Sept 21 – Seattle, Washington. This is truly weird. Both Diana and I woke up at 4AM and were so totally awake that we got up, put the finishing touches on our carry-on bags and went to breakfast at 7AM. Breakfast in the Doubletree has been very good, they have a buffet but you can order an omelet from the kitchen with the buffet. This morning was no exception.
After breakfast we went back to our room and Diana reorganized her carry-on baggage for the fifth time. At 8AM the bellman picked up our large suitcases for delivery to the ship and we were left to ourselves until 10AM when we went down to the ballroom to await our bus. We were only there a few minutes when our hostess announced that our "carriage awaits" and off we went.
The ship is docked at pier 91, on the other side of Puget Sound so the driver took us along the waterfront to get through Seattle. Traffic is so unpredictable on the freeways here that he prefers not to use them much of the time. Because the topology is so rugged and there's so much water to work around, most freeways here are only two lanes each way. If someone screws up the entire roadway can be blocked. There are so many bridges and interchanges to navigate that traffic is almost always bad, rush hour is terrible and starts just after 3PM. This would be one of those cities where you would want to live as close to work as possible. Certainly they way I always thought when we lived in SoCal.
The drive was uneventful and since it was near the water, very scenic. The driver provided a humorous and interesting commentary about the area and the sights that made the trip seem very short indeed.
We entered the cruise terminal in a very light rain and proceeded to check in for our ID pictures and room keys. They had a person assigned to make sure we had visas for China in our passports. No visa, no trip. It's just that simple. We do need visas for other countries on the trip but they can be acquired through the ship a much less painless process that filling out the 4-page Chinese visa application and then sending your passport off hoping that you'll get it back.
They also have you fill out a health questionnaire. Things like "Have you or anyone in your party vomited in the last 48 hours?" Once when the SARS scare was on in China they actually took everyone's temperature before you could board the ship. They don't do that currently but they still ask about 7-8 health related questions.
After getting our room keys we had to wait about 25 minutes before the ship was available for boarding. It was only about 11:15AM when they let us start boarding, very early indeed. Normally if you board before 1PM you have to go have lunch with your carry-on luggage because the rooms are not yet ready for the newcomers. Not this time. The rooms were ready for occupancy. Being that early none of our luggage was in the room when we arrived. In less than half an hour we had all four of the items we shipped and our two hotel suitcases piled around our room.
I am a dedicated unpacker and had all my luggage empty and the contents stowed away before dinner time. I'm currently in the Queen's Lounge typing and as far as I know Diana still has her two suitcases to unpack.
Dinner was very good but our table is not suitable. With Diana's hearing challenges we need a table at the edge of the room and not close to any service area. Too much noise in the center of the room. The dining room manager promised to make a suitable change. During dinner we said farewell to Seattle after 4 great days.
The evening show was mainly the cruise director introducing himself and the various combos that perform in the lounges nightly. The string trio is from Hungary and is the best that we've heard on HAL ships, very accomplished. On embarkation day they only have one show and it's poorly attended as everyone is tired from a long day of travel and time zone changes.
All in all, one of the easiest embardation days on record.
No comments:
Post a Comment