A return to cruising in 2022

 Now that the worst of the pandemic appears to be abating and people are getting vaccinated the cruise industry is starting to return to the seas.

I had originally scheduled a cruise for this September - a round trip from Seattle - down the coast and a return to Seattle but cancelled it before things started to open up.

With the uncertainty of when the US/Canada border will re-opened I didn't want the stress of booking hotels when I wouldn't possibly know until the last minute whether I could even get across the border.

That cruise was booked with Princess and was using a large credit from the cruise they cancelled in March 2020 just as the shit was starting to hit the fan.

Here are my current cruise plans:

1. Mexican Riviera - March 2022 - 7 days - starts in Los Angeles - it's on the Norwegian Bliss - took one of their Studio cabins for singles - was able to used some Future Cruise credits for the down payment - stops in Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán and Ensenada before returning to Los Angeles. The last two Mexican ports are new to me. Will Amtrak it to and from L.A.

2. Pacific Coastal - Sept 2022 - Princess ship the Crown Princess - 10 night round trip from Vancouver - stops in San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. I will celebrate my 75th birthday on that cruise in Los Angeles.

3. A 14 day round trip Alaska cruise - Norwegian Jewel in May 2023 - 7 days northbound to Seward and then 7 days southbound back to Vancouver - on this cruise my friends Dave and Kathy Smith from the Boston area will be joining me. They haven't been to Alaska yet so I will get to be a tour guide. Our northbound stops will be Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Cruise Glacier Bay and Cruise Hubbard Glacier and Seward Alaska. On the southbound leg after leaving Seward we revisit Hubbard Glacier, visit Icy Strait Point and the Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier before revisiting Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan before arriving back in Vancouver.

That briefly is or should that be are my cruising plans over the next 24 months.

A VISIT TO HIGH KNOLL PARK IN SURREY MAY 21, 2020

This park is located on the eastern boundary of the City of Surrey on Colebrook Rd and 195 Ave.

It has two parts on both sides of the road - the upper part is the original - a mixed forest with trails extending a distance - crossing a hydro right of way and then re-entering a more dense forest with a number of stunning old stumps - one is estimated to have had a tree that would have been about 200 years old.

The area also contains a bike park.

I then returned back to the parking lot and went to explore the northern part of the park which is an old farm site that was donated to the City of Surrey.

This part of the Park consists of the wetlands of the  Nicomekl River - I ventured down to the bridge over the river - it isn't far from it headwaters so it isn't a big river.

After that I returned to the parking and went to explore the Cairn explaining the recent addition to the park.

Further exploration led me to find what looks like and old orchard or flower garden. Rhododendrons and other flowers were in bloom.

Then it was home to relax and dinner which was Turkey Sheppard's pie, new potatoes and carrots.

One of my intents with this blog was to use it for my cruises - with my cruises cancelled until this time next year and with the realization that as I age the number of long distance train trips to the east coast or New Orleans for cruising are coming to an end plus the travel fund is nearly exhausted I am going to change the emphasis of this blog.

Since moving to the Newton area of Surrey two years ago I have spent a fair amount of time exploring many of the more than 200 parks in the City.

Unlike the parks in Vancouver which - with the exception of Stanley Park and Pacific Spirit - are more developed many of those here in Surrey are preserved as natural areas with streams, forests etc still intact.

I have been visiting a lot of them during our current stay close to home message and posting pictures etc on my Facebook page.

While I will continue to do that I will be posting a more detailed write up of the actual visit to the park and some photos explaining the various features of the park.

So look for this write ups soon.

As always - Cheers and happy trails to you until we meet again.

Stay safe everyone.

