LIVE From the Ruby - 1 Day Vancouver-Seattle - 5/5/17

[sonomaphil]

Princess has ruined the elite status with the one day cruisesI.Elite status should be based on the number of days travel.We now have 400days traveled and the one day cruises get the same benefits much earlier.

long cruiser

 

No one stopped you from taking one day cruises too. You knew the rules.

[Sparkklie]

My daughter and I will be taking the train to Vancouver next April 26th to take the 1 day cruise back to Seattle on the 27th. Great way to explore Vancouver for a day. We are both very excited. Thank you for the review.

[martincath]

QuickShuttle (www.quickcoach.com) will pick up at the hotel in front of the cruise terminal at 8:45 or 11:15 am and take you to SeaTac Airport for $59 (or $55 senior) CAD.

Correction - Quickshuttle prices are in USD, and have been for several years. Unless you travel solo it's cheaper to take a cab to Pacific Central and a car service from downtown Seattle to Seatac on top of a typical Bolt ticket or Amtrak Saver train fare. That point to point convenience comes at a price!

[kidlessatsea]

Question that was asked on my roll call for this upcoming 1-night cruise at the end of September:

 

Are the photographers on board and available to take photos? Or with the shortened duration, do they forego photography due to logistical issues (how do we get our photos etc)?

[CanadianBurger]

Question that was asked on my roll call for this upcoming 1-night cruise at the end of September:

 

Are the photographers on board and available to take photos? Or with the shortened duration, do they forego photography due to logistical issues (how do we get our photos etc)?

 

Yes, they do embarkation photos, but most people walk right by for the one-day cruises. I honestly can't recall if they do any shots during dinner or on board the ship. If you look at my post #23 at the Patter, you'll see that the photo gallery was open from 5:30pm to 10pm for photo pickups.

[CanadianBurger]

Hey SonomaPhil!

 

We're doing the CB in December for the New Panama Canal. I see you've booked her in January. Look for my Live!

[sonomaphil]

Hey SonomaPhil!

 

We're doing the CB in December for the New Panama Canal. I see you've booked her in January. Look for my Live!

 

That sounds awesome!

[Papa Hooks]

Great thread and info. We're doing this one next April and then staying on the ship for a 7-day cruise.

 

Question: when we disembark, will we have to leave the ship or can we stay on since we're staying for the next cruise?

[Lucky TGO]

Canadiaburger I only have one word about all of this NICE!!! :):):)

Tony

[CanadianBurger]

Great thread and info. We're doing this one next April and then staying on the ship for a 7-day cruise.

 

Question: when we disembark, will we have to leave the ship or can we stay on since we're staying for the next cruise?

 

 

 

When doing a back-to-back (B2B) typically you meet with others doing the same thing, in one of the lounges. Then you leave the ship, scanning out so they can zero the count. It’s usually a walk off, through the terminal, past customs officers, then back on board. Have a great time!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Papa Hooks]

When doing a back-to-back (B2B) typically you meet with others doing the same thing, in one of the lounges. Then you leave the ship, scanning out so they can zero the count. It’s usually a walk off, through the terminal, past customs officers, then back on board. Have a great time!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Perfect...thanks! Now I'm gonna lay the pressure on you based on your name--can you recommend a place in Vancouver to get a really good hamburger?

[martincath]

Perfect...thanks! Now I'm gonna lay the pressure on you based on your name--can you recommend a place in Vancouver to get a really good hamburger?

Since CB's a Torontonian (no offence intended - I used to be as well!) I'll chime in - hands down the absolute best burger in the city (IMO in the country actually) is Campagnolo Upstairs' Dirty Burger. There's nothing super-fancy in it as it comes, it's all about the picky details:

 

 

• beef neck, aged 40 days then hand-ground;
  
• Scotch Bap seared on the same griddle your burger cooked on in the released beef fat - a very undersung kind of bun that is almost unheard of outside it's native land but is the perfect burger vehicle since the outside is crisp enough to contain all the juices while the inside has a really soft crumb that absorbs all the flavours;
  
• one slice of American cheese (yes, fully aware that it's a travesty of a product by the standards of good cheeses, but there's a reason that burgers reach their peak this side of the pond and the texture of that cheese is a big factor);
  
• one tomato slice; a lettuce leaf; three slices of pickle;
  
• a schmear of House Special sauce which, no, they won't tell you how to make.
  

Assuming you're the kind of person who wants more of the brioche bun, aged brie, slabs of foie gras, hand-reared pigs turned into housemade bacon kind of burger, or the Aussie style of 'pile it high with eggs and beets and pineapple' - Camp Upstairs remains a solid pick as they'll let you add on some quirky items with the 'secret menu.' You can of course just ask for a fried egg, crispy chicken skin (instead of bacon - adds crunch without having to overcook bacon to get it), a slab of foie gras - not pate, the real stuff - or a double patty, but the local hipsters seem to prefer ordering In The Sun, Foghorn Leghorn, Protester Style and DP respectively. Or just 'the Gangbang' if you want it all. NB: the foie ain't cheap, turning a $10 treat into a near $50 wallet-grabber. I do add the chicken skin on occasion, and the egg if it's brunch, but otherwise leave well enough alone.

