Right before we left our room, we spotted dozens of dolphins outside our window. This is the best area to see a scores of sea life, so from here on up this part of the Pacific, we intend to keep an eye out for much more. Later in the day, we heard many more reports on dolphin sightings….always a good thing. Sailing through the Caribbean, we spotted a few flying fish, and not much more. Back at our room, we had Panama Canal certificates waiting for us, verifying that we did it again.
Yesterday, we got a notice from the guest relations manager regarding doing the online survey for the grand world voyage. Most of us that are still onboard from that trip (about 43), have little or no internet minutes left. So two of our buddies asked the hotel manager if we could be given some time to do this survey. The answer was of course, and with that, every single person or couple received 30 minutes of internet. There was a hitch, however. We had to use it solely for the survey, and nothing else. It did take over 30 minutes to complete, because we had many comments to add. The extra minutes were instantly credited to our account by Courtney, the librarian. Previous years, these surveys go away after two weeks, and the chance to respond expires.
It was plenty warm and humid this morning, so after our walk, we spent the better part of the morning finishing up photos and reports from yesterday. The rest of the afternoon was spent poolside, where a wonderful breeze popped up to keep us most comfortable. The air conditioning on the ship has been spotty. The aft section has been stifling, especially during dinnertime. Even the midship elevator section is a hot zone. As we have mentioned before, so far our deck has been the coolest one on the ship. (Knock on wood.)
There was a port lecture for Huatulco and Cabo given by Barbara H. Following her talk, the shore excursion pitched their tours. Many more sales promotions are always being offered. They are for jewelry, specifically jade and Mexican fire opals. And naturally, the ship has had sales on Panama items, spa treatments, and casino tournaments.
Captain Fred gave a behind the scenes virtual tour of the Amsterdam in the Queen's Lounge. It really is a cool way to "tour" the different departments on this ship without having to really do it, which for the most part, is not allowed anymore.
There were three happy hours today (buy one drink, and get the second one for $2. The usual one was at 4pm in the Crow's Nest and Ocean Bar. The second one was at 6:30pm, also in both bars. The third one was at 9pm in the Crow's Nest only. Just checked to see if this is offered tomorrow, a port day, but it is not for three times, but only two.
Dinner for us was back in the dining room, where we had salad, soup, and chicken Kiev. All of it was very good, as was the service from our new waiters. Several of our waiters from the world voyage have been re-assigned upstairs. They always stop by and chat with us, checking to see how we are doing. There is not a crew anywhere that is this friendly, as well as professional. Nestor, our long-time wine steward, has been promoted to head sommelier, and Manny, another favorite beverage waiter, has been promoted to a wine steward. He will do quite well, we are certain.
The show tonight was Heart and Soul, performed by the Amsterdam singers and dancers. As always, they did a fine job, and the audience loved them. There have been many standing ovations on this cruise so far.
Bill & Mary Ann
