Life-long learning is near and dear to The Travel Gallery team. A day rarely goes by without at least one of us taking a workshop, a webinar, attending a conference or a product launch, or upgrading our technical skills. It's the only way we can keep on top of this fast-paced, ever changing industry, and make sure that we're equipped to give you top-notch service every time we interact. In this issue of TravelChatter we want to focus on two recent experiences. In May, Lorna Cook (VP) and Nicole Blondeau (Manager, Special Projects) spent four days aboard Holland America's Volendam on its North Pacific Cruise. Their reflections are included below.

This week, a group of us attended an open house at the Hotel Saskatchewan. The reception was held in the Royal Suite where Queen Elizabeth, President Clinton and Mick Jagger have all spent the night. Wow. The suite is beautiful. And of course as guests we were given a taste of the Hotel Saskatchewan's famous brand of service: wonderful, welcoming staff, delicious food and lovely wine. There are two things that we want to draw your attention to: the first is the establishment of The Hotel Saskatchewan Club. Think of it as a business club - it's for local people. There are many benefits including: valet parking, complementary boardroom use, signing privileges, friends and family guest room rates on weekends ($50 a night - can you believe it?, fitness club memberships, club lounge, formal and informal dining, and the opportunity to take advantage of reciprocal club services around the world. Another thing we learned about the Hotel Saskatchewan is that they are putting in new elevators this year. It's a huge project and they hope to have it completed within the next three months. Once they do, you'll be able to travel much more quickly to the top floors.

Thank you to everyone for the lovely evening.

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Lorna and Nicole sail on Holland America's Volendam

Embarkation:

Lorna: It was very exciting when I arrived for embarkation because two cruise ships were boarding at the same time so there were masses of people in line, although we were moved very quickly.

Nicole: Embarkation was exciting, a bit chaotic. Getting on the ship I could see very quickly the staff is very friendly, everyone says hello as you walk by.

The decor

Lorna: The Volendam is a newly renovated cruise ship and it was exciting to be the first to sail on it after the restoration. The décor was very colorful with a red, orange, yellow and royal blue theme throughout. Some of the new furniture was very futuristic.

The stateroom

Nicole: It definitely made a difference to have the larger suite and balcony. Sitting on the

balcony when the ship is cruising at sea is a surreal experience for sure: you, the ocean, and nothing else.

Dining

Lorna: The formal dining room was lovely and I attended a Master Chef’s dinner which was theatrical and delicious. The dessert bar was scrumptious and I was able to have ice cream every day.

Nicole: The Lido restaurant is a buffet type style which was nice for most of our meals.

Activities on board

Lorna: I visited all of the bars and lounges, as well as the disco and casino and participated in many of the activities. There were so many things to do while on board such as attending a jewelry show, a liquor tasting event, cooking classes, bingo and several cocktail parties directed at various age groups, including singles events with live entertainment. The fitness and spa facilities were exceptional offering a variety of group fitness classes, state of the art fitness equipment and relaxing spa treatments.

Shore Excursions: Best of Seattle (Lorna & Nicole)

We were taken by bus on a tour of the Space Needle and driven by some historical sites in Seattle. The highlight was going to the World Famous Pike Place Fish Market renowned for the FISH Philosophy morale boosting training courses. The market had numerous artists and craftsmen so a great place to shop for gifts.

Astoria, Oregon (Lorna & Nicole)

A tour through a lovely beach town with some time to spend on the beach and shop a little. The weather was over 100 degrees F so it was not the best day to be riding on a bus tour. I loved this small town area. It was literally like stepping into a movie set. The houses were the quintessential small beach town homes. They were beautiful (and, we were told by our guide, very expensive).

Victoria, High Tea

Lorna: After a wonderful tour of all the city of Victoria and particularly the prestigious homes along the coast, I attended High Tea at the fabulous Empress Hotel in downtown Victoria. This was an extraordinary experience because the hotel is very regal, the tea service was amazing. It was by far my favorite tour on this trip.

Victoria, Highlights & Cragdarroch Castle tour

Nicole: My absolute favorite stop. I hadn’t been here since I was a child and had no memory of it. I fell in love with the harbour area. We saw the famous Empress Hotel, Legislature building, other city highlights and the Craigdarroch castle. I then walked around the harbour area, took in the wax museum and the Royal British Museum. Both of which were worth the admission cost and time. The harbour area is just so beautiful, the people of Victoria seemed to all come out to enjoy the beautiful day and walk by the water.