Alaska 2008: Day 1 (Vancouver)

My Sunday started way too early at 5AM. A few hours later we were on an Air
Canada jet on our way to Vancouver. From there we took a bus ride through the
city on our way to the cruise ship terminal, with a driver who talked way too
much.

Thanks to the handy US Direct service, we didn’t have to deal with Canadian
customs at all — it was straight onto the ship for us. Once onboard we went
straight for the Lido Cafe for the first of many meals. The rest of
the day was spent wandering the Zaandam, and then enjoying a beautiful departure
from Vancouver.

Click the link to see the photos from the first day of my ten day trip to
Alaska!

This is Canada Place, the main cruise ship terminal in Vancouver.

They were busy loading food and supplies for the cruise

This is the midship pool, which has a retractable roof

And here’s the roof. I don’t expect to see it opened much on this trip

This pool’s on the back deck… I don’t think anyone has gone into it yet.

The cows are a nice touch though

The Crow’s Nest is a great place to sit back and enjoy the view (and a drink).
It looks out over the bow of the Zaandam

The Exploration Cafe is the Internet Cafe / Library. Internet Access onboard
is slow and expensive (over 40 cents per minute)

This three-story "organ" is the centerpiece of the ship’s atrium

Our room for the next week… not for the claustrophobic! And this is a suite!

There was a lot to see from our private balcony, including TONS of float
planes

Here’s something you don’t see everyday… a gas station in the middle of the
water

Now it’s time to head out to sea!

Pulling away from Canada Place

A more distant view… the ship parked next to use was the Norwegian Sun, which
you’ll see again in a moment

Stanley Park… I was here ages ago

Approaching the Lion’s Gate Bridge

We’ve cleared the bridge

A police boat followed us out past the bridge

We were followed by the Mercury (left) and the Norwegian Sun (right). This
was taken with my 300mm lens and 1.4x teleconverter.

We’ve seen plenty of lighthouses thus far

The Norwegian Sun seemed to be in hurry — it quickly passed

The Mercury passed us as well

Ferryboat

Cool mountains in the distance

That’s all for day one… stay tuned for day two!