This morning, our third day at sea, started out like the last few days with a nice sunrise. Still warm and humid, the temperatures are staying in the 80's and we have a following breeze. It's hard to tell the windward side from the leeward side of the promenade deck when there is about a zero breeze. However, later in the afternoon, things would change.
At breakfast, we asked Tina if she still had a copy of last night's Captain's dinner, which she gladly gave us. There were many elements in each course that we were not sure what they were, and the menu clarified that for us. For a change, none of this menu had to be modified for the one of us that has shellfish allergies. Many times at these dinners, she has substituted something else for a dish that might not agree with me. However, there were two exceptions with the other guests. The future cruise consultant, Alex, was served mahi-mahi, while the grandson of the other President's Club member had a vegetarian dish. Everyone was happy.
Before we left the room after breakfast, Tina said she had a gift for us….. one of the banquet flower arrangements from our dinner last night. We gladly took it back to our room, where we have two flower arrangements now on our coffee table. That was very sweet of her to do that.
It was not a pretty day outside when we took our morning walk. The sky was heavily overcast casting a gray look to everything including the water. During his noontime talk, Captain Smit mentioned we would be docked by 7am tomorrow in Pago Pago, American Samoa. The forecast was for rain showers with winds as high as 25 knots, or a 6 on the Beaufort scale. It appeared that rain and possible thunderstorms were brewing for the next few days after that. By 3:30pm, the rain began falling here, and was off and on for the rest of the day. But that's part of being in the South Pacific. Wish we could send some of this rain back home to California where everything is dry as can be.
Lunch for us was in the Lido after 2pm. Their salad bar is really kept nice and neat and clean. As we were leaving for the elevator, a man came along with a bowl and proceeded to take every cookie that was left on the trays. His timing was bad, because the head chef, Kamal, happened to see this, and actually asked the man nicely why he was taking so many cookies. The fellow laughed and said this was his first bowl, then he would come back for more later. Really? Guess there is no rule against taking so many at once, but that left the rest of the folks in line with nothing. Considerate…he was not.
Later in the day, we received an 8 x 10 photo from yesterday's cocktail time in the Mix with our dinner group. Another nice touch, since they are complimentary.
So far, there is no improvement with the TV reception. Seattle has been notified according to the front desk staff, but unless they have someone to fix it, we will remain frustrated and pretty much not informed of the current news.
Taking our later walk, we were disappointed not to see any sunset. It was way too cloudy and might remain that way for a few more days.
By 7:30pm, it was dinnertime and we were back to our normal table. One of us ordered a Caesar salad and the other chicken noodle soup. Mains were one Club Orange special of short ribs, and the other was a Wiener Schnitzel with cranberry sauce. Both were good. Dessert was a slice of chocolate mousse cake and a scoop of pistachio ice cream.
There was a Cellar Master's Dinner held in the Canaletto for a change. It is a bit on the pricey side, so the smaller group would be comfortable in that smaller venue. We have yet to try the Canaletto, but we should for a change of pace.
The entertainer this evening was a Spanish guitar artist by the name of Greg Rodman. We seldom seem to be finished with our dinner by the 9pm showtime, so we usually do not attend many performances. Showtime for the second seating guests used to be 10pm, then it went to 9:30pm, and now it is 9pm. The second show used to be half full at the most, so starting it earlier may have helped the attendance.
Pago Pago….here we come….rain or shine.
Bill & Mary Ann
