Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all." -Helen Keller- That was the note left on our bed tonight with formal evening chocolate candies. And it just dawned on us that we have only gotten these messages on dressy or formal nights. We used to have a note every night….sometimes inspiring and at times humorous. Guess this is another tradition that will go by the wayside, even as small of a nice touch it is.
Actually the daring adventure turned out to be the rough seas that increased through the evening. Usually the motion rocks us to sleep, but last night, it got rocky enough to wake one of us up at 4am. We must have been traveling in the shallow area north of the mouth of the Amazon River. Captain Frank had warned us to expect some turbulence, and he was right on. During the day, the further north we traveled, the waters began to smooth out.
At breakfast, our buddies that had been at the cocktail party in the Officer's Bar (now known as the Team Bar) exchanged thoughts about the subject of our future itinerary. All of us have different theories, but the bottom line ends up with the questionable area…… the Suez Canal. There may be more hots spots as well, but we do think any changes will be announced next month for sure. Many people have independent tours off of the ship, so they need to know well in advance if their plans have to be amended or cancelled. And those guests who booked overlands through the shore excursion department, will be credited.
Today was a relaxing one for us with our usual promenade deck walk. However with the spray from the 10 foot waves, one side of the deck was soaked. The other was almost dry. The weather has stayed warm and sticky, but we do expect that to change as we get closer to the Caribbean. And we have also crossed the Equator, where the heat and humidity is the worst. Hope we do have the King Neptune Ceremony soon to bring us those fair seas and safe crossing.
It was a good afternoon for Cobb salads, a shared panini, and an old movie with Lee Marvin and Keith Carridine. It was all about trains, the Great Depression, and the hobo way of life. Glad our generation missed that time in history.
This evening was "formal", which was announced once again by Kimberly during her 5pm talk. She reminded the folks of the dress code for all table service dining venues. In addition to the special dining room dinner, there was Casino Royale, described as a night of glamour, games, and entertainment – Bond style. This was held in the Casino, Billboard Onboard, and the Gallery Bar. Since day one on this cruise, we have noticed little activity in the Casino. That is not unusual for a trip that is this long. So to jump-start more interest, there were free gaming lessons, a free slot tournament, and table games. Even raffle prizes were part of the fun. This all began at 8pm and ended with a complimentary "champagne" tower and pour with Captain Frank. And all this taking place with the sounds of the Rat Pack in the backround. Of course this was right smack dab in the middle of our dinner time. Oh well, we will certainly hear about it tomorrow, perhaps at breakfast.
The menu was not the most appealing, and did not offer the usual surf and turf, escargots, or caviar. We recall when caviar was served with toast points most every formal night. The closest that got was an appetizer that had flying fish eggs. Not quite the same. We did order the jumbo shrimp, on the menu most everyday, and Cobb salads with tataki beef slices. The meat was absolutely tender and delicious. We were happy that the mains of sliced short ribs and mashed potatoes was conservatively portioned. Dessert was a slice of cheesecake that was really more like a jello cheesecake with one strawberry and a blueberry. (They are running out of fresh berries.) Sliced pineapple was a good and dependable choice for one of us.
The entertainment in the World Stage was a group called The Flyrights. Billed as the ultimate experience, it was a fusion of Motown and Swing – a song and dance routine we think. By the way, we have noticed more guests wearing face masks. And some of our friends are sick with a bug of some kind. Sure hope that nothing contagious is making the rounds.
Bill & Mary Ann