2 years in Surrey

It will be two years tomorrow that I started the move from Vancouver to Surrey. Where has the time gone.
When I made the move it was partially to be nearer to the inner circle and partially to help with my anxiety and depression issues.
In light of the challenges the world is facing now it has turned out to be a good move. While we have some constraints of our activities you can still go down to the lobby and talk to other residents and staff which helps my depression. We keep our distance and are reminded by staff etc if we do get too close together.
Do I miss Vancouver - yes and no - I missed the easy access to the seawall, False Creek and Stanley Park and the relatively close access to the North Shore mountains.
I don't miss the concrete jungle and always on the go mentality of the downtown crowd.
As for Surrey - it has really grown up the last decade or so - yes it has it's social issues as any city of over 500,000 people will have - it has an extensive parks system and many of them are in a more natural setting - like streams running through them, like first growth trees, like nature trails, a couple of gardens - Bear Creek and Fleetwood to name a couple.
It has it beaches at Crescent Beach and White Rock next door.
It has easy shopping here in Newton, roads with left turn lanes and green arrows and a much improved transit system. Most common areas in Surrey have some bus service.
It is a very demographic diverse area and the people for the most part are friendly and right now seem to be abiding by the social or physical distance measures implemented by various layers of government.
The flowers are starting to bloom - the last two pictures are the scene from my balcony taken earlier today.
Part 2 coming up.

A much ado about nothing post

Haven't posted  much recently not because there wasn't anything to post but for the most part because I was being lazy and also mourning the lost of my long time friend of more than 55 years back in March 2017.

Even though his passing wasn't unexpected it put me into a six week spiral of grief etc - finally has dissipated and I am now back to my normal comfort zone and hopefully will post a little more frequently.

Another reason for not posting was my computer keyboard was acting up and certain letters became very hard to press and get any results - I now have a new HP computer so that excuse won't work any more.

I did a 14 day Alaskan cruise from San Francisco to Vancouver in mid-May and that was also about the time that my anxiety over the loss of my friend started to wane. Whether getting on a cruise ship and sailing with friends that I met on other cruises was a factor in feeling better I can't say.

I also started doing my volunteering about the same time - was it a factor - once again I don't know.

Any way I am now getting out on the bike and hiking and will be leaving Vancouver in a little over three weeks for a week of hiking in Waterton Park with the Skyline Hikers.

Cheers!

D.

Might be going to Cuba - May 2018

I have long wanted to go to Cuba and as a Canadian there are no restrictions on us travelling to that country BUT because I won't fly it has been virtually impossible - yes I know that you could get there by cruise ships but these sail from American home ports and to my knowledge I couldn't get off a cruise ship in Barbados - go to Cuba and then re-board another one in Barbados to get back to the US mainland.

Well that has all changed but the recent easing of restrictions for US citizens to visit that country.

The cruise ship industry saw the light and has received permission to sail to Cuba with certain conditions which technically don't apply to us Canadians - like the reason for visiting - educational and noting where and what you learned - but which the cruise ships are requiring of all passengers but there is little proof that is is been enforced by DHS officials but that could change.

Let's fast forward a little bit - I recently booked a 15 day Panama canal cruise on the new Norwegian Bliss which sails from Miami in May 2018 and had a brain fart the other week - if I am in Miami why not see if I can come in a few days early and do a Cuba cruise before boarding - most Cuba cruises are either from the Ft Lauderdale/Miami or Tampa ports so it seems fairly logically to do.

Norwegian would be my first choice as I have lots of perks with them - they offer a 4 day to Havana from Miami with an overnight in Havana - but they are only showing sailings until the end of 2017.

RCL has some offerings as well but nothing into next year.

Carnival has some 4 day day sailings from Tampa including one in May of next year - that one would work - I would spend a night in Tampa post cruise and then train it down to Miami for two night before boarding the Bliss - an alternate would be to head to Orlando for a day and take in Disney World and then train down to Miami - there are two trains a day to Miami so some options there.  Carnival isn't a preferred cruise line for me.

Will continue to check the cruise lines web sites for sailings and have my TA looking as well - they often get advance notice of bookings before they hit the public web sites.

What to expect in Cuba - despite what you hear - you are free to travel and take pictures except of military etc - this is true for many countries.

Yesterday I attended an outdoor adventure travel show and there was a booth on Cuba - had a lengthy chat with a very knowledge person about travel to Cuba.

Some things I learned and this pertains to Canadians.

1. Do you need a Visa? Canadian - No - but you will a tourist card. It will usually be set up for you by the cruise line.

2. Canadian money is accepted in Cuba - when you change it into Cuban $$$ there is no tax or transaction fee like on the US $$$. The exchange rate is based on the US$$$ so expect about a 30 -35 % exchange rate.

