138. The best laid plans of mice and men…

Thursday, 9 May 2019

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Super chilled and relaxed as I wake from a deep slumber. Miss Vancouver has gone to work at the crack of dawn so need to clean up my mess in the apartment before departing. Decent hot mug of tea and Marmite on hot buttered toast to start the day. Oh yes. Relaxed. And chilled. Am. I.

Meet Miss Vancouver for lunch at an excellent Greek restaurant and persuaded to have a post meal glass of Ouzo. Even more chilled now.

Feeling woozy with the Ouzy.

Have left rucksack at her office so I can pick it up in a few hours. This is the plan for the afternoon. Couple of hours sightseeing around Vancouver. Pick rucksack up from her office. Leisurely taxi drive to the railway station. 2hr rail journey to the port of Bellingham, just north of Seattle, in the USA. Check in to a nice hotel, which I only booked yesterday and so had to pay full amount as it was short notice. Chilled and relaxed is the order of the day.

Why Bellingham you may ask. Well. It’s where the Alaska Marine Highway car ferry departs from tomorrow. Which will take me to Alaska.

Yes. This is going to be a super chilled out afternoon.

Meandering the streets of Vancouver being super duper chilled out. It’s now 1500hrs and am heading to the station at 1600hrs. So I have plenty of time to catch the train. No rush. Just relax.

Nonchalantly check phone.

An email has arrived.

It’s from the Alaska Marine Highway ferry company. It’ll be a reminder to check in and all that nonsense.

Won’t it.

Er.

Nope.

The once a week ferry from Bellingham to Alaska has been…

CANCELLED!!!

Oh. Clucking. Bell.

Rowlocks.

Due to mechanical problems the ferry is cancelled.

Clucking bell.

Again.

Can’t believe it.

In 15,000miles and 5months travelling across 18 countries, this is the first and only thing to go awry.

The best laid plans of mice and man, eh.

Can’t believe it. This is going to screw things up big time. The plan was to go up the Inside Passage (and that’s not a euphemism for something else) to Skagway. Have a few days in Skagway, cross over to Juneau and then catch another ferry from Juneau to Whittier, from where it’s a short journey to Anchorage. From where it’s a train to Fairbanks. From where it’s a drive north through the Arctic Circle to the Arctic Ocean at Prudhoe Bay.

And my official end point of this trip.

Prudhoe Bay has been the objective since leaving Antarctica way back in January.

Clucking bell.

I’d only booked the Alaska sections yesterday as well.

Sooooo.

Need to get to Anchorage by Sunday, 26 May 2019, to get the train to Fairbanks, to get the car to Prudhoe Bay.

Have deadlines now.

Sod it.

Now 1515hrs in Vancouver. Need to head to station by 1600hrs to get the train to Bellingham, USA, as have paid a non-refundable amount paid on the hotel there. In preparation for sailing from Bellingham tomorrow. Which isn’t now going to happen.

Have a corker of a brainwave. Am near the Vancouver cruise ship terminal. There’s a cruise ship in town. Celebrity Eclipse. I know of this ship as parents have been on it a couple of times. Bet that’s going on an Alaskan cruise.

Hmmm.

Wonder if I can get on that tonight. All my problems will be solved. At least I’ll be in Alaska.

Make my way into the cruise ship check in hall. Can I buy a ticket now for this cruise?

Nope.

Small young girl tells me it has to be 24hrs in advance. Ask to speak to someone in charge. Am put in my place. She’s the Director of Guest Services. It’s a no, Sir.

Sod it.

Start doing Google searches for options. UK agents obviously closed due to time difference. Google ‘Travel Agents’ in Downtown Vancouver. The power of the internet. One is close by on the 8^th floor of a building 10min walk away.

Off. I. Go.

Arrive to discover it’s not a proper travel agent. More a private client getting people in touch with locals who want to work abroad. Gap year stuff.

They recommend another travel agent. Only 10mins walk away. FFS. Huff and puff. There’s some urgency in this now. As don’t want to miss train to the USA.

Second travel agent is useless and doesn’t do cruises/ferries to Alaska. Only British Columbia outdoorsy trips. Hiking and getting mauled by a grizzly bear sort of thing. They recommend the Flight Centre. Another 10min walk away.

Off. I. Go.

Find it eventually. In some basement shopping centre of an office block that’s not very well signposted.

Thank God for Hailey. What a star. Explain the situation.

She’s on it. She knows what she’s doing. Told that it definitely won’t be today as booking will have closed. Tomorrow might be a possibility. There are two Celebrity Cruise ships and one Royal Princess going to Alaska tomorrow. She rings them both. Nope. The 24hr limit has passed. Not a cat in hell’s chance.

Off she goes again. Searching. She’s all over this like a rash. Good girl.

There’s one on Saturday at a God awfully high price. But there’s one on Sunday at half the price. Go for it.

And with the click of a button and phone call to put the cabin on hold. Have an Alaskan one way cruise on the Holland America m/s Noordam cruise ship sorted in 15mins. That’s how you do last minute travel, dear reader.

No idea what it’s going to be like. But it will be a lot more comfortable and luxurious than an Alaskan Marine Highways car ferry where pitching tents on the deck is actively encouraged. Notwithstanding that, had booked an ensuite cabin. Think basic English cross channel car ferry type cabin.

Not done a proper cruise ship cruise before. This is about 2,000 passengers big. My idea of hell.

But needs must.

Pay the full amount and good to go.

Phew.

Thank God that’s sorted.

Really don’t need to go to Bellingham, USA, on the train tonight but have paid the full amount for a hotel yesterday so seems daft to forfeit the money. Decide I’ll ring and ask for a refund. Just in case they’re feeling charitable.

Taurean charm does the trick. She fully understands the situation about the ferry as they’ve heard about the cancellation too. It’s not my fault and they’re very sorry to hear my plans have been scuppered. Am given a full 100% refund. Yay. So grateful.

So. No need to go to the USA tonight.

Miss Vancouver now with friends for the weekend so can’t go back and doss down there. With the power of technology and my Booking.com app on my phone, can sit and book an available hotel in Vancouver there and then.

There’s only really one hotel to stay at in Vancouver if going on a cruise. The Pan Pacific Hotel (https://www.panpacific.com/en/hotels-and-resorts/pp-vancouver.html). With a Harbour View Room. Down in the lift and you’re at the cruise ship terminal. Easy peasy.

The view across the harbour is insane. Have a wide panoramic view from my room of the waterfront skyline, Stanley Park, Lions Gate bridge, Grouse Mountain and other snow capped mountains across the harbour. Reminds me of my stay on a business trip at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. That too had insane views across Hong Kong harbour.

Oh yes. This will do nicely. For a few days.

So.

The plan is now this.

Hold in Vancouver until Sunday. Cruise to Seward in Alaska over the coming week, arriving a week on Sunday. Have a week to fill between arriving in Seward on Sunday, 19 May 2019, and needing to be in Anchorage on Sunday, 26 May 2019.

Any ideas gratefully received.

Celebratory curry required. Explain that I’m English and can take it a bit hotter than the not-so-very-hot curry of North America. He fully understands. He says with a glint in his eye. I know I like it hot but chuffing nora. This is hot!

It’s only when I return to hotel and start researching this cruise I’ve just paid for at the last minute that I discover that I can book Sunday’s cruise online still for a vastly reduced sum of money.

25% vastly reduced.

Hmmm.

Quick email to agent explaining my findings.

There’ll be a discussion tomorrow.