We have crossed the International Dateline, and this time, it is being recognized. A suitable poem started off the Daily newsletter today. Here it is:
Ladies and gents, hold on tight,
We've got a journey that's out of sight!
October 19th, you won't be seen,
We've skipped ahead – it's quite the scene!
No need to worry, it's just a quirk,
Of crossing the line – it's how things work.
So wave goodbye to the day that's gone,
And sail ahead with smiles and fun!
In addition, on October 19th, Zaandam will cross the International Dateline, resulting in the ship's clocks being turned forward 24 hours. October 19th will not exist and we will move from October 18th to October 20th. Then, when we cross back over that line in a week or so, we will have two days with the same date. That makes up for the loss of the 19th.
If it is Sunday, then it is Brunch day in the dining room. Not for us however. We are quite happy with our early morning breakfast, and so are many others. The room filled up shortly after opening the doors at 8am. The staff sure does spoil us.
The skies were very cloudy, although there was a decent sunrise. But it sure felt like rain. During the later morning, we were so busy with photos and reports that we did not even notice that we had been passing through a series of showers. Heavy at times. Boy were we lucky to have had such a good and dry day in Pago Pago or what?
During his noon talk, Captain Smit said we had 419 nautical miles to reach Suva, Fiji. The seas had turned rougher and the winds had increased. He added that the seas were confused, and we may have continued deep swells. After noon time, we also passed a small volcanic island in the distance which to us, resembled a Hershey Kiss. Especially when the upper clouds cleared away from the peak. We felt that the ship was going slower than usual since this island did not disappear too quickly.
Lunch was in the Lido, where we were surprised to see many other folks eating late. We had small salads and a few slices of the vegetarian pizza, which was all they had that was fresh out of the oven. For a change, it was good with onions, red bell peppers and cheese on the top.
Daniel gave a talk on the reason for the time and date changes, and why we should care. Kainoa spoke about traveling through Polynesia, and Michael Adams lectured on Murder on the Dance Floor, a book we assume that he may have written. Rum tasting for $20 sounded like a plan as well as Royal Dutch Tea at 3pm. We have yet to attend one.
A Seafood Boil was offered for $35 on the Lido at dinnertime. That seemed to be popular on the world cruise also.
Tonight's "dressy" theme was Casino Royale for dinner. The menu was "gala" with some different offerings. One was a Cobb iceberg lettuce salad with strips of tenderloin and ranch dressing. One strip of crispy bacon added the texture and saltiness to the dish. It was a big hit with us, and many others according to Maitre'd Pulung. Our entrees were one sirloin steak with French fries, and lamb chops with rice. One of us likes rice, and the other the fries, so we shared some of each. Dessert was no sugar added pistachio ice cream, and one chocolate sundae without the marshmallows. Both were loaded with nuts, which we love. And as an added touch to the gala evening, a young lady played a keyboard in the orchestra pit on deck five. Boy that sure stirred memories of the past formal dinners when we always had the music during the first part of the dinner. Days long gone now.
With tonight's Casino Royale theme, there was no show in the World Stage…it was a dark night. However, substituting for a performance, was casino night with a complimentary slot tournament and a chance to win $100 casino free play. There was even a prize drawing in the dining room where four tables were chosen for one of those drawings. If nothing else, it would draw more folks into the casino which has appeared to be pretty quiet on this cruise. The games went on from 7pm until 11pm. Never a dull moment…..
The clocks also went back one hour this evening. Now we are on Fiji time.
Bill & Mary Ann