3. You are free to tour on your own and most people will welcome and help you see the country.

4. English is the second language so most will know some and most in the tourist industry are fluent.

5. You need proof of medical coverage and this is important to us Canadians - while your provincial health care card is proof - check and see if they will cover you in Cuba - apparently here in BC they won't - this could change over time as more people travel - if you have extended coverage - Blue Cross - Sun Life etc check and ensure that they cover you - otherwise you will need to purchase - you can't enter the country and likely not able to board the ship if you can't provide proof.

As travel to Cuba is continuing to evolve this information should be considered current as of the time of this post.

More to come at a later date.

Cheers!

D

All about cruising

To say that I like cruising is putting it mildly.

I have become addicted to that method of travel - partly in measure because I don't want to fly and once I reach a destination by train or bus or in some cases by walking about nine blocks to a cruise terminal - I can board and see parts of the world I wouldn't otherwise.

I have about thirty cruises under my belt - around 270 days at sea - from a number of one night cruises between Vancouver and Seattle and vice-versa to a long 49 day one around South America.

At present I have four cruises booked over the next 2 years - three on Norwegian and one on Royal Caribbean - the latter will be the first time on that cruise line.

Two are west coast based - and two are east coast based although one of those ends up on the west coast.

Here are the details of two of those cruises. The other two will follow in a separate post.

First up - is a 14 day Alaskan Cruise on the Norwegian Sun in May 2017

I first sailed this ship back in 2004 when I did my first Panama Canal cruise.

For this cruise I will travel down to San Francisco by Amtrak - meet up with some friends and take in a SF Giants baseball game and then the following morning board the Sun for the trip north.

After a stop in Astoria, Oregon we head to Alaska - for stops in Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, Sitka, Ice Straight Point as well as visiting Glacier Bay, Hubbard and Sawyer Glaciers - then on the southbound part we will stop in Prince Rupert and finally Nanaimo before sailing across the Salish Sea and into Burrard Inlet and our berth at Canada Place

Sept 2017 - The second cruise for 2017 will see my trying a new cruise line - all of my previous cruises have been on either Norwegian or Princess but as I was researching for something on the west coast in the fall to celebrate my 70th birthday I came across a 7 day west coast round trip from Seattle down to San Francisco on RCL's Explorer of the Seas - what I liked about it was firstly the pricing and secondly a full overnight stay in San Francisco - just a stop at Astoria on the way down and one at Victoria on the way back. 

There were a couple of features on this ship that intrigued me - one it has an ice-skating rink and also something called promenade inside cabins - these are inside cabins that have a window view to the inside promenade or atrium area of the ship.

The long layover in San Francisco will give me the opportunity to too a longer day trip as we won't need to be back on ship until 4 PM the next day.

One option I am looking at is to do a day trip and take in the 17 Mile Drive at Monterrey - while I have driven down that way on a couple of occasions I have never done that drive. 

While I could also do a long day trip to Yosemite from San Francisco most of the day tours have a meet time that makes it tough for me to take as by the time I get off the ship I likely won't catch the tour.

Perhaps my friends in the Bay area will come up with some other ideas .

Do want to spent some more time exploring the Presidio and the Pacific Ocean beaches.

In a separate post I will outline my 2018 cruise plans and a possible hint at what I might do in 2019 - boy that seems like a long ways off but in planning travel those dates are already starting to come online.

Cheers!

A little about nothing and nothing to belittle

Well it is the middle of the first month of 2017 and here I am posting to my blog for the first time in a long time and staring out the window at broken skies and some sunshine.

Why would I be indoor on such a nice day - simple - my depression or stress if you wish is causing my fatigue to act up - I get this occasionally - sometimes from just being too active and mostly from me unable to put aside events in my life that are causing me concern.

On the health front - I have a nephew - only met him a couple of times as he was adopted out by his mother not long after birth and didn't connect until a few years ago when his birth father was in his last days - who is awaiting a liver transplant at Vancouver General hospital - it has been a roller coaster ride - of hopes for a new liver - because of his condition it must be a liver of a deceased person and not a living one and daily woes of what some would determine to be less than adequate care from the hospital.

