Happy 22nd anniversary to us! What a beautiful day to celebrate. Yesterday’s drizzle has been replaced by bright sunshine and we are off on another adventure.
We did such a fine job yesterday of packing up there was little to do this morning. A few last minute things in the suitcase, and a quick trip to Fred Meyer’s to replenish sandwich makings and we were ready. We filled in a couple hours with good books - nothing difficult about that.
Just to make sure we were close to the front of the line for loading the car on the ferry, we were at the loading lot at 2:30 with boarding passes in hand. We were directed to Lane 3, right behind a bunch of motorcycles. Loading would begin at 3:00. It said so right on my instruction sheet.
For the next couple of hours, we were entertained by the Kiwi USA Tour group At 4:00, the loading began and we watched practically the whole lot file onto the ship. Finally, the motorcycles ahead of us were waved on and that left us and a half dozen other small cars.
We were finally waved ahead a few minutes after 5:00. Seems that balancing the ferry is waaaaaay more complicated than I remembered. But then, I don’t ever remember showing up at the loading lot that early before.
As a reward for our long wait, we were parked right in front of the elevator door - handy for getting the little fridge and suitcase up to the Cabin Deck. I went to the Purser’s Office for our room assignment and within minutes we were all set in room 43-A. With a fully stocked fridge, huge shower, and a comfortable seating area, it is quite palatial.
As the ferry pushed away from the dock we celebrated our good fortune with a glass or wine, a bit of hummus and a few crackers. Then a quick look at the sweet congratulatory messages from friends and family. And then we were at sea.
Dinner was very different than I had envisioned. We went to the dining room imagining a celebratory dinner of fresh Alaskan halibut. We saw the line of waiting diners and reached a quick decision. We came back to our room where we enjoyed the most delicious ham sandwiches you can imagine.
The sea tonight is unbelievably calm.
¡Buenas noches!
