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Issue 47: Friday, 3 August 2019

Air New Zealand premium class

Does it come up to the hype? You will find out fairly soon. Not sure about some of the passengers though!  Air New Zealand’s customer experience was recently recognised at TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Awards for airlines, winning Best Premium Economy which is encouraging. What do you get for your money? More personal space, free standard seat select, two pieces of carry on (up to 7kg each), two pieces of checked luggage (up to 23kg each), Inflight entertainment, complimentary meal and drinks from the Premium Economy menu plus a higher Airpoints Dollars™ and Status Points earn rate.

Cruising from Vancouver

We are heading to Vancouver – lovely city that I know quite well. After a few days of exploring, Fiona and I will join Oceania’s Regatta for a 14 day cruise of Alaska to Seattle via some of my favourite places including lovely Victoria on the way back. The ship is quite small by today’s standards – around 650 passengers are treated like royalty by a hand picked crew. According to the publicity, the biggest treat is the food – a number of speciality restaurants are available each night – or dine in your cabin.

Our ship pampers just 684 passengers

Regatta is the flagship of the Oceania Cruises fleet. Her decks are resplendent in the finest teak, custom stone and tile work, and her lounges, suites and staterooms boast luxurious, neo-classical furnishings.  She features four open-seating restaurants, a world-class fitness center and spa, eight lounges and bars, a casino and 342 lavish suites and luxurious staterooms, nearly 70% of which feature private verandas. Just 684 guests are pampered by 400 professionally trained staff.

We chose the Pan Pacific Hotel

We are staying in Vancouver right next to the cruise ship terminal at the Pan Pacific. On the coast overlooking the cruise terminal, this hotel offers a special deal for people joining a cruise that includes accommodation for one night, breakfast for two in Oceans 999 Restaurant overlooking the Vancouver Harbour and Coastal Mountains, late check out of 2 pm and complimentary luggage transfer to Canada Place Pier. The offer is valid until 28 October 2019. More details here

Vancouver described as “vacation porn”

Air capacity to Vancouver from California and Australia is expected to grow and cruise ship arrivals are projected to increase by 21% to 1 million passengers. YVR was also voted Best Airport in North America by the Skytrax World Airport Awards. Vancouver has recently earned some high-praise from visiting stars. Kate Winslet spent time in the area while filming The Mountain Between Us and fell in love with the “incredible, wild, wonderful nature.”. Kelly Ripa loved her trip to “beautiful, pristine and unspoiled” Vancouver so much, she referred to her experience as “vacation porn!”

Concierge balcony cabin goodies

We have booked a concierge balcony cabin on Oceania’s Regatta that includes a number of goodies including room service from the grand dining room menu during lunch and dinner plus up to three bags of free laundry per stateroom, priority noon ship embarkation, welcome bottle of champagne and priority online specialty restaurant reservations. Irons are not allowed on cruise ships these days so free pressing is a great plus. Oceania Cruises sells itself as one of the world’s finest culinary and destination-focused cruise lines. We shall see.

Our itinerary heads from Vancouver to Seattle

The typical cruise itinerary of Alaska is for seven days and usually starts or ends in Seward which is a rather difficult destination to get to or from. I decided to cruise both ways and save the extra cost. Our itinerary includes the Inside Passage, Wrangell, Sitka Alaska, Icy Strait, hoonah Alaska, cruising the Hubbard glacier, Seward, Kodiak, cruising the Gulf of Alaska, Skagway, Ketchikan, Prince Rupert British Columbia, cruising the Outside Passage, Victoria British Columbia and finally to Seattle.

Hubbard Glacier a natural treasure

The Hubbard Glacier is located about 30 miles north off the coast of Yakutat and is by far one of Alaska’s most exciting natural treasures. We should be able to get great pics of this glorious mount of ice from about every angle on the ship. Named after Gardiner Hubbard, the founder and president of the National Geographic Society, Hubbard Glacier is the longest tidewater glacier in the world. Dramatically massive at about 7-miles wide, 76-miles long and as tall as a 30-story building above the waterline, it’s the largest river of ice in North America. How this magnificent block came to form begins about 400 years ago from the snowfalls on the slopes of Mount Logan.

Most cruises begin or end at Seward

Seward is a highlight of a cruise itinerary. The Gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park, Resurrection Bay’s protected waters feature glacier-carved fjords, majestic mountain scenery, and age-old glaciers. The Dale R. Lindsey Alaska Railroad Intermodal Facility (“cruise-ship dock” to locals) is where our ship will moor. Ships tie up directly to the dock, and no tenders are used to transport guests between the ship and shore. The terminal is located close to attractions, shops and galleries, restaurants, and lodging.

Kodiac home to huge bears

Our most remote port is Kodiac . The island’s best-known park is the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge. The 2,812-square-mile refuge includes a diverse habitat that ranges from rugged mountains and alpine meadows to wetlands, spruce forest and grassland. The refuge has outstanding fishing but the most popular activity is bear viewing. The refuge is home to 3,500 bears with males that normally weigh in at more than 800 pounds but have been known to exceed 1,500 pounds and stand more than 10 feet tall.

Wildlife abounds at Prince Rupert

British Columbia’s most northern coastal city, Prince Rupert sits on the very edge of the wilderness. The majority of its attractions revolve around the outdoors, such as sport fishing or a walking tour of the bonsai-like forest at Oliver Lake. Wildlife abounds, including bears  and a variety of migrating whales. If it’s wildlife you seek, Prince Rupert is a dream location, home to Canada’s only Grizzly Bear Sanctuary, the highest concentration of humpbacked whales in North America, white Kermode bears and soaring eagles.

The best comes last – Victoria Island

We then sail back towards Vancouver and one of my favourite places on earth – Victoria Island. You can get here by ferry from Vancouver but a much better and quicker idea is to use a float plane. Tour the famous Butchart Gardens, discover beautiful Craigdarroch Castle, and feel the pulse of Canada’s oldest Chinatown—truly a hidden gem. I was once trapped here due to a ferry strike and happily spent another night at the elegant Empress Hotel.

Stay tuned folks as we check out the very best excursions and deals.