EXPLORER IS BACK! May 16-20, 2016 REVIEW w/lots of photos

[Hoopster95]

About a 15-20min walk directly down from the Governor's house on Rockland Avenue will take you to the downtown Victoria core close to the inner harbor, but before reaching the inner harbor you'll find Christ Church Cathedral, a nice stop for a little bit to visit

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_Church_Cathedral_(Victoria,_British_Columbia)

http://www.christchurchcathedral.bc.ca/

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Hoopster95]

OK, now approaching 1pm and we're getting hungry! Having lived in Victoria for a few years my gf took me to a small downtown district adjacent to the inner harbor called "Bastion Square". This area has many shops and little places just off of the main shopping street (Government Street). You can do plenty of shopping on government street in the ton of shops lining the road, but we went to a well known local hang out called "ReBar"... fabulous food! Place was extremely busy, and not with cruisers from what I can tell albeit there were likely a few in there that looked like locals (maybe like us lol)

 

 

 

 

Just a block down from this spot is the inner harbor. Here's our first glimpse with the Parliament Buildings off to the left in the near distance

 

 

 

I love this little area to commemorate the Canadian Navy's 100th year anniversary in 2010. Prior to 1910 and the first world war, the British Navy fleet was still in command

 

 

 

 

And just before turning the corner and seeing the iconic views of the inner harbor, Empress Hotel and Parliament Buildings, is the Visitor center with tons of info, walking tour maps, whale watching and other excursions, etc. SO if you take a shuttle, taxi or bus from the ship to this point you can get all your information here very easily.

 

 

 

Will finish up Victoria tomorrow. G'night all.

Edited May 26, 2016 by Hoopster95

[luv2vacation]

What a great review! Lots of good tips and information. I am really enjoying it and can't wait to read the rest. Thanks for taking the time to post it!

[Hoopster95]

What a great review! Lots of good tips and information. I am really enjoying it and can't wait to read the rest. Thanks for taking the time to post it!

 

Thank you luv2vacation. I've written all my reviews this way... some people don't like to read about the ports of call if they're not interested in them (gthey can scroll past to the ship info & pics) but I hope that even if only 1 person gets a few tips or ideas for ports of calls when it's on their itinerary, then that'd be great. :)

[Hoopster95]

And now around the corner from the visitor center, we get to see the crown jewel of Victoria... the inner harbor, which includes the famous Empress Hotel, the Parliament Building (Victoria is the capital of British Columbia), access to water taxis, excursion/tourism desk, the start of the shopping district up Government Street, street/art vendors on the boardwalk, etc.... besides this area is just simply gorgeous!

 

 

 

 

For those of you who wish to get around and have some quick and fun "harbor tour", think about trying the water taxi service. I didn't go this sailing, but used them before and it's great. They have several stops all around the harbor.

https://www.victoriaharbourferry.com/destinations

 

 

 

The Empress Hotel is very well known, offering a famous afternoon tea service. There's a bit of construction going on and we had visited their before extensively so we did not head across the street... even if you're not going there for lunch or afternoon tea this place is well worth the visit. The lobby, grounds and public areas are beautiful.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Empress_(hotel)

 

 

 

And of course if you find yourself not wanting to be on the water any longer (ie. enough cruising from the ship!) or you're mobility for walking is challenging, there's plenty of other options including horse carriage for those of you wanting a special ride

 

[Hoopster95]

Victoria is the capital of British Columbia and is home of the Legislative Assembly (the government of British Columbia). The Parliament Buildings and grounds are an absolute must see if it's your first time visiting Victoria. There are really good short and informative tours daily and extremely easy to find (front stairs and doorway right in front!) and they are free. I fully recommend visiting as part of your visit to Victoria.

http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/visit/public-tours

 

 

 

 

 

Here's an excerpt from Wikipedia for you:

"Named after Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and, at the time, British North America, Victoria is one of the oldest cities in the Pacific Northwest, with British settlement beginning in 1843. The city has retained a large number of its historic buildings, in particular its two most famous landmarks, Legislative buildings (finished in 1897 and home of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia) and the Empress hotel (opened in 1908). The city's Chinatown is the second oldest in North America after San Francisco's. Known as the "The Garden City", Victoria is an attractive city... and is in the top twenty of world cities for quality-of-life,[7] according to Numbeo."

