Terry and I drove to Galveston on Saturday the 22nd. We stayed the night at the Holiday Inn on the beach and they kept the car for free all week. I had been semi-active on Cruise Critic on our cruise's Roll Call. Twenty-six of us met at Fish Tails for dinner on Saturday night. It was great to be able to put faces and names together. Dinner was nice but the company made the evening.

Our 30th anniversary started early as we got up and dressed and made our way to the hotel lobby to meet the shuttle bus that would take us to the pier. We were on the shuttle with 2 other families but they were cruising on RCI's Voyager of the Seas. We had our luggage off the shuttle and into the capable hands of a porter and were walking into the terminal by 10:45. Our Fun Passes (aka Carnival boarding pass) were checked as we stepped in the door and we were directed up the escalator. At the top of the escalator we rounded a corner and went to the back of the line of about 150 people. We had VIP check in because we were booked into a suite; Terry left me in line while he went to ask about VIP check in. He motioned for me to leave the line and we were guided to some chairs where we sat for about 20 minutes. The two wedding parties were in that area, too. Once the wedding parties boarded we were sent to a desk to check in. Showed our passports (had to sign them - had so carefully tucked them away when we received them and forgot to sign them), received our Sail and Sign cards and headed towards a line that was beginning to form. We were told we didn't need to stand in line and were sent to another set of chairs. In about 10 minutes we, another couple and two groups with someone in a wheelchair were told we could board. The other couple walked on a few steps about us. The other couple turned out to be our next door neighbors and Cruise Critic Roll Call friends, Larry and Sue. We were on board at 11:36.

L&S showed us where to buy a fountain drink card (one price and then all the soft drinks you want for the week) and we talked about the ship for a minute before they disappeared. I directed Terry to the Cezanne Restaurant (the Conquest is decorated in Impressionism). We put our stuff (carry-ons, my purse and the camera bag) down on a table by a window and while I stayed with the stuff Terry went up the stairs to Sur Mer (the fish and chips area of the restaurant) for fish and chips and his beloved fried oysters. Read more