The weather was not great today. There were heavy clouds, and passing showers in the morning. Later on, there were a few spurts of sunshine. So far, the prediction of eight foot swells have not occurred yet. However, we do know that when we pass between islands, it gets rocky. You know that with the gray weather, it was a good day for packing. Normally we would have four duffel bags to pack for the world cruise, but here, we only have four suitcases. Much easier with less stuff for sure.
Breakfast was quiet in Club Orange, which was nice. It gave us more time to chat with the manager. We learned that there will be about 1100 guests on the next cruise after the two day wet dock in Port Everglades. This will include under 70 guests that are in transit. And those who are in transit, will be put up in a hotel for two nights, then return and have to be Covid- tested at the pier. This is a major concern for our buddy who has the same amount of luggage as we do. He has also been on this ship almost as long as we have. His concern is the last minute testing, and the fact he may test positive, heaven forbid. He is feeling fine, but that is not always the way the tests go. So he is probably packing everything just in case that happens, and he is not allowed back on the ship. Hopefully the day will come (and not soon enough) that all of this hoopla will be over and done.
So we spent the majority of the day packing. It was a little more complicated separating what we needed to ship home, and what we had to keep for 19 more days sailing through the Panama Canal. The shipped bags have a 65 pound weight limit. And thanks to a nifty hand-held scale we bought a few years ago, we did not have to take each piece of luggage to the ship's scale. It sure would be a great idea to place one of the ship's scales on each passenger deck.
At 11am, there was the Mariner Recognition Event in the Billboard Onboard. There were almost 25 guests there, the smallest crowd ever. We believe there were six medallions awarded, then each guest was announced, and welcomed to take their photo with the Captain, and Hotel Director. Most did do the photo, which was delivered to the rooms a few hours later. Howard joined us and once again, brought some popcorn. We had a fine little party, then after the ceremony, Jonah and Rene joined us for a while. Jonah, who has been over-the-top helpful told us that we will be docked at pier #2 at Port Everglades. Later in the afternoon, we should receive our custom disembarkation package, which will include our colored purple luggage tags, and instructions and time for our departure. After dropping off our luggage to be shipped, there will be a transfer to our hotel. She has made our life much easier with all of these details. We do have an appointment tomorrow afternoon in the Medical Department for our final Covid test. It will be good for our boarding on April 7th. We HAVE to pass it.
We took a needed break for lunch, then continued packing. A better activity was shopping again in the Shops, specifically the watch section. The same really nice sales fellow was there all alone, so we had no problem locating what we were looking for. Tomorrow we will need to spend the rest.
The sun had peeked out, so we had some veranda time sipping our sodas. Around 5pm, we thought we saw a very different bird fly by. Out came the good camera, and the bird continued to fly by so the photographer among us could get some close-ups of it. Not a seabird, it was a peregrine falcon. Now that was really odd. Here we are out at sea, with no islands in sight. That was the last type of bird we expected. Could it be that he hitch-hiked a ride from Aruba yesterday? So we Googled the falcon, and discovered that they can reach diving speeds of 180 mph. That's incredible, and gives them the prize for being the fastest animal in the world. How about that? Reading more, we learned that sighting a peregrine falcon has another meaning, according to folklore. It could a prediction of something negative to occur. Wish we did not read that, but we are not that superstitious to believe such things. This folklore dates back to biblical days. Who knew?
We were treated to a very nice sunset, although not a chance for a green flash. There are always too many clouds on the horizon.
For a change, we made reservations in the Tamarind this evening. Usually we don't go on gala nights, but we are running out of days to "dine out" so to speak. Our meal consisted of shrimp crackers and hot dips, jasmine tea, and a Thai salad and one serving veggie spring rolls….the best. Lobster and shrimp pot stickers and tasty ramen soup arrived next. Finally, we both ordered the wasabi-crusted tenderloin, which was cooked perfectly. Tender and savory, it went well with the asparagus and tempura onion rings. Shared sides were brown rice and sautéed mushrooms. It was no wonder that we had no room for dessert.
So much for a lazy day at sea, which it was not. Maybe tomorrow will be more laid back. Yeah….sure.
Bill & Mary Ann
Tuesday, April 5, 2022
Report # 108 Day at Sea Enroute to Ft. Lauderdale Monday - April 4, 2022 Mostly cloudy, passing showers 78 degrees
