The whole adventure will be broken down into at least two parts, so as not to bore you and you can peruse as you wish and not be overwhelmed with the Rahn Family Vacation Album.
We'll start with our 3 days pre-cruise and one day post-cruise in Vancouver, British Columbia. Can I just say that prior to going on the cruise, we had decided to "Live Like Rock Stars" for 11 days and that we did from the moment we landed to the minute that we departed for the return trip at the airport. Luckily the hotel and cruise/food were already paid for, so the only additional "Rock Star" expenses were few and far between.
We booked the hotel in Vancouver along with the Disney Cruise, so it was a package deal. They had 3 hotels to choose from and the price difference was minimal, so I did my homework and chose the newest of the 3 - The Fairmont Pacific Rim. It is located 2 blocks from the Cruise Terminal and was built brand new for the 2010 Olympics. Let me tell you....it definitely fit our "Rock Star" criteria. In fact, talking to the bellhop on our last morning - this was the hotel that all the celebrities stay at when they are doing concerts or shows in Vancouver. He was saying that they come in after midnight and sneak up to their rooms on a regular basis. The place was gorgeous and full of the newest technology. There was a TV in the bathroom mirror, the curtains/and shades were controlled by push buttons, each room had its own doorbell, instead of a privacy card that you put on your door, you had a button to push that would turn on the red light outside your door to alert people not to bother you....those were only a few of the "fun things" that we were shown how to do at 10:00 pm when we arrived. When you check in they walk you up to your room, to show you how to operate your room before they let you alone in the room. Definitely like nothing I have ever experienced before. I only wish I had taken more pictures of the hotel and room.
The room came with 4 beautiful bathrobes, and 2 of them were kids sizes - the girls were all over this!
We arrived late and after spending a crazy amount of money to get a room service meal, we finally tried to get some sleep and woke early on our first morning in Vancouver. The plan was to get a rental car and drive to Whistler for the day. The weather was perfect - bright and sunny with mild temps.
The plan worked beautifully - the hotel arranged for a rental car for us and then drove us to the Budget Location about 10 blocks from the hotel. We had asked for a standard SUV (Ford Escape, Toyota Rav4) and the guy at Budget must have heard about our "Rock Star" dreams because he offered us a Lincoln Navigator - fully loaded, because we only wanted it for 24 hours - at a discounted price. It was an awesome car - with all the bells and whistles. We had fun driving around in it for a day and a half.
Off we went to Whistler. There was basically one road that you would take to get there - about a 2 hour drive.
We headed out of Vancouver across the Lions Gate Bridge - 2 days later we would be sailing under that same bridge to go to Alaska.
We then drove out of the city and the scenery exploded in front of us - we were on the "Sea to Sky Highway" as the locals call it - and it definitely was. Wow!!!!!
We then continued on and arrived in Whistler. It was a bit overwhelming at first, but once we got our car parked, and got our bearings - our day fell into place.
Lunchtime - had to eat outside amidst the snow and chilly temperatures
The girls (Katie especially) were worried about losing Don, so he surprised us and pulled out a leash that the girls could use to keep track of him as he took his pictures.
Time to head back to Vancouver - the skyline in the distance as we cross the bridge back into the city.
On Monday we were meeting up with the rest of our "Cruising Party 0f 11" later that afternoon, so we had time for one adventure in the morning. We headed to Capillano Suspension Bridge Park. It was a fun place with lots of fun things to do.
We then found the Treetops Adventure and the Nature's Edge Boardwalk and the Cliffwalk.....
After a great day at Capillano, we headed back to Vancouver to return our rental car - and collect Rina, Nana and Bubba and the Shields family.
The Shields family includes my college roommate, Marti, her husband and daughters Alaina (Katie's age) and Brigit (Carleigh's age). This cruise was two years in planning, and the girls were so excited to be cruising with someone their own age.
We found everyone and headed to dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory in Gastown - about a 15 minute walk from our hotel. It was a very cute part of town with lots of fun shops and sights.
Dinner was fun, and then back to our various rooms and hotels to get a good nights sleep because TOMORROW we are boarding the Disney Wonder to head to Alaska!!!!!!!!!!
Stay Tuned for : Part 2-Our Awesome Alaska Adventure - Embarkation day, Sea Day, Tracy Arm Fjord Day
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