Sea Day #8

February 5, 2023

After not sleeping well the night before, I slept soundly. I was aware of the ship movement...probably the most we've experienced so far. Once again, as soon as I woke up I reached for the meclazine and got a dose for both Bob and I. Looking out the balcony door, the lack of white caps meant the wind wasn't too bad, but the swells were very large. Walking in a straight line just wasn't possible.

Breakfast was in the buffet, but we need to get familiar with the layout on the Nieuw Statendam. I found the poached eggs, but there were no meats available at the same station. That means I have to stand in line at two separate spots instead of getting meat and eggs at one place like on the Zaandam. Bob found the oatmeal but said there were fewer toppings.

Our Navigator app was acting up so our first order of the day was to get that straightened out. On our way to guest services we noticed that the exits to the promenade deck were blocked off because of the rough seas. That ruined Bob's plan for the morning (to walk). No chance there would be pickleball either. The fix for the Navigator app was to log out and back on and it seemed to be working (or so we thought). Now Bob and I can send messages to each other which often comes in handy.

Bob and I parted ways. I went back to the room and he headed to the ping pong tables. As I was sitting on the balcony working on the blog, he texted that he had gone to the gym to lift weights instead.

I enjoyed my balcony time immensely. The temperature was perfect and the winds were light enough to not be a bother. I got another text from Bob later in the morning that he had left the gym and gone to play ping pong. A little after 11 am I went to see how the ping pong was going and Bob was just getting ready to leave. I suggested we pick up pizzas at the NY Pizza and Deli which is on the same level but kitty corner across the pool from the ping pong tables. We each ordered a pizza and salad. We were given a pager but ate our salads while we were waiting on the pizzas to be baked.

New York Deli and Pizza

The midship pool was a hub of activity. A few were swimming, but most were reading, playing cards, and even sleeping. I am more of a recluse I guess because I much preferred the solitude of my own balcony with only the sound of the sea. While we were waiting on our pizzas, a guy walked by with a pickleball paddle and Bob found out they were actually playing...but it was very windy on the sports deck.

Instead of the navy blue towels like on the Zaandam, the pool towels were many different pastel colors...pretty!

We asked for the pizzas to go and got them in boxes which made it easy to carry them back to our cabin and enjoy on the balcony. Our cabin is right by the aft elevators and stairs on deck 8 which makes it convenient to run up the one flight to the buffet. And we did just that. After finishing our pizzas we went and got some dessert and a cup of coffee and brought back to enjoy on the balcony.

Bob loves his tie-dye shirts (which he made)...sort of his signature look. 😄

Achmad, our room steward, knocked on our door and delivered our clean laundry that we had sent out yesterday. It came with a nice handwritten note from the crew in the laundry department thanking us for letting them wash our clothes. Perhaps I should start sending a note to Bob with his clean underwear at home? 😉

The folded clothes came back in a basket wrapped in tissue paper.

The hanging clothes.

Bob decided he would go check on the pickleball situation and left the cabin. I had debated about going to a session on "Ask the CD" or even the Lincoln Center stage, but decided I was just enjoying the luxury of my own balcony. We don't usually book a balcony stateroom, but with Covid still a real possibility (especially on a cruise ship) I thought it was a good time to splurge.

At 3:00, I finally did leave the room and attended the "Where Will You Cruise Next?" presentation in the main theater. I knew going in that it was just a sales pitch, but I enjoyed hearing about some of the more interesting cruise itineraries.

The promenade deck was no longer roped off due to the strong winds so I decided to walk a lap (three laps makes a mile.) It is different from walking the promenade deck on the Zaandam because much of the time you are walking BEHIND the lifeboats instead of UNDER the boats. Another cruise ship was passing by, but too far away to identify. Several times during the day we could see other ships. This is high season for the Caribbean so lots of cruising going on.

Missing the sea view from the Zaandam promenade deck. 

I had finished showering by the time Bob returned around 4:30 and then it was his turn. Open seating began at 5 pm in the MDR, but it was closer to 5:30 by the time we got there. We requested a table for 2 and were told at first there were none available. Then the hostess said we could be seated upstairs (where the early fixed seating passengers were already part way through their meal.)

I'm guessing our showing up at an odd time made things difficult for the waiters...or maybe they were just short staffed. Regardless, the meal did not go well. We each ordered two appetizers, but our soup never arrived. It was taking so long to get served that we didn't mention the oversight. After we finished our main course it was another VERY long wait for dessert. We were almost ready to get up and leave when it finally arrived. On the Zaandam we could order two appetizers, a main course and dessert and be done in less than an hour...much, much less time than what it took to be served tonight. And we might as well have been sharing a table since our "table for 2" was so close to the adjacent table. At least the two girls sitting next to us were friendly and we had a nice conversation. 

