Life Through My Eyes: All On Board For Our 2012 NCL Sun Cruise

Today is Sunday, 09/16/2012 and it is time to get on board for our 14 day NCL cruise on the Sun.
We got up early today and went downstairs for our complimentary breakfast.
The hotel had a full buffet set up with part of it being geared towards the more Americanized style of breakfast and the other part being geared towards the the European style of breakfast. The European style, at least from what I saw in this restaurant had several styles of granola cereals, various cheeses, cold cuts, some fish items, along with sliced tomatoes and cucumbers along with various styles of bread and Danishes.
The Americanized style of breakfast buffet had the usual eggs, bacon, waffles, sugary cereals and the usual fare that you get at any normal American breakfast buffet.
After eating Veronica and I went upstairs to our room and hung out for a while.
We had received a letter in our room that told us that we were to meet with an Norwegian Cruise Line representative in the hotel lobby at 11:00AM and that this rep would assist us in getting our luggage and ourselves to the pier where we would board the NCL Sun.
So at around 10:30 we gathered up our 4 pieces of luggage, my backpack and Veronica's carry on luggage bag and dragged everything downstairs into the hotel lobby.
We had already affixed the NCL provided luggage tags onto all of our bags.
After getting everything to the lobby, we made contact with the NCL rep who told us where to place our bags for transport to the ship and she gave us a number that showed us to be on the first bus that would be going to the pier.
At approximately 11:45 we boarded the shuttle bus for the approximately 15 minute bus ride to the pier, where the NCL Sun was docked at.
Upon our arrival at the pier, we found the lines for check in to be very long.
It took us approximately 30-45 minutes before we made our way to the head of the line and it was our turn to be checked onto the ship.
Our boarding paperwork was given to the check in staff and our photos were taken along with our ships ID cards being given to us. The ships ID card issued to each of us is basically used for everything on the ship, from getting our soda(we paid in advance for soda pass that last for the entirety of the cruise, for each of us which entitled us to a thermos style mug that we could get unlimited refills of soda) , to charging anything purchased on the cruise to our room account.. Very little on these cruises are paid for in cash unless you put cash towards your inboard account. Most times people give the cruise line a credit card so that all purchases made on board can be charge to your card to settle up your on board account.
It took us about 5 minutes to be checked in and then allowed to board the ship.
We walked around the ship until it was approximately 1PM, at which time our balcony cabin was ready for us.
We went to our cabin 8232, which was balcony cabin. We had made a call about a week or so prior to our cruise starting and upgraded our inside cabin to a balcony cabin for only $118.00 for the two of us.
Within a reasonable length of time all of our 4 pieces of luggage arrived in our cabin. We decided to go ahead and unpack and put all of our clothes in the drawers and hang everything that needed to be hung up. Basically we set up shop in our cabin for our 2 week cruise.
After unpacking we went to our muster drill. The muster drill is mandatory for all cruise passengers and you go to a pre-assigned location on deck 7...the Promenade Deck...at least from what I can remember. We were to meet our group at Section J. This is where our group would meet should something happen to the ship and should we ever have to get in the life boats.
I would like to mention that the muster drill really doesn't last long unless you have those inconsiderate cruisers that feel that they have the right to be late and force everyone who came to the drill at the assigned time, to be waiting around for these jerks that feel that they are special. We had several of these folks that just meandered in like they had no clue or they belonged to royalty and that the world revolves around them.
The muster drill lasted about 40 minutes.
Veronica and I then walked around the ship, went window shopping in the duty free shop and the ships store, had some dinner and then started to watch a production show that was being done in the Stardust Theater.
We did not care too much for the show and we were pretty well wiped out from the last couple of days worth of travel and adventures, so we decided to go back to our cabin, relax and call it a night.
We knew before going to bed that the next day was a sea day and that we had nothing really planned and could sleep in late if we chose to.
We opened our balcony door and let the sounds of the ship under way and .the waves of the ocean along with the gentle swaying of the ship, send us off into a deep sleep.

I won't say a word!!!

Happy cruisers

I am not sure that we got one of the new ones...I forgot to check

Looks like something from the pre-historic days

This was a really weird looking building. Who knows what evil lurks inside

The area around the pier where the NCL Sun was docked

Our balcony cabin #8232

There was a queen sized sofa bed along with a fold down bed that was hanging on the wall. We pulled it down and used it to store our luggage, souvenirs and our coats

Ahhhh yessss....this is my fine sea fairing maiden

The pilot boat to assist us away from Copenhagen

Proof of our actual departure from the pier

Many wind farms in this area

Here I am deep in thought. Not sure what I was so deep in thought about...probably whether to have the shrimp cocktail appetizer or the crab cakes. Hmmm....really tough decision. Oh hell....let's just have two of each!!! No wonder I packed on a couple o pounds during this cruise. Fellow cruisers can relate.