The days seem to be slipping by quickly as we sail towards Tonga. One day in particular, Saturday, will not exist because we will be crossing the International Dateline, where one day ends, and the next day begins. This lost day will be given back to us one hour at a time as we continue to head west. Now the message in the Daily Program mentioned that the ship's clocks will be advanced 24 hours, however, we need not do that. The date will change from Friday the 27th to Sunday the 29th. So some of our watches and clocks will have to be adjusted to change the date and day.
It was a lazy day for us and also a warm and humid one. We noticed that during our walks that the waves indicated we have a following wind. That usually limits the breeze on the promenade deck making it uncomfortable. And the ship is going a measly 13 knots, compared to 18 or 19 knots. It seems to cause more listing and pitching. Usually we have a stop between Raiatea and Tonga, such as in the Cook Islands, Niue, or Samoa, but we do not on this trip. That explains the slower speed we think.
There are two new speakers onboard. Dr. Bruce Nocita is a geologist with lectures about plate tectonics, early history, and geological hazards. Sounds like his talks may include tsunamis and possibly earthquakes. That would be appropriate to the area we are now sailing since it is in the Ring of Fire. Dr. Karen Woodman is an expert on world languages, culture, and history. A very unusual subject, she was also a speaker on the Tales of the South Pacific last fall.
Today we tried something we did not know we could do for lunch. We placed an order for room service lunch during the serving time of the dining room lunch (12 to 1pm). They had a cheeseburger with fries on the menu. So we ordered two of those around 12:30pm, adding a salad and a few cookies, but to be delivered to our room by 2:30pm. Guess what? Our order arrived 10 minutes early, which was fine, and the burgers were hot and the fries crispy. Now we're talking. The burgers were absolutely delicious, way better than Dive-In. Ordering food this way has been the best we have seen, and we have told them so.
Later in the afternoon, we got a letter titled Health Reminder. It was a general reminder to continue with precautions we have been taking for Covid. The wearing of masks has been down-graded to recommended now and not mandatory. So fewer guests are wearing them. We are still uncomfortable in a crowded elevator, so have decided to keep the masks in or pockets just in case we need to use them. We are all being asked to report any Covid symptoms to the medical staff who will provide testing at no cost to us. We may be reading more into this message, but we feel that the Covid numbers are on the rise. People on either side of us have had it, as we can hear the coughing and sneezing. And with New Zealand and Australia coming up soon, we bet there will be testing before our arrival.
Some new items popped up on the dinner menu. They included coconut-crusted shrimp, kalbi ribs, and two types of soups. The cold soups are back once again, although we prefer the hot ones. For dessert there was a blackberry crisp with ice cream, a decadent chocolate cake, and the always available fruit plate. There seems to be something to make each of us happy.
The entertainment this evening was another performance by the Biddy's, a trio of Irish ladies doing a comedy act. Greg and Heo always attend the shows, and tell us about them the following day. Most times they give a thumbs up.
Be back on Sunday……
Bill & Mary Ann
