I'm On A Boat!

I made it aboard the ship.  Our scheduled time of departure isn't until around midnight, so I'm just kind of killing time until then.

We had a bit of a mix-up with the port authority this afternoon.  I wanted the whole family to come see me board the ship, but when we got to the gate, we found out that they couldn't be granted entrance (even with our escort) without prior authorization.  The gate and port agents were really nice about it, and they even tried to get us some last-minute authorization, but since we had carpooled, not everyone had their IDs on them.  So, the family had to be dropped off in a parking lot outside the gate while I went on to board the ship without them.  Lesson learned: if you want your family to see you off, make sure to make the proper arrangements ahead of time.

When I got on board, I met with the ship's master and he checked me in and showed me to my room.  A little while later, the steward came in and gave me a quick tour of the ship, and even took me up onto the bridge.

Below are some pictures I took and a video of something cool that happened not long after I opened my cabin window.  But first, a few thoughts/notes:

• The ship is scheduled to depart at midnight.  We had originally planned for the family to gather downtown so they could see me as I went by, but that probably will be too late for them.
• I was provided a hand towel, a bath towel, two bars of soap (full-size, not the smaller hotel-sized bars), paper towels, and toilet paper, but no washcloth and no shampoo/conditioner.  Not being sure of the amenities, I brought my towel (thank you, Douglas Adams) and washcloth, as well as soap, shampoo, conditioner, and laundry detergent.
• The room comes with a mini-fridge, and one of the officers brought me a bottle of water and a coke, a sprite, and an orange fresca.  Sadly, there was no Sun Drop.  If anyone would like to send me a care package in Australia, a 12-pack would be much appreciated.
• There are drawers under the bed and sofa for clothes, and a small closet where I hung my suit, hoodie, and vest.  There are also a couple coat hooks by the door, which were just perfect for hanging my new Stetson hat.
• Electricity is 220v/50Hz and uses European plugs.  The only device I brought with me that requires A/C power is my laptop.  Everything else either uses batteries or plugs in via USB.  The adapter kit I bought has several different plugs, so I can use it while I'm on the ship and also when I get to Australia.  The South Korean and European plugs are nearly identical, except the prongs in the South Korean plug are slightly smaller and closer together.  The North Korean plug is a hamster wheel.
• The info packet they gave me said they don't have Internet on board, and to contact the steward if I need to send an email.  Thankfully, my phone has a wifi hotspot and a 3G signal, so I'm good until I get out of cell phone range.  My pre-paid plan expires towards the end of June, and I'm not sure if I get international roaming, so this is probably going to be the last time I have Internet access on the ship.

And now for some pictures:

My cabin, as seen from the entrance

My own private bathroom

The shower.  It's cozy.

My cabin, as seen from the blurry end of the room

This is what's outside my cabin window today

This has been going on all afternoon