Pulung, our friendly Matre'd stopped by our breakfast table to ask how we liked the special dinner last night in the Pinnacle Grill. Of course, we let him know that we enjoyed ordering the Delmonico steak which was most delicious…..tender, tasty, and cooked just right. We are sure that he had a part in the evening from the menu to the hosts. It was most appreciated by all of us.
The biggest event of the morning was having our veranda sanitized and scrubbed by a machine the size of a small lawn mower. For the first time since we switched to this room, it was spotless. Since we will be arriving to a US port in a few days, cleaning shipwide has kicked up a notch or two, because more than likely there will be a CDC inspection. They have to be prepared either way and take great pride in getting top scores for their effort.
We did have some cashable credit on our account, so decided to take it now before the front desk gets inundated with customers. We still have some non-refundable money to spend, so we will need to go shopping. This amount was "have-to-spend" and will not go back to our credit card on file. And since we only have about 4 days left, our President's Club twice-monthly gifts should be credited back to the non-refundable part of our account, according to Vini, our Mariner rep. It may take a few days to show up.
Captain Smit came on the speakers with his daily update from the navigation deck. He said we had 2007 nautical miles to reach San Diego at a speed of 20 knots. He sounds like he intends to keep slightly ahead of schedule in the event the sea conditions slow us up over the weekend. And since we crossed the Equator, we are now sailing in the Northern Hemisphere and out of the South Pacific. The temperature was a bit cooler at 77 degrees with 25 knot winds coming from two directions. On Saturday, the sea swells and wave heights might be higher up to 4 meters or 12 feet. The skies were heavily overcast all day with some passing showers. It should remain the same for at least two days. Lastly, the clocks will go forward one hour tonight, putting us back on Pacific Time.
Some fun events took place during the day. One was the boat building and float test in the Lido pool. Bet that was a hoot. The guests versus the officers cornhole challenge had to be moved inside due to winds and showers in the Sports Court. And there will be a photo contest, and the folks were asked to bring their best picture to the Queens Room this morning. And we noticed that there were smokers in the casino the last couple of days and evenings. There were very few players, at least the times we pass through there. Perhaps the casino activity picks up at night.
The Christmas display with a village and a train was being set up in the corner seating area on deck five forward – near the clothes shop and across from the atrium centerpiece. It will be done for the new guests arriving on November 20th….just in time for the holiday cruises.
Other than that, we did see one lone booby and many small flying fish today. The bird stayed mostly to the front of the ship, diving for the little fishy treats. We hope to see more of them tomorrow.
In the afternoon after a Lido lunch, we made a pass through the shops just to look at the merchandise. We like watches and jewelry since they are easy and light to pack. There wasn't a giant selection, but enough to choose from. As always, the salespeople are very attentive, and we had to remind them we were only looking. And there did not seem to be many customers, so they dogged us. There are a few more days left, so we will try again when the shop is busier.
We were back to our regular table and our very nice waiters tonight. One of the appetizers was a favorite – crispy spring rolls with the good chili sauce. We each had one, followed by one salad and one bowl of chicken noodle soup. Our entrees were one Club Orange special of pork belly, and one chicken cacciatore, which happened to be the dish that the Hotel Manager, Darren, showed the guests how to cook in the Wajang Theater today. Desserts were simple – one scoop of vanilla and one of pineapple sorbet.
And so ends day two at sea. Four more to go…….
Bill & Mary Ann
