Sea Day #3

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Ahhh. A glorious sea day with no alarm! You would think after going to bed at 8:30 pm I would be awake before dawn. But then you would be wrong. I got up at 7:30 am after eleven hours of being rocked like a baby!

When we joined Jon and Michelle for breakfast, they were sharing the table with a guy named, Charley. Sometimes it is annoying to not be able to find a table in the buffet, but when the crowds force you to share with strangers it often turns out to be a new friendship. We saw Charley and his wife often throughout the coming week and he even became a pickleball player!

I swung by the cabin after breakfast and picked up my iPad and went to the library to work on my blog notes. The library is one space that I have enjoyed both on the Zaandam and the Veendam.

Library

Puzzles area in library.

Computers in the library.

I kept an eye on the time and at 10 am I went up to the Lido to see if Bob and Jon were playing in the ping pong tournament (they were.) While I was roaming about the ship, I took the time to take some photos of the public areas.

The ping pong tables were located by the mid-ship pool.

I had been to most of the Microsoft classes before, but I noticed a new one being offered at 10:30..."Painting Landscapes with a Digital Pen." I got there a little early which was a good thing, because by the time the door was unlocked and we entered the Microsoft Studio, there was standing room only. I was surprised to see that the stations were now equipped with tiny laptops, instead of the large monitors that I had encountered on other ships.

Microsoft Workshop.

 I don't have the artistic ability to use the Paint software like it was intended, but I was impressed with what the program was able to do. It was much more complex than I imagined and in the right hands could produce beautiful works of art. Using a stylus, you could choose the medium (such as watercolor, oils, etc.) and even blend your own pallet of colors. I knew I didn't have the time or talent to produce a masterpiece, so instead just concentrated on "playing" and discovering what the program was capable of doing.

Yes...this looks like a 5 year old's work, but I was amazed at how the "digital" paint acted much like real paint.

After the class I continued my walk through the ship taking photos. By then the guys had moved from ping pong to pickleball. If you have been following the blog, you have easily figured out which one of us is the athletic one. After some serious health problems in the last few years, Bob looks at exercise as a prescription for good health. And it doesn't hurt that he is very competitive too.

Mid-ship pool with retractable roof open.

Coffee bar.

Future cruise consultant desk located by coffee bar.

I loved the frames of feathered head dresses by the future cruise desk.

When I started to go into the Crow's Nest, I saw a sign that said "Private Party" so I went to the other side to enter. After taking a couple of pictures, a light bulb went off and I remembered that the Cruise Critic Meet & Greet was to have been held at 10 am. I was irritated at myself for forgetting but then I happened to think...maybe the private party WAS the Cruise Critic group. I felt a little silly, but walked over and asked and found out it was!! Only about a dozen people and they were still sitting there chatting an hour and a half later! I pulled up a chair and visited with them until the group started to break up a little before noon. Usually the CC meet & greets attract a large crowd and you may only get to talk to a few people, so having the small group was nice.

Crow's Nest. Great views and comfortable chairs!

I hustled to get to the workshop, "Phone-o-graphy", at noon......and sat down in a seat by the door. When I got out my phone, I saw I had a message on the Navigator app from Michelle saying she would meet me at the workshop. I looked up and she was sitting on the other side of the room laughing and waving at me!

We only made it through the first few minutes of the class. The presenter was one of the ship photographers and he spoke with such a heavy accent that it made it hard to follow what he was saying. That, coupled with the fact that I already knew most of what he was teaching AND that there were so many questions being asked, we decided to leave. (To say that most of the people in the room were technically challenged would be a gross understatement! Many of them needed one-on-one assistance and trying to teach them tips and tricks to better cell phone photography in a group session just wasn't going to work.)

So...instead, we met up with the guys at lunch. We were excited to see that the ice cream flavor of the day was rocky road which we all enjoyed. As I was waiting in line to get the ice cream, one of the crew members tipped over a cart full of trays of pre-plated desserts and plates began crashing o the floor. The poor guy was trying to upright the cart and as he did even more plates slid off. One of the chefs just happen to walk by and came to his rescue.

In the afternoon, Michelle and I attended the port talk on Grand Turk and San Juan. It was interesting and helpful, but we were both struggling to stay awake. I asked Cisco, the EXC Guide, if we would be able to take an Uber to one of the forts in San Juan and it sounds like that should work. If not, he said taxis would also be available.

A good turnout for the port talk.

Before getting ready for the first gala night of the second cruise (the 3rd gala night for us!) I took my iPad outside and sat on the promenade deck updating my blog. There was a very pleasant breeze and I savored each minute knowing I would be returning to winter soon. I watched as a group of birds flew alongside the ship. It seemed to me that they were quite a long distance from land!

For a change, I have a copy of the dinner menu and photos of what we ordered!

Orange-Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail

Escargots Bourguignon

Cracked Pepper Tenderloin with Grilled Shrimp

Baked Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Tangerine Glazed Duck Breast

The Captain's Welcome Toast was held at 7:15 pm followed by the production show, "Droom" featuring the singers and dancers...and some very elaborate costumes! (FYI...the word "droom" means dream in Dutch.)

Cruise director, Hanna Delaney all dressed up for gala night.

Captain, Marek Zoll

I have no notes past that point which probably means we had a later evening playing cards and then went to bed. The guys were looking forward to their day in Grand Turk...and finally a chance for them to scuba dive.