Today, the NCL Spirit docked in Vancouver, and the cruise part of my trip came to an end.
Vancouver, Canada.
The ship arrived in Vancouver, Canada, at around 6:30 am, and I got up and took a shower, got dressed and prepared to leave the ship. I went to the buffet for breakfast, which was packed with people scrabbling for a seat and something to eat. The buffet restaurants on board cruise ships are the worst part of the cruise, and on the NCL Spirit, it wasn't very good because of the size of the ship and the number of passengers all trying to eat at the same time.
I had a small breakfast and took some orange juice with me when I left. I walked up to the deck at the front of the ship to get my first view of Vancouver. From the ship, it looked like a very modern and immaculate city. It was a shame I wouldn't have time to look around. In hindsight, I should have extended my holiday by a couple of days and had a look around Vancouver.
I was eventually allowed to leave the ship and was happy to collect my case quickly and pass through immigration and customs into Canada. I was also lucky when one of the people working there helped me towards a coach that would take me straight to the airport. The journey through Vancouver strengthened my view of the city, which is that it is a very modern and clean city. I enjoyed the drive through downtown Vancouver and looking out over the landscape. As we approached the airport, the coach pulled into a large car park where we were supposed to be checked by security before going to the airport. The security man spoke briefly to the coach driver, and we were all allowed on our way without being checked.
At the airport, I was really impressed by its layout and how clean it was. I had a few hours to wait before I could check in and sat in one of the areas with bars and restaurants. I had something to eat and drink from one of the cafes and was surprised at how low the price of the stuff was. In the UK or even in Spain, the prices would have been at least twice what I paid. I sat watching the world go by as I ate my food and read my Kindle. When the check-in desk opened, I took my luggage to the desk and checked in. As I approached the queue for the desk, I was taken to one side and shown to the first-class desk so that I didn't have to queue. Check-in was easy, and the lady there quickly arranged for an electric cart to pick me up so I didn't have to walk. I was delighted about this as my legs were very swollen and I was in a lot of pain. Firstly, the cart took me to a security point where I was checked through, and then it took me all the way to my gate.
I had a few hours to wait before boarding, but there was a bar next to the gate, and I went there for a beer. When I went back to the gate, I didn't have to wait long before someone approached me and took me through the first-class entrance so that I wouldn't have to queue or wait to board the plane. Once onboard the plane and in my seat, I opened my Kindle and began to read.
Once the flight had taken off, I began watching a marathon of films. I have never been able to sleep on planes, and before the flight arrived in Madrid, I had watched every film I wanted to see and read so much on my Kindle that the battery ran close to empty before I plugged it into charge.