smokeybandit Posted May 1, 2022 Report Share Posted May 1, 2022 40 minutes ago, twangster said: Yes. Serenade’s return on May 8 represents a separate arrival into Canada since the ship leaves Canada, visits the US then returns. Every arrival to Canada, including for any Canadians on board, requires ArriveCAN. But you needed that to board, not just needed when you disembark a week later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 1, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2022 1 hour ago, smokeybandit said: But you needed that to board, not just needed when you disembark a week later. Yes. It is a requirement to board because the ship comes to Canada. No one can board a ship that stops in or ends in Canada without completing ArriveCAN. It doesn't matter that we start in Canada. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted May 1, 2022 Report Share Posted May 1, 2022 1 hour ago, smokeybandit said: But you needed that to board, not just needed when you disembark a week later. The one used to board is the one used to disembark. Royal requires it to board to make sure everyone has it completed for coming back to Canada. smokeybandit 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted May 1, 2022 Report Share Posted May 1, 2022 9 minutes ago, twangster said: Yes. It is a requirement to board because the ship comes to Canada. No one can board a ship that stops in or ends in Canada without completing ArriveCAN. It doesn't matter that we start in Canada. So technically you're presenting your disembarkation ArriveCan at the time you board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2022 37 minutes ago, smokeybandit said: So technically you're presenting your disembarkation ArriveCan at the time you board. Correct. It’s for arriving into Canada when the cruise ends. ArriveCAN first asks for your embarkation date and ship name. This date has to be within 72 hours. It later asks for the date you arrive in Canada and offers dates beyond 72 hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2022 Voom started working as we left Canada Place. We pulled away from the pier after a number of names were paged. More photos coming later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyC Posted May 2, 2022 Report Share Posted May 2, 2022 Thanks for once again bringing us along with you!! Our first Alaska sailing is next week and I'm just starting to get myself organized. I reviewed all your past blogs for Alaska, of course! twangster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2022 Morning of day 2 and Voom is pretty slow. Ship is good. A few minor restart issues but nothing that’s worth reporting Crew is happy to see guests again and they have been great. We turned North out of Vancouver into the British Columbia Inside Passage Soon after the sun set so most of the passage was in the dark with the lights of Vancouver Island on the port side. Morning saw rain and low clouds but still beautiful. We’ve dropped off our pilot about a couple of hours ago and we are emerging from the inside passage into the open Pacific. I will be coming back to this if Voom improves, otherwise I’ll update once we are in a port with cellular. DDaley, calvink669 and Lovetocruise2002 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristiZ Posted May 2, 2022 Report Share Posted May 2, 2022 On 5/1/2022 at 6:26 AM, twangster said: My tummy was on Eastern time so I ventured out for an early bite of dinner. MisterZ likes the way you think! He'd call this dinner too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2022 Voom remains a challenge for uploading photos but I've managed to get some up. I've updated some of the earlier post and added pictures. Let's go back a bit and start with a cabin tour. Cabins were stated to be ready at 1pm but they opened them up twenty minutes early. SeaPass cards outside on the cabin doors. Unlike some of her sisters, Serenade has shower doors. This is a corner aft balcony. PPPJJ-GCVAB, ellcee, Lovetocruise2002 and 5 others 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2022 Lots of sea plane activity taking off and landing. The HAL ship was first to leave. With that ship gone it opened up a better city view. Cows on deck 13! The helipad is open to the public. Lovetocruise2002, KristiZ and Yesiamthere 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2022 Shortly after 5pm it was our turn. Looking back at Canada Place. It's a short time until we reach the Lions Gate bridge. Here is a video passing under the bridge: Skigoofy, RWDW1204, Lovetocruise2002 and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2022 I left my 360 camera running on my balcony capturing a time lapse of the departure from Vancouver. anxiouscruiser 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2022 Suite Lounge drink menu for the nightly cocktail happy hour in the Concierge Club. Lovetocruise2002 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted May 2, 2022 Report Share Posted May 2, 2022 Corona? Shouldn't you be drinking Labatts or Moosehead at that point? Harbour Air: Fun fact. They're looking to convert their entire fleet to be electric engines, which would be a first. twangster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted May 2, 2022 Report Share Posted May 2, 2022 9 minutes ago, twangster said: Suite Lounge drink menu for the nightly cocktail happy hour in the Concierge Club. So their back to the crap suite menu and not the full bar menu? Yuck. Not even Glenfiddich which was added a couple years ago? