Lucky for everyone, the seas have remained relatively smooth and the winds gentle. Watching the news, we are shocked at the recent problems with that cruise ship losing power off the coast of Norway. Never know when a glitch in the system will end up with a ship in trouble. Hopefully, that won’t happen to all of us…..especially when we head towards that part of the world.
On a lighter note, shipboard life continues as normal as we have begun transiting the Bay of Bengal on our way towards the island of Sri Lanka. According to Captain Mercer, we are already half way there. And to get us on the correct time for that country, we will have to set our clocks back ½ hour this evening. Another one of those strange time changes that occur in some places we travel.
Two guests speakers gave lectures today. One has been on for a while, Adele Thorne, who spoke about swim bathing history. Now that is different. And a new lecturer, Barry Dryer, educated the folks on Sri Lankan history. Finally, a guest chef, Petrina Loh, worked her magic in America’s Test Kitchen.
Sales in the shops continued with the $10 fashion collection with a buy 4 and get 1 free deal. On the more pricey items, you can buy Swarovski zodiac collections, or upgrade with bling from Le Vian. Just in time for formal night….oh pardon us….gala night. That reminds us of a saying that we got on the “good night” card a few weeks ago. It read: To me, travel is more valuable than any stupid piece of bling that money can buy. – Raquel Cepeda - Well, sometimes…..
While some people were learning the waltz in dance class or participating in watercolors and arts and crafts classes, we were enjoying the art of sunbathing. It is also a great place to visit with friends who come out to share news as well. And for the third time on this whole cruise, a bar crew member brought those of us using the lounges at the Seaview Bar, a 2 quart pitcher of ice water with lemon slices. Prior to this, only one person received this treat, which we figured should be offered to everyone back there. Now it is.
When we left Singapore a few days ago, we spotted some rather young fellows onboard that appeared not to be passengers. They did not fit the profile. Anyway, when we saw today’s newsletter, it made sense that these guys are the upcoming entertainers. They are an LA based group of singers that have been on NBC’s The Sing-Off. Also performing with groups such as Linkin Park, Pentatonix, and the Black Eyed Peas (we are familiar with them), they are an “a cappella” group of Filipino-Americans. Bet their show will be a good one.
At 6pm, we went to deck five across from the Ocean Bar, and commandeered “our” chairs back. They had been inaccessible with the Princeton Tailors using this section of the railing for their sales. It is the nicest out-of-the-way place to listen to the band and watch the dance partners practice their new moves. For the first time that we can remember, the group of dance hosts and one lady hostess that had been on the ship since Ft. Lauderdale all went home. A new group of men hosts arrived in Singapore, and one of them is Ray, a fellow we know through Barb. She has known him from other cruises, and are friends, and maybe occasional dance partners.
This evening was a Secret Garden Dinner, another gala event. It was advertised as a floral inspired dinner and we were all welcomed to enjoy the mystery and wonderment of the event. What we found when we entered the dining room were the super tall vases filled with yellow flowers, big and small, and palm leaves. Some of the skinny vases measured over three feet tall. On the top of the vases were green battery-lit lights. Looked really cool, and yes, floral. And we had company. Renee, the spa manager, joined the five of us as our hostess. All of us have known Renee for a very long time, some more than others. Asking how business has been, she said it has been crazy busy. That is good news, since on most cruises, we have heard that the spa is the biggest money-maker on the ships. Especially the shorter voyages, where people want to indulge as much as they can while on vacation. We ended up being the last guests to leave the dining room, but still in time for the 10pm showtime.
The clocks did indeed go back ½ hour tonight.
Bill & Mary Ann
