We woke up to perfectly blue skies, but by 9am, it was raining. This too shall pass, we hope. And it did. The temperature has been remaining a steady 80 to 82 degrees, and drops little by nighttime.
A strange thing happened at breakfast this morning. Our plates were so hot, you could not touch them. Hmmm, last night during dinner in the dining room, Johnny, the maitre'd stopped by and asked how our dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill the previous night. Well, since he asked, we told him our experience with the not-so-warm entrees. We asked him not to say anything, since we had registered our complaint right then and there with the PG manager. He agreed, but now we are not so sure, since breakfast was so good and hot. Coincidentally, we happened to read some comments on Cruise Critic regarding other folks having problems getting hot food, especially the soups. Always nice to know we are not alone. Also, we read that there have been complaints about the air-conditioning, which tends to be on the chilly side in the larger venues. It is possible that this will be addressed when the ship goes into dry dock in December.
The decks were still wet from the morning rain, but we took our walk outside anyway. We are still seeing some flying fish, but not the amount we spotted yesterday. The one bird was gone. We did pass an atoll belonging to Kiribati we believe. But with such a tiny population, the internet service was no better here. In fact, there was another message in the daily program warning about the connectivity to the satellite. It is spotty at best, and can be lost without warning. We hope it gets better soon, as a lot of guests are quite unhappy about paying for a service that does not deliver. Having been in this area numerous times over the years, it has not changed, and we are not surprised with the lack of service.
Once again, we stopped at the Ocean Bar for ice cold sodas, and also to gather some more cans of water using our Have-It-All perk. So far, we have not come close to the max of 15 beverages per person. Sitting at the end of the bar top, was a silly rubber chicken, which had been dressed in fancy clothes last night. This morning, she was wearing a white napkin, resembling a nightgown. Now we remember this chicken that was a mascot of the Crow's Nest on the Amsterdam. We asked the bartender, Ray, who said, yes it was from the Amsterdam. And he is responsible for the change of clothing and jewelry on the bird. There has to be a story to this chicken, and for sure, we know she has a name.
The speed of the ship has been around 19 or 20 knots ever since we left Maui. Keeping that pace, it has caused more vibration and noise at the aft end of the ship. Earlier in the cruise, we were asked if we noticed a difference from being on the port or starboard side of the ship. We really had not been bothered by the noise, but then, we did spend a week in an aft cabin on the N. Amsterdam last fall. The only difference we notice now is that it is hard hearing each other talk outside on the veranda. And during the night, sometimes it sounds as if the ship is dragging its bottom over rocks. Simple earplugs work miracles for me.
Checking the dinner menu in the dining room, we could not find anything exciting to order. However, there is always the one choice for Orange Club members on the special menu. We do get that menu every evening, and their special has been very good. Tonight's offering was a butter roasted chicken dinner with mashed potatoes and green beans. So we both ordered it, and happy we did. Close to our table, is an oval table for six guests. It has been empty for most of the cruise, and we did not realize it until tonight, how quiet it has been with that table empty. A group of ten singers and dancers filled two such tables, and really livened up the area. Kind of nice to be surrounded by a group in their very early 20's we would guess. They were all good eaters too.
Tonight was the Cantere Presents: All In. We did see this more than once while on the N. Statendam, and we think the show is the same. One of these days, we will check it out. We are still leary of big crowds, and this crew has not removed their masks. Perhaps that will come in time.
Tomorrow we will be in Apia, Samoa, and be glad to be on land for a while.
Bill & Mary Ann
