LOQ2 Boarding = Cattle Drive

My sisters and I are used to smaller boarding groups -- 300 people at the very most. The masses at a UNL home football game are nothing compared to what I experienced on Pier 91 in Seattle on Saturday, May 21st. Probably, what added to the confusion was the fact that two ships were boarding at the same time...both, we later discovered, with same sailing destinations. Fortunately ours was the smaller ship with only 2,086 guests (ha ha). We were herded like cattle through "receiving" lines similar to what you experience at an airport -- weaving back and forth through roped off areas. At the first checkpoint we had to show boarding pass, photo ID, passport...up a flight, down a flight (back to main area) and up again (again showing ID's) through another "receiving" line to check-in window. There we were given a boarding number and stateroom keycard (after showing boarding pass, photo ID and passport) and told to step over to the green wall for boarding. There we joined the rest of the herd and awaited our number to be called.

In hindsight it was well orchestrated, even with the trip up and down stairs...how else do you move a large mass of people in a contained area and maintain control?

We boarded the ship, found our "state room" and settled in. The Westerdam would be our floating home for the next week.