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2022 Dinner menu: The My Time Dining line was rather long... ... so I went up for a Windjammer dinner with a seat outside to watch the British Columbia coast sail by. The WJ had the same Prime Rib I was thinking about for dinner so this worked really well with no crowds in the WJ. KristiZ, Lovetocruise2002, Yesiamthere and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2022 After dinner I went to Vintages for a drink and awesome views. My cabin TV wasn't working very well with some of the channels breaking up but I managed to grab this position report before the signal really crapped out. (they replaced my TV so all is well now). Apple maps from my iPhone with my TV acting up: After this I retired to my balcony to watch the lights on Vancouver Island sail past in the dark. It was very peaceful listening to some music with my earbuds while sipping on some Crown and Anchor wine. The Captain did announce we will return through the Inside Passage and our transit will be in daylight for some of the way back. Lovetocruise2002 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2022 Day Two - British Columbia Inside Passage Early up with my body still on Eastern time. Sometime around 5am. It was rainy and dark. Typical Pacific coastal weather. As it got lighter it was pretty spectacular despite the overcast and rainy conditions. Pictures don't do it justice. We caught up to that HAL ship and followed it throughout the night. KristiZ, DDaley, Yesiamthere and 4 others 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2022 Breakfast menu for the MDR: Position report as we near the end of the British Columbia Inside Passage. Skigoofy and Lovetocruise2002 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2022 As we were approaching the end of the passage: Once we reached the end of the passage the pilot left us. Fishing boat. The day brightened and then the skies turned blue. It turned into a rather nice day once we got into the Pacific. WAAAYTOOO, Skigoofy, Lovetocruise2002 and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyC Posted May 3, 2022 Report Share Posted May 3, 2022 We have a corner aft on Radiance. Very excited! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2022 Whales abound. The familiar water spout is a dead giveaway. Not every breath turns into a dive. They seem to go through a cycle of several breaths before going deep. ellcee, Guy Gadwa, MaryS and 7 others 8 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2022 Top tier was earlier this morning. Gold 337 Platinum 119 Emerald 40 Diamond 86 Diamond Plus 44 Pinnacle 12 638 total CAS Estimated around 1,800 total guests on board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2022 Cheers with an Officer Lunch today. Afternoon progress report: Dinner menu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmondFarmer Posted May 3, 2022 Report Share Posted May 3, 2022 4 hours ago, smokeybandit said: Harbour Air: Fun fact. They're looking to convert their entire fleet to be electric engines, which would be a first. First and possibly last. Rumor they might require skydive certification to fly. I’d request a long extension cord if on board. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2022 Day Three - Sitka Time change the morning of day three at 2am. We are now in the Alaska time zone. Arrival scheduled for 8:30am. MDR breakfast hours are 7am to 8:30am and the WJ opens at 6:30am. Progress report at 5am: Typical Alaska weather... wet and overcast. Here at 5am it's bright enough to read a book outside and getting brighter every minute. Voom is still pretty slow, that last photo was reduced down to 342kB and took over a minute to upload. As expected there were some seas last night given that weather system Northwest of us. I woke up to the night table drawer sliding open and closed. The ship is handling it pretty well. Temperature outside is 45°F. Guy Gadwa, ellcee, melmar02 and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmar02 Posted May 3, 2022 Report Share Posted May 3, 2022 Thanks for posting about the internet speed. We're flying out of Vancouver at the end of our southbound in a few weeks and will need to test before we fly. It seems like we may need to schedule tests at the airport instead of relying on the ships internet with an emed test. KathyC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyC Posted May 3, 2022 Report Share Posted May 3, 2022 1 hour ago, melmar02 said: Thanks for posting about the internet speed. We're flying out of Vancouver at the end of our southbound in a few weeks and will need to test before we fly. It seems like we may need to schedule tests at the airport instead of relying on the ships internet with an emed test. We're in the same position. We have to test before a flight out of Vancouver this month. The day before is a