Business trip to Canada - Air Canada J plus some DL and AS

[RooFlyer]

I stroll down to make an early dinner reservation at ‘Lift’ my favourite restaurant in Vancouver. After walking around some more, inspecting my future yacht and its matching tender … and a couple of individualists!




I end up at the Westin Waterfront where I know I can steal some wi-fi from their free lobby internet.

Time for dinner! Lift is on, and over the water nearby.




I’m initially offered a place upstairs ‘by the fire pit’ – but on a sunny Vancouver afternoon, who wouldn’t want to sit outside? Start with a customary G&T. Then order dinner drinks. An Okanagan Valley Sav blanc – one thing I don’t like about wine served in Canada is that you never see the bottle unless you buy a full bottle. If you order by the glass they bring a glass and a small beaker with the wine in it; from beaker they pour it into the glass. I ordered 1/2 a litre and it came in a carafe (so, was this from a 1/2 litre bottle, or was it part of an already opened 750ml bottle? or would some-one else get the dregs of my bottle?). That's the Westin on the right.




Started off with mixed BC oysters. Pacific (called Miyagi locally), Kusshi and maybe Tower Bay; a watermelon mint mignonette with it. All delicious! The plonk was good and set off the oysters brilliantly. For main I ordered halibut and was frankly disappointed with it. Good white flesh but dry and with pretty plain corn, peas and some greens as a base. Not what I come to Lift for. Dining solo you always run the risk that your order becomes an orphan in the kitchen and is neglected either during preparation or after plating. I suspect this was the case here.




Sadly, with dinner over its time to hoof it back to the station and get onto the Skytrain for YVR.

 

[Limewood]

A brilliant report as usual, really like your style of writing.

Its making it so easy to plan our proposed trip to Canada and the places mentioned.

 

[RooFlyer]

I find a quiet corner in the MLL at YVR and do some business e-mailing. Three hours passes pretty quickly and its time for boarding at about 11:05pm for a scheduled 11:45pm take-off. AC do priority boarding just fine.

I’d discovered when I checked in that to my great annoyance, the Canadian TA hadn’t followed through with my request for seating in Row 11 in the J cabin, when a seat opened up there. I’ve always had Row 6 on these flights up to now, and any seat there is great – there is a bulkhead behind, and due to the herringbone config, there is extra space to the side in these seats. Row 11 is the same. So it was a Row 10 window seat. Not good I discovered. Whoever designed these seats obviously didn’t try to sleep in them. Hard to see in the pic below but to the right when you are sitting down is a little arm rest, which hinges up when you are lying down. But it still protrudes out right at arm/elbow level, so sleeping on your back is impossible, unless you are rather slim (or rather, narrow). You can also see ACs fixation with blue lights. You can’t turn off the row under the TV screen unless you recline, and you can’t turn off the blue light at the right hand at all.

AC have introduced new amenity kits for "Executive First" as they call their long-haul J. I ask for an extra one; when she asks 'for the wife?' I answer no, I donate them to the Hobart Women's shelter. She gives me 3 more Also new are the white duvets. Longer and a bit lighter than the previous version, definitely a better product for some-one like me who usually find long haul cabins a bit warm.

Also in Row 10 I’m right next to the engine and there is a vibration the whole time until hours into the flight and we are properly cruising. Sorry for the first world problems, but just telling it as I found it. But that big engine is impressive! Here shown in reflected dawn light approaching Australia. Anyone on AC 777 should definitely try for Row 6 or Row 11.




The crew are really good - friendly, chatty to those who want to chat. Some-one is always around in the galley if you go hunting for a snack. Champagne is encouraged!

Although I had had a good dinner, it was about 6 hour prior to when on-board dinner was served. As there was another 12 hours to breakfast, I had the appetiser only, “Newfoundland lobster”. It was a small cube of lobster, again, dry, plus a prawn and a scallop. Just picked at it; not doing well with seafood today. Breakfast was better; rather than the usual omelette I chose pancakes with maple butter; it came with a fruit compote and a sausage. Sounds an odd combination but it worked really well. I polished the plate !




Arrived at SYD a bit early but then had to go through Australian Quarantine coming aboard and doing the bug spray thing. All bins open, pax sitting down and they give the cabin a good spray; after 5-10 mins we were allowed to go.
So that’s Canada done for another trip. AC SYS-YVR-SYD is definitely the most efficient way to get to Canada and the 777 isn’t a bad bird to do it in; happily do it again. But CX via HKG is my preferred way.

I have 5 days at home to recover before a grand (mainly Eastern) European trip for a month.

 

[get me outta here]

Thanks RooFlyer, really enjoyed it. As an aside I often think of things that would be helful to a women's shelter, but don't know how to get them to them. Which 'dept' did you contact as a go between?

 

[RooFlyer]

Thanks RooFlyer, really enjoyed it. As an aside I often think of things that would be helful to a women's shelter, but don't know how to get them to them. Which 'dept' did you contact as a go between?

I just looked them up in the phone book and phoned, saying what I wanted to do and asked where I should go. Its a relatively small, approachable place here in Hobart.

 

[TomVexille]

I enjoyed reading this. Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences.

 

[get me outta here]

Ok, perhaps I was thinking of safe houses rather than shelters, as the address of safe houses is kept very secret to protect the women and children. I'll follow up on the women's shelters.

I just looked them up in the phone book and phoned, saying what I wanted to do and asked where I should go. Its a relatively small, approachable place here in Hobart.

 

[JessicaTam]

Thanks for the TR. Vancouver is still on my list of places to get to.

 

[craven morehead]

"I have 5 days at home to recover before a grand (mainly Eastern) European trip for a month." Holy moly !!!

 

[RooFlyer]

"I have 5 days at home to recover before a grand (mainly Eastern) European trip for a month." Holy moly !!!

Yeah, I was trying to get the Canadians to get me over there a couple of weeks earlier ... but no ....