Clean and Green, Must be Seen
by Roderick Eime in Vancouver
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 (www.fairmont.com) 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” and it seems the perfect maritime destination. With many international air links, a slightly more relaxed customs and immigration procedure and a pally 'Commonwealth' kinship, Canada is a natural destination for vacationing Australians and the telltale Aussie twang soon becomes a familiar sound in the coffee shops, museums and hotel lobbies.
Vancouver spent the last few years at the top of the 'world's most liveable cities' list (just recently pipped by Melbourne) and it's easy to see why. There's a relaxed lifestyle with a pronounced ecologically responsible and sustainable living focus. It feels safe and the folks are welcoming and helpful with clear signage and many familiar brands and logos. For entertaining 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 and transport a fun doddle.
While there is some stiff competition with neighbouring Seattle, the financially-strapped US city is luring some vessels away with discount port fees. Disney Wonder will move there in 2012, but the Sapphire Princess will quickly fill the void, maintaining annual cruise visitors at a healthy 650-660,000. True, both green-leaning ports offer excellent visitor amenities for cruise visitors, but the Canadians will argue their city offers greater potential for pre- and post-cruise extensions and from what I've seen in my short stay, it is a persuasive argument. Imagine throwing snowballs and swimming in a cool mountain lake on the same day, I did.
I'm writing this week's piece 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, RM is partnering with HAL 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 [www.tourismwhistler.com], 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 [www.tourismvancouver.com] as a guest of Rocky Mountaineer [www.rockymountaineer.com] and Tourism BC [www.hellobc.com]