 

[Hoopster95]

Heading away from the inner harbor you walk along the boardwalk/shoreline in front of various private buildings and hotels. Great view of the harbor and activity of the water taxis, float planes and other vessels.

 

 

 

Within about 15-20min you reach the beginning of the Fisherman's Wharf area comprising of many colorful house boats, a couple of excursion/tourist type establishments (aka kayaks, etc), a large marina and a few eateries. You can walk up and down the various "streets" to view the boat houses close up. I have some great photos from other trips, there's some extremely interesting places in here.

 

 

 

 

 

Keep in mind being so close to the inner harbor that this is a very quick and worthy stopover to get to, and is serviced by the water taxis. Here you'll find another well known establishment for lunch, Barb's Fish & Chips... YUM!

Barb's is on the left of the picture below. And just past Barb's you will have the fresh fish market... you may need to stop there in order to buy a few snacks for the characters I'll post in the next segment

 

[Hoopster95]

And who are those "characters" I mentioned above?

 

 

 

LOL! And boy oh boy are they hungry! They get fed very well there as many in the know purchase a small batch of fresh fish from the market to feed them. So they just hang around waiting to be fed. But you bring out the goods and they'll come right on up to you clamoring and making a fuss for you to pick them and throw your fish at them. Note the seal in the middle with his flipper up.... this fat guy was the only one who wouldn't make his way close to you, and just splashed about with his flippers to get your attention lol!

 

 

 

We watched a couple people just throw the fish at them, but what I've seen and done before is that seals are "trained" and will swim right up out of the water to take fish right out of your hand.... BEWARE: The various seagulls flying around will immediately swoop down and grab the fish right out of your hand so fast you won't know what hit you! So don't hold the fish up too prominently else it'll be gone in a flash

 

 

 

 

Last views of Fisherman's Wharf before heading to the ship. Great place to have lunch, very very close to the ship, just a really nice stop for some fun and watching the seals.

 

 

[Hoopster95]

1 block up from Fisherman's Wharf is Dallas Street and a short approx 4-5 block walk back to the Explorer. The Explorer came to view within 10-15 min of leaving the Wharf

 

 

 

Maps are available every so often on the walkways. Note this one as we approached the pier... you can see the red dot "you are here". Just above that where the smaller black dot is where Fisherman's Wharf is, and of course inside the harbor is the inner harbor where all the sites are. Very easy to get around and not get lost.

 

 

 

The port area is simple and easy to get around with designated pathways. The port officials did not ask for picture ID... just our seapass cards

 

 

 

 

And soon enough we were on! We were booked for My Time (or so I thought... more on this later) and I had planned to head down after sailaway on our own and see just how well (or not well) it would work. But first we headed back to our cabin to clean up then head topside to enjoy sailaway.

 

[Hoopster95]

Because the ship's aft was facing in towards Victoria, we decided to head up to the Florider seating area to watch the sail off. Perfect views from up there and we got to watch some of the action on the Florider too.

 

 

 

 

 

Once we had moved off a ways, we headed back to our cabins to get ready for dinner, and then headed down to MTD just before 6pm. Approaching the MTD desk there was no line-up, but to my surprise the Maitre'D told me I had regular seating!!! He pointed to my card and showed me that I was on deck 4 MDR -- I hadn't even bothered looking. I've since rechecked my paperwork from initial booking and I was definitely booked as MTD. What to do?... yell at the Maitre'D? Demand a meeting with the HD? Cancel all my future cruises??? NO! We quickly went up to deck 4 where I supposedly belonged lol! I have never been late like this before but dinner seating was at 5:30pm and we were 1/2 hour late. Upon meeting our tablemates, we told them exactly what happened and quickly ordered to catch up. The waiters/staff were great and I quickly explained to them what happened as well.

