We have noticed that the assistant manager of the Pinnacle Grill has been missing ever since we crossed the Equator. We quietly asked our waiter at breakfast this morning if she was OK, and he said she has been quarantined, which is what we figured. He did not mention Covid, but we assume that is the case. Hope she will be fine soon, as the quarantine these days is 5 or 6 days.
After walking the promenade deck, we ducked inside to be able to hear Captain Frank's noontime talk. Glad we did, since the outside speakers are terrible. These should be fixed when the ship goes into dry dock soon. Anyway, we have been maintaining a speed of 18 to 19 knots which in our minds, is costly in regards to fuel usage. Now we know the reason for that. According to the Captain, a staff or crew member is seriously ill, and needs to be taken off of the ship ASAP. In order to do this, the Zuiderdam will have to be within helicopter range of San Diego to expedite the transfer. Given the amount of nautical miles left, and our current speed, we will arrive to that pick-up area 15 hours ahead of schedule. Once the med-evac is completed, the ship will mosey into San Diego's harbor at the scheduled time of 7am.
Judging by the remainder of Captain Frank's comments, we feel the Covid could be on the rise again. He mentioned the fact that fewer people have been wearing the recommended masks as requested, letting down their guard now that the trip is coming to an end. He sounded as if he is not happy about that, but they are not authorized to have the masks mandatory at this point. We are still urged to wash our hands frequently and use hand sanitizer. As for us, we have never stopped with the suggested rules.
Checking our location on the navigation channel on the TV at 2pm, we see that we appear to be somewhere opposite the coast of Mexican, perhaps in the vicinity of Mazatlán. However, we are still far out to sea. At least the land is getting closer as we head more easterly now. Wonder if it is possible, they we will get the internet back and working properly? One can only hope. We feel badly for the crew who cannot do their banking or pay credit cards online, let alone contact their families.
The third and final Mariner Brunch was held at 11am in the dining room. That should wrap up the events for the general population now. Since we did not attend, we never got our Delft tiles. We will have to ask Johnny in the dining room tonight. Bet he has a few to spare.
There were many activities to keep the guests busy today. One of those happened to be specials in the spa. Mostly for the ladies, they offered a session in the Thermal Suite and Hydropool with facial and body scrub do-it-yourself treatments. Guess that is why we saw some ladies dressed in bathrobes waiting for the central elevator this afternoon. That is so not right. Even worse, going to the front desk in that bathrobe is not the best look. One lady just went there to ask where the pointy end of the ship was located. Guess she was lost and needed to find her way back to the room. No kidding……The pointy end of the ship? Really…..
One of us has always been interested in Tahitian pearls, but never did invest in them. Today that changed when we visited the Shops and took a look at their Effy selection. Having recently studied the basics on these black pearls, we knew what to look for. Their selection was limited, but we did manage to pick out a choker of black pearls that will blend with the Effy panther earrings purchased a year ago. This was a good move to buy this jewelry, since it never loses its value. And Effy (worldwide) has a policy that they will upgrade your jewelry as long as you have the original receipt. It's a win-win situation. A red Kate Spade purse was also another purchase….first one I own now.
Going to the front desk, we cashed out most of the remaining refundable credit. Now we will not have to wait in a long line to do this in a couple of days. Of course, the remainder of cashable credit can also go directly to the credit card they have on file.
The sun was out for the most part of the afternoon. It was hot at times, so we relaxed on the veranda then had lunch. The sunset was unremarkable, but better than rain. The day evaporated and soon it was time for dinner back in the dining room. We had different appetizers – one shrimp taco and a bruschetta with a tomato salsa on top. The hake fish entrée was good once again, and the loin of pork was even better with a BBQ sauce on it. We relented and tried desserts of a lemon tart and another meringue layered cake. All good. And when Johnny came along to check on us, we asked about the missing tiles. Within a few minutes he had brought two of them to us. On our last few cruises, these tiles were left in our room instead. But we are learning that the staffs on the ships do things differently, with the same result.
Another exclusive event will occur tomorrow with an Indonesian Rijsttafel Farewell Lunch in the upper level of the dining room. It is held for the President's Club members, as well as Pinnacle and Neptune suite guests. Not sure one of us can eat some of the courses (allergies), so we are on the fence as to if we will attend.
Bill & Mary Ann
