mking8288

Checking our trip time with taxi, took about 35 minutes from Canada Place to Airport, dropped off in front of Budget car rental office ... passing by key "landmarks" along the way. Must be something about the Subways here, they are all over the place ... not just McD's and now Popeyes This is the nearest luggage storage near the cruise terminal on Howe Street, a shipping place. One and a half block from Canada Street, also near the SkyTrain station to/from airport. Almost at YVR - that's the Air Canada operations ... blurry photo.

Starlink satellite WiFi was amazingly fast, turbo ... super-charged vs. NCL's Starlink already deployed on their ship. One of the key differences could be the spacing between the wireless routers/top-mounted hotspot in all the hallways. Uber surged pricing Fast track using Porter once we had collected our luggage, cut the regular lanes for taxi ... Took us 20 minutes to leave ship into taxi, to Howe St & Head to YVR Airport for rental minivan.

Breakfast and then ... joint the queue to exit

Disembarkation breakfast - menu Fast-track still being called at 8:30 AM

Cunard QE's senior team/officers - Log -

Good morning, why isn't the ship moving ? We are docked, huh. It figures. Just look below, my alarm is set to 7:15 and breakfast at 8 in Britannia. The porters aren't on their job yet. Cunard ship security will have to tell us to get off the ship and pay the balance in our account. We are going to take 2 taxis to the airport, with all that luggage ... not to rush for our United flights tomorrow 😉. But, to pickup our inexpensive Budget car rental, a minivan for the next 20 hours to use while in town, and check into our B&B after 1:30 PM. Extending our vacation post-cruise by a day, busy schedule ahead.

ETA for Canada Place is 6:45 to 7 AM, breakfast serves until 8:30 and our color tags - blue and #2 is 9 AM Reconfirmed with our AirBnB host for our 1. night, check-in after 1:30 PM in Richard, last stop on SkyTrain at Brighouse Station. United's flights on Tuesday will open for OLCI tomorrow, no changes expected. DENver, CO will be 90 deg F 😳😳😳 - our layover airport to LGA 😀

Lido Restaurant ( buffet dinner - a simple supper for us on the final evening ... we already tipped our waiter & his assistant last night, just in case). Ditto for our busy room steward today, gave him okay again to skip evening turn down service ... he will be working past 11 PM until all luggage are collected, and tomorrow's turnaround day in Port. Not pictured, freshly made to order pizza.

We are sailing early @ 8:45 PM - apparently all onboard. Next stop in the morning, Canada Place C.T. - Vancouver, BC ... disembarkation Victoria, BC - until next time 👍 . Infection control alert: lots of coughing sound in Lido Restaurant tonight, sounding like URI - will mask up tomorrow, just in case, matter of self-defense & taking personal responsibility

On the shuttle bus, returning to the QE ... RC's Quantum came in later than us, docked next berth over & those pax coming back too. BTW, the most Sun ... seen over the past 10 days and this cruise is coming to an end, tomorrow morning.

Innee Harbor - waterfront by the Empress Flowers - best time to visit is in early April to see them in full bloom This is the shuttle drop-off & pick-up area, 1 city block from the waterfront.

Continuing - walking back toward the waterfront, memories ... Victoria is growing it's population and new houses / condos & apartments for the retirement community moving here Macy's equivalent here - Hudson's Bay Teas Last time we stayed here, our hotel was across that bridge and those high-rises wasn't there then, around 2010-11.

@cruiseny4life you'll feel right at home seeing this 😁 and prices in CAD vs. very good exchange rates against the USD - not just in Iceland or Barcelona 😉

Continued with Victoria Chinatown - part 3 Our pit-stop for food & bathroom

Extra photos from the iPhone (SE 2022 has cellular signal on Bell vs Samsung & Google Pixel 7 Pro on Telus/Rogers)

Victoria's Chinatown food stop & walking tour continued

Victoria's historic original Chinatown, established in the late 1800's with the Gold Rush waves. Gateway to Fan-Tan Alley, the narrowest street ... vice, opium, gambling and mob / organized crime in those days.

City shuttle - near the Empress Hotel - strolling thru cars-free Government Street

Posting from Victoria downstair, more posts w photos later. Double-decker Shuttle bus, 10 minutes to town, free, with a short narrated intro to the city & it's history. Drop-off/pick-up spot near the Empress Hotel by the waterfront.

Earlier, with most clothes washed n cleaned, began packing - 95% done. Will put them out before 11 PM tonight for our 9 AM disembark time, no rush.

Gangway is almost ready w set-up. CBSA just came off the ship, looks like as soon as the word is given, the rush will begin All abroad is 8:30 PM tonight for 9 PM sail away. Local time in about 1 PM, scanned the port info / ship sat phone #, etc. just in case, as always. What's our plan ? Consistent w our motto, we'll go ashore & wing it, if the deal looks good, pay & go.

We are inside Victoria harbor, inching along slower at 8 kts for past 1/2 hour+ ... under pilot boat escort. Well so much for going ashore earlier than ... might as well eat a buffet lunch first.

Yulp 🤫 Here, for your convenience to sail and sustain, and others

Great idea, can I use your name as a reference, tell them we are on a CC mission and bring 5 others along ?

Haha 😂 😂 fog horn blowing, lost at the moment but oh, "The Sound of Silence" ... Are you going to Scarborough ..." with hot chocolate in hand, chilling. P.S. Feel a little like being on a "magical mystery tour" at sea, still on the lookout for whales, dolphins and sea otters, etc. with binoculars ready. No luck yet ... there is always an acquarium, right 😁