Vancouver

Alaska 2016/Day 13: July 1, 2016 (Vancouver and return home)

We pulled into the port around 7:00AM and started the process for going home. A quick breakfast in WJ, dropping off WOW envelopes at Guest Services, and then waiting for elevators to take us and our luggage down to the gangway so we could do Express Checkout. We were off the ship and on the street heading to the SkyTrain in under 10 minutes.

We had a brief confusion buying our SkyTrain tickets because we couldn't find an option for the 2 zone trip between the port and the airport. Finally, a bystander told us that, because it was Canada Day (i.e. Canadian Independence Day) all transit was working on a single zone pricing schedule. Perfect!

Twenty more minutes and we're entered the YVR airport and headed to check-in our luggage. The cruise line recommended that international flights allow 3.5 hours to get through the airport process, so with our noon flight we got there around 8:30AM. At first we wondered why all the fuss about getting there so early, given how fast things were going. Well, it did bog down.

Getting through counter check-in and baggage check-in took longer than expected...about 30 minutes. Then you go through security, which took another 10 minutes. Then you go through Customs, which again took another 10 minutes. So we'd managed to burn up almost 1.5 hours of our cushion..and we were here on a holiday when we assumed most travelers have already passed through the prior day. I can see how on a weekday you'd easily spend at least another hour in the various lines.

We have enough time to grab snacks and wait at the gate for about an hour before our boarding call. N&H were flying Air Canada direct to Portland (H's home) so we said our goodbyes here and got on our plane for the 26 minute flight to Seattle, then after a 2 hour layover were were back in San Jose and headed home.

Final Thoughts

Planning for this trip started two years ago - and FAR exceeded the hopes I had for it. Alaska is spectacularly beautiful, and with the long summer daylight you can take in the views for hours on end. Hands down winners included:

Kayaking and flightseeing in Ketchikan
Zip lining in Seward
GoldStar train service from Anchorage to Seward
Our stay at Denali Dome Home
Whale watching with Harv and Marv in Juneau
Radiance-class ships
Pianist Derrek Wayne

The other things we did all fell into the "really glad we did them...but maybe we'd try something different next time". We didn't regret any of our choices, however.

As great as the scenery and outings were, they were secondary to the fact that we spent almost two weeks with a large part of our extended family and had a wonderful time with every one of them. We all traveled well together and enjoyed each others' company. We passed food around tables to share tastes - and shared forks and spoons without anyone getting worried or saying "yuck". We walked and talked together, we laughed together, and three generations had a shared experience that offered a little something for everyone. I'd do it again tomorrow if I could. Not everyone can say that!