Becky graciously offered to drive us to Union Station. We arrived shortly after noon and checked our bags. Next door in the 19th century station was a restaurant, Wilf's with a lovely patio so we settled in for lunch in the Portland sunshine. You can see the restaurant's umbrella in the foreground.
We boarded the Amtrak Cascades at 2:30 for a 2:45 departure. We followed Chris's advice and obtained seats on the west side of the train. We had lovely views as we headed toward Seattle. Not too far past Seattle, the sun set. Although the train was modern and spacious with comfortable seating and wi-fi, after dark the ride grew tedious. We were happy to hear the announcement that we were arriving in Vancouver, BC. Unfortunately there was only one Customs and Immigration official so the process was slow. Once we were cleared we caught a cab to our downtown hotel. It was after midnight so we fell right into bed.
The next morning after breakfast in the hotel dining room we packed up and headed to the pier. Since it was only two and a half blocks, we walked over. It was a glorious day. Boarding was quick and efficient. Our stateroom was ready. It was inside, as expected, but was considerably larger than the last time we sailed. We headed to the main dining room for the Mariners Lunch. It was hard to choose because everything on the menu sounded so good. I ended up with shrimp cocktail and grilled salmon. By the time we got back to our room, our luggage had arrived and we spent some time unpacking. Then we headed to the Lido Deck for sail away. With the sun shining it was quite festive.
Here are some photos taken during sail away:
Dick enjoying the NY Times on the Lido Deck.
Passengers enjoying the sunshine in Vancouver.
The Vancouver skyline.
The harbor as we prepare to sail out to sea.
I'm hoping this weather holds for the duration of the trip.
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