Heading out on the Cruise
I woke up about 5:00 and really didn't want to bother Nan, so I sat at the room desk hunched over my tablet and trying to block the light and keep the volume way down. Eventually I just got dressed and went down to the breakfast room and played on the internet.
At 8:00 the others came down for breakfast. We chatted about the days plans and watched the new relay stories of Mohamad Ali's death. We each shared our own memories and Nan talked about when he trained in Showlow for a fight.ar
We decided to meet up at 10:30 to head for the ship, so Nan and I went to the room to re-pack all our stuff.
I'd bought some rollup vacuum bags for our clothes. You load everything in the bag as flat as you can, then you seal the double zip lock, And finally, you roll from the zip lock toward the bottom of the bag squeezing all the air out the bottom and it just stays out. It's pretty cool. We've used vacuum bags before but you had to have an actual vacuum. These work just by rolling and squeezing so it's easy to repack. I'm going to use these for my motorcycle rides from now on.
We met up at 10:30 and loaded the car. We put most of the bags in the back (6 big bags) then stuck Nan in the back seat and piled the rest around her.
Angela's GPS took us north up the 405 to I-90 which turned out to be under construction. It took us 45 minutes to go 10 miles and started to get us all a little frazzled with worry. We finally made it through the construction, then meandered through the streets of Seattle to the ferry terminal.
John dropped us off in front of the terminal. A nice guy with a big cart loaded all our luggage then headed for the terminal. We were hoping that he was really with the cruise line, and since our luggage showed up at our room, he must have been legit.
John and Eric left to return the rental car to downtown Seattle. Nan, Angela, Shauna, and I went to a small snack stand outside to wait for them. It took nearly 45 minutes to return the rental and ride the shuttle back to us. Alamo, National, and Elite all share a shuttle bus to and from pier 91, so we could have rented from any of them to use the shuttle.
John dropped us off in front of the terminal. A nice guy with a big cart loaded all our luggage then headed for the terminal. We were hoping that he was really with the cruise line, and since our luggage showed up at our room, he must have been legit.
John and Eric left to return the rental car to downtown Seattle. Nan, Angela, Shauna, and I went to a small snack stand outside to wait for them. It took nearly 45 minutes to return the rental and ride the shuttle back to us. Alamo, National, and Elite all share a shuttle bus to and from pier 91, so we could have rented from any of them to use the shuttle.
Inside the terminal it took about 30 minutes to go through security and get checked in. We were on floor 8 which is the top passenger level. Nan and I were on the port side with a balcony, just 3 rooms back from the front of the ship.
Our luggage came just as we entered the room so we began to unpack. After unpacking, we met up with everyone for lunch. It was a learning experience because everyone else had come immediately to the dining room and we had to search for a while before finding a table to hold us all. Then we had to beg for silverware. You can't be timid on a cruise or you'll starve I guess.
After lunch we had the mandatory evacuation drill. Since we started at the top deck, by the time we got downstars the rest of the boat had already lined up and been scanned. We appeared to be the stragglers holding everyone up.
Released from the drill, we wandered around the deck of the ship till we reached the stern. The boat was just about to launch so we watched the shore crew unhook the lines. The ropes were so big that it took a fork lift to raise the ropes off the bollards.
Released from the drill, we wandered around the deck of the ship till we reached the stern. The boat was just about to launch so we watched the shore crew unhook the lines. The ropes were so big that it took a fork lift to raise the ropes off the bollards.
It seemed no time at all and we were heading for another meal. This time in the formal dining room at the back of the ship.
After dining we went to a trivia contest in the crows nest, then went to listen to a blues band and finally watched the nights show where they introduced the main crew representatives. We also listened to a comedian who made fun of his age, cell phones, ignorant kids, aching limbs, and other such topics which made all us geriatrics laugh.
Sittin on the dock of the sound
Mount Rainier from the ship
Releasing the mooring lines
Seattle from the ship
Eric and Shauna with seattle reflected in the window
Nannette said "I've never had baked alaska"
My stinky cheese desert tray
The view from the Crow's nest
After dining we went to a trivia contest in the crows nest, then went to listen to a blues band and finally watched the nights show where they introduced the main crew representatives. We also listened to a comedian who made fun of his age, cell phones, ignorant kids, aching limbs, and other such topics which made all us geriatrics laugh.
Sittin on the dock of the sound
Mount Rainier from the ship
Releasing the mooring lines
Seattle from the ship
Eric and Shauna with seattle reflected in the window
Nannette said "I've never had baked alaska"
My stinky cheese desert tray
The view from the Crow's nest
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