May 13, 2011 - We boarded Celebrity Millennium shortly after 1:00pm on Friday after spending an hour in the cattle chutes leading up to security and immigration.  As this was the first Alaska sailing of the season, we'll cut the port authority and the cruise line some slack but it was a long haul to get on the ship (some passengers waited three hours to board later in the afternoon), but it was not up to the usual efficiency we have come to expect from this port.

Most cruise ships sail from Canada Place in downtown Vancouver and this is where we boarded Millennium.  The real advantage of this mooring is the view of the heritage buildings in east Vancouver.  This is the Dominion Building, a 13-storey "sky scraper" built in 1910 in the "Second Empire" architectural style.  More modern, and far taller, sky scrappers can been seen in the background while shorter buildings contemporary to the Dominion Building are visible in the foreground.  A number of Hollywood movies and TV shows have been filmed in and around this Vancouver landmark.

May 12, 2011 - out first ever spring cruise to Alaska began with a day in Vancouver to explore the downtown core.  We decided to stay at the Pan Pacific Hotel as this is where Celebrity Millennium was sailing from.  From our hotel room on the 23rd floor we had a great view of the heritage buildings and rail yard in Vancouver's east end.  This is the transportation hub of downtown with commuter trains, the Sea Bus, Light Rail Transit, float plane and helicopter terminals all within a few blocks of the hotel.