We are back from an incredible seven night Disney cruise to Alaska! This trip was made possible by the amazing generosity of my parents, and we are SO thankful to them for this experience. There were ten of us all together: My dad, mom, youngest sister, middle sister (along with her husband K and son j) , and us (D + L + k + n). This trip introduced a lot of firsts for us: 1st time we have all vacationed together, 1st cruise, 1st time to Alaska, and 1st time going to another country (Canada) for k + n. We took a lot of pictures, so be prepared for some long, detailed posts of our adventure. My hope is that these posts will help preserve our memories for the future, as well as provide some tips for those who are planning a similar trip. I also have grand plans of making a video and scrapbook, so we’ll see how that goes!
Our vacation started on Sunday, June 25, one day before our cruise departure. We had a flight out of LAX to Vancouver at 10:45 a.m. My parents and youngest sister were booked on the same flight. We drove separately to the airport and saw them during the check-in process. Our family then proceeded to security/customs. Luckily, we were directed to an “express” line where we did not have to do all of the security rigamarole. Once we reached what we thought was our gate, we realized we had to take a shuttle to another remote terminal. Meanwhile, my parents and sister were still stuck at check-in because the computer would not print the tag needed for their one piece of checked luggage. They had to wait in a super long line to talk to an agent. Even though they had arrived at the airport over two and half hours before take-off, they barely made their flight!
We flew on a small American Airlines airplane that we booked through Alaska Airlines and was operated by Compass Airlines, or something confusing like that. We sat in row 18 both coming and going. The kids were excited and behaved pretty well during the three hour flight.
I came within one clue of solving the crossword puzzle in the airline magazine. Doh!
It was a relief that we all made it (along with our luggage) to YVR.
D and I took a trip to Vancouver in 2005. Sadly, that was pre-blog, so we do not have much record of it. I think a lot has been added to the international terminal since then.
You could even hear bird sounds!
Going through customs was not too bad. However, using machines for everything still feels strange.
From the airport we bought day passes for the Skytrain from the airport to the Waterfront Station via the Canada Line. It was convenient, not too crowded, and reminded me of the BART.
After exiting the Skytrain, we walked to the Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle Downtown hotel and checked in.
We picked this hotel since D was able to use his points for our stay. Although it is fairly convenient to Canada Place (the cruise ship terminal), it was a bit of a walk from Waterfront Station. n had some trouble managing his wheelie suitcase.
We were able to check out the concierge lounge due to D’s gold Marriott status.
Notice how the rooftop grass on the right of this picture contrasted against the sleek glass architecture and glassy water–nice!
By this time it was close to 4 p.m. and it was time to explore Stanley Park.