Today was day one at sea on our way towards American Samoa. The temperature reached 81 degrees with mostly clear skies. If there had been a chance of showers, they must have gone away. However, the winds have increased to 25 knots, which kept the ship rolling enough to notice it. Much is the same for tomorrow, and we will be putting the clocks back one hour this evening. Technically, this occurs at 2am, but who is going to get up and set them back at that time of night? Only the staff will do that here. The Captain did not mention the sunrise/sunset times, and it seems that his talks are getting shorter.
It was King Neptune Day with a ceremony at the Sea View pool at 2pm. These days the pollywogs and the shellbacks are crew members only for this maritime tradition. Knowing how hot it was and the crowd it draws, we did not attend. Another reason for laying low for one of us was due to a flare-up of a back injury….an ongoing saga. The only thing that helps is ice packs, rest and time.
Needless to say, one of us had scores of photos from yesterday's visit to Fanning Island. While we were working in our room, a port talk took place for Pago Pago and Apia. Then in a day or so, we will be crossing the Equator. Our new lecturer delivered a talk on how the Equator shapes global climates, weather, and navigation and trade routes. We lost count on the number of times we have crossed that line. Many years ago, we flew to Papeete, Tahiti to join a cruise with the old Pacific Princess. The pilot announced that we would be crossing the Equator, and he suggested everyone to look down and see the line. Do you know how many people looked? Of course, it is an imaginary line, but for the first-timers, they fell for it.
Room service Caesar salads and chicken nuggets was our lunch around 3pm. We had received an invitation for a New President's Club Members Ceremony honoring a couple that qualified for the special pin for 1400 days. There were a total of 10 of us, with one lady missing. The event was short and sweet with Clare announcing the members names and days sailed. Then we lined up with the Captain and Hotel Manager for group photo. It took several pictures before the photographer got it right. We never did get a photo from our cocktail party a week ago, so we are not certain we will get this one like we have in the past.
Anyway, following the award pinning, a special dinner followed in the Pinnacle Grill's back room. Due to the back pain, we opted out of the dinner, thanking them for the invite. These dinners are very nice but can carry on well past the dinner time. Thanks to the free-flowing wines they serve, they tend to linger even longer. We had informed Arsa, the Pinnacle Grill manager and Kumar, our Mariner rep that we would try to attend the cocktail reception but would not join the group for dinner. There was no way one of us could handle sitting for that long, and the thought of having to leave mid-stream was not acceptable. Everyone understood the dilemma, even Captain Willems, who came over to us and wished me a quick recovery. Sure hope it is. He promised to have a re-do, which we do not expect, but it was nice of him to offer. About every officer came and wish me well. In the morning, Arsa and Kumar both offered to send our dinners to our room after 7pm. We thanked them for being so thoughtful but let him know we would be happy in the main dining room.
So by the time we got back to the room, our room steward Ron was in the process of getting the ice pack. He arrived with an extra- large ziplock bag filled with ice and it was utilized immediately. Hope the ice lasts for this evening.
Only one of us went out to watch the sun go down. While there, the small chatty bird flew by. He seems to appear around sunrise and sunset, making getting a good photo almost impossible. Captain Willems had mentioned he saw it too but could not ID it. We don't believe it was that elusive owl seen after we left San Diego. But who knows?
Dinner was in the dining room for us instead of the Pinnacle Grill. It was Heritage Night with special Indonesian appetizers and mains. Adi our head waiter came over to check on us, hoping the pain eased up soon. How thoughtful. Then Regie looked puzzled since he was informed that we were at a special dinner event. Glad he did not give our table to someone else, we ordered soto ayam , Caesar salad, and lettuce wrapped spring rolls (not fried). All different and also good. It is not often that a Tamarind entrée is a choice for dinner in the dining room. Tonight's special was the wasabi crusted beef tenderloin, every bit as tender and tasty as in the Tamarind venue. We were SO glad we did not order the extra cost $25 charge for the lobster, as one gentleman seated across from us had one, and we could smell it coming to the table from far away. Whew…..in a few minutes, he called the head waiter and the maitre'd to complain about it after eating some of it. The head guys immediately ran to the kitchen to get him a replacement. It arrived at the same time his wife's ? birthday cake did. All is well that ends well however, we do hope they air out the dining room.
The entertainment this evening was Nick Nickolas with magic, variety, and more. The Ocean Bar, Explorer's Lounge, and the Mix were in full motion tonight as well.
It's a date with the ice pack for one of us tonight……
Bill & Mary Ann
