For your 45th Birthday - you really are "Denali Bound" - Complete w/final thoughts - 2/17/2013 About This Page:

[Dlandmom2]

I think I would really like to try kayaking, but I'd also want to take pictures and would be nervous about losing my camera!

Great shots all around! Not sure if I mentioned it earlier, but I love the Star Trek whale reference from a few updates ago!

[Colexis Mom]

Great pics from the ship! Sounds like a great last day at sea!

[bsblady01]

more please

[DrDolphin]

We woke up early this morning. The alarm was set for 645 – but I think I was awake at 545 and out of bed no later than 630. Got up and dressed and all of our stuff gathered together.


Pulling into Canada Place

The ship on the other side of the pier was the one that followed us all day yesterday

We left the cabin about 700am and headed to the International dining room to get some breakfast. George and Rachel joined us there about 730am. We ate breakfast until about 830am, and then headed to the Explorers lounge to wait for our disembarkation group to be called. It took right about an hour – then we went through customs entering Canada – and got our bags together – which was quite the mess – you had to enter and leave the bag area by the same narrow entry – which meant after you got your bags (all 4 of them) you had to swim upstream like salmon against the inflowing passengers coming to get there bags. YUCK. Somehow we missed George and Rachel getting out of there before we did – and do we waited, and waited... then finally decided to go all the way to the end – and there they were. We went to the end of the terminal and dropped our luggage off at the baggage check area. We planned to be back to claim them no later then 330pm. We also bought our hop-on hop-off trolley tickets and went out to find the trolley.

We boarded and did the ride to Stanley Park and the Totem Poles.


Rachel looking at the guide on the trolley


Lots of flowers in bloom in Stanley Park




Queen Victoria monument

Vancouver across the water

The Sapphire Princess at dock...

Totem Park










Looking across the bay


Vancouver and a club... with a rich history that I can't even remember now...


Not our trolley - but I liked the horses.


Girl snorkeler on the rock

As a diver - I can tell you that water is way too cold for that thin wetsuit!!!


Bumpy tree



Lion's Gate Bridge


Men playing cricket


Then we headed to Prospect Point for lunch at the restaurant that overlooks the Lions Gate Bridge.






George and Rachel

Chris and I

We had a great lunch -

Burgers with "bacon" - or Canadian bacon as we say

And ICE CREAM!!!!

Rachels sundae


My mint chocolate chip

Next - Back to Canada place - and are we going to Seattle tonight??

[cubfancolleen]

It really looks like a beautiful city! But the baggage process did not sound fun.

[Colexis Mom]

Great pics from Vancouver!!

[pamcarey]

Vancouver really seems like a lovely city!

[DrDolphin]

We got back on the bus and rode the rest of the way back to Canada Place – we looked at the Olympic Torch and the Digital Orca before going back to claim our bags.


The Pennsylvania (I think) Hotel - covered in vines. Pretty cool!!


Great statues!!



Beautiful church that is always open for visitors

Bronze orcas


Olympic torch

Chris and the torch

George and Rachel and the torch

Me and the torch

Chris and I


Chris and the Orca


My turn


As we were walking back to Canada place - we saw a bride and her bridesmaids...


And then we saw the groom and his groomsmen - waiting for her to arrive



And then he saw her.... awww how romantic!!

We got a taxi and a quick 10 minute ride were at the train station. I checked us in and got our tickets – and we settled in with free WiFi from McDonalds to wait out the hour or so until customs and boarding would begin. - and here is where the photos stop... I was just too stressed to be worrying about photos.

Soon enough it was time to line up for customs and boarding – and after about a 30-minute line we were welcomed back to the USA and allowed to board our train. Got all settled in with bags, seats reclined, laptops opened and plugged in – and then one of the train staff came by to say there had been a mudslide between Seattle and Vancouver and train Service between the two cities would be cut off for 48 hours and we would be taking buses to Seattle. We gathered all our stuff again (can I tell you how much I hate this luggage?) and went back into the terminal.

Originally, the staff could not give us an indication of how long it would be before buses would arrive to take us to Seattle. George got on the phone with American Express to see about renting a car to drive from Vancouver to Seattle (uhh $700 one way - PASS) – and I got on the phone with my mom (to give her an update) and then Southwest to see exactly how much damage would be inflicted to my rapid rewards account if Chris and I had to change planes from our originally scheduled 600am flight.

