We woke up around 7:00 so that we would have time to enjoy our last meal on the ship before disembarkment. We were both pretty sad that the cruise was already over, but like all fun things- the more fun it is, the faster it's over. This week was just a blast. There were a ton of activities on board from shows to ping pong tournaments, to dance classes (yes, Joey even went with me to them-we learned a little bit of Ballroom (Marenga and Cha-Cha!)- and I got to enjoy a Hula class too!). And the food, it was just incredible! We could eat whatever we wanted, as often as we wanted, enjoy the buffets and the separate food stations and could order as many appetizers, entrees, or desserts as we wanted at the sit down restaurants! The staff on board was so great too- everyone was just so nice (funny too!) and really went out of their way to make the cruise as awesome as it could be. We really enjoyed the glaciers and just being on the ship. Although we didn't do any of the "excursions" while in port, we had just as much fun walking around and exploring (even though it poured rain most of the time while in port- so we didn't end up riding our bikes around at all like planned). Every day we spent some time with Grammy and some time doing activities we wanted to do. I really enjoyed getting to wear "normal" clothes and especially getting to dress up for the formal nights! This morning, when we came out into the main area on our floor we got our first glimpse of downtown Vancouver. It was like we went into a time warp! The little town of Whittier that we started in was the complete opposite of where we were now. Here, the ship kind of blends in- but in Whittier, the ship overwhelmed the tiny little town. The ship traveled 1,652 nautical miles (1901 statute miles) since Whittier and we couldn't believe that we were already way back down in Vancouver- it is hard to explain, but it is definitely a weird feeling to have gone so far in such a short time. We met Grammy for breakfast and even got to see some of the people we talked to most while on board, one last time. Joey had a hard time sleeping last night for some reason, so he was pretty tired this morning (me too since he woke me up a few times). After finishing packing and getting the bags back on the bikes, we waited with our bikes out by the pool on our deck for our disembarkment time (which wasn't until 10:25- the last group to get off the ship!). We just lounged, took a few more walks around the ship (that is going to be something I'm going to miss a lot- just walking around the ship since there was so much of it to explore!). Eventually the time came to go to our meeting spot. It was so bitter sweet getting off the boat. We are ready to begin the second half of the trip, but we had so much fun on the cruise that we are going to miss that a lot too! Disembarkment ended up being a breeze, just like when we first got on board. We didn't have any trouble going through customs at all and since we didn't check any bags, all we had to do was walk out of the cruise terminal. When we came out into the streets, we were definitely in a completely different world than Alaska. There was so much hustle and bustle (probably because there are more people in the Vancouver area than in all of Alaska) and SO many cars! There was beautiful sunshine and it was nice and warm again- a welcome change from the cold rainy weather we've experienced in Alaska for the past few weeks. Since we had all day to explore the city, we took the long way to get to Grammy's hotel. Before we knew that Grammy was here, we had a place lined up to stay (a friend of Elise's- our host in Ninilchik, AK), but since she is here- we wanted to get to spend an extra day with her- and enjoy a hotel room too, since it will probably be the last one until December. Right near downtown was a huge park (Stanley Park) that had a bike path running along the entire perimeter, right next to the water! It was perfect. The view of the city across the water was stunning and not to mention it was great to not have to deal with traffic (even though there were a bunch of casual cyclists out for a leisurely afternoon ride). After going around the whole perimeter of the park, we crossed the first of a lot of bridges we would have to cross as we headed south. After the bridge, we found another great bike path that again followed the water. We stopped for a little snack in one of the parks and enjoyed the little package of yogurt and an orange we had left over from this morning's breakfast. At one point today we rode through the UBC (University of British Columbia) campus while we were in route to our next bridge crossing. That bridge ended up being really busy with traffic, but there was a pretty good shoulder and an entrance to a bike path as soon as we got across! This area is just so bicycle friendly, which makes me excited for Seattle and Portland. The bike path took us to yet another bridge and soon enough we were in the area of Vancouver known as Richmond. Grammy's hotel wasn't too far from the bridge and ended up being really easy to find. Our life of luxury gets to be extended for one more day! I relaxed for a little bit and enjoyed a nice hot shower while Joey went on a run for an hour. He plans to run a half marathon in San Diego and hopes to continue training and possibly up it to a full marathon when we get to Florida. For dinner,the three of us went on a little walk and Grammy treated us to Subway! Joey and I were pretty tired and Grammy had to get up to be on the shuttle bus to the airport by 4am, so we all went to bed pretty early. By the time Joey and I rode around Vancouver, we had 26.30 miles by the time we got to the hotel. It was so great to enjoy another evening with Grammy. The transition from being on the cruise ship to going back into touring mode is going to be a challenge, probably the most drastic change over on the trip. Partly because of going from relaxing to riding, but more importantly because of going from ring in AK where there is pretty much just one road, to riding through Vancouver where we could easily get lost if we weren't paying attention. The next few days will be interesting I'm sure, but eventually we will be used to riding in these populated areas as that is how it will be for the majority of the west coast.
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