Day two at sea began with a temperature of 55 degrees, 93% humidity, and 22 mph winds, which were following. We could see an increase with the white caps and noticed a definite listing with the swells. This is typical California coastal weather. There were scattered clouds along with some banks of high fog.
We have noticed that there seems to be a lot more vibration on this ship, compared to the Volendam. At times, it seems like we are sitting on a rumble seat. In our deck six room, we have become aware that our flower arrangement on the coffee table has been "dancing" with the vibration. Reading the Cruise Critic blogs, we can agree that the ship might have problems. No sense even asking anyone, because we will not get an answer. Recently we received a notice that showed several stops on the 35-day Hawaii/South Pacific cruise that had to be amended or deleted. The only conclusion is there is a speed problem which has not been completely addressed. That brings to mind an incident that happened while on a Radisson cruise in 2003. We faced eight days at sea leaving Nuku Hiva when one of their azipods failed, causing the ship to lose speed. As a result, we all missed our flights and had to be put up in hotels for the evening with meals included. The cruise line did all of the re-bookings with our air, which was a plus because it was shortly before Christmas. So you just never know when things can go wrong.
Captain Thomas was right on time with his noontime update. We missed the beginning of it due to the fact that turning on the bow camera to get the talk in our room, takes several seconds before the screen comes on. Why, we do not know....another glitch in the system. Opening our door, we learned that the ship was across from Humbolt County, California and the temperature had risen to 59 degrees. The seas were 6 feet with following winds of 26 mph. Tomorrow we can expect similar conditions, only warmer. It is warm in San Diego with temps in the 80's. We are close to stashing the winter wear in the suitcases under the bed.
Finally caught up with missing photos and writing, we took a walk to the Seaview Pool where we always find time to sit and enjoy some sun. Still overcast and windy, it was chilly, so we did not stay long. None of the smaller tables and chairs were out along the railings and only a handful of lounges were set up. This will change once we get to San Diego. We did take notice of the ship's wake which seemed to reveal power loss of one of the propellers. Then we noticed a caged wine or whiskey barrel on the back deck. More about that tomorrow.
Passing through the busy Lido, we spotted the pizza which is made in long and narrow rectangles. No more round pizza. We have not tried it yet, but we might.
Then it was off to the Shops to check out their inventory. New warm weather clothing has replaced the Alaska clothing, among the brands was Tommy Bahama. We made a hit there, spending some of the non-refundable credit we have accrued. Fair-traded, these items are seldom on sale, but we do save the tax. Later on, one of us went back for two Mary Frances purses. There is a small collection here compared to the other ships, and there were two designs I liked. Like in Alaska, if I wait, they will be gone.
We forgot to mention some of the conversation we had with the hotel director a few days ago. He hinted that the anytime dining may be eliminated on the grand voyages. With the majority of guests wanting to eat at 6pm, there has been a space problem. No one wants to be handed a beeper and wait for a table. Fixed dining times solved that problem. It is not written in stone yet, but in the discussion mode. And it just came to our attention, that HAL has announced the purchase of another ship. No details yet. It is not a new build and might be older than the 11 ships in the fleet now. We will have to investigate.
Dinner time was mostly Mexican cuisine, which we love. Starters were empanadas, however they were tough and difficult to cut even with the knives. Still tasty, we did inform our waiter they were over-cooked. We suspect they were in the holding oven too long and got toasted. Our entrees were one pork belly and one poblano pepper with Spanish rice. Desserts were one rice pudding without the promised raisins and one scoop of melted raspberry swirl ice cream. Once again there were groups of crew members dining at the large tables.
Tonight's show was a magician and entertainer named Eric Walton with feats of magic and a humor to match.
So much for day two at sea. One more to go before San Diego.
Bill & Mary Ann