We decided to make McDonalds our dinner option - no train food tonight ... About 7ish – the buses arrived, we loaded up and headed south. We arrived at Blaine, Washington and the Immigration and Customs center – we had to unload everything off the bus (and by everything I mean everything), go in – be checked into the country again (that is twice in less than 4 hours)... we also were subject to a dog inspection of our bags by an ICE agent who needed to work on his bedside manner. He had NONE. Real power play. I hate people that feel the need to dominate others because they are in a role of power. Chris and I were the last two off our bus (I lost the paperwork and had to find it again...) and then about 30 minutes later – we were back on the bus. I went ahead and turned on my phone to call the shuttle people in Seattle to tell them the saga of the train – and was informed that if we arrived after 1030 – they wouldn't have a driver to pick us up and we will have to rely on cabs. Joy.

We had a 6am flight – which means we would be waking up about 400am and on the 430am shuttle to the airport from the hotel... yep the next morning was going to be U.G.L.Y. Travel all day, get home about 6pm, unpack, do laundry, and go to sleep – just in time to get up and go to work about 9am after getting a blood draw at 8am. Welcome home! I sure can plan it – can’t I?

We arrived at the King Street train station right at 1030pm and our driver James was waiting for us. He took us right to the airport Marriott and we were in bed by 1130pm.

Next - A meltdown at 500am and HOME!!!

[DrDolphin]

That 345am wake up call came WAY TOO EARLY (I am beginning to see a trend here for the start and finish of our vacation trips).

We got up, showered, all the bags packed and downstairs and onto the hotel shuttle at 430am. Dragged the bags to the ticket counter and weighed each one – my black bag was 50.5lbs, my orange bag was 54lbs. Chris’ green duffle was 41lbs and his black weighed 52lbs. We moved stuff from the two overweight bags to the green bag – and reweighed it – and now it was overweight by 4lbs – so we moved a couple more things around – and then all four of them were checked. I had a wee bit of a meltdown at the counter in a "misunderstanding" with my DH... I was tired and cranky and I took it all out on him. I am sure he didn't want to be anywhere near me after that.

Since I am a Southwest “A-lister” – I was A-19 and Chris was B-23 for this flight. I boarded and discovered we had one of the brand new Southwest 737-800 jets. NICE!! They now have 3 rows of exit seats on both sides of the plane, which means they have 2 sets of the 2 seats next to each other with an open window area next to them. They are great for a couple, but they don’t recline. Usually the 737-300 and 700 series only have one of these sets available. Chris boarded – we got all settled in and I proceeded to fall asleep for the better part of 3 ½ hours. I am happy to say he forgave the meltdown and sat with me.

We landed in Chicago about 1130am – got off, found bathrooms and then found lunch – and then back on another plane to Norfolk with continuing service to JAX. I watched DVDs a bit (my Criminal Minds DVDs that I brought with me to kill time if I got bored – ok, so I never got bored) and then I slept more.

We landed about 630pm, got our bags, found the shuttle for the car, got the car (which started right up) and drove home....


And so comes to the end of Chris' 45th birthday surprise.


Next - Final thoughts.

[rhinohunter]

WOW what a day. Glad you made it home with only small glitches.

[lauriep]

Vancouver looks like a wonderful city. What a horrible travel day! Way too much schlepping bags here and there and tension about flights, mud slides, etc. Glad you didn't miss the early flight. You must have been SO glad to get home!

[rlb38]

Sounds like a stressful and tiring last day. The tour of Vancouver looked nice. Doesn't everyone have a least one meltdown per vacation ?? I know I do

[chezp]

What great memories you brought back for me of Vancouver, as your morning was exactly the same as the one we had. I loved seeing the sights that we saw a couple of years ago.

What a nightmare journey home though. Oh my goodness - I couldn't get over all the times you had to clear customs and immigration and haul your luggage around. I'm not surprised you had a meltdown - I think you did well, lasting that long without one, as I know I would've had one much, much earlier than that.

[cubfancolleen]

What a nightmare end to the trip. I agree that you did we'll not having a meltdown much sooner!!

[pamcarey]

Ugh... what a travel nightmare to end the trip! Glad you made it home on time. Sorry you had to be back to work so quickly .