Saturday, August 31, 2024
There were many bags in the hallway last night and they were gone this morning. Because we were taking the ship back to Boston, today was not disembarkation day for us. We would have liked to have slept in, but the disembarkation announcements started at 7:00. Because we were here overnight, the ship had been cleared so people could disembark as early as 6:00 if they carried their own bags.
Once the announcements were over, we knew that it wouldn’t be long before new passengers would be embarking. If we wanted to get off the ship and go back to Quebec City, we could have as we had received our in-transit tickets. Those tickets let you by-pass some of the lines of people getting on today. However, you still have to go through security, and it is always the longest line.
We opted to stay onboard because the day was overcast and drizzly. I was pleasantly surprised that we did not have to report somewhere and get counted for Customs. We’ve always had to do that on previous B2B cruises.
We told our room stewards not to worry about cleaning our room today as they were very busy getting rooms ready for the new guests and would then have to start delivering luggage. They just exchanged our towels for us. I think they were grateful they could check us off their list for the day.
We took advantage of the hot tubs this morning. Once we saw people walking through the area with their backpacks and/or carry-ons we knew the embarkation had begun and the area was getting ready to be crowded again.
We were too wet from the hot tub to go into the Lido restaurant. We saw that the Dive-In had opened so we just went to a table near the pool. I tried out the feature on the HAL Navigator app to order us some lunch. Worked just fine. I got notified when our order was ready, and I could pick it up. Nicer than having to stand in line to order and get a beeper to let you know it’s ready.
After lunch, Chuck thought it was a good time for a nap. I decided to take my book and go to the Crow’s Nest to read. After a while, he found me up there and we decided to play a game of Scrabble. Many people bring their own card games, etc., but the Crow’s Nest has a nice selection of games also. He wanted me to be sure to let you know that he beat me by 13 points. 😒
The sailaway on the SeaView deck was subdued because of the weather but we left promptly at 5:00.
We had a couple of cocktails in the Ocean Bar and decided to eat dinner in the main dining room tonight. We always choose “Anytime Dining” which allows you to go to the dining room between the hours of 5:00 and 9:00. You can also make reservations on the Navigator app. However, we don’t usually think that far ahead and just show up when we decide we are hungry. The line to get in is usually short.
We typically don’t eat dinner in the main dining room on the first night of the cruise because it always seems so hectic. I was hoping tonight would be different. It was not. The waiters and their assistants were working hard to keep all the guests happy. I had the haddock, and Chuck had the pork medallions. We skipped dessert.
By the time we finished dinner, the Casino was opened so we played some slots. We didn’t go to the comedian’s show because it was a repeat for us from last week. We listened to two sets of the Rolling Stone Lounge Band and then called it a night.
Tomorrow: Cruising the Saint Lawrence River.
