To say that 4:30 came too early was an understatement. After a picture perfect day touring Seattle the prior day, we weren’t quite ready to say goodbye; however with our Disney Cruise on the horizon, it didn’t take much convincing to get up and get going. Emily and I got ready first to let the boys sleep for a little bit longer, but we eventually had to roll them over to greet the day. We had prearranged a 6:00 am taxi ride from the Hotel at Olive 8 to the Amtrak station. When we were ready I grabbed a luggage cart and arranged our mountain of suitcases for the trek from the sixth floor to the lobby. We tried our best to keep the volume down as we traversed the halls, as not to wake anyone up at that ungodly hour.
We rolled our travel gear out into the cool Seattle morning and scoured the streets to locate our taxi driver. Luckily he was there early, and with a little finagling we crammed the suitcases into the van and were off to King Street Station. Our driver was a bit salty, but we chalked that up to the fact that we got him up before 6:00 am. After another creative maneuvering of our luggage from the taxi into the train station for our luggage drop off, we headed to the Amtrak check-in area for our departing railway trip.
Amtrak Train – Seattle to Vancouver
King Street Station is absolutely gorgeous inside, built in 1906 and now on the National Register of Historic Places. Being there early ensured we could capture plenty of pictures of the interior. The train station checkin area was relatively empty and calm as we were one of the first groups to arrive for the early trip to Vancouver. Because seats aren’t predetermined, we knew our early arrival would help us secure optimal seating for the northbound route, as we were the first ones in line for Business Class. Emily, of course, had read up on exactly where the best seats would be to capture great photos and video. Although both sides provided great views, we were able to secure seats on the ocean side of the train in rows 2 & 3 (seats A & B).
With our seats secured, we had a bit of time before the train’s arrival, so I offered to find a nearby Starbucks to get Emily and Hunter drinks for the ride. Hunter agreed to go exploring with me, so we let Siri guide us to a nearby Starbucks, just down the street from Century Link Field. Although the streets were basically empty, all of the mobile humans in the area seemed to have congregated at this particular Starbucks. We grabbed a couple of iced coffees and hustled back to the train station.
We arrived just in time as the train station speakers announced the arrival of the Amtrak Cascades shortly after we got back. This was our family’s first train ride (for travel transportation purposes) so we were excited to get aboard and explore the locomotive. Ever since he was small, Hunter has loved trains, so we knew this would be a fun addition to our train experiences over the years. We grabbed our carry-on items as our tickets were called for boarding around 7:00 am and walked down the platform to our designated train car. We could see the different train cars on our walk, and we all got excited about the dining car offering that was just a few cars in front of ours. Inside our car, number 2, we walked through a sliding glass door into the seating area, where we spotted our seats. We had four seats facing each other, so Hunter and I were allowed to sit facing forward (because we don’t travel well) and Emily and Sawyer faced backward. Everyone got their devices, pillows and snacks situated and placed our remaining gear in storage.
The train car was fairly cozy, as the seats were comfortable with a restroom just steps away from our seats. Being the one who always drives on all of our adventures, I was grateful to have the opportunity to ride and relax, and enjoy the rolling views outside the window. Not long after we had gotten situated the wheels were rolling and we were on our way for our first ever family trip to Canada! It didn’t take long for our snack loving family to get the itch to explore the train and, more specifically, the Bistro Car. One of the “perks” of Business Class was receiving credits for use in the Bistro.
We packed away our belongings and walked forward a couple of cars where we were met by a line that stretched out of the Bistro Car and into the Dining Car. It was still very early so our assumption was that they were just serving breakfast items. We reviewed the menu and prepared our orders as we worked our way closer to the Bistro Car counter. Once there we were informed that many of the breakfast items had already been sold out. To our surprise however, the entire menu was available to order so Hunter ended up ordering a personal DiGiorno pizza, Emily and I got breakfast sandwiches, and Sawyer ordered some pretzels. Just as our order was up another family offered us their dining table as they had just finished. Hunter absolutely raved about his pizza, stating it was the best he ever had (I am sure it had something to do with being super hungry as well as the novelty of being on a train, as it was literally a microwaved frozen pizza).
After our super early snack time wrapped up, we trekked back to our seats and settled in for the remainder of the scenic ride. The boys quickly settled in with their iPads and headphones, lifting their heads only when directed to see the real world outside the window. Emily ended up trading seats with Hunter as she was the one actually enjoying the views. The ride was relaxing and beautiful as the train traversed numerous backdrops on its way across the US/Canada border. We took photos and video along the way, appreciating how carefree train travel is. After several hours the conductor came over the intercom instructing us that we would be arriving in Vancouver and to get our belongings situated for our arrival in Canada right at lunchtime.
