Live-- “Eh” to “G’day” – Vancouver to Sydney on Radiance 2014

[AussieVisi2r]

Hi all,

 

I’m having a go at live blogging Vancouver to Hawaii 12 Sept, then Hawaii to Sydney 20th Sept.

 

I’m Raina from Canberra (the capital of Australia – No, Sydney is not the capital). I’m travelling with my 89 yo Dad – Andy. He only started cruising 4 year ago, after Mum died and we dragged him along. Of course he fell in love with it. And fell in love with Radiance. I booked this trip last year when I sailed Hawaii to Sydney and have been talking about going to ‘Vancouver Eh’ ever since.

 

I have just returned four weeks ago from a month long trip to Europe with my DD aged 24 – Sarah. This trip included 14 nights Ultimate Russia and Scandinavia on Legend. So – Yes, I am having a brilliant year.

 

Caveat – the amount of blogging will depend on Radiance wifi and packages available and Yes, there will be typos and mistakes.

 

SO here we go.

 

Working out logistic of the trip was fun (many things are different when travelling with an 89yo rather than a 24yo)– air travel being the major part.

 

I had to find flights that

A) didn’t leave Sydney early in the morning as that would require a night in Sydney hotel - extra effort for Dad.

B) Didn’t arrive in Vancouver late at night as that would be too hard for Dad.

C) Had to have flat bed seats - 89 is pretty old!!!!

I priced a few airlines and eventually got onto a few of the discount business seat sellers that advertise on many places. This one has a name that talks about first class discount air. I knew I would never get to travel first class. I was after affordable business seats. They eventually got back to me with Global First class tickets with United for around half the price of Qantas. So we grabbed them.

 

I kept telling myself that they would not be brilliant, would be more like Qantas Premium Economy but with flat seats.

 

How wrong was I. They were brilliant.

 

But first – a drama to start the trip.

 

We flew from Canberra. EVERY time one of our family flies we are selected for random explosive tests. This time was dad’s turn. And Oh Dear. He returned a double positive! TWO swabs and two positive for TNT results. Security, manages, police, interviews, background checks etc. They finally decided that it was the WD40 that he sprayed on his walker for a pre cruise tune-up and let us go!!!

 

 

Of course the flight had been held up (either waiting to get us on – or to get our suspect luggage off) and we had to do the walk of shame up the length of the plane with people snarling and muttering. Pretty funny since Andy had been up since 6am so that we wouldn’t be late for our 10am flight!

 

We then had an uneventful flight to Sydney and checked in with United.

[Irish Cath]

 

But first – a drama to start the trip.

 

We flew from Canberra. EVERY time one of our family flies we are selected for random explosive tests. This time was dad’s turn. And Oh Dear. He returned a double positive! TWO swabs and two positive for TNT results. Security, manages, police, interviews, background checks etc. They finally decided that it was the WD40 that he sprayed on his walker for a pre cruise tune-up and let us go!!!

 

 

 

Oh my what a start. Very very funny :D, although i'm sure neither of you were laughing at the time!

I'l be following along, looking forward to it. Thanks for taking the time to write.

[AussieVisi2r]

From the moment we walked up their red carpet to check in, we had brilliant service. Everyone was so pleasant and lovely. Andy checked in his walker – as he was scared of taking it through security incase he was tested again – so we had to organize for a wheel chair (for him to use as a walker).

 

 

It was then a few hours in the lounge waiting for the flight.

But as they say "Better to be too early and sitting there bored, then stressing while held up in traffic and running late!"

 

And we did have time to get to the Caviar Bar at Sydney International. Something I have always wanted to do but have never caught it open. $15 a spoon full but quiet nice. Not spectacular but nice.

 

I do think that United is being let down by using the Air New Zealand lounge in Sydney. It was fine (but only as nice as the Qantas domestic lounge) not really up to international standards, but certainly better than sitting at the gate.

 

Then we boarded the flight and were blown away.

 

If you every get the chance ( and sadly I don’t see it happening to me again) fly Global First class with United. The seats were fantastic.

 

We were greeted with drinks and nibbles.

 

 

The plane was a 777-200 with the new herringbone pod seats. They were big, comfortable, soft and really well designed. One of my problems flying is not just the room of the seat but space to put all your things. Ipod, noise cancelling headphones, phone (for clock), face cream, jumper for extra pillow, water bottle etc etc etc. This seat had so much room! And storage. I was happy and Dad was blow away. (His last long flights were crunched up in a bomber, then to Japan in the Occupational Forces in Japan after 1945.

 

 

The flight was originally 14hrs 40 minutes but we must have had a good wind as it was a bit quicker.

 

 

Service was amazing, food was fantastic, I even managed a few hours sleep which I never get! Seat were really soft and wonderful. When flat the bed were great too. It was a bit like sleeping on the lounge at home under a blanket with a crowd in the lounge room. Quiet comfortable but you didn’t sleep heavily. Dad had about 7 hours of off and on sleep, so I was very happy.

 

 

Basically it was fantastic! I highly recommend them.

