Alaska Summer Solstice Cruise - Emabarkation Day

Cruise Day 1

Sunday, June 9, 2024

Our cruise finally begins as we are boarding the Holland America Westerdam for our 28-day Summer Solstice Alaskan Cruise.

We were up at eight and after getting dressed, we got our things together and did our final packing.  We had not been given a boarding time, so we decided to leave the hotel around ten.  We ate the pastries we had bought at the bakery last night and then settled back until it was time to leave.  At ten I called the front desk and said we were checking out and ask them to call a taxi and send up a bellman for our luggage.  They were very prompt and within ten minutes we were out front getting into the taxi.

The Inn at the Market was more expensive than we normally pay for a hotel, but I have to say, it was well worth it.  The location was great, the room was very nice and the view from the room was even better than advertised.  The service was excellent and I would certainly return here again.

It was a bit of a distance to get to pier 91 where the Westerdam was docked, and it took us about twenty minutes to get there.  There was another ship also docked there that was much larger than ours, so when we arrived there was a big traffic jam as taxis, buses and cars all worked their way into the drop off area.

We finally were dropped off, but we did have a bit of a walk to the terminal, but not too bad.  Once in the terminal we dropped off several of our bags for delivery to our cabin later and then went through security and then on to the check-in.  That all went relatively quickly, but then we were led to a waiting area as they were not boarding the ship yet.  It didn’t take long before they started boarding and we had priority boarding, so it didn’t take long until our group was called, and we got in the line heading for the ship.

We finally made it aboard and headed to the Neptune Lounge since our room was not ready yet.  As usual, we had booked our favorite cabin, a Neptune Suite.  Despite the extra cost we just like the perks and amenities too much not to do it.  One of the things most important to us is the Neptune Lounge where we had some snacks and drinks while we waited for our room to be ready.  We met the concierge, Lorraine, and her backup, Red (not sure of the spelling, but that’s how she pronounced it), and they both seemed very nice.

Our room was ready around 11:30 and it felt good to finally be onboard and in our room.  Our luggage wasn’t there yet, so we put away things that were in our carry-on bags.  We relaxed a bit until our checked luggage arrived and then we put all of that away.  We were still waiting for the luggage we had shipped from home that had most of our clothes in them, and I was (as usual) getting a little nervous as the trackers we had put in our bags said they weren’t at the port yet.  Since the ship was sailing around three, I called Luggage Forward, and they assured me they would be there.  They said I wasn’t the first to call, but because there were two ships and all the traffic, it was taking a long time to get there.

We had to check into our muster (lifeboat) station, so we did that and then strolled around the ship a bit.  We returned to our room and shortly after that Val’s shipped bag arrived and she finished putting all of her things away.  My bag didn’t arrive for another half hour, but it finally did, and I also got everything unpacked and put away.

It was getting near three and there was a sail-away party scheduled for the rear Lido Deck and our Cruise Critic Roll Call Group had decided to meet out there.  When we arrived, it was already pretty crowded, but we went to where our roll call was meeting and found a few people there.  We talked for a while and got to know some of the people, and Val and I had our first unleaded margaritas of the trip.  The actual sail-away was delayed until around four as the other ship left before we did, but we finally left and headed through the Straits of Juan de Fuca and north to Alaska.

Soon after that Val and I returned to our room and did some organizing until it was time for dinner.  Val and I always opt for the late fixed dining as we enjoy getting to know our waiters and they get to know our preferences.  Dinner isn't until 7:30, so it doesn't rush us when we get back from a late tour during the cruise.

I had rockfish for dinner tonight and it was very good, but Val had pork medallions that were overcooked and dry – you win some and you lose some, hopefully this doesn't foreshadow the food quality on the trip.  We had a nice conversation with the people across from our table, but they won’t be here again as they were only sitting there tonight.

After dinner we headed off for our usual after dinner visit to the casino but found it wouldn’t be open until tomorrow, so we headed back to our room to finish the night.