VICTORIA:
The last day is always the saddest day because "now it's time to say goodbye".
We had gotten our place holder earlier in the cruise so we knew we would be cruising again but after the semester we had had this cruise could have gone on a lot longer. I also don't think we will be cruising again until 2020 because DD wants to go to Aulani next year for her graduation from college and if we do add a cruise on it most likely will be NCL.
But for today we went to Butchard Gardens and were going to have the dinner we waited all cruise for at Tiana's Place. We were so hoping that it wouldn't disappoint and it did not!
Chris and DD had gone to the gardens on the last Alaskan cruise and fell in love with it and DD's minor is in photography due to it. DS and I had taken a peddlecar ride through Victoria downtown.
So this time Chris took me to the gardens.
We have nothing to compare this to in Arizona. We have the beautiful Desert Botanical Garden. This is one of the more beautiful gardens I have ever seen. And if you are from the Southwest you will understand when I say that the green is green ( not the green AZ has!).
The only thing that was disappointing is that there were no roses in bloom. Chris even noticed that which he said that he thought was kind of weird. Roses are my favorite flower.
We walked through the sunken garden, Japanese garden, saw the antique carousel (LOVE carousels!) where the animals were all hand carved and had gelato at their gelato parlour.
Walked around their gift shop and got a tee for DD. DS collects neckties. We could not find a tie her, in Vancouver or at the Vancouver airport. I don't think they wear ties in Canada=)
Our bus/tour guide was very nice and told some interesting stories about the Butchard family and Victoria as he drove back to the port. You could get off at a particular spot and walk back to the ship but we decided to just go back to the ship. He had driven around most of the highlights of the city and it almost felt like to tours in one.
By the time we got back to the ship it was almost time to get ready for dinner. We both kept thinking and hoping that it would be good.
I had warned our tablemates that I was going to turn into a kid, especially if I saw Louis, the alligator.
Our tablemates had each cruised
DCL before, maybe two or three times.When it came up that this was our eighth cruise and had been filling them on a couple of things (such as three not two new ships and scouting for another island like
Castaway Cay) they all decided that I should be a crew member and working for DCL! Thank you, no. I would not care to work a 70 hour work week!