Day 3 Embarkation Day!

Note: We've been having issues with getting photos to update due to limited internet speeds so we are a bit behind in updates.  

​Today we woke up early to catch a train to take us to Southampton. It was a very short ride from our hotel to Waterloo station. The train was a great choice. The ride was more scenic, relaxing and quite a bit faster than taking a bus or car. We arrived In Southampton at 11:00 am and took a short ride in a taxi to the pier.

​Embarkation was quick and painless.  We were sent to the Platinum boarding line and waited only seconds to get our paperwork completed.  We were given boarding group five and went upstairs.  The waiting area was very crowded but they had a separate area for Platinum and higher.  Shortly after sitting, they called the Haven guests on board.  A few minutes later, they called Platinum and higher so boarding group five meant nothing to us!  We were through security and on the ship at 11:40am.  We decided to wait until noon and have lunch in the main dining room.  The menu was different than the Escape one last year but similar.  I started with the hummus while Chris and Veronica had a Greek salad.  We all chose the shrimp burger on a pretzel roll.  Lunch was very filling and tasty.  After lunch, we went to the Bier Garten for our first drink of the cruise.  I had an Aperol Spritz while Chris went with a G&T.  Great spot for a drink.

The rooms were ready so we went to view our digs for the next two weeks.  Cozy for three but it will work.  There is not much storage but packing cubes make it work.  We popped open sparkling wine on the balcony to make a toast but it is not the best beverage so a toast was about it!  We left about an hour late from Southhampton due to a medical evacuation and it taking longer than usual to load luggage and provisions for a 14 day cruise.  We went to trivia before dinner and had a cocktail.

​We decided on Shogun for dinner which is the complimentary Asian restaurant.  It was a popular choice and quite busy at 6:00pm.  We started with dumplings, spring rolls and calamari.  All quite enjoyable.  Veronica had chicken and shrimp noodles, Chris tried char sui pork noodles while I had lemon pepper shrimp.  Everyone enjoyed dinner and we will likely visit again.

After dinner, we went to Henry’s Pub for trivia.  We each had a Woodford Old Fashioned.  Wonderful cocktail.  At 8:00, Veronica left to check out the teen scene so Chris and I spent the evening in the Galaxy of the Stars enjoying the music and having a few dances.  The bartenders are very friendly and I think it will be a fun cruise!