As our taxi driver deftly maneuvered through Seattle traffic, I admired the iconic Seattle Space Needle standing tall among the city buildings. We were getting very close to our destination. I’d been told that cruise ships dock at pier 91, which is a bit north of Seattle’s downtown and the Space Needle. Finally, our taxi pulled to a stop near a large building that looked like an airport terminal. Handing over our luggage to a porter, we walked into the building where guests were ushered through customs.

Unlike at the airport, we moved through the check points quickly.  It didn’t take long before we walked out of the building onto the pier. I stared (gawked) like a farm girl from Wisconsin, which I must admit I am. Two cruise ships were docked on either side of the cruise terminal. They were so huge, they towered over us like tall buildings. The ship to our right, which we would be boarding, was the Eurodam of the Holland American Line. To our left, was The Royal Princess, a ship which appeared to be about the same size as ours.

Considered a smaller cruise ship, the Eurodam is 936 feet long and is equipped to carry 2,104 passengers and a crew of 800 to 900. Some large cruise ships, like the Icon of the Seas, carry 5,000 to 7,600 passengers and 2,300 to 2,400 passengers. I was glad that I had asked Tammie to book a smaller ship.

As we walked up the mid-ship ramp to begin our cruise, staff happily greeted us and used tablets to take our pictures for identification purposes.  Taking one of the six mid-ship elevators to the fourth deck where our cabin was located, Tammie and I wandered down three different hallways before finding our starboard side of the ship cabin, which was to be our home-away-from-home for the next seven days. We found a pair of room keycards and handouts in the small rack next to the door.

Everything we needed for a comfortable stay was in our cabin: a queen-sized bed, desk and chair, couch with a small table, large closets, and a fully equipped bathroom. My daughter and I agreed that our cabin was just as big as some hotel rooms on land. The room had large windows but were mostly obstructed by machinery needed for lowering lifeboats into the water. I didn’t mind. All I wanted the windows for was so I could tell if it was day or night.  I considered it a happy benefit to have a lifeboat close by if we were ever to need it! A knock at the door interrupted our investigations.

I opened the door to see a young man wearing the ship’s uniform. He explained that his name was Munir and he was our steward. He told us that if there was anything we needed, we should let him know because, “I’m here to serve you.” As we talked, our luggage was delivered to our room by a porter.

Before the cruise could begin, every passenger was required to report to their muster station. Our muster station was located on deck three, right below our cabin. It was nice to know where to go if there was an emergency.

Now we were free to explore the rest of the ship. There were three banks of six elevators each. One bank was near the bow, another near the stern and the third in the center of the ship. We found gift shops, which seemed to sell mostly jewelry. There were several bars, restaurants, a casino and a gym filled with fitness machines. An art gallery on the second floor slowed us down as we examined the art exhibition. The Crow’s Nest Bar and Lounge found in the bow on the eleventh deck was a popular place. A bar in the center served the many passengers using the rows of recliners along large windows overlooking the bow of the ship. Only the forward bank of elevators could reach The Crow’s Nest.

On the ninth floor we discovered the Lido Deck, which gets its name from an Italian word for beach or swimming. There were three swimming pools, one outside with a bar and grill handy. The next pool was enclosed and private. In the stern on that deck, another pool and hot tub were open to the air.

The Lido deck included a very large area devoted to casual dining. Here, passengers lined up along a cafeteria set-up that appeared to be two blocks long in the center of the ship. The selections ranged from salads, breads, soups, Korean, Asian, barbeque, and desserts. Workers dished up the food, and passengers sat at the tables along the window. Waiters come by frequently to bring drinks and clear away dishes and silverware. Food in the main dining room and on the Lido Deck were all complementary, as part of the cruise fare.

Our ship departed Seattle at three p.m. By five in the afternoon, Tammie and I found ourselves in a lounge on the second deck where two female Ukrainian performers were playing classical music. One sat at a beautiful, well-polished grand piano and the other caressed a sweet-voiced violin. When their performance ended, we decided we were hungry, so we walked down the hall to the main dining room.

A waiter led us to a table situated next to a large window. He pulled out my chair and when I stepped in place, he slid it under me. Picking up the cloth napkin at my place, he opened it and placed it in my lap. Leaning forward, he asked, “What would you like to drink, Madam?” On the other side of the table, Tammie was receiving the same courtesy.

My daughter and I ordered an appetizer, entree and dessert from a menu. The food arrived at our table looking like something from a magazine photo shoot and tasted delicious. Glancing out of the window next to me, I could tell that we were in the stern of the ship. The movement of the propellers made a churning water trail fan out across the ocean behind us. Turning to Tammie I said with wonder, “A cruise ship is like a floating city! It has everything you could find in a town.”