Due to time differences, jet lag, and plain old excitment, I was up early on the first day in Vancouver, Canada. I set up my iPhone with iMotion HD and left it to record a Canadian sunrise. Here’s the time lapse result in 6 seconds.
Oh, and as a tip, try to plug your iPhone in. This periodic recording absolutely drained my fully charged battery.
This tip probably applies beyond the Disney Cruise Lines, but it’s worth saying. When eating in a buffet setup like at the Beach Blanket Buffet onboard the Disney Wonder, don’t take or eat the food that’s on the front edge of the serving trays.
I personally witnessed one too many kids poking, prodding, taking, and putting back food that’s in front. Yes, that food frontline could be abused (though of no fault to the cruise line), so grab the food in back. And parents, please remind your kids that if you touch it, you take it (and don’t put it back). In this case, I think wasting food is a better alternative than the potential spread of germs on ship.
Now, if you happen to be dining at Palo where no kids are allowed, then you don’t have to worry as much. But I did see a diner drop a dessert on the ground and wondered what she’d do with it. Luckily I already had my desserts. 😉
That’s what you get when you leave balmy Hawaii and its typical 80-degree weather. From warm and muggy, we went to the scorching, dry heat of the Armpit of Cali. At least 100 degrees every day with a high of 106 on our arrival. Then a short international flight to the north by way of Vancouver, Canada. 61 degrees at the YVR airport felt so refreshing. The locals were wearing shorts.
Our first port on the Disney Wonder was classic Skagway, Alaska. Population of 800 with temperatures in the 50’s on a sunny day. Is this hot or cold coffee kind of weather? I went with a hot Americano.
Our second port was the landlocked Juneau. Even in the proximity of a frozen glacier, we experienced our warmest Alaskan temperature of 61 degrees.
Our last stop was at the rainiest city in America, Ketchikan. Amazingly, 57 degrees, and no rain while we were there. There was some drizzling but no umbrella needed. From 55 to 106 degrees, yeah, that’s a 51-degree swing, and it’s tough to pack for both hot and cold climates.
The first installment of Coffee While Cruising covered the early FAT leg of my vacation. Like I mentioned before, from FAT we headed to YVR in Vancouver, Canada. Before the trip, I learned of a Starbucks Clover location on Robson Street. Oh, and I managed to get a Groupon for Starbucks Canada. Bonus!
What did I see when entering a Canadian Starbucks? A scene not much different from that in America, but Starbucks CA is promoting their True North Blend. True North is a blonde roast that’s “named by Canadians for Canadians.”
While I’m not sure if True North is merely a Canadian-version of the regular Starbucks blonde roast, I had to pick up a bag just because. I also got a Canadian Starbucks card featuring the iconic maple leaf.
Not a bad introduction to Starbucks Canada, eh?
And although we stayed in Vancouver for less than three days, I managed to go back to the Robson location for yet another Clover brew. 🙂
But Starbucks definitely isn’t the only coffee game in town. There are independent cafes and coffee bars on each city block, and I came across many Blenz locations. While hiking back from Stanley Park to the hotel, I had to take a pitstop for an iced mocha. Damn good stuff I must say.
That’s it for Part 2. My Coffee While Cruising series will conclude in Part 3 as I stay caffeinated in Alaska and onboard the Disney wonder.
While going on vacation typically means new experiences, it doesn’t necessarily mean old habits are forgotten, such as getting a healthy intake of coffee.
The only real way to start time off is with good coffee and good kicks. That means a cup of Kati Kati Blend from Starbucks while wearing (gasp!) New Balance MO673.
From HNL to SFO and stuck there for a bit due to continued delays from the Asiana Airlines accident, I partook of a Peet’s Iced Coconut Latte. I didn’t take a pic of this sweet (and airport-overpriced) concoction though. From SFO, we flew to FAT to spend a few days in the scorching heat.
I have my usual coffee sources in Fresno but changed it up just a bit, visiting Barnes and Noble (remember bookstores?) and its cafe.
From FAT, the next vacation leg was to YVR in Vancouver. Did I mention FAT now has two Starbucks locations? There’s the one in the forest check-in area and the newer location is inside of the security gate, making it easier to stay caffeinated while waiting for your flight.
This location still seems new with newbie employees. While the workers were courteous, asking each other to how assemble a sweetened iced coffee was a little disconcerting for me. But if you’re still looking for that limited edition wooden Starbucks cards, I found a cache for you!
Hmmm, I have more coffee pictures from my trip than I originally thought, so I’m gonna break this up into a series of posts. Part 2 will cover coffee in Canada, but here’s a peek of my pictures without all the backstory.
I’m guessing the Fergilicious Fergie named these neighborhood speed bumps. And no, they didn’t look like lady lumps.
Back from vacation checking out Vancouver and cruising to Alaska onboard the Disney Wonder.
When you need to augment your peepers with something a little stronger – Nikon 8245 ACULON A211 8 x 42 Binocular (Black)
