Serenade to Alaska- 8/1/04 Part 2: Embarkation Day

[fajitapita]

Sunday, August 1: Embarkation Day!!!

We took a cab from the Hyatt to Ballantyne Pier for about $15 CAD. Our driver was very talkative (unlike our first one from the airport) and gave us a little history lesson along the way. We were at the pier by noon, dropped off our luggage, went through the screener with our carry-ons (make sure to pack pool attire and a change of clothes for dinner!), breezed through the short line for deck 9, and then up to the Customs area. (Lemonade, water, cookies, and sandwiches provided) We didn't have a long wait until our number was called, but we were unfortunately ushered into the line for cues 5 and 6 (which I believe are for visitors other than U.S. citizens), so our line didn't seem to move quite as fast as the other ones. A little while later we were on our way to get our sea pass picture taken, and then on board where we were offered small samples of Bahamamamas or fruit punch. Our cabin wasn't going to be ready until 1:00, so my DH read his book at the pool while I went around and took lots of pictures of the ship. I also went to Portofino's and made a dinner reservation for Friday night as it was our 10th anniversary. At 3:30, I met the Clarke Family for a quick chat as I had been chatting with Julie on the roll-call board (unfortunately our sailing didn't even have close to the 25 necessary for the official Meet and Mingle). We went down to our cabin to get ready for the Muster Drill at 4:30 and found that our luggage was there. We were in cabin 9509, an inside cabin with only one next-door neighbor (there was a closet of some sort on the other side- never heard any noise from room attendants using it). Our cabin was plenty big for the 2 of us and well laid out with lots of storage for all of our clothes and toiletries. (One thing I like better about the Serenade over the Explorer/Mariner- the hair dryer is located above the safe, and there's a plug for it on the vanity. The other ships' hairdryers were located and plugged into a drawer, thus leaving less space for items. For those who are curious, it's a 1200 watt hairdryer and yes, you do have to keep pushing the button down to run it). Muster Drill went smoothly, and then it was back up to deck 12 for sail away at 5:00. Got a great view of the other three ships at Canada Place (Celebrity Infinity, Norwegian Sun, and HAL Statendam). We were able to see the ship pass under Lions Gate Bridge before we had to go down for early seating dinner at 6:00. We were seated at table 542 with waiter Bijou and assistant Andre who gave us great service and recommendations all week. Our head waiter was Jose from Santa Monica, CA by way of Argentina, and I've never had a harder working head waiter. He was there every night helping his team, pouring water, wine, grinding pepper, serving dressing, etc. (Usually we've only seen our head waiters the night before we hand out tips.) Our table partners were John and Connie from Middletown, Connecticut and Herman and Margaret from Stuttgart, Germany. We enjoyed their company very much. The traditional Ship Shape menu seems to be gone, but every night there was a "heart healthy alternative" selection on the main menu. I really enjoyed dinner the first night- onion tart (actually more like a quiche), spinach salad, broiled Alaskan Ling Cod, and white chocolate fondue for dessert. At 7:45 we went to the Welcome Aboard Show- I recommend getting there ASAP as there's only one seating that night for all guests. Tim Seivert was the CD this trip. He seemed kind of nervous the first night, and definitely wasn't as outgoing/obnoxious as our previous CDs have been on Caribbean cruises. Tim was probably a good fit for this itinerary. The show included a preview of the production shows, Flash and Fever who did a plate balancing act, and Ed Regine was the comedian. They all performed later in the week, too. When we came back to our room to unpack, we were surprised to find turn-down service, complete with chocolates on the pillows! We then went to the Majority Rules Game Show in the Safari Lounge (a lot of fun!), and I actually sang (not well at all!) a Sheryl Crow song at Teaser Karaoke. I'd always wanted to do karaoke, and I thought what the heck, I'll probably never see any of these people again after this week! Tired and very ready for a wonderful vacation, we headed back to the cabin.