World Travel with Bob: Cruising Down the Pacific Coast

We woke up early this morning and made our way to the airport for a 7am flight to Vancouver via Seattle. As a result of this early morning departure, the dog was fed early (4:30am!) and walked around the block in the dark. We were in the car by 5am and arrived at the airport within 30 minutes.

The Alaskan Airlines flight to SeaTac was on a newer 737. The plane was equipped with the newer thin Racaro seats. These seats are built with a minimal seat back pocket which provides a bit more knee room. The flight to Vancouver, on the other hand, was via an Alaskan Airlines Bombardier Q400. This 76 passenger turboprop plane is about 12 feet shorter than a 737 but certainly bigger than the planes we used in Africa, going from one safari camp to another. Apparently, Alaskan Airlines has determined that the Q400's smaller size and better fuel rate is more suited for its shorter duration flights.

With a post-flight taxi ride to Canada Place Cruise Terminal, in Vancouver, we started a three day family cruise from Vancouver to Los Angeles. We're simply catching a non-stop ride on a Coral Princess repositioning cruise. After we disembark in Los Angeles, the Coral continues her way through the Panama Canal to Fort Lauderdale. We'll have two full days to enjoy the amenities of the ship, perhaps taking in a movie and show, along with gym visits and a wide variety of dining options.

For those who haven't cruised on the Coral Princess, this ship carries about 1,974 guests and a crew of 895. Built in 2003, the ship went through a major refurbishment in 2013.The Coral Princess is one of the two Princess ships that are able to pass through the current Panama Canal (aka Panamax). Once the expanded Panama Canal, which will be wider and deeper, opens in 2016, this should change the Panama ship options for Princess.

As this cruise didn't have any port stops, we spent our time reading our Kindles, checking email, Internet browsing, seeing some shows and, of course, dining.