Chapter Two

"I really thought there'd be a line," Daphne said as the group walked inside of the pier's terminal building and looked around. Ticket agents, security personnel and baggage handlers stood about trying to look busy; their efforts were only partially effective as one can only polish a counter or check the time on the oversized wall clock so many times.

"Maybe we're, like, really early," Shaggy suggested.

"No, the instructions said to be here at least an hour early and that's what time it is now. Maybe everyone else got here REALLY early, or we're in the wrong place." Velma looked around and saw what might have been a few passengers leaving the building toward the ship.

"We better not be in the wrong spot - we're paying a fortune to park the Mystery Machine for four days near the terminal," Fred said with a pained expression on his face. Free trips never turned out to be free after all.

Velma took their tickets in hand. "Only one way to find out!" She started to march straight to the empty counter with the others in tow, but the agent pointed a finger at the empty roped lines. With a "Humph" she went back and weaved through the turnstiles until at least she arrived at the same counter, only taking ten times as long to get there.

This seemed to satisfy the agent, who greeted them warmly. "Welcome to the Pacific Princess! Can I have your tickets please?" Wendy asked as she held out her hand and received the requested items. "Ah yes...Fred Rogers, Velma Dinkley, Daphne Blake, and Saggy Rogers."

"And Scooby," the dog added.

"Let me edit that..Saggy Rogers Scooby."

"Not Saggy, Shaggy."

"Sorry. Shaggy Rogers Scooby."

"Scooby Doo," Scooby corrected.

Now the agent was getting confused. "Shaggy Rogers Scoobydoo? I haven't run across that name before."

"No!" Shaggy said, getting a little agitated. "My name is Shaggy Doo. I mean, Shaggy Rogers. This is Scooby, last name Doo."

"Rats Right," the Great Dane confirmed.

"I see," the agent said with a raised eyebrow. "A dog with the last name Doo." She edited the notes again. Velma stifled a giggle and didn't feel so bad about having to walk through the turnstiles after all. After typing for a moment, she looked up. "I see you've brought along your carry-ons. Is your luggage outside?"

"Luggage?" Scooby asked.

"Sure Scoob," Shaggy said under his breath. "You know...to take food back to our cabin."

"We don't have any extra luggage," Fred informed Wendy.

"What about extra clothes?"

"Extra clothes? We always wear these," Daphne said with a hint of disdain. "Is there anything wrong with our clothes?"

"No, of course not! It's just that most of our passengers...never mind. Here are your boarding passes; please pass through security to your right and then you can go through that big breezeway to the ship. Have a pleasant cruise!" she called to them as they wandered over to the security area.

Since the world was still an innocent place, there were no invasive and highly personal searches as they passed through and out to the gangway. Once aboard, they immediately met a smartly-dressed woman with a clipboard. "Hello, I'm Julie your Cruise Director. Would you like some help finding your cabins?"

Fred started to ask for help but Daphne stood in front of him. "Thank you, we certainly would," she said as she handed the passes to Julie. "We're got these tickets as payment for solving a mystery," she volunteered.

Julie's face froze. "You're not here to help us, are you?"

"Help you? Help you eat all that delicious food maybe!" Shaggy boasted.

"Help?" Velma asked, thinking she caught something in the cruise director's tone. This sounded like there might be another job for Mystery, Inc.

"Oh, nothing. Your cabins are that direction, toward the front of the ship. We have ship maps posted throughout the decks; you'll find your cabins in the green section, C level."

"Thank you," Fred said before being ushered away.

Behind them, they could hear the next couple boarding. "Oh Archie, isn't this lovely?" a shrill voice said as it fawned over the décor of the ship. "Just look at that beautiful tree, right here on the deck of the ship!"

"Edith, just stifle it, will ya? Any moron can see that's a fake tree. It's plastic, just as sure as a ship floats on water." He pulled a leaf off the tree and rubbed it to show his wife the proof, but the chlorophyll of the very real leaf rubbed off on his fingers and turned them green. "What kind of meathead puts a real tree on a ship, eh?" he said disgustedly.

...

The Pacific Princess pulled away from the dock, amid horns, yells and festive music playing through the outdoor speakers. A seasoned observer would notice that the people crowding the railing on the ship were spaced farther apart, and that a larger percentage of them than normal were crewmembers; however, most didn't notice as celebratory mood swept through the participants. The ship cleared the dock and made way towards the open sea as the people set about discovering the amenities on board the ship.

Meanwhile, the gang were looking over their cabins. The guys' room was directly across the hallway from the girls' cabin; it seemed as though no one else was booked into that stretch of hallway as no guests appeared and the doors were never open.

"We could, like, totally go bowling here," Shaggy said as he looked down the hallway. Scooby stood on his hind feet and pretended to bowl but fell flat on his black. "Looks like that one was a gutter ball, old friend. What do you say we leave the sports behind and go get something to eat?"

"You two can go grab a bite if you want - I think we'll have a look around the ship. I...I...I..." Fred stammered as Daphne walked out of her room in a swimsuit.

Wrapping a light skirt around her waist, she smiled as she noticed the effect on Fred. "Let's be sure to find out where the pool is, okay?"

Velma ticked the options off her fingers. "Swimming pool, Jacuzzi, kiddie and even a soaking pool, whatever that is."

"Maybe I'll try 'em all before we're done. Show us the way, Velma." Velma led the way with her map, followed by Daphne and Fred. Scooby and Shaggy had already disappeared.