This morning was dark and overcast with rain by noontime. It is good to have at least one day at sea before arriving to Suva , Fiji as we are way behind in the photo department. The Captain came on with his noon update, saying that since leaving Apia, Samoa, we had traveled 322 nautical miles and had 369 nautical miles to go to reach Suva, Fiji. The skies were cloudy, and the temperature was 81 degrees with up to 25 mph winds expected later in the day. We may expect some rocking and rolling, but not enough to be concerned about. Sunset would be 5:58pm and sunrise tomorrow will be 5:32am. All of the Hawaiian ambassadors will be leaving the ship tomorrow, while the Polynesian group will be boarding.
We stayed working all day, never leaving the comfort of our room. The break was good for an aching back and the ice pack has worked wonders. Lunch was two beef sliders each from room service and also on the kids menu. Surprisingly good, it was just enough to tide us over until our 8pm dinner in the Pinnacle Grill.
A rumor we heard concerning the little "extras" that have been given to all of the President's Club members in the past took us by surprise. We are referring to the complimentary photos from cocktail receptions, dinner with the officers and Captain, and Mariner awards presentations. Either posing by ourselves or in a group, these 8 x 10 photos have always been delivered to our rooms at the latest….the following day. Comparing notes with fellow President's Club members onboard here, none of us have seen one photo gifted yet. However, these pictures have shown up in the Photo Shop at their regular inflated price. One of our buddies had a chance to ask Kumar, our rep, about this, and he confirmed her suspicion that we will not be receiving these photos anymore as a gift. Geez, another niggling cutback. Only those guests who receive the award of the gold-plated HAL ship pin will have a free photo. After that, we will get nothing, since there is not another level for us to receive any recognition. Obviously, we are not happy about this, nor are any of our buddies.
Dinnertime arrived at 8pm, and our table was ready for us. Starters were wedge salads with plenty of dressing. Once again, we added a shared chicken taco appetizer. The teriyaki soaked chicken slices are grilled to a crispy exterior – the best ever. Entrees were one New York steak, medium, with a side order or skinny fries. The other main was the 8 ounce filet mignon, medium rare, with a side of a ½ baked potato with the toppings. We shared the pinacolada dessert with pineapple an toasted coconut.
Showtime was Solid Gold, a performance by the World Stage Repertory Company with a 70's celebration that rocking and rolled the audience.
Bill & Mary Ann
No Pictures
