Expectations Upon Boarding
The morning sun shines brightly, creating a magnificent shimmering effect on the sea to the left and right of the cement path as you walk down the pier to catch your deluxe cruise.
You get the “red carpet” treatment as enthusiastic cruise workers greet you with their dazzling white teeth and gratuitous wave as you make your way up the steps of opulence to enter the vessel of leisure.
Boarding Realities
Unfortunately, your fantasies of a happy welcome must come to an end. Instead of receiving a personal greeting, you and your family must enter an airport-style terminal with lengthy, gloomy lines. You wait here with your shipmates, many of whom are unsmiling and want to bypass this phase.
You are then directed to the generic office counter, where you must provide your documents for safe documentation to the fake-friendly cruise line employee. Finally, you’ve been accepted, allowing you and your family to proceed up the sloped pier slope, right into the ship’s belly.