That's the first one - the second one is my sister in law - my nieces mother - different mothers - was diagnosed with cancer before Christmas - while always a concern more recent tests have indicated that it is fully treatable and she should recover and have many more years.

Thirdly and the one causing me the most stress and grief is the deteriorating condition of my long time best friend and what I like to refer to as the "brother I never had" - his lungs are failing - this is a direct result of his serious bout of pneumonia a little over three years ago - he can't go anywhere without oxygen - if he does any exercise - just getting up and going to the bathroom it leaves him huffing and puffing - he needs to carry extra oxygen tanks with him and in just the minute or two it takes to change over tubes he is left gasping - for the most part he needs someone with him all the time - the worst thing is that his lung doctor has told him that unless they can stop the scarring of his lungs he will be gone in less than a year and the other day he asked me if I would help him plan a living wake in the summer. That has sent me into a stress spiral that I am still coping with.

Do have the Canucks hockey game this afternoon with him - we will need to find a quiet place to change over the tanks if the game goes into overtime.

I will post in another post my updated plans for cruising over the next couple of years.

As always Cheers!

D

Idle thoughts

Now that I have cleared up a lot of web space by condensing my photos on Google I will be able to post on this blog a lot more.

So here are some idle thoughts for Oct 8, 2016

1. Is anyone still following the US election smut campaign - how any woman can still support Donald after the video from yesterday is beyond me. Enough said.

2. Vancouver Canucks - Jim and I have purchased a half season pack - both think it will be a very interesting and hopefully not a long frustrating season - if they stay healthy we feel they have a shot at the playoffs - if they suffer key injuries to the key core it will be a long season because while the youth movement has started they aren't for the most part seasoned enough to step in and provide the needed leadership.

3. My volunteering - I continue to volunteer for many events - this weekend - Sunday and Monday I am helping with the Turkey Trot race on Granville Island but for the most part until I return from my fall cruise and holiday in mid-November don't have a lot planned.

That's all for now.

Boston to New Orleans Oct 28, 2016 to Nov 11, 2016 -

                         My home for two weeks - the Norwegian Dawn

In less than two weeks I will heading out of Vancouver with my ultimate destination being Boston where I will board the Norwegian Dawn and set sail for a 14 day Caribbean cruise and end up in New Orleans - at least that is the plan but it's hurricane season so some of the ports etc could change depending on where the active storms are.

I have been lucky over the years on these repo cruises - while there has been storm activity in the region we have not missed a scheduled port or being rerouted.

Stops on this cruise are San Juan, Puerto Rico, Bonaire, Aruba, Curacao, Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Mexico - all except Bonaire I have visited before.

As this will likely be my last long distance east coast cruise - this old body can't take the 4 - 5 day train trip both ways and since I don't fly there aren't a lot of ways to get to the east coast ports - I am taking a somewhat circuitous route to get there.

Amtrak train will be my main form of transportation to Boston and home from New Orleans.

Here's a brief outline of how the train trip will unfold - Vancouver to Seattle to Chicago to Buffalo where I will transfer to the Maple Leaf Service and head for Toronto - two night - one day stay there then it's off to Montreal for an overnight stay and then the train to NYC - overnight there and then the Northeast Regional to Boston - only coming in the night before the cruise - for some reason and partly because of the low Canadian $$$ the hotel rooms in Boston were around $250 - $300 US so I couldn't justify more than one night.

New Orleans streetcars are always fun to ride.

After the 14 days at sea I will stay overnight in New Orleans as I want to take the Sunset Limited from NOLA to LA and it doesn't leave every day. 

Hotels rooms were also very expensive here - partly because it's the Nov 11th holiday weekend and also because there is a large convention in town. I was able to get the Drury Inn - a very desirable hotel for cruisers using my RBC Rewards points.


After arriving in LA I will take the Coast Starlighter up the coast to Seattle and then transfer to a bus to get me back to Vancouver early in the morning.

How am I coming with my preparation? Well it's a slow process for me - for some reason I haven't started to pack and I am less than two weeks from leaving.

One of the major challenges in packing for this cruise is the need for taking some colder weather clothes - Chicago, Toronto, etc can be cool in late October early November - as much as possible I want to check my main luggage  but will still need the colder clothes on the train and at some of the stops along the way.

