It was a very restful day at sea for us. Although we had overcast with high clouds, the temperature was in the low 50’s with the sea water temps at 57 degrees….something we never hope to find out. The winds were 24 knots and we experienced following winds with 5 foot swells. Once the Volendam got out into the open Pacific Ocean waters last night, the motion increased enough for it to be noticed.
After another breakfast with friends, we headed back to the room to continue working on the blog. Most everyone left the Pinnacle Grill early to get ringside seats for the 10:30am Grand World Update and Q&A with the President Beth. She would be revealing the 2028 Grand World Voyages as well as sharing her visions of the brand. Interesting, but we intend to watch it later and not fight the crowd in the World Stage.
There was a port talk on San Diego and a speaker, Captain Golden, lecturing on pirates, smugglers, and terrorists. What a controversial subject these days. Resident artist Ben revealed his Grand World Drawing which will be auctioned off on this trip we assume. We happen to have a young lady who has been posting her sketching’s as this trip has progressed and she would give Ben a run for his money so to speak. What a blessing to have that level of talent.
So one of us took a nice long walk as usual on the promenade deck, only to find very few folks there. Most of them were in the World Stage. When we have a long day in a port, it seems to take much longer at night doing the reports, so they have to be completed the following day. No more staying up until 1am.
Shop promotions are running hot and heavy now that we only have a few weeks left. It seems that the casino players are more active as well. At 10pm tonight there was a drawing for over a $624K paradise lotto jackpot. Wonder if anyone ever wins that? Certainly we would hear about it. We understand the casino does not run independently and is tied to a corporation, making the odds of winning progressive slots for instance very slim.
Captain Frank came on later than usual due to Beth’s talk running late. He said we were doing a speed of 16 knots with 985 nautical miles to get to San Diego. He expected an increase in the winds and rougher seas with 11-foot swells tomorrow. The stabilizers will be out to help with the rolling. He also promised slightly higher temps. Sunset will be 8:25pm and sunrise at 6:13am.
Dinnertime arrived and we ordered one chicken noodle soup to warm up, the everyday shrimp cocktail with the best sauce, one mango/jicama salad and one Caesar…dressing on the side. Both of us had the traditional Thanksgiving dinner of sliced turkey, smashed sweet potatoes, dressing and extra cranberry sauce. No it was not Thanksgiving but tasted just as good. In this part of the world, the menu has been heavy on the seafood, which many love. Always nice to have more choices. Dessert was one strawberry jello and a plate of watermelon slices. Refreshing and not heavy.
By the way, the Pinnacle Grill hosted its first special dinner for the Neptuners and the HAL reps onboard. We will have our special President’s Club dinner tomorrow evening, a formal night.
The singer this evening in the World Stage was Charity Lockhart titled “Aretha: The Queen of Souls”. A powerful tribute, she is said to have a stunning five-octave range and unforgettable charm.
Two more days at sea to go before San Diego, a place we love to visit.
Bill & Mary Ann
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