Report #50 Day at Sea December 14,2019 Saturday Very cloudy, rain & 72 degrees

Deteriorating.  That was the word the Captain had used yesterday to describe the conditions of the weather and also the sea.  And he was right on, we are afraid.  Hoping to see a little sun, the skies were not giving up the dense clouds with occasional rain. 

 

Walking on the promenade deck was challenging, as the ship was rolling and pitching quite a bit.  The fun part was stopping long enough to watch waves connect with the bow, sending explosions of water several feet high and away from the ship.  You had to be careful which side you chose to witness the spray, because you wanted to be where the water did not blow back into the ship.   And yes, that has happened more than once.  At least the doors to the outside have remained opened, and there have been no warnings to lash everything down in our rooms. 

 

It basically turned out to be a two-movie day, as well as watching the Indonesian Crew Show at 3pm.  The public areas of the ship looked like a ghost ship, because most all 1261 passengers must have gone to see the crew sing and dance.  Standing at the extreme back of the show lounge on deck five, we caught somewhat of the festivities.  We learned later, that Tama, our dinner waiter, was the black monkey in their main skit.  He admitted that they only had one chance to practice their routines, but they do it so often, they have it down pat.

 

At lunchtime in the Lido, we suggested to our two favorite Thai waitresses that they will need to also do a cultural dance to compete with the rest of the crew.  We think that frightened them, since there are only a very few of the Thai crew here right now.  And these girls are too shy to be in front of a huge crowd.  Given time, they may be up to it.  

 

Right now there is a photo contest happening in the photo department.  Several categories were open to folks submitting their best shots.  The sunset in Kauai had a dozen entries, Denise's among them.  Of course, her's was the best.  But the cutest one we saw, was the resident service dog, a small cocker spaniel, we think.  She was standing on a surf board somewhere on a beach.  Every time we have seen her here and there around the ship, we have not heard one bark from her.  Unlike the ones that boarded at the end of the world cruise this year.  Guess some pooches are better behaved than others.

 

Around 4:30pm, we went to our favorite chairs in the atrium to listen to the music in the Ocean Bar.  Even though the ship was rolling, many couples were still dancing.  Maybe not really fast, but they still looked good.  The buy one, get one drink for $2 at happy hour really is a big draw in the bars.  At least on this trip, there have been at least two sessions of BOGO, and even a third time in the Crow's Nest occasionally.  Twinkle indicated that this really only takes place on the longer voyages.  By the way, we noticed something really funny a few nights ago, while at the cocktail party in the Crow's Nest.  Our drinks came with a swizzle stick made of spaghetti.  Yes, raw, uncooked spaghetti.  No more plastic or bamboo sticks.  They have gone organic by using one piece of spaghetti as the stirrer.  Naturally, one of us immediately broke it in half by accident, with the piece of pasta sinking to the bottom of the glass.  Guess this may not be the best idea they have ever had.

 

Back in the dining room, we had another relaxing dinner.  Appetizers of breaded shrimp and chicken soup, and a salad were the starters.  Entrees were turbot, another new fish plate, and the country fried chicken, like the Colonel's.  A good home-cooked meal is always welcome sometimes.  Of course, if our buddy Barb were here, she would have ordered the liver and onions….one of her most favorite dishes.  Dessert was one slice of milk chocolate cheesecake, which was great, but sure looked like a frozen product.  Could be, it was.  The other dessert was one scoop of coffee ice cream with a touch of chocolate sauce. It really was not on the menu, but our waiters will make most anything possible when we ask nicely.

 

The show was a comedian by the name of Frank King.  We did take a few minutes to listen to the jokes, but did not stay very long.

 

And today, we also received our disembarkation package than contained the luggage tags we need to go home.  Oh boy, it is time to start packing……..

We do have a few more days at sea to do the job.

 

Bill & Mary Ann