Don't know if I can fit the heavier clothes into my day pack and still have enough room for my toys - two cameras, one laptop, two cell phones - one for the US only - and there various chargers etc. + at least one change of clothes and a second pair of footwear.

One thing that helps is that I am leaving Vancouver in late October so can likely wear some of the bulkier items.

That's all for now.

The condo is sold and I am now renting

I had been entertaining the idea of selling my downtown condo for some time and almost put it up for sale before Christmas but choose to hold off.

I know some people question why you would want to get rid of one of your biggest assets in retirement but there were a couple of factors at play.

While my pensions were providing me with enough to live on each month they weren't providing enough for the longer holidays etc - also when I started down the retirement road some 10 years ago the markets were providing a much larger return on their investments than they are now - so I have been using some of the equity in my condo to finance the cruises etc.

My condo building is coming up to 40 years old and will need to be upgraded and renewed over the next three to five years - there were likely to be several significant assessments over that period of time - all of which I would need to use the equity to pay for.

That in itself isn't necessarily a bad thing - if the market continues to grow etc - but that is a big if - some were predicting a market correction here in Vancouver. etc.

Also while my health is okay now - okay I have the usual aging problems - hearing loss, cataracts etc I don't have any major life threatening or altering issues BUT you never know when that could happen.

I didn't want to be stuck in a situation where a health issue arises, there is a bad real estate market etc., etc., etc.,

So in early February I called an old real estate friend that I knew from my working days at the Y - we discussed the situation on Wednesday, agreed on a price and he arranged an open house for the Sunday - over 100 people viewed it - three offers were tendered on Monday - I accepted the middle one - only $1000.00 less than the highest but there were no subject clauses and it was still $6000.00 over asking.

It also was a month end closing so I needed to get a place to rent - while I could have rented in a condo building I choose to go with an all rental building - still in the downtown core - about 6 blocks from my old place - it's closer to the shopping core - I am 17 stories up in the sky - in a roomy 580 sq. ft one bedroom apartment with views to the south east and around to the northwest as it is a corner unit.

The move in when fine - I will be able to pay for about 80% of my rent from the proceeds of the sale and with a saving on condo fees and a friend repaying a private loan it takes very little from my monthly budget and will still have monies available for trips etc for many years to come.

So for the first time really in my adult life - except for one year in the 70's - I am not a home owner but a renter - my new place is managed by a large rental management firm and if first impressions mean anything I am very impressed on how they manage the building.

Since moving in I am heard almost no noise from either the suite above or below me.

I also have a built in washer and dryer, a large balcony - can't barbecue but there is a barbecue area on a lower floor - I have a good parking spot - a large storage locker and a good secure bike storage.

So the next chapter in my life is unfolding and it's time to say Cheers!

Just some dribble on a rainy day in the City.

January has had it share of rainy days and with little in the way of volunteering I have been busy planning my fall 14 day Boston to New Orleans repositioning cruise.

With the Canadian dollar in the tank - although it has rebounded a little bit the last couple of days - it is still adding to my costs significantly.

As most of you know nowadays most credit cards etc have rewards etc so I started to explore what I might be able to use for this trip - without getting into all the details I was able to book a hotel room in New Orleans with bank rewards - still enough for one more night in either Toronto or Montreal - also have some Air Miles that can get me a night in either of those two cities - only thing I don't like about Air Miles is that you have to pay the taxes and a booking fee so it isn't totally free,

Next I turned my attention to my Amtrak Guest Rewards - this is where I achieved a good saving - was able to book the Los Angeles to Vancouver part of the return trip entirely using points - includes a sleeper on the LA to Seattle part - that saved me over $300.00 US.

So the only things remaining to do is the hotel room in Toronto for 2 nights and one night in Montreal.

Still waiting for the cruise line to list the excursions for the cruise this fall - particularly interested in what they are offering for Bonaire which is the one port that I haven't been too before.

More later.

D  

To cruise or not to cruise?

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that I like to cruise - so why you ask would I be asking such a question in the title page.

Well you see - there is this thing called the Canadian $$$ - and well like lately it has been in the tank - dropping almost daily in value - it has long been associated with the price of oil and despite gas prices not dropping enough we all know what has happened to the price of a barrel of oil - it is in the tank as well and no pun intended - so you get the connection.