Arrival in Vancouver, Canada
The arrival and customs process in Vancouver was quick and painless, and we found ourselves outside of the train station, with our slew of luggage on a cart looking for a taxi. We were one of the first groups through the process and we found ourselves in the front of the taxi line, which was fairly organized. We quickly realized however that the majority of cars that came by the pickup location were compact cars at best. As they eyed our eight-piece luggage set they grinned and moved onto the next guests in line. It took a few rounds of this before a taxi driver was nice enough to call in a minivan taxi to get us and our luggage to our hotel. After about twenty minutes we were greeted by our taxi driver and his duct-taped vehicle from the 70s. He was able to get our luggage into his car and we enjoyed a quiet, yet rattly, ride through Vancouver to the Auberge. Our driver said about 3 words the entire drive and I am not sure any of them were intended for us. When we saw our hotel on the horizon you could feel a collective sigh of relief.
The ten minute ride felt like about 2 hours but we were finally on solid ground, as we secured a luggage cart and checked into the Auberge. The hotel was beautiful, situated just a couple of blocks away from the Port of Vancouver, where we would be departing the next day. The check-in process was smooth and our room was ready for us which couldn’t have made us happier. We shoved our luggage cart into the elevator and headed up to the room to get our stuff situated. The hotel room was a one bedroom suite with a family room area, small kitchen area, and large bedroom. Both rooms had floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the port. Great job Emily finding this place!
After a short chill break we agreed that our train breakfast had worn off and we were ready for a late lunch. We set out on foot looking for a fun local place to eat. We wanted to take a walk through the port area on our way because it was so close. As we walked we engaged a few locals asking for recommendations. After some feedback we agreed to check out Steamworks, located just a couple of blocks from the port.
Lunch at Steamworks: Gastown’s Original Steam Brewery – Vancouver, Canada
Steamworks was a cute pub which reminded me of a pub you might see in England. As you walked through the restaurant there were dark woods and multiple levels of seating areas. There were also sections that were not for kids, much different than what you find in Orlando. We were brought to a section and table that was appropriate for our traveling party. Because we all woke up so early and didn’t eat much, we were all dragging a bit. I ended up ordering a burger, Emily got a chicken sandwich, Sawyer ordered a cheese pizza, and Hunter went off the grid and ordered garlic chicken wings. Of course Emily ordered a poutine for the table to start, because when in Canada… The food was OK but nothing exceptional. They allowed us ample time to enjoy our lunch as we were all ready to head out long before we were able to flag down our check. Impatient Americans we are!
After lunch we enjoyed the stroll back to our hotel, popping in and out of a few stores along the way. Knowing that we would be back to Vancouver another day on our return, we agreed buying stuff at this point would only mean cramming our already packed luggage before the cruise. After bookmarking a few items at different stores, the group was still dragging so we headed back to the hotel to chill and prepare ourselves for our seven night cruise departure the next day. Back in the room the boys quickly curled up with the iPads and blankets for a relaxing break. Emily and I took the time to ensure we had the right items in the correct bags and talked through how we would navigate getting our luggage to the port the following day.
Dinner at Nordstrom Cafe – Vancouver, Canada
After a long, relatively relaxing break, it was already time for dinner. Living in Orlando, we used to have a favorite spot that we ate at, Nordstrom Cafe (yeah we are crazy exciting people!). Unfortunately our Nordstrom closed several years ago and we have been missing it ever since. In Emily’s research of downtown Vancouver she located a Nordstrom store within walking distance that had a cafe! Although I wasn’t feeling great (maybe that 4 AM wakeup call?), we all decided that we should make the most of our time so we headed out on foot to Nordstrom Cafe.
The weather was beautiful as the sun was working its way down the downtown skyline. After a quick walk we arrived and took an elevator up to the restaurant. The food and location were just perfect as we enjoyed a relaxing dinner. Emily ordered a crab roll with fries (we love their fries), I ordered two small tacos, Hunter ordered baked chicken, potatoes, and chicken noodle soup, and Sawyer got his normal butter noodles. The food and the service were fantastic!
Evening Stroll Through Downtown Vancouver, Canada
After dinner we took a walk around Vancouver to enjoy the late evening activities. Of course the late evening for us is 7:30. We walked down a few streets and then headed off to the water side to check out what Vancouver had to offer. Our secondary objective was to find a fun local spot to have breakfast the next day, prior to boarding the ship. The city and waterfront area were fantastic and the evening weather the cherry on top.
Our traveling route eventually took us back to the Auberge Hotel. It had been a long day since arising in Seattle at 4:30 so it didn’t take much for us to be ready to retire to the room. The boys got ready for bed and relaxed while Emily and I got the final evening preparations done for the next day. I decided I would get up early and head down to the waterfront to capture images and videos of the ship arriving the following day. Certainly a day full of travel and adventure. Can’t wait to set sail for Alaska tomorrow!
