Embarkation

A very busy day for us.  After a mid-morning breakfast in downtown Seattle, we returned to the hotel, packed, & caught a shuttle for the short ride to the cruise terminal. Arriving at 12:30pm, the embarkation process was a snap despite a few hundred in line – we were processed and on the ship within 30 minutes. Holland America has always been extremely well-organized, and our classification as five-star mariners put us in an express lane saving at least an hour. Once onboard, we immediately ran into several resident Officers we’ve sailed with in the past and to our surprise, they remembered & greeted us with hugs. Throughout the afternoon, we ran into several other employees we’ve come to know in recent years along with many familiar passengers. The highlight for us though, was seeing Marilyn & Harry Ter Mat from San Antonio – a very good friendship that began on the World Cruise in 2012. We’re missing Charlie & Betty Liska from Florida – good friends who were scheduled to sail with us but had to cancel a few months ago because of family health concerns…but since resolved, and we’re looking forward to a future cruise with them. Charlie called the day before we left Phoenix & mentioned they’re looking at a 180-day cruise (January-July) and while the itinerary and their company is appealing, the timing for us just wouldn’t work given my (our) commitment to the non-profit organization we’re involved with – Carolina Crown Drum & Bugle Corps, Fort Mill, S. Carolina.

Luggage started arriving in our stateroom shortly after we settled. We unpacked as much as we could before the lifeboat drill started at 3:30. At 4:00, the ship blew her horn and the sail-away party began. We once again elected early dining at 5:30 so after 90 minutes of ‘partying’ we went to meet our new tablemates for the next several weeks. We’ve always been fortunate in being assigned a great table location but more importantly, great folks to sit with. This cruise appears to be no different but it’s early yet – true colors often begin to surface after a few days. We’ll see. Our last World Cruise was very special as our tablemates remain good friends to this day: Jim & Ginny Plumber from Ft. Myers, Fl., and Gary & Joyce Adams from Portland, OR. We all stay in touch on a fairly regular basis. Conversely, it’s quite common to witness pretty brutal personality clashes and see people changing tables – some do so more than once. We haven’t seen anyone throwing food yet but again, we’re only one meal into the trip! The balance of our evening was spent in the Piano Bar listening to our good friend (& entertainer) Debby Bacon – she and husband Ron are from the Tampa area – we met them back in 2012 and are truly a special couple. Debby’s a very talented musician who sings & plays multiple instruments, piano her primary. If interested in ordering her recent CD’s, go to: debbybacon.com

The weather since leaving sunny Seattle has been anything but. Fog, rain, wind, & cold temps hit us late Sunday night and have been with us ever since. Sea conditions are moderate – not too bad, but using handrails on the stairs is wise at this point. As I write, Kodiak, Alaska (our first stop) is another 1,000 miles northwest of our current position. A nice change from the scorching heat in Phoenix!

And also…as I write, Cheryl has ALREADY taken a 1-0 lead in our sea-day Rummy games. She has defeated me every trip, and quite handily I might add. So…if it’s not catching more fish than me, she consistently beats me in cards as well. I’ve yet to claim victory…but…it’s only day 1 J

Check that…it’s NOW 2-0…she won the second game by even a wider margin.  

Damn...