Breakfast has gotten busier in the dining room, since more folks are coming here to at least try it. Many people are diehard Lido-goers, mostly because they do not want to get up early at 8am. During sea days, the dining room stays open until 9:30am. After that time, you may be turned away.
It was a triple holiday today with Veteran's Day, Armistice Day, and Remembrance Day. To commemorate the occasion, the ship hosted a ceremony in the Queens Lounge at 10:45am with the sounding of the ship's bells and whistles at exactly 11:11am. It was followed by 2 minutes of silence, then Captain Fred and the onboard clergy concluded with speeches. Most everyone wore their poppy pins as well.
Kainoa talked about the Kingdom of Hawaii, which eventually became a state. Only he can tell the story from his birthplace in a passionate way.
Later in the day, Terry Greenberg talked about interesting nautical terms that are used in everyday language today.
As well as learning to play the ukulele, you could also learn to play the Tahitian log drum. Now that is a new class.
We spent a few hours taking in some sun, perhaps about the last of the warmth on this cruise. We are heading north at a rapid pace now, so we expect it to cool off considerably. Comparing the weather from last year at this same time and place, we found that the skies had turned grey, and we had many passing showers. Like it or not, it was a good time to start packing. Already hate the thought of it……
We had gotten a mixed message with an email we received this morning regarding the itinerary on the 2017 world cruise. In a nutshell, it was stated that the two day stop in Istanbul would be cancelled due to unrest in that area. This is something we had expected to be announced, so it did not come as a surprise. Two days in Piraeus, Greece (Athens), would be substituted. However, a stop was also going to be made in Istanbul for one day, two days after the original dates. How can political unrest be gone in two days? No more explanation was given, but we surmise that the stop may be considered operational, and no one except those in transit, will be allowed to leave the ship. Just thinking out loud. Time will tell.
The ship has been experiencing spotty internet service, so we had problems posting and receiving yesterday. The service has improved a lot since we were onboard last spring, but sometimes in this area of the world, internet is not always the best. In the old days, we could go for days without any signal. One thing that has been nice, is getting back the minutes we wasted trying to get online. It would be nice if there was a notice telling us to forget it. One clue that the internet is down, is their free HAL website. If that page refuses to come up, it is an indication that the system is not working.
The further north we travel, the earlier the sun has been setting. Tonight it was at 5:43pm. We filmed it from deck three, joining friends Denise and Howard, as they watched as well. Our days of doing this are soon coming to an end, so we all do not want to miss a single sunset.
The dinner menu was not too exciting tonight. It may have been a good Pinnacle Grill evening, but it was converted to Le Cirque, the famous restaurant in New York City. The entrees offered are the same as what you can order at the original restaurant. The price is $49 or a bit more with wine pairing at $69. On past trips, we have been able to use our complimentary dinner credit here, and pay the difference on our shipboard account. Since we have reservations for tomorrow evening, we did not want to do two in a row. Simply too much food……
Bill & Mary Ann
Sunset somewhere above the Equator
More clouds than sun
Going fast
Green flash or not?
Possibly a tiny hint of green
Or was it?
