We now have a few days at sea on our way to Samoa. But the funny thing, is that we are not exactly sure what day it really is? Technically, we have crossed the International Dateline, according to the Captain. However, for some reason, it has not been acknowledged. And when HAL wrote this itinerary, they miscalculated the actual day we would cross. So we are due to lose a day very soon.
Right about when we were heading for breakfast, a breaker tripped, shutting off power to our desk area, including the TV. We were most concerned about the computer, since we had just worked on yesterday's report and photos. It was waiting in the outbox to be sent. Hopefully, we had not lost the whole thing. We immediately reported the outage, and our room steward arrived shortly thereafter. He is not allowed to repair anything electrical, so he reported to the proper department, where nothing happened. Assuming that in an hour's time, it would be resolved, was too much to expect. But it was probably put on the bottom of a growing list. It took another phone call, and it was done by the time we got back from the pool at 3pm. Thankfully, nothing was lost.
Today, November 11th, was celebrated on the ship as Veteran's Day, Remembrance Day, and also Armistice Day. Poppy pins had been given out a few days ago, and we were invited to wear them today. A wreath service took place in the Mainstage at 10:30am, where the Captain and Cruise Director joined the onboard chaplain and rabbi with reading of names and opening remarks. There were three readings of poems and prayers, as well as two minutes of silence. We have never had such a moving tribute on past cruises during this time of year, but this was especially appropriate since we are sailing in the South Pacific where so much had happened in the past. We will remember them was the ending prayer.
At some point today the Amsterdam crossed the Equator, putting us in the Southern Hemisphere. Despite the comfortable breeze at the Seaview pool, the rays of the sun were indeed intense. We have wisely graduated to #50 sunblock, one we purchased while in Sydney earlier in the year. Seems to be working so far. We spent the better part of the day at the aft pool, but noticed that some folks in this group of people are saving lounges with their belongings from 8am in the morning. Then they go off for hours to do other things, expecting to find everything still saved. Although there are rules posted that unattended items will be removed after 45 minutes, we have not seen that enforced. Truthfully, it appears that there is a shortage of deck crew members, since towels and glasses are not gathered up often enough. And yes, we have seen items removed on other trips.
We understand that there have been a few problems with the arts and crafts class too. It appears that many of the crafters take seats in the Lido well before class time, making a shortage of seating for the lunch crowd. The craft instructor has come up with the idea of tickets being handed out such the same as they do for tendering. That way, the area they occupy will be opened when the class begins at 2:30pm. Seem to remember there was a similar problem during the world cruise too, and that session is full to the brim with students.
Dinner for us was in the Pinnacle Grill once again. It worked out fine since the dining room menu did not have any exciting entrees that really caught our attention. So this evening, we ordered one halibut and one lamb chop dinner. The chef has a new recipe for cooking the fish. It was covered with a seasoned bread crumb mixture, something similar to the wasabi-crusted steak we have in the Tamarind Restaurant. It was as moist as ever, and tasty with a nice sauce on the side. The lamb chops were tender and savory too. We had enough time to catch the end of the show by Tim Kaminski, a comedian who returned to the stage again. So far, it appears that the Amsterdam is sticking to the traditional show time on these longer cruises.
Bill & Mary Ann
