Travel plans - the South American cruise planner

Really haven't been posting much here but that is about to change - a year from now I will be on a long 49 cruise around South America starting in Fort Lauderdale Florida and ending up in San Francisco.


I booked this trip more than six months ago but was on a wait list which I was able to bypass thanks to a computer savvy friend who realized that when Princess was updating their reservations they exposed those cabins to anyone online and I was lucky enough to be able to get a cabin booked.


As I don't fly this is one of the few opportunities to do South American by starting and finishing in North America - the Grand Princess is too big for the current Panama Canal so to get it to the west coast it will do the South America itinerary.


One week after I got the booking Carnival announced that they were moving a couple of ships and one of them is too big for the Canal - I spend several days procrastinating which one to take as they both had plus and minus points but decided to stay with Princess - a cruise line that I have cruised with twice before.


So now starts the long planning process and with overnight stops in both Rio and Lima lots of opportunities to see the sites.


Just how I will pay for the cruise I will discuss with my financial guy later in the year.


I will also need to renew my passport as it expires within six months of the trip. I will also have to get a visa for Brazil but luckily there is an office here.


There is a thriving group on the cruise critic website who have already organized a number of private excursions but most are fill - the ships list is only partial at this point - they will add more as the year goes on.


Got the hotel booked in Fort Lauderdale and are now just waiting for the Amtrak web site to let me book that part. Will just do the Vancouver to FLL part for now as I haven't decided whether to stay a day in SF at the end.


Have picked up a book on South America and one on Rio to help with my planning - have started a binder where I am putting useful info that I am gathering from the net.


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In other new I am keeping myself busy with daily walks or bike rides and visits to the Y - will be doing a volunteer stint with the Celtic Festival next month and then shortly after that - the training rides for the Vancouver Marathon which will be more fun this year as the course has been changed.


Cheers


D

Seasons Greetings

Haven't been too active on this blog recently so thought it was time to drop by and do a small update.

Cheers

D

Cruise ships galore May 14 2011

It was a busy day in downtown on Saturday as there were four ships in town - the Golden and Sapphire Princess and HAL Zuiderdamn at Canada Place and the Norwegian Star at Ballantyne Pier.

Norwegian Star a Ballantyne Pier as seen from the entrance to Canada Place

Golden Princess on the east side of Canada Place

Zuiderdamn on west side of Canada Place

The stern of the Sapphire Princess - it was a close fit for these two large vessels at Canada Place

The Sapphire Princess with Pan Pacific in background taken from the new Convention Center promenade

Sapphire and both the Pan Pacific and Fairmont Waterfront hotel

 New Pink Bus service

 Sapphire from north end of Hornby Street

View of both Princess ships and the City skyline from the promenade at Canada Place

Zuiderdamn at Canada Place.

Assembling the new BBQ May 13, 2011

One of the items that has been on my bucket list for some time is a new BBQ and now that I have received my first pay cheque from the census work it was time to head to Walmart and get one - this particular model had been on sale some time ago and then went back up in price but yesterday it was back on sale.

Putting it together went okay for the most part until it came to the lid - couldn`t get the nut to fit through the hole but I was able to use some other screws and a wing bolt and that did the trick.

I started it up and my condo is still in one piece so I must have done everything right - eating out tonight but will fire it up tomorrow - also with a proper tank I won`t be running out of gas any time soon.



Marathon Day May 1, 2011 - the Bike team in action

Sunday was the 40th Annual Vancouver Marathon and once again I found myself down at the course start a little after 5AM meeting up with some of the 30 + members of this year`s team - we do some short prep rides , go over our radio protocol and get ready to do our various tasks - while cool in the morning it was at least dry - the first group out at 6AM are the walkers and then an hour later the half Marathoners and finally at 7:30AM the full course runners - I am riding patrol which meant I follow the race around the course trying to ensure that there are no obstacles in the way of the runners - after completing the course I then start to work on the sweep team until break time at Milestone`s - then another hour or so getting the stragglers off the course by the 2PM deadline  - only one or two didn`t make it. Then it is time to turn in the equipment - vests, radios etc and head for the volunteer where they are setting up a BBQ and some beer - I have a couple of hamburgers and one beer as I still have some Census work to do - It is a little bit of a bittersweet feeling this year in that our long time Captain Brian is retiring after 15 years at the helm and next year there will be a new course and many of us are interested in the route at this time. I was exhausted by the time I got home and more than a little sun tanned - it warmed up during the day which lead to an increase in the number of people who were cramping up and a run on water and refreshments - don`t know of any serious injuries.

For the complete photo story go to the following link on my facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/fbx/?set=a.217878931571977.73386.100000496166660

Here are a few more images of the day - we were honored with finisher`s medals this year as a thank you for our work on race day - I ended up with some 70KM = 42 miles on the odometer by the time I got home.

