We didn’t think it could get hotter, but walking outside from the air-conditioned interior of the ship, proved us wrong. Perhaps there was more of a following wind with the addition of some clouds, it sure felt hotter and more humid. Two miles around the promenade left us soaked. On the horizon, no matter where you looked, heavy clouds were dumping rain. It was inevitable that we would run into some also.
We went to breakfast, like usual, but we did forget it was Sunday Brunch Day. The seat covers were still on the dining room chairs, left on from last night’s gala dinner, making this brunch special. Since most of the brunch offerings were fish-based today, we decided not to attend. The problem we see with this specially-served meal, is that there are no choices. You either eat what they serve, or you do not. There are no alternates.
So it would be another day at the pool for us. In the short time we changed, and returned to deck eight, it was raining heavily outside. So typical of this part of the world. Every one of the sunbathers ran for cover, but two people remained, covering their heads with towels. In about ten minutes, the shower passed over, and the sun came back out. Within the hour, the entire deck that had been flooded, was dry. The good thing was that it cooled down the air, and it was actually pleasantly warm the rest of the afternoon. At least we had a constant breeze at the back railing.
Captain Jonathon came on the speakers for his PM talk. As we near the country of Indonesia, and the island of Bali, many of the crew members will be re-uniting with family and friends. A few of our waiters told us that they can smell the spices in the air. The Captain said there will be a large number of relatives and kids of the crew visiting for the next two days. Somewhere in the numbers of 500. Should be fun seeing that many kids running around the ship. We heard that the dining rooms will be used to serve lunch to the visitors for the next two days.
As for the passengers, the Captain said he was going to look into his crystal ball for the weather report. The prediction is for a very hot visit with a 50% chance of rain. As for us, we did have a 9 hour tour planned, but are re-considering due to back problems. We should have remembered that the buses are small, and the seats are made for Indonesian-size people. Not necessarily good for those of us with long legs. Anyway, we did ask to see if anyone was looking for tickets, since this was a tour we booked through our travel group. So far, there are no takers. We are certain that we have been on this particular excursion in the past, so we won’t miss anything new. And besides, it was one of our complimentary excursions for booking with our travel agency.
While we were reading at the pool, Henk M, the hotel director, stopped by for a private chat, as he often does on these long voyages. We discussed the changes that have been made over the last year, and how they have been mostly resolved. Henk asked for more opinions that he can address, although we only had a few questions for him. Some of the conversation had to do with the upcoming dry-docking after this cruise is over. He filled us in on the planned work to be done. Besides the things we have already mentioned, Henk said the aft pool will be made more accessible with handrails and possibly stairs going in and out of the tiled pool area. The decking will be replaced as well, the best news we have heard so far. No more burning our feet off. Before he left us, he promised us that he will be joining our table one evening before the cruise ends, as he always does.
This afternoon we received a message written by the Captain concerning our continuing voyage through Indonesia to the Philippines. In a nutshell, he stated that this area in the Celebes and Sulu Seas have seen random attempts at boarding ship by local pirates. Not a comforting thought. However, he has reassured us that there are safety precautions that will be in effect with everything but the razor wire added to the lower promenade deck railings.. Warships will patrol these waters, and our security guards will be rotating on a 24 hour anti-piracy watch. The four LRADS will be rigged and manned, ready to use, as well as the water hoses on deck three. The Captain’s ending sentence was: I emphasize that these precautions are in the unlikely event of a boarding attempt, so please do not concern yourself unnecessarily. Pretty hard to do when we read this letter. However, we have had this type of warning on every world cruise since 2009, and they have kept us safe.
We had a dinner invite to the Canaletto with some of our travel group tonight, but since we do not care for the food in there, we went to the dining room. Funny thing is that one of us ordered the spaghetti with Bolognese sauce. Italian for sure, but made to perfection. The other choice for dinner was a beef bourgonoin, more of a beef stew. Also delicious. Ending the meal with a hot fudge sundae sprinkled with slivered almonds was even better.
What even topped that was seeing a most beautiful sunset right before going to dinner. We have always remembered seeing the best sunsets ever in this area. Hopefully there will be more to follow.
Entertainers in the Queen’s lounge were Llia & Olesja, a spectacular duo acrobatique. It’s hard enough doing this on solid ground, but with a moving ship, they did a fine job.
Finally, we put the provided notice in our mail slot relieving our guys of their duties for two days. As long as we have dry towels, we will be fine. Not all of the crew members are from the island of Bali, and some will not have visiting family. So it is not like we are totally being abandoned.
Recently, we read some rather unpleasant comments about various attitudes of passengers, including ourselves, onboard. We are well aware that changes are occurring with ALL cruise lines these days, not just HAL. Comparing apples to oranges, we still prefer to come back to HAL, because it fits our needs quite well. It is comfortable – it is home away from home.
Many of the events we describe, such as the recent deck tour with an Indonesian lunch for suite and PC guests, are reported as seen through the eyes of everyone, not just ourselves. If some of you mistook that as our view point, we need to correct you all. No, we are NOT elitists….far from it. However, some folks in the growing President’s Club group are. And it was that group that voiced their negative opinions to the hotel director. As for us and all of our friends, we are most happy to mingle with everyone onboard.
For those who think we are snobs, you are way off base – 100% incorrect. If you had met us, like Michael B. (thanks for your support), you would quickly change your mind. We do spend hours every day giving details that other cruisers will not. We tell it like it is…..take it or leave it.
Bill & Mary Ann
A sunset to enjoy……
The end of a very hot day as we near Bali.
