Day at Sea

​This is our last day on the ship. We turned our clocks ahead one hour last night. I think I am being smart, and wait until 10:30 to have breakfast. The windjammer closes for breakfast at 11:00 and I expect it to be nearly empty. Well I got that one wrong. It takes a walk around the room twice before I find a table. For some reason they have shut down some of the serving stations even though many people are waiting in lines for food. Actually I know the reason, they schedule by the clock not by customer demand. It is 10:30, so we shut down half of the service. Period.

I find my family in the Solarium, they report the water is really too cold to enjoy. I had no intentions of swimming in Alaska and didn't even bring a suit. Plans are made to meet for dinner at 5:30. They also want to carry off luggage in Vancouver instead of having the ship handle it. It certainly is quicker, and I tell them that is fine with me as long as someone can lug my second suitcase if needed.

Even though we get off the ship in the morning, our flight isn't until 11 PM. We plan to tour Vancouver during the day, doing what, depends on the weather when we get there. Vancouver isn't known for great weather. Adrienne, my oldest daughter, has found a luggage service that will accept our luggage at the ship dock, transfer it to the airport, store it for the day, and have it available for us to pickup at the airport in the evening.

Dinner reservations have been confirmed for 13 at 5:30. Not an easy task, but Royal gets it done. Unfortunately it is then learned that starting about 6 PM we pass through a strait where often there are many whales sighted. At least our table is next to the window so we may see some more whales. I don't remember if I mentioned this earlier, if I did, read about it again. Some of the fishermen in Alaska have been caught off guard this year because the salmon have started running two to three weeks earlier than ever before and many fishermen didn't have their boats ready or in the water.

It is suspected that the seals and whales are also making an early appearance this year, because of the warmer weather over much of the world.

Yes, some whales are spotted during dinner. I get a soft drink at the Champagne Bar after dinner and soon depart to the cabin to pack.