It seemed like we just closed our eyes, and it was morning already. A good sign that we slept well. The weather and seas have been most kind to us so far.
Breakfast was busy this morning, even arriving after 9am. Normally we get in the dining room much earlier, but we had been assured that table # 179 would be available to us. Our favorite breakfast and lunch waiters, Made and Gan, have been re-assigned to different areas of the dining room, as they are rotated periodically. But now we have two more good waiters, and we will learn their names soon. The dining room was still pretty full this morning, and probably overwhelmed the cooks somewhat. Until a pattern evolves between the Lido and the dining room, this will not be a problem as the cruise progresses. Since we had no place to be until 10am, we had plenty of time to wait for our order. When it came, it was right on.
While we were eating, another kind lady came and introduced herself. Once again, she said that she has been following our blogs for years, and was so happy to finally be able to say thanks. Always good to hear. She also reminded us about the Cruise Critic meeting at 10am, which we did want to attend.
Going out for our morning walk, we found the Walkaround Deck, which is the new name for the Lower Promenade deck….at least that is what is on the new elevator signs. There had been a cruise ship neck-n-neck with us all morning, but it seemed to be gaining on us. It was far enough away that we could not identify it. In fact, part of the time, it was in the rain, while we were not. Eventually, it disappeared from sight. We must be in a shipping channel because we could see freighters passing in the distance.
There have been four new tender boats added to the Amsterdam. While talking to one of the deck officers, we learned that these larger boats had to have special brackets to hold them. The old boats were set to be transferred to another HAL ship, but they will not fit at the moment. Many more security cameras have been added on this walkaround deck as well.
We made it to the Crow’s Nest just as it began. There must have been close to 30 people, who were already deep in conversation. Since we had already met some of the members, including the leaders, we had a good group to converse with. We love to hear of different adventures people have while traveling in many ways. Like over-lands, or land tours, as well as cruising. The subject of Cuba came up, and this group had a lot to share about their visits there. Perhaps someday a world cruise will include Cuba in their itinerary. The meeting was still going on when we left after 11 am. Perhaps it was the offer of cookies and coffee that kept the folks there. By the way, there was no visit from any of the staff members, as is the case on these shorter trips.
We went to the dining room for lunch, since the weather looked rainy outside. It was a mixed bag this morning with showers, clouds, and sun. Later in the day, the sun stayed out for the afternoon. Lunch was an appetizer with salads and one ½ order burger. Desserts were a small éclair and pavlova. We really like the reduced size for this meal. One of the head waiters was new since we left the world cruise, but looked familiar. But he knew us. Turns out he was on the Eurodam last fall, and remembered us. These fellows are incredible.
Hoping to see the Seaview Pool filled, we were disappointed to find it was not. It was still netted. And the decking was stained terribly from the drift of ash from the stacks. Doing a little research, we figured out that the tile around the pool had been removed. The non-skid surface will have to do until it is repaired someday. There are no plans to re-do the surrounding decking at this point. Many other passengers were asking why this pool was not available, so we do hope it will be operational by tomorrow.
A bouquet of flowers and a delivery of sodas arrived to our room, compliments of Orlando Ashford, our two week perks.
We had been invited to a complimentary wine tasting at 2pm in the dining room. We don’t drink it, so it we chose not to attend.
Today there was a talk in the Mainstage with the subject of what to see and do in Cartagena, Puerto Quetzal, Corinto, and Huatulco. The EXC Guide’s name is Kelly, and she is the person that has taken over as location guide like Barbara H. In our humble opinion, she has a long ways to go to fill those shoes. There is no substitute for years of experience
America’s Test Kitchen launched the lessons on everything salmon. So far we have not looked into the “hands on” cooking classes usually offered. We should be entitled to a complimentary class with an apron as a gift. Although we may not do it, we want to know if these classes are still happening.
Many classes were offered with the Microsoft Digital Workshop, as it is a popular thing for folks to do on sea days. Also keeping the passengers busy were games, even without the DAM dimes. Today there was ping pong, name that tune, team trivia, and evening trivia. And happy hour returned at 4pm in both the Ocean Bar and Crow’s Nest.
At 3, 6, and 9pm, a movie, Darkest Hour, was shown in the Wajang Theater.
Around 5pm, we took a walk outside to see the coastline of Cuba, where we are sailing eastbound around the northeast part of the island. Captain Fred mentioned that later this evening, the ship would be coming quite close to the area of Guantanamo Bay. We should be done with dinner by then, and check it out.
At 6pm, we went to the atrium, where our chairs were blocked by the black & white camera man and his equipment. Darn, we hate when this happens, but they have to make a quota we guess. Most every single person that passed by this set-up declined the photo shoot. Perhaps tomorrow, when we have our first gala evening, people will be much more receptive.
We were in for a special treat when a young man began playing the grand piano in the Ocean Bar. Not part of the Ocean Trio, this guy played a mean piano, drawing applause from the gathering crowd. There was no mention of him playing here, but there was a reference to a Joel, who would entertain here at 8pm. He is not from the Piano Bar, since that entertainer is Rafael. Mystery solved….upon closer examination of the When & Where paper, we saw that pianist Joel performed from 4 to 6:45pm in the Ocean Bar. What a smart idea, since many more passengers gathered in this area to listen. But more important, they bought beverages.
Dinner for us was in the Pinnacle Grill, where we had a delicious meal of Caesar salad, lamb chops, a filet, and excellent side vegetables. Dessert was plain Cherry Garcia ice cream, as we really don’t care for the Baked Alaska.
At the Mainstage tonight, there was a performance called Shades of Buble, a three man tribute to Motown and rock & roll. The crowd was ready for this first performance of the cruise, since it looked like a mass exodus when they left at 9pm, passing the windows of the Pinnacle Grill. It was amuses us when some people stall by the window to check out what we are eating. Do they think we cannot see them??? Maybe they were checking out the new chairs that are pretty nice. One of our favorite waitresses mentioned that she is having a difficult time getting used to the higher backs of the leather-covered chairs. Seems that she has to learn to lift the plates higher, or else she will drop them. During the meal, the manager, Aurora, checked on us frequently. Even more so when we were the last guests in there. We could not ask for better cuisine or better service.
Good news…..the clocks went back one hour tonight.
Bill & Mary Ann
A cruise ship heading the same way we are – except they are in the rain
One of our room plants from the world cruise
New signs are everywhere on the ship
One of many added security cameras
So close to Cuba
Sun behind the clouds