 

Now on to dinner itself.... unfortunately it was not good. It was the Arugula menu. The scallops in the appetizer were as small as pebbles! I had the duck... again meh. I've had the duck before on another sailing and loved it. GF had the escargot, they were big and this was the best part of the meal. Her steak off the classic menu again was ... meh. This was definitely not one of the better meals I've ever had in any MDR, in fact in the lower 50 percentile I would think. Later in the evening we decided that we would not go back to the MDR and instead book Giovanni's for night #3 and then freestyle on the last night.

 

We went to a new Production show that I have not yet seen:"Wild, Cool & Swingin'". The show was excellent and so were all the RC singers and dancers. Those of you booked this summer to Alaska I would hope are in for great entertainment from this crew. Also in this crew is Jerome Bell whom I first saw perform on Quantum (he also had his own full show on Quantum). Jerome Bell was on American Idol in 2011 and has a super voice. He's also a great entertainer. (Pic below is not Jerome... my Jerome pic is to blurry unfortunately). There's plenty of Jerome videos of Jerome performing on Oasis (google youtube Jerome Bell). Here is his Idol audition if you're interested:

 

 

 

 

After the show we hit the "Finish The Lyric" game show... wow, lot's of talent on this sailing! And then up to Dizzy's for some dancing to finish off the evening where once again it was full and lot's of fun as the dance floor was well used. Great crowd again. We didn't stay too long this evening so off to bed we went to prepare for Explorer's maiden visit to Nanaimo.

[hitcharide]

After the show we hit the "Finish The Lyric" game show... wow, lot's of talent on this sailing! And then up to Dizzy's for some dancing to finish off the evening where once again it was full and lot's of fun as the dance floor was well used. Great crowd again. We didn't stay too long this evening so off to bed we went to prepare for Explorer's maiden visit to Nanaimo.

 

I am loving your review so far, especially your trip to Victoria and can't wait to read about your Nanaimo visit. I must admit to having a bit of a cry lol. My dad lives on Vancouver Island just out of Nanaimo, and I live all the way over in Australia. I miss both him and the Nanaimo area incredibly bad at the moment and your pictures of Victoria are just so beautiful.

[Hoopster95]

I am loving your review so far, especially your trip to Victoria and can't wait to read about your Nanaimo visit. I must admit to having a bit of a cry lol. My dad lives on Vancouver Island just out of Nanaimo, and I live all the way over in Australia. I miss both him and the Nanaimo area incredibly bad at the moment and your pictures of Victoria are just so beautiful.

 

Thank you hitcharide. Where in Oz are you living? I don't have as many pics of Nanaimo, and maybe when I'm finished this segment you can mention the better things to do if I missed something.

[Hoopster95]

Today is Explorer's maiden sailing into Nanaimo. Due to dock at 7am, we likely got there earlier so I did not witness sail-in. Having been to Nanaimo before, I knew it was still rather small and likely very easy to navigate for the day (much easier and smaller than Victoria) so I had made no plans at all.

 

But first order of business as usual was to head up to the CL for my morning Macchiato. I also had two things to ask the CL today;

 

• I wanted to book Giovanni's for the final night. Upon calling the venue, he told me it was full! It appears that with so much obc as was reported on our roll call, and per the CL who said that so many 3-night dining packages had been purchased for only a 4 night cruise, the in fact both Chops and Giovanni's were full until 9pm! He checked for tonight and squeezed us in at 6pm... too bad we;d miss formal night... or would we?
  
• Also wanted to get into the ice show tonight rather than tomorrow, which is when our muster station number corresponded (I'll explain that a bit later). He said he doesn't have tickets, but just show up at 4:10 (for 4:45pm show) and he'd escort us down as priority seating.
  

 

So off we went to breakfast at the back of WJ and took the following shots from deck 12 before heading out for the day.

 

 

 

 

Note that the main part of town itself is very small and dead center to the photo below where the couple of high-rises are. I have several pictures from that area as far as Maffeo Sutton Park in the distance looking back at the Explorer.

 

 

 

We had slept in a bit and took our sweet time having breakfast and getting out. I figure we were stepping off the ship at about 9:30am if memory serves me. And there's Explorer for her first time in Nanaimo. A few minutes earlier I noticed a big man with an elaborate/artistic neck piece quickly walk by us with a big smile and I assumed that was the Mayor of Nanaimo getting to the ship for some kind of ceremony... it was as I saw him later in town with capt Sullivan (more later on this). Also on the way out I heard a couple of people talking about what they were going to do today in Nainamo (Ny-namo... like Dynamo) lol!!! They couldn't get it right. It's Na-nai-mo!! lol

 

 

 

A small welcoming committee was out and there were a ton of volunteers from town offering advice and a free walking map which was great. A super welcome from the locals.