sea day, so I expect Voom to not cooperate. We have an evening flight, and have scheduled an excursion that brings us to the airport. Since we need to test before we leave the ship, we are going to do it in our cabin once we have cell data before we leave. Requires getting up all the earlier, but it may be our only choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzard Posted May 3, 2022 Report Share Posted May 3, 2022 Twangster, can I ask if you are using Voom Surf or the faster Surf & Stream on your cruise? Given the spottiness of the connection and the seemingly consistently slow speeds, I'm curious which version you are using and what future cruisers might expect. If you are using Surf & Stream I'm really worried about that paying for that option, while if you are using Surf I'm wondering about how fast Surf & Stream might be in comparison. Much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2022 1 hour ago, Buzzard said: Twangster, can I ask if you are using Voom Surf or the faster Surf & Stream on your cruise? Given the spottiness of the connection and the seemingly consistently slow speeds, I'm curious which version you are using and what future cruisers might expect. If you are using Surf & Stream I'm really worried about that paying for that option, while if you are using Surf I'm wondering about how fast Surf & Stream might be in comparison. Much appreciated. Surf and Stream. It’s Alaska. It’s always this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Gadwa Posted May 3, 2022 Report Share Posted May 3, 2022 Following! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzard Posted May 3, 2022 Report Share Posted May 3, 2022 19 minutes ago, twangster said: Surf and Stream. It’s Alaska. It’s always this way. I'm wondering if there's really any meaningful difference in speed between surf and stream given your experiences with it. I mean if Surf really is slower than Stream, is there really any ability for things to get even slower than you've had with Stream? Makes an old school dial up connection seem lightning fast... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 4, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2022 3 hours ago, Buzzard said: I'm wondering if there's really any meaningful difference in speed between surf and stream given your experiences with it. I mean if Surf really is slower than Stream, is there really any ability for things to get even slower than you've had with Stream? Makes an old school dial up connection seem lightning fast... There won't be any streaming but if you want simple text messaging absent of sending photos it does work for that. If that is the case then Surf is all you need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 4, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2022 I have updated the time lapse placer holder post above with the time lapse video from our departure in Vancouver. I took advantage of LTE cellular data in Sitka to upload the video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 4, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2022 Not long after turning inland towards Sitka the seas settled down and it was time for breakfast. One nice attribute of Radiance class is lots of glass such as here in the Schooner Bar where we got our first glimpses of the mountains on the way into Sitka sound. Still pretty rainy at times and overcast yet still very beautiful. During a break in the rain we were treated to some magnificent views. Lovetocruise2002, KristiZ, Guy Gadwa and 8 others 10 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 4, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2022 One benefit of coming early in the season is lots of snow in the peaks. Short video of our arrival. Skigoofy, ellcee, Guy Gadwa and 4 others 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 4, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2022 From my aft balcony I spotted an Eagle in the trees. PPPJJ-GCVAB, Matt, Skigoofy and 9 others 11 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 4, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2022 The weather radar wasn't friendly today but that's Alaska. The pier is about 5 miles from downtown. There is a free shuttle that runs every 10-15 minutes. The shuttle drops off in downtown Sitka. Last return shuttle is 30 minutes before all aboard time. The Raven is very symbolic in Alaskan native culture. These two were fighting over a small discarded liquor bottle. In between waves of showers that passed through I managed to take some pictures of "downtown" Sitka and the general area. Traveler, Guy Gadwa, RWDW1204 and 5 others 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 4, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2022 My plan was to walk through the National Historical Park lined with totem poles but I kept seeing another line of showers heading our way so I ducked into Bayview Pub right across the street from the shuttle bus stop. The Beast Burger - Elk, Boar, Buffalo and Wagyu beef topped with wild boar bacon. Lovetocruise2002, Matt, Guy Gadwa and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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