The day is quiet as we begin our trip towards the Greek Isles. Breakfast in Chops with a new staff, most in training by watching other servers serve us.
We attend the shore excursion presentation to learn a little more about the ports we will be visiting. This results in being unable to attend the top tier event. Rumor has it that there are about 75 Pinnacles on this trip. Still too many for me to be given access to the Coastal Kitchen and suites lounge, but I have known this for several days.
It has been years since I attended a port and shopping presentation. Years ago there would be a little useful port information like where the shops were and how to get there. No longer. It was 100% a sales pitch for the shops on the ship. Nothing about any ports or shops in any of the ports.
I vow to never make this mistake again.
After a brief lunch in the Windjammer, back to the cabin to check on excursion tickets. They have not been delivered so I head back to the Shore Excursion Desk. I see the same gal that I spoke with initially about the misinformation printed on the tickets.
She says they should be in my cabin, I confrim they are not so she prints me another set. The basics are correct this time as to excursion name, port, and date.
Back in the cabin I read them more carefully. The tour descriptions are wrong. I just give up and choose to let it slide. I am sure someone will question 2 miles of walking for a wine tasting, but it is not my station.
Mid day we take on a pilot and pass thru the narrow passage at the tip of Italy.
The manager of the Coastal Kitchen had invited us to dine there several times during the last cruise, but I declined as everything in the dining room was good. Weighing the new staff, the new passenger dynamics, and the lower Pinnacle count, it is time to see if we can get reservations for dinner in the Coastal Kitchen for the remainder of this cruise.
He is more than delighted to have us. As with everything else on the cruise, the opening time is later, so we make a reservation for 6:00 PM each night.
During the afternoon I catch up with Facebook and my blog writing.
It is then time for dinner. While showering, the shower hose breaks. What can I say, stuff happens.
Dinner in the CK is excellent as expected.
The staff was very happy to see us back in the Coastal Kitchen. They were about 50% full at most the entire hour and half that we were there. Dinner was excellent.
There was a very interesting family sitting between our table and the window. A couple with 4 young children probably between 6 and 12. The father spent every minute controlling the children and trying to tell them how to do everything. First it was how to properly hold a wine glass and drink from it. Then it was placing your napkin, cutting your food, passing the butter and on and on and on. He did not stop for the entire hour and half of dinner. The mother sat at the other end of the table and was totally ignored by all.
Don't think for a moment this was an attentive dad. This was a showman making sure everyone else in the room knew how important he was.
The biggest laugh came when the father started to eat his own pasta. (Ordered from the kids menu.). He stuffed it in his mouth like a pig with the spaghetti strands hanging 12 inches out of his mouth down to the plate. I felt sorry for the rest of the family.
After dinner we enjoy music at Boleros, our goto watering hole.
Tomorrow we will be in Chania, our first port of call in the Greek Isles.
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