OCD Planner's ~ Jewel ~ 8 Night Pacific NW Vancouver to LA w/San Francisco Overnight

[ace1zoe2]

My DH and I are on the Jewel right now for a b2b Pacific Coastal.

 

 

 

We have enjoyed your review. :)

 

 

Nancy!

 

Lucky you doing a B2B. We have our first ever scheduled B2B next spring out if San Juan. Figured if we had to pay for flights we needed to make it worthwhile. Each week only has 1 sea day but there are only 2 new ports total for us. Still there is lots more to see on the islands we've already visited.

 

Thanks so much for following along & taking time to comment.

 

It really helps to stay motivated when I know there is someone out there reading the report that I put so much time in to.

 

Enjoy your cruises!

 

Cindy

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited October 6, 2015 by ace1zoe2

[The Big Booper]

We were on the Jewel for this cruise along with you plus we spent 6 days in S. California after the cruise on a car tour so we just got back on Saturday on a red-eye from LAX :eek::eek: to FLL.

 

Really enjoying the flower pictures since we had slow moving friends with us and couldn't cover the whole gardens.

 

We were the older couple in the L & M show.

 

Keep on posting the great pictures. I have 2 days in Vancouver plus 8 days on the ship plus 6 days in SoCal from LA down to SD so have lots of pics to organize and post.

[ace1zoe2]

We were on the Jewel for this cruise along with you plus we spent 6 days in S. California after the cruise on a car tour so we just got back on Saturday on a red-eye from LAX :eek::eek: to FLL.

 

Really enjoying the flower pictures since we had slow moving friends with us and couldn't cover the whole gardens.

 

We were the older couple in the L & M show.

 

Keep on posting the great pictures. I have 2 days in Vancouver plus 8 days on the ship plus 6 days in SoCal from LA down to SD so have lots of pics to organize and post.

 

 

Wow sounds like you had a great post-cruise trip as well.

 

You are famous! We watched you on the stateroom tv in the L&M game show. Bet that was a fun time that night plus getting recognized throughout the rest of the cruise!

 

Thanks for taking time to check out my review :)

 

Cindy

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[EbayCruiser]

Thank you - Enjoyed your pictures of the gardens. We were there in '06 and thoroughly enjoyed it.

[ace1zoe2]

Thank you - Enjoyed your pictures of the gardens. We were there in '06 and thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

Thank you so much for taking time to comment. I hope that you will continue to follow along.

 

I took more pictures at the garden than any where else :)

[jimbri]

Beautiful photos - Thank you for sharing!

[ace1zoe2]

Next we drove about 20 minutes down a tiny, twisting, hilly road past Prospect Lake until we arrived at Fort Rodd Hill. Fort Rodd Hill is part of several artillery fortifications along the Esquimalt harbour that guarded Victoria from 1878-1856. Fort Rodd Hill is now a National Historic Site in Canada and is considered one of the best preserved and most complete with all original structures with minimal restoration.

 

We paid $7.90CAN per person to tour the fort and have access to the Fisgard Lighthouse. The lighthouse was built in 1860 and was the first lighthouse built on Canada's rugged west coast. It was named a National Historic Site in 1960 on its 100th anniversary. It is still a working lighthouse today, although it's last keeper left in 1929.

 

When paying, the agent asked us how much time we had to spend at the site. I told him probably 30 minutes to an hour and that our main interest was the lighthouse. He gave us a map and instructed to go "backwards" thru the exit gate and head straight to the lighthouse, about a 10 minute walk. If we had 2 or more hours his suggestion was to do the inoperative films inside first, then see the fort building and batteries and finally head up to the lighthouse. We were appreciative that he offered a suggestion on the best way to spend our time to see what we wanted to see. The tour is entirely self-led with either the map or a purchased audio tour.

 

We chose to go straight to the lighthouse where I took pictures. Entry to the lighthouse only included the 2 floors, not the spiral staircase to the stop. I was a little disappointed in that, thinking that we would be able to climb the stairs and have some awesome panoramic views.

 

Our first glimpse of the lighthouse just beyond the Belmont Battery:

 

 

The sign we passed pointing us in the right direction:

 

 

Fisgard Lighthouse at 155 years old:

 

 

 

Interior lower level:

 

 

[ace1zoe2]

Beautiful photos - Thank you for sharing!

 

Thank you so much for the compliment. I love travel and photography (even though I'm just an amateur) and sometime I luck out that most turn out pretty well.

 

Thanks for taking time to comment. I hope you enjoy the rest of the trip report.

