Too long

It is hard to believe that we have gone from April 7 until now without being on a cruise. That will soon be corrected. We sail tomorrow, December 3rd/2015. Eight months is the longest we have gone between cruises since we started cruising in January of 2009.

All of the cruises have been special and all have been memorable but this one will have its own very special aspect. This is the 50th anniversary cruise for Princess Cruise line. The entire cast of the television show "The Love Boat" is scheduled to be on board and lots of other special surprises have been promised.

We booked this cruise in May of 2014 and it seems as if that was years ago. Well time crawled by and finally the time arrived. Yesterday we left Vancouver to begin this adventure. Marg and Dave Ruben picked us up at the house and delivered us safely to the Vancouver airport. Our flight was due to leave at one and so we needed to be at the airport 3 hours ahead of departure. That meant being there by ten. We left Abbotsford around 7:30 and we were safely deposited at YVR at 9:30. The traffic was heavy because it was rush hour but Dave skillfully maneuvered all of the lane changes and got us to the plane in lots of time.

We expected to have to wait for a while before we could check in but that was not the case. There was not a line up and the agent took us immediately and in less that a half hour we had jumped all of the hurdles and we were at Starbucks enjoying a leisurely coffee and engaging in one of my favorite pass times... People watching.

We found a gift of a granite inukshuk to bring to Ken and Wendy. We considered bringing smoked salmon but we were not sure that they eat fish since they are vegetarians.

We found our gate and shared a sandwich. Soon the plane was called. We were supposed to leave at 1:05 but it was 1:35 before we got away. The plane was full and Ken had his window seat so all was well. I read the novel " Executive Decision" during and before the flight. I finished it just before we landed so that was very good. It was a silly romance novel, just right for relaxing.

I was concerned that with the late departure we might miss our shuttle but in spite of that we arrived in LA at 3:50 and we were not scheduled to arrive until 4:05.
We had no trouble getting our luggage. It was great to see the luggage carousel decorated for Christmas.

 we were outside at the Prime Time shuttle station at 4:20.
The air was so warm and I had to smile to see that the agent was wearing a heavy jacket.
Our ride was scheduled for 5:40. I had left lots of time in case of delays. I could not believe it when we were called to get our ride at 4:30.

 We were driven in a private car and one hour later we were in front of Ken and Wendy's. The traffic was horrific and I certainly was glad to not be driving or have Ken driving either. So we sat back and relaxed and enjoyed what Christmas light displays there were.

We were welcomed graciously. They have a way of making you feel like they have been waiting for you and that you are the most special guests ever.
We laughed and visited and had supper. Then we sat and watched the Canucks play hockey and lose in the 3 on 3 as usual. Then we called it a night.
The bed was so comfortable and their home is wonderful. They even had fleece sheets on the bed, just for us.