Day one, Embarkation

Day one, Embarkation

mcangeli
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  1. The Angelis go to Alaska!
  2. Welcome to Seattle
  3. Day one, Embarkation

So after exploring the city in the morning, we made our way back to the hotel and gathered up all of our baggage for the trip ahead. Once we were ready, we met the shuttle that was going to drive us to the port. The drive over from the Space Needle was less than 15 minutes and we were on our way inside before we knew it.

The embarkation process was pretty standard, though not quite as friendly as on previous cruises. The agent at the station we ended up at was rather insistent that NO ONE else be in the area when she was taking our photos for our Sea Pass cards (it became a running joke on the trip) and we were making our way up the ramp to the ship before we knew it.

Making our way up the ramps to board the ship

There were the usual photo stops on the way (of course we stopped for each one) and we were back out in the open and on board before we realized it.

We weren’t able to go right to our rooms but we were able to head up to the Windjammer for lunch, so we grabbed some food and went and found a table out on the pool deck. After a quick lunch, we were able to go to our rooms. This time we had separate cabins on different decks so the two older girls went to their room and Amy, Mary and I headed to ours to rest a bit and get ready for the Muster drill. Due to the ages of the kids, I did have to be in the other girls room for the drill and any emergencies, so Emma and I traded places for the drill.

View from the top deck with Seattle in the background

After the drill, we made our way to the top deck to watch the ship leave port and we spent some more time exploring the Explorer of the Seas

The ship had the usual party going on on the top deck and the weather was pretty nice as we were leaving Seattle. It was probably the best day for using the pools (not that any of us really did that on this trip). The girls and I made use of the time to explore the rest of the ship and Amy jumped on the spa deal of the day.

We had a later seating for dinner (we’ve found that on the cruises, a later seating is better for us as it gives us more time on days we’re in port) so the four of us not spa-ing it up went to the opening show and Amy caught up with us at dinner. After dinner, Amy and I were beat, but the girls wanted to explore so we let them head out to see what the evening had to offer.

Welcome to Seattle

mcangeli
No comments
  1. The Angelis go to Alaska!
  2. Welcome to Seattle
  3. Day one, Embarkation
It seemed like we were in the air forever!

We hit the road to the airport on the 5th in order to catch our flight to the other coast for our cruise. Traveling through Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL) is an experience and they’ve made a bunch of improvements recently. The flight west went without a bump and 5 long hours later we landed in Seattle.

We hadn’t made any plans on how to get from Sea-Tac to our hotel by the Space Needle and the price for an Uber for the 5 of us was a little higher than we wanted, so after a good walk to the light rail station we hopped on the train for the ride in to the city. It turned out to be a pretty decent way to see the city and some of the sights that it has to offer. We did have to transfer to the Monorail in order to get to the space needle though, but it was much easier to do than we had thought.

Bad Decisions Make Good Stories

Once we made it to the needle, we had a 5 minute walk to our hotel where we checked in and asked for some recommendations for a late night bite to eat. We ended up at 5 Point Cafe (which is open 24 hours a day and has a good menu and beer list). The girls didn’t really enjoy the atmosphere, but I thought it was great (and the portions were generous as well). Pretty wiped, we headed back to the hotel for the night.

Friday morning we had some time before we made our way to the port in order to catch our cruise, so we wandered around the Space Needle area and we caught a sight seeing tour on the Ducks of Seattle. This was a pretty neat way to see Seattle and the downtown area as well as the waterfront and some of the other areas of Seattle. Our tour guide was pretty good and knowledgeable about Seattle. We saw several famous sights such as Pike Place Market, the Gas Works park and the house from the movie “Sleepless in Seattle”. Perhaps the coolest part was when the Duck made its way from land to water. 

If it quacks like a duck…

After the Ducks, we had a bit of time to explore a bit more of the area around the needle and pick up some lunch before we made our way to the port for the start of our main adventure!

The Angelis go to Alaska!

mcangeli
No comments
  1. The Angelis go to Alaska!
  2. Welcome to Seattle
  3. Day one, Embarkation

This year was a big year for me (Mark) as it is my 40th birthday. I was content to spend it at home with Amy and the girls with a simple day off (maybe a trip to WhiteWater) and a small celebration with a couple of friends, however, Amy had other ideas.

She had apparently been planning a surprise cruise to Alaska since last November. As a travel agent, she’s usually on top of some of the best travel deals and had found an amazing deal for an Alaskan Inside Passage cruise and booked it without telling anyone.

Amy had to let Grace in on the secret in February so that Grace wouldn’t be upset when she wasn’t signed up for an orchestra camp she usually attends in the summer, and the two of them enjoyed planning the trip and keeping the secret from the rest of us.

Working like thieves in the night, Amy and Grace put together an album as a present for me. This album includes photos from our 20 years together and all the trips we’ve taken as well as other highlights of the past. The final pages were how they announced that we were going on a bucket list trip to Alaska for my birthday.

Look out Alaska, here we come!

Now that the rest of us were let in on the secret, we were able to plan and finalize our trip. 

We’d head from our home on the 5th of July to Seattle, WA, where we’d board the RCCL Explorer of the Seas for our cruise to the untamed frontier, exploring glaciers, the Klondike and some of the best that Canada and the Pacific North West have to offer.