 

Cindy

[ace1zoe2]

We did hike out on to the rocks near the lighthouse and were able to get some good views fom there. On the way back we took a look at some of the fort buildings before hitting the road again.

 

 

Sorry, this structure is actually the Belmont Battery:

 

 

This building was the Searchlight Emplacement No. 7. It was built in 1940 and restored to its wartime camouflage scheme as a "fisherman's hut". By 1944 there were 17 searchlights throughout the VE (Victoria-Esquimalt) Fortress.

 

 

The Upper Battery was built in 1895 and housed a single 6" disappearing gun.

 

 

The Warrant Officer's Quarters was the peacetime home to senior non-commissioned officers at Fort Rodd Hill.

 

 

That was about all that we had time to see in our limited time in port. We still needed to get back to Victoria to see a few more places on my list such as Craigdarroch Castle and the Harbour Area.

 

More to come later today...

[lr657]

Thanks so much for taking the time to do this review. We are hoping to book a west coast cruise in the future and in addition to enjoying the review and the beautiful photo's, I am also gaining so much helpful information. Can't wait for the rest!

 

I also would like to add that I followed and loved the review of your Alaska cruise and was amazed at your packing ability. I showed my husband the picture you posted in this review of the luggage you took and told him we needed to improve our packing skills!

[marys350]

Hi Cindy,

It was nice to meet you and your husband on this cruise. I'm enjoying reading your review and think that it's great that you include detailed background information about places that you visited along with your beautiful pictures. We loved visiting Butchart Gardens and the lighthouse. I'm looking forward to the rest of your review. This cruise was an awesome itinerary on a great ship!

:) Mary

[ace1zoe2]

Thanks so much for taking the time to do this review. We are hoping to book a west coast cruise in the future and in addition to enjoying the review and the beautiful photo's, I am also gaining so much helpful information. Can't wait for the rest!

 

I also would like to add that I followed and loved the review of your Alaska cruise and was amazed at your packing ability. I showed my husband the picture you posted in this review of the luggage you took and told him we needed to improve our packing skills!

 

Hi Lorraine!

 

I have definitely worked on my packing skills over the years trying to downsize. I figure if we don't have to check a bag I'll save $50 that I can spend on DIY excursions :) Just go with a color (mine is black - pants, shorts, capris) then add mix and match shirts and one pair of dress shoes, one pair flip flops and one pair of walking/tennis shoes. I wear the walking shoes on the plane since they take up the most room. I can pack everything else for 8 nights in the carryon.

 

We're still trying to figure out how to get rid of the Vera Bradley weekender bag and just do two smaller backpacks.

 

I appreciate your comments on my Alaska Trip Report. That thing took me forever but I felt like I had learned a lot of information on how to DIY a lot of the trip and everyone else needed to know it :)

 

I hope that you get to do the NW Coastal Cruise. We really enjoyed it and all of the new places we got to see.

 

Please feel free to make other comments or ask questions as you follow along.

 

Cindy

[ace1zoe2]

Hi Cindy,

It was nice to meet you and your husband on this cruise. I'm enjoying reading your review and think that it's great that you include detailed background information about places that you visited along with your beautiful pictures. We loved visiting Butchart Gardens and the lighthouse. I'm looking forward to the rest of your review. This cruise was an awesome itinerary on a great ship!

:) Mary

 

Mary,

 

It was a pleasure meeting you as well. Thank you for continuing to ready my trip report. I'm glad that you had the chance to visit the gardens and lighthouse.

 

I try to include a little information about what you are looking at. When I read review I am looking for places that I might like to visit and that information helps me to decide.

 

Please continue to comment as you follow along.

 

Cindy

[ace1zoe2]

After a quick lunch we headed back in to Victoria where we toured the Craigdarroch Castle. It was amazing. 4.5 stories tall with lots of unique woodwork.

 

 

 

 

The castle was constructed from 1887-1890 for a coal magnate, Richard Dunsmuir who unfortunately died in 1889 and never lived in the home. His wife and 2 daughters (of the 8 daughters & 2 sons) lived there from 1890 until Mrs. Dunsmuir passed away in 1908.

 

 

 

 

[ace1zoe2]

The two daughters sold the home, shortly after their mother passed away, to a real estate developer. He subdivided the original 28 acres and raffled off the castle. Two men shared the prize and one of their brothers lived in the castle until 1917 after which time the bank took possession of the property for unpaid debts of one of the winners.

 

Later it served as a military hospital, Victoria College, a music conservatory and finally in 1994 the city of Victoria transferred responsibility of the castle to the Castle Society, which was formed in 1959 for preservation of the castle, for $1. They have spent the last 30 years restoring the castle to its former glory with countless hours of labor. The society has collected furniture and personal items from a list of things that were auctioned off from the family in the early 1900's.

