The suggested high today was listed as 80 degrees. There is no way it was anywhere near that, as we have reached the halfway point from Hawaii to Canada, our final destination. If it reached 60 degrees, we would be surprised. Perhaps few people even read the front page of the When & Where paper.
Another Mariner Reception and Lunch took place today. About 300 higher day Mariners were invited to the Mainstage for more medals to be awarded. The lunch in the lower dining room followed with over 600 invited, we understand. Same as yesterday. So the options for those who were not part of the special lunch today, like us, had a few options to choose from. There’s always the Lido, the Dive-In Grill, the Pinnacle Grill, and New York Pizza. Besides picking up a few snacks, we have not eaten in the Lido, the Pinnacle, or gotten burgers at the Dive-In Grill on either of the cruises. We did try to pizza once, but never went back. The last option was room service, and that is what we did today.
We are really impressed with the food presentations delivered from room service on this ship. With the three times we dined in-room, everything we ordered came on the tray. And we never had to wait more than 20 to 30 minutes tops. The entree salads, in particular, have been very good. And the soup, chicken noodle, always arrived piping hot. The service came with a smile, and also followed up with a phone call to see if all was done to our liking.
A guest speaker, Greg Redfern, spoke today about NASA and where they are headed with manned spacecraft and rockets. The lounge filled quickly with interested customers.
Other activities included continuing sales in the shops featuring tanzanite, amber and fashion watches to name a few. Cariloha, the bamboo products, has shown up on the ships too. The first store of that kind we saw was in Hawaii years ago. Now you can find them in the Caribbean, Asia, and Alaska, to name a few. And they still hand out the free bamboo necklaces without asking.
Other venues quite active this sea day were the several lounges, mostly the Ocean Bar during the buy one, get one for $2 beverages. It has to be the most convenient meeting place for pre-dinner cocktails, located on deck 3 above the atrium. Even though there are many other bars scattered around the ship, this one seems to be the busiest. We wonder why???
The Art Gallery is located in a nice spot on deck 2. This is one venue we have not seen transported to public areas of the ship, like they do on the Amsterdam (not the Grand Voyage). Guess we can say it is understated, but available for those who are art collectors.
This afternoon, in between walks that totaled perhaps 5 miles, we took the opportunity to watch the different Alaska made-for-TV episodes in our room. We are liking this interactive system, and really wish it could make its way to the R-class ships. Perhaps the larger flat screen with the panoramic scenery makes the difference. In the three weeks we have been here, we have not seen half of what they offer.
While watching yet another sunset from our veranda, Captain Scott came on the speaker with an alarming request. It seems that they have a seriously ill patient in the medical center, who was in dire need of a blood transfusion. The Captain put out a call for a type O negative donor, but only those who have the certified donor card. This is the very first time we have ever heard this on a ship. We pray that with a larger passenger and crew population, there is at least one person with that blood type. Obviously, the ship is too far out from land for a medical evacuation, but that may happen in the next few days. In the past, we have been on trips where the captain speeded up to get a patient to land. Time will tell, and we will keep our fingers crossed for the ill person.
Dinner for us was in the Pinnacle Grill, but with the Sel de Mer venue, the second one of this Hawaiian trip. Their special charger plates are very amusing, as each one is created with a design made of food items. It could be sliced veggies, lettuce, avocado, seafood, bones from seafood, and a variety of grains. Whimsical, each plate has a name to it to match the design. Rudy Sodamin himself takes credit for the plate ware art, but we think he had a lot of help from someone with a creative sense of humor.
Anyway, our choices of salads and steak frites were excellent once again. The beef has to be the best you can get. Even better than the steaks in the regular Pinnacle Grill. We always dine at 8pm, which has become among the latest of the dining times these days. The room was about ¾ full, which is understandable, since at $49 per person, it is the priciest of the venues. Of course, the exception is the cellar master’s wine pairing meal, which we think is well above the $100 price. We ended the meal with the apple tatin with salted caramel ice cream in the center. And two cups of French-pressed coffee, one of which was decaffeinated, we hope.
Entertainment was a singer by the name of Claire Gobin, a musical sensation, who brought quirkiness, exuberance, and glamour to the stage. Strolling through the music venues, we could hear her singing all the way to the Casino, which was quite busy tonight. And Billboard Onboard with the two piano guys was standing room only. Country music was their theme tonight, and the guests were liking it.
And as always, we had a plate of truffles waiting in our room, compliments of Sel de Mer. Rudy’s postcard was also left with a recipe for salt crust baked branzino, a fish.
Tomorrow will have to seriously begin to think about packing. Yuck…..
Bill & Mary Ann
Monday, October 15, 2018
Report #24 Day at Sea October 14, 2018 Sunday Partly cloudy & 80 degrees