 

 

[Hoopster95]

So armed with a walking map, we turned the corner from the photos taken above and there was a HUUUUGE line for the shuttles that took you into town. I quickly asked one of the volunteers about walking and she said maybe 10-15min tops and pointed in the direction of one of the buildings to give me a perspective, and decided right there just to walk it. It was super easy, but just before I got off these couple of shots... the second being of a massive bathtub to commemorate the Vancouver-to-Nanaimo annual bath tub races

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathtub_racing

 

 

 

 

Within 10-15 min of walking we were at this spot in front of the marina and the beginning of town. It's the start of the "Harbourfront Walkway" (be sure to spell "harbour" correctly since you're in Canada.... eh?!) and extends past the downtown district and quite far actually if you walk the entire way almost to the Departure Bay ferry terminal that connects to Vancouver. we didn't go that far at all, only to Maffeo Sutton Park if you check google maps

 

 

 

The main connection point of the Walkway to the main part of town is up the stairs of the mast. Up at the top is Nanaimo's main Bastion Square Park as well as a great view of the marina and harbor from above

 

 

 

[Hoopster95]

Now on google maps and elsewhere, they call it Bastion Square "Park", but it's not a park at all. Concrete block, walkways, a main square area where they fire a cannon at noon, etc... also here you'll find the "famous" Bastion. Google "things to do Nanaimo" and you will find the Bastion as on eof the top things to see and do when in Nanaimo... I must say this was a MASSIVE disappointment

 

 

 

 

I forgot to mention in the previous post that as we were walking to town we witnessed at least 3 shuttle buses returning to the pier... they all had some cruisers in them returning to the ship... it was only maybe 10:30am!!!! I had thought then and there obviously not much to see, and especially if they were early birds expecting to see things open at 7am in such a sleepy small town. Truthfully, even in the middle of the day like us, we were back on board and in the WJ by 2pm.

 

Now the Bastion continued... it is extremely small with only a couple of exhibits inside. Very seriously, it takes maybe 5 minutes to go through and that is all. Because of it's small size, there is no way whatsoever for anyone with mobility issues to go up and inside at all. Here's a couple of pics

 

 

[Hoopster95]

Upon reaching Bastion Square, the cannons were lined up and there were a few people gathered. I immediately wondered why as it was only almost 11am and the cannons were to go off at noon. I was told by one of the photographers that Capt Rick Sullivan, the Mayor and other dignitaries were to be there at 11am for a ceremonial firing of the two cannons. They were about 15min late but they did arrive. These cannons a extremely loud... you do not want to be close if your ears are sensitive that's for sure. I think it even surprised the Capt. The Capt hung around speaking with everyone after the ceremony and was somewhat surrounded right away, so instead of waiting for who knows how long to say hello and ask him a few questions I had, we decided to go on our way.

 

 

 

[Hoopster95]

On the walking map we received, this was to be a highlight I had thought, but there was really not much to see at all. The 2-3 blocks that comprised the Old City Quarter had a few shops, cafe's/restaurants, etc and so forth. It was a pleasant walk but nothing grabbed our attention. Even the old church which seemed interesting from the outside was very uninspiring and I felt we were being solicited when entering.

 

 

 

 

 

At the pier I had heard there was a Nanaimo Bar tasting "tour" of about 25-30 places in and around Nanaimo with various flavours and types of these famous treats. It was implied (it seemed to me anyways) that there would be samples and ofc course vendors selling them as you passed through.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanaimo_bar

There was no signage or information anywhere about any kind of tasting "row" or designated area where this was being done... nowhere... nada! So somewhat disappointed, we decided we were going to head back into the main part of town as were were let down by the Old Quarter, but just before we decide to step into a more modern looking cafe (called "Bocca" Cafe on Fitzwilliam and Selby) we had walked by twice already just to see for the heck of it what they had. Lo and behold look what we found....