 

The house is 20,000 square feet with 39 rooms. The majority of the lower floors in the home have been restored. The upper floors still have many rooms that have not been.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking up the four flights of stairs leading to the top:

 

[ace1zoe2]

The formal dining room:

 

 

32 of the original 47 stained glass windows remain in the home today. Plans are to reproduce the others from photographs. The castle is beautiful with detailed woodwork, the stained glass, ironwork and original furniture pieces. You will notice that just about every room features beautiful stained glass windows.

 

 

The indoor bathroom:

 

 

The house servants room:

 

 

 

The gentlemen's smoking room:

 

 

The castle is open daily with tickets available at the door for $13.95CAN adult, $12.95CAN senior, $8.95CAN student, $5.00CAN children & under 5 free. The tour is a self guided tour and there are many stairs in the 4.5 story castle. It is beautiful and well worth the entrance fee. If you ever find yourself in Victoria, I highly recommend a visit.

 

Ships tours for the castle were priced at $49.75USD per person with a scenic drive.

Edited October 6, 2015 by ace1zoe2

[ace1zoe2]

Next up we did a city drive to get pictures of some historical churches & China Town before dropping off our rental car.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ace1zoe2]

We asked Budget to drop us off at Fisherman's Wharf which is within walking distance of the port.

 

 

 

There is a float home community right there in the Wharf area. The tiny homes were really cute. Some of them were available to rent as a B&B.

 

 

 

 

[prekteacher]

I am really enjoying your review! The pictures are just spectacular. My 13 year old daughter would absolutely love the gardens and want to spend the whole day there. Thank you for doing this report as I get to "experience" cruising life on a smaller ship. We gravitate to the busy Oasis and Freedom class ships but I have a longing to go on a cruise like this one day. Will look forward to your future posts. Thank You!

 

Barb

[cruzinlady1947]

Cindy, your photos never cease to amaze me. They are so beautiful and colorful. I especially loved the castle. How pretty was that, inside and out!? I also love those float homes. I would love to rent one of those for a month or two.

 

I am really enjoying your review. You have some of the best reviews I've read.

 

Thanks again!

 

Gwen :)

[ace1zoe2]

These tiny Harbor Ferries where available to take you to various locations throughout the harbor area.

 

 

Finally our day of touring was complete. We headed back to the ship after a wonderful day in Victoria.

 

 

Finished out the day on our balcony enjoying the sunshine.

 

 

Our DIY trip cost were as follows:

 

$ 30 USD - Budget Rental for the Day

$ 9 USD - 11 liters of fuel @ $1.09CAN

$ 48 USD - 2 entrance fees of $31.45CAN each to Butchart Gardens

$ 11 USD - 2 entrance fees of $7.95CAN each to Fort Rodd Hill

$ 22 USD - 2 entrance fees of $13.95CAN each to Craigdarroch Castle

$120 USD - total for the day (not per person)

 

I only point this out to show the difference in what you could save by doing a DIY shore excursion instead of thru the ship. RCI wanted $75 per person just to go to the gardens for 1.5 hours with a drive by of some local sites on a tour bus for a total of 3.5 hours. The same drive by tour with the castle for 1 hour, 2.5 total trip time, was $55 per person. You could combine the trips for $125.75 per person for a 4.5 hour tour.

 

By doing a DIY we were in control of our day at less than 1/2 the price. We got where we wanted to go before the tour buses arrived. We stayed as little or a long at each place as we wanted to stay. We saw more than we would have seen on the RCI by visiting Fort Rodd Hill and the lighthouse as well as Fisherman's Wharf.

 

You do need to use common since when doing it DIY. Be mindful of your time, make sure that you have good directions & pre-plan your day so that you don't waste time trying to figure out what you want to see once you arrive. There are places where I wouldn't DIY but in Canada & the US you are super easy.

[ace1zoe2]

I am really enjoying your review! The pictures are just spectacular. My 13 year old daughter would absolutely love the gardens and want to spend the whole day there. Thank you for doing this report as I get to "experience" cruising life on a smaller ship. We gravitate to the busy Oasis and Freedom class ships but I have a longing to go on a cruise like this one day. Will look forward to your future posts. Thank You!

 

Barb

 

Barb,

 

Thanks for posting. We've never sailed on a ship bigger than Voyager Class! I'm not sure I could handle all of the people on the mega-ship but some day we are going to try it.

