A day at sea is what we all needed. A few more would have even been better, as three days in French Polynesia really wore a lot of guests out. The heat and humidity were a major factor there. And excursions that included boating, snorkeling, and hiking were thrilling, but a lot of work too. So today….we rest.
Once again, the health warning was first and foremost in the daily newsletter. They don't have to tell us twice. We are noticing more and more people coughing and not looking so great.
The Captain delivered his talk at noon and said we have 284 nautical miles to reach Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. He added that the bow would be opened for our arrival, even though the ship will be anchored. He stated that he remained rather positive that we will be able to tender to shore, but if the seas act up, it may be cancelled. We give it a 50/50% chance due to our past experiences here.
We all had one important job to do and that was a repeat of the monthly muster drill. While working online in our room, the TV went off and had the Safety Essentials channel on. We let it run its course, then the regular programming resumed. More or less, that is. We have been having ongoing problems with our TV, and cannot figure why it goes blank with the sound continuing, or shut off all by itself. There is still pixelating on the regular channels, except for the movie channel. We have been having issues with the internet too. Two of the IT officers knocked on our door and asked if the tweaking they did helped. It may have improved slightly, but in order to get all of the bars up, we still need to open the stateroom door. We don't mind doing this, but the staff feels it is not convenient for us. One thing for sure, they have been on top of this ever since our room attendant reported it last week. If they can fix it…they will.
So at 5 minutes before 2pm, we went down to deck three to have our cards scanned for the muster drill. We should have waited an extra 5 minutes because the small elevator was jammed with too many people that insisted on being first. The check-in took all of one minute and that included the mini-talk of where we go in case of an emergency. We will have to repeat this drill one month from now and we will go last.
Two new lecturers have joined the ship in Papeete. One is Michael Adams, a speaker who talked about WWII and an Aussie that saved the future president….JFK. The other speaker is Kainoa, the expert on all of the South Pacific areas. He has been on every Tales of the South Pacific cruises we have taken, and now joins us while we are here. His talks are always interesting and well-delivered. He gave the history of the Polynesian lei today.
Lunch for us was in the Lido with fresh salads and sliced roast beef sandwiches. Then dinner was interesting with a menu printed upside down and partly backwards. Why? Because today was Backwards Day (Sdrawkcab Yad) Really? Sorting through the various offerings, we came up with one seafood spring roll and a bowl of smoked tomato soup. Mains were prime rib ( a little on the tough side) and lasagna without the creamy cheese sauce on the top. Much better that way. A scoop of vanilla ice cream and one of orange sorbet finished the meal.
The World Stage welcomed the Repertory Company with "Songbirds", celebrating the all-time great ladies of pop. The ship was rolling more than usual, so perhaps this show was strictly singing and no dancing.
Bill & Mary Ann
