We sure could have slept in later this morning with all of the exercise we got in Bridgetown yesterday. And setting the clocks forward did not help one bit. It was hard waking up for one of us, but we made our way to the Pinnacle Grill for breakfast. We did notice that our starters of yogurt and fresh berries were already at our place settings. We did not request this, but it works for us. The service has been very good and getting better with each passing day.
The weather really changed once we left Barbados last night. The seas became rougher and the winds picked up significantly. At his noon talk, Captain Rens said we had 6 foot swells and 32 knot winds, a force 7 on the Beaufort scale. It was mostly cloudy with rain showers off and on all day. At times, the promenade deck was closed off for the walkers. It was too dangerous with wet decks and strong winds. Later in the evening, we learned that an elderly lady fell on that deck and broke her arm today. Not a surprise since many folks are not steady in good weather, let alone stormy situations.
Also during his noon update, the Captain mentioned that we were 285 nautical miles from Barbados with another 343 nautical miles to reach Devil's Island doing a speed of 16.6 knots. Rain showers and 17 knot winds were to be expected tomorrow on the island, and there was no mention of the water problem there as he stated yesterday. We would hear more later.
Like good guests, we brought our passports to the meeting point on deck three at our designated time of 11:15am. There were six people ahead of us with three or four reps behind the desks. We were handed passports receipts which we will need to retrieve them when necessary.
We spent the remainder of the day working online and captioning photos. Truthfully, we were glad to be able to sit and work due to the rocking and rolling. The higher your room is located, the more motion you feel. We enjoyed another room service lunch with salads and a shared club sandwich. It was just enough even though it arrived 40 minutes after we ordered. Guess a lot of folks had the same idea.
We know this subject is getting old, but we are still without an exhaust fan in our bathroom. Kumar promised an answer to their progress this afternoon. There was also a cocktail party in the Crow's Nest for our entire Signature group at 4pm. We don't always attend these, but we needed a break and decided to go. It was well-attended with many more guests there. Besides our group from Florida, others that book with Signature were invited. Joining us were Amy and Karen, who we have known for many years. We were having a lively conversation when Captain Rens broke in with an important message regarding Devil's Island tomorrow. Due to an ongoing sanitation work on the island, they were unable to provide a pilot, a requirement to enter the port. Therefore, our scheduled call had to be cancelled. The majority of us were not surprised or even disappointed. We have all been there numerous times, and were not looking forward to a rainy visit there in the staining mud. We felt bad for those who had this stop on their bucket list. The Volendam will spend the day at sea on our way to Belem, Brazil. And with the cancellation, we may receive a small port charge credit.
Dinner arrived quickly at 7:30pm. We did have a visit from a technician regarding the inoperative ceiling fan. He told Bill it had been fixed, but it had not been repaired. The fellow looked and discovered there was zero air flow. They will dig deeper tomorrow. And while at the Signature Party, Kumar approached us and said he was willing to give us another room. And by the way, the carpet was damp again outside the bathroom door. Right now, we said no thanks, but we shall see how long it takes them to fix this.
In the dining room tonight, we noticed that the entire bank of windows in the rear of the upper dining room were fogged up. To the point, we think the ceiling was dripping on guests. No doubt there are air-conditioning problems on this ship. It remains chilly in there as well. Anyway, we ordered one bowl of a different chicken soup and one shrimp taco. The usual shrimp cocktail with red sauce was repeated again, and a thai beef salad was a starter for one of us. Our entrees were beef Wellington and sliced pork with macaroni salad. Desserts were a small chocolate coconut berry jello thing in a jar and one plate of sliced pineapple.
The World Stage cast put on a show this evening of radio hits of songs, dance, and dreams. Doubt there was a lot of dancing with the ship's movement.
So maybe we can sleep in later tomorrow morning as it will be another day at sea.
Bill & Mary Ann
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