Day one at sea began like any other one with temperatures in the low 80's, 77% humidity, and 10 mph winds. The skies were partly sunny and cloudy. Another month has gone by so we were due for a full passenger muster drill at 10:30am. Everyone was required to follow the directions given by the cruise director, Erin. For a change, it went smoothly and everyone showed up to their assigned stations, having their room cards scanned. And for the first time in years, the passengers did not chatter incessantly or play on their cell phones like we usually see. The Captain did his talk, then thanked everyone for their cooperation.
One of us having completed yesterday's report and the other completing a promenade walk, we headed for the Seaview Pool for some lemonade and some sunshine. We downed three glasses before cooling off. The sun remained intense with just a small breeze.
Then the Captain came on with his daily report. After the usual numbers were read off, he proceeded to tell us we were heading directly to Auckland. The port of Nuku'alofa, Tonga had been cancelled. Unknown to us, there is a system brewing in the area near Tonga that is producing 30 foot seas. No way do we want to be caught up in that. So the plan is to turn southwest and head away from Tonga at a speed of 19 knots. Captain Rens added that he is working on getting a slip in Auckland for March 2nd, giving us two full days there. He could not promise that will work, but they are trying their best. So as it stands, we will have 5 full days at sea with a distance of 1867 nautical miles to reach Auckland, New Zealand. Oh well, we were just in Tonga last fall, so we are not terribly disappointed.
Polynesian-themed activities continued all day, as well as a new speaker Dr. Chris Benton with Our Place in the Universe. There were 11 promotional activities with the shops and the casino.
We had a room service lunch with one salad, soup and one shared plate of mini burger sliders. It took all afternoon catching up on the last few days in Moorea and Bora Bora.
Dinner time snuck up on us, and we had salads, a chicken appetizer, and different entrees. One of us had the parmesan-crusted veal loin, and the other had the pork dish called spiced porchetta. Both were good with ample-sized servings. Dessert was a small jar of lemon jello, which we shared. It is never on the menu, but it is offered everyday since it is totally sugar-free.
The show in the World Stage was the cast with Legends. It was a tribute to the greatest male legends of all time.
Hope tomorrow is a real lazy day at sea without any more surprises. One good thing is that the temperature is supposed to fall about 5 degrees. That's fine with us.
Bill & Mary Ann
No Pictures
