Victoria Island

Our last port of call is Victoria, British Columbia. Consider we didn’t dock until 6pm and then left immediately at midnight, I wouldn’t even consider this a true stop. I think the cruise line fits it in so it “appears” to be a fuller itinerary.

Fortunately, we just went there for our last family vacation in September of 2008. We spent 3 days 2 nights there on the island, so we have already seen and done the highlight stuffs.

Sandy was craving for Chinese food; we went to the small Chinatown area looking for simple Hong Kong style Chinese food. Half of the group decided to wander off on their own. Chinatown was awfully quiet. Afterward, Tom and I just walked back to the harbor/marina area. There was a night street market, we just briefly scanned at the vendors, didn’t do much. We ran into the rest of the family not too long afterward. So we were able to have couple pictures of Tom and me together!

The most memorable of this stop is the wait for the shuttle bus back to the cruise ship. Unbelievable, isn’t it? That is what happens when 2000+ people heading in the same direction within a couple hours. Not that I didn’t enjoy the cruise, but really, patience has never been one of my strength.



Let’s talk about the food, DISAPPOINTING!!! You think that since one of the onboard activities during a cruise is to eat, the food would be exceptional. It may be true for other cruise lines, but definitely not on this one. So NCL advertises about the free style cruising, you eat whenever you want, wherever you want, and with whomever you want. That is all true. But what they didn’t tell you is that the quality of the food in the main restaurants and buffet (where you don’t have to pay a supplement fee) is more like cafeteria food. The only saving grace is that you actually get service at the main restaurants even though they serve the same food in both places. They just plate it for you and you don’t have to deal with the other 2000 people. I think Tom and I ate at the “grand” buffet once during the entire week. But whenever I walked by the place, I saw many people piled their plates up with everything. I guess it is all based on your expectation. I love to eat, but I only love to eat good food. Not quantity, but quality. Besides, I really don’t want to have to “work” it off if it isn’t satisfied on the quality.

Instead we tried out the alternative options. One night, we did Japanese Teppanyaki with just the two of us. On two other occasions, we kind of talked the rest of the family into going, once at Mambos Latin/Tapas Restaurant, and once at the Cagney's Steak House. The Teppanyaki and the Steak House were good. At the Mambos Latin/Tapas Restaurant, my lobster taco was certainly not what I expected, fully loaded with cheese and more cheese, in a creamy form. I am much more use to the fresh seafood, grilled, and just lightly season. A taco shouldn’t have to be so dense!!! My own conclusion is if you want better food; pay the extra fee to get into the other restaurant. And not just any of the “extra” restaurants, go for the top one. Just for reference, at the Japanese or the Steak House, the “extra” is $25 per person. The Latin, it was $10 per person. Since there is really no restriction of what you can or cannot order from the menu, you can have more than one entrée. So recouping from the extra cost is not bad at all. And besides, your tummy would thank you.

The bright side of this disappointment is I didn’t gain weight as one would expect of any cruise passenger. I was told on the average, the weight gain is about 8 lbs for a 7 days trip. Wow. And since the food was not up to par, I didn’t bother to take pictures. If there are any food pictures, at most, they are only a handful!

Instead here are a few of my favorite "meal time" pictures of the kids.