The evening show on the World Stage was the Step One dancers doing their show "Humanity". Luckily the show didn't start until 7:30 since our meal would have made us late for a 7 pm performance. But...the captain's toast was at 7:15 before the show and the theater was close to being filled by the time we got there. We barely found two seats together.

Captain Eric Barhorst

Cruise Director, Gage Griffin. (He looks SO young!)

This made the 3rd time we had seen this particular show...on three different HAL ships. What a difference it made seeing the performance on the round stage with the video screens surrounding the whole theater. The video effects often made it feel as if WE were moving and might be a problem for someone already experiencing motion sickness!

The Rolling Stones Rock Room band had just started to perform as we left the theater. It was so loud that we didn't want to watch. And just as well...the place was standing room only with several people deep around the perimeter of the room. BB Kings Blues Club was also packed on both levels. No seats available and so many people standing that it was hard to see.

I was getting irritated, but Bob suggested that we go back to the Billboard Onboard and get a seat for the dueling pianos that were to start in a half hour. Well...others had the same idea and there were no seats there either. At that point we gave up and came back to our room.

The night ended on a good note, however. Bob and I sat on the balcony (after he ran up to the buffet to get a cup of tea). The almost full moon was reflecting on the water and lighting up the puffy clouds in the sky. We could see another cruise ship off in the distance. Ships are so pretty at night when they are all lit up!

That tiny speck on the horizon is a cruise ship.

Before "lights out", I gathered up what we needed to take ashore at Grand Turk the next day and finished my blog notes while Bob watched a movie.

Abandoning Ship

February 4, 2023

It was still dark when I peaked out the window and saw we were arriving at Port Everglades so I crawled back in bed. I had not slept well. Probably because I was concerned about the logistics of switching ships. The wake up call got me out of bed for good at 7 am and by then we were docked. From the back deck I could see the Nieuw Statendam and it was close. Originally the port schedule showed the two ships were to be docked quite a distance from each other so this was a welcome discovery. It appeared to be an easy walk to get from one ship to the other which was good...especially since we would have all of our luggage AND the clouds looked like rain would be starting soon.

The Rotterdam was REALLY close to the Zaandam!

Bob and I ate our breakfast by the pool and it was noticeably cooler. We went back to the cabin and added the last few things to our carry on bags. Our large pieces of luggage had been set out in the hallway and were picked up during the night. The brown colored luggage tags on those suitcases designated our disembarkation time as 9:15 am which was the last group scheduled to leave the ship. We had been given the late disembarkation time since we were just transferring ships. An announcement was made that there was a backup at the U.S. customs which was slowing the disembarkation process.

We hung out in our room after breakfast but knew that Putu needed to get our room cleaned and ready for the next occupants. Around 9 am we left and sat near the Mix Bar on deck 5 until our color was called.

After disembarking, it was easy to locate our luggage because most everyone else had collected theirs. I timed our queue as we waited to go through customs and it was right at 15 minutes. The actual face to face time with the agent probably took 15 seconds.

Bob wheeled both of the large bags and I took the smaller carry-ons and we each had a backpack. We left Pier 21 where the Zaandam was docked and walked across the street to Terminal 26 where the Nieuw Statendam was docked. It started raining on our walk and I was glad we brought along our rain jackets. The weather app on my phone showed a gale warning for Ft. Lauderdale. Rain PLUS wind. Oh boy. There were three HAL ships docked at Port Everglades (the Rotterdam was the third) and also a Princess ship, the Navigator of the Seas, and the Celebrity Apex.

We sat by a window while waiting to board.
The palm trees were really swaying in the gusty winds.

I had been concerned about the late boarding time we had been assigned for the Nieuw Statendam, but no one even checked. Once we got in the terminal we never stopped walking until we were seated and waiting for the boarding to begin. For us in boarding Group 4 that came around 11:40 am (2 hours earlier than our scheduled time). We were told that staterooms would not yet be ready, however.

Neither testing or vaccinations were required for this voyage so I found it odd that as we were checking in there was one stop where a lady asked us if we were vaccinated. I started to pull out my vaccine card and she said "I don't need to see anything." I saw about 4 names written on a list in front of her and wondered if those were people who answered "no" to her question...and what ramifications that would have...if any. 

