Day 7, At Sea

The weather is near perfect today. At sunrise the temperature is about 70, and will rise to 75 during the day. The skies are mostly clear with a few scattered clouds. During the night the ship has begun to roll a little due to the 10 or 12 foot swells coming from the North, remnants of Oscar.

A couple of nights ago there was a party for all the top tier Crown and Anchor members. 1347 Diamond members, 1242 Diamond Plus members and 227 Pinnacle members are on the ship. They and the other top tier member on the ship have 781,282 days of cruising with Royal, or 2140 years of combined cruising experience. I think the Loyalty Host had too much time on her hands to calculate that one.

The pools have been empty for the entire cruise so far. Cold wet weather, rolling of the ship  which causes the water to slosh out, and the need for new paint were all contributing factors.

Cocktails in the entertainment district, dinner in the Windjammer, followed by an hour or so of enjoying the entertainment of Alex finish my day. Again we set our clocks back an hour tonight and get an extra hour of sleep.

Friday, Nov 2, 2108

I arise early, before 8:00. The skies are clear and sunny, and already the temperature is above 70. There are just a few scattered white caps with waves less than 5 feet. With the wind now on our stern, the apparent wind across the deck is less than 10 knots. Ship motion is negligible. The captain has increased our speed to 20 knots to make up for the time we lost while facing strong headwinds the first few days.

One of the less frequented dining spots for breakfast is Johnny Rockets. Every other morning, the weather wasn't conducive to outdoor dining, today it is. I wait only a few minutes to be seated.

I have yet to start any of the four books I brought with me on this trip, and it doesn't look like I will today either. After breakfast there is a seminar on how various measurements on the size and age of the universe are made.  The speaker does an excellent job explaining a very complex topic to a general audience. He will be doing more lectures during the remainder of the cruise, I plan to attend.

One of the advantages of a longer cruise is that I have the opportunity to meet more people, which in turn reminds me of what a small world we live in.  For example, I learn Bobby, our cruise director previously lived in Clermont. A couple from Halifax winter in Florida, and often play golf where I live in Kings Ridge. Another couple I dined with the other night live very close to where I lived in Michigan for many years, and obviously we dined at many of the same restaurants such as the Stray Dog and Redamaks. I guess I should correct that, I'm not sure they should be called restaurants, maybe bars with food.

Normally laundry is returned in about 24 hours. A lady on the elevator is getting very concerned because it has now been over two days. Other passengers confirm that they too have had laundry out for longer than expected. I had planned to wait until tomorrow, but based on my new knowledge, gather up the dirty clothes today. I'm good for four more days, but why create any undo stress. 

As is typical on many cruises, as we get further into the cruise the Diamond Lounge, in this case the entire entertainment district, gets less busy.  It is almost possible to find a seat with a little preseverance.

I grab a quick bite in the Windjammer. Alex Miles, one of the piano entertainers is sitting at the adjacent table. She is a delightful gal from the UK, and is in her fourth year working for Royal. Like many, she has no idea where her next contract will take her. 

I head  to the Schooner Bar before the 8:00 starting time for Alex. She plays one set lasting until 10:45 when the music in the promenade would overpower her. She will return at midnight to play until the wee hours of the morning, but not for me. I will be sound asleep after turning my clock back another hour.