Today is “hump” day, as the Eurodam has sailed about 1000 miles towards the Hawaiian Islands. According to Captain John, we have another 1000 miles to go before we are there. The weather has changed, although slightly, we can say it is a little warmer, and more humid. At least the port side promenade deck in the morning has some sun, while the starboard side is about 10 degrees cooler and in the shade. This morning there were several lounges set up with sun-seekers actually sitting on them. We’re still wearing the long jeans, and for us, that is most unusual. If we were at home, we would hold out until late October before the long pants were necessary.
It appears that we have a saved table for breakfast and lunch in the dining room, even though we never requested it. Yes, we ask for a table for two always, but it is nice to have a place at the back window. As long as the ship is not traveling at 22 knots, the ride is comfortable back there. A good buddy of ours testified that while on a sister ship, their coffee cups and saucers literally walked to the edge of the table due to extreme vibration. Pretty funny, unless you have a stateroom in that area. During lunch, one of the assistant head waiters came back for a visit. By 1pm, many of the guests were finished and had filed out of the room, giving him some free time to chat. We inquired about the missing bread baskets and butter on each table. He said this change came about a month ago, when this went into effect. Of course, you can have the rolls upon request. No problem. Anyway, the decision was made to eliminate it due to the amount of waste. So to follow through with that thought, we asked why put the bread plates and butter knives on the tables at lunch? Of course, the new plates look nice, adding much needed color to the setting, but it is more work for the kitchen workers to wash it all…used or not.
Lunch items have gotten interesting since this Hawaii trip began. Many new starters and mains have appeared, even different from the Amsterdam’s cuisine on the recent Panama re-positioning trip last May. We are liking sampling new items for a change. Today’s choice was a grilled romaine salad and diced chicken empanadas. Sweet endings were orange sherbet and a slice of particularly good carrot cake.
We needed to take two walks on the promenade deck. In between walks, we did some computer work. One of our jobs today was to check out the pricing on the watches we bought yesterday in the shop. We were in for a pleasant surprise when we discovered we had saved over $100 on each piece, just like the sales fellow promised. Even more so with paying no sales tax. Previous experiences on other ships were not as pleasing, as the pricing onboard was inconsistent with the real world. Of course, they do promote a guarantee if you find it at a better price in the first 30 days after your purchase (or something close to that), they will refund the difference in a round-about way. So our faith has been restored once again.
In addition to the normal items, we found some familiar brands being sold in the shops. Tommy Bahama and Chico’s are among the selections. Not in huge numbers, but a limited supply. Every Alaskan-themed t-shirts, hats, and jackets were either sold or shipped elsewhere after we ended the final cruise there.
Walking through the public areas of the ship, we did notice that the middle pool with the domed roof has been full of folks using the lounges and the pool. As with all of the ships with the domes, it can be quite warm and steamy, even if the temperatures are cool outside. It’s our guess that the majority of the guests come from Canada, and are really looking forward to the tropical weather in Hawaii. The aft pool has mostly hot tub users, who occasionally take a quick stroll into the Lido with bathrobes. That’s still not acceptable on any ship, as we have seen first-hand.
We continued with the Game of Thrones series, but made sure it was well after lunch, and not close to dinner. Violence is a big part of the story, and sometimes unpredictable. So far, we have not navigated through all of the BBC series or the big assortment of movies yet. But there still is plenty of time to see some of them.
Dinner was back in the dining room, where a row of officers were lined up in the entryway. Oh no……was it gala this evening? No, they did this same greeting on the last cruise, so it is their way of saying hello, we guess. A couple of the officers hosted tables, probably upon request. We sure did not envy them, since they barely had their entrees when we were totally finished. Pea soup was on the menu tonight, as well as lamb shank and Yankee pot roast. Both were very good. Desserts of a fruit plate and one round chocolate éclair was perfect.
Mainstage hosted singer, Kirbi Jo Long, a Las Vegas vocalist who blew the ceiling off with rock & roll, country, jazz, and pop.
The clocks went back one more hour tonight, which should be the last change we have. Hawaii does not observe daylight savings time, so this time of year, they are only two hours ahead of Pacific time.
Two more days at sea, and we will be in Kauai.
Bill & Mary Ann
