Likely to be the last post for the blog as we are in the final days to the great migration to Seattle! Seattle should be about 77 degrees and sunny for our departure. Our ports of call are predicting temperatures ranging from 50 degrees in Skagway to 57 degrees in Ketchikan. We will be expecting "showers" also which hopefully will only happen once we are back on board sailing to the next port.
When you get on board remember that changes to any tours you have generally require 48 hrs notice, so attend to that on the first day. Also, be watching for "two-fer" deals for the $peciality dining venues. These will be different than the coupons that you may have downloaded with your E-Docs. You might also encounter two-fer drink coupons. You might find these offerings in the main attrium which is the huge space you will come into on boarding the ship.
If you get on board early (before 2pm) your room may not be ready. You can drop your carry on luggage at the SPINNAKER LOUNGE and it will be looked after until you retrieve it. This allows you to explore without having to drag your stuff everywhere and LIDO deck will be serving food for the hungry folks. Your regular checked luggage will arrive at your stateroom about 5-7pm, so if you need medications or items between boarding and early evening, be sure they are in your carry on.
If you want a nice picture of your room for a souvernier, take it when you first open the door - it will never look this good again!
Every morning, you will find a "newspaper" under your cabin door. This will announce everything that is going on during the day including shows in the lounge, special events, sales in the ship stores, the TV schedule, facts about where we are crusing, the time of day for a "port talk" which is a quick run down on the tours on shore, where the ship is docked and sometimes a bit of the culture of the port. Use your highlighter pen to mark things you don't want to miss.
You will get an email shortly that has all the cabin numbers of each of the 40th Celebration Group. The cabin number is also you phone number on board. Your cell phone will probably not work inside the ship or if it does it might have monster sized roaming charges. So use the stateroom telephone. It also allows you to leave a voice mail and is great for wake up calls so you don't miss your shore excursion.
The blog has had 1698 page views since its inception, so I hope it has been of help to you in planning your cruise and looking at all the options to explore the ports. I have really enjoyed sharing with you all the information and keeping it updated for this cruise.
See you on board - Mike
