Day number 2 at sea sure started totally different from the last few days in Polynesia. It was overcast and dark with rain. We figured we would be encountering some of that storm the Captain spoke about. As the day advanced, it never got much better. We are beginning to feel the motion of the ocean and we suspect it will continue as long as this storm goes on. It would have great to have avoided it, but that's not always possible. Now we are grateful that we had such nice days while in the Polynesian islands.
The temperature was still warm at 79 degrees with 75% humidity. The winds at 8am were 11 mph, but later in the day, they increased significantly. The light rain turned heavy just about the time one of us went for the morning promenade walk around 10am. When the rain came in a driving downpour, the promenade deck was closed and roped off. We think there have been several falling accidents, but only a couple that we were aware of.
The Captain's talk at noon had a little more info regarding the change in the weather. Captain Rens joked that the ship was getting "automatic" washing with the downpours. The swells were 3 to 6 feet and the winds were increasing. He added something interesting about the temperature of the sea waters which are currently 86 degrees. He was hurrying to get to cooler waters which might reduce the rough seas. Hope it works…. We have 618 nautical miles to reach Auckland on March 2nd, which we guess that means they secured another day in that port. We would get the details later in the evening.
We worked online most of the morning into the afternoon while catching up on news. It was a good day for inside activities which included wine tasting, water coloring, arts and crafts, and some dance lessons. Board games in the library seems to be a growing activity here. Speaker Dr. Chris Benton spoke about the human spaceflight to Mars.
A formal attire evening was sprung upon us with the theme of Casino Royale. The dining room menu offered the usual suspects like escargots, shrimp cocktails, smoked chicken slices and surf and turf. Feeling the motion of the ship caught up with one of us, so a bowl of hot chicken noodle soup was in order. The avocado and shrimp bowl and sliced smoked chicken were starters for the hearty one of us who never gets seasick. Not even close, lucky guy. Entrees were the surf and turf which consisted of a thin filet mignon, which was on the tough side, but tasty with a very good gravy. The chefs are hitting the mark on the gravies this year. Only one of us had the lobster. Finishing the meal was one dessert of a little chocolate volcano cake in a ramekin. It was as close as it got to the old standby of Chocolate Volcano Cake we used to get in the Pinnacle Grill. Talk about sugar overload, which we never gave a second thought back in those days. The other dessert was a slice banana with a tiny bit of chocolate sauce. We usually finish dinner before 9pm, but we noticed the room was emptying after 8:30pm.
There was a Casino Royale event happening in the Mix for a change at 8:30pm. They had table games and a chance to win up to $100 casino free play, as well as prizes and drawings. For the first time this cruise, the casino on the opposite side had many players at the slot machines and tables too.
There was a show in the World Stage featuring a vocalist named Daniel Thompson doing Johnny Cash songs and telling tales of the famous crooner.
Back in our room we had a turtle towel animal and two little boxes of Belgium chocolates, a formal evening treat. Also in the stack of papers on the bed were the letters explaining how crossing the dateline works. It is simple going west. We lose a whole day, which will be Friday the 27th. Then the other notice was about the change in the itinerary with Tonga being cancelled. We have not talked to anyone yet that is disappointed about missing that stop. Usually when we are in New Zealand, we always have two days in Auckland. This cruise, it was only one day. Now we will have two full days there beginning March 2nd and everyone is pleased. All the prepaid Tongan shore excursions will be credited back to everyone's accounts. If you had booked independent tours in Tonga, then you would be on your own to get refunded.
Never a dull moment here. Oh almost forgot, the clocks went back one hour tonight.
Bill & Mary Ann
