Once again, it was completely dark outside at 7:30am when only three of us were waiting for the Pinnacle Grill to open for breakfast. We think that after two full days in port, and the time changes forward in as many days, most folks decided to sleep later. Or they forgot to turn the clocks ahead last night. That happens a lot we hear.
The big event of the morning was the passport collection at the elevator landings where we got a receipt for them when we turn them over. We understand that the Egyptian officials will be boarding a few days ahead of our arrival to the port of Alexandria on April 16th. They will be stamping everyone's passports without having a face-to-face inspection. Everyone will be required to have our passports with us when we go ashore either independently or on a tour. We heard a comment that 90% of the guests will be on tours, but that sounds like way too many to us. There are some folks that will stay onboard and not go off at all.
The weather was dismal with temperatures in the mid 60's. The skies were overcast and there appeared to be fog that blocked the horizon. Captain Frank said we had 263 nautical miles to go to Gibraltar, our next port of call. Our speed was 17.5 knots sailing in waters 2400 feet deep. When we reach the traffic scheme in the Straits, we will have to slow to 13 knots. The pilot will arrive by 6:30am and we may need the assistance of a tugboat due to the currents and winds when entering the Mediterranean Sea. He hopes to be docked by 8am on the portside since we will be bunkering fuel. Today we were having 8 foot sea swells and 67 degree temps. During the evening, the Captain expects the winds to pick up to 45 knots with wave heights 8 feet or better. He advised everyone to stash anything that can fall in their rooms, and he may close down the outside decks for safety reasons.
As for us, we stayed busy all day taking a deck walk, working online, reading, and researching for the upcoming ports in Europe. We did take a lunch break in the Lido but kept the meal light with sandwiches. Other activities included three lectures – one on a Polar voyage (he should be on the Pole-to-Pole cruise), a speech on Gibraltar, and the mysterious caves of Gibraltar. It was so cool outside we doubt many people were in the pools. So a good movie could be in order – Murder on the Orient Express. It sure was a good book.
International beer tasting took place in the Ocean Bar for $15 and a cooking show happened in the Rolling Stone Lounge with Kimberly and the head chefs. There was another Cellar Master's dinner in the Pinnacle Grill starting at 6pm. It was still in progress when we passed by the restaurant at 9pm. When it is food pairing with wine, the evening can last much longer depending on the wine consumption.
Our dinner was filled with different items such as tasty spring rolls, and a Spanish-type soup. On days like today, hot soup is so good. One of us had a salad, then we ordered one grilled pork chop and one tenderloin of beef dinner. We had to laugh when both plates had hidden steamed spinach hiding under the meat. We could swear we did not see the spinach on the menu with those entrees. So we asked our waiter, who checked the menu. There was no mention of spinach. We think the chefs should not substitute any vegetable that is not advertised without letting the guest know about it. Kadek quickly removed the spinach from our plates and apologized. He did not see the green spinach underneath or he would have warned us. So we think the cooks have an abundance of spinach cooked and try to use it up on the late dining crowd. We will survive. A nice dessert of a strawberry-like shortcake and one scoop of macadamia nut ice cream ended our meal on a positive note.
The live entertainment returned tonight with a concert of a flutist by the name of Andrea Amat. Her performance was Spanish-inspired with an audio/visual experience.
Hope we have a decent day in Gibraltar tomorrow. We cannot recall when we were here the last time, so it must have been several years ago.
Bill & Mary Ann
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