Yes, after 9 days at sea – most of them cloudy and cool and two of them very unpleasant – we finally had a beautiful day in calm seas. And we sighted land! We sailed through the Tsugaro Strait (and passed close to Fukashima, site of the 2011 nuclear plant disaster).
The casino was unkind. I lost more than I should have. Down $200 for the trip. But I can’t feel too bad – we had lunch with a woman who has lost $15,000 in the first 10 days. Ouch!
I tied for first in two general knowledge trivia contests but lost both on tiebreakers. We played some cards (I didn’t win), did some blogging, had a nice dinner where we were serenaded by two talented servers (there are a lot of fine voices on this ship), did some dancing and then saw Eileen, the “Queen of Hearts.” She put on a very nice show.
We finished the evening in the casino where I completed my losses. Marlene lost, too, though she began the day by winning $100. Put it all back. And more.