Trip Report: May 12 - June 2, 2002
by Ted & Sylvia Blishak
SPRING JOURNEY ACROSS THE CONTINENT AND RETURN
May 31-June 2, 2002 VANCOUVER, BC
The Sheraton Suites Le Soleil, and
Cruise-a-Thon
Since we send so many clients to Vancouver, we like to experience a variety of hotels while we are in this, our favorite city. On this visit, we enjoy the luxurious Sheraton Suites Le Soleil on Hornby Street, one of the top ten Sheratons in the world. Exotic wood trim, down duvets, expensive towels and bedding, and unusual décor are hallmarks of this property. The staff is extremely pleasant and accommodating. The location is also good, except that there is an excavation in progress on the west side, which will probably continue at least through the summer as a major building project.
http://www.guide-to-vancouver-hotels.com/hotels/sheraton-suites-le-soleil-hotel.html
We are attending an annual travel agent conference called Cruise-a-Thon, sponsored by Travel Trade Magazine. (While train trips are our specialty, clients who like trains often enjoy cruises, too, and we can combine an Alaska cruise with a Canadian rail trip on a customized itinerary.) The cruise ships heading for Alaska debark passengers at Canada Place, four blocks from our hotel, and before they load passengers in the afternoon, they have made special arrangements for attendees to inspect them.
Canada Place is a complex which includes four different venues: the cruise-ship terminal, a convention centre, a world trade centre, and the Pan Pacific Hotel. Three or four ships can dock here, and the new ships are long. Passengers boarding ships here may need to walk the equivalent of two or three blocks in order to reach their gangway.
http://www.bakerservices.com/cruise.htm
TRAVEL TIP: When boarding the ship Accent on Travel USA has booked for you in Vancouver, wear comfortable walking shoes and if you have any kind of a mobility problem, or cannot stand in line for more than a few minutes, let us know at the time of booking so we may ask for boarding and debarking assistance. We also will book you at the hotel within the complex or one just across the street.
After walking the four blocks from our hotel, we stroll past the Royal Caribbean Line's RADIANCE OF THE SEAS, the first ship in line at the port. Next we reach the ship we've come to inspect, and beyond that is Princess Cruise's OCEAN PRINCESS. Soon we find ourselves on board Holland American's new ZAANDAM. This five-star line is the one most of our clients request. The last Holland America ship we have been aboard is the RYNDAM, and that was in 1995. We are amazed at how the big cruise lines have evolved in a few short years, as this does not look like any ship we've seen before.
The newer ships have many veranda suites, with sliding doors to a private balcony. Passengers now spend more time in their cabins, which offer TV screens and honor bars.
The interior décor on this ship is imaginative and thoughtfully executed, with lush colors, lavish light fixtures, fine wood paneling, and expensive carpeting. And unlike the older ships which required stepping over a three-inch-high door sill to walk out onto the deck, this modern vessel is accessible. One of the agents in our group is using a battery powered, sit-down scooter which replaces the wheelchair for some mobility-impaired people. He is able to get around the ship quite easily.
The ZAANDAM is a floating art gallery, with original oil paintings, murals, and sculpture. One of the swimming pools has a sculpture of leaping dolphins and is surrounded by palm trees and attractive sofas and chairs. We have a chance to enjoy a gourmet lunch in the dining room, which is sesame encrusted poached salmon. We are served a dessert named the Zaandam Surprise, a gourmet concoction which soothes our sweet tooth. In case this is insufficient, there is a small tray of candies and cookies to top off the meal.
Click on this hyper link for more info on the Zaandam.
http://parnami.freeyellow.com/zaandam.html
Although this is a large ship, it has several intimate bars and lounges with a "neighborhood" flavor. (This is typical of Holland America ships, and on those we've sailed on, we noticed that you'd see the same passengers every night in these areas.) There is also a small and sophisticated Continental dining room which is available at no extra cost, but only by prior reservation. The main dining room, at the stern, has a mezzanine and a main floor, with a baby grand piano for dinner music. For casual dining, the Lido serves buffet-style meals.