I suggested we go to the MDR for lunch to avoid the crush at the lido buffet. On the way there, we passed a podium where one could make reservations for the specialty restaurants. We had an abundance of onboard credit for this cruise so decided that a dinner at the Tamarind restaurant would be a good way to use the funds. Just as we got to the entrance to the MDR, a crew member was there and told us that the passenger rooms were now ready so we went up the elevator to deck 8 to drop off our bags.

In the process I happened to remember that the ship has the Grand Dutch Cafe and thought that would be a good choice to get a quick lunch. Other than pea soup (one of Bob's favorites) neither of us knew what to order so relied on suggestions from the crew member working at the cafe. Even though the food was complimentary we still were asked to give our stateroom number and sign a receipt.

We found a table for 2 by a window and our meal was brought out when it was ready. Besides each of us getting the soup, Bob had a grilled ham and cheese sandwich and I had a small salad and spinach quiche. The food was good, but avoiding the lido crowds was even better!

Split pea soup at the Grand Dutch Cafe.

Our stateroom for this cruise is a balcony cabin (8146) located on Deck 8 just behind the aft elevators. By the time we had returned from lunch, my luggage was in the room and Bob's arrived just a short time later. Bob did most of his unpacking and then went to explore the ship and give me space for my unpacking. Bob also filled a laundry bag to send out right away...mostly his pickleball clothes. Knowing we had extra onboard credit for this cruise, we had put off having it done on the Zaandam. The price for a bag (stuffed as full as we could possibly get!) was $30. I had noticed the price per bag on the Zaandam was just $20...not sure why there was a price difference. 

I had been really anxious to check out the balcony for this cabin. On the deck plan, the divider between cabins 8146 and 8148 is missing. The deck plans for the other Pinnacle Class ships (Konigsdam and Rotterdam) also have the divider missing between the same two cabins. I was assured that the balcony would be normal when we booked the cruise, but still had a nagging feeling that there might be something weird for them to leave out the divider on the deck plan for all three ships. Thankfully I could find nothing unusual about the balcony.

Our stateroom, 8146.

When I completed my unpacking, we did a little more exploring and then returned to the room for sail away. My daughter-in-law had pulled up the Port Everglades webcam on her computer so our grandsons could watch the ship. My sister was also watching. I gave periodic video updates to the family using the Marco Polo app on my phone.

The captain had warned that seas were going to be rough and it began the second we sailed by the beach and out into open water. Very big swells and lots of wind.

Neither of us wanted to change for dinner so we went to the buffet. Bob discovered the "made to order" Asian section and thought he had died and gone to heaven! He also indulged and had two servings of hot apple crisp. He is as skinny as a rail and exercises like crazy so he can afford to splurge on calories.

Although we had seen the Holland America Origin Story presentation on the 150 year history of HAL when we were on the Eurodam, I wanted to see it done on the 180º video screens on the Nieuw Statendam. Nice!

Cruise Director, Gage, at the Holland America Origin Story Presentation

After the presentation, we checked out some of the different entertainment options on the music walk. BB Kings Blues Club was LOUD...not really our style. We sat and listened to the last few songs from the two piano players at Billboard Onboard. That may end up being someplace we go on this cruise in the evenings. The female singer was OK, but fell short of the talent and vibrant personality that Clara Vee had on the Zaandam. The band at the Rolling Stones Rock Room began playing as we were leaving, but again...not our choice of music that we enjoy. Yes...I guess we are old.

The ship was rocking a lot and it was raining so no balcony time before bed. We let the ship rock us to sleep...

Half Moon Cay...Paradise!

February 3, 2023

Half Moon Cay (HMC) ranks at the very top of my favorite ports. It is a private island owned by HAL in the Bahamas that has the most incredible beach! The only downside to a day at HMC is that the ship can't dock here so everyone must tender to shore.

As soon as we finished breakfast, we went to the Ocean Bar to pick up a tender ticket. No cost is involved, but the numbering system makes the tendering process a little more organized. We received tickets for the #11 group and just waited in the Ocean Bar for our number to be called. Once the ship was cleared by the authorities, tender tickets 1 thru 10 were all called at once. The tendering was happening at the back of the ship on Deck A (below deck 1) so we moved further aft on deck 5 to wait. We were sitting near the coffee bar and the loud hissing of the espresso machine drowned out what I thought was the announcement for the next tender groups. I wasn't positive I had heard correctly so when we got to Deck A I asked if it was our turn. The crew member said "you are already here, just get on."