Cheers

Much ado about nothing post April 30, 2011

Not a lot of activity here on my blog but I have been busy

1. Once again this year I am a bike escort rider for the Vancouver Marathon but will only be a patrol rider and not a lead rider - this was partly my request due to other events you will see in the post below. Tomorrow is the Marathon and unlike last year the weather looks dry and sunny so the short will likely be the dress order of the day.

2. Monday is voting day and I will ask that all of you Canadians please take the time to go to the polls and vote for the candidate of your choice.

3. Normally I would post who to vote for or vote against but ______

4, I am now a fully trained crew leader - ie - supervisor for Stats Canada for the purpose of the Canadian census and thus I am unable to to politically active in any way so no thoughts on the current campaign etc.

5. The Canucks are now into the second round and I think this one will go 5 perhaps six at  most as I feel that the Canucks have too much fire power and more playoff experience that the Nashville team.

6. Have had to spend some time at the hospital ensuring that my sibling is getting good medical care - he as a long term chronic and terminal illness and every time he gets sick there is considerable concern about his recovery - it was touch and go for a couple of days but he is once again on the road to recovery.

Cheers

D

Update and potpourri March 29, 2011

While I was out for a bike ride over the weekend along the Boundary Bay Dyke I came across a number of bald eagles that were starting to nest - this one decided he didn`t like his perch on a power line and decided to head for a more friendly tree top - I had the telephoto lens on at the time so was able to capture him in full flight.

Well it doesn`t look like I will end up working on the census - the time for supervisor`s assignments to be filled is passed and I likely will pass on being an enumerator - part of the reason for applying was financial but I got some good news when I did my income tax - instead of having to pay I got a good return - second reason - now that a federal election has been called I will be able to get work with Elections Canada as a deputy returning officer - have done this before and put in an on-line application some time ago - their local office is in the same place as last time - a block from my condo - will head over there tomorrow to see what`s up and if they need any office help.

I have started the training rides with the Vancouver Marathon Bike Escort team - there are about 20 of us returning from previous years - this is my 5th year of doing this event. So far the weather has cooperated but that could change tonight as there is rain in the forecast.

I continue to plan for the Panama Canal cruise in the fall - have the hotel booked and paid for  in Tampa - decided to skip staying a couple of days in Orlando - too much lugging of luggage and after three weeks on a ship will want to get home. Have my Amtrak trip booked and paid for - if on time will have a full day in Washington DC so will take a tour of the area.

Next weekend I head over to Yellowpoint Lodge for my annual visit - depending on whether I have some work on the election - I may head over a spend a night in Victoria before hand and then do the Sunshine Coast Loop on the way back with an overnight in Powell River.

I am now on Twitter - it`s @yvrcruiser

Cheers

Well it has been some time since I posted to this blog - not that I didn`t want to but I am using Facebook more and more for my day to day activities and photos and going to keep the remaining space on this blog for my outdoor and travel activities - once I run out of space here I will move over to word press and continue there.

A year ago I was headed to Whistler to take up my position as a National Paralympic Committee volunteer to the Slovakian delegation - it was one of the best months of my life enjoying the friendship of my fellow volunteers and athlete`s.

I have attended a couple of reunion events in the past month - the flash mob to promote John Furlong`s book Patriots Heart and the relighting of the cauldron on the first anniversary of the opening ceremonies.

If the weather is nice - no snow on the roads I will head up to Whistler and visit the Athlete`s Village which is now called Cheakamus Crossing - curious to see what my accommodation from the Games looks like now.

On the travel front - my major trip this year will be a Panama Canal cruise - it is a two part cruise - the first leg is Vancouver to LA and the second is LA to Tampa - I am looking forward to visiting Tampa - only previous time there was a short stopover on the train on the way to Washington DC from Miami - then a couple of days in Orlando before leaving for home.

I am still hoping to get on as a Supervisor for the Canadian census but I haven`t heard from them and it is pass the time they were suppose to contact me. If I don`t get the Supervisor`s job I still hope to get on as an Enumerator.

In about two weeks the Bike Escort team for the Vancouver Marathon will start our twice weekly training rides - I have been doing some riding over the pass couple of months when the weather has been dry.

I have two friends who will turn the BIG 65 in May so some planning will have to start taking place on that.

Booked a weekend over at Yellowpoint Lodge in early April - provided the Supervisor`s job doesn`t interfer I will probably head over a few days early and enjoy some of the Island scenery - might do the Sunshine Coast - Vancouver Island loop.

Cheers!

D

This is Mt Garibaldi as seen from the viewpoint on the Sea to Sky Highway just before the Town of Squamish.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE FROM THE URBAN TREKKER AND YVR CRUISER - ALL THE BEST FOR 2011 - MAY ALL YOUR HOPES AND DREAMS COME TO PASS.

