Close of Cruise, Tour of Vancouver, and Return Home

Instead of waking up in a leisurely fashion, we rose early on the morning of June 11th to set our pre-packed bags outside the door for transfer to the processing area. Then we ate a large breakfast to fuel us for the day ahead. When we returned to our room, we took in the scenes of the shoreline as we approached the port of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The scenery was gorgeous.

As we sailed nearer to the port of Vancouver, we were struck by the impressive skyline with its tall skyscrapers, many of them with faces of shimmering green glass. We also saw parks along the harbor with walking trails close to the edge.

We were curious about an unusual building at the water's edge with large white structures decorating its roof. Later we learned that this building is Canada Place, an iconic Vancouver marker that serves as the port terminal and as a center for cultural events and celebrations. Its white structures are 90 foot tall sails made of fiberglass, which are lit in colored lights at Christmastime.

Soon a small speed boat approached the ship, the ship stopped moving, and a crew boarded. Our captain informed us over the PA system that he was temporarily handing over control of the ship to a pilot from the Port of Vancouver who would guide the ship into the pier. We were able to spot him through the windows providing his expertise and knowledge of the port as we eased into place in the harbor.

About 8 AM., our deck number was called on the PA system and we said farewell to our stateroom to make our way down to the bottom deck to disembark the MS Zaandam. We had mixed feelings with a combination of melancholy about leaving the cruise and anticipation about the approach of our return home. But first we had to show our travel documents and endure a long wait to go through processing with other passengers in the queue in Canada Place. After about an hour of shuffling along through the queue with our baggage, we were led by our steward to the correct line for our next adventure. Previously, we had purchased a package that included tickets both for the "Hop On Hop Off Trolley" and for the rapid transit train to the airport. Fortunately, the staff were able to relieve us of our larger bags for transfer to our hotel before we got in line for the trolley. The Hop On Hop Off Trolley provided open air seating and narration of the city sights as we passed by. We were permitted opportunities at 33 stops to hop off the trolley to explore the city. We enjoyed the views out of the windows including lighthouses and picturesque old lodge that houses a restaurant and an event facility. We passed up the chance to go to Granville Island and the Vancouver Aquarium. We spent most of our time in Stanley Park, a public park spanning 1,000 acres and situated in the heart of the city. It was established early in the history of the city and was named after Lord Stanley, an early governor general from Britain. The park has many gardens, lush forests, monuments, and recreational opportunities. We enjoyed strolling the path beside the 5.5 mile long Vancouver Seawall on English Bay, with small sailboats and other water craft moored in the water and huge skyscrapers directly across from the wall. We mingled with bicyclists, families with children in strollers, and people of all ages. We observed that the residents of Vancouver were very racially diverse. On our return walk back to the trolley stop, we encountered crowds of joggers travelling the other direction for a charity run.

Next we stopped at Prospect Point, which offered wonderful views of the bay, mountains in the distance, and the Lions Gate Bridge. This iconic landmark is a suspension bridge spanning nearly 6,000 feet in length and reaching a height of 364 feet at its tower. It handles traffic of 60,000 to 70,000 vehicles per day.

After leaving Stanley Park on the trolley, we saw several more landmarks of the city and chose Gas Town as our last stop. This neighborhood received its name from the gas lamps still lining the streets. The Victorian architectural style of the buildings, the cobblestoned streets, and the flavor of Old World charm were fascinating to us Midwesterners. As we walked the neighborhood we enjoyed window shopping  at the many boutiques and specialty shops and seeing the paintings displayed on easels. The Steam Clock (powered by steam) attracted attention from people passing by.

Our early breakfast on the ship meant we were hungry by mid-afternoon, so we looked for a place for lunch. We passed up the Flying Pig to try The Lamplighter. The food was interesting as were the people watching opportunities.

We walked to the train station and used our tickets to purchase tokens for the crowded commuter train to take us to the Vancouver Airport. There we caught the shuttle to our hotel about 2 miles away. We retired early after a tiring day. Early on the morning of June 12th, the shuttle took us to the airport to board our plane for Seattle after going through the customs process to be welcomed back to the USA. After a long layover, we flew to Omaha with our window views changing from the majestic mountains of the Northwest to the familiar farm fields of Nebraska. We thoroughly enjoyed our dream trip but were very happy to get back to home, sweet home!