Today was a very special one for our best buddy, Barbie, since it was her birthday. She will be a busy girl all day, but we will celebrate with her at dinner time. It was also Chinese New Year, but not everywhere on the ship. For as long as we can remember, this was one of the favorite evenings for a gala dinner in the dining room. Lanterns, banners, and dragons would decorate both levels, and the guests always dressed for the occasion with Asian-style clothes that had been purchased from various travels. The waiters were also decked out in vivid reds and blues. The only sign of the Year of the Pig was in the Lido, where the lanterns hung for the day. It would be a Chinese New Year at dinnertime there only. Really a disappointment. Nothing stays the same forever, we always say.
At breakfast this morning, our waiter Gan asked if we climbed up to the top of the cliff yesterday in Arica. Unknown to us, he and one of his buddies had a bet that we would have done it. Apparently, it has been noticed that we like to walk a lot. Normally, both of us would have done it, but not yesterday. We told Gan he was half right, since one of us did make the summit. The bet was a draw.
The weather was not really sunny this morning, but it was not cold either. Nice enough to relax out back for a bit. Finally getting a chance to catch up on reading. During the morning, we saw that the Polynesian Cultural Ambassadors have begun their necklace making. This group always have fun activities, since we have several days before we reach French Polynesia.
A new Explorations Central activity is walk for your cause – a one mile or more morning stroll. This morning we spotted two places on the wall on the outside promenade deck with the slogan “Share a Goal” painted there. Later in the day, we saw several guests had written messages with a black felt pen around the sign. Some were serious, while others were funny. Someone wrote they are walking to keep the extra 5 pounds off on this world cruise. Five pounds is nothing. Maybe 5 pounds a week is more like it. Two messages were written in Chinese. Now we are wondering if this is a new thing for all of the HAL ships? Graffiti for the passengers….how fun is that?
Guest speakers are into their subjects, while America’s Test Kitchen is off and running with new chefs. One thing we have noticed is that there has been far fewer advertising for the activities this year. If you don’t read the daily newsletter or depend on the Navigator app on your cell phone, then you miss out. We really miss the interactive TV we had on the Eurodam last fall. Everything you needed to know for the day was listed on the TV. The best aspect was having access to the daily menus in all of the restaurants. Guess the modern TV system will never happen on these older vessels.
We are enjoying the music of the new Ocean Quartet that play in the Ocean Bar before dinner. More and more people are coming to dance and listen like us. They have a girl singer, who is really good, and even the piano man will join her in a duet. Huge improvement from previous years. Most of the tunes have moved into this century too. Barb has told us that the Station Band in the Crow’s Nest is the best ever.
Another observation is that the bar servers are fewer in number. For instance, at the Seaview Pool, we have yet to have a waiter come around to offer drink service. Every other year, one or more of the bar staff will make a sweep through the sunbathers and pass out ice water or lemonade. We are on day 15, and this has not occurred once yet. The same is true with the seating outside the Ocean Bar. There are beverage menus for the bar, but no one is hustling drinks. Could it be the staff has been reduced, and fewer waiters are here? It is possible.
At dinnertime, we had a message to deliver to the birthday girl from her friends at home in Virginia. Lisa wrote to us and said to say she and the group were having a very special dinner tonight, and they would be toasting her special day. It sure made Barb happy, as did the decorated carrot cake our waiters brought to her for dessert. At least 30 waiters gathered to sing to her….no kidding. The biggest group we have ever seen. Sure made her day. Not a sweet-eater, she had one little bite, as we also did, and donated the rest to Slam and Marco. She had pre-ordered a carrot cake, since she knows the fellows like it.
Good news…..we got one hour BACK on the clock tonight. This works well for everyone onboard. And we also received gifts – two sets of a tower game, which looks like a stack of dominos. It will take reading the instructions to figure it out. Better yet, our 8 year old granddaughter will know how to play it quicker than us.
Bill & Mary Ann
