Disembarkation Briefing
At 10:15 am I attended a disembarkation briefing in the Stardust Theatre to learn about luggage tagging and transfers, customs, and when and how to go about getting off the ship. In addition to the presentation, they had already provided us with luggage tags and written instructions covering everything one might want to know.
A Relaxing Afternoon
During the afternoon I lounged in my room, watching a movie and enjoying the scenery as we passed through the Straight of Juan de Fuca. I also took care of some financial business at the reception desk and made a last look through the photos posted in the photo gallery. I decided to purchase a picture of me taken on the dock in Ketchikan with a person dressed in a moose costume. It made me laugh! I spent the extra money for a nice folio for the print that included an evening photo of the Norwegian Pearl.
Victoria BC
We arrived at the cruise ship dock in Victoria around 5:30 pm. I took my time getting off the ship, as I had signed up for a 6:30 pm bus trip to Butchart Gardens. Once off the ship, it was easy to pass through Canadian customs and to find the right tour bus. It took the bus driver about 45 minutes to drive us out to the gardens, following a scenic rural route. The gardens were fabulous and colorful. We had two hours to spend in the Gardens before we had to return to the bus. It took just over an hour to walk through the whole garden, including the sunken garden, the rose garden, and the Japanese garden. I then spent some time wandering through the Gardens' art gallery and gift shop before returning for a second, more leisurely wander through the sunken gardens. It was dark by the time the bus returned to the downtown area. The bus driver took us on a short tour of the downtown and inner harbor area.
When I returned to the ship I had a light snack at the Garden Café and then went to bed.
Day 8 - Back in Seattle
Disembarkation
I woke early and packed my bags - somehow I got everything to fit! I took my time getting off the ship. Disembarkation went from 7:30 to 9:30 am, with people getting off the ship in color-coded shifts depending on their travel plans. I had signed up for express walk-off, where people who were capable of taking their own luggage off the ship could just walk off whenever they were ready. I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of challah French toast with berries and mascarpone.
Walking off the ship was fairly easy. There were lines at the gangway and to get on the elevator, but they moved fairly quickly. The line through customs – at least for US citizens – moved efficiently - we basically just handed them our forms and walked on through.
Lessons Learned on My First Cruise
More Alaska Cruise Diary
1. Day Before & Day 1 Boarding
2. Day 2 At Sea & Day 3 in Juneau
3. Day 4 Skagway & Day 5 Glacier Bay
4. Day 6 Ketchikan
5. Day 7 Victoria BC & Disembarkation
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