yakcruiser Posted October 4, 2023 #26 Share Posted October 4, 2023 I parked there last year for 10 days. I declined valet parking, so they let me park right in front. Loved the pictures up to the top of the pass. I used to make deliveries up there for many years. Once you got over the pass not so much. Since I retired the only time I go over there is to catch a cruise ship or go to a mariners or hawks game. I can't wait to see your Alaska pictures. If only my photography skills were 1/2 as good as yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowmeboy Posted October 4, 2023 Author #27 Share Posted October 4, 2023 4 hours ago, yakcruiser said: I parked there last year for 10 days. I declined valet parking, so they let me park right in front. Loved the pictures up to the top of the pass. I used to make deliveries up there for many years. Once you got over the pass not so much. Since I retired the only time I go over there is to catch a cruise ship or go to a mariners or hawks game. I can't wait to see your Alaska pictures. If only my photography skills were 1/2 as good as yours. Ah thanks! I would have declined it if I could have; unfortunately I didn’t have that option Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowmeboy Posted October 4, 2023 Author #28 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Note: I was hopeful to get a lot done today, but I got mired in a project at work. So sorry I didn't get much progress. Time to drop the bags! I spy my favorite part of the Sun! Time to get our cruise on! The wandering line for document checks Lots of smiles! We cleared security and headed to check in! Check-in is upstairs in Seattle. Boarding Photo time! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowmeboy Posted October 4, 2023 Author #29 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Checking In! We headed down the hall to board the ship. Unfortunately, we weren't quite ready yet! All the people with boarding group numbers Here we go! Hello Gorgeous! This is our 3rd time sailing the Sun! I love how the Port of Seattle repurposed basically an airport skybridge for pier 66. Almost there! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowmeboy Posted October 4, 2023 Author #30 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Finally aboard our favorite Ship! We had Muster Station C, so we stopped and checked in. I love how almost all the muster stations are out on deck on the Sun! Freestyle Daily - Day 1 - Embarkation Day - Seattle, WA 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowmeboy Posted October 4, 2023 Author #31 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Atrium from deck 6 mid looking up towards 7 Atrium from deck 6 mid looking down towards 5 Atrium elevators from deck 7 Passing through the shops on deck 6 mid to aft starboard Lunchtime at Seven Seas - Deck 5 Aft Note: you can only get here from deck 6 or 7 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warb Posted October 5, 2023 #32 Share Posted October 5, 2023 Surprised to see the Cherry Trees in a "Dry-Looking" area.I'm probably wrong. We Love Wash. State Cherries ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowmeboy Posted October 5, 2023 Author #33 Share Posted October 5, 2023 24 minutes ago, warb said: Surprised to see the Cherry Trees in a "Dry-Looking" area.I'm probably wrong. We Love Wash. State Cherries ! The climate is perfect for growing them, hot and dry. The irrigation keeps the trees watered. The perfect Cherry needs a bit of water at formation and dry weather to form that perfect fruit. We also enjoy the cherries. We buy a 20lb box each year from a packing shed nearby for only $20. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumming cruisers Posted October 5, 2023 #34 Share Posted October 5, 2023 41 minutes ago, shadowmeboy said: The climate is perfect for growing them, hot and dry. The irrigation keeps the trees watered. The perfect Cherry needs a bit of water at formation and dry weather to form that perfect fruit. We also enjoy the cherries. We buy a 20lb box each year from a packing shed nearby for only $20. That would cost us $120!! $5.99 LB this year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowmeboy Posted October 5, 2023 Author #35 Share Posted October 5, 2023 10 hours ago, drumming cruisers said: That would cost us $120!! $5.99 LB this year Ouch! Yeah, we are really lucky to live near the packing sheds and are able to get such a fabulous deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowmeboy Posted October 5, 2023 Author #36 Share Posted October 5, 2023 Embarkation Day Lunchtime! Seven Seas MDR I caught Susan in an awkward moment with this picture. Funny selfie time! pano Cobb Salad Wedge Salad So we got our appetizers at about 12:05; Our entrees did not come out until 12:45. People who ordered after us were getting entrees ahead of us. Finally, the entrees arrived. Fish & Chips Cheeseburger - I had requested bacon with it, but that didn't come. By this point I was glad our entrees finally showed up. Five Spice Mango Tapioca Pudding Creme Caramel The only good thing about the delay was that the staterooms were finally ready by the time we were done eating. Unfortunately, lunch took twice as long as it should have. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowmeboy Posted October 5, 2023 Author #37 Share Posted October 5, 2023 While we were eating lunch, I realized we had an extra Specialty Dining Meal more than I had prebooked. So we figured out where we wanted to go and headed to 4 Seasons MDR where Restaurant Reservations is set up on Embarkation Day. The Sun Ship model is on the counter leading into 4 seasons from the Atrium. After getting our additional night situated, we headed to our stateroom. We were in a Balcony - Room 0208 - Deck 10 Forward Starboard - Under the Spa We had booked an Inside Stateroom originally through Casinos at Sea. We had opportunity to bid through Norwegian's Bid program. I bid $200/pp to go from an Inside to a Balcony which was accepted. If I had booked into a Balcony at booking, it would have been $1600-$1800 more than what I paid for the inside stateroom. So I consider our bid a great win! Letter in the room from Casinos at Sea Balcony Pano of Seattle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowmeboy Posted October 5, 2023 Author #38 Share Posted October 5, 2023 While we were chilling on the Balcony watching them load the final cages of bags, our Latitude Strawberries arrived. Then our bags started showing up, so we started unpacking. Susan kind of lead the effort, as I hung out on the Balcony with my cameras hoping a train would roll by! We were departing on a Friday, so it was a workday in Seattle. At about 4:35, one of the Commuter rail trains left Downtown Seattle for Everett. I had a great view of the crossing from the Balcony! Sound Transit's North Line Sounder Train 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowmeboy Posted October 5, 2023 Author #39 Share Posted October 5, 2023 A few minutes later it was time for Amtrak's Empire Builder to depart Seattle for Chicago. Gates are down One of Amtrak's Long Distance Siemens Charger units is leading the train today. Amtrak 301 As soon as Amtrak cleared, I packed up the camera gear and headed towards the Great Outdoors for Sailaway. We were just begining to push off the dock as I left the room. Here is the video from the trains! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowmeboy Posted October 5, 2023 Author #40 Share Posted October 5, 2023 Sailaway Party was in full swing as I walked aft to the Great Outdoors Mt. Rainier was out today as well! A much clearer shot! Goodbye Seattle! It was a gorgeous day to sail out of Seattle! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowmeboy Posted October 5, 2023 Author #41 Share Posted October 5, 2023 Wow! This screams Seattle and Pacific Northwest! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowmeboy Posted October 5, 2023 Author #42 Share Posted October 5, 2023 I couldn't resist snapping this series of photos as this Washington State Ferry from Bainbridge Island makes it way to Seattle. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowmeboy Posted October 5, 2023 Author #43 Share Posted October 5, 2023 The US Coast Guard was doing some training flights over the Puget Sound as we were sailing out. While I was out taking hundreds of photos of the beautiful weather and scenery, Susan was attending the Spa raffle. Unfortunately, se did not win anything. Off they go! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowmeboy Posted October 5, 2023 Author #44 Share Posted October 5, 2023 Look who joined me out on deck! As we got near Kingston, a Washington State Ferry heading to Edmonds from Kingston has to slow up and wait for us to pass. They timed it up perfectly, so they came around our aft and I got some beautiful pictures as you will see it this series! Meanwhile the other boat on the route, going from Edmonds to Kingston, was making the final turn to Kingston. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowmeboy Posted October 5, 2023 Author #45 Share Posted October 5, 2023 (edited) The cliffs of the western face of Whidbey Island with Mt. Baker in the far distance. Here is the time-lapse of the sailaway from Seattle I finally had to leave the Great Outdoors and head to our stateroom to change for dinner. After changing, we headed to La Cucina for our Anniversary Dinner! Passing through the Bliss Lounge on the way to drop down into La Cucina from Deck 6. It was dark and hard to get a good picture. The entrance to La Cucina - Deck 6 Mid (Restaurant is on Deck 5 between 4 Seasons and Seven Seas MDR along the Starboard side of the ship. The rest of the area of deck 5 between Seven seas and 4 seasons is the main galley). La Cucina - Deck 5 Mid Starboard So when we were ordering, I had a server who argued with me about the Specialty Dining terms and conditions. I get tired of servers who make up