Our last full day at sea on the way towards Aitutaki found the sea conditions with 14 -foot swells and gale force winds a force 7 on the Beaufort scale. This is not what we had wished for as we get closer to the Cook Islands. The temperature has remained a warm 77 degrees, as long as the sun stayed out long enough to feel the mild heat. Of course, along with that, the humidity has been much more tolerable. During his noontime talk, Captain Paul did mention that he hoped the bay where the ship is anchored will be protected from those winds and waves. But in our minds, he has planted the seed of doubt that it might not be possible to access the island tomorrow. Hope we are wrong with our interpretation, but we can only base it on what we have experienced on past cruises in this area.
The biggest excitement this morning was watching the massive waves hitting the starboard side of the bow during our walk. The pitching has become decidedly pronounced, even alarming when you watch the front rise and the aft disappear in the depth of the swells. Rolling is a factor because the stabilizers are not helping a whole lot. Captain Paul reminded everyone to be most careful walking around the ship and also going outdoors. If this cruise was being run by our previous Captain, all of the outside decks would have been roped off for several days now. The teak lounges on the promenade deck had been lashed down to the railings on many Alaskan days.
We did hear there was another galley tour this morning. There should be another one perhaps next week, then all of the passenger decks will have had a chance to participate. We highly recommended it our buddies. They also booked a laundry room tour and that was equally as interesting. We did that with the head housekeeper, Shiv, many years ago while on the Amsterdam. You never imagine how many sets of tablecloths, napkins, toweling and bed sheets that have to be laundered for the entire ship's population. And that isn't counting clothes laundering….a massive job, and they do it so well.
Captain Paul did another talk in the World Stage on the Navigational Debrief of the details on our journey so far. He seems very comfortable in a teaching sort of way, more so than most captains. He said that one of his questions from a guest referred to this ship having been housing for the Ukraine refugees last spring we believe. He happened to be the Captain involved with that humanitarian effort and has many stories to share in a future presentation.
Energetic Kimberly gave a talk on the port highlights of Rarotonga, the stop for Sunday. We do know for a fact that most everything is closed on Sundays and there are no ship tours offered that day. We'll have to look for her talk on TV to see what she recommends for that day. As far as we can remember, the island bus only runs in one direction that day, and could take folks to some beach resorts that might be open. And there is always church, where you can hear the locals singing at their morning services. One time we were invited to share in their mass and after-the-service refreshments. Very friendly we thought. The one thing we know is that American Express is not accepted there, the same as in New Zealand. We heard that it dates back to some banking disagreements, so we need to bring a different credit card if we want to go out to lunch. Or you can use New Zealand dollars (1 USD = 1.67 NZD) if you can find a place to exchange money. So far there has not been a money changer on the ship like there is on a grand voyage.
We spent a few hours sitting at the back pool, mostly to get some fresh air. There have been rumors going around that some of the crew members are sick with colds or flu. Now we are making double sure we wash our hands hourly, especially if we have been using railings or touching anything in the public areas. Hard to avoid all of the viruses, but so far, we have been fine.
Trying to get photos of a good sunrise or sunset has been unsuccessful. For some reason, there have been no good sunrises and even less impressive sunsets. It's not like there is total cloud cover either. Maybe it has something to do with the area we are sailing right now. The best sightings so far have been while we were in the Hawaiian Islands.
We did take the time to make a visit to the future cruise consultant, Neil. We zeroed in on some cruises for next fall, similar to the ones we have just done. It is always a good idea to book onboard since you do get some extra shipboard credit by doing so, and you are still able to use your travel agent with these bookings. Equally as important, by booking early, you can connect the back-to-back cruises in the same room.
Dinner time found most all of the guests dressed "dressy" as suggested. However, we did spot one fellow with a baseball cap on downstairs at a table for eight no less. Wouldn't he feel out of place when most of the gentlemen sitting with him had on suits? We still don't get it. The menu was not too exciting, so we opted for a small salad, tomato soup, and a pulled pork patty appetizer. It was formed into a burger, grilled, and served over a bed of BBQ sauce. So good. Then we opted for the mains from the Club Orange menu. Tonight's blue- plate special was braised beef short ribs, served on a bed of mashed potatoes with a tasty gravy. Incorporated in the gravy were tiny bits of pineapple and a few pomegranate seeds which really perked up the meal. The meat was so tender you did not need a knife to cut it. Needless to say we cleaned our plates, pleasing our waiters to no end. One of us tried the lemon torte for dessert and one glass of watermelon sorbet. Mario had brought another glass of chocolate chip ice cream because he saw that it was nicely frozen. He knew we would like it, which we did as we shared it.
The entertainer this evening was saxophonist Barry Seacroft, a fellow we have seen and heard while on this year's grand cruise. He said it was a new show with more sax on stage. OK.
Keeping our fingers crossed for tomorrow's port. Hoping for smooth seas and little wind.
Bill & Mary Ann