The tenders at HMC are very large and we were one of the last ones to get on the first tender. People were crammed in tight on both the upper and lower levels. Bob was observant and noticed there were a few seats at the very front of the boat that no one had noticed. Perfect!

Pirate Ship Bar on Half Moon Cay

Once we were on the island, we walked to the far end of the beach to find some chairs in the shade. Compared to past visits, I wondered if the island had experienced a storm that took out a lot of the vegetation because the main part of the beach had only a few palm trees that looked newly planted.

Very few people made it this far down the beach.

Other than the long walk, our spot was great. The Nieuw Statendam was also at HMC for the day, but the beach was plenty big enough to accommodate the passengers from two ships. The Nieuw Statendam had a charter group onboard for a "Rhythm and Blues Cruise" and from some of the conversations we had, everyone was enjoying the cruise.

The Nieuw Statendam...the ship we will be boarding the next day.

The Zaandam...the ship we have been on for two weeks.

I got in the water right away. It was "refreshing" which I knew meant it would be freezing for Bob. (I have more natural insulation!) 😆 Once I got out of the water, Bob took off for a walk down the beach. I was happy to be in my lounge chair looking at that beautiful water. Our T-Mobile service was working so I got caught up on email and texts.

Me and my noodle!

Life just doesn't get any better!

One of the benefits of being on HAL's private island is that lunch is included. The island BBQ is held in a big pavilion with smaller shelters set up with picnic tables. When Bob returned from his walk, we went to eat. Choices were Dive In burgers, hotdogs, chicken, etc. with several kinds of salad and fresh fruit. Dessert was ice cream or a variety of cupcakes.

Giras, our waiter from the MDR on the Zaandam, was taking care of the tables where we ate and was excited to see us. He wasn't too busy and had time to visit with us. His contract would be ending at the end of the next cruise when they reached San Diego. He was very happy to be going home after many months to see his family. He showed us photos of his wife, 10 year old daughter and 16 month old son.

We had time to go back in the water once more after lunch and I enjoyed floating on my inflatable noodle. All too soon it was time to make the long trek back to the tender dock. People were once again cramming into the boat and we just walked by and went to the very front where we were the only ones sitting there.

Back on the ship my favorite day (Half Moon Cay) turned into my most dreaded day...packing day. Stuff never seems to go back into the luggage the same as it was packed originally. The big bags would need to be set in the hallway before we went to bed so one must be careful to keep out the items needed the next morning. Since we are transferring to another ship, the packing wasn't quite as bad because we didn't have to abide by airlines rules for liquids, etc.

Once the bulk of the packing was done, we showered and dressed for dinner. We wanted to eat in the MDR and say goodbye to Giras. By arriving a little before 5:30 we were always able to request his table but this time we were told it wasn't available. We were seated nearby but noticed no one was sitting at table 155 where we had hoped to be. Giras was just as stumped as we were as to why we weren't able to request his table.

At least we did get a chance to say our goodbyes to Giras and exchanged hugs as we left the dining room. Bob was also busy saying goodbye to his ping pong and pickleball friends throughout the evening. Funny how you can develop a bond with people in such a short time. This cruise on the Zaandam felt like we were part of a close knit group. I can only imagine the friendships that develop on a world cruise!

Bob and Giras, our special waiter.

After being postponed THREE times due to rough seas, the Step One dance troupe performed "In Tandem". A unique twist to the show was that three of the Boyband Evolution did vocals on one number. Normally we sat in the balcony for shows, but Bob wanted to be down front and center this time. We were close enough that a couple of times we could see showers of sweat go flying from the dancers! We wondered what it would be like to put those damp costumes on when they performed the second show at 9 pm.

Ryan Baird announcing the dance show.

Special guest vocalists...Boyband Evolution

I knew the rest of our packing still remained, but we did take a walk on the promenade deck for one last time. Off in the distance we could make out a couple of other cruise ships lit up in the darkness. Most likely they were headed to Port Everglades just like the Zaandam...a total of six ships were to be in port together tomorrow.

One last cup of tea by the pool and then it was back to the cabin to finish packing.

Tea Time Selfie

Sea Day #7

February 2, 2023

Ground Hog's Day. Funny how the thought of six more weeks of winter didn't even cross my mind today. Back home it would be a blessing if we found out we would have "only" six more weeks of winter. In our little part of the world we are lucky if our snow is all melted and the lake has thawed by the end of April. 

