Today was supposed to be Scenic Cruising of Torres Strait. There was a problem, however, since we would be sailing in that area at 4:30am, and it was dark. We woke up to heavily overcast skies, drizzle, and temps in the 80's. It was really humid with a small breeze and three-foot swells.
Breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill has turned into social hour again where we can chat with our new friends we have met since January. Today we ended up staying until 9:40am, even though they stop serving at 9:30 am.
Back in our room, we got our 14 day delivery of Coke Zeros that were dated into late April. Next time we will have to opt for flowers or else drink 4 – 6 sodas a day. We also got Australian cards to fill out for our departure, although they were printed for incoming passengers. They were identical to the ones we filled out before our arrival to Sydney. We will need to turn these cards in by noon tomorrow.
As usual, one of us walked the promenade, while the other worked online. Around noontime, we went to the Seaview Pool after the" Jolly "Captain's talk. We have another 626 nautical miles to go to reach Darwin, and are currently sailing south of Papua New Guinea. We were also advised to turn or clocks back ½ hour this evening…..one of the odd places in the world that is ½ hour off. We will pick up that extra ½ hour after leaving Darwin.
We had room service lunch with one plate of mini burger sliders and a bowl of hot chicken noodle soup. Still quite good. The weather deteriorated later in the afternoon when it began to rain. One of the weather stations has shown three rain drops in the upcoming ports of Darwin, Komodo, and Bali. If it is raining a lot in Komodo, we will cancel our tour there. It can become terribly muddy and slippery under the canopy of trees and shrubs. We are due to be in Komodo on March 19th , so the weather can change by then.
We were invited to another President's Club Cocktail Party held in the Atrium on deck three at 6:30pm. This time we made it there 10 minutes early to find most guests were there already. Many familiar officers were in the receiving line and they joined us for conversation, spending equal time at each stand-up table or at the groups of chairs and tables. We talked with Florin who informed us that the Princeton Tailors will be coming onboard with the date and time to be announced later. We have discovered that Florin is very friendly and a most pleasant person to chat with. Jonah has to be one of our most favorite officers onboard. She visited with us informing us that her husband and son were coming onboard for a short time in Bali. Florin also has his son and future daughter-in-law (he hopes) joining us as well. We were happy for them because good things happen to nice people.
The party ended after 7:30pm, and we went to dinner. We were not all that hungry, so just ordered salads and different entrees. The salads were good, but our meals were warm at the best. Guess we have to request hot dinners again because that does not always happen. The smoked pork loin was tasty, but almost cold. The beef slices were also cool with cold potatoes. Usually our waiters and the head waiter stop by and asks how our meals are. Tonight we saw no one. They apologized and promised hot meals tomorrow.
One more day at sea, and we will be in our final port of Australia.
Bill & Mary Ann
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