I sleep 10 hours, obviously there was nothing to disturb my sleep. The neighbors were quiet, there were no loud drunks in the hallway, and there were no disturbing noises from any of the many mechanical systems on the ship. The waves knocked the ship around just a little making her creak and moan like any other ship would in the same seas.
By the time I shower and dress, it is too late for breakfast in the Solarium, so off to the Windjammer. Busy, but not over crowded. I decide on my usual bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice.
Only one of the two doors were repaired, and the mini fridge still does not work. I tell my cabin steward about the fridge and show him the door. He was aware of the attempted repairs. He will call maintenance again.
The skies are partly cloudy, with the temperature in the low 80's. We are expected to encounter some showers over the next two days. Seas remain a little over 6 feet. There is enough motion to the ship that both the solarium pool and the main pool remain empty of humans as the water sloshes back and forth with the ships motion. The hot tubs see a few guests.
The passenger manifest is as to be expected. Mostly Americans, a couple hundred Canadians, and about a hundred from the UK. In all there are passengers from 30 countries. Very few younger passengers, younger being a relative term. The captain reports there are 70 passengers under 21. Someone commented in the Concierge Lounge last night that Medicare cards should be used to gain entrance.
By late afternoon the second door is repaired, but not the fridge. My cabin steward gets me a "medical" cooler. His years of experience knows how to get around the system. Probably not large enough to hold a six pack, but it will hold a couple cans and my medications. It is small enough and has a long enough cord that I put it on the top shelf of the closet.
As expected the lounge is less crowded on the second night. The server does his job without error, limes are plentiful as I believe everything else is.
Beef tenderloin is my chice for dinner tonight. Yes we have the same table and waiter, I knew they would do it. Being formal night, the majority, maybe 60%, of the gentlemen are wearing jackets. Tuxedos are scarce. After dinner a stop in the Centrum for the captain's reception and then on to the early show in the theater.
Ricky is a high energy performer singing many favorite Rock N Roll songs from the 50's and 60's. He does a good job, and this is his ideal audience, where the average age is above 65.
Right after the show I advace my clock an hour and then crash for the night. The ship continues to rock just enough so you know you are on a ship and not in a hotel. No alarm clock as there is nothing I have to get up for.
I sleep past 9:00 and grab a glass of orange juice and a donut in the concierge lounge. At 11:00 there is the top tier party for Crown and Anchor. There are 275 diamonds, 263 diamond plus, and 43 pinnacle members. The top cruiser has over 2700 nights. Another passenger, not even in the top 5, has been on the ship since the first of October, and you think I cruise often.
At noon I attend "A Meal With an Officer" in the main dining room. One or two officers or managers are seated at each table. My hosts were the life guard manager and an attendant from the spa. This is the first time Sunshine has attended such a function. She is a little shy and uncomfortable. Face it, this is a big change from her native Zimbabwe. Her contract ends in about 10 weeks, and if she leaves Ft lauderdale on a Sunday morning, it will be Wednesday night before she gets home. OK that is a long commute home from work. Lunch was good but leisurely, taking almost two hours.
Today is Sunday, the big event being the Superbowl, which is the only show for today. For a mere $99 + tax and gratuity one can buy a "superbowl ticket" which covers all your drinks during game time. Those of you that know me well, understand I have no interest.
By mid afternoon the seas have dropped to about 3 feet. The ship no longer pitches or rolls. The skies have cleared to mostly sunny, and the air temperature is about 80. The pools have attracted some passengers, but are not overcrowded. Half a dozen guests are in the concierge lounge reading, playing cards, or in my case trying to keep up with writing. Tomorrow is our first port of St Thomas, and my plan is to post the first few entries to my blog. This is so stupid to write, if it doesn't work, you will never know.
With a large lunch, dinner is a small portinon of pasta. Excellent, covered with shaved parmesan, not grated. We kinda had our same table. Just as we arrived I observed the guests switching table numbers. The waitress that was serving both tables was there and of course proclaimed she had nothing to do with it. Though the view was not as good, there was more chair room. I was fine, the couple that made the switch are on thier second cruise ever and deserved the view.
After dinner a trip around the ship to see how many passengers were watching the game. Not many, maybe a quarter of the passengers, and a very small percentage of them appeared to have bought into the "package".
I settle in to the Schooner bar and listen to the piano player for a few hours and then retire for the evening.
The next five days are all port days. First is: Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas. Followed by: St Croix; St Johns, Antigua; Basseterre, St Kitts & Nevis; and finally Phillipsburg, St Marten.
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