REMINDER: B is my husband, C is my sister, R is my sister's husband, and mom and dad are my mom and dad.
May 15th, 2011: Day 1
Holy cow...what a wonderful day! B and I had a weird night of sleeping, but what do you expect when you fall asleep around 7pm? We both woke up at random times during the night, but ended up getting enough sleep. We still didn't feel totally rested though. We woke up around 5:25am this morning and prepared for B's dad to pick us up around 6:30am (We planned ahead of time that B's dad would pick C and R up and then pick us up). B's dad arrived right on time and we headed off to the airport!
We had checked in ahead of time (on our cellphones! We had our tickets and everything right there through a text message! Gotta love technology!) and checked-in our bag at the curbside check-in. (Note: We learned that curbside check-in is a gratuity based service, but there are usually less people there and once you're done, you can go straight through to security.) We all then got a small breakfast and waited to board the plane.
The flight was uneventful. After we landed, we headed to baggage claim to pick up our bags. (Note: B checked his carry-on at our departure gate after they asked for volunteers. He really liked not having to cart his bag around, but he realized he left his headphones in his bag so he didn't have anything to listen to on the plane. It was free to check the carry-on bag so it was nice overall.) We found the Princess representatives and dropped off most of our bags (my camera bag did not leave my sight!) and headed out to the buses (Our bags went onto a truck and were put onto the ship for us! It was so nice!). After a short wait, we were on our way to the pier! Overall, it was a very painless transition from the plane to the bus!
The bus ride to the pier is always one of the worst parts about a cruise vacation. There's just so much excitement about being in the same city as the ship you're about to take a wonderful vacation on! You just want to get there as quickly as possible! Thankfully, the pier wasn't too far from the airport. We did hit some traffic though so that made the trip a little worse than it could've been. Our bus driver was very nice though and pointed out places of interest as we drove by them.
Another bad thing about a cruise vacation? Waiting in line! We got to the cruise terminal and waited in a very long line to get checked in. We finally got through the line and up the escalator to wait in another line! Thankfully, the second line went faster than the first. We walked through the metal detectors and filled out a questionnaire to make sure we were basically healthy (They're very worried about spreading diseases on cruise ships so they just make sure you haven't had the flu or anything like that within the past few days.). Then, it was off to a third line! This line was the fastest and best of them all! This line was the the line where we got our key cards! We then went through one last security check (another short line) and up the gangway we went! Oh, and there was one last line. Once we got up the gangway and onto the ship, we handed our cards over to the security staff, they scanned the cards, and then took our picture. Now, whenever they scan our cards, they'll see our pictures to make sure we are who we say we are. It's a nice sense of security!
We got in an elevator, and when we got to our floor, my mom was actually right there waiting for us! We got to our room and were amazed at how nice it was!
I had seen pictures online and thought it looked a bit outdated. Well, it is a tad outdated, but far less than I expected! I had also heard the beds were uncomfortable. Well, from what I've tried so far, they are VERY comfortable! (If your bed doesn't have one when you board the ship, make sure to ask for an egg crate mattress pad, it makes the beds that much more comfortable! Now that's we're back home, we still miss our bed from the ship!) Our balcony is huge too! It's not covered, so that is a bit disappointing, but the view is great!
We unpacked and went to see mom and dad's suite. We were shocked! It was so beautiful...and BIG! We have already spent a good amount of time in their room! It's a great place for us all to gather. Not to mention they have a great view! They are located at the very back of the ship so their balcony looks out over the wake! It is so wonderful! If you can afford it, I highly suggest booking a suite!
We were all hungry so we headed up to the buffet restaurant called Horizon Court. I had heard that this place became over crowded and that the food wasn't that great. Well, it was very busy, but the food was good and we were able to find a table with very little difficulty. We're going to give it a shot in the morning and see what it's really like. After our lunch/snack, we headed back to our rooms to relax for a bit.
The next event was the muster drill. This is where you find out where your muster station is (basically, a safe place to gather in an event of an emergency) and you get a safety briefing. That didn't take too long and before we knew it, we were back in my parent's room to watch our ship sail away from Seattle.
Before we knew it, it was time for dinner! We found our table in a corner by a window. It was perfect! It felt like it took a while for our waitstaff to arrive, but it wasn't a horribly long wait. B and I ordered a great bottle of Riesling (Chateau Ste. Michelle) for the table. They brought out the bread and it smelled amazing! Shortly after, around the time I was really craving some of the bread on the table, our waiter's assistant brought me a few slices of gluten free bread! I was a little worried, but the bread was very good! (I actually miss it from time to time now that I'm back from our trip.) Our waiter then came over and introduced himself. Rui is his name and his assistant is Paulo. Rui is absolutely amazing! We're going to have fun with him! (Seriously, if you ever find yourself on a Princess Cruise and Rui is your waiter, count yourself very lucky because he is AWESOME!)
For an appetizer, B and I both had a seafood pate which was so amazing!
B and I both had the Caesar salad which was amazing as well! We then had the prime rib (we ate very similarly this night!) for our main course. Again, it was very good! I was a little worried about the food, but they have impressed me so far! This was probably one of the best meals I've had in a very long time! My dessert was a little disappointing, but after the meal I just had, it didn't matter. I had a flour-less chocolate cake with hazelnut ice cream. The cake was the disappointing part, but the ice cream was, yet again, amazing!
With bellies full, we headed back to our rooms to relax for the night. Tomorrow is a day at see, so we plan on exploring the ship. We've really only seen a very small portion of a very large ship!
Before I close out the journal for the day, I want to mention my gluten-free eating experience so far. The buffet this afternoon was a little hectic, but I saw a lot of things I couldn't eat. I'll have to investigate that more tomorrow. The best experience was at dinner. Like I mentioned before, the "normal" bread smelled so good and I was disappointed that I could have any, but then they brought out my gluten-free bread. I was so happy that the bread was actually good! Before the end of our dinner tonight, the head waiter came over and introduced himself and said he was looking for me! He then explained how each night of dinning was going to work. The plan is that I get to order my meal a day ahead of time! I felt like they were catering to my special needs and I felt so over whelmed by that special attention! I expected to be left out, in a way, by all this wonderful food, but it's nice to know that I have a lot of people looking out for me to make sure I have an amazing vacation, gluten-free or not!
I am about ready to go to bed as we sail by these beautiful mountains. Tomorrow is a day of exploring the ship!
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