September 26, 2024 - Thursday - Embarkation Day in Duluth

September 26, 2024 

Duluth, MN 

Awake around 5:00 am. 

Breakfast, then a bit of a walk around. Back to the room, then back out hoping to see the Octantis sail in. Nowhere in sight until we saw one of her tenders headed for the DECC (Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center) which is the embarkation point. We’ll head that direction a little after 10:00. 

The Lift Bridge in Duluth, MN

We packed up what few belongings we had unpacked, retrieved a luggage carrier, loaded it up and wheeled it downstairs. Tried calling Uber, but the pick-up point was not at the address where we were standing, thus that was not going to work. The hotel had provided a list of local cab companies, we called the first one on the list. They were sending someone immediately. It took less than 10 minutes to get to the DECC. Minimum fare of $10. 

As usual, things were very well organized. People on hand to take the checked luggage. They were sent through a scanner and loaded onto carts. We were offered to turn over any carryon’s that we didn’t need to have with us and that was tagged and also scanned and loaded. 

Water bottles were on hand and we sat for a little while, then were called up to anyone of several people checking passengers in. They photo'd our passports and kept them, providing us with a receipt. We completed Canadian customs forms for the 3 entries into Canada that we will be making over the next couple of weeks. We then headed to the tenders. 

About 11:10 am we were leaving the dock. Getting on the ship was very similar to the process we experienced on the Neptune. Our actual carryon luggage was scanned before we got on the tender, so only our keycard was scanned on boarding. We were directed up to the Living Room for a mandatory safety briefing. As we entered the area, we were offered champagne or orange juice. The briefing was just that, brief. Explanation of the life vests that are actually a jacket that you put on, zip up, and fasten a couple of buckles. 

We explored the ship a little, then decided to check out the location of our room. We aren’t supposed to have access to it until 3:00 pm. The door was open and we met our cabin stewards. Wilhelmina is the primary, she indicated the room was ready enough that we could leave our backpacks. GREAT! The secondary cabin steward is Augustina. He looked at us oddly, then said, “I know you from the Neptune”. Sure enough, he was not responsible for our room, but just down the hall. We saw him a lot in the hallway as he was working. Very friendly, always a big smile. 

Next was lunch at the World Café. While we were sitting there, an announcement was made that ALL rooms were ready. (It was just after 1:00). So, after finishing lunch, we headed back to the room to begin to unpack. 

We got one backpack undone before the rest of our luggage arrived. The next couple of hours were spent on trying to find places to put everything. We got 4 out of 5 pieces of luggage unpacked. 

We attended the Daily Briefing at 5:30 pm. The Daily Briefing reminds us what to expect for the next day’s adventures. From there we went to dinner. Dinner was sushi as they have a daily spread of sushi for dinner and do a great job in the preparation. 

Sail away was a little before 7:00 pm and just as the sun was setting. The “lift” bridge is very interesting. It goes up and down all day long as boats need entrance to the harbor. According to the Uber driver, the whole process only takes about 15 minutes. Lots of people were out for an evening stroll as we sailed through the entrance canal into Lake Superior.