Saturday, October 19, 2024
Despite the long day yesterday, we both still had a restless night. Woke up early to a beautiful but chilly morning.
Our tagged bags had to be ready for pick up by 8:00 but they actually weren’t retrieved until about 9:15. Our HAL bus was the first one to arrive at the hotel and we were at the port by 11:00. Our last embarkation here was a mess because of the long lines created by a surprise Coast Guard inspection of the ship. Nobody was allowed on the ship until they had finished their inspection.
Today was a normal embarkation. Once we retrieved our luggage and turned them over to the porters, we made our way through the various checkpoints. The security checkpoint being the slowest. Boston port treats security like an airport security – coats off, belts off, laptop outs, no large liquids (be prepared to dump out your water out of your water bottle and to throw away your bottle if it is a disposable plastic one). I think if they are going to imitate the airport security then they should have at least one TSA precheck line also.
Once we cleared security, we kept walking and didn’t slow down until we made it to our balcony room on the 5th floor toward the aft (back) of the ship. This room was bigger than the one in August as it could sleep 3 people with the addition of a pull-out couch. The balcony was very narrow and was in need of some TLC in regard to paint and rust spot removal. I’m sure at the next dry dock all of those issues will be addressed.
Since we skipped breakfast, we ventured into the Lido buffet for lunch. I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t a madhouse. We were able to find a place to sit without too much trouble. I still miss the embarkation lunch in the dining room as it was nice to relax in a quiet environment after a hectic morning.
Once lunch was over, we went back to the room and found that our luggage had been delivered. Was able to unpack everything and store the bags under the bed just in time for the muster drill. We have gotten used to the virtual muster drills where you go to your lifeboat station and get your card scanned and then watch the video on your stateroom TV.
However, today we all had to go to our lifeboat station and line up in rows, get our cards scanned, and listen to the Captain over the loudspeaker explain the procedure. And, we also had to watch the safety information on the TV (it won’t show anything else until you complete this video). The Cruise Director (CD) said it was a Coast Guard rule that all ships had to have a traditional muster periodically. At least it wasn’t sweltering like we’ve experienced in Florida where I’ve seen people collapse from being out in the heat during a traditional muster drill.
We went up to the Sea View deck for the sailaway party. Along with copious amounts of drinks being served, they were also serving appetizers, playing music, and encouraging us to get up and dance. Who can resist Cupid Shuffle?
We met a couple from Texas and he and Chuck talked about the UGA vs Texas football game that was going to be played later today. Once we were on the move, I went to the dining reservation area and made our reservations for the specialty restaurants.
I went back to the room to finish some organizing and met our room stewards – Komang and Made. They wanted to be sure everything was satisfactory and if we needed anything special. I asked for ice to be delivered in the evenings. They gave me a card in case I thought of anything else we needed.
We went to the Lido for dinner as they were serving steak and ribs. Again, the lines were short and there were plenty of places to sit.
Once we had finished dinner, the casino was open as we were now far enough out to sea. We were disappointed to see that the Wonder Woman machines were gone. We didn’t care for the replacement machines. However, we were happy to see the Tiger / Dragon machines. They are fun. We also saw a server in the Gallery Bar who remembered us from August.
We went to all three sets of the Rolling Stone Lounge band. It was a different group than the ones we had in August. This group has two female vocalists and one male vocalist/guitarist. They were very good. We sat in a booth with a nice couple from Ohio.
I could soon tell we were well into the Atlantic as the ship’s motion was starting to get to me. Bonine to the rescue.
Once the last set of the Band ended, we called it a night. It has been a good start to the cruise and, icing on the cake, Georgia beat Texas.
Tomorrow: Sea Day #1