 

 

 

Yes!!! 1st and 2nd place winners! We hit the jackpot of Nanimo Bars... so we purchased 2 of each: on the left 1st place is the Salted Caramel and on the right the Traditional....

OMG the salted caramel by far and away the very best I have ever had! And living here in BC this was not my first rodeo as I have had many a Nanaimo Bar in my lifetime. Great stuff, and best part of our walk that day. We saved a couple for later when we rested at the park.

 

[Hoopster95]

Leaving the Old Quarter with Nanaimo Bars in hand, we headed back to Bastion Square and down to the walkway to enjoy a walk. There's a few things to see as you make your way, but again it's truly just to enjoy a walk rather than see iconic or famous sights. Two of the more popular sites known to locals are the Dungeoness Crab sculpture and memorial to Frank Ney (former Mayor and one of bathtub race founders). The walk from Bastion Square to the Frank Ney sculpture was about 15min. We were able to sit and relax, enjoy our Nanaimo bars and view of the Explorer off in the distance, and watch a couple of eagles fly and dive around the wharf where the crab sculpture is) as there were a few fishermen out there and I believe they were feeding them.

 

 

 

 

[Hoopster95]

The liesurely walk back to the ship was uneventful. We were back at the pier and up at the WJ around 2:15pm. The WJ was relatively busy so I think many had the same idea as us and were on board early.

 

 

 

 

I think the best thing to do if you wish to have a full day exploring nanaimo and the surrounding areas is to review a site like Frommers or tripadvisor, rent a car and drive up the coast to various parks and sites. Also a trip to and through Cathedral Grove would likely be a highlight (or do an excursion there) as it's absolutely magical and beautiful there

https://www.google.ca/search?q=cathedral+grove&rlz=1C1RNVH_enCA559CA585&espv=2&biw=1600&bih=755&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjf6vubgfzMAhUT52MKHXwlBpIQsAQIKA

 

 

If you remember we were going to see the new ice show this evening before dinner, and needed to be down there by 4:10pm to meet the CL for priority seating. We took our time and got ready. There were four ice shows offered, one each on day 2 and 3, and two on the sea day 4 at 2pm and 4pm. Tickets were not handed out... instead you were assigned a show by your muster station. You also had the choice of a stand-by line.

 

We arrived right at 4:10... there were already two lines forming. On the left those who's muster station corresponded to tonight's show, and on the right the stand by line. I went up to the front to ask the attendant if the CL had shown up as and he said no, but asked us to wait by the standby. I took this cool picture while waiting

 

 

 

We didn't need to be there at all by 4:10pm, but the lines did grow very long and quickly. Sure enough at 4:25'ish they allowed a couple of handicapped passengers and their family in, and then the attendant came by to ask who was suite or priority. He pointed us through and in we went, one of the first 10-15 or so people to enter, so down to the front row we went. This was a new ice show for me called "Spirit of the Seasons"... I hadn't been on a ship with an Ice rink since Navigator May 2014 so perhaps this show has been around for a while. I really enjoyed it and this group of skaters were excellent.

 

 

 

 

Great show... and now time for a great meal at Giovanni's. The meal and service were great. I've always really like Giovanni's and I've tried different entrees on different ships, never been disappointed. My favorite though is always the risotto... MMMMM YUM! Gf had great Ossobucco and I had the lamb, both delicious. And no Giovanni's meal is complete without at least one cannolli and a scoop of Tiramisu! Got to admit I don't like the location of this venue though as they have it where the old Dungeon nightclub used to be on deck 4 across from the Schooner Bar.(where Sabor is on Navigator). No windows, really a shame.

 

And after a great meal it was off to yet another great show by Headliner Leo Ward. I have seen him before.... superb funny entertainer, really really good magician. And tonight was also the "White Party" up on pool deck, but of course was moved into Dizzy's due to the colder climate. Still a lot of fun and very full tonight (sea day tomorrow) so a great atmosphere! A great end to an excellent day on Explorer.

Edited May 28, 2016 by Hoopster95

[hitcharide]

Thank you hitcharide. Where in Oz are you living? I don't have as many pics of Nanaimo, and maybe when I'm finished this segment you can mention the better things to do if I missed something.

