We leave Ponta Delgada and continue to the east towards Malaga. I say days 9 and 10 because that is what the cruise line calls them. In reality it is days 17 and 18 for us as we spent 8 days going to Aruba and Curacao first before heading out across the Atlantic.
The days are mostly sunny with temperatures in the low to mid 60's. the pool deck is pretty empty, but the solarium is packed. The seas have been slight, under 2 meters. The journey has been very smooth.
The daytime activities remain the same. Really not much. Trivia, games, spanish and italian language lessons. If you are not content doing almost nothing, long stretches across the ocean may not be for you.
I'm not sure if this is good or not, but I visited the scale in the gym and made an unusual observation. Over a period of about a minute just standing very still on the scale, the reading would vary by 10 to 12 pounds. I did not observe this the other day, and am now curious did I take my weight on a low cycle? Time will tell.
Without tearing the scale apart, my best guess that this is caused by the slow pitch and roll of the ship. Not so much motion that as a passenger we are even aware of it, but enough that the counterbalance in the acale is thrown off center. No choice but to make all future visits to the scale while we are in port and there is no ship motion.
On Tuesday I accomplished a first for me. As treasurer of the model train club, at the end of the month I needed to generate the financial reports and distribute them to all the members, and also send out dues reminders as appropriate. I am happy to write, all was carried out without a hitch. World wide internet is great. Here specifically as a result of the Starlink network.
The four "kids" returned to the dining room last night. Oh so interesting. One of them started to behave inappropriately, the mother had a few gentle but firm words, and we never heard from the children again for the rest of the evening. No question who runs that household.
Royal recently switched back to supporting the make a wish foundation. For the month of April Odyssey raised nearly $36,000.00. The most of any ship in the fleet. Jamie, our cruise director, is now bald as a result of a friendly bet.
Boleros, The Pub, and all the entertainment venues remained packed every evening. Just the way it is with so many passengers. Unlike on many cruises, the Royal Lounge is also full all day. There are so many Crown and Anchor passengers trying to get coffee in the lounge that Royal set up 2 additional coffee stations around the ship to help aleviate the crowd.
We will pass thru the straights of Gilbralta about 1:30 in the morning. I won't be up, but I imagine some passengers will want to try and take a peek. Our arrival time in Malaga is estimated to be about 8:00 AM with clearance by 8:30 on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.