In other words - it is now costly me almost 35 - 40 % more to cruise than a couple of years ago.

While cruise lines do allow you to pay in Canadian $$ at a discounted rate - the rest of my expenses - hotels, train rides, excursions etc have to be paid in US $$$.

It should now be coming clearer why I have given this post that title.

I have two cruises currently booked.

1. A 10 Pacific Coastal in April and 

2. A 14 day Caribbean repo from Boston to New Orleans.

What are their future?

That is a question that I have been mulling for awhile and now the decision has been may.

I will be canceling #1 and doing #2.

While the dollar is a factor in the cancellation there are other factors also in play.

I will be having cataract surgery sometime in the New Year but may not know the dates before final payment date in early February.

I am also hoping to get hired once again by Stats Canada for the 2016 census - I have applied for both a supervisor and/or canvasser position.
If I get the former I will need to have the dates of the cruise available for training of workers etc. I am also unlikely to know the dates for this before final payment.

If I get either job it will provide me with some funds for the second cruise.

When I booked this repo almost two years ago it was partly because I don't know how many more years I am going to want to spend four or five days taking a train ride across the continent to take a cruise.

So I want this trip to be a little different - one way I can save on some costs is by taking Via Rail across Canada - when compared to Amtrak it looks like quite a bit more but when you factor in the exchange rate it is is more competitive plus I haven't used Via rail since my student days when I took it as far a Winnipeg for a convention.

I will take the train across Canada to Toronto and then onto Ottawa for a day tour and then to Montreal for a couple of days before taking the train to NYC - where I will overnight and then head to Boston the day before the cruise.

One major concern I found was finding a place to stay in Boston that wasn't $300.00 a night and that was before the exchange rate - I know I could stay in the outlying areas but there are challenges with that as well.

I finally found a place called "the Copley House - looks like it is a step up from a hostel and a step down from a B and B -  but it is close to the Back Bay train station and many of the attractions in Boston.

For New York I will once again stay at the Vanderbilt YMCA - it's near the UN Building and Grand Central Station and an easy subway ride from Penn Station to the Y.

Next up - booking the train from Montreal to NYC and then from NYC to Boston.

More in 2016.

Cheers!

D

Canadian election Oct 19, 2015 - My thoughts

RE:Canadian Election - some thoughts 

What do I think will be the outcome? - it will be a minority government - no one party will have 170 seats and none are likely to be close to that number.

Which party will have the most seats and is likely to be asked to try and form a government? At one time any of the three major parties appeared through polling etc to have a chance with emerging with the most seats.

All three main parties have they geographical strong points - the Liberals in the East sans Quebec, the Conservatives in the West and parts of Ontario and the NDP in Quebec and somewhat in Ontario and BC.

In the last week or two the NDP campaign seems to have faltered and their support for the most part seems to have moved to the Liberals and as of this morning many of the polling firms have the the Conservatives and the Liberals neck and neck in the popular vote and the Conservatives with a slight lead in the seat count.

Some of my political friends feel the Liberals will come out on top and one even suggests a Liberal majority. I have one die in the wool Young Conservative who volunteers at the BC Lions games who still thinks the Conservative will win a majority.

Having studied the parties, platforms, polls etc over the past weeks I still can't determine whether Harper will still be Prime Minister with a minority or Trudeau will follow in his dad's footstep and be Prime Minister elect.
However since I am used to having egg on my face and tears in my eyes over wrong predictions I will predict that Justin Trudeau and the Liberals will end up with the most seats.

Let the flaming begin.

Cheers


Postscript - well I did predict the Liberals winning and i did say they would have the most seats - so I will gloat and say that i got it right this time.

Cheers!

Upcoming cruise

In two weeks I will once again be back at sea - doing a 10 day Alaskan cruise starting in Seattle and ending up in Vancouver.

I will take the train down to Seattle and stay overnight - hope to meet up with Hazel who lives in the area and do a little exploring and then have dinner somewhere.

Next day board the Norwegian Jewel and join up with a group called the Cruzin Cuzins - I know some of them from previous cruises and they were on my Boston to New Orleans repo cruise last year.

