We woke up early this morning due to the time change. The seas became rough during the night with deeper swells. We sailed past Cuba and into open seas. The rolling increased during the day, and it might be a meclizine day for one of us.
We went to the Pinnacle Grill for breakfast, except the receptionist (not the manager) did not recognize us. Checking our room number, she was about to tell us we could not dine here, when the manager arrived, greeting us by name. One of us (not the shy one) said loudly that this lady was not going to let us in. Oh boy, her mistake, and if she blushed, it would have been crimson red. On our way out, the young greeter said she has memorized our faces, and would not forget us…..ever.
During our meal, we met Allan, a beverage runner, who happens to be Twinkle's brother, the nice assistant beverage manager on several world cruises. He told us the story about how many of his buddies that left HAL for jobs on other cruise lines. Two years is a long time to be off of work. He is hoping to be chosen for the next world cruise.
Guess we were spoiled on the N. Statendam, because our room stewards knew our routine, and had our room clean within minutes of leaving it. That is not happening here. So our room was a mess all morning with no stewards in sight. We did leave the room around noon, and ran into our guys. They said they did not want to disturb us, but we told him we leave the room every morning at 8am. He promised to clean ours first, since they start their day at 8am. Guess that was one request we did not make on day one since there was so much going on.
We took a walk on the promenade deck, which is much wider with many lounges. The sign stated that it takes 3 laps for one mile. There was no directional arrow to show the flow pattern. A no smoking sign was placed on the wall near every wooden box bench we passed. And there was no dedicated spot for smokers that we could see. So it must be located elsewhere.
We forgot to mention some statistics on the N. Amsterdam. It is 86,700 gross tons, holds up to 2100 passengers, and has 874 crew members. It was launched in 2010, and is starting to show some wear and tear…... mostly in our room.
It was Lido salads and pizza for lunch today. This time we got smart and ordered the pizza first. Then went inside and had salads made. By the time we sat down and began eating, the buzzer went off and the pizza was ready to pick up. Perfect. And it was every bit as good as yesterday's.
After lunch, we went out the back to the Seaview Pool, which was netted over. This normally happens when someone has an accident in there, and the water has to be treated for a specific time. The sun was peeking out for the handful of folks that were sunbathing. They were mostly getting a cloud burn, but it was still warm. We stayed for ½ hour before we burned.
The suggested dress for gala night was really followed by the guests tonight. Most everyone we saw had on nicer clothing, unlike those that were on the N. Statendam. This crowd seems to be mixed with more Canadians who are re-positioning like us. We ordered two Caesar salads, although they were not on the menu, they are available every day. For our mains, we each ordered the rack of lamb, with a shared dish of ricotta-stuffed pasta shells. The tomato sauce dish went well with the lamb as we skipped the cannellini beans. Saving a little room for dessert, we had one chocolate soufflé and a black forest cake. Both were perfect to satisfy our sweet tooth. We also had visits from the head waiter, the maitre'd, and the head chef….all asking if they could do anything else for us.
On the way back, we stopped and looked into the Mainstage, where a show was in progress. We caught some of the new Frankie Vali Boys, doing their signature songs and dance. The crowd seemed to enjoy it.
Tomorrow, we will be in Cartagena for a short stay…..only 7 to 1pm. Plenty of time to walk around the terminal and the surrounding grounds.
The Captain mentioned during his noon talk today to be careful while in port tomorrow. Guess there have been problems with the guests , so he advised us to stay alert and safe.
Bill & Mary Ann
Sunday, April 10, 2022
Report #113 Sea Day En-Route To Cartagena, Columbia Saturday April 9, 2022 Partly Cloudy With Sun 79 Degrees
