Eventually I went out and wandered around the ship and stopped for a short time to watch the guys playing shuffleboard.
At 10:00, Laurel and I stopped in the for "$10 Store Grand Opening"...which I'm sure happens EVERY. SINGLE. CRUISE. I was intrigued by the Bijoux Terner $10 store on our first Carnival cruise many, many years ago and started a tradition of buying a watch then and on several subsequent trips. Now my favorite source of cheap watches, jewlery, scarves, etc. is a sale put on by our local hospital auxiliary twice a year...where everything is $5. It is a win-win situation. I get twice as many pieces of junk now...and am supporting the auxiliary at the same time. :)
Following the shuffleboard tournament, the guys participated in a basketball free throw competition before we met for lunch. I suggested we eat in the main dining room rather than the buffet. On a sea day on a warm weather cruise, the lunch crowd would spread out from the buffet to the area around the Lido deck pool or to the Great Outdoors at the back of the ship. In Alaska, everyone was crammed into the Garden Cafe which was not large enough to accomodate that large of a crowd. The dining room experience takes far longer than eating in the buffet, but we were not in a rush.
One unique offering on this cruise was the opportunity to have a caricature drawing done. The artist, Jeff Mendell, did the drawing on a computer and it was projected onto a large screen as he worked. Once the digital drawing was complete, it was printed on a computer printer. While he was doing the caricatures, Jeff's wife was doing "Name Painting"...a combination of calligraphy and painting that would turn a name into a work of art. Together they were billed as "Names and Faces" and passengers could get one drawing from each free of charge! The duo were available for two hours in the afternoons on sea days.
We had watched the artist on the previous sea day, but didn't get there in time to have our portraits done. This time we arrived in the atrium a half an hour early and others were already there waiting. At 1:45, one of the entertainment staff started taking names and by the time the artist started drawing at 2 pm, there were no more slots left.
While we were waiting for our turn, Laurel and I got in on a crazy game of "Elevator Roulette". The gal in charge divided the group playing into two different teams and we stood by the doors to the elevators in the Atrium. Each team would guess which elevator would arrive first...AND...how many people would be inside. Points were awarded accordingly. Prizes were not given out for these type of participation games during the cruise, but you could have a card signed saying you had played. At the end of the trip, they gave out prizes based on how often you participated.
Bob and I (and also Kent & Laurel) had our caricatures done separately and then combined together to make a single sketch.
Besides getting the printed photo on the cruise, Jeff Mandell has a website where you can download the photos he draws. Here is a link to all of the caricatures done during the week on our NCL Sun cruise.
I was quite impressed at how well Jeff was able to portray each person's likeness...and how quickly he could draw!
At 6:30, we went for our 2nd speciality dinner booked as part of our booking promotion. This time it was at Cagney's...a steakhouse. I photographed the menu which was displayed on the wall of the buffet...and then Bob and I studied it ahead of time. ;)
Our meal was D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S...and the steak was probably some of the most tender I have ever eaten!
Our evening entertainment was a show put on by the singers and dancers..."What the World Needs Now" featuring the music of Burt Bacharach. Such talented performers...and have I mentioned how much I loved having the live music of the show band?
The days were getting longer as we sailed north. The evening sunset wasn't the most spectacular, but we were appreciating the relatively calmer waters...
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