We’re up and packed, all three of us, far too early though. Sally arrived promptly at 11 am in her capacious RV, to transport us to the Cruise Terminal at Canada Place in Downtown Vancouver. Driving through the area of Robson Street, the main tourist street in Vancouver, we can see the extent of the damage inflicted by the few anarchist that incited the trouble after Wednesdays Canucks game.
The Cruise Ship, the Celebrity Century, will depart from Canada Place pier; pass under the Lions Gate Bridge and on out into the Georgia Strait. At Cape Mudge we then enter the Inside Passage and sail through the Seymour Narrows then around Chatham Point and on into Johnston Strait.
The boarding procedures are followed through at a pace we didn’t expect. We are issued with our ‘sea passes’ a credit card size card the opens our stateroom and is used to purchase anything on board that we need to pay for. One photo-shoot later and we’re on board and being offered as greeting glass of champagne. Lunch is being served in the Island café on deck 11. So with our priorities right we go eat! I suspect we’re going to do allot of eating before this cruise is over.
By 1.30pm our Staterooms are ready so we head off to see where we are to be sleeping for the rest of the week. To call our sleeping quarters a State room is possible a little misleading. A cabin, is more of an adequate description. It’s a tiny room with a fairly large window, not a port hole. Although it’s small it has everything we need, a double bed with bedside draws and lamps fits under the window. Two wardrobes plus a third with shelves and draws. There’s a large built in dressing table with shelves and a small safe behind the mirror. The tiny shower room, that has a surprisingly spacious shower and is well supplied with toiletries, fluffy white towels, flannels and a robe apiece. A wall mounted TV faces the bed and finally an easy chair with a small round glass table.
One of our cases has gone missing. I unpack the one we have and we go to explore the ship. Later before dinner the case still hasn’t appeared so I ring the ships concierge and it’s quickly found and brought to us.
The ship finally sets sail at 4.30 pm but before we sail we are required to attend an emergency Lifeboat Drill. Later as we tidy up for tonight’s dinner, smart casual is the required attire; Nancylee arrived and announces that we’ve all been invited to dine in the, Fine Dining, Murano restaurant. The Grand restaurant where should be dining, seats over a 1000 people.
The intimate Murano is quite and seats only 60 people. Dining here usually cost $30 per person extra, but tonight its complimentary for us as They would like Nancylee to ‘sell’ the delights of fine dining to her students. The service and food was fabulous, it could not be faulted. We were so well looked after and it wasn’t a bit stuffy like ‘fine dining’ in a 5 star English restaurant would be.
All over the ship the Cruise Photographers are abroad. People are photographer in formal poses in casual poses, with an eagle, a dolphin, a moose or a bear. This is big business for the cruise ship. They hope people want happy memories of their time aboard.
After dinner Nancy and I went to the theater to see the variety style show. Dave went on deck and Nancylee and John went to explore the ship. Later we all met up in the Crystal Room, order a ‘nightcap’ and listened to the music and watched the ‘Celebrity’ dancers perform before retiring to our ‘State rooms.’
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