[AussieVisi2r]

Now it would be remiss of me not to talk about the food - we all know what airline food is like.

 

Well this was like a degustation at a fine restaurant.

 

The food kept coming and was great.

 

For mains I had the rack of lamb. Not re heated rack of lamb. Cooked in the oven on the plane!!! Food porn photos often look bad but this was great.

 

 

 

The menu said ice cream sundae.....but when the TROLLEY came along loaded with all yummy things I could not say no.

 

 

 

 

Awesome.

[AussieVisi2r]

Oh my what a start. Very very funny :D, although i'm sure neither of you were laughing at the time!

I'l be following along, looking forward to it. Thanks for taking the time to write.

 

Cath, Sorry to say we were laughing. The police were even chuckling and grinning. DD was nearly wetting herself.

 

Glad to see someone will be reading this!:)

 

Raina

[AussieVisi2r]

We arrived in Vancouver, picked up a hire car and drove to our hotel.

L’Hermitage in Richards St, Vancouver. (It’s about 600m back up the hill from Canada Place.)

 

We arrived and were met by fantastic front desk staff and included valet parking. We had booked the one bedroom den.

 

It had two bathrooms, a master bedroom,

 

a sofa in the lounge,

 

a small ‘sitting room’ which we used as a dressing room, a full kitchen,

full laundry and a brilliant breakfast included.

 

 

 

Fresh and organic everything....salmon, eggs, pork sausages, maple bacon.

 

The guy who brought our 48 ton of luggage up, set the suitcases up on stands, etc. all was great.

 

We had dinner across the road at a lovely gastro pub “The Kingston Taphouse and Grill”. Food was fantastic and literally directly across the road.

 

 

 

We slept well and woke up with no jet lag and ready to go.

[Bim1]

Loving your review. I'm so tempted to do the Hawaii to Sydney cruise, im looking forward to reading your review of the whole trip.

[Cruz-On]

Enjoying your review. Thanks for taking time to share. Looking forward to reading more about your vacation!

[dancinman66]

Can't stop laughing wd40

Thought I was only one to always get stopped

Looking forward to your review

Love the title

Greg

 

 

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[aussielozzie18]

The WD40 incident cracked me up. Love the look of those pods. Very much looking forward to the rest of your review.

[hancogran]

Can't wait to read about your adventures! :) Sorry your dad had a problem with security and his walker. Reminds me of when we took my mum to Vegas.. at the time she was 81 and used a walker. She was also chosen for a random search and they took her into a separate room for a complete pat down, etc. She took it all in stride but I was the one who was freaking out at her having to go through this. :eek:

 

Have a fantastic cruise and thanks for doing this!

[A&L_Ont]

Loving the review.

[Brossy]

Hi Raina

Fantastic review so far. Can't wait to read more. Oh and really looking forward to meeting you onboard Radiance. The information you have given us has been so helpful.

[DonnaK]

Awesome review! Looking forward to reading the rest!

 

Bon Voyage!

[AussieVisi2r]

Day 3 Wed 10th September Vancouver Eh.

 

We then retrieved our car from the valet guys and headed off on the "Sea to the Sky" Drive. We travelled out of Vancouver over the Lions Gate Bridge, which we will be cruising under on Friday, along Marine Drive and followed the coast up Howe Sound to the town of Squamish then up '99' to Whistler. And it was stunning.

 

We had some fun trying to tell the GPS that we didn't want to go straight up 99, but wanted Marine Drive - but we got to see lots of the city and had fun. Vancouver is a busy city to drive in but very easy. Drivers are really polite and great at merging and lane changing. So no dramas.

 

We finally made it to Marine Drive and we were so glad we did. It was a lovely windy, narrow road with stunning houses all along the way. The tree life along the road was amazing. Worth the drive just for that.

 

 

We went up to Horseshoe Bay then joined the 99 highway to Squamash, then on to Whistler. The site of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

 

It was great looking around at so many of the places you had seen on TV. And The Ski jump is SOOOOO big. Really scary. The country side is stunning and the driving was really easy.

 

 

 

There were heaps of signs warning of bears but when I chatted to a ranger she said they were all up in the mountain as it “was too dry down here”. Funny saying that to an Aussie. To us, too dry means everything is dead and blowing away.

 

 

So I didn’t see any bears.

 

 

 

[AussieVisi2r]

We then came back to town and went to dinner at a restaurant called “Coast”. It specializes in seafood. It was fantastic. Expensive but great.

Cold seafood for two. - half lobster, prawns, king crab, dungeness crab, oysters and various sushi.

 

 

 

Warm seafood for two . Salmon, sablefish, prawns, scallops, and more.

 

 

Dessert I had a chocolate tasting plate.

 

All of the food was great. A good night out.

 

Another amazing thing about Vancouver - the cost of the taxis. Best ever. a ten minute ride is under $10. Brilliant.

[GMoney]

You know how to travel. Great blog - thanks for sharing.

