Last night before we turned off the TV, one of us thought to check our shipboard account. Discovered two surprise charges that did not belong. One was a laundry charge, and the other was a charge for a bouquet of flowers. Both of these items were perks we get for President's Club, so it should be easy to have the charges removed. Ever since we became 4 star members several years ago, the laundry was been complimentary. Which is really nice since the one basket of folded clothes added up to over $51.
We decided to stop at the front desk after breakfast, but there was a line of folks there, so we said we'd come back in an hour. By 10am, the line was gone, and one of the staff who recognized us yelled hello. With that, we went right to the desk and reported the error on our account. He apologized for the mistakes, and said he would contact each department, and have those charges removed. Then he promised to send a copy of the statement to our room later in the afternoon. Which he did, and all was correct. One item we did order through Tihaha, the cellar master, was a bottle of Jack Daniels for $80 and 18% gratuity. We would never pay that much at home, but that is the going "hotel" rate for alcohol these days. It didn't matter to us, since it is on their dime with all of the credit we have. Now we know why there has been a reminder for all of us to check our accounts regularly, which we do anyway. But this is the first cruise in a long time that we have had so many mistakes.
The TV reception has been spotty most of the day as well as yesterday after leaving San Diego. We do seem to recall this is common in this area, and the further we get out to sea, the worse it will become. We know there are no mountains blocking the signal, like we had in Alaska, but sometimes the ship's stacks are blamed for the distorted picture. Another explanation is that there is no mass of land near us, so there is no demand for a strong signal. Whatever the reason, we have not lost the programing all together, and the internet connection has been fine. Perhaps a little slower at times, but still functioning.
Another front page notice in the "Daily" was concerning health information. It's the reminder to wash our hands frequently with soap and water, and continue to use hand sanitizer as well. There are still some purell stations around the ship, especially in the dining areas and restrooms. We have been asked to report any respiratory or gastrointestinal illness to the medical staff onboard. That normally leads to quarantining in the room. There has not been any mention of Covid whatsoever.
We took our usual walkabout on the promenade deck in the morning and later in the afternoon, but the weather has not improved much yet. During his noon talk, Captain Smit confirmed the weather was about the same as yesterday. The temperature was 72 degrees with 6 foot swells still keeping us rocking and rolling. The Captain asked where is the sun? Then he said it was above the cloud cover and should break through sometime later today. He was correct, as we did see some blue sky and a little filtered sun. There was still a nip in the air, so it is not quite "shorts" time for us. Maybe tomorrow.
Lunch was a salad, a slice of pizza, and a tiny torpedo sandwich. They do keep some already-made sandwiches on the Lido counter, so if you don't want to wait for a custom-made one, you can help yourself to these.
Dinner time seemed a long ways away, mostly because we turned the clocks back last night one hour. We were told that we will do the same tonight as well. Then we will lose one more hour before we reach Kauai. It sounds good to gain these hours, but it sure can throw you off. Three hours in five days disrupts more than your meals. It affects your sleep patterns too. Most of us are pre-programed to wake up at the same time every morning. It doesn't matter what the clock says, your body tells you something else.
Anyway, the dining room was not crowded this evening, perhaps due to the motion of the ocean. Some folks might have a case of mal-de-Mer or seasickness. So far we are fine. We have sailed in a lot worse conditions in these wide open seas. Anyway, for dinner they had some of our favorites such as almond-crusted chicken tenders. They are the best when served hot and crispy with the honey mustard dressing. They also go well cut in pieces and served over a Caesar salad. Our mains were different. One was beef Bourguignon and the other was a simple spaghetti dish with a Bolognaise sauce. Our plates were so hot, we could not touch them, keeping the meal nice and warm to the end. Finally one of us tried the panna cotta dessert, which was served in a tiny mason-like jar.
The entertainer this evening was a comedian from Ireland by the name of Patrick McCullagh. He was guaranteed to be funny with his magic comedy and wit. Comedians are not our thing, so we skipped the show and went to bed. But not before setting the clocks back one hour.
Bill & Mary Ann
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