As we head North at 18 knots toward Florida the skies remain partly cloudy. The high temperatures will only be about 77 today, and the seas remain calm at under 5 feet.
I start using my two free days in internet access which will last until we are docked in Port Everglades. Royal offers two different internet speeds. The slow one is pretty slow even for just basic email. The higher speed surf package performs much better.
The lounge chairs by the pool are rapidly filled with towels or bodies being toasted by the invisible UV rays. The wind is mostly behind us, making the breeze on the decks quite low. The Solarium is the first area of the ship to fill with passengers. Some groups spend thier entire day there reading or playing cards. Few actually use the pools, the hot tubs are more popular. Most of the time I find the solarium uncomfortably hot and humid. The area is enclosed with a retractable roof, which is kept closed more than open.
The lounge is crowded this morning with groups of passengers making final air and ground transportation arrangements.
By afternoon there are a few more clouds, but none that look like rain. The seas remain under 5 feet. We pass a couple of container ships, one heading in our direction at a much slower pace, and another headed southeast towards one of the islands.
It is lobster night in the dining room, and nearly every table is filled, I think the first time I have seen that since lobster night on the last leg.
The show tonight is a production show of the singers and dancers. I probably could have made the 6:30 show, but elect instead to attend at 8:30. As most of the shows have been, the theater is full with standing room only.
Several times I have made reference to Charles, the piano player. Well that is a typo, the piano player in the Schooner Bar is Chester. I wish I could tell you that is the only typo I have made, but it isn't, and there will be more.
I receive an email from my daughter asking some income tax return questions. Answering is my last task before sleep.
Our second day at sea is much the same as the first. Since I never received instructions on the procedure for continuing passengers this week, I verify the meeting time and place with JJ. We probably will not be allowed back to our cabins until after the USCG is complete with thier inspection.
The belgian waffles have been excellent in the Windjammer. One crew member with three waffle irons that make four waffles each. He doesn't make them and dump them in a steam table pan as on most ships, but paces his cooking to the number of guests. Every waffle is served hot right off the grill.
We pass another Royal ship headed South. Crew tell us it is the Allure, it is too far away for me to see.
I take a galley tour, an opportunity to learn what happened to the ravioli earlier in the trip. The story from the galley is that there was no ravioli in the provisions that were loaded in Port Everglades last week. The galley knew they would be substituting tortellini, and the head waiter failed to either have the menus reprinted or to pass the information on to the servers and guests.
There is also an unscientific poll on whether guests preferred the new factory made apple pies, or the ship bakery made version. Four to one preferred the bakery version.
This afternoon there is another show by Paul Boland. Entirely different than his previous show, he performed to a full house. He will be on the ship for our first headliner show next week.
The dining room is very busy again tonight. The steak is acceptable not outstanding.
Later in the lounge I learn that towels were removed from many of the chairs by officers, not the pool attendants. Progress! No, I had no influence on that one, but fully support the action.
There is talk of a couple that were removed from the ship at our last port and hospitalized because of acute respiratory distress. I don't know if it was the couple that had such a bad cough, but I never saw them again.
Holland America has implemented a test program of charging a $10 fee for an additional entree. Doesn't bother me. But those that order 3 and 4 lobsters may revolt.
The entertainer tonight is a comedian, Jackson Perdue, I guess I wasn't impressed, I fell asleep.
Tomorror is turnaround day in Port Everglades.