Embarkation

Today we awoke about 5 am so we are trying to adjust to the many time zone changes. By 7 am we made the decision to return to the same breakfast place, Fuhang Soy Milk. This time we walked there and it took about 45 minutes. We joined the lineup about 8 am and spent 40 minutes in line. We were pros this time and knew what and how much to order! "We'll have a 1, 3, 11, 12, 32 and 43 please!" Total cost, 220 Taiwan dollars (about 11 CAD).

After breakfast we went to a tea shop so we could buy our oldest son some Oolong tea. He is a tea connoisseur!

Today's weather offered sunshine with blue sky and a high of 20 C - considerably warmer than yesterday. We started out at 11 C and topped out at 15 C - not quite as warm as I had been anticipating.

We got back to the hotel about 10 am. I did final preparations to replace my bags (J was done). By 11 am we had checked out of the hotel and had a car ordered to take us to Keelung - the port about 30 minutes away where we would board the Norwegian Sun. 

We were assigned a check in time of 12 to 12:30. It was smooth sailing dropping our bags and then checking in at the port to get our room keys. The wait came once we had to go through immigration. That line didn't open until 1 pm. We made some friends from Texas and New Zealand while we waited. 

Once aboard, we were required to visit our muster station and check in. Staff scanned our card and we were free to explore the ship. We chose to go directly to the main dining room on deck 5 aft. 

Food was delicious and staff were delightful. We made friends with a family of four from New York. 

Once we were finishing dessert and tea for me and coffee for J, we heard the announcement that we could enter our staterooms. 

We have an ocean view stateroom (which we have stayed in before on NCL). Our last cruise stateroom was considerably bigger - so we must have had a higher category of stateroom. 

We always like to stay close to the stairwell in the mid section of the ship. We think we must have been looking at a different ship deck plan because we are at the dead end of a hallway where one can only access the stairway in case of emergency. 

It was unsettling enough for me to stand in line at guest services on embarkation day to try to change rooms! I should have worn a mask!  

After one hour of standing in line at Guest Services, I learned that the ship is full - and no options exist for us to change rooms.  :(

As is often the case I am having troubles coordinating my phone and laptop now that I am in a foreign country.  I will endeavour to get some pictures on this blog soon.