Thursday, May 22, 2025

Last year, at the conclusion of our Mediterranean cruise, Andi and I decided we’d like to take an Alaskan cruise someday. We asked Andi’s parents, Jim and Janie, if they’d like to join us and decided on May 2025 as our timeframe. There are a million different options to choose from when it comes to Alaskan cruises (land & sea expeditions, various cruise lengths, dates, and pricing tiers); we selected a 7-day Northbound Alaskan cruise on the Celebrity Summit ship departing from Vancouver, British Columbia. Our trip began Thursday, May 22 with travels from Minneapolis, MN to Vancouver, BC.

For this trip, our family of four traveled with two big duffel bags to hold our clothing and accessories, plus an additional duffel bag for boots, shoes, and winter coats. Everything I’ve read says it rains daily in southeastern Alaska, and the weather is forecasted to be in the mid-40’s and 50’s while we’re there. We packed cozy, warm clothing that can be layered, waterproof boots, rain jackets, winter coats, stocking hats, and gloves. Hoping for sunshine, but we’re prepared if that’s not the case.

Jim and Janie arrived to our house at 6:15 Thursday morning. The six of us loaded into my SUV and traveled to the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport together. Our Delta flight was delayed by an hour, but otherwise our travels to Vancouver went smoothly. We even had time at the airport to grab breakfast at the Escape Lounge and a snack to-go at the PGA Lounge. We were able to get into these lounges because we have Capital ONE credit cards.

On the airplane, we sat three-and-three with Aden sandwiched between Grandma and Grandpa. Tory sat in a row with Andi and I, and was disappointed to discover her seat didn’t have a window view. “I feel like I got cheated,” she grumped.

Our 3 1/2 hour flight went by rather quickly. We arrived in Vancouver around 1:00pm. We were excited to spend a day in Canada’s most multi-cultural city! Our family was last here in September 2024 when we traveled through Alberta and British Columbia in our RV. We loved British Columbia then, but didn’t get to spend much time in Vancouver itself. Today would be our chance. It was Jim and Janie’s first time visiting the coastal city.

We encountered a slight snafu when the six of us walked up to the Uber XL Andi arranged for us & realized the vehicle only had seats for four people. Smartly, Andi sent Tory, Aden, and I on our way to the hotel with the luggage and called a second Uber for himself and his parents. The second car wasn’t far behind the first as we traveled about 30 minutes from the airport to the Fairmont Waterfront hotel in Vancouver’s stunning harbor area.

Fairmont Hotels hold a special place in our travel hearts as we experienced them at Banff National Park and Whistler, British Columbia last fall. Andi surprised all of us by booking us an overnight stay here tonight. “We’re staying at the Fairmont?!” Tory squealed with glee when we arrived at the entrance. The service and beauty of these hotels are top-notch.

Our rooms weren’t quite ready for check-in when we arrived at 1:30pm, so the six of us dropped our bags with the hotel’s concierge and walked next door to a neighboring food court for lunch. Andi made dinner reservations at 5:15pm tonight so we didn’t want to eat too much, but all of us were feeling hungry after a long morning of traveling and a two-hour time zone adjustment.

We all ordered different foods to eat — Jim and Janie ordered burgers and fish from Fatburger, Andi and I had plates of chicken and beef from a Greek restaurant, Tory had a Subway sandwich, and Aden ordered nuggets from McDonalds. The six of us ate our meals on the outdoor patio and enjoyed the Canadian sunshine on this balmy spring day in the mid-60s.

Soon, Andi received a text message from the hotel’s front desk letting us know our rooms were ready. As we entered our hotel rooms, we were amazed by the sweeping views of the harbor — wow! From the 12th floor, we could see helicopters giving scenic tours, float planes taking off and landing, a shipping container being loaded from the docks, and another cruise ship in the port. Aden and Jim were particularly enamored by the spectacular view, and sat in their respective rooms watching out the windows intently.

Once we were checked into our rooms, everyone took an hour of rest time. We were all feeling the effects of an early wake-up call this morning. Andi worked for a bit, and I took a shower. Janie said Jim never left his perch in front of the big picture window. We all met up again at 4:45pm to walk to dinner.

It was a gorgeous evening in Vancouver. The sun was shining and there was little wind with temperatures around 65 degrees. The six of us strolled along the waterfront taking in the sights — several cruise ships anchored at port, as well as float planes taking off and landing in the harbor. A paved pathway weaved along the waterfront through Harbour Green Park with informational placards sprinkled throughout highlighting the city’s rich history.

Andi made us a dinner reservation at a restaurant called Cactus Club Cafe not far from our hotel. The restaurant was bright, airy, and had a So-Cal feel to it with big windows overlooking the waterfront. Great choice, Andi!

We ordered a prawn sushi roll, brioche bread loaf, and chicken lettuce wraps for appetizers to munch on while we perused the menu. None of us were particularly hungry after our late lunch, but all the entrees sounded delicious. We ordered food anyway. Andi and Janie decided on steak frites for their meals, Jim had a burger and fries, Tory had chipotle chicken tacos, Aden ordered a chicken sandwich and fries, and I ordered an avocado kale salad. It was a bit hard for Jim to hear our conversation in the noisy restaurant, but otherwise our meal together was fabulous. A perfect evening.

Jim and Aden were tired after dinner and ready to turn in for the night. It had been a long day. The six of us walked back to the hotel together, then Andi, Janie, Tory, and I continued walking along Vancouver’s Waterfront District. Along the way, we stopped to buy a scoop of gelato for Tory and enjoyed the beautiful weather, the scenery, and our conversation together.