It would have been a lovely day at sea, if it were not for the gale force winds, clocking in at 35 knots, or a force 8 on the Beaufort scale. The 9 foot seas we had through the evening, continued throughout the day.
Walking on the lower promenade deck was challenging, because besides the winds, it was soaked with the sea spray coming off of the giant waves that broke against the bow. Traffic cones were placed everywhere, reminding folks of the slippery surface. Needless to say, there were few walkers all day.
We managed to keep busy all morning catching up on yesterday's info for the report. We had been invited to a complimentary sommelier wine tasting in the Crow's Nest at 1pm, but there were two strikes against attending. First of all, we seldom drink wine, and going to the Crow's Nest on such a rough day would be difficult. One of us found it necessary to take meclizine pill to avoid seasickness during the night. It works well, but one of the side effects is sleepiness. Add to that, losing an hour last night had many people dragging today, including one of us.
We did venture out for a Lido lunch, during the time the arts and crafts class was taking place. The class is full of ladies and even some fellows this year. Since the instructor uses a microphone, we always go on the opposite side to eat in peace. The grilled ciabatta paninis are particularly good this year.
Having some minor problems with our computer, we went to the digital communications manager and waited in line to ask some questions. He was able to fix it, and we were good to go. It has been very nice having full use of the internet from the very beginning of the cruise. So much better than watching those minutes tick off rapidly.
Needing to clarify some information we had concerning the discounts on beverages, we asked the Explorations Café server if we can still purchase water and vitamin water using our discount. The answer was no, but the specialty coffees were still half off for us. The only place we can still get our discount on the water and soda is through room service. That works for us, as we will not have to pack it back to our room.
And since there was a seat available at the Future Cruise desk, we made a deposit on the 2022 Grand World Voyage with Joanne. She and her husband Michael are back with us this year…..really nice people. So far, there is no itinerary or any other details, but the deposit was only $100 per person, and it is refundable. Sometime around April, the announcement will be made on the destination and the ship, which we assume will be the Amsterdam. But who knows? As long as they do not decide to go eastbound, we will be happy.
Showtime was early this evening with a duo entertainers. Andy Buenger and Jeff McBride shared the stage. Greg and Heo said they enjoyed both of their shows. Tonight was another gala evening, with a purple theme. That means the napkins and the waiter's vests and ties were a deep purple. Four glow sticks were on our table for a special effect. We also found that we had a guest, the doctor onboard. This year's doctor is a very nice young lady from South Africa. She was also on last year's cruise, and did remember us and Barb. In fact, she joined our table one evening.
The menu was geared towards nicer entrees, one of which was halibut, and was on the menu this morning. However, when we opened the menu, the fish entrée had changed to arctic char. They had run out of the halibut. So one of us ordered the char, and one of us had the grilled lamb chops. Both very good. After enjoying desserts of souffles, fruit, and coffee, the dinner wrapped up by 9:30pm.
Following the dinner was a Grand Gala Party, held in the Mainstage. Live music was provided, then it was followed by a chocolate surprise……small chocolate treats served in the Mainstage. The surprise for one of us is that dark chocolate is full of something that prevents sleep. Same as coffee. We missed the party, but we did stay in the dining room visiting with Bill & Leta until they closed the doors. Much better than over-loading on the sugar.
We should arrive to Devil's Island before noon tomorrow, and we did receive a printed notice that The President's Club members, Pinnacle and Neptune suites will get priority tendering. We will not need to get a tender ticket, which can save a lot of time, even though it does not make us all very popular with the rest of the population. The four and five star Mariners usually get this privilege also, but since most everyone has that status, they cannot accommodate everyone. Wish there was another way to correct this.
Bill & Mary Ann
