twangster

Something else I forgot to mention... Normally the SeaPass cards on ships that use RFID can't be punched because you could cut the antenna embedded into the card. Here on Ovation the RFID cards come pre-punched in the lower left corner. This means traditional lanyards are back in play. This is the first I've seen this, granted my last RFID ship was back in November.

Day Two - Sea Day I woke to the phone call from room service letting me know that breakfast was on the way. Time to get up! I worked for a while which I had planned to do since it was sea day. Voom has been pretty sketchy disappearing entirely for periods of time. I worked around that by showering and doing other things when Voom went on vacation. It's definitely not like O3b Voom in the Caribbean. Our progress so far... North Star has a camera on it that is rotated into the itinerary channel 17 map display. Weather is overcast with drizzle and periods of rain. That may be contributing to the poor Voom service.

After sail away I went back to my cabin to upload some pictures and worked on the blog. This included grabbing my GoPro off the balcony to see how my sail away time lapse came out. I was pretty tired after a couple of late nights and long days so I headed to bed early after setting out my room service door tag for my morning breakfast.

I recently updated my bot firmware to allow multitasking.

One thing I noted during sail away was the lack of a sail away party. Instead they had the BumbleBee movie playing on the pool deck. Our CD is from Australia so perhaps he isn't climatized to cooler weather and chose not to host a sail away party which seemed like a lost opportunity to hype up the event and passing under the bridge. On Anthem they made a party out of it and counted down as we approached the bridge. Deck 15 was packed so the only people who missed the event were the CD staff.

After a bite to eat and a drop by the Music Hall for Diamond Happy Hour it was getting closer to sail away so I went to deck 15. The iFly instructors were playing around. North Star was going. Then they put North Star in its parked position and secured it in place. A puff of dark smoke indicated they were cranking up another engine. More and more guests were making their way top side in anticipation of sail away. We must be getting close... We backed out and away from the terminal, did a partial turn and began our departure towards the Lions Gate Bridge. Soon after we approached the bridge. No stopping now, here we go... The moment of truth... North Star clearing with ample space. And now for the funnel. Note the metal stacks that normally stick up above the funnel have been retracted. With that we were through and into Burrard Inlet to make our way to the Pacific. Looking forward the sun had set and it was beginning to grow darker. Back to the North Star bar for another Diamond Happy Hour drink.

Prince and Greene is being converted to a shop dedicated to Alaska merchandise.

Luggage delivered by 2pm. I quickly unpacked and went to explore some more. I'll find a less busy time to take some pictures around the ship. I dropped by guest services to see if I could swap an old Wow! band I brought with me. They took my old E1 Muster band from Anthem and gave me a new A4 Muster band without any fees. Muster at 4pm. Muster stations here on Ovation, like Anthem and other Quantum class are all indoors. They didn't use the Oasis class spy safety video like they did on Anthem. This video was more focused just on the safety aspects without trying to turn it into a mini-series. At the assembly drill the Captain announced our 8pm departure with a bridge time around 8:20 - 8:30pm depending on traffic. It was kind of nice having 4 hours to do stuff before sail away.

I was wearing my invisibility cloak that day. Several bikers nearly ran me over.

Cabin tour! Deck 11 a few cabins away from the forward elevator bank, port side. Cabin 11152. Lots of storage... Over the bed storage. Power outlets at the desk with two USB charging ports. One outlet on the right side of the bed. I've waited until day two to take balcony pictures here on this overcast and drizzly day. The view forward. The view aft. The view down towards the water. Something I haven't noticed before on other ships is an adjustable shower head. There is a "Select" button you can press to cycle through the three settings. The first is a rainfall type gentle and wide pattern. The next setting is a little stronger and slightly more focused by using fewer nozzles. The last setting is more focused producing a stronger stream. To be honest I can't remember what the shower head in Anthem or Symphony looked like. Maybe I just didn't notice this feature before.

After North Star I wandered the ship re-acquainting myself with a Quantum class ship. This railing area may be a great (and popular) location for glacier viewing. With that it was 1pm and cabins were announced to be ready.

On the ship I checked at the information desks temporarily set up in the Esplanade outside Boleros for last minute reservations. I wanted to see how they were handling North Star while the ship would be at the glaciers. They informed North Star at the glaciers would be chargeable compared to the times I could pick in the cruise planner that were available starting at 1pm two hours after the glacier. Up to shore excursion they said it wasn't loaded in the system yet but they were taking names for the $49.99 North Star rides while at the glaciers. I declined and proceeded to make specialty dining reservation then off to Cafe Two70 for lunch. After lunch I headed up to deck 15 to take some photos while we were in Vancouver. It looked like they were ready to offer North Star on a walk up basis so I jumped in before the lines began to form. Great views of the city from here. A couple of Eagles were spotted flying around near the ship.

