Another day, and more activities kept us busy today. Except there was one big difference. In a word…..the weather was not the best. We have been a bit premature in reporting that the humidity has gone, because as the night advanced, so did the heat, humidity and the ocean swells. The Captain was right, we were in for a change. There was little or no sun all day, and the clouds brought some rain with it. When we went for breakfast, our waiters assumed it was cooler outside. Nope, it looks like Alaska out there, but it was warm and muggy once again. Considering the length of this voyage, we have been most lucky to have had such good weather so far. It is the movement of the ship that is giving some folks a problem with a touch of seasickness.
We had an invite to the Mariner's Reception at 10:15am in the Mainstage. Our group of 12 President's Club members had been requested to enter on the left side of the lounge, as we always do. However, the entire area was full of guests waiting to get in, and we did not have a pathway to get through the crowd. This seems to happen at every one of these affairs. Anyway, we did eventually have an escort from the front desk, and she did lead us to the door. But on the way, one very rude lady made remarks to us as we passed. She said she had 300 days and told us to get in line. Her mistake, one of us told her once she earns the 1400 day pin, she will also be among the first ones taken in. One other member had the same rude person grab her arm to stop her from going forward. She was quite upset by this and rightly so. We need to come up with an alternate plan for avoiding this in the future, like using one of the magic inside stairwells.
After passing the receiving line, we were seated in the center of the lounge, and offered champagne or mimosas. We probably could have ordered any beverage, but we did not feel like the hard stuff this early in the day. Three-tiered plates of canopies had some nice treats on them, as well as jars of mixed nuts. Seems like we just ate breakfast….oh wait, we did…..
The ceremony was much longer than usual. We counted about 102 medallions to be awarded, and these were all silver, gold, and platinum. The bronze medals had been delivered to the rooms of those recipients yesterday. They stood as a group for their applause. This has to be the first ceremony with so many high number awards given, even compared to the grand voyage. They saved our group for last, which was the smallest. However, because the time had gotten so short, they called us up as a group for one photo. It came as a disappointment, since for some, it was their first time to be acknowledged at this gathering. As for us, we have many of these photos, that we did not take offense. Not so sure that was true for some others in our group.
Brunch followed, and we were seated at two reserved tables in the center of the dining room. The Captain and hotel director hosted these tables. Champagne was poured, but we did not see wine. The food choices were a crab cocktail and a cold apple soup. The mains were short ribs, cod, or cheese raviolis, and three were excellent, especially the fish. A small slice of Key lime pie finished the meal nicely. Two guests were missing from our table, so with only four of us, we had a nice conversation with Captain Jeroen. He shared several personal photos of one of his recent trips to South Georgia in Antarctica. Not many ships are allowed to go there anymore, including the HAL vessels. That would be one port on our bucket list for sure., although his photos sure looked mighty cold. By 12:30pm, he realized that he was late for his noon talk, so he excused himself. The four of us stayed and chatted even longer. Usually there is another brunch seating at 1pm, but not today. There will be a repeat brunch for the remainder of the guests tomorrow. And we all received the free ship tile of course.
Back at our room, we found the certificates for crossing the Equator yesterday. We have been lucky enough to have crossed this line so many times, we are rock-hard shellbacks by now. With the afternoon bubbly, we relaxed for the rest of the afternoon on the veranda. The weather had improved briefly, letting some sun through the clouds. Later in the afternoon, it did begin to rain, and the seas became rougher as well.
At 4pm, we went down to the Ocean Bar to listen to some music. It would take our minds off of the ship's motion. Remember, the higher you are, the more motion you get. Unfortunately, the band was not playing. So when Twinkle, the assistant beverage manager stopped by to visit, she explained that they had played well into the night in the Crow's Nest. The Orange Party had drawn quite a crowd. So with the overtime, they earned this early session off.
Dinnertime was special, because we shared a table with friends Denise and Howie in the Pinnacle Grill. Spending a couple of hours in deep conversation was good for all of us. We all agreed the wedge salads were great. Adding an order of the clothesline bacon per couple was our plan, but the waitress showed up with four sets of the bacon treats. Not wanting to embarrass her, we said thanks, and cut the pieces of savory bacon and put them on our salads. Truthfully, that was already a meal in itself. But we added one steak, two halibuts, and one pork chop standing on end. Three of us had just the Cherry Garcia ice cream, and one of us had a slice of Key lime pie. Thoroughly full, we said good night.
The last part of the entertainment was still happening, so we ducked in to listen. Annie Gong had already performed, but we did watch the magic show of Naathan Phan. It was the first time we ever saw a singing magician….and he was funny also.
The clocks went forward for the final hour this evening, so now we are on home time….. Pacific Standard Time. Ready or not, we are heading for home.
Bill & Mary Ann
