And so we started our day at sea # 1 after leaving San Juan last night around 8pm. It was breakfast as usual, meeting with our little group of early morning risers. We will miss our breakfasts here because we have been spoiled for sure. Tina and her specially chosen wait staff have been the best.
One of us took a promenade walk, while the other caught up with yesterday's exploits. It was much more comfortable outside today with mostly sunny skies and less humidity. The only thing that spoiled this was the final crew drill with the horn-blowing and an hour of interruptions. It is a necessary drill, and something we will not miss. During his noon talk, Captain Frank said we were sailing close to the Turks and Caicos as well as passing the Dominic Republic. We have 643 nautical miles to reach the pilot station outside of Ft. Lauderdale. The ship was doing 18 knots with both stabilizers out. The sea state had a low swell of 4 feet with a light and gentle breeze. The sea depths are 12,000 feet and the sea temperature was 84 degrees. The air temps were 79 degrees. It really could not have been much better.
Then he continued with an interesting explanation of the bridge watch team. The "look out" job is a 24 hour necessity for all types of ships. We have been on the Navigation deck while the watchers were present and realized what a hard job that must be. They had to stand or sit for hours looking through binoculars at the bright and sometimes blinding waters. Captain Frank said that in the future, "AI" will be involved with new technology that will partially replace these watchers. The human element will always be present, but perhaps their jobs will be a bit different with the extra set of "artificial eyes". Interesting thought.
Keeping occupied by photo work, we stayed at it most of the day. It was a room service lunch of salads and a shared sandwich, eaten on our veranda. Really nice for a change. We sort of missed some of the day's activities which included a Q&A with the Captain, as well as the re-opening of the new shops. Gosh, they are sure making a big deal about new merchandise. We shall give you all our opinion once the dust has settled as we still have some credit to spend.
The Crew Talent Show was held at 2pm, and it sure filled the World Stage. It was a heart-warming show that did reveal their hidden talents. In the old days, the final bingo was the biggest highlight that filled this stage. Boy how things have changed.
The other event was a surprise night in the Lido Poolside with a food-truck-style festival set up around the pool during 5 to 8pm. A lot of people must have gone there, probably because they were offering free Zuidy-Surprise cocktails or mocktails. That will pack in the crowd in a heartbeat. DJ Berny blasted his tunes while the guests chatted, danced, and partied the night away. One of our buddies went there for an hour, and reported that it took another hour for his hearing to return to normal.
Shortly before dinnertime, we watched another north Atlantic sunset. Because of the direction we are sailing, we were able to see the sun disappear right from our veranda. Always a pleasure.
Our dinner was quiet, which we appreciate. Only our head waiter was there since they needed some of the assistants to help in the Lido. For starters there were spring rolls that we like. A Caesar salad was enjoyed by one of us, then we had one chicken entrée and one pork chop. It was served with quinoa and spinach, but Kadek substituted French fries with catsup. Way better. He knows out likes and dislikes very well by now, and suggests substitutes when we happen to miss something. He talked us into sharing one slice of cherry pie since it doesn't show up often on the menu. It was good.
The entertainment was One Final Grand Night of Musical Surprises. It would be one surprise we did miss as we still have to wrap up the last of the packing. People have begun to put out their bags a few at a time, instead of waiting until the final night. Much better idea than tripping over luggage stacked against the walls all day and night.
One more day at sea, and we shall be back to the good ol' USA.
Bill & Mary Ann
