Well, today ends the month of February. It was an interesting day for sure. After breakfast, we went down to the promenade deck for the first walk of the day. At 9:30am, there was a planned anti-piracy drill, and even though we were encouraged to take part in the drill, it was not mandatory. Guest services would be limited with some operational adjustments. Nothing new here, as we were complying with the International Regulations of Safety of Life at Sea.
To backtrack a bit, we have to answer a recent question regarding these procedures. That is, have these drills taken place in this area of the world before? We thought hard about that, and we can say no, not that we recall. Apparently there has been a different type of piracy recently in these waters, not exactly like the type in Somalia or Yemen. As we stated, the security measures are the same as what happens when we arrive to India, only there was no mention of the razor wire.
So this morning the first thing we saw were some flying fish – the first ones in weeks. Shortly after, we saw something in the water, and realized we were seeing dolphins. Silently, they slowly surfaced and dove on the top of the waves. Love seeing this. When the bell rang for the drill, we were all asked politely to leave the lower promenade deck. Those with cameras in hand were asked to step inside first, we think. The crew members were manning the water hoses and beginning to turn them on. From past drills, we found that the water pressure created a nice stream of mist. Whatever else was utilized here, we never saw. Except while standing at the railing, we could hear the Long Range Acoustic Devices (LRADS) sounding off. Wherever they were aimed, we are sure the sound was effective. Close up to them, they created a harmless buzz.
Back inside the ship, we headed down the stairs to our room. We found all of the room stewards standing in the hallway, having put the special yellow vacant signs in each and every door. Although they warned us to stay away from the window, they said nothing when we went inside the room. In a real drill, we would have been required to stay in the hallways, sitting down on the floor. That way if the Captain had to turn the ship suddenly, no one would fall over. Now we think there was much more participation with the guests than we were warned about. Glad this was only a drill, and not the real thing. Highly unlikely, but we never say never will this happen to such a large cruise ship.
Another question we would like to address is about the constant work keeping this vessel “ship-shape”. We have come to realize that the older a ship becomes, the more maintenance is required. This ship was christened in 2000, so it is going on 19 years old. A teenager for people, but probably middle-aged for a ship. Things we do not see could be rusting water pipes, or out-of-date plumbing. Air-conditioning can be problematic, as can be normal wear-and-tear of public areas. Covering up rust outside is ongoing constantly. There never is the feeling that the ship has been readied for a grand voyage, as we have seen work being done every year.
The most dramatic changes can happen during dry or wet docking. New carpeting and updated upholstery is instantly appreciated. The worst scenario is when the ship goes into a dry docking, and the work has not been completed on time. We believe we covered that years ago, when we took the South America Grand Voyage on the Prinsendam. Major work continued for half of that cruise, and the passengers were sure grumpy about that. The company did make up for the inconvenience with shipboard credit towards all future bookings we had with them.
So the bottom line is that if you can live with the little painting, or the small maintenance jobs, then this type of long cruise will work for most.
We missed Barbara H’s talk on Puerto Princesa, but hope to catch it later on TV. We were there only once, but remembered a very walkable town that was low-key and country-like. But we’ll deal with those details in tomorrow’s report.
The weather was wonderful today, much more comfortable than the last two days in steamy Bali. A breeze kept the aft deck doable. Susie joined us for long enough to figure out some computer and photo problems, and left before she was toasted. Unless you do the tanning gradually, you could be in for some discomfort. By the way, the pool had cooled down somewhat, and swimming was refreshing today. Asking Shiv about the temperature, he indicated that the heater had been turned off, but the heat in the water remained. We think someone forgot about the heater, and left it running way too long. But what do we know?
Lunch for us was in the Lido, where we found the sandwich bar was looking much better. The bins were full of makings, and they had a tub filled with sliced pickles. Even the small details can make us happy. Slices of pizza can be picked up here, and occasionally we do that. It is OK, but nowhere near as good as on the Eurodam. They had a dedicated pizza station, using different recipes, and a better pizza oven. Obviously, we are not starving, but we prefer the large variety of sandwiches here.
We met Barb for drinks at the Ocean Bar. She was going to another Pinnacle Dinner with her travel group, so would be missing at our table. Also gone were Bonnie and Paul, who have decided to take Wednesdays off, and dine with other people, or by themselves. So with three seats empty, our two single fellows had invited the guest speaker, Dr. Alan Wright and his wife to our table. We are really not big on inviting unknown guests to the table, since it can change the dynamics. We had been expecting to get to know our three new tablemates better, but that was not going to happen with a guest speaker. Most times, even tonight, the speaker takes the floor because he had a trapped audience. At a slight disadvantage, we have not attended his lectures, and did not have the opportunity to catch it on TV as the talks are not repeated. So it was a night of listening more than anything else. Oh well, it gave us a better chance to enjoy the delicious prime rib they served once again.
At the end of dessert time, Slam brought us two large plates of the tropical fruit that was offered in the Lido today. It included passionfruit, rambutan, jackfruit, papaya, and three other unrecognizable Indonesian fruits we have seen, but never tasted. Slam showed us how to peel and cut some of the fruit, and avoid the seeds. As a kid, he grew up with this fruit, but said one of their favorites was durian. That was not served today. Nor is it allowed onboard. But we were told that one of the crew did bring some cut and wrapped with cellophane. Left in his cabin, his roommate reported that it stunk up the room terribly, and had to be aired out somehow. Today while walking outside, we got whiffs of that undeniably bad smell coming up from the lower decks.
Anyway, the show tonight was a performance by Toni Warne, a singer from the UK. She has been on this ship for a few world cruises, and is popular with the regulars.
We took our nightly walk and can report we saw no pirates. Only a few fishing boats in the distance, and constant bits and pieces of discarded garbage floating by. Not sure where it is coming from, but it was suggested that freighters and container ships may be the culprits. Who knows?
Bill & Mary Ann
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