 

Beautiful pictures there Hoopster!

 

We are in Perth, Western Australia.

 

We used to spend ALOT of time by the waterfront when visiting. My daughter loved the playground there lol. We also enjoy taking the the Dinghy Dock Ferry over to Protection Island and having lunch at the Dinghy Dock Pub. It's a cool little pub and the walk around the island is nice ( look out for the Herons :) )

 

Cathedral Grove is well worth a visit, as is Coombes. We love the Goats on the Roof :) and the icecream is pretty decent as well.

 

It's a shame that Tofino is too far away as that is a beautiful drive, but something I would definitely recommend to those that were there for a longer visit. ( If there are any Twilight fans out there, you might recognize the beach! )

 

If anyone hires a car, there is a really cool little English Pub called the Crow and Gate, it's in Cedar and the grounds are lovely. Best Ploughmans Lunch I've ever had.

 

For the thrillseekers, there is bungy jumping, zipling, a really scary swing and a pretty cool treetop ropes course at WildPlay just out of Nanaimo. It's right on the Nanaimo River and lots of fun.

 

Lol darn now I am really missing the place and contemplating cancelling my next cruise in lieu of a trip to see my dad! Ha not really, but definitely need to play a trip back!

[CupcakeSusie]

Great photos, thank you so much for sharing!

[AustralianJetsetter]

Loving your review so much!! So many pictures :)

 

We are sailing to South Pacific from Sydney next March. It's nice to get an insight to the layings of the ship.

 

Thanks heaps :D

[fernoppi]

Hoopster - thanks so much for your review of Victoria! Did you do all of what you did by foot? I wasn't sure if you caught any taxis or anything. I was surprised to read that it sounded like walked to the castle from beacon hill park. Your itinerary sounds exactly like what we want to do. Were your feet killing you at the end of the day? We will have two young kids with us and will likely wear them in carriers - one probably the whole time as I don't think she'll be able to walk yet, but also a 3.75 year old who could walk part of the way. We won't be able to take taxis or anything since we won't have cArseats but I'm afraid of getting tired and then "stuck" in the middle of Victoria!! Thoughts?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[RickinStl]

Thanks for the information on Victoria.. My wife and I had no idea what to do while we are there.. You just gave me a bunch of ideas.. Fisherman's Wharf looks like a blast.. and to get that close to seals will definitely be memorable. Great Job!

[Hoopster95]

Hoopster - thanks so much for your review of Victoria! Did you do all of what you did by foot? I wasn't sure if you caught any taxis or anything. I was surprised to read that it sounded like walked to the castle from beacon hill park. Your itinerary sounds exactly like what we want to do. Were your feet killing you at the end of the day? We will have two young kids with us and will likely wear them in carriers - one probably the whole time as I don't think she'll be able to walk yet, but also a 3.75 year old who could walk part of the way. We won't be able to take taxis or anything since we won't have cArseats but I'm afraid of getting tired and then "stuck" in the middle of Victoria!! Thoughts?

 

Hi fernoppi. Yes, all that by foot. We're walkers, great exercise made for a great day as well. More than enough time to rest and see the sites in between so wasn't too bad at all. I would google map it so that you can tell the approximate distance. I would say we walked at least 10km... I'd estimate more like 15 actually. There's no way at all I could believe your 4 yr old could walk even 25% of the amount we did.

 

 

 

Thanks for the information on Victoria.. My wife and I had no idea what to do while we are there.. You just gave me a bunch of ideas.. Fisherman's Wharf looks like a blast.. and to get that close to seals will definitely be memorable. Great Job!

 

Thx for the kudos, glad I helped. Fisherman's wharf is a 1 hour stop at best (plus travel time) for example so very easy to add into your criteria of what to do for the day... ie. if you're hanging around the inner harbor most of the day you can easily get on one of those water taxis cheaply, have a nice "tour" of the inner harbor to Fisherman's wharf, have Barb's fish&chip/feed seals/take lots of pictures of the houseboats, then head back to inner harbor by Taxi... this would be a nice memorable part of the day :)