The port of call will be Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Sitka, Icy Strait Point and Victoria.

I have been to all of these ports except Icy Strait - although it as been many years since I was in Sitka.

This is one of the last Alaskan cruise of the season and hopefully the weather won't be too bad.

Regardless with all the volunteer work I have done the last few months including almost 100 hours in August I will be glad to be able to take a step back and relax.

I haven't booked any excursions partly because NCL unlike Princess requires payment at time of booking and partly with the Canadian $$ in the tank it has added an additional 30 % to the cost so I am likely to just do things on my own.

Weather permitting I want to return to the Mendenhall Glacier and do the short hike to Nugget Falls - about 1 mile from the Visitor's Center.

While I have brought up the suitcase and printed off the packing list I haven't really started to put anything into it.

More later.

D

FIFA and me

I am currently volunteering for the FIFA Women's World Cup that is been hosted by 6 cities across Canada.

Vancouver is considered the hub city for the tournament - that is where the officials etc are based and then dispatched to the various cities as there expertise is required - referees, doping, media etc.

My basic job has been in the transport area - airport arrivals, departures and game day shuttling between the hotel and the stadium.

When an event of this size and scope is planned many assumptions are made usually using the worst case scenario as the planning tool. This is particularly true in the area of transport and as a result we have on many days far more drivers than assignments so some different roles were offered to us.

Many of the drivers have jobs, family or sport commitments so they can't take extra shifts.

I of course don't fit that criteria so I volunteered to help out in the area of media relations - there are two aspects to that - practices at the practice fields and game day.

For security reasons I won't mention the practice field sites but basically we are to ensure that the protocol in place is followed as per team instructions - teams can have open or closed practices - if opened media have access on the field for the entire time - if closed - the first fifteen minutes they are allowed on the field and then at the end their is either a post practice news conference and/or individual request for an interview. The actual clearing of the field is done by the media liaison person for each team.  

There is also a media tent with wi-fi and power - it is opened one hour prior to one hour after the practice - only media with proper ID are allowed on the site  - they must show the accreditation and sign in.

The other part of the media task is game day - I got my first experience with this at Monday night's game between Japan and the Netherlands.

There are two main media areas at the stadium - broadcast - ie - on air radio and TV and print - I worked in the print area for that game.

But before I could do that there was the little matter of my own accreditation - our initial accreditation was issued on the basis of what we were approved and scheduled for. 

I my case that was transport - media requires additional access so it was a quick trip to the accreditation trailer - a new picture and more access stickers - I was off to the media center and then up to media area.

While working transport we get a meal voucher from our base hotel to order from their room service menu - when doing the stadium we get a ticket and a catered meal is provided - water and pop from the sponsor is free and unlimited.

I was also lucky enough to get to see part of the Canada/Swiss game and did see the only goal of the game.

As for last night game - it was a clear view of the field from high up in the stadium.

I have a day off today and then return to driving tomorrow - at least that is what is scheduled.

Canada next plays on Saturday against England - because of some other commitments I didn't schedule myself to work that day but did buy a ticket for the game.

The game is a sellout so there will be around 54,000 screaming fans, mostly wearing Canada's red and white.  

This is a just a little summary of my activities of late.

