"Live" - 17-21 September 2018 Exploring Vancouver Island on Explorer of the Seas

Yes, it is still up there on deck 14. Marie likes deck 11 for the dancing. 12 has a clearer view.

 

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Thanks! Hoping the weather will cooperate for being outside. I do like deck 12 forward. We have also gone to Viking Crown on other ships, there can be a pretty good view and it's usually quieter, which DH prefers. Guess we'll play it by ear :)

Went to the ice show this afternoon, Spirits of the Seasons. Get there early as it is first come, first serve on seating.

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Looks great! But nobody is going to be playing any hockey on that tiny rink :)

We have been cruising around slowly off the coast but have now turned and are heading back to the Strait of Juan de Fuca

Following along as always, Bill and Marie.

Thank you and enjoy !

Following, Vancouver Island is one of my favourite places in all of Canada. Hope to visit there again soon...and it will be awesome to see it through your review!

Had a great meal away Giovanni tonight.

Stopped at the casino and won $51 then found a new friend in the cabin.

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Ha!..: we ate at Giovanni’s as well... food photos later

Outstanding weather this morning

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Following along. Loving your pictures so far, looking forward to more! Happy cruising!

Made it to the Kinsol Trestle

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Backtrack to last night....

Great dinner in Giovanni’s... I like the meal quality better than Chios on this sailing so we moved our final night from chops to Giovanni’s. However, o do t like the venue being in the top floor of the old nightclub deck 4...no windows. Going for a late dinner when it’s dark out is perfect.

Carpaccio starter

Crab ravioli & spinach/ricotta crepes

Veal tenderloin

And the seemingly always awesome Osso Bucco, with great polenta, gf’s fave dinner from any RCL venue

No desert pics, however I tried the chocolate cake for the first time and it was a total

Surprise excellent! The cannoli recently have been disappointment so I left them alone... the tiramisu was awesome too.

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Back to today.... Unsworth Winery

1st class experience, great food and great wine.

The town of Chemainus.. “City Of Murals”

Back to Explorer

Hope you had a great day today Bill [emoji16][emoji106]

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I'll post some day pictures later. Dinner tonight was Izumi.

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Today the ship spent the day in the port of Nanaimo.

Nanaimo is a city and ferry port on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. At its heart, the Nanaimo Museum displays exhibits on the city’s industries and indigenous peoples. Near the Harbourfront Walkway, the Bastion is an 1853 wooden tower with cannon firings in summer. Shops and cafes fill the Old City Quarter. Offshore, on Newcastle Island, trails lead to beaches and First Nations sites.

We rented a car and did some exploring, We did not get to all the places that was on our list as it started raining about 2pm.

First stop was the Cathedral Grove.

Cathedral Grove is a rare and endangered remnant of an ancient Douglas fir ecosystem on Vancouver Island in British Columbia (BC), Canada. The biggest trees in the Grove are about 800 years old and measure 75 m (250 ft) in height and 9 m (29 ft) in circumference. They are the survivors of a forest fire that ravaged the area some 350 years ago and the even more devastating invasion by Europeans who colonized Vancouver Island from 1849.

We then headed down the road to Little Qualicum Falls Park

Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, on central Vancouver Island, that encompasses the entire southern shore of Cameron Lake. Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park was originally established as a park in 1940 to protect the old growth Douglas-fir forest.

We hike up the trail to the upper falls.

We then headed to the town of Coombs and their old country market where we browsed and shopped. I browsed, Marie shopped.

We ate lunch at a place that had goats on the roof.

We didn't get one of these but they looked amazing,.

We did try an Nanaimo bar, decadent and tasty though it doesn't look it in this picture.

Around that time it began to rain so we called it a day and headed back to the harbor.

Looks like an amazing day!

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Your pics of dinner at Giovanni’s looked amazing! We usually dine at Chops day one to avoid the MDR chaos but may have to switch on our next cruise. We’re apparently in the minority but enjoy most of the meals in the MDR.

Terrific photos as always, Bill, sounds as if you both had a wonderful day in Nanaimo! I haven't been there in 20 years, looking forward to returning one day on either a land or cruise vacation :)

Btw, I'm really looking forward to trying Giovanni's for the very first time on my upcoming cruise on Adventure. Probably planning to dine at lunchtime on a sea day simply because I actually enjoy the food in the MDR LOL. Thanks for those photos as well :)

Man, is today really your last day? Not cool, man!

Your pics of dinner at Giovanni’s looked amazing! We usually dine at Chops day one to avoid the MDR chaos but may have to switch on our next cruise. We’re apparently in the minority but enjoy most of the meals in the MDR.

Not sure why there has been better staffing at Chops but we liked the food better in Giovanni's. Worth the wait. Back to Chops again tonight

Your pictures of the forest are amazing. Thank you for sharing.