Tree_skier

IMG_2094.MOV Bumper cars IMG_2094.MOV

We had a very good lunch at Jamie’s. I’ve decided that even when I don’t order the dining package I’ll be ordering at least embarkation lunch at a specialty restaurant. It is such a better embarkation experience. service good but the pace was a little slow. Bruschetta for an appy. We both had the chicken for our mains as well as a shared lasagna. I also had a bolognese as a side pasta. The boss had the brownie I had the pavlova. It was divine. im lined up for bumper cars now.

First two drinks have been the Boston Iced Tea Party.

From parking shuttle drop to first drink was 55 minutes. There were several very long lines that seemed unusually long and staff seemed confused. however I’m onboard, in 270, relaxed and with a drink in hand. Life is good.

So it appears check in times are meaningless. no checks at all.

Good Morning one and all. The best day of the year is here. The day when your cruise planner reads the following... 0 Days to go. My Royal offer was declined so it is an obstructed balcony on deck 7 for us. The email did say that it would be reviewed by staff onboard if there were cancelations but I never seem to win these sorts of things. This is my 4th cruise since the restart and I have had RoyalUp bids from weak to strong and haven't won a single one. Apparently, I don't live right... We just getting ready and plan to leave the room around 10:15. We have parking arranged at the pier and an 11:00 am checkin. I'm a 15 minute drive from the pier. By the time we walk from the parking lot and hand luggage off to the porters we should be golden. See you onboard.

I read that they now show up in your cruise planner 14 days before your cruise.

Thanks for the factoid... Did you have to go and hide the sun today? I was expecting better from you 😝

That was an option too. They gave you the envelopes and if you wanted they would charge your account their recommended amounts. They then give you several slips that said a certain amount was paid to a certain person. You put those in the envelopes and then handed them out like there was cash inside. You could obviously add different amounts of cash to the slips if you desired to tip more than their recommendations.

Room steward on day one and day seven. Bartenders $1 or $2 with each drink. Exceptional ones $20 on day 7.

So instead of Uber I used one of those Bird scooters. That seemed lIke a decision fueled by bad decision juice. I survived. Back at the hotel. I left the restaurant before the show. Nothing good was going to happen after dark. We’re boarding tomorrow. See you then.

The original Starbucks

"Never. I'll Never Turn To The Dark Side. You've Failed, Your Highness. I Am A Jedi, Like My Father Before Me."

My first cruise was in 2007. We still had the slips you put in the envelope with any extra cash you wished. And then handed to the various people he wanted to give them to. 2003 isn’t even close to being reality

I honestly don’t care what other people tip. I respond to these threads reds only to let people know what I do. You do what you want. You do what makes you feel good, or comfortable. I’m on vacation 20 bucks here and there I’m gonna make that much of a difference in the overall scheme of things. If I end up with a little bit better service for it, I’m thankful. You do you.

After ridiculous traffic we finally made it to Seattle. Over and hour and a half delay on the I5. DW is chilling at the hotel (Hilton Seattle). I I have ventured to Pikes Place Market to see the sights. im a lot little late so a lot has closed down but I stumbled across a great little wine bar wit a view. After that I wondered and discovered what I thought was a neat little bistro. Once seated I quickly realized I’m the only strait guy here and there is some sort of floor show. 😲 we’ll see how this goes. The location is great. The food is good and they serve drinks. I tried the Charcuterie

People in central CA act like it’s a local thing, special to Fresno.

Dutch Bros didn’t disappoint. Just passed Royals Springfield office. Sorry it such a poor pic.

I have great confidence that it will. I will only be posting here and Bells going forward. That should be safe.

I’ll let you know what I find tomorrow

Dutch Bros is defintely on the agenda for before we hit the road…. This motel coffee is abominable. We’re at a Red Lion. This stuff is undrinkable. Fun Fact: Dutch Bros coffee, which is a central Cali institution and favorite of everyone i know, was founded right here in Grants Pass, OR. I tell all my central CA friends that and they are surprised. They think it is a local chain.

So the original plan was to fly up on Thursday, stay at the Hilton Seattle and board the ship Friday morning. After the cruise I’m staying over until Wednesday the following week. I have a conference I am attending over the Labor Day weekend and then I was making a one day trip up to my old home in Vancouver to see a friend and family. I had first class tickets with Alaska Airlines booked but ended up cancelling them as the the best rate I could find for a car rental 5 days was $750 and I just could bring myself to pay that price. So we are leaving home Wednesday morning and driving half way, completing the trip to Seattle on Thursday evening. DW is a little addlepated over it but I’m a miser. To quote Darth Vader from the aforementioned movie… “The emperor is not as forgiving as I am” I’m not sure I’m forgiven yet. However, the extra nights in the hotel and all fuel, driving DW’s Ford Hybrid, both directions will cost less than the flights and I won’t have to spend a dime on a rental for the after the cruise portion of this trip. Plus we’ll have the added convenience and reduced costs of no Uber pre and post cruise. We’re still staying at the Hilton Friday night so that part remains unchanged. We’ve arrived in Grants Pass OR for the evening and I’m ordering pizza.

I have had way too much time on my hands for the last two weeks. So to fill that time one morning I decided to experiment with Google earth. This was inspired by @Sea Dog but is nowhere near his brilliant editing skills. I’m just a novice with a MacBook Pro.

He told me he has sworn off CC for ever.

We actually did that as part of our bears and eagles tour. It was great and watching the salmon swim upstream was fascinating. What we do will probably be weather dependent.