Getting there and Embarkation Day

My son drove me to the airport about noon on Saturday, Sept 28. I hadn't remembered there was a football game happening, and we took what should have been the shortest route, but traffic was pretty busy. In any event, I was there in plenty of time for my 3 p.m. flight to Calary. The flights to Seattle via Calgary, were fine and on time. However, the airport in Seattle is a gong-show due to the amount of on-going construction.* We arrived to be told we would be disembarking on the tarmac, where we transferred to a bus, and then seemingly, drove the far way around the terminal to a long ramp that switched back and forth until finally spitting us into a lower hallway. From there we turned right and walked the length of the building to the carousel. Once the luggage arrived, I called the hotel and was advised to go upstairs, walk across a skywalk to the garage, take the escalator back downstairs, cross the street and call back with the number on the red pillar closest to me. Confused yet? I was. I eventually found my way after checking with a young woman at a kiosk in the garage.

When I booked this cruise, I booked the Holiday Inn Express - Tukwila due to the availability of a hotel shuttle, a complimentary breakfast, and the fact the hotel was on the list of hotels for the Seattle Express shuttle. The shuttle driver arrived about 15 minutes after my second call. I've forgotten his name, but the fellow was friendly, and very curious about Canada. We arrived at the hotel about 10:30 p.m. by which time I was feeling quite tired. The front desk clerk checked me in quickly, gave me directions to the elevators and I was soon in my room for the night.

It was a lovely room, spacious and spotless. The view from the window was a parking lot, so I left the curtains closed. The bathroom, no photo, was also large and clean. It didn't take me long to get ready for bed and I'm sure I was asleep in minutes. The next morning, I went down for breakfast about 7:15 - lots to choose from! I had the shuttle scheduled for 9 a.m., but my notice indicated I should be downstairs firfteen minutes earlier. Since I'm always concerned about missing the bus/flight, I was there even earlier, about 8:30 and the driver Satchel, arrived a few minutes later. I was first on the bus, but there were several more stops before we reached the pier. We were unloading just before 10 a.m., dropped off luggage with the porters and were soon in a queue to get through security before heading upstairs to the waiting area. I don't think we were waiting more than 10 minutes before we were allowed onboard the ship.

There was time to visit the aft of the ship for some photos, a chance to relax and knit, before I met some members of the FB group for lunch. There were eight of us for lunch, including two women I would see more of throughout the cruise. (Lisa and Lee)

We were docked at Pier 91, while this Norwegian ship (not sure which one) was at the downtown Pier. 

After lunch, the staterooms were available and I went up to drop of my carry-on and personal items. There I met Jerry, my steward, who asked me to complete the declaration form for Victoria. Yes, since we were heading to Canada for our first port, we all had to complete a form indicating the purpose of our visit, the goods we were bringing with us, etc. That was a first for me. After collecting the form, he headed off and as my luggage had arrived, I took the opportunity to unpack. That out of the way, I spent some time reading on my balcony, before heading back to the Wakeview area (Aft 16) for sail-away. Lee met me there and we had a great chat. 

At the dock opposite to us was the Royal Caribbean Radience of the Sea. This is one of RCL's smaller ships with a capacity of approximately 2500 passengers. In comparison the Majestic Princess carries 3560 passengers. I can assure you, there were not nearly that many - getting my luggage before mid-afternoon is quite unusual. 

Then it was time to get ready for dinner and the pre-dinner meeting with the solos and singles. There were two or three who joined me at the Crown Grill bar at 5:15, but it wasn't until 6 p.m. the the Princess host realized that there were several groups in the vicinity and brought us all together. In total there were nearly 25 people who came that first evening. I should note there was no signage, the Crown Grill bar seating area is small, and the majority of the group ended up meeting in the hallway - there was seating but it wasn't in the location indicated. 

Oh well, not an auspicious start, but I did join a group of eight for dinner in the dining room. Several of these solos/singles met every evening thereafter: Bill, Leeann, Sharon, Andy, Edlinda, and me. Others that came and went included Dave, Lynn, Jan, Lee, Lisa, Rose, and couple others whose names I have forgotten. Dinner was lovely, but I chose not to go to the shows that evening, rather headed back to my stateroom for a good night's sleep.

Next up - Day 1 - Victoria, British Columbia

* On the other hand, the departures area of the airport, while congested, did not have the same level of construction.