Embarkation day: San Francisco

Today, we woke up and got breakfast, once again, at the Buena Vista. Breakfast here meant another round of Irish coffees! Afterward, it was back to the hotel to pack and leave for the ship!
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As a visitor, Chris was able to explore the ship, have lunch, and then say goodbye. For lunch, we went to the main dining room. As starters, we ordered either a seafood plate of crab, scallops, and shrimp, or a vegetable soup with Parmesan and pancetta. Lisa ordered vegan sausage and zucchini ravioli, Veronica got the Cruise Critic famous Cobb Salad, and Chris ordered the prime beef. He was living it up while he could!

After lunch, we walked around the ship.  We sampled some gin and tonics from the new menu.  Chris saw our home for the next 16 days, and then it was farewell.

It is always a goal of mine to unpack before muster time.  Mission accomplished. 

Then, it was time for sail away.  We heard Louis Armstrong sing “What a Wonderful World,” and off we went!  Veronica and I braved the winds at the front of the ship to watch us pass under the Golden Gate Bridge. Still, the harsh wind was worth the photo shots!

We dressed for dinner at Umi Uma, which is the Asian specialty restaurant created by Nobu.  It has become our tradition to dine here our first night.  We started with some edamame, followed by plate of sushi, nigiri, and sashimi created by the chef. It included tuna, salmon, white fish, crab, yellowtail, octopus and other various types of fish. All of the fish was very mild, and the white fish melted in your mouth. We also had the broiled eggplant and lobster tempura for appetizers, both recommended by the waiter. The lobster tempura came with a vinegar-like sauce, which was amazing. Lisa had the mushroom salad, and the waiter brought some rock shrimp tempura to sample.  For our mains, we both had Nobu style lobster.  Served with a yuzu-truffle sauce, the lobster was light and flavorful. Dessert was the creme brulee sampler for Veronica and lychee sorbet and tropical fruit for Lisa. Additionally, petit fours were served after dinner.  It was a truly fantastic meal!  

After dinner, we went to listen to music and dance.  The hosts on board did not let us sit down.  We went to the later show of Crystal In Motion.  It was a variety show featuring the show band and dancers.  It was very enjoyable.  I went back to dance while Veronica went to work on the blog.  Unfortunately, we are having difficulties with the site and adding pictures. Hopefully, pictures will be added soon!
 
We gain an hour tonight so I think it will be an early morning!