As we debark, the regular passengers are starting to board. Our visit to Vancouver is coming to an end, we will check out of the Sheraton Sunday morning and begin the last leg of our trip home to Klamath Falls.
VANCOUVER TO KLAMATH FALLS
June 2, 2002
After completing our packing last night, we had asked for a 4:30am wakeup call and a taxi. We have a cup of hot chocolate and a power bar from the room's honor bar. The bellman is at our door promptly at 5:15am for our taxi to Pacific Central Station where the Trailways motorcoach leaves 5:45am for the same-day connection to the Coast Starlight in Seattle. This bus does not depart from the terminal itself, rather there is a designated and signed stop at the curb on the north end of the station driveway. The driver picks up our ticket coupon while a baggage man loads our luggage.
After a sleepy hour on the bus we reach the US border where we must take all our belongings off the bus, transfer them into the building and put them through a metal detector after clearing US customs. There are no INS redcaps at this location to help out, so if you use this bus service, be certain that you can handle your own luggage.
After this healthy exercise break we're in for another two hours on Interstate 5 to Seattle. We actually arrive a few minutes ahead of schedule and have ample time to take our luggage to the baggage room to the right of the main station entrance. We check all the bags we will not need onboard the Coast Starlight. Entering the main concourse, we proceed to the check-in counter which is set up near the departure gate. We obtain our boarding pass and await the boarding call for sleeping car passengers.
We have an opportunity to observe the lack of progress on the remodeling project in the station. The signs and posters promising a restoration of the station to its original architectural splendor are fading and peeling. In the meantime, the two vast sports arenas next door have been completed in short order. One can tell where the money is in Seattle.
At 9:45am we are called to board and haul our remaining luggage to the platform where we meet our "second home away from home", the Coast Starlight, where we have reserved Deluxe Bedroom B in the 1132 car, the last room that was available on this three sleeping car train. Even before departure, the Continental Breakfast buffet is set up in the Pacific Parlour Car. We have a light breakfast of cereal, Danish, and fruit, washed down with herbal tea provided by our attendant.
Pacific Parlour Car
http://trainweb.com/accommod/parlour.html
We depart at 10am sharp and the views of Mt. Rainier are spectacular as we head south towards Tacoma.
Mt. Rainier
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Imgs/Jpg/Rainier/rainier_tacoma.jpg
At 11:30am, we hear the first call to lunch, and repair to the dining car for a light lunch of soup, Rueben sandwich, and apple pie with vanilla ice cream. This is the fifth Rueben sandwich that I have had for lunch this month on Amtrak. There are only three choices on the nationwide lunch menu, and this one to me is tastiest. Although the menus are identical on all Amtrak dining cars nowadays, including the Coast Starlight, I find that there are slight variations on the preparation of the Rueben. Some commissaries use light rye, some dark. Some apply the Russian dressing liberally, others hide a dab so minute that it can be very hard to locate. This is the way we find menu variety while traveling Amtrak.
It has been a very busy trip, and we are tired after the activities of the Cruise-a-Thon, so the deluxe bedroom is very welcome, even though this is a day trip. One of us can nap on the sofa while the other works at the fold-out desk. We arrive in Portland early, and have an opportunity for a lengthy walk up and down the station platform. South of Portland, we go into a siding to wait for the northbound Starlight, which is traveling on time!
Eugene is reached a few minutes down, but leaves on time only to be stalled out of town for no discernable reason. We go to the diner for our 6:30pm dinner reservation to find that the 6:30 seating is nearly finished and they are soon calling the 7:30 sitting. The dinner steak is excellent. The chocolate dessert is enjoyed one last time. Soon we are coasting along the shores of Klamath Lake and we arrive in Klamath Falls only fifteen minutes behind schedule.
To summarize, this is the completion of three weeks across the country and back on Amtrak and VIA Rail Canada. A total of 6175 miles by rail; 3409 on Amtrak and 2766 on VIA Rail. By Amtrak Thruway bus, 144 miles. By car, over 1000 miles.
Please stay tuned for our next installment for a comparative analysis of these means of transport.
