Visiting Vancouver, Cruise Boarding and Royal Caribbean Nightmare! / USA and Canada 2024

I said goodbye to San Francisco for an early flight to Vancouver, then boarded the Royal Caribbean Cruise ship destined for Hawaii! 

Click here to watch the vlog or see below. 

I woke up bright and early to repack my suitcase and head on the next flight. I left my San Francisco hotel and headed to the airport. The public transport wasn't running quite as early as I needed so I got a taxi and had a lovely ride, watching the most beautiful sunrise. I made sure to arrive with plenty of time this time, given the stress of the last flight. 

After getting a little confused at the terminals situation at the airport, I eventually made my way to the gate and then explored a little, to find the best place for some breakfast. San Francisco may just be the fanciest airport ever. Ever seen sun lounges in an airport? From museums, art exhibits and all the fancy seating options…it’s huge and endless. 

The flight itself was pretty smooth. Once again I ended up sat in the middle of two people, but it was a fairly easy flight and arriving to Vancouver felt so strange. The airport is so spread out and it was a good 15 minute walk before I even made it to the start of security. I was knackered by the time I got through! 

Vancouver felt very much how I expected Hawaii or New Zealand to feel. It had very aboriginal or Polynesian feels, with lots of sculptures and Totems. After quickly collecting my luggage, the cruise transport was waiting at the exit. I was originally planning on getting the train to the port, but given the fact I wasn't feeling great and it being reportedly much easier to board if pre-checked, I decided to spend the extra £15 to get there through them. They took my bags and I got on a coach. 

Driving through Vancouver was not the nicest of journeys. I had a family behind me that kept talking and talking, and repeatedly just saying how Canada had too many trees. Personally, I felt it looked really pretty and reminded me very much of England. 

Surprisingly, contrary to what I had been told, even the normal check in line was pretty short, but nevertheless I cruised through pre-check and immediately went to my cabin for a room tour! Of course, the cruise ship looked big, but I couldn't fully comprehend the size because of all the ramps and lifts surrounding it. I'll share a full room tour later this week and a full cruise review, with all the amenities too. 

I had a little trip around the cruise ship, before going for lunch at the buffet to enjoy the start of the free food. There are so many activities and areas I can't wait to explore, but it didn't come without problems. I felt like I had the worst of luck and spent the majority of my afternoon and evening on the phone to customer services and asking for things to be fixed. First of all, regarding my "virtual balcony" which I had paid extra for, only to have it not be working. Then, my suitcase which as I did the priority boarding through the company, I was told the suitcase would be delivered within 2 hours, which was the main thing that sold it to me. Well, wrong...4 hours later and I was still waiting!

When my suitcase finally arrived, I got shower and dressed, topped up my makeup and freshened my hair ready for my evening meal. I had a 5.30pm dinner time which was pretty early but meant I could attend all the evening entertainment which was a priority for me. However, when I got to the dining room, I was sat on a large table with multiple other rooms which already felt awkward. It only got worse when I sat through the whole meal by myself, with everyone staring at me in pity. It wasn't fun and ultimately, I never went back, preferring the buffet environment much better. 

After a little more exploring and walking around the top deck to take in the sights, I headed to the first of the evenings entertainment.

The first night had the orchestra band play, who were so amazing, followed by a comedian. Now I did actually find him quite funny, especially when discussing the realities of relationships and the conversations involved in getting men to do jobs. I couldn't help but reminisce on happier times. After that, I headed to the smaller entertainment area and listened to a band. They were named the same as another band I was a big fan of, but unfortunately it wasn't them. Still they were pretty good and it was nice to listen to and watch live music. It was even better when this sweet old couple started to join in and dance, which was truly lovely to watch. 

When I got back to the room, I was so frustrated to see the virtual balcony hadn't been fixed. I waited in the room for over an hour for maintenance to arrive initially. Only for them to come and then say, oh yes we will just order the part and fix it whilst you're at tea. Then they didn't! Didn't even leave a note or anything to explain what happened, so when I called back again, they said that they didn't have the part and it couldn't be fixed. I had to fight to move rooms or get a refund of the upgrade so eventually they agreed to the move. Only for me to wait another hour to be moved, then arrive at a truly filthy and dirty "emergency" room which just made matters so much worse. To top it off, the housekeeper told me that the virtual balcony had been broken for the last 2 cruises so they knew the whole time and yet still put me in there.