[critterchick]

Brilliant review!:D

[AussieVisi2r]

Day 3 Thursday 11th September

 

We started off the day by heading into Stanley Park. Stanley Park is 1001 acres of stunning land only 100's of metres form the CBD. It wasn’t a planned park like in many cities. It just ‘happened’. One of the huge benefits of this is the land was never cleared from the days that it was owned by the indigenous people. Meaning the forest is genuine old growth. It is amazing. Not unlike the Muir Woods near San Francisco.

 

 

The best way to see Stanley Park is on a push bike. The place is set up for riders. It’s a really easy ride and is spectacular. But maybe not with an 89yo. SO we travelled around in the car. Still good. There was a hop on hop off bus going around as well as horse drawn wagon rides pulled by fantastic heavy Belgian Drafts.

 

The views of the harbour, of English Bay (where you sail out), the trees, the views of the Lions Gate bridge (which is one of my favorite bridges in the world), totem poles, beaches (hahaha) and the animal life (Canadian Geese, squirrels etc) was fantastic.

 

English Bay

 

Lions Gate Bridge. Lions Gate Bridge is a stunning suspension bridge with two lions guarding the entrance. Not really. It does have big lion statues but it really refers to The Lions. The pair of mountain peaks that are north of the bridge. The total length is 1823 metres. It has 70,000 vehicles a day over it (but no heavy trucks or cars with studded tyres).

 

 

Beach no 2

 

 

Some of the many Totem Poles

 

 

Canadian Geese, enjoy the grass at the Royal Sailing club.

 

 

We spent a few hours there, driving around and stopping to hop out and look at things. Dad absolutely loved it!!!! As did I.

 

Stanley Park would be my No 1 must do for Vancouver.

[AussieVisi2r]

You know how to travel. Great blog - thanks for sharing.

 

H ha ha . This level of luxury is not my norm! I'm more of a "what s the best value 3 star place close tot eh attractions" type of gal. I spend hours trolling sites looking for the best deals. This trip is amazing!!!!!

 

R

[AussieVisi2r]

We then headed up to Grouse Mountain. That’s the huge mountain / ski resort directly across form Canada Bay. The drive up through the suburbs was lovely. We then rode the Gondola up to the top. Cost was $39 for Dad (senior) and $43 for me. The view from the ride up amazing. Spectacular.

 

 

We went to the Lumberjack show (included in the price). I was prepared for the very touristy, hockey kind of show, but it was very funny. And displayed great talent. Just before it started off some goat of a tourist was walking around on their set fiddling with things. The compare tried to chase him away but he was a bit stroppy (upset, rude, difficult). He left then started walking around picking up bits of wood – I guess for souvenirs. Next thing, he put on their climbing equipment and started up the pole. By this stage everyone realized he was part of the show. He ended up at the top of the pole 20 metres (60 feet) without his climbing gear, spikes etc. it was really funny but your hear was in your mouth none the less.

 

 

They then showed axe throwing, cross cut saws, plank standing, log rolling etc.

 

 

 

 

 

It was great!

 

Also included were a few movies, bird show, and the bears.

[AussieVisi2r]

The Bears.

 

They are rehab bears and were in a great enclosure (and I’m a harsh judge with animal enclosures) and were the most amazingly healthy bears ever.

 

 

 

 

 

Grouse Mountain - definitely another Thumbs Up!

 

 

[AussieVisi2r]

We then went back down, returned our lovely car to Avis (airport pick up, drop off in the city few minutes from Canada Place) and caught a taxi down to the harbour.

 

5 years ago (when I cruised Alaska) we found a bar called “Lift – Bar and Grill”. It was magical so I wanted Dad to see it. It’s at 333 Menchions Mews, Vancouver, directly opposite the Royal Sailing Club in Stanley Park. One of the last buildings near the park.

 

And it was just as I remembered. AMAZING!!!!!!! The food was sensational and the view – I just don’t have enough superlatives!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mariners, rowers, sailboats, motor boats, seals, otters, float planes, cruise ships.........

 

 

Seriously - Vancouver is one of the Very best cities in the world!!!!!!

 

Another huge day - I should have been asleep hours ago (but I had to do this while the wifi is good and free)...

because tomorrow......

 

I go on Radiance!!!!!!!!!!!! Yahhhhhhh!!!!!!

[gaechann]

H ha ha . This level of luxury is not my norm! I'm more of a "what s the best value 3 star place close tot eh attractions" type of gal. I spend hours trolling sites looking for the best deals. This trip is amazing!!!!!

 

R

 

So glad I found this thread! I'm using my laptop to view your lovely photos as the screen on my smartphone just don't do them justice!

 

Your Dad is such a trooper! Wish my Mum would continue to travel but she says that she holds me back and perhaps she does a bit but whilst you have them you like to spend some quality time with them!

 

Gae

[karin5]

Vancouver is a great city to begin a cruise. My family did a Disney Alaska cruise out of Vancouver last year. Just beautiful. We loved watching to float planes land in the bay, refuel, and take-off again. Look forward to reading your trip report. Have a wonderful trip.

 

 

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