BE SAFE TONIGHT - HAVE FUN BUT BE SAFE.

CHEERS!

D

El Limon Waterfall Hike Samana Dominican Republic Oct 26, 2010

Here`s the second photo album from the trip.

http://www.picasaweb.google.com/yvrcruiser/ElLimonWaterfallHikeSamanaOct262010#

Enjoy

Barbados caving adventure photos

Finally got around to creating an album from my recent caving adventure on the Island of Barbados.

http//www.picasaweb.google.com/yvrcruiser/BarbadosCavingAdventure#



Enjoy

Dennis

Home at last Nov 11, 2010

Crossed the border into Canada around 1PM Thursday afternoon and 40 minutes later was waiting for my ride to lunch and home.

It was a long trip - 26 days including getting to and from Boston and New Orleans by train.

It is getting late am I am tired so I will keep this post short but with plenty of rain in the forecast the next few days I should be able to finish off the daily posts.

Cheers

Dennis

Cozumel November 5, 2010

SAN MIGUEL ON COZUMEL ISLAND NOV 5, 2010

While most people refer to our last port of call as just COZUMEL - that is actually the name of the island that sits off the coast of Mexico across from Playa de Carma - where the cruise ships anchor is actually the town of San Miguel - this is my fourth or fifth visit so I planned nothing in the line of excursions.

The weather looked dreadful as we docked and the seas where rough but the wind was doing us a favor - it was clearing the skies.

I had hoped to hop the ferry for the forty-five minute ride over to Playa but the return times meant I either got off the ferry - walked around for an hour and took the early one back or waited until 3PM and run the risk of missing the all aboard at 4:30 PM

I aborted any attempt to get to Playa this trip and instead just walked through the town - it was quiet when I first set foot in town but with the other four cruise ships passengers slowly coming in the center of town it wasn’t long before it was very busy - I found an internet café - off the beaten path - the others I found were all busy - where it was just $1.00 for an hour - the service was somewhat slow but I got all the surfing I needed to do done.

Then it was time for a bite to eat and a little shopping which consisted of a bottle of Tequila for Jim at half the price of the duty free on the ship - $10.00 - some shot glasses to enjoy the Tequila in - three beer for $3.00 which I drank while walking around the downtown core - it is legal or at least tolerated to drink in public in Cozumel - three large diet Pepsi for ship board use. The Senor McFrogs and Carlos and Charlie’s club were right by the ship and were certainly living up to their reputation as a noisy but fun place to spend part of the day.

After finishing the beer it was just about time to head back to the ship but my beer drinking was hardly finished for the day as I had another Latitudes Party to attend - this one for those with more than a few cruises under our belts and the beer or drink of choice was free and they were bringing as many as you wanted - two big sleeves for me.

It was then off to dinner in the buffet - passed on the show as I was tired.

Tomorrow is our last full day at sea and I will have some closing thoughts to pass along when I do the journal entries for the day.!

Roatan Nov 4, 2010

Arrival in Roatan as seen from Deck 7 on the Norwegian Spirit.

ROATAN NOVEMBER 4, 2010 - A VISIT TO THE BAY ISLANDS

After two full days of sea travel I have arrived in the Port of Roatan located in the Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras.

As mentioned by the Captain during yesterday’s update - it is raining as we tied up in the port.

As this is my first visit to this port I am taking a Best of Roatan Island tour - about 3.5 hours.

I did bring an umbrella and rain jacket - just trying to decide whether to wear long pants or not - it was fairly cool by local standards as we sailed into port.

We have arrived about thirty minutes early and I have about an hour before my tour leaves.

Our first scheduled stop was for a short boat ride through a mangrove garden and pass some old wrecks.

As we arrived there a thunder storm hit and no one wanted to set out in the boat so we continued on our way to out first stop - a scenic overlook where we can see the barrier reef.

From there it was on to our next stop - an authentic native village of the Garifuna people who migrated to this area a couple of hundred of years ago - they put on a show for us - the village produces local products which they sell to the tourists who stop on the sightseeing tours.

Our last scheduled stop was another part of the Garifuna people’s display

This was our turn around point - then it was back to the resort for the boat ride since the weather had improved

After this it was back to the ship - I spent a little time walking through the village and through the Port facilities. Tomorrow our last port of call - Cozumel

Aruba and Curacao

This was one of the sights that greeted me after I got off the bus at De Palm Beach by the Radisson Hotel along Hotel row in Aruba.

CURACAO AND ARUBA OCT 31 - NOV 1, 2010

I am grouping these two ports together as I have already posted some of my activities to the blog from on shore internet stations.

Spend about an hour walking the beach sans shirt and I have the red streaks to prove it. It was n ice to take off the shoes and walk along the sandy beaches with the waves periodically lapping at your feet - a cool refreshing feeling on a muggy, showery day - while TS Tomas is some distance away it does seem to be spawning frequent T-storms that drop a fair amount of rain in a short period of time.