Day 1 - Getting To The Ship I left my hotel at 9am walking 1/2 mile to the light rail Bridgeport station. It's concrete sidewalks all the way so managing my two spinner suitcases wasn't as bad as I feared it might be. Drivers here respect the crosswalks unlike some big cities where crosswalks are target zones for pedestrians. The two zone fare one-way was $4.20 CAD or $3.12 USD. Pretty inexpensive transfer to the ship. I purchased with my credit card having notified them of my international travel plans before hand. If you take the train from YVR airport there is an additional fee when leaving the airport. That fee didn't apply to me since I boarded the train further down the line. Since the Canada Line services the YVR airport luggage isn't an anomaly although there isn't a luggage rack. I slid mine into a window seat next to me while I sat in the aisle seat. The first "Waterfront" train that arrived at the station was packed with daily commuters on this Monday morning so I waited for the next train that was nearly empty. Arriving at the end of the line the Waterfront station is approximately one 1/4 mile from Canada Place in downtown Vancouver. I used the elevator from the train platform to reach street level and made the right turn to head towards Canada Place. The paper ticket card I purchased is needed to exit the platform so keep your ticket handy at all times. Once at Canada Place the cruise terminal is accessed by going down the ramp following the signs. Taxis, shuttles or private cars would drive down the ramp. I arrived shortly before 10am. Total transfer time from my hotel including walking to the train and to Canada Place was around 50 minutes. Departing guests were making their way up while I headed down. The terminal uses four stages to mark the embarkation process with signs for them labelled one through four. Step 1 is the baggage drop which is geared for vehicle traffic down on the P2 level of the parking garage below the terminal. For pedestrian arrivals you can use a parking elevator to reach the P2 level. Following the signs in the parking garage I was led to the baggage drop off in the parking garage. There is a desk set up for guests who did not print luggage tags at home. Guests with tags already on their bags can skip this and go directly to the drop area. This is organized by forward cabins to the left and and aft cabins further down. With baggage dropped off, it was back up to the terminal using the same elevators or stairs. Here there were signs for step 2, check in, up the escalator. The check in hall is up one floor following the signs for step 2. Terminal contractors with tablets were here to greet me, scan my SetSail pass and passport, take my photo and finally stamp my setSail pass. Following the signs for the loop around to step 3 the path takes you outside along the edge of the building to an escalator down to security. At the bottom of the escalator I was directed through to security where I didn't take any pictures but it's clearly marked for step 3. Typical cruise security with carry on through X-Ray and guests through metal detectors much like airport security. After this was step 4, US Customs and Immigration. No pictures but it was nice to pre-clear US customs here so we wouldn't have to deal with it mid-cruise. They have kiosks where you scan your passport, make your declarations and proceed. With that complete I was led to a holding area since guests were still debarking the ship. Time at this point was 10:25am. Initially there was seating for around 250 guests but with the ship delaying embarkation they expanded this and added another 250 seats, then another 250 seats. The terminal appeared to have wifi available but it didn't work. Instead my phone switched to 3G cellular this far into the interior of the terminal away from the LTE signal I had been enjoying outside. T-Mobile includes Canada and Mexico in my home area so my phone works no different compared to being at home with no additional charges. Terminal contractors were very apologetic stating it doesn't usually take this long before the ship is ready. I suspect departing guests were slow to leave as we could see a few heading off and through the terminal from time to time as we waited. Finally the ship was ready for us and we were led to the typical embarkation photo area and outside to the gangway. Time to start boarding - 11:25am. They were busy loading the ship down on the dock below us. Up the covered gangway and onto the ship. It was a very organized embarkation with the four steps clearly labelled and easy to follow. In fact it may be one of the most logical and easier embarkations I've experienced.

Maybe we have... I met another blog reader in the line at guest services.

Welcome to the message boards. Guests who are not booked in a suite can not access the perks from a friend or family member who is. They are for individual guests who have booked into Sky Class.

On board! Will post boarding process here for anyone sailing another ship out of Vancouver in another post. Specialty dining offered from my agent booked. Kümmelweck sandwiches consumed. For now I can offer the North Star experience at a glacier has to be booked at Shore Excursion for $49.99 per person. It's not loaded in the system yet so no signs or screen shots to share.

Problem is the law as written doesn’t distinguish between vessels very much. A 50 passenger ferry is a vessel. A 6,000 passenger cruise ship is a vessel. Much of the law applies to both equally.

Actually still a bit of industry. Ferries come to mind. Water taxis. Etc. Imagine the foreign invasion if vessels didn’t need to be made in America and crewed by Americans. It creeps into daily life on a frequent basis.

My trip back toward my hotel meant a transfer from bus to train at Waterfront station so I took the opportunity to walk downtown on this slow Sunday evening and to visit the Canada Place cruise terminal. The side of the terminal that Holland America uses and the site of last weeks "kissing ships" when the two company vessels scraped balconies with each other. Ovation was still setting lines when I arrived. Beautiful skies tonight with the sun close to setting. One of Ovation's smoking areas captured from an angle you don't see too often. The proximity to downtown and easy access to the transit system make this a great port. With that it was approaching 9pm and time for me to head back to my hotel. With nearly 10 miles under my feet it was time to grab a sandwich at Subway and watch the latest episode of Game of Thrones in my hotel.

