Today we were
hustled out of the nicest hotel we've been in yet, to stand out
in the cold, waiting for buses. It took us a while to pack up,
so we had to skip breakfast. We stood out on the sidewalk for
a half-hour before a tour rep announced that, due to a major
snafu, everyone was scheduled to leave at 9 am, when half of
us should have been scheduled to leave at 11 am. Fine with us;
we could have breakfast. As we headed back inside to the restaurant.
We were accosted by another rep who announced that there were
two seats available on the last bus, and we declined. She then
advised that we had no choice; we would otherwise be part of
a tour we hadn't paid for. So we were hustled into the aromatic
section at the back of the bus (very tiny seats next to the bathroom),
where we were squished upright for three long hours on the trip
from Anchorage to Seward (where the ship lay in wait). We were
greatly relieved when we rolled into Seward, until the driver
decided to give us a tour of the city (and I use the term loosely).
He even stopped at a point across the bay so we could have our
pictures taken with the ship in the background (see photo above).
We were grateful just to get off the bus.
Having not had breakfast, by the time we boarded we proceeded directly to the lunch buffet, camera gear in tow. Lunch was delicious, as is standard for any cruise ship. We then found our room, unpacked everything, and took a nap.
Dinner was mahvelous, as expected. Our four unknown tablemates never appeared, and we dined quietly. We then hiked around the ship for a while to familiarize ourselves with the surroundings, then retired for the night. Being 600 miles south of Fairbanks, the sun sets much earlier here. 11:05 pm.
We sat out on our private balcony (!!) and enjoyed the midnight sun, exhausted.