September 2, 2007

Sunday was the start of our cruise. We had a casual morning at the hotel. A car picked us up and took us to the pier. The boat was an impressive sight at over 850 feet in length and 150 feet above the water.

We elected to go the cheap route and wait in line with our luggage instead of paying a porter to take our luggage and bypassing the line. It was no big deal as we were in no hurry to get on board and it was another beautiful day. After checking in, getting our room keys, and passing through security, we climbed the ramp to the boat. I felt oddly insecure going on an adventure without a gun or a knife.

We found our rooms and had lunch in the buffet. I saw someone I knew, but couldn’t remember her name. I think she worked for me for a short period of time several years ago. I realized that I have met so many people in the last few years that I am having a hard time remembering some names. Knowing that this wasn’t someone I really wanted to catch up with and suspecting that she wouldn’t be all that thrilled to see me, I made no effort to get her attention. It is just a good reminder that the world is pretty small.

We explored the boat in the couple hours before departure. The view from the boat was interesting. The huge port facility was lined with giant cranes loading and unloading containers from the container ships docked across from us. Two other cruise ships were in view. The city and the large mountain were visible on this sunny afternoon.

We finally left the dock around four. We headed out along the city’s waterfront. It was an interesting, new experience. I had never been under way on a boat that large before. Our 5:45 dinner seating interrupted the observation of progress. After dinner, we went to a movie before crashing for the evening. We awoke as we headed out of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and into the open water. The large boat began rocking, making it difficult to sleep.