August 20, 2016

August 20, 2016

We are up way before dawn.  We grab a quick bite of breakfast and then stumble onto the shuttle to the Phoenix airport for our flight to Seattle.  We have clear skies but our route is over the mostly uninteresting landscape of eastern Nevada.  Only a few isolated mines, farms, and salt flats nestled amid low mountains.  A reminder that vast stretches of the West are largely uninhabitable. 

We landed in Seattle ready for a relaxing cruise away from the heat and to celebrate our 29^th wedding anniversary.  But we forgot what an ordeal it is to board a cruise ship. Getting 2000 passengers and all their baggage on in just a few hours is a major logistical effort. After retrieving our luggage, we endured one line after another to get transferred to the port and onto our vessel.  I guess they don’t call them ‘Cruise LINES’ for nothing.  

We arrive in our stateroom in the early afternoon.  Our first stop was the lunch buffet. Then an exploration of this small floating city, where each department tries to upsell us on their service. Cruise ships have taken a cue from the airlines trying to make extra profit on overpriced add-ons.

At 4pm the ship left Seattle and we watched the beautiful skyline fade away from the aft deck. We toasted our bon voyage with some Tucson friends who are joining us on our adventure.  They are also celebrating their anniversary.