Six of us departed Olympia at 5 a.m. to drive to Seattle, parked our car at Pier 66 (where our ship would return), took a cab to the Amtrak King Street Station, and enjoyed a 4 hours stress-free trip to Vancouver, B.C. We spent the night in Vancouver, enjoyed the free buffet breakfast in our hotel, and taxied to the Canada Place cruise terminal at approximately 11:30 am. We were able to check in, the usual sit and wait, and boarded the ship around 12:30 pm.

Four of us had cruised together before, (we had 2 newbies with us) so we knew to go the opposite direction of the buffet, and had a leisurely lunch at the Tsars - the Main Dining. They called that our rooms were ready before we even finished lunch. After sail-away we all went outside to watch the ship "barely" clear the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver. Well, I'm sure there was plenty of clearance, but when you are on the deck looking up, it sure doesn't appear that way! And looking back at the city from the ship, Vancouver is always such a beautiful site!

We almost always stay in a BA - balcony, on the 8th, 9th, or 10th floor. The Jewel is laid out very similar to our last cruise on the Pearl, so we did not have too much of a problem finding our way around. We met our Steward, Mark, right away, and our rooms were perfect. Lots of storage (remember to put your empty luggage under the bed!); and after unpacking we headed to our duty station when called around 4:15. It's nice that you no longer have to wear life vests to the drill - and it was inside! Read more