Good Morning Seattle ~ Disembarkation

Ah,  a beautiful morning in Seattle.

 It was 4:37 AM when I started 

taking the first photos of the morning.

Such a beautiful dawn

while we sail in 

towards our berth in Seattle.

On our last night, we were asked

to have our luggage set out for disembarkation

just before dinner time.

You keep what you need for the 

night and and the following morning.

The rest is set out into the hallway

for the crew to take away.

The next morning you can reclaim

your luggage inside the cruise terminal

once you have left the ship and

passed through customs.

After the fact we realized 

that we should have kept one

of the smaller roll on luggage cases

for the last night

rather than the two carry bags.

It would have been a lot easier

  to pull along a rolling case,

rather than lug two carry on bags.

We didn't realize what a mistake 

that was until we saw other passengers

having an easier time walking the plank 

  gangway heading off the ship.

Our bags seemed to weigh more 

with every step we took.

Total distance traveled from

  Seattle to Alaska and back to Seattle.

2024.5 nautical miles

which is 2328.17 miles.

There she is, the Westerdam again.

Hi neighbors.

 We decided to have our last 

cruise breakfast in the dining room.

This photo reminds me

that it's the little extra touches

that make an ordinary meal, 

 something extra special.

Go that extra step to pour creamer

out of a pitcher, instead of the carton.

Not that I've done that since we've been

home... but it does seem that small 

efforts do make a normal meal 

feel like a special occasion. 

We ordered the 'famous' 

 french toast with a cornflake crust.

It's one of the recommended 

not to be missed breakfast dishes.

That's according to quite a few 

Cruise Critic members.

Well... I'm sorry to say, 

I didn't like it.

I should explain though.

I'm not fond of donuts because

of that deep fried flavor they get

from the oil used.

I think the french toast was deep fried. 

It wasn't what I thought it was 

going to be and wish I had ordered

something else entirely.

But hey, overall everything

was fantastic. 
After breakfast we headed back
to our stateroom one last time
to pick up our carry on bags that
were already to go.
Our room steward had already 
started getting the room ready for
the next lucky passengers.
The bed had already been stripped
and freshly made.
We found our steward and waved
a fond farewell to him as he
was working in another cabin. 
 We found the crew members to be
wonderful, and they work awfully
hard to take care of everyone onboard.
We were due to meet in the 
Princess Theatre at 8:05AM
for our disembarkation time.
After a short wait, we were 
told to make our way off the ship.
Oh... no... sniffle ... sad... boo hoo.
  

My last view of the Golden Princess

with her flags waving in the breeze.

It certainly was a wonderful vacation.

Cruising wasn't even on our

'it could actually happen' radar

until our friend Carole said

"you guys should go". 

 Thanks for having the patience

to follow along as I

went way overboard with details

and photos.

I didn't realize how absolutely

long it would take when 

I first started this.

But this is it... the end!

Oh Canada, Our Very Short Visit.

We hadn't planned any excursions

for Victoria.

I knew I didn't want to spend such 

a short time getting out to Butchart 

Gardens. The bus ride there and back

would have taken

 quite a bit of the time,

 and we only had three hours in port.

I know Butchart Gardens is famous and all,

but for such a short visit,

the cost didn't seem worth it.

I'd rather not feel rushed 

while visiting the gardens

and I've read/heard that you

really do need some time there 

to enjoy it.

So maybe in the future

we'll get to explore more of 

Vancouver and Victoria without

the time limits of being on a cruise.

 

Now at least,

I can say I've been to Canada 

and actually stepped off onto the soil.

We were in Canada earlier in the week

but never got to step off the train,

while we were actually in Canada.

It still wasn't quite a real visit,

because we didn't actually even leave 

the port area.

Oh well.

This gentleman was directing passengers

to a tour of some sort.

I thought a tour through town

on a horse drawn carriage would

have been fun,

 but the prices per person

was a bit steep.

Besides that, it was late

in the evening and I was already

super tired by this time.

It had already been a very long day.

So, we headed back onboard

to enjoy the sunset at 9:01 PM.

A look at Victoria from the top deck.

It was beautiful, especially when 

the lights came on after the sun set.

  

The dock workers were busy taking

on more fuel and supplies.

I never got tired of watching 

what happens on the pier.

I had tried to get to sleep,

but I didn't want to miss our 

sailaway.

The Westerdam left

about 11:30 PM.

Just before midnight,

it was our turn to leave the berth.

Next stop.

Back in Seattle.

Last Dinner on the Golden, Arriving at Victoria, BC

The appetizers offered 

at the last dinner.

I chose this watermelon

and feta cheese salad.

It had toasted pumpkin seeds,

chives, and a light dressing

 of olive oil and lemon juice.

Oh my gosh, this one dish

triggered a watermelon craving

 and we've had watermelon

in the refrigerator ever since the cruise.

Too bad the season is coming to an

end though... or perhaps that's good.

It will make us appreciate it again

next summer when it's back in season.

The last melon we purchased

turned out to be less sweet and

not as good as the rest of them

had been.

We purchase the seedless melons

and each one lasted us about a week.

I was going to try to recreate this 

salad at home, but the pumpkin seeds

were very expensive... 

I only saw a two pound bag,

and certainly didn't need that amount.

But I did top chunks of watermelon

with feta cheese.  

It's good even though it doesn't sound

that appetizing.   

It's the saltiness of the feta that goes so 

well with the watermelon.

I recently saw a photo of pumpkin

bread that had a topping of pumpkin

seeds baked on top.

Now that looked really good,

and it would be another way to 

use up a supply of pumpkin seeds.

 

Rick chose the Sauteed Chicken and  

Veal Sweetbreads with Mushrooms.

It was good, but way too rich.

We didn't order from soup, salads

or pasta courses.

I didn't get a photo of our dinner plates.

We both ordered the Grilled New York

Cut Strip Steak with Green Peppercorn Sauce.

After the heavy seafood lunch

we had earlier, neither of us wanted 

more seafood or fish.

Dessert menu.

I chose the Milky Chocolate Hazel Nut Souffle 

with warm amaretto sabayon.

Our water set the Souffle down

in front of me, and then plunged

a spoon into the center creating a hole.

Then he poured the amaretto sabayon

over the top... gosh... it was good. 

See, really light and fluffy inside.

Rick didn't order a dessert,

but Jackie shoved her cheese cake 

over at me for a photo.

She'd gotten used to me 

taking food photos by then.

After dinner, 

we're sailing into Victoria, BC.

There's our cruise neighbor,

the Westerdam.

A cute little tug boat

ready to help if needed (I guess).

I still loved watching the 

dock workings as we snug up

into the berth.

Ready to tie us up

for our short stay.

We arrived around

7:30 PM and had to be

back aboard by 11:30 PM

with sail away shortly after that.

The gangway ready to be put in place.

Across the way,

the Westerdam is getting some paint

touched up.  

See that guy hanging from the ropes.

He's wearing an orange life vest

and while hanging off the side...

  he's painting the hull.

Meanwhile the preparations

for debarking continue.

They even brought street lamps 

with hanging flower baskets

to welcome us to the port.

Attaching the safety net.

The Norwegian Jewel is berthed

on the other side of us.

It kind of looks like more of a party

atmosphere across the way with 

those palm trees lining the top deck.

Well, there's just two more posts

about the cruise to get through.

Didn't think it would ever end ~ did ya.

I was beginning to feel that way myself.