Morning: Friday was our last full day onboard ship. Thus, our checked-in luggage had to be fully packed and placed in the hallway before midnight so the porters could have it ready to transport to shore once we arrived in Seattle the following day. Therefore, Peep and I spent the morning hours getting our luggage packed and ready, knowing that we would not have time in the evening because we would be out exploring Victoria.
Jeopardized Game Show: Having spent the majority of the morning preparing for our disembarkation, Peep and I were ready to have a little fun in the afternoon. My parents had told us their plans to compete in the Jeopardized Game Show, so we joined them, along with my niece and nephew, to test our trivia knowledge. We didn't do too bad, but missed the final Jeopardy question, wiping out all our winnings.
Mirror Mirror: Although Peep had already seen the movie a couple of days before, we sat down in the comfort of the Princess Theater to watch "Mirror Mirror". The show started one hour before dinner, so we left to go eat before it ended. In order to spend as much time as we could in Victoria before the sun went down, we wanted to finish dinner and get off the ship as early as possible. Our arrival in Victoria was announced as we were eating our meal, however Peep opted to get dessert, so it took a little longer to make it off the ship than I had hoped for.
Victoria: In my rush to get out and see Victoria before dark, I inadvertently left the walking tour map in our cabin and did not realize it until we were well under way. Fortunately, I recalled that our tour started at an information booth, so we headed there to see if we could get a replacement map. On our way, we made a quick stop at the Fisherman's Wharf Float Home Village. There were many floating homes tied to the docks there, all brightly painted and unique. Continuing along the Victoria Harbor waterfront we passed by the British Columbia Parliament Buildings and the ivy-clad Empress hotel. We eventually arrived at the information booth and found it open, so we were able to pick up a new map. There were four walking tours available to us, but we only had enough time to complete one so, sticking with the gold rush theme of the trip, we chose the Fools Rush In tour.
Government Street: The tour started out with a walk up Government Street. This was the main street in Victoria in the 1800s and experienced sporadic growth as five separate gold rushes came and went. The Windsor Hotel, built on Government Street in 1853, was one of British Columbia's first brick buildings. George Richardson, the original owner, set off an explosion when, by candlelight, he went to investigate an odd smell, which ended up being a leaking gas pipe. Although all the windows and part of a wall were blown out, he miraculously survived.
Dominion Customs House & Waterfront: Crossing over a block onto Wharf Street, we came upon the Dominion Customs House, built on the waterfront by the Canadian government just five years after British Columbia joined Canada in 1871. Thousands of prospectors lined up here to get permits to travel from Skagway, Alaska into the Yukon Territory in their search for gold during the Klondike Gold Rush.
Next to the Customs House, in what is now a parking lot, used to sit Enterprise Wharf, the gateway to victoria for many miners. On the wharf sat the largest building in the colony when it was constructed in 1856, Hudson's Bay Company's brick warehouse. On sale here were gold pans, flour, frying pans, boots, blankets and ammunition - everything a gold miner needs. Although the rest of the building was demolished in the 1940s, the back wall still stands to support Wharf Street above it.
Bastion Square: Sitting just across the street from Enterprise Wharf, Bastion Square was the center of action for the rowdy gold miners, who resorted to drinking, gambling, womanizing, and fighting. Consequently, one of the first buildings here was a police station and jail. Victoria's first fire department, the Union Hook and Ladder Company, was also located here. Much of Victoria was wooden buildings and tents at the time, so fire was a constant threat. Just up Wharf Street from Bastion Square, on the harbor side of the street, sits The Ship Inn, one of many pubs in Victoria built to service the gold miners.
Yates Street, Waddington Alley & Johnson Street: Due to its proximity to Enterprise Wharf, Yates Street was a popular place and many businesses thrived there. One street up sat Johnson Street, the location of several properties owned by Alfred Waddington, who, in 1858, built Waddington Alley in an effort to encourage more patrons to visit his business. It worked, and the face of Johnson Street was changed forever. Many of the wooden blocks used to pave the alley years after its construction are still in use today.
Songhees Walkway: Having concluded our walking tour with just a whisper of sunlight left, we continued around the harbor, over the Johnson Street bridge and along the Songhees Walkway, where we found a small park from which we got a panoramic view of the harbor front. The park was dedicated to the Songhees, also known as the Lekwungen People, who inhabited the area dating back 4,000 years. While we were at the park, the sky faded to black, so from there we made our way back to the ship.
Midnight Buffet: The dinner buffet runs from 5:30 p.m. to midnight every day of the cruise, but Peep and I hadn't made it there yet since we never ate after our dinner, which we always had in the sit-down dinning room with my family. After our excursion in Victoria, though, we decided to hit the buffet for the dessert we missed at dinner time. Shortly after finding a table and sitting down, my sister and her daughter joined us. This was their first trip to the midnight buffet as well. Then, my parents showed up, having made it to the buffet every night of the cruise. It was a great way to spend the final evening onboard ship.
Trip Home: The following day the Golden Princess pulled into port in Seattle. We had our usual buffet breakfast before settling into one of the lounges before our disembarkation. We were summoned when they were ready for us to leave the ship. We then made the bus trip back to the airport, minus the city tour, where we said our good byes to my brother and sister and their families. They were all flying back home while Peep, my parents, and I had a long drive across the state of Washington and into Idaho ahead of us to visit Peep's boss at his home there for several days.
Personal Messages: You can find each family member's personal thoughts of the cruise on the Alaskan Cruise Impressions page.