SEPTEMBER in British Columbia is just divine. While the locals keep
asking “How a-boot this weather, eh?” I get the feeling glorious warm,
sunny days are pretty normal around this time of year. From my
window of the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel, I can see all across the bay
to Stanley Park and beyond to the mountains where the last traces of
the bumper snow season are stubbornly disappearing. A regular stream
of floatplanes taxi out onto the bay taking off for parts unknown while
strollers, joggers, cyclists and skaters traverse the waterfront precinct
cafe-hopping and just relaxing in the afternoon glow.
It’s too much to resist, and I pop down for a look myself, mingling with
the dawdling traffic. Disney Wonder is pulling out of her home berth
with a trademark blast of her horn playing, you guessed it, “When you
wish upon a star”.
With many international air links, a relaxed immigration procedure
and a pally ‘Commonwealth’ kinship, Canada is a natural destination for
Australians and the telltale Aussie twang is common in the, museums
and hotel lobbies.
Vancouver is at the top of the ‘world’s most liveable cities’ list and it’s
easy to see why. There’s a relaxed lifestyle with a pronounced
ecologically responsible living focus. It feels safe, the folks are
welcoming and there’s many familiar brands and logos.
For fun shopping, there’s groovy Granville Island with artisan stores
and wholesome produce led by the Edible Canada brand. Harbour
cruises on the dinky Aqua-Bus service makes sightseeing a fun doddle.
While there’s stiff competition from neighbouring Seattle, the
financially-strapped US city is luring some vessels away with discount
port fees. Disney Wonder moves there in 2012, but Sapphire Princess will
quickly fill the void, keeping annual cruise visitors at a healthy 650-660,000.
Both green-leaning ports offer excellent visitor amenities for cruise
visitors, but Canadians will argue theirs offers greater potential for
cruise extensions
and it’s a persuasive
argument. Imagine
throwing snowballs
and swimming in a
cool mountain lake
on the same day, I
did.
This week’s piece comes from the observation car of the magnificent
Rocky Mountaineer, a railway tour that also hubs out of Vancouver.
Given the demographic overlap, it is easy to see many of my fellow
passengers enjoying an Alaskan cruise as part of their Pacific
Northwest summer holiday and I’m told with some authority that 40
per cent of RM guests also cruise.
Seizing on this synergy, Rocky Mountaineer is partnering with
Holland America Line to launch a series of special ‘First Passage’
fortnight-ish itineraries in 2013 with satisfying dollops of both cruise
and rail experience. Railstops at scenic towns such as Jasper, Banff and
Whistler, with their own enormous range of summer activities, will
make this, I predict, a hot-seller.
Make a beeline for your ICCA cruise specialist [www.cruising.org.au]
and pester them about Vancouver cruises.
For details on the ‘First Passage’ cruise/rail package, see
www.rockymountaineer.com.
Roderick Eime is visiting Vancouver as a guest of Rocky Mountaineer
and Tourism British Columbia.
