Boarding the Ship!

 On the morning of embarkation, we were up early all excited and ready to really get this thing going. We were in boarding group 2 which seemed to mean we should arrive between 11:30-12:30. If you know me, you know that this means we got there at like 10:30. Hey, they don’t say the early bird gets the worm because the early bird gets the shaft and sits around waiting, right? Right! We had a great Uber driver who dropped us at the right spot, a porter immediately took our 5 bags (2 back packs, 1 medium suitcase, 1 hanging bag, and 1 wine suitcase), and then we were in line!

The first part of the line moved pretty quickly. We had to show passports, COVID vaxx cards, and go through a metal detector. Fine. Then we went upsairs and stood in another line so we could again show passports, vaxx cards and now also negative COVID tests from the last 3 years. This line was a little slow because some people hadn’t uploaded anything prior to arriving. They had to start at the beginning with taking their pictures, etc. Sort of confusing because, in theory, you entered a different color line if you had already uploaded everything…that was a good idea but in the end, all lines ended up in the same spot with the same group of verifiers.

This boarding process is always a little stressful because you don’t know exactly what will happen, it’s crowded, it’s hot (why is it always hot?). This brings out the worst in people who have control or patience issues. It’s fun to watch- so long as you aren’t traveling with one. Every time we saw something lose it, Jason would look at me and say, “NOPE.” Then, we would mentally add them to the nopebook of future people to not hang out with. I mean, at my age, I’ve already met more than my fair share of butt heads. Why would I invite more in?

The lines also gave us a little bit of time to look around. We were pleased to see at least 4 other people who might be in our decade. What do you know?

Once on the boat, we, of course, went straight to a bar and had gin and tonics. I mean, like one does. They said our rooms would be ready by 1 so heck, we were killing time and making friends with bar tenders. I was starting to feel pretty dang excited.

For an entire year, we’ve been on an unending roller coaster of emotions and worry with this trip. Would it ever happen? Would COVID cancel it? And in recent weeks, really, Putin? Now we have to be at war, too? On that note, we figure that we might not get to go to Turkey. We’ll see if they need to divert us elsewhere. If we get diverted, I’m just putting it out there that I want to divert to Croatia and Venice. Ok, thanks.

We cruised to the room to check it out. Looks good! Very pleasantly surprised with the closet space, the shelves, the space between furniture. It feels much more spacious than our Holland America cruise. W00t!

Since our bags hadn’t yet been delivered, we busted out of there and went to explore. This is a much bigger ship than our last and there are all kinds of cool spots. We found our way to deck 16, the lido deck, so we decided to have some lunch. There is still a buffet, but you can no longer serve yourself. The crew is masked and gloved and they do all the serving. Works for me. Buffets are normally nasty so this is a big upgrade in my book.

We went to the pool deck for the sail away party at 3:30. But, we didn’t sail away and there was no party. There was a little rain and some wind. I’ve never yet been on a boat that left anywhere near the time they said. No exception here. It wasn’t until about 8 PM that the boat left. At that time, we’d just sat down for dinner and didn’t get to see our big launch. Dang it!

Our bags finally got delivered about the time we were starting to get nervous about it. We got everything put away and while doing so, our room attendant showed up with champagne. I accept! 

So, here we are lying low for a week at sea crossing the Atlantic. It’s different when you can’t get off the ship for a long time. We remember this from crossing the South Pacific. It’s kind of fun for the crew because they have longer times to do their things, right? LIke you have can a show or something last an hour because we have all the hours of the day to use and not just a couple hours at night around shore excursions. But, it is also draining for them because we never leave:) Food wise, you know nothing fresh is coming on this boat for 7 days. If you want sushi, you are eating it day one and then avoiding it like the plague the rest of the time. By the end of the week, we’ll be out of whatever the favorite wine by the glass is, we’ll be recycling dinner entrees into soups, etc. I don’t mind it. I like the creativity that comes with it. I will also like it when we hit Portugal on Sunday and we restock all the fresh stuff. 

Speaking of this kind of thing, we can’t get gas for a week either. Imagine how much gas this ship must hold to haul us all the way across the Atlantic non-stop for 7 days! Mercy!

We haven’t met any cruise friends yet, but it is early. We’re hoping to find our Rod and Louise (the couple we met and friended last time) soon. Today is the first art auction and first wine tasting and this is what we did the most of last time. Perhaps our people will be there. 

As of now, Jason is attempting to nap. He hasn’t slept much at all in our first 2 nights. I’m writing, listening to live piano music, and sipping a Bloody Mary. Not bad for whatever day this is!