Sea Day #5

 January 29, 2023

I wanted to attend the Sunday brunch in the MDR so Bob and I had a very small breakfast at 8 am. He discovered the cold "overnight oats" which he often eats at home and I had a little yogurt. I could easily become spoiled with all of the choices for toppings...strawberries, blueberries, pecans, almonds, walnuts, dried apricots, granola, etc.

A note had been delivered to our stateroom the night before saying that maintenance was scheduled for 9 am to 3 pm on the railings on the 6 and 7 aft decks (that means OUR deck!) When Bob left for pickleball I sat on the back deck until the maintenance workers showed up. One of them pointed out the rusted railing they were going to remove and then weld a new piece in its place. The spot where they were going to work was right at the foot of the lounger where I was sitting so I grabbed my HAL tote bag with my stuff and moved down to the promenade deck. There were plenty of padded loungers available there.

When I got ready to leave for the 10 am port talk on Cartagena, a man was standing at the railing near me. He seemed to be looking at something so I stopped to visit. He said he had been seeing flying fish and turtles. As we were talking a big sea turtle popped up to the surface!

Someone from guest services called just as I got back to my room and wanted to check on the status of the smoke odor. He asked "what have you decided about your room?" I replied "what are my options?" I got the impression we might have been able to finagle a move to a different cabin but decided our location was more important to us than going through the hassle of packing up and moving. The smell had completely disappeared so we really had no reason to move.

I attended Ryan's port talk on Cartagena while Bob continued to play pickleball. A nice man (a recent widower) sat next to me and we had a pleasant chat. He had just started cruising alone and I could tell it was difficult for him. He showed me a photo on his phone of a marlin he had caught while deep sea fishing in Huatulco. It was enormous!!

Bob and I both returned back to our cabin at about the same time. He was sweaty from pickleball and took time to shower and change before we went to brunch in the MDR. The 3-course meal was a set menu and featured small bite size servings of many different foods.

Appetizers

Main Course

Sweets

Putu had serviced our room while we were out during the morning and our first towel animal and chocolates (for this cruise) were on the bed. It seemed strange to have a towel animal in the morning. But after the mess going on yesterday with the smoke AND the fact that we only get service once a day...I guess we were lucky to get any at all!

The work on the deck railing was completed so we were able to be outside until time for the EXC Talk on the Panama Canal at 1:00. The multi-media presentation was done well...I think. I had trouble staying awake so I missed parts of it. Afterwards Bob went to walk on the promenade deck, but I stuck around in the theater for the interview with Clara Vee, the piano bar entertainer. She was lively enough that I stayed awake!

Ryan with Clara Vee

As I walked back to the cabin, it was interesting to see how the passengers were spending their sea day. The Mix Bar was filled with football fans watching a game on TV (and enjoying snacks being served.) A group of women were learning a new line dance at the Ocean Bar. There was a large audience in the Explorer's Lounge listening to the classical duo. A lady sitting by the window was working on a water color painting and a couple of tables were occupied with card players. I think Holland America is a little weak when it comes to entertainment options, but there is still plenty to fill the day.

Bob and I got back to the cabin at the same time again and we decided to go swimming in the seaview pool. The sun was getting hotter by the day and the water felt great!

As we were getting ready for dinner, we had a knock at the door. It was a staff member from guest services bringing us a bottle of wine to apologize for the issues we had with the smoke situation yesterday. It was a nice gesture even though we aren't wine drinkers.

Our dinner was in the MDR at table 155 (which we requested) with our special waiter, Garis. We were finished with our meal in plenty of time to get to the evening program at the World Stage. Boyband Evolution was on stage, doing 4 part harmony and singing everything from barbershop quartet songs to the Beatles. It was a great show and we were glad to hear they would be doing a second show later in the week.

Boyband Evolution. They were great!
(The one one the left was from Sioux Falls, SD, near where we live.)

Bob decided to take one more swim after the show and was the only one in the pool. The wind was brisk on the open deck and as we were going down the back stairs to deck 7, I lost my grip on my insulated mug and it went tumbling down the steps. By the time it reached the bottom it was in several pieces. 

I made a quick trip down to the gift shop to see if I could find a replacement, but didn't like any of the choices. I had already broke my sunglasses when we were in Huatulco and now my mug.

Ryan will begin the Panama Canal narration around 6 am tomorrow so we made it an early night. From our past trip through the canal we knew the day will be long and hot!