We can say that today had to be one of the warmest days so far, since we left the South Pacific. The closer we get to Indonesia, the more humid and warmer it has become. Remember when we complained how cold it was in Hobart a few weeks ago, well the time has come that everyone is “cooking” now.
The promenade deck had far less folks out on the lounges this morning. One side happened to be fairly comfortable, since the sun was on the opposite side. The hot side had no guests on the lounges. There were lots of activities happening inside the ship, so the passengers could stay cooler.
We have not mentioned the early morning schedule. Exercise classes begin as early as 7am with stretching, followed by abs class, sit and be fit, qi gong internal health, and morning tai chi. Aqua aerobics takes place in the Lido pool at 9am. Some other exercise programs have a charge, like yoga $12, indoor cycling $12, or if you are sore from all of this, $1 a minute deck massage under the Lido dome.
Religious events include Bible exploring or Torah study. All that happens before the Coffee with Hamish and his guests at 9:30am. Hamish interviewed controller Jusuf, Made, the assistant head housekeeper, and Presty, the assistant dining room manager.
Still appears that one of the favorite activities on the ship has to be Happy Hour, still happening at 4pm and 6:30pm in the Crow’s Nest and Ocean Bar.
For the first time in weeks, we went to the Seaview Pool for a few hours today. Our tans have suffered, as most of the folks we know up there also said. Usually, the purpose of a little tanning is so you do not burn too easily along the way. You set up a base. Yeah, we know it is dangerous, but then so is crossing a busy street in any big city. Everything in moderation, right? And loads of sunscreen. So far, we have only read two books, a record low number for as many weeks that we have been sailing. Don’t know if we have mentioned this yet, but the library onboard is not gone. It is just as full of reading material as it ever was. We had heard from one of the former librarians that the position was going to be eliminated. Didn’t happen, as we have Courtney doing that job. Everyone we know loves her. And they have kept the Sudoku and the daily question and answer papers going. These have two functions, as once you complete the questions and puzzle, they double as scratch paper on the blank backs. See we are going green, a little.
We are still having issues with the sandwich bar, which continues after 2pm. Every time we have gone there, they are out of some of our favorite sandwich makings. And there is no attempt to find these items anywhere else. Today is was ciabatta rolls and pickles. They ran out of pickles? Or they were not willing to get more. The slices of cheese looked as if they had been sitting there for hours. Assorted pizza slices were piled in a stack. Pretty unappealing. Henk M, the hotel director, happened to be finishing his lunch nearby, and certainly heard the exchange with the sandwich maker. Perhaps we need to address this with the Lido manager directly. Honestly, we have not been complaining about the little changes we have noticed so far. Last year, we were urged to keep a list of noticeable things that have been amended or added. Henk M was most gracious and willing to address each and every statement we had, working with us (and our friends) to make things good for everyone. Some stuff could not be changed, but much of it was either returned or made better. We always say – nothing gained, nothing lost. If you never ask, you will never know what the outcome could have been.
Running into Barb outside the Ocean Bar, she asked if we got that note about President’s Club Events. No, we had not. In the evening, we do not get any mail or even the newsletter until we get back to our room after dinner. Anyway, this note was in response to some of the President’s Club members questioning the frequency of events held for just our group only. So far, there have been none. We do not personally know who has been complaining, but they are correct. This note gave several reasons why they have not happened, mostly due to public health requirements or the lack of venue availability. Bottom line, we read between the lines, and see that crew members are not able to set these events up. That tells us there are fewer crew members this year, or their labor is being diverted to other places. The final answer to this was that at least 4 other fun events for only the President’s Club members will take place before the end of this world cruise. The staff realizes that most of us know each other well, and prefer to mingle with our group exclusively. Not mixed with 100 or more suite guests. A remark was made to us by an officer while we were on an Alaskan cruise this summer on the Amsterdam, that in the past, the President’s Club members had been over-indulged. The powers-to-be decided the time had come to pare back on the special perks. Another bottom line: too many folks are getting into this club, and now it is costing HAL lots of money.
During the time we spent listening to the music in our “living room”, deck five in the atrium, one of us became a real photographer. We were asked by two groups of friends to take some photos of them. Happy to oblige, the cell phone pictures came out rather well. And we only charge $20. Just kidding. Kirsten, the dance instructor, said let’s use the photographer’s backdrop before they show up. So we did.
We had company for dinner, as it was a gala night with a Pan-Asian theme. They combined culinary foods from Indonesia and the Philippines. Mark, the event planner, and all-around handyman for the cruise director, was our host. During the course of the meal, he was peppered with many questions about his job, but also about the upcoming dry-docking of this ship. We learned from him that the show lounge will have work done on the deck four level. Seating will be re-arranged to make show viewing better. He also added that some of those lanai rooms will happen, where the sliding doors will open directly to their private lounges. Mark said that he can’t wait to see what kind of fights will happen after they do that. We have read about confrontations on the ships where these rooms had been added. Not a pretty picture, we understand.
Since this ship is still having plumbing challenges, the piping will be replaced where needed. We are still seeing buckets in the lower dining room entrance. As well as minor flooding every evening on the promenade deck, somewhere in the area of the kitchen on deck four directly above this deck. And that is only what we can see in the public areas. Wear-and-tear happens to every hotel, and basically, that is what we have here…..a hotel that floats.
Mark also added that there will be some upgrades in all of the staterooms, although he did not know exactly what will be improved. He admitted that he has been fighting for the interactive TV, like the other larger ships have. However, he has not been successful. Bottom line once again……..it will cost too much. In our humble opinion, we see a day when this size of a ship will be obsolete. It costs the company too much to operate with such a low amount of passengers, we have been told. Raising the cost may backfire, since with certain categories, people may consider doing this world cruise on another line that may offer close to all-inclusive amenities for a similar price to what they pay for a deck seven suite.
Because the area we are now sailing has heated up so much, the air-conditioning on the ship has been stressed. For that reason, the lower dining room was really hot tonight. Figures, this happens when most people have dressed up with formal clothes, suits, and tuxes for the fellows. We were happy to cool down with sodas, instead of wine, and call it a night by 9:30pm. “Rocket-dog”, a nickname Barb has acquired over the years, excused herself shortly after 9pm. The name refers to the fact that she is most speedy when leaving…gone in 60 seconds. Usually she is headed for the music and dancing in the Crow’s Nest. Sometimes it is a walk outside, meeting friends at the Seaview Bar as well.
There was a new act in the Queen’s Lounge tonight. An Asian fellow by the name of Katei performed rock violin music, even though he is classically trained. His show was promised to have even Beethoven rocking in his grave. Really? Wonder how the folks will like that?
Bill & Mary Ann
