One of us woke up to a nice sunrise, although the seas had become more rough overnight. It was windy and still cool. And as the Captain had warned yesterday, there were gale force winds and deep swells, causing the ship to roll. Our average speed is 17 to 20 knots, and seems like we are flying.
Last night, we had to put the clocks forward, since we are heading southeast now. This will put us on the correct time for St. Maarten tomorrow. We don't like losing an hour (neither does the crew), but they promised to give it back to us before we get to Ft. Lauderdale.
After another nice breakfast in Club Orange, we headed out for the morning walk. There were even a few sprinkles as we must have gone under some clouds. If this is the type of rain we can expect in St. Maarten, then it will be OK. When the ship is moving like it was this morning, walking can become difficult. Think we did our mile or more, then came back inside.
That's when we discovered yesterday's report had gone MIA on the computer. There is a slight chance I pushed a wrong key and sent it into oblivion. So it had to be re-done, which was not a problem, since I keep an outline in a notebook. I typed, Bill walked.
It was almost chilly in the room, so we went in search of some warm sun. That brought us to deck 10 aft, above the Seaview Pool. The water in the pool was in the process of emptying with the movement of the ship. To say it was windy on this deck, is an understatement. We were just in time for music trivia…….name that tune from the 80's. Think we recognized three songs, but could not recall the titles. That's when we spotted friends Barb sitting with Susie and Woody under the opposite balcony sitting against a window. Joining them, we spent an hour chatting about a million things. Joyce, our CO mimosa gal, asked if she could take a photo of the five of us to send to Twinkle, the Beverage Manager on many recent world cruises. We all hope to see her in 2023.
Lunch was late at 3pm in the Dutch Café, where we had ham & cheese sandwiches with hot fries. We swear they are addictive. So are the almond cookies. Bill discovered a new draft beer from Belgium, and decided he liked it. It was called Affligem. A fellow sitting next to us was talked into trying one of the chocolate eclairs, and was most impressed with the size when they served him. We bet he ate the whole thing after we left.
Time for some veranda relaxing, we began seeing boobys, or one booby, who was gliding past our room. He began diving for flying fish, and it was captured by the good camera. Never got a booby with a flying fish in its beak before. Today Bill got several photos, since the bird was diving close to the ship. Pure luck. Going for a late walk, the only thing we saw was the sun going down on the opposite side of the ship.
Dinner tonight was back at our table in the lower dining room, but we all happened to be there. Table for five, we had a great time like we always do. When we finished dessert, Presty came to see us. It was like old times, because we have all known him for many years now. Among other things, he told us that a large number of guests were doing room service today and this evening. Sea-sickness was the reason. Guess we are all old salts, and we seldom feel ill. We also questioned Presty about Club Orange, and he said on this cruise the price was $35 per person per day. That made us all happy, since the five of us are President's Club, and we get these benefits as part of our perks. At least it applies to using Club Orange on the Koningsdam, Rotterdam, and this ship, the N. Statendam. Presty also said there were over 900 passengers on this cruise.
On our way out of the dining room, we were approached by a nice couple who recognized us from Cruise Critic and our blog with photos. Sure made us feel good since they were quite complimentary. Music to our ears! Since we have been back on Sunday, that makes five nice folks that have asked if we are Bill & Mary Ann.
Bill & Mary Ann, of course……..
Saturday, February 5, 2022
Report #49 Day at Sea En route To St. Maarten Friday - February 4, 2022 Cool, Gale Force winds 30 mph, & 68 degrees
