mking8288

@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. 

39 minutes ago, dexddd said:

... Food looks good.  Haven't seen late night buffet like that on NCL in ten years or more ...

Yulp 🤫

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

8 minutes ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

Have a nice day in Victoria. Last time I … took a nap in the lobby of the Empress Hotel … 😅

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

16 minutes ago, dexddd said:

What is he eating?  A Puffin?  And he may be a clone.

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 😁

Our current location per Google on cellular GPS mapping 

Based on CruiseMapper, MarineTraffic - looks like we will get into Victoria earlier than scheduled, after 11:30 (my best guess ... slowing to under 15 kts coming in) and possibly able to go ashore by noon once cleared by CBSA. Ship tours meet mostly at 1:30 PM. Yay, I have a Rogers signal for Google Fi on the iPhone 

We'll probably just Taxi/UberXL into where we aimed to see first, or do City Bus w a transfer.  We are now actually closer to Washington State on the way in.

More pictures 

Very busy now, not quite a line but there is a wait for the machine to become available. 

Meanwhile, a good breakfast to kick off the last full morning onboard Cunard's QE. I will hold off replies on comments & thoughts to you until we officially finish up this journey and don't have to struggle with fat fingers on a tiny keyboard.

This not quite live review turned out to be more than expected, next up will be on Royal Caribbean and that's going to be interesting as well. 

Enjoy these photos as we eat 

Housekeeping is up already, out & about.  We decided to enjoy breakfast as the sun rises, wow ... what a sight. And, doing laundry as passengers can start by 7:30.

Sunrise 

On the lookout for possible Northern Lights as alerted by one of the local guide on our Alaska tour over these several nights, apparently not.  One of the photo used Night.Sight option filtering. 

Our reliable balcony neighbor, faithfully leave the porch light on and hasn't been turned off ... 

I believe and seen that, FWIW, on the Joy & other ships in the fleet to go into bypass mode, likely for crews with specially encoded key care access, i.e. butler's & Haven/suite guests being escorted, security or emergencies (Code Alpha response)

Queens Room,  after dinner in a party & dancing mode 

Gala #2 Dinner - Menu 👍

Chicken Satay

Salmon

Beef Wellington - no upcharge 🫢

Dover Sole - no upcharge🤗

Baked Alaska

NCL clan ... this, tonight, is practically like Specialty Dining 😋

Beautiful evening at sea with sunset coming up 

It's showtime, party time, dinner time, and gala evening. 

@Sugar Magnolia looks like your posse are coming

@cruiseny4life I can see one or both of you with the kilt.

Free Port shuttle bus services by Cunard - 

NCL probably none or $15, for your convenience, of course 🫢