One of us had an appointment with the future cruise consultant concerning fall cruises of 2026. It seems that questions come up after the visit, and you need to go back to clear them up. Chantall is so good at her job and has followed up in a very timely manner with the details. Even at that, sometimes things do not get communicated exactly right, so it is a good thing to go over each and every detail as soon as you get the paperwork. One of our good buddies had pre-booked the Voyage of the Vikings for this fall and secured the perfect room for him. Then suddenly, almost a year later, his room changed, and needless to say, he was not a happy camper. This has happened to other friends as well on different voyages. He contacted everyone involved and was thrilled to find out he got his original room back. Lesson learned…you have to keep an eye on everything these days.
And while it is on our minds, this is a good time to mention that the "Health Information" has remained as the number one item in the Daily newsletter on every sea day. Without exception, we are still reminded to wash-wash-wash our hands regularly and use copious hand sanitizers around the ship. More importantly, report any illness to the medical staff who will probably quarantine you if you have serious symptoms. And please….no hand shaking. We still see passengers wearing masks, and still hearing coughing and sneezing no matter where we go on the ship. And if there is a problem with the number of ill guests, we sure have not been informed. We do know that while returning to the ship in Barcelona, we all had to use Purell before going up the gangway.
The seas were still nasty today with cloudy skies and high winds. It was spraying so much that our portside decks were wet all day. Forget sitting on the veranda, because our room stewards had taken in our cushions for fear they might blow overboard. And just as the Captain had promised, the conditions improved slightly, even though the outside decks were still roped off for our safety. They remained closed all evening.
A new activity of the day was making a Derby Night fascinator, or the silly little hats some of the ladies like to wear. It will be interesting to see how many of these creations show up in the dining room tonight as it is "dressy" with a Hollywood Theme.
We had an invitation for what was described as a Mariner Event held in the Crow's Nest at 4pm. The heading on this invite was printed with the President's Club logo, which usually means the event is strictly for our small group. Other guests we know were also invited, although they were not President's Club members. So we assumed it was another Medallion award session. Well it was not that either. We almost didn't go, but decided we had nothing else pending.
The first indication that it was larger than expected was when every elevator went by jammed with people 10 minutes before the party began. When the doors opened on deck 10, we had a hard time getting out into the lobby it was so crowded. And to make matters worse, the crew was late in setting up the props and flower arrangements they use for such events. Many folks were forced to use the stairs and wait while the doors were opened. And remember the rough seas? Well up here it was magnified about five times worse with the motion.
Many of us questioned why they did not use the World Stage like they used to, where there was room for everyone? At least, the motion would have been better there, but what do we all know? After passing by the greeters of the Captain, Alexandra, Kimberly, and Henk, we entered the room and were directed to the specially-marked seating on the starboard side. By now, most of the seats were occupied because the smart ones came early. Or some folks snuck in and took seats that were reserved for our group. Nothing was said. We learned one thing for sure…..never sit on one of the ottomans that are placed near the couches. One unfortunate fellow sat on one of those and rolled over onto the floor. He recovered quickly, unhurt, which was lucky, but embarrassed to death we are afraid. It could have been his wife, which would have been worse.
Wine and sparkling wine was offered, but we ordered our usual beverages. Some canapies were served, but few were eaten. So the point of this gathering was recognizing the loyalty of the President's Club members currently onboard, which numbered about 38. We had heard that the overall group included 5 star members and above., and in our humble opinion, it was way too many people for this venue. The members were called to take a photo with Henk and Captain Frank starting with the lowest number of days over 1400. We were surprised to hear the actual number of days being announced as they don't always do that on all of the HAL ships. Last year, at this event, the officers came to each person or couple to take the photos. It was probably just as rough then as it was today. There were only three of us that had over 3000 pure sea days.
The party was a wrap by 5pm and the folks left for the early seating dinner. We stayed and relaxed for a while, not in a hurry to cram into the elevators once again. And some of the guests were wearing the "Hollywood" glitz of Tinseltown with the little hats and bejeweled headbands. Whatever floats their boat, we say.
Dinner was fun with starters of calamari frites, a mozzarella/tomato and Caesar salad, and entrees of a grilled pork chop and one plate of Bolognese spaghetti. We had a nice surprise for dessert. Kadek our waiter had ordered rice pudding full of raisins just for us. Really thoughtful.
The entertainer was a vocalist from the Emerald Isle of Ireland by the name of Stephen Barry. His show was billed as thrilling with nice music and funny stories. But the best part of the evening was setting the clocks back another hour. And we had a Grand farewell gift waiting for us in the room. They were HAL logo duffel bags with a small travel kit containing long compression socks, an eye mask and earplugs. All good for flying we assume.
Bill & Mary Ann
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