Day One

Embarkation. That’s when you meet up with the Cruise Ship people and they herd you into the bus that goes to the pier. Where you will wait and wait some more to get from customs and all the red tape before you can go aboard. This process can take hours. OR 20 minutes. This depends on your cruise line. Believe me when I tell you that Viking cruise line babysits you from the time you get your luggage from baggage claim, board the shuttle to the pier, and go through security and customs. Yesterday, they achieved a new record. 19 minutes. I could not stop grinning.

Our staterooms would not be ready until 2:00 pm, so we grabbed lunch at the smorgasbord type restaurant, called the World Café. After a hearty lunch and meeting new people at the table next to us, it was after 2:00 pm. Our stateroom was ready for us, but my suitcase had not made it yet. Luckily, I packed my toiletries in hubby’s suitcase. I really needed to rinse and brush my teeth. They felt fuzzy after 24 hours.

After exploring the ship, we had a light supper and hit the hay. No sleep for over 24 hours hit hard.