Chapter 3-Transition Time

We woke up early and took the Bainbridge Island ferry, which is about a 35 minute trip. Despite the shining sun, it was pretty cold on that boat, mostly because of the wind, so I spent a good amount of time inside or standing in the sun. Sadly, I didn't think to take a hoodie. Once that was done, we took the return trip right back. 13 bucks for two people for a boat ride, not a bad way to go. We walked about a mile up 1st Avenue to Pike Place Market, probably the other most popular attraction in Seattle besides the Space Needle. There were lots of cool vendors selling everything from pictures to pastries to pillows. We did stop at Beechers Cheese Market for some grilled cheese. Their flagship is somewhere between cheddar and gruyere, it melted great. I admit, I would've liked to have tried their Mac and cheese. We also saw the gum wall, which is pretty huge. No I did not add to the collection. And of course, plenty of fish! 

After we got back to that cesspool of a neighborhood called Pioneer Square, we packed and took an Uber to Pier 91, about 4 miles north of downtown. Boarding was easy, it was just showing a few docs and dropping off the luggage. We revived an ovation from the staff as we boarded, pretty crazy. But it was their second cruise back since the pandemic hit, so I guess we were treated a little extra special. Feeling pretty hungry, we went to the International Cafe, which was a 24 hour mini mart with small sandwiches, salads, pastries, and coffee drinks. I got a shrimp and noodle salad in a small cup, just enough to hold me over. 

Our room was L230, located on the 16th deck, which is the highest level that has state rooms. We not only had a balcony, but it was located only a one-minute walk from the pool and one of the many bars on deck. We hung at the sail away party which had a little singing and dancing, but it was the staff doing the performing, it wasn't the staff playing songs and the passengers dancing, which is what I was used to on other ships. 

For dinner, we ate at Concerto, one of the two standard dining rooms. One of the advantages of having a premium beverage package is glasses of wine are free up to $12. Of course, there's also the pressure to make sure you drink enough to justify the price! I remember I had a cocoa rubbed pork loin and strawberry cheesecake.

Weather wise, it got cold quickly. When we left the harbor around 4:30, people were laying in the sun, wading in the pool, wearing shorts and t shirts, drinking margheritas. By 7:30, the winds were blowing around 30 mph, and the temperature was down to around 50 degrees. At some point that night, I got a text alert that we sailed into Canadian waters. So...I guess I've been to Canada now?

I spent a lot of time playing trivia and watching game shows. American trivia and 60s music trivia were the first two, hosted by Lauren, who's from South Africa. Very dry sense of humor, which I always appreciate. My cocktails that night were the Irish side car and Crown Royal old fashioned.

What I noticed early on is this seems to be an older demographic, primarily 50s and 60s and then there were a fair amount of families. Not tons of 30 and 40s. Most of the younger crowd is high school folks who are heading to college soon because they have the time.