 

Fortunately for those who can't find Camp Upstairs - it's one of those hidden-away, speakeasy sort of concepts, with only a tattered piece of leather marked with the hobo sign for food nailed onto an otherwise plain door - the burger sold out so often (every day) that eventually they found another place to sell it in bulk, that's also easier to find. The American, a family-friendly sports & arcade bar on Main Street, sells them under the brand Monarch Burger as a sort of in-house 'pop up' resto. No fancy fixin's here though - for those you need to go a little further down the block (hint, when you find Campagnolo itself, walk two steps further and go in the door - yes, the plain one that always seems to stink of urine - and head up the creaky stairs through the curtain). As well as the burgers, you'll also find some very well-curated whiskies and plenty of nice cocktails. Full downstairs menu is available on request if you're with vegetarians (the daily-changing upstairs menu always has some nice local salad on it but is otherwise very, very carnivorous).

 

Edit - NB: that both of these venues open for dinner, not lunch. To be fair, any burger good enough to even be considered as a 'best burger' candidate should be worthy of eating at dinner, not just lunch! Since you'll be arriving before the first leg at least the day before I assume Papa, it won't be an issue for you - but if it's a weekend you can also get the Dirty Burger at brunch Upstairs.

Edited October 17, 2017 by martincath
double-spacing

[Papa Hooks]

Since CB's a Torontonian (no offence intended - I used to be as well!) I'll chime in - hands down the absolute best burger in the city (IMO in the country actually) is Campagnolo Upstairs' Dirty Burger. There's nothing super-fancy in it as it comes, it's all about the picky details:

 

 

• beef neck, aged 40 days then hand-ground;
  
• Scotch Bap seared on the same griddle your burger cooked on in the released beef fat - a very undersung kind of bun that is almost unheard of outside it's native land but is the perfect burger vehicle since the outside is crisp enough to contain all the juices while the inside has a really soft crumb that absorbs all the flavours;
  
• one slice of American cheese (yes, fully aware that it's a travesty of a product by the standards of good cheeses, but there's a reason that burgers reach their peak this side of the pond and the texture of that cheese is a big factor);
  
• one tomato slice; a lettuce leaf; three slices of pickle;
  
• a schmear of House Special sauce which, no, they won't tell you how to make.
  

Assuming you're the kind of person who wants more of the brioche bun, aged brie, slabs of foie gras, hand-reared pigs turned into housemade bacon kind of burger, or the Aussie style of 'pile it high with eggs and beets and pineapple' - Camp Upstairs remains a solid pick as they'll let you add on some quirky items with the 'secret menu.' You can of course just ask for a fried egg, crispy chicken skin (instead of bacon - adds crunch without having to overcook bacon to get it), a slab of foie gras - not pate, the real stuff - or a double patty, but the local hipsters seem to prefer ordering In The Sun, Foghorn Leghorn, Protester Style and DP respectively. Or just 'the Gangbang' if you want it all. NB: the foie ain't cheap, turning a $10 treat into a near $50 wallet-grabber. I do add the chicken skin on occasion, and the egg if it's brunch, but otherwise leave well enough alone.

 

Fortunately for those who can't find Camp Upstairs - it's one of those hidden-away, speakeasy sort of concepts, with only a tattered piece of leather marked with the hobo sign for food nailed onto an otherwise plain door - the burger sold out so often (every day) that eventually they found another place to sell it in bulk, that's also easier to find. The American, a family-friendly sports & arcade bar on Main Street, sells them under the brand Monarch Burger as a sort of in-house 'pop up' resto. No fancy fixin's here though - for those you need to go a little further down the block (hint, when you find Campagnolo itself, walk two steps further and go in the door - yes, the plain one that always seems to stink of urine - and head up the creaky stairs through the curtain). As well as the burgers, you'll also find some very well-curated whiskies and plenty of nice cocktails. Full downstairs menu is available on request if you're with vegetarians (the daily-changing upstairs menu always has some nice local salad on it but is otherwise very, very carnivorous).

 

Edit - NB: that both of these venues open for dinner, not lunch. To be fair, any burger good enough to even be considered as a 'best burger' candidate should be worthy of eating at dinner, not just lunch! Since you'll be arriving before the first leg at least the day before I assume Papa, it won't be an issue for you - but if it's a weekend you can also get the Dirty Burger at brunch Upstairs.

Awesome! I'll do my best to check it out next spring. Thanks so much for all the info.