After an hour or so to decompress in my hotel room I made plans to head downtown using the local transit system. My hotel is in between two Canada Line light rail stations. Using the transit feature of Apple Maps it calculated my route to my destination. This included walking to a train station, transferring to a bus and then walking about a mile. Walking a mile? Well yes, given that my destination was the Prospect Point lighthouse through Stanley Park which is loaded with trails for biking, jogging, strolling, etc. After sitting all day in planes a walk was perfect. At the train station I purchased an "All Day" Compass Card for ~$16 CAD which ended up on credit card at ~$12 USD. This would get me there and back to my hotel so all in all a pretty decent fee for a day pass. Stanley Park is beautiful and you could easily spend a day exploring it. I was on a mission to reach the lighthouse so I'm hardly doing it justice with these simple photos. First glimpse of the Lions Gate Bridge that separates Vancouver Harbor from Burrard Inlet and passages towards the Pacific Ocean. I timed my arrival for low tide which today was 6:41pm. Actually I was a little early so I could explore the area before the main event and the real reason I made this journey. With tides on the way out I could see much more beach exposed compared to high tide. The original Prospect Point Lighthouse was built here in the late 1800's. Long before the bridge was built in 1938 the original lighthouse was in response to numerous shipping incidents like the SS Beaver that ran aground on the rocky shores in 1888. These narrows have tricky tidal currents that I could see as the tide went out. Looking out under the bridge there were patches of smooth water and areas with strong currents marked by swirling water and waves. Interesting sea life including these purple sea stars. Some seals playing or feeding in the water. The large difference in tides is apparent and you can see the high tide mark along the wall. Where I'm standing would be over my head at high tide. This is important because technically there isn't enough height over water for Quantum class ships to pass under with the standard safety margins that are required for safe navigation. However using the tides to their advantage the extra 12 to 15 feet of tidal differences allows ships like Ovation to pass under the bridge if they time it just right. Before Ovation can arrive and dock at Canada Place, the cruise terminal in downtown Vancouver, a few ships need to get out of town. This included the Star Princess and two Holland America ships, Westerdam and Noordam. The area is popular with the outdoor type folks and the backdrop of the bridge made for a popular selfie station. If you look along the waterline to the far left you see a tiny ship on the horizon. Ovation of the Seas! A cargo ship also had to enter the port just before Ovation arrived. As I waited the sun was moving lower on the horizon making pictures in this direction challenging so I used the lighthouse to block the sun and I hid in it's shadow as Ovation approached. One thing I noticed was how the currents had settled down, the rippling and waves were gone, the water was smooth. This too is important so any ship can stay within the narrow channel and pass under the bridge at it's highest level. Ovation continued it's approach with a tug at the ready just in case. Closer, inching closer... Success! Clearing under the bridge with a large safety margin North Star was under. I could hear the roar of the crowd on the ship all cheering and celebrating which is rather ironic because it marks the end of their journey. The bigger challenge was the funnels and aft part of the ship. Also under with plenty of clearance. Woohoo! My cruise can continue as planned! To be honest it was a bit anti-climatic. I expected her to be closer to the bridge. I was confident she would fit, they wouldn't risk the bridge or the ship but I feel like Anthem passing under the Verrazona-Narrows bridge in New York is tighter.

My hotel is relatively inexpensive as Vancouver hotels go at $101 USD plus around $37 USD in taxes and fees. It's less expensive because it's an airport hotel which saved me hundreds compared to staying downtown. The Westin Wall Center Hotel:

Landed at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) on time at noon. Deplaning and once walking through the terminal I saw a half dozen wide body international planes from a number of countries. Ugh. That meant Canada customs was going to be busy, and it was. So busy there was a holding area on the second floor for international guests because the main immigration area on the first floor was packed. They were releasing them in batches as the queues on the first floor depleted. Lucky for me my Canadian passport saved me from that madness and downstairs the queues for Canadian passport holders was relatively short. I was at the baggage carousel waiting for luggage within 15 minutes. YVR like Montreal when I flew in to Adventure's Snowbird Migration cruise last year has immigration kiosks that scan your passport, asks you the normal immigration and customs questions then prints out a piece of paper you use to proceed. However there were luggage issues. Our bags started arriving 30 minutes later then a luggage jam occurred somewhere below us and they had to call maintenance. Somewhere around 60 minutes after landing my "priority" luggage arrived and I was able to queue to leave the Canada customs area which only took another 10 minutes. I saw a number of other cruise line luggage tags and kiosks were set up for Holland and Princess cruise lines. If I was on a cruise departing that day I could only imagine the added stress of waiting so long for immigration and luggage. Flying in the day before was definitely the right thing to do. Finally outside and across the traffic lanes to the general shuttle area to wait for my hotel shuttle which arrived with 15 minutes.

On the way up to Vancouver we flew past Mt. Hood which is hard to miss unless it's cloudy which it became right after I took this photo: Unfortunately those whisps of clouds turned into full cloud cover that we flew within for the remainder of the flight.

Decent size but always crowded.

Suggest you look over some recent cruise compasses from past guests on Adventure: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compass?ship=281 Even if you don't find your itinerary a lot of times will be similar on another itinerary.