Thank goodness the carpet in the elevator has been updated! I needed to know what day of the week it was and this was so handy!
This morning I took myself on a walk all around the property of the hotel. Our ship was due to arrive very early in the morning and Nicholas really wanted to see it come in. I woke up around 4 or 5 and dressed for a rainy walk around the area where our vessel would dock. Much of the pathways were closed but I found an alternate route and just walked from that point to the general public entrance instead of the proper way. One of the joys of waking early and of knowing no one in this town is that I am not shy about walking through areas I know that are "closed" for the time being. I figure that I can just always play the ignorant tourist, if necessary. Usually, I don't get stopped.
So, our ship came in! I woke Nicholas and we sat in my parents' hotel room and watched the Millenium dock.
This was to be our first cruise. My folks have done gobs of cruises all around the world. Even our kids had done a Disney cruise with Grandma and Grandpa, but for Shawn and me...this was our first.
I'm not a germ-a-phobe. I'm not afraid of boating. I'm not scared per se but I just don't know what it will be like to be on a huge ship. The vessel did just come off a stint with the Norovirus (LAST WEEK)! What'll the seas be like? Icebergs? Titanic? Germs? Hand sanitizer stations? So many people? Mostly, I think I'm scared of the people.
As a general rule, I do what I can to stay away from other people. I am a bit claustrophobic, especially in a cattle herding situation. I feel anxious just typing. Thousands of people. Will they want to talk to me? Am I supposed to try to make friends with them? Should I try to remember the staff names? This sounds like work! I "hate" other people. I just want to live under my little rock, have the ship take me to exotic places, vanquish all other tourists, walk along the shoreline or any old path, listen to music... (Sometimes I just put my earbuds in so that no one talks to me.) This is social phobia not claustrophobia.
So... Inhale. Exhale.
Since my folks and my kids were staying in a suite, they had preferential treatment. (Thank goodness! Preferential treatment keeps the "commoners" away from me and I can act elitist to disguise the hatred... I mean shyness.) Shawn and I proudly rode along on their coat tails.
When we boarded the ship we were escorted into a handsome salon that was modeled after Titanic with intricate inlaid wood paneling, a grand piano, settee, and luxurious drapery. (I'm not sure about having the Titanic thing as a initiation to cruising, especially in the iceberg laden waters off Alaska. The designers probably thought it was posh, but I thought it was ominous.)
We were greeted by Grahame (with fitting proper British accent) who served us champagne and showed us into an elegant room with Tiffany blue upholstered King Louis XVI style chairs, white floor length table cloths, cream colored Damask wall paper, picture frame wall panels, tray ceilings, and elaborate crown molding EVERYWHERE. Nice, but a little suffocating!
Once we got settled, I dumped every scrapbooking item I owned onto the table and proceeded to crack the whip. We banged out the Vancouver events, generated a ton of trash from unused magazines and brochures, and then proceeded to make plans for meal time. Our dining room had finger sandwiches, baguette, petit fours, and pastries severed on silver trays with silver tongs and proper silverware, cloth napkins, and plates. That was all quite nice but everyone wanted to check out the ship and partake of the famous "Oceanview" buffet restaurant.
There was some confusion as to where I was. (I had gone to the bathroom and to find a trash can for our scrapbook overflow.) When I returned to the table, Shawn, Summer, and Nicholas were gone and my folks were babysitting our carry-ons. So, I sent my parents to join the others and I "had" to remain in the Olympic dining room. (Apparently the buffet line was a harrowing experience, luckily I didn't get to go.)
Soon after, we were told that our rooms were ready. My parents had decided that since we were going on an "affordable" cruise line, that they would get a suite to better accommodate themselves (plus the children were staying with them).
There was a bottle of champagne on the coffee table in the sitting room.
The staff distinguished who was a "premier" guest by giving the lady of the group a single red rose (seen on the table). Quite a clever little trick. And we didn't have to stop to show our boarding passes every few feet.
Their suite's dining room with parquet floors, object d'arts (glued onto glass shelves), and their perks all displayed on the table. Their room also came with a bottle of vodka and another bottle of Crown. Ironically those things were complimentary but the soda and mixers were not.
The couches were set on a right angle, facing a large wall mounted flat screen TV and the sliding door that lead to the balcony (that had more square footage than Shawn's and my whole cabin). The coffee table in the middle also featured a fresh orchid and a sampling of three fruits. Unaccustomed as I am to champagne and fruit as a mid morning snack, I wasn't going to let that go to waste.
The master stateroom in their suite also had another wall mounted flat screen TV, leather upholstered walls (a la padded cell decor), a dressing table, and an all wood walk in closet with real hangers and another set of sliding glass doors to access the balcony.
The balcony had another dining table, two lounge chairs, plaid wool blankets in a stylish barrel roll, and a HOT TUB! Seriously? A hot tub?
Their bathroom had a stand up shower, his and hers sinks set in a dark marble counter top, mirrors galore, AND ANOTHER HOT TUB!
This should suffice for four people, two of which have only just reached double digit ages! (Summer is 12 and Nicholas is 10.)
Off to see where the commoners live.
Our cabin was small but quite cute. I could totally live here.
Our bathroom was perfectly adequate.
Then it was time to set sail. We (minus Shawn who is afraid of heights) hung along the railings of the top deck, drank expensive drinks from souvenir plastic pilsners, and danced to the corny live music.
My dad and his $15 drink. Our hotel is the one with the "five sheets".
Getting ready to go under the Lions Gate bridge (that Shawn -scared of heights- had to drive over). It is 364 feet high. The Sunshine Skyway is only about sixty feet higher. This ordinary looking bridge in this photo was a whopper in real life.
The Coast Guard escorted us to the other side.
Did I mention that this bridge has to be exceptionally high to allow for cruise and freight ships to enter and exit the Vancouver area?
We cleared it with miles to spare.
Then it was time to try our hand at the "Drink Package". It turns out that in order to buy these drinks, one needed the more deluxe package, so we upgraded. The martini bar was a metal surface that was literally frozen with about a half to a quarter inch of frosty ice on top. I'm not a martini or a sweet drink fan. So, I ordered a dirty martini. I love olives and salty things.
Shawn, on the other hand, ordered a Cosmo. The bartender initially gave me the Cosmo and Shawn the dirty. But, that's how we roll.
I managed to get to the end of mine, thanks to the c-c-c-cold bar top.
Perfunctory selfie. And then the pictures for the evening only go down hill from here.
I took this picture of the entrance to...?
Night. Night.
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