We find it odd that there has been no itinerary printed in the Daily Navigator. Perhaps an oversight, the 15 to 18 day cruise always gives the date, the port or sea day, the dress code of each evening, and port time arrivals, back onboard time, and departure time. So far, this has not shown up in the first three newsletters of this cruise.
Other changes are that trivia is at 1pm instead of 11:45am. Fewer games are held such as basketball, shuffleboard, or card games. Gone are the DAM or Grand dollars. Also gone are arts and crafts, watercolor class, bridge instructions, tai chi, dance class, and also dance hosts. Good news is that the Digital Workshop still has very useful workshops throughout the day. There are no lecturers, but there are port and shore excursion talks. Cooking shows have continued in the Culinary Arts Center, and there are two times for Happy Hour. The first one is at 4pm in the Crow's Nest and Ocean Bar, where you can enjoy a second drink for $2. The second one today was at 11pm in the Crow's Nest only. Gone is the slot at 6:30 to 7:30pm.
Today we spent almost three hours at the aft pool, deck eight, sunbathing. Determined to get some sun after one month not going back there, we had to hold on for dear life, due to high winds blowing across the decks. Good thing we had plenty of clips to hold on the towels. For the whole time we were there, we saw many things flying overboard like drink receipts and hats. The towels were even blowing into the gutters. One man even lost his soda can, which blew in the gutter. Trying to get it, he was blown off of his feet, rolling into the back railing. Talk about embarrassing….at least he was not hurt.
Despite using sunscreen, one of us has a fairly warm face tonight…..a combination of too much sun and way too much wind. We are heading south so quickly now, that we need to remember how strong the sun can be this low. And it should get warmer and more humid the closer we get to the Panama Canal.
Taking a break in our room, we ordered room service cobb salads. We asked for them to be larger than appetizer size, and they did it for us. We have to admit that these salads were the best we have had so far. We also split a beef panini, made with shaved prime rib from last night. These were also the best paninis we have tasted from room service. They must have a new chef in there. For dessert, we shared the plate of chocolate candies we got yesterday.
We had been given an invite to a wine tasting at 2pm today. Or was it today? The invite was printed with the date of Saturday, April 27, 2017. Last we noticed in the elevators, it was Friday. So was it today or Saturday? So many folks were confused, that they decided to re-do the tasting on the real Saturday. It is a port day, so that should be interesting to see how many folks they attract. Naturally, the main reason for this tasting is to sell you a Navigator package or the premium Admiral package. By the way, our favorite wine steward, Nestor, has taken over the job as sommelier, since Jacques went home yesterday. He is very proud to be given this assignment for a while.
We went to buy some vitamin water bottles at the Explorations Café, using our new beverage card, but the card was not activated. We had to go to the front desk and have them scan the card and activate the amount, which was $100. Then back at the café, we had her run the amount and deduct it off of the bill. It worked.
A new band is playing in the Ocean Bar now by the name of The Ocean Trio. The trio that played for the world voyage was called The Neptunes. The music is pretty much the same as before, and there were some couples dancing. Makes a difference not having all of the dance hosts onboard.
Dinner service seemed slow tonight, but when our soups and chicken entrees arrived, they were all good. Philip, the manager, stopped by for a chat. We asked how the anytime dining was working downstairs. He said it was better than most cruises, as around 400 guests were eating in the Lido. That does help keep the wait in the dining room down to a minimum.
There were two things in our room when we got back after dinner. One was an invite to a special Collector Voyage cocktail party tomorrow at 7:15pm in the Crow's Nest, hosted by Captain Fred Eversen and hotel director, Bart Groeneveld. At least we should be able to find out who else has sailed onward with us. The other nice surprise was the hour back card left on the bed. Funny thing, we did not do this last January until we reached the Panama Canal. Whatever the reason, we do appreciate the extra hour back.
Bill & Mary Ann
