During the course of the night, the towels on the carpet outside the bathroom did little to dry it out. We are not convinced that the leak has been totally stopped. We have requested for our carpet to be shampooed, but that cannot be done until it is totally dry. What was more concerning is the fact that the toweling had absorbed rusty-colored water or whatever. The big fan had to run full blast all day to dry it out. We do hope this is the last of our room problems.
It was the usual day at sea with breakfast stories about Singapore being shared among us. We all had done something different, which is fun. Then it was a promenade deck walk for one of us, and online work for the other. We went to the Seaview Pool for some refreshing lemonade, and we were soon joined by our buddy Greg. We spent an hour catching up on news with other people we have known over the years. There was a nice breeze blowing across the aft deck, so we tended to stay longer than usual.
Later on, we had a light room service lunch with one bowl of soup and a sandwich. Since we had reservations for a Pinnacle Grill dinner, we kept our lunch at a minimum. And for the first time since we boarded the ship in Ft. Lauderdale, we did attend the Block Party at 4pm, which happened on every passenger deck. All you needed to do was bring out an empty glass for complimentary wine. Waiters passed trays of cheese and crackers, a bread stick, walnuts, grapes, and a tiny tuna mix on toast. We stashed ours in our room for after the party. It is difficult standing up, holding a glass, and holding a plate of food at the same time.
Renee the manager of the Greenhouse Spa, joined us as she served up the wines. Shortly after the elevator lobby was full, Captain Frank van der Hoeven and his wife Alexandria came down the stairs from deck seven. Handshaking and hugs were the best way to greet them, since it has been a year since we saw them last. This will be the fourth year we have enjoyed having Captain Frank for one-half of the cruise.
Now that we are approaching Hong Kong and Japan, there is a special guest, Steve Schwartz, who is a master blender of the art of tea onboard. This seems to be the theme of this cruise. Now we know the reason we were gifted the special teapot and glasses with loose tea and bags during the Christmas season for our President's Club status.
A new speaker has joined the ship by the name of George Sranko with wildlife and wild places as his specialty. He spoke about tropical birds, right up our alley. There was a port talk about Ho Chi Minh, and now we can catch both lectures on our TV.
During the afternoon, we did see another cruise ship heading towards Singapore. With binoculars and the camera, we were able to identify it as the Queen Mary 2.
At 7pm, there was a half hour welcome onboard toast by the Captain in the World Stage. Every passenger was welcomed as well as the new group that joined in Singapore.
Dinnertime for us was at 8pm, and "our" table was ready and waiting. There were very few guests dining in there, so we had good service. Our meal began with wedge salads with two strips of the sticky clothesline bacon right on the plate, which we had requested the plate to be bigger. It never fails, as we try to cut the wedge of iceberg lettuce, it overflows on the table. The larger plates help. Then we both had the lamb chops done medium with a small baked potato with toppings. Very good and hot, we enjoyed every bite. We did not have much room for dessert, but we managed to share the smallest slice of Key Lime pie they had. Joan, our server, talked us into trying the rice with coconut pudding with milk and ripe mango. It was very good and small, so we passed on the coconut macaroons, their final touch these days.
There was a show called Timeless, performed by the World Stage cast. They featured pop classics and classical hits also…..music that transcends time.
Back in our room, we had Vietnam landing cards and a copy of our passport page to carry with us while on tours or in town. We do not intend on talking a tour, since we have been to Saigon at least three times. We will explore wherever the shuttle takes us closer to the pier.
Bill & Mary Ann
