We forgot to mention that we got a new itinerary covering the final segment of the world cruise. One of the formal evenings had been eliminated. The last formal would have been the final farewell dinner. Now it has been changed to smart casual by popular demand we understand. We heard that when Stein Kruse was onboard, a hand count was done during his talk on the stage. More than half of the guests voted for casual. Not that it matters a whole lot, but that has traditionally been the big night of frivolity, celebration, and tears for those who would be going home soon. In the old days (now we sound old), the baked Alaska parade with the kitchen staff filing throughout the lower and upper dining rooms to music was always a high point. Won't be the same. On the other hand, most everyone will have the majority of their luggage packed if they are smart. All of the formal duds can be stashed now.
Highlites of today were Barbara H. giving a talk on Ascension Island scheduled for tomorrow now. Although there is not a lot to do there, we have always liked the stop. Nothing like getting your toes sunk in the warm sand on the beach there, while checking out the turtle tracks in the sands. Sure hope we make it.
Paulette , who is an expert on soup-making, gave a demo on making Moroccan red lentil bean stew and blackened tomato and peanut soup. Who ever thought you would be adding peanut butter to soup? Bet it is good.
Another Mongolian Cookout was held in the Lido pool area. We opted for room service burgers instead. They are just too good.
Two of the sea's most charismatic animals, killer and humpback whales are the subject of Mr. Palmisano in the Queens Lounge. We try never to miss his talks on TV later in the day. Since so many of the room movies are reruns of reruns, it is nice to be able to watch something informative. Frankly, some of the movies that are out now are plain stupid.
Pool games were held at the Lido pool, hosted by Gene. They sell happy hour drinks (buy one get one for $1.) and give away grand dollar prizes. So far we have only seen one of these, since we are usually swimming and sunning at the aft pool. With the sun out, the waters in this area are deep blue. We heard someone had spotted whales on the horizon today, but we missed them. They will only appear when you do NOT have your camera. Once again, there were no ships in sight, making us feel quite alone in these South Atlantic waters.
The movie, Delivery Man, was shown in the Wajang Theater. And the entertainer this evening was Jeff Peterson, a hilarious comedian and amazing magician...at least that is what his description said. Will have to ask our tablemates to grade his performance.
Dinner was fun as always. Our trivia time with Maureen had us rolling in the aisles with laughter. She plays the 5pm game in the Piano Bar, and keeps notes of the questions and answers as she plays wth her team. She loves stumping us with them on the nights she joins us. Brings out the natural teacher in her, and gets us to think hard for those often useless answers to funny questions.
Now the real question is: will we, or won't we get to go on Ascension Island? Stay tuned to find out......
