Alaska Cruise – Day 1 (Seattle)

Okay, then. We're on our way, after a year of planning and anticipation!

So far:

Rise at 4:15 a.m. Shower, drink coffee, do hair, drink coffee, dress, drink coffee. (Not that much different than a usual day, if you don't count doing it all three hours earlier than normal.)

At the airport, I was personally thrilled to discover that Alaska Airlines flies on time! That sort of thing is such a pleasure for someone who usually flies United's less schedule-conscious skies.

A bit of a mix-up at Seattle's Sea-Tac where an announcement repeat5edly (and unconvincingly) assured us that they have no way of telling which carousel will spit out your luggage, then we dropped our bags at one end of the (thankfully, not large) airport and walked to the other end just in time to catch the shuttle to the ship's embarkation point.

Our luck was ho9lding – ours was the first bus to arrive and a scant 20 minutes later, we were among the first to board! (So much for the books the R.C. read that warned us to be prepared for hours-long waits to get on and off the ship.)

But…. No! Forget that dry catalog of events . As I rest here stretched out on my queen-sized bed, enjoying the comfort of central air-conditioning – somehow yet I still understand how early explorers must have felt, because outside my window the ocean flows past and under me and beyond that the coast of Washington is shrouded in impenetrable trees with a look that is at once lush and daunting. If I squint, I can see past the scattered proof of "civilization's" impact on this coastland to catch a glimpse of the uncharted mystery that must have beckoned centuries ago.

More prosaically, I think I walked 10 miles today exploring the ship, I've had four meals so far and another one isn't completely out of the question, if I'd known the cabin was going to come equipped with a TV and DVD player I might have packed differently, I wish I had packed differently enough so that all my clothes had not arrived crushed, and turn-down service with someone to leave you a chocolate and fill your ice bucket every night is just lovely.

It seemed to take a long time to get to the cruising part of this cruise today but now it's all worth it.

Under the heading of "things you would not believe"?

The lifeboat drill. Forget what they tell you about cold, rainy Seattle. There was blazing hot sunshine, they yammered on and on, giving a speech much like the one none of us listen to on airplanes (I wasn't really listening) with an endless addition about how all of this was for our safety, and we had to stand there forever while those who assumed "mandatory" did not include them were rounded up and herded, sheepish and embarrassed by the angry mutters of their sweating co-passengers, into place.

In other news, I'm happy to report that the coffee on board the ship, while not Starbucks, is exceptionally good. An Italian roast that, even in the restaurants, manages to be dark and flavorful without tasting burnt.

8:35 p.m.

What a cute, little red boat! When you leave U.S. waters and sail into Canadian waters, you trade your U.S. pilot for a Canadian one. This is accoplished via a bright red boat labeled, "PILOT." I understand that piracy has not been wiped out in parts of the world, so this is probably a wise labeling choice.

4:31 a.m.

It's not really dark dark. Must be the ship's lights. We're rolling a bit.