Another day at sea brings us a little closer to Samoa. The weather has been quite hot, even hotter than we recall. But then, this is the first time we have sailed during this part of November in the South Pacific. A little bit of rain might be welcomed.
A normal thing that eventually happens is running out of certain food items….namely assorted berries. The fresh strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries are gone. But we do have blueberries, which we order daily to top our Greek yogurt. All of the granola cereal is gone, so they substituted ground up muffins crumbs. Our waiters giggled as they served it, knowing that we would not be fooled so easily. The flavor is similar, but the texture was not. The next big delivery should be in Samoa or one of the Fiji ports.
The usual itinerary for a sea day included Polynesian crafts and ukulele lessons. Shore excursions continued their talks on what to do and see in the upcoming ports. The fitness center had sessions on getting and staying in shape, while the shops pushed their newest collection of gemstones. Microsoft classes have kept many people up-to-date on getting creative. The traditional staples for games are trivia, bingo, bridge, and casino games.
Despite the heat, we spent some time at the Seaview Pool, where most folks went in the pool, and stayed there. Joining the crowd were two of the Polynesian ambassadors. They wowed the guests with cannon-balling into the pool. This is something we would rarely see on the grand voyage. Actually, it is one of the things that you cannot do according to the rules posted.
One highlight was a sighting of dolphins on the starboard side of the ship. It was a rare announcement from the bridge. Yes, there were a dozen or so dolphins a distance away, but nothing compared to the group we saw leaving Fanning Island. At least many folks got to see them. Denise and Howie joined us for a bit, but did not last too long. It was really that hot with a following breeze. That's the killer. We left shortly after they did, and went to lunch in the Lido. Don't know if we mentioned this already, but we were told that another salad bar might be added at the opposite end at the lunch time, and the sushi/sashimi station might be eliminated on the upcoming world cruise. The custom sandwich-making station will return as well.
During the afternoon, our veranda is in the shade. So it is a perfect spot for cooling off and relaxing without any distractions. We have to admit, we are enjoying being back on deck six for this voyage. One thing we have noticed is that we do feel the motion way more than being on deck one. And the air-conditioning is not as effective up here. Maybe because heat rises. Deck one is cool as a cucumber in these hotter climates for sure.
We took a few moments to write some positive comments on the Share Your Thoughts card and turned it in to the front desk people. We do know these remarks are important to those staff and crew members who have gone out of their way to make our stay even better. One of our comments concerned getting personalized notes from the crew member in the laundry that folds our clothing. It said, "Your laundry was neatly folded by Rio, and please enjoy your stay with us." What a nice communication.
This evening was gala night, the second one of the cruise. You know what? The majority of folks dressed for the occasion too. Every bit as much as on the grand voyage. We figured that it had been such a warm day, that many people would not bother with the jackets, suits, and formal dresses. But we were wrong. Nice to see. Our meals were good again with one order of halibut and shrimp, and one cheese ravioli for a change. Surf and turf was not described, but the surf was lobster tails with a small filet. While we were waiting for our dessert, bosche bol (chocolate éclair), our morning waiter Gan came along with two servings of a birthday cake, compliments of Sue and Leon. They happen to be from our area in California, and we met them on this year's world cruise. Anyway, it was Sue's birthday, and they shared her special chocolate dulce de leche cake with us. Sue is an avid golfer, so her cake was decorated with a golfer hitting a ball with his club. They sure know how to make one feel special here. Two desserts in one evening will have us walking double the miles tomorrow for sure.
The show tonight was a performance by the singers and dancers – The Midnight Hour. Seems they have refined their show to a rousting time.
One more day at sea, and we should be in Pago Pago.
Bill & Mary Ann
