Yes it was! I thought they were joking when they said that we had to remove them, but it was fun running them over and getting back in line so that we didn't miss the boat...which by the way we almost did!! We were the last ones back on board. I took pictures of the shoes all lined up from the tower. Turned out to be a neat photo. I was disappointed that none of the local stations did any coverage of the ceremony. Beautiful day and the eagles soaring overhead and around the tower made it an even more special event!