Well, we got the full story about what occurred last night when the emergency warnings blasts went off in the dining room after 9pm. The smoke was indeed coming from the incinerator, caused by some debris stuck in the flue. Probably not totally correct, but you get the idea. At some point there was an automatic start-up of the water pumps, that put too much pressure on some water connections on deck six. This caused flooding on the port side, affecting about 12 cabins. Guests had to block the inside of their thresholds with every towel they had in the bathroom. In the hallway, workers were also damming the cabin doors from the outside. Eventually they got the water turned off. One of the engineers told us that the crew were up well after 2am, cleaning up the mess. And this morning, we saw new hallway carpeting, the color of the carpet on deck six, being cut to fit on the lower promenade deck. Rolled up, the workers hauled the carpet into the elevator to install it. Talking to a couple that had one of those rooms, they said at least no one got flooded. And the good news is that we got to see first-hand how this possible emergency was handled.
At breakfast, we found the dining room to be highly decorated for two events. One was for tonight’s gala dinner which was labeled “Red Lantern Dinner”, a chance to wear your Asian-themed clothing. The second event was Sunday Brunch. Red lanterns were hung by the dozens from the ceiling lights, and a large dragon was the greeter at the entrance. Gold and black chair covers dressed up the room nicely.
As it was Sunday, a day at sea, it was Sunday Brunch Sampler at 11am. The three course set menu was served until 1pm. Since we had an ample breakfast, we passed on the sampler lunch. Way too much food for us, and also too many items we don’t care for. Popular for many folks, but not our cup of tea.
The weather had certainly warmed up outside. We had a following breeze and choppy seas with deep swells. Although it was cloudy, it was not looking like rain…..yet. Good time to spend a few hours at the Seaview pool. There were not too many people out there, only a few dedicated sunbathers. Rain did threaten several times, but we stayed on our lounges the whole afternoon. We watched as the deck crew picked up towels and laid the lounges flat. Then they tied up the umbrellas, where some diners were enjoying lunch. They can’t get rid of us that easily. By 2pm, the clouds were gone, and the sun came out.
At his PM talk, Captain Jonathon mentioned that we will not be docking at the Phu My spot on the river tomorrow. Instead, we will be going to a container terminal, and will have company. The Sapphire Princess ship will be docked there as well. Hoping that there may be a complimentary shuttle to a nearby village, we discovered that there will be a shuttle. But it will go from the ship to the pier gate, as no one is allowed to walk in the busy working port. From there, you could get a taxi. Highly unlikely that we will do that.
Our work for the day was to fill out and sign immigration cards for Singapore, which were turned in at the front desk. While there, we had to fill out a detailed form for a lost piece of clothing. Seems that last week, a laundry delivery was short a blouse. Not realizing it for a few days later, we search the closets for it, and it was nowhere. We have lost a sock or two, but nothing really big. Barb said she already had three blouses ruined, and a pair of pants ripped. We were told that they would put in a search for it, but so far this evening, we have seen nothing. Reminds us to be more observant when getting laundry back from here on out.
Tried to buy some Singapore money, but it was not available yet. We will need a little to get us to Harbourfront Station on the MRT. We can either get a larger amount here, or buy it at a money changer in the mall.
We had another communication from the our hotel director, Henk. It regarded the Queen’s Lounge opening times for the evening shows. Early seating guests have been arriving too early to sit in the lounge until 8pm. It disrupts the entire production team, who are busy setting up for the shows. So from now on, the lounge doors will open 45 minutes prior to the entertainment. No one will be allowed any sooner than that. Guests are asked to spend their waiting time in other public places, such as the bars, casino, shops, or any other public place. Never before have we seen so many notes from Henk, but that is a good thing to put these messages on a separate paper .
Speaking of our favorite hotel director, Henk M, he joined our table for the gala night dinner. He usually does make an appearance at least once during the grand voyage, so tonight was perfect. He was a good sport answering the many unusual questions some of our tablemates put before him. Also good to hear the version of the alarm yesterday. He did say that this same type of stage one alarm has happened on this ship before, but perhaps on an Asia/Pacific Grand cruise many years ago. We hope to never hear it again, except during drills. The evening went by quickly as we enjoyed entrees of rack of lamb and glazed duck. The carrot cake was not exactly like we remembered it last time we ordered it. It was white, with no sign of carrots in it. Only a faded frosting carrot on the top. The lemon cheesecake might have been a better choice. Next time…..
The evening ended quietly after the very loud show called a la Mode, a musical journey around Europe with new and old songs from the best of European artists.
Tomorrow….good morning Vietnam.
Bill & Mary Ann
