Three more days at sea, en route to Japan. We haven’t settled into a daily routine, but some common activities are casino, cards and eating. Can’t cruise without eating.
Day 7 was notable for a number of minor emergencies. First the captain informed us that “everything was under control” which, of course, begged the question “what was out of control earlier?” Rumor has it that there was a small fire. We also diverted, in a minor way, just after midnight, to intercept a cargo ship that had asked us to take on a sick crewman. But when we rendezvoused, the cargo ship decided no help was needed after all. The third emergency was Marlene’s and mine: we got locked out of our room. Apparently, the lock has a battery which ran out. It took about 30 minutes after reporting the problem to Guest Services to get a crewman to fix the problem.
Again, the seas were pretty rough (4 to 8 foot swells) and the day was cloudy and cool. I spent the morning at breakfast, then did the blogging for Days 4 to 6. I did get to a general knowledge trivia contest and did ok but did not win. I did, however, learn that Beatrix Potter’s second Peter Rabbit book was The Case of Squirrel Nutkin. Such are the benefits of trivia. After lunch we did a little shopping on board, I won $10 in the casino (still down $70), and we played cards (more Oh Shit; I didn’t win). Dinner was with Dottie and Maureen and new friends Shelly and Mary Ann. We then attended the Love and Marriage show, which is a cruise staple. It was entertaining, though less so than the one on the Carnival Pride in April.
Day 8 was a bad day. The weather started dreary and foggy and became rainy and windy. The seas started rough and got rougher. By evening they were running 8 to 10 feet – very rough. The waiters had a difficult time serving dinner without dropping the trays. Not pleasant at all.
Marlene was also not pleasant. She didn’t accompany me to trivia (general knowledge – I tied for first place) and sent me a text message that she wasn’t feeling well. When I got to the cabin around noon she was sleeping sounding, so I quietly left and went to eat lunch alone. When I returned she was still sleeping and I fell asleep beside her. When I woke she was up and stomping around the cabin, clearly angry. She left without saying a word, but I later learned that she was angry that I didn’t wake her for lunch. She pretty much gave me the cold shoulder the rest of the day, all night and into the next morning. We did have a quiet dinner (in a dining room that was rocking uncomfortably) but after dinner she sat by herself to watch the show (Vintage Pop – a very entertaining revue of music from the 30’s and 40’s with some newer songs mixed in). I went up to the cabin after the show, fell asleep and woke to find Marlene sleeping on the sofa. Yes, still angry.
Not a fun night or morning. But we made up after breakfast on Day 9, so all is well.
Day 9 (Saturday) included some time at the casino (won $40 early but lost $50 later, so down $80 for the trip), cards (I won one game), dinner with Deb and Evie (and got a photo with the captain) and some comedy with PJ Walsh. He is a funny guy who, while in the navy was the White House dental technician. Yes, he cleaned Bill Clinton’s teeth. Quite a claim to fame. We also saw Paul Conyers who is 6’7″ and has some funny things to say about being tall.
The weather was very nice for a change (one of the few days we have seen the sun). We got a very nice sunset.
One more day at sea, then Japan. I am not sure what we will do there – we haven’t booked any excursions – but it will be the first time I have set foot in Asia. Should be interesting.
I have been remiss in providing photos of the ship. It is not stunning but is nice. The cabin is spacious by cruise standards and the bed is very comfortable. The TV selections, as with the Carnival Pride in April, are poor. But who wants to watch TV?
