PACIFICALLY SPEAKING

Monday, September 15, 2014
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Hello from on-board the Celebrity Millennium, currently in the Pacific, southwest of Juneau, Alaska. This is day 4 of our sailing from Vancouver. Thus far, the gods have been generous, and we have encountered calm seas and clear skies. The ship itself is a mid-sized and very comfortable ship, with a nice, easy-going feel to it. The days have flown by, filled with a wide variety of activities, events, and shows. Lectures on subjects as diverse as the aurora borealis (may be visible to us as we near Russia) to wine-tasting, foot care to astronomy, classes of all sorts, parties, games, as well as the usual full range of facilities which have kept us busy and out of trouble. As always, the food has been decadent, but the ice cream bar has been a particular challenge for us. It is all made on the ship, and it comes in delicious flavours, unlimited quantities, and it's available 12 hours a day.  As frequent cruisers, we've also been lucky enough to be have a bunch of perks come our way that we've not experienced before. Free drinks, computer time, laundry, etc. have definitely taken it up a notch from our usual standard. It is something that one can quickly get used to, and spoiled by. 

To backtrack a little, a few words on the trip to date . An uneventful early morning Air Canada flight and we were in beautiful Vancouver on a sparkling day with a full day to enjoy it. Originally planning to use public transit for the day, the prospect of lugging our bags onto buses made the idea of a car rental quite attractive, and a Corolla magically appeared with the swipe of a piece of plastic. This proved a great decision, as it gave us the freedom to explore this attractive city to our heart's delight. We picnicked in Stanley Park, visited Gastown, downtown, the harbour, bought a pair of BC jade earrings for Bonnie which match her eye colour, and we even won a few bucks at the casino. We decided to hit the Dollar Tree, to pick up a few things for the cruise. As I parked on the nearby residential street, I backed into a tree in my blind spot, leaving a scratch on the bumper. Imagine that. we actually HIT the Dollar Tree. The next day, we returned the car and we thought the scratch might be a problem, but they considered it so minor that it wasn't. Phew. Our luck was holding. 

In three days, we cross the International Date Line, something we've not done before . Three days after that, we reach our first port, Petropavlovsk, Russia, a coastal Siberian town surrounded by mountains and volcanos. It is said to be beautiful but quite basic- not exactly #1 on tourist maps. And ship staff have been prepping us for what they call the "most challenging immigrations clearance procedure they encounter worldwide." Apparently, it is cumbersome, pickiune, bureaucratic to a fault, and slowwwwww...... 

 After this port, subsequent stops in Japan start coming regularly on our way to Tokyo, our final destination, 13 days from now. Until then, we intend to just kick back, enjoy each day, and count our blessings. 








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Comments

Hope Springman
2014-09-16

What a marvellous start to your incredible adventure! Vancouver is spectacular, and you had such a great day there. Life on this beautiful ship is going to be the best experience ever - such a wonderful way to see the world! Thanks for your amazing descriptions - enjoy, enjoy! Love, Hope

Tammy
2014-09-16

Glad to hear everything's working out in your favour so far! Hope the luck of the Liliens continues! xox

cissie.retired
2014-09-16

Hello from Toronto! So good to read your two blog entries. I feel I am there enjoying as well. How nice to get some freebies on this leg of your journey. I hope you enjoy them. You are in a part of the world that I would love to see, but thank goodness you are paving the way. I anticipate reading all about your wonderful experiences. BTW, the earrings look amazing near your eyes, Bonnie. Wear them well.
Be safe and have fun.

2025-02-07

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