some time in Singapore before you head home. It has been for many years a sort of third home to us going several times a year for a few weeks each time. This year we went in January/February and now is a break so we still fill the excitment.

I know you are extremely well travelled and probably know the place well and I detect you are a bit of a foody ........ it is a foodies paradise of real rather than contrived fusion food. There's Peranakan, Thai, Chinese, Malay, Indian etc etc all organically fused over time and all available for less than many a frothy coffee in the US! It is a real food safari and I hope you make the most of it.

Enjoy your trip ....

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I'm excited to see that get to spend some time in Singapore before you head home. It has been for many years a sort of third home to us going several times a year for a few weeks each time. This year we went in January/February and now is a break so we still fill the excitment

Awesome, Jeff. I've never been to Singapore, so as time gets closer I'll be checking back with you for pointers.

Rick ... happy to help .... if you d a preliminary search on UKCruiseJeff and Singapore in search this thread and select posts it will come up with a few dozen detailed posts and (mosdtly food) piccies. Look further up and down those threads because there are loads of piccies in adjactent posts where "Singapore" is mentioned ie no text to search on.

A diversion if you are bored .....

A diversion if you are bored .....

Jeff, I'm staying busy here in Vancouver but I have quite a few sea days coming up, so yeah, I'll search like crazy.

Who remembers this guy? I saw him (with his friends) at the Sports Arena in San Diego, ... 1972?

Greetings Rick! Enjoy Vancouver! And..."Takin' Care of Business"! Bachman-Turner Overdrive!!!!! They were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame on March 29, 2014.

Rick - Congratulations on your retirement. We stayed at the Pan Pacific in Vancouver and really enjoyed it, especially seeing the Shadow come in prior to our Alaskan cruise. We will be interested in hearing about your time in Singapore since we'll be there early next year.

Enjoy your cruise, Rick! What a great way to celebrate.

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Fair Winds and Following Seas for your retirement Shadow voyage--wonderful itineraries. And Rick, kudos on your retirement--special kudos for

Carpe Diem/Seizing the Day (and traveling now on your retirement).

Mysty, you get the award for BTO! Bsam, JP and Wes, thanks for the grats. Now I'm getting itchy for the Shadow to show up. Another day-and-a-half...

I've put this off for a couple of months, but I'm in Vancouver now, so I guess it's time to start.

We visited Vancouver before and we sailed the Shadow twice in the yesteryears -- Mexican Riviera and again Panama Canal (repeating some ports of Mexican Riviera).

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=680435

We read that the beloved Shadow was hit in an accident some years ago, creating a large hole in the hull which was repaired. Could you see any sign of that incident left on it?

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We read that the beloved Shadow was hit in an accident some years ago, creating a large hole in the hull which was repaired. Could you see any sign of that incident left on it?

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Nope. I was on the Shadow in May, and no sign at all. I loved the boat so much when I got off that I'm getting back on tomorrow. :) I'm going to have to daily update my signature...

Nope. I was on the Shadow in May, and no sign at all. I loved the boat so much when I got off that I'm getting back on tomorrow. :) I'm going to have to daily update my signature...

Thank you kindly for your reply.

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Congratulations on your retirement. I did Vancouver to Tokyo on the Silver Shadow in 2012....it was a great cruise. If you get the chance, take the volcano excursion in Petropavlovsk. It was incredible.

Cheers

Jennifer

Congratulations on your retirement. I did Vancouver to Tokyo on the Silver Shadow in 2012....it was a great cruise. If you get the chance, take the volcano excursion in Petropavlovsk...

Thank you, Jennifer. I *am* signed up for the 6-wheel ATV tour of the volcanoes. I didn't bother to get off the ship when I was in Petropavlovsk in May, but then as we cruised past the Kamchatka peninsula I saw all those volcanoes and was determined to do this excursion this time around.

Just a couple notes: Kirk Detweiler, the normal Cruise Director on the Shadow went home for a one-month vacation yesterday. He's been replaced by Allan King for the next month. Allan has about 30 years on Kirk. I've only got about 25 years on Kirk, so to me, Allan looks old. ;)

Also, *last* voyage I passed out several $100 bills to the crew-members that I liked - mostly my bar staff and my butler and steward. You would not believe the way I'm being treated *this* voyage. I walk into a room and I'm treated like a hero. At dinner and lunch I am constantly offered "special" wines and the bottles are left on the table. At dinner last night I ate with two other Solo passengers and they could not figure out why we were the only table within view that had two open bottles of wine on our table. Every crew member treats me like royalty. Tipping at the end of the voyage is *definitely* one of those pay-ahead kind of things. It may not get you any payback on that particular voyage, but it pays back in spades from then on.

(I tipped because I felt like they deserved it. I had no idea that they would remember me.)