 

I enjoy the smaller ships because they tend to have better itineraries with fewer port days. I'm all about going places we've never been and seeing new things. The more ports the better. Sea days are relaxing but we try not to have more than 1 or 2. Most itineraries we choose are 7-12 nights as well.

 

Our kids did Radiance and Adventure with us when they were younger and had a great time... of course there were no mega ships then and since they'd never experienced one they didn't know what they were missing :)

 

We have booked our first Freedom Class in 2017 doing Independence out of Galveston. No flights or hotels. Only downside is there are only 3 port stops that we've already visited. Our purpose for this trip was to get 5 other couples who've never cruised on a ship with us so we'll do a repeat trip for that reason. At least it will be a new ship that we've never experienced so we are looking forward to that very much!

 

Happy Sails! Thanks for taking time to read my trip report.

 

Cindy

[ace1zoe2]

Sunday was our second port day and we arrived in Astoria, Oregon about 8:30am. Since this was our first port in the U.S. we were required to go thru customs and immigration onboard the ship before disembarking.

 

Everyone had to pass thru the Main Dining Room with a declarations form, Sea Pass Card and U. S. Passport and meet face to face with an immigration agent. Once that was done we were off the ship in no time. They started with all ship booked excursions first, then deck 10, then deck 9 (which was us at 9:45) and on down to deck 2.

 

 

For Astoria we had a car reserved thru the local Hertz dealer for pick up at the port. We walked about 5 minutes outside the port gates to a hotel parking lot where we met the agent. It took less than 5 minutes until we had our rental car and were heading out by 10:00.

 

The first thing we did was to drive across the Astoria-Meglar bridge just so I could say that I did!

 

 

The bridge is a 4.1 mile long cantilever bridge which spans the Columbia river between Astoria & Point Ellice near Megler, Washington.

 

 

We crossed over into the state of Washington where we drove through a tunnel and then down to the first state park a few miles down the road before turning around.

 

 

After stopping a couple of times for pictures on the Washington side we headed back in to Oregon.

 

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[ace1zoe2]

The bridge coming back in to Astoria:

 

 

Jewel of the Seas taken as we came across the bridge. We had to stop for traffic so I hoped out for 2 seconds to get a great shot of the ship.

 

 

After driving back in to Astoria we set out to find Bow Pickers to have lunch.

 

 

I had read about this great place online on Trip Advisor and other cruise reports. Their summer hours were Wednesday thru Sunday opening at 11am until they run out of fish. They do not accept debit or credit cards - Cash only!

 

We arrived around 10:40 while they were still getting ready to open. We decided to hang around and be first in line so that we didn't have to wait. I had read that the line eventually becomes a 45 minute to an hour or longer wait!

 

 

The menu consists of Fish & Chips. The fish is tuna, not cod as usual, it's not greasy and it was delicious. The whole order is 5 pieces for $10 or you can get a half order which is 3 pieces for $8. We got the full order and shared. It was plenty food for us.

 

The Colorado River Maritime Museum is located just across the street.

 

 

After lunch we did a scenic drive the downtown area which is on the National Register of Historic Districts. There was a street market going on with lots of people out walking and shopping.

 

[ace1zoe2]

Once we finished our great lunch, we drove up to the Astoria Column which is supposed to look like this depicting the history of Astoria:

 

 

But instead it was "under wraps" going thru a renovation. I did already know that before going up but went anyway as I had read the views were wonderful. We did get some great panoramic views and pictures. Supposedly by the end of October the restorations are to be done and the column will be back open.

 

If any of you have read any of my previous reviews you will know that this is a common occurrence for me. I go to Paris, the top level of the Eiffel Tower is closed and the main stained glass in St. Chappelle is behind a picture of it, it was being renovated. I go to Rome and the Trevi Fountain and Coloseum are both going thru renovation. I go to London and St. Paul's Cathedral is covered in scaffolding. I go to New York and St. Patrick's Cathedral is covered in scaffolding. Pisa, it's the cathedral covered in scaffolding, at least the Tower of Pisa was open... you get the picture. Pretty much anywhere we've been at least one or more historical sites has been under renovation.

 

 

 

 

A few facts about Astoria that are posted at the Column gift shop:

 

 

Since the column wasn't available to climb we did a hike down the Cathedral Tree trail which was a little over 1 mile each way. The huge trees and being out in nature was phenomenal. Coming from Texas we don't have the super tall trees, moss, ferns and such so it was worth the physical exertion to hike down and back up.

 

Here's a tree "stump" before you enter the trail that shows just how large some of the nearby trees are:

 

Edited October 7, 2015 by ace1zoe2