Cheers

Cruise update and port report April 29, 2015

Well it has been a busy four days with visits to San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Catalina Island and Los Angeles.
We are now on our way back to Vancouver - we will spend the next 2.5 days cruising up the Pacific Coast, throught the Strait of Juan de Fuca and into Georgia Strait and Burrard Inlet before tying up at Canada Place.
I have taken lots of photograph but with the slow internet on the ship I will post those on my return.
Cheers!
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Well today should be one of those days where you sit back and enjoy a day at sea - well fine in theory but in reality it is not all that enjoyable on board - we have heavy seas, high waves and the boat is root tootin rockin.
Hard to concentrate when you don't knwo nwhen the next major shake is going to occur - the Captain did warn us last night that it would be a rough day - the skies are sunny but there is a very strong persistent northerly wind.
I am sure that many people are feeling ill at ease and in the stomach as well. 
Fortunately I haven't had problem with sea sickness in the pass so hoping to continue that string.
Tonight is formal night which menas that it will be the buffet for me and where is the buffet - up on deck 14 where the winds are most noticeable.
Unlike Norwegian when they have a dress up night they designate on the dining rooms for causal dressers - not so with Princess.
More later.
Cheers!
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A review of my ports:
1. Victoria - walked along the seashore to the Quadra street entrance to Beacon Hill Park and then explored park before heading into the downtown core. I stopped by the Legislature and went inside and looked around. There was a private function for the MLA's in the main rotunda. First time inside the building since the 1970's when I sat in the visitor's gallery and we were introduced by our MLA Garde Gardom as part of a visiting student Liberal delegation.
I did spot the office of my current MLA Sam Sullivan but didn't knock on the door.
Then proceeded along the waterfront to the houseboat marina and Barb's Fish and Chips. 
The waterfront walk is now called the David Foster Heritage Walkway in honor of one of Victoria's more recent native sons.
Then it was back to the ship.
Weather - sunny, windy but cool.
2. San Francisco - lots to write about here but will only provide the highlites.
Once cleared of customs headed for the Embarcadero station and the "N" line train to Golden Gate Park - I started near the 6th Ave entrance and worked my way down to the Ocean Beach by 1:30 which was also my turn around time.
Back on the train and straight to the Golden Gate ferry for the 35 minute trip across to Sausalito to meet up with Adele and Cliff for dinner.
After dinner a brief walkabout and then back on the ferry and back to the ship.
The following morning I headed out early and walked all the way to Fort Mason - about 4 kms.
Then it was back on the ship for an early afternoon departure and we are headed for Santa Barbara.
Weather - mixed - started out nice then late afternoon and evening shower and then sunny for the sail away.
3. Santa Barbara - I wasn't originally going to do a ship's tour but onboard decided to do a tour to Montecito where many of the stars lived. It wasn't the tour that I hoped for - We saw none of there million dollar homes - only the gated entrance and long driveways.
After the tour I walked through the town taking in the Stearns Wharf and the Red Brick walking tour that I had downloaded from the internet. It was quite worthwhile.
Weather - Sunny and warm
4. Catalina Island - another ship's tour - I had been here once before so had seen some of the sights - today's tour would lead us pass some of the famous Wrigley family houses and up into the interior of the Island. We are travelling in an old 1953 bus that was in great condition and handled the nearly 20% grade without do much trouble.
Our first stop was a a bald eagle reserve near the Middle Ranch.
Our seciond stop was at an overlook looking down onto Little Harbour - beautiful pristine looking beach and apparently where the surfer's like to surf.
Our last stop was at the Airport in the Sky - would have liked more time here but as we were running late only time to grab a side of fries and a pop.
Back on  the bus for return trip to town - then walked along the waterfront in both directions. 
Weather is sunny and warm and my arms and newck are getting fried.
5. Los Angeles - we were originally suppose to dock at Long Beach at the Carnival dock next to the Queen Mary but the Captain announced the night before that because the gangway was having mechnical trouble we would dock in San Pedro instead.
For me this wasn't much of a concern as I had a 5 hour Los Angeles tour booked.
This was my best tour of the cruise.
We may our way through various neighbourhoods and Century City - pass the Fox studios - Beverly Hills and finally came to the Farmer's Market - this is a real tourist area and entertainment and upscale shopping destination. As we had an hour here it was our lunch stop as well. I ordered a burger combo and couldn't finished it.
I was joined on this tour by Charles and Phyllis McLean - I have known Charles for years when he was a member of the downtown Y - saw him on board on Day 2 and we have chatted a few times since.
Our next stop was at the Chinese Theatre - at Hollywood and Orange which is also where the Dolby Theatre is located - this is where the Oscars are presented. It was a fun stop - a little too short for some.
We continued to see the sights including the Capitol Records builkding at Hollywood and Vine before heading to our last stop at the Pueblo de Los Angeles - where LA was founded.
I had visited the area once before as it is only a couple blocks from Amtrak's Union Station.
Then it was through downtown LA, passed the Staples Center and back to the ship.
Weather was sunny and hot.
Hope you enjoyed this brief summary of my port visits.
Once back I will add some photos.