Despite our wishful thinking, it was not powerful enough to produce sunny skies today. In fact, the entire day, for the most part, was overcast and dreary. At least it was not too cold, since the further south we go, the warmer it has gotten. There was a hint of humidity as well. And everyone agreed that in a few days or so, we might start complaining about the warm and sticky heat.
Lectures, shop sales, games, and eating kept the passengers busy. Noticing that the seas had calmed down somewhat, we took a nice long walk after breakfast. So far, the only sea life we have spotted were two birds, who must be tagging along with the ship. We doubt there are any islands in the area we are sailing.
There was also a message informing all of us that a contracted service staff is onboard to inspect and certify the elevators. At times, some of the elevators will be out of service temporarily. This is a first for us, but good to know they are maintained properly on occasion.
Relaxing on our deck after lunch, we discovered we had nice new blankets provided for our use while here. Instead of the smaller wool plaid blankets, these are more like a thin flannel/fleece comforter. Very useful. And of course, if we chose to purchase them, the cost would be around $35. A funny thing happened while we were enjoying the breeze. It appeared that the power went off, and the ship came to a stop. The Captain announced to all not to panic, since they should be able to resume operations shortly. Now we had trouble understanding his entire message with the echo on the outdoor speakers. So assuming this was a planned test of some kind, we thought nothing of it. In fact we had no clue the power went off, putting some folks in total darkness. After a short time, the power did come back, and the Captain said he would explain this tomorrow.
More and more folks have discovered that breakfast and lunch in the dining room is quite civilized, because we would guess that it is fuller than on the grand cruise. Of course, we understand that the ship is full with over 1200 guests. The service was a bit slower than usual, but that is to be expected in the beginning. Once a pattern develops, the managers will be better prepared to distribute their wait staff where it is most needed. For us on sea days, there is no pressure to rush anything, especially a fine meal.
Later in the afternoon, we finally had a chance to stroll deck eight. After checking out the Lido, which looked properly stocked with many popular stations, we went to see if the spa manager, Rene, was here. Yep, there she was, like she never left. Always a pleasure to chat with her and catch up on ship news. (Greg and Heo…..Rene sends her "hello" to you.)
Around 4:30pm, we went to the Ocean Bar and took our favorite seats, which happened to be behind the backdrop curtain for the photography session. Since this evening was the first gala night, we wanted to see how dressed or not, the passengers were. Much to our surprise, most everyone dressed for the occasion, that is……sports coats, suits, and tuxes for the fellows, and sparkly dresses and suitable outfits for the gals. Nice to see this tradition has not bit the dust yet.
Sometime this afternoon, we had been delivered an invitation to an Exclusive Welcome Reception for the 10 President's Club Members that are onboard with the Captain, hotel director, Henk, and cruise director, Justin, along with other staff officers. Well this was a surprise, since we surely did not expect any events for such a small group on this cruise. It was held at the Crystal Terrace at 6:30pm, and we knew just about everyone there, with the exception of the Captain and some of his officers. All of us were offered drinks of our choice, and presented with various tempting fancy canapes. Lucky for us, friends Howard, Gyl, the Captain, Henk, and the food and beverage manager joined us at a high top table. We thanked Captain Jeroen for getting the ship running again, but refrained from asking much more. He sort of indicated that what happened was a bit of a mystery at the moment. By 7:15pm, the staff officers had to go to the Mainstage for the Captain's welcome toast.
Henk, the hotel director, informed us that he would join us for dinner this evening, which was nice. He usually does this at our table for eight, but tonight, we had him one-on-one. We chatted about a million things for over 2 hours, until we noticed that the upper dining room had almost emptied out. The entrees were all appealing, but we ended up with one surf and turf (tenderloin steak and shrimp), and one ricotta stuffed pasta shells. Totally delicious. Dessert was a shared lemon meringue cheesecake. Every dish tonight appeared to look different from anything we have seen served here. And to the better so far. It turned out to be a fine evening. We even had time to duck into the show lounge to watch the On Tour performance by the singers and dancers. There were many more people attending this second show, since it began at 9:30pm….not 10pm. Perhaps these new times will remain this way on the grand voyage.
Back in our room, we found a note to turn the clocks back one hour. Perfect……….we need the extra sleep.
Bill & Mary Ann
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Report #5 Day at Sea Enroute to Hawaii October 30, 2019 Wednesday Cloudy & 66 degrees Part #1 Of 1 No Pictures