things not in the T&C's. I ordered what I wanted. Zuppa/Antipasti/Insalate Course Insalata Mista Insalata Di Rucola E Gana Mozzerella "Caprese" Pasta Course Beef Lasagne Al Forno Gnocchi Di Patate Al Pesto We noticed that the Pilot boat was coming up on us! The pilot gets on/off right below La Cucina on deck 4. I was shooting through the dirty la Cucina windows otherwise this would be a better shot. Nothing I can do about the outsides of those windows. The ship had angled close to the Washington Shore (We were in the Straight of Juan De Fuca between Washington State, USA and British Columbia, Canada) to help protect the pilot and pilot boat on the transfer from the heavy wind and waves ripping through the straight as we were heading out. Secondi Course Salmone Grigliato Con Crema Di Cannellini E Croccantino Di Prosciutto Filetto Di Manzo Al Pepe Verde - so this is supposed to come with a blue cheese ravioli. Our server was specifically asked if the blue cheese was in the ravioli or on top. He said on top. I said ok then no blue cheese. This comes out and he says, oh its inside actually. So you were going to tell me when? So instead of getting a different pasta to go along side this I went without. I was starting to get frustrated with him, as we were literally the only guests in La Cucina at this time. Its not like he was overwhelmed with a large number of tables. Panna Cotta Alla Vaniglia Tiramisu Remember how I said it was our anniversary. Well we brought our certificate and they brought out the cake. Typical NCL Anniversary/Birthday Cake We were stuffed, so we asked our server if we could get a cover to take it back to our stateroom. We wanted to enjoy it later once we weren't stuffed to the gills. The answer was no. that wasn't allowed. Well later in the cruise we saw desserts leaving other specialties all the time. So basically, we had a lazy server who didn't want to do over the minimum. Not a good start to an 10 night cruise. Remember that argument with the server over the T&C's, well here is the receipt. Who was right? That's right, me. The server and restaurant staff had a chance to make this anniversary dinner special and memorable. They made it memorable all right, just in a bad way. We headed back to the stateroom and enjoyed each others company for the rest of our anniversary night. End of Embarkation Day Day 1 - Seattle Edited October 5, 2023 by shadowmeboy 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare justhappy Posted October 5, 2023 #46 Share Posted October 5, 2023 2 hours ago, shadowmeboy said: The US Coast Guard was doing some training flights over the Puget Sound as we were sailing out. While I was out taking hundreds of photos of the beautiful weather and scenery, Susan was attending the Spa raffle. Unfortunately, se did not win anything. Off they go! Enjoyed the photos of Mt Rainer, it was so smoky in late August that we weren’t able to see it when we departed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rugerdog Posted October 5, 2023 #47 Share Posted October 5, 2023 Thank you for the incredibly detailed and descriptive postings. I, too, live in the middle of nowhere on the east side, in the Moses Lake area. I love Bridgeport, what a beautiful place to live. I appreciate your information regarding the Sun. I'm booked to be on board in a week and have never been on this particular ship. It's encouraging to see that this is your favorite ship. I've learned I prefer the smaller ships for Alaska, and I'm hoping the Sun will be a good experience. If you have any specific "secrets" to pass along regarding this particular vessel, I'd love to hear all about them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowmeboy Posted October 5, 2023 Author #48 Share Posted October 5, 2023 12 minutes ago, rugerdog said: Thank you for the incredibly detailed and descriptive postings. I, too, live in the middle of nowhere on the east side, in the Moses Lake area. I love Bridgeport, what a beautiful place to live. I appreciate your information regarding the Sun. I'm booked to be on board in a week and have never been on this particular ship. It's encouraging to see that this is your favorite ship. I've learned I prefer the smaller ships for Alaska, and I'm hoping the Sun will be a good experience. If you have any specific "secrets" to pass along regarding this particular vessel, I'd love to hear all about them! It might be easier for you to ask specific questions you might have. I am on the 3 biggest socials as @shadowmeboy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rugerdog Posted October 5, 2023 #49 Share Posted October 5, 2023 27 minutes ago, shadowmeboy said: It might be easier for you to ask specific questions you might have. Thanks. Will do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowmeboy Posted October 5, 2023 Author #50 Share Posted October 5, 2023 Day 2 July 1, 2023 Sea Day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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