February 5-9 Tuesday-Saturday..... Sea Days
Shipboard Meanderings.....
Its gossip time! I mean what else is there to do when you have 5 days at sea until the next port. We will get to that, but first...We left Arica and sailed west/south-west heading toward Easter Island. I am feeling much better....I had a very mild case of an upper respiratory infection and was never bedridden, but people are dropping like flies. A notice was once again sent out to take all the necessary precautions in the public areas....wash hands frequently, cough into your elbow etc....the crew is also wiping every surface in the public areas at least 6 times a day. Many passengers have been quarantined to their rooms.
The seas have been calm and the weather perfect. In the low 70's. The humidity is still high, but it is pleasant. As we head toward Tahiti it will get much hotter, so I am enjoying walking on the deck in the fresh air. I am trying to build up my stamina after the last year and a half of being medically challenged. So far I have been walking 2 to 3 miles (3 1/2 times around the deck=1 mile) every other day and I feel great. Slowly getting stronger. I need to be able to trek at least 3 miles through the Jordanian desert in a couple of months. Can't wait to write about that....
Some people hate sea days and some love them. I'm in between. There are plenty of activities going on all day from cooking lessons, bridge, trivia, lectures, movies, computer classes etc. I love the cooking classes. Holland America hooked up with America's Test Kitchen, with an actual chef on board though the duration teaching their cooking techniques. The lectures are also interesting which are usually about the cultures of upcoming ports of call. Right now we have some Polynesian ambassadors onboard giving ukulele lessons, lei making, and performing various shows on how to do their dances. There is also at least 1 Gala night if we have at least 3 sea days in a row. We have been enjoying them and the dinners are delicious. On those nights we try to eat light during the day.
As you probably already figured out, I am not writing this in real time. Sometimes it's easier to write a few days after the fact, so I do apologize. Also the internet has been rather slow. It always is in the South Pacific, so sometimes it is hard to post. The ship has a new internet system that is supposed to be faster, and compared to a few years ago it is. Instead of buying so many minutes, now there are 3 plans to choose from..basic-intermediate-full. Basic is only social sites...intermediate is surfing favorite sites and e-mail....full you are able to stream and video chat. We had to be able to get onto e-mail and do banking so we had to buy the intermediate plan. How much do you ask? Well, hold onto your wallets, since we had to open ours wide...$700 for 131 days. Yikes! At least it is unlimited so you can stay on as long as you like....I guess that is some saving grace.
Since we are 4 star mariners we also get unlimited free laundry, 50% off of specialty coffee drinks, soda's, bottled water, and wine packages. This is a nice perk, since we have been frequenting the coffee cafe almost every morning for a latte and hot chocolate, a big bottle of Pellegrino water for the afternoon, and of course, wine with dinner. The 3 bars on board also have 2 daily happy hours-usually before and after dinner, where you buy 1 and get the second drink for $2.00. When you are on a ship for this long, every bit helps.
It's been 3 weeks since we boarded and after 5 days at sea some people are becoming a little testy. I even firmly told a lady to go back to the end of the lunch line. Cutting in line is becoming rampant and people are starting to rebel, and lose tempers. I held mine, but it's just like being in kindergarten. I'm sure it will get worse as the cruise goes on, and then canes and walkers might get involved, and scooter drivers will start mowing down the masses....geez....I won't even begin to tell you how many arguments between couples I have heard in the elevators. Sometimes taking the stairs is a relief....
Anyway, on to Easter Island.
Its gossip time! I mean what else is there to do when you have 5 days at sea until the next port. We will get to that, but first...We left Arica and sailed west/south-west heading toward Easter Island. I am feeling much better....I had a very mild case of an upper respiratory infection and was never bedridden, but people are dropping like flies. A notice was once again sent out to take all the necessary precautions in the public areas....wash hands frequently, cough into your elbow etc....the crew is also wiping every surface in the public areas at least 6 times a day. Many passengers have been quarantined to their rooms.
The seas have been calm and the weather perfect. In the low 70's. The humidity is still high, but it is pleasant. As we head toward Tahiti it will get much hotter, so I am enjoying walking on the deck in the fresh air. I am trying to build up my stamina after the last year and a half of being medically challenged. So far I have been walking 2 to 3 miles (3 1/2 times around the deck=1 mile) every other day and I feel great. Slowly getting stronger. I need to be able to trek at least 3 miles through the Jordanian desert in a couple of months. Can't wait to write about that....
Some people hate sea days and some love them. I'm in between. There are plenty of activities going on all day from cooking lessons, bridge, trivia, lectures, movies, computer classes etc. I love the cooking classes. Holland America hooked up with America's Test Kitchen, with an actual chef on board though the duration teaching their cooking techniques. The lectures are also interesting which are usually about the cultures of upcoming ports of call. Right now we have some Polynesian ambassadors onboard giving ukulele lessons, lei making, and performing various shows on how to do their dances. There is also at least 1 Gala night if we have at least 3 sea days in a row. We have been enjoying them and the dinners are delicious. On those nights we try to eat light during the day.
As you probably already figured out, I am not writing this in real time. Sometimes it's easier to write a few days after the fact, so I do apologize. Also the internet has been rather slow. It always is in the South Pacific, so sometimes it is hard to post. The ship has a new internet system that is supposed to be faster, and compared to a few years ago it is. Instead of buying so many minutes, now there are 3 plans to choose from..basic-intermediate-full. Basic is only social sites...intermediate is surfing favorite sites and e-mail....full you are able to stream and video chat. We had to be able to get onto e-mail and do banking so we had to buy the intermediate plan. How much do you ask? Well, hold onto your wallets, since we had to open ours wide...$700 for 131 days. Yikes! At least it is unlimited so you can stay on as long as you like....I guess that is some saving grace.
Since we are 4 star mariners we also get unlimited free laundry, 50% off of specialty coffee drinks, soda's, bottled water, and wine packages. This is a nice perk, since we have been frequenting the coffee cafe almost every morning for a latte and hot chocolate, a big bottle of Pellegrino water for the afternoon, and of course, wine with dinner. The 3 bars on board also have 2 daily happy hours-usually before and after dinner, where you buy 1 and get the second drink for $2.00. When you are on a ship for this long, every bit helps.
It's been 3 weeks since we boarded and after 5 days at sea some people are becoming a little testy. I even firmly told a lady to go back to the end of the lunch line. Cutting in line is becoming rampant and people are starting to rebel, and lose tempers. I held mine, but it's just like being in kindergarten. I'm sure it will get worse as the cruise goes on, and then canes and walkers might get involved, and scooter drivers will start mowing down the masses....geez....I won't even begin to tell you how many arguments between couples I have heard in the elevators. Sometimes taking the stairs is a relief....
Anyway, on to Easter Island.
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| Our comfortable room...its bigger than it looks |
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| the flipside |
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| a typical sea day program |
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| the elevator rugs reflect the day...it's anyone's guess the date |
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| The South Pacific..hundreds of miles of nothing |
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| basic money exchange and language formalities for each port |
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