I had lunch during one of the storms at a McDonalds - there are a string of fast food restaurants in this area - by the time I was finished it was back on the bus and back into town where I got ninety minutes of internet for $6.00 and used almost all of it to get caught up on events at home. Usual problems facing the strata - nothing that missing me can’t be solved by the others.

Looking forward to seeing the baseball game if ESPN shows it but I suspect we will get the Monday Night football.

We did in fact get the football game and I couldn’t get a Canucks score on a sport network that seemed obsessed with the Randy Moss situation - finally got it on the ticker at CNBC the next morning.

More later

The Big Easy New Orleans Nov 7, 2010

After a two hour wait in line finally made it off the ship and headed for the hotel - it is located across the street from where I stayed the last time.

There were a couple of things on my to do list this visit - ride the streetcars and see some of the cemeteries - accomplished both.

First took the St Charles streetcar which uses only the old original cars and rode it to the end with a couple of stops along the way - At Loyola and Tulane University for a few pictures and at the Carolleton curve just to get some pictures. Then it was back downtown and on to the newer Canal Street cars for a trip along that line - didn't realize but at the end of this one there are three or four cemeteries to view - because New Orleans is actually below sea level they can't bury the usual way. Unfortunately they were closed by the time I got there but did get some images - brought a day pass for $5.00 to ride as much as I want.

Traffic is always fun in the downtown core because of the narrow streets or streetcar lines and it was doubly so today as Joe Biden was in town to play host to the Prime Minister of Israel and a Jewish Federation Convention.

Posting this from a free wi-fi in the lobby of the Hotel.

Cheers

Aruba November 1, 2010

Walked around the town and then took the bus to Palm Beach where I sunned for an hour or so - am now in town - getting ready to reboard the ship in a few minutes and then I have two sea days before we reach Rotaon on Thursday.

All is well - feeling good and relaxed.

Cheers

Dennis

Curacao Oct 31, 2010

Arrived here this morning after a full day at sea - am posting this update from an internet cafe in town so once again no pictures at this time - As I have been here twice before i am just taking my time walking around the town - the only change from my previous visits is where we docked - we docked at the pier in town which meant that the plontoon bridge had to opened for us - previously I docked at the mega pier a short distance away - it is warm and muggy and there was overnight rain - Hurricane Tomas is still out in the Caribbean but no one is sure exactly where it is headed next but it could provide an interesting journey and some rough seas as we start to head north towards New Orleans - to get to New Orleans the usual route is the channel between Haiti and Cuba which is where they think the storm is headed.

In less than a week the cruise will be over and I will be leaving New Orleans for the train ride home - my next major cruise might be another Panama Canal cruise as I see an interesting itinerary on a couple of NCL ships and both leave from Vancouver next September so it would only be a one way train ride home from the east coast.

Almost out of internet time - couldn't get the free wi-fi to work in town but the crew was also having trouble as well.

a note about the entries

Due to the amount of time it takes to upload these last few entries are without images they will be added when I return.

Cheers

Dennis

St Kitts and Brimstone Park Oct 28, 2010

ST KITTS AND NEVIS OCT 28, 2010

A VISIT TO BRIMSTONE FORTRESS NATIONAL PARK

The next stop on my journey is St Kitts and Nevis - two islands in the Caribbean - one developed St Kitts and the other less so - Nevis.

Having visited here one before I was hoping to get over to Nevis but nothing was scheduled so I opted instead for a tour to a batik factory and gardens and a historic fort that is on the UNESCO site list.

The ship was docked and ready to unload by 8:AM and I was among one of the first off given that we exit on Deck 4 and my cabin is on deck 4 - I had about 45 minutes before the bus left so I walked through the Port development and took a few pictures - found were one of the internet shops was and it is only $5.00 an hour or $7.00 a day for your own wi-fi.

Then onto a small van for the trip to the first stop - a brief look at the Governor General’s home and a cemetery that housed the remains of the first three Prime Ministers since independence in the 1980’s.

Then it was on to the batik factory - I am not much into that but the grounds were nice and there was a good display of flowers.

Back on the bus where the driver was giving us a good narrative of the area as we drove to the Fortress.



It is an impressive site - lots of history as the British protected this vital link in their supply routes - and beat the French to get sole possession of the Island.

Then returned to the port - used the internet for an hour - tried to upload these entries but no success - need to save in doc. Files instead of Works or Rich text.

Then brought three Caribe beers for $5.00 and drank them in the plaza - don’t know if it was the heat or what but I didn’t enjoy the taste of that brand.

Tomorrow Barbados - originally I wasn’t going to do anything but booked another adventure trip - more on that tomorrow - then we finally get a rest day before heading for Aruba and Curacao.

Cheers!