During the evening, the seas most have turned rough, because one of us woke up around 4am, feeling tad bit queasy. Seasickness? You bet, but since the Captain did not mention that in his talk yesterday, perhaps the pitching and rolling will go away soon. No, it only seemed to get worse as the day wore on.
Keeping breakfast light was a good idea, but still did not help much. Taking a seasick pill should help, so that was next. The fresh air was good outside, and boy, did it cool down or what? Had to be 20 degrees less than yesterday. The deck on the port side of the promenade was soaked all the way to the windows. The ship was colliding with waves, creating giant blasts off of the hull. The winds shoved those waves right back into the ship right where we were walking. Had to be careful walking, since the decking was flooded. At the most, there were only six of us brave souls exercising outside this morning.
Did we mention that there were some new additions to the dining room this morning? Since tonight’s dinner theme is Secret Garden Dinner, extremely tall, skinny vases were set on the tables holding a bouquet of yellow flowers on the very top. We are talking 5 foot tall arrangements. Now with the ship rocking, we expected to see these vases topple. But they are flared on the bottom, and must be balanced enough to endure the motion.
The usual activities continued with one of them being America’s Test Kitchen: All about Eggs. Such as how to crack them, separate the yolks from the whites, fry them, and make aioli, deviled eggs, and meringues. Versatile little dudes, aren’t they?
Emeralds have invaded the jewelry store with an unveiling advertised at 11am in the Ocean Bar. We have yet to attend one of these presentations. They did have some nice displays throughout the ship, so even if you are not shopping, the flashy, expensive jewelry will catch your eye.
The grand activity voucher redemption took place this afternoon. It was aimed more at the guests who will be departing the ship on the second day in Hong Kong. Asking Presty how many were leaving, we were told 85. Another 81 will be joining.
Lunch was in the dining room for us. Going to the pool might have found that we blew overboard with the strong winds. A bowl of chicken noodle soup was just the thing to help with the queasies. That and a mini burger with fries. And wouldn’t you know it, they had Jamaican calypso pie, AKA mud pie. Had to have a slice.
We laid low for the rest of the afternoon, working on photos and future reports. The ship’s movement seemed to get better, and according to the Captain’s PM talk, he did not anticipate these rough seas yesterday. He claimed the waves and wind would settle down the closer we got the Hong Kong. Sure hope he is right.
Dinner was different tonight. Last night, Leta had invited us to dinner with her and Bill. Not wanting to wear out our welcome, we made plans to dine there in two nights. However, with not feeling well, we re-considered, and did join them anyway. The dining room was festive with the special vases of tall flowers. Chair covers had been added, like we get on a gala evening. Green lights were shining on the ceilings, and the waiters were dressed in turtleneck shirts and green or gold vests. They all looked sharp. Bill had asked for the vase to be taken off of his table, since the table was too small now that we had joined them.
We visited until after 10pm, and missed the show again. The singer, Toni Warne, returned with a new show. Too bad we missed the first show, because we do remember that she was an accomplished singer.
By the way, last night we had a message left in our rooms regarding the periodical maintenance that is necessary that will affect some of the staterooms. That will require the water to be turned off from 9 am to 12 pm tomorrow. That has to be the worst time of the day to do this. Usually, this is performed during the wee hours of the morning, but not this time. We know the drill……let the water run to clear the sediment and discoloration for a few minutes before using. Although they say it is harmless, it is rather yucky.
Then, we get a notice in tomorrow’s When & Where that Hong Kong clearance may take an hour from the time of docking at 8am. The strongest warning came with this message, that if people block the ship’s gangway, they will be REMOVED by ship’s management.
In addition to these messages, the Amsterdam is no longer allowed to dock at Ocean Terminal. We will be at the Kai Tak Terminal, the site of the old airport. At least a complimentary shuttle will be provided, dropping folks off at the Peninsula Hotel and back. The bad news is that the shuttle will stop at 8pm, leaving little time to go to the Night Market, and get back to the ship before dinner. Unless you take a taxi back. Needless to say, there was a lot of passenger grumbling going on at dinner tonight.
Tomorrow……..our two day stay begins in Hong Kong. Can’t wait, even with the current kinks.
Bill & Mary Ann
Dining room entrance flowers on deck four
Tall vases for each large table.
None of them fell over today
All the rest of the vases were on the floor
Pretty, although the flowers are 6 feet up in the air
Tiny orchids, and mums with long stems
These will sit on every table
Pretty, but practical? Not so sure.
Susie and Woody at lunch.
Mary Ann at lunch
Barb hides behind the flowers
I am tall, but the flowers were taller
Many shades of yellow
Festive Secret Garden Dinner
