Today was a day at sea, or as we like to call it, a day of recovery from two intensive port days. The forecast for the weather was only half correct. Sunny, yes it was, but the temperatures were 20 degrees off. It felt closer to 90 degrees or more in the sun.
After breakfast, we took our morning walk with a mostly empty deck. With one exception……there had to be two teams of crew painting every little bit of rust they could find. Mostly overhead. It is great that the ship is kept in as good condition as possible, but the fumes of the white paint were suffocating for the workers as well as the passengers. Must have been the high heat and humidity that intensifies the aroma. The good thing was they were gone by 10am, as it must have been break time.
Although we had a lot of work ahead of us with yesterday’s photos, going to the aft pool to swim was a much better idea. We have three days at sea to catch up, and as long as it was not raining, spending time in the fresh air was good. No doubt about it, with a following wind, today was going to be a scorcher.
One of us has been reluctant to use the ladder into the pool with a knee that has been hard to bend. Feeling much better, there was no better time to test the waters, literally, and give it a try. Well, it was OK and the almost cool water was heavenly. Many newcomers have been surprised to discover that the pool water is fresh, and even warmed. Cold would have been better today, but what do we know.
It was also a good test of the new sunscreens we have bought along the way. The ones that are # 50 seem to be the best in preventing burns. As the ship heads up the east coast, it always impresses us how hot it can get when we are surrounded with so much water.
We think this is an appropriate time to mention some things NOT to do in public on a cruise ship. Wearing of bathrobes in the Lido, or the elevators and definitely not in the dining room at breakfast. Yes, we have seen this on the Eurodam. Attempting pedicures on the lower promenade deck or at the swimming pools should be prohibited. Not a pretty sight to behold. And here we thought the lady with the shower brush sluffing off her dead skin by the pool was bad. No, we don’t make these things up. It does help to have a large book to read to block the strange activity.
Right now, we are sailing through the Great Barrier Reef with the expert help of a reef pilot. All day long we passed by small islands and atolls that all appear to be uninhabited. This is also the channel for all other shipping traffic. These containers and freighters added color to the local scenery.
The morning guest speaker, Denny Whitford, dealt with sea turtles, sea birds, and sea snakes. Right up our alley, but we’ll have to catch his lecture on TV later. The afternoon lecturer dealt with World War II and the impact in the South Pacific. Darwin has a lot of history during that period, so we guess his talk will tie in with that.
Another feature movie was Beautiful Boy shown in the Wajang if nothing else, it is a good way to keep cool during the hot afternoon. There were three chances to see it - 3, 6 and 9pm. Perhaps it will show up on TV tomorrow.
After a light Lido lunch, we worked in the coolness of our room until the sun began setting. Time to go up to deck three and take some more photos. It was not spectacular, but with some clouds on the horizon, there was some color to it. As it got darker, we noticed flashes of lightning in the sky. That activity would continue all through the evening.
Dinnertime found the three of us back, with no guests. Barb’s friend had come down with a cold unfortunately, and decided to stay in for the evening. Phillip stopped by for a chat, asking us what we thought of the dinner menu. Well, we informed him that we preferred the simpler appetizers and entrees from past cruises. Sometimes over-creativity leaves a lot to be desired, when we have gotten used to regular meals. The fancy sauces, or over-spicy dishes with strange garnishes are really not for the three of us. Give us good old country cooking, and we’d be happy campers every night. Also, we are glad to have the recognizable substitutes offered every day. Phillip informed us that a new menu will be introduced in the Pinnacle Grill sometime this voyage, adding that the Canaletto already has been updated.
The entertainers this evening were David Meyer and his wife Dawn with a musical venue “unlike anything you’ve seen before”. Except we do think we have seen it before, but on another ship. As promised, it was an electrifying show.
Bill & Mary Ann
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
Report #52 Day at Sea March 11, 2019 Monday Partly sunny & 75 degrees
