This was our first cruise to Alaska and was from Vancouver to Whittier. I was happy with this itinerary as we were able to see more of Alaska than doing a round trip from Seattle. As usual we arrived the day before the cruise and spent a night at the Delta Vancouver Suites. We were given an upgrade to their executive suites which was a nice surprise. It was a good location as the hotel is only three blocks to Canada Place so we just rolled our luggage down to depart on our cruise.
Departure: We arrived at Canada Place at 11:00 AM and were on board by noon. The line-up for security and customs were short and no wait at all checking in and receiving our boarding cards. After a short wait we boarded and dropped off our carry on. No problem with our wine, pop and water. We then proceeded to the International Dining Room for lunch. There were only two tables in use, so we had a nice quiet lunch and a great start to the cruise.
Stateroom: We went with an outside for the cruise as we booked only six weeks before departure and didn't want to take a chance on a balcony when we had no choice on location. My wife wants a stateroom close to mid ship. We were supposed to have an obstructed view. We were pleasantly surprised to find the life boat located mostly below out window so still had a great view. I did miss a balcony but made do. The room did seem somewhat smaller. I missed having a shower door but that was minor. There was lots of storage with nice flat screen TV and min fridge. The pre-orded a foam topper and was on the bed on arrival.