This was our second trip to Alaska with Princess. The first time was the Inland Sea RT from Seattle since we were newbies to cruising that time. Now being semiretired, we went northbound from Vancouver on the Island, and planned our own landtrip after disembarking in Whittier.

Getting to Vancouver went smoothly on Alaska Airlines, Oakland to Vancouver. We had originally planned to fly to Seattle & take Amtrak, but Alaska offered a sale price that was comparable, a few weeks before, so we switched. Our precruise night was spent at the Ramada Limited Downtown Vancouver, close to Canada Place. In any other part of town this hotel would be rated higher since it has been extensively remodeled and service was really emphasized. Although there were bars on some neighborhood shops, we felt safe enough. The location was ideal, allowing us to walk everywhere we wanted, including dinner in Gastown, and to the cruise dock. The price was also right for one night.

Embarkation was smooth, and sailaway was on a sunny afternoon. We met a few CCrs at the Lido Bar after Muster, but this cruise seemed to attract few folks who knew about CC. Read more