At breakfast I stopped to talk to a lady I had met earlier in the cruise and found out that she and her husband had lived in the same town in Minnesota where my son and his family live. Today we chatted about the weather back in Minnesota and I showed her a photo of a giant snowman that my son had texted to me that is near their home. As soon as she saw it she said "that is right by our old house!" They no longer live there, but their former home is in the same neighborhood as my son! Funny how you can be on a ship with nearly 1200 guests and still find that one person that you have something in common with!

Thirty foot snowman! Source: fox9.com

The seas were a little less rocky today but bad enough that Bob's pickleball games didn't happen. Instead he went to play ping pong while I attended the coffee chat in the theater. Ryan's guest today was the head engineer on the Zaandam. There were lots of questions about the fuel, electrical systems, etc. What I found interesting was that he is married to the future cruise consultant onboard and the logistics of being together with different contracts.

The "Ask the Captain" Q & A session wasn't going to start for another hour so I walked back to our room and enjoyed a beautiful morning sitting on the back deck watching the wake. Each day the water is getting a deeper shade of blue.

The Zaandam location

I got back to the theater just as Ryan was finishing up an encore presentation of the 150 year history of Holland America. He talked about joining the Zaandam in Buenos Aires in March 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic. At the time passengers were starting to get sick, but no countries would let the ship dock so they continued sailing up the west coast of South America trying to get back to the United States. Panama was refusing to let the ship go through the canal, but they finally reached a top secret agreement where they could sail through the new locks in the middle of the night. A requirement was that all lights would be off and curtains drawn. Seven people passed away by the time the ship had reached Florida and many more were very sick. 

Last year I purchased the book "Cabin Fever" that chronicles the journey of the Zaandam. It was particularly interesting to me because by the time we finish this cruise, we will have spent 59 nights on the Zaandam. Knowing the places on the ship (and even some of the crew) that are mentioned in the book really made it come alive.

The Q & A session with Captain Michiel Willems was very interesting. He has a great sense of humor and very little accent so was easy to understand.

Bob was not in the room when I returned so I went looking for him up on the lido deck. He was just leaving the ping pong table and I suggested we eat lunch at the Dive In since we were nearby. Bob put in our order and got a pager. I had the Cannonball Burger and he had a chicken sandwich and fries which we ate at one of the tables by the midship pool.

A busy place on a sea day.

I went back to the theater for yet one more presentation...part 2 of Ryan's home videos that he made giving a behind the scenes tour of some of the places passengers never see on the ship. Today he had scenes from the mechanical type areas...the engine room, bridge, recycling center, freezers and coolers, etc. Making the videos was a great idea!

Video that Ryan took on the bridge.

The net had come off the Sea View pool so my afternoon plans were to swim. Bob decided to join me. The ship was still rocking quite a bit and the pool water would slosh from one side to the other causing large waves. Over the years I have accumulated a bunch of cruise related items, but one of my best purchases was inflatable pool noodles that I ordered from Amazon. (Although the price is increased quite a bit from the $5.95 that I paid!) The water in the pool is over my head, but with the noodle I could ride the waves back and forth from one side to he other!

I spent time on the back deck again giving my swimsuit time to dry. Bob changed into clothes and went to walk on the promenade deck. I think he may have fit in a little more ping pong too.

It was dressy night so we showered and made ourselves presentable for dinner in the MDR. Bob had the steak and shrimp and I had yellow fin sole. Because no cruise is complete without tiramisu, that is what I had for dessert. The tiramisu was the "no sugar added" version so it wasn't quite the same as the traditional dessert, but still good nonetheless.

On our way to the theater we took a detour through the library to check out the puzzle we had worked on the previous night. It had been completed except for four missing pieces. Puzzle working is a popular pasttime on the Zaandam with multiple puzzles in progress at the same time throughout the library.

The Boyband Evolution was back in the theater with a new show...this one even better than the last. Excellent 4-part harmony!! The rest of the evening followed our standard routine...the Mix Bar to listen to Clara Vee on the piano and then a cup of tea by the pool. We finished the night by getting organized for our day at Half Moon Cay...the first tender port for the cruise.

A free "Mariner Cocktail"...thanks HAL!

Sea Day #6

February 1, 2023

Having a cabin at the very back of the ship on the top deck meant we felt the effects of rough seas more than most other passengers. It was annoying during the day when trying to walk, but at night we were rocked to sleep like babies. I'm concerned that once we get home I will struggle to sleep in a bed that doesn't move!

Bob and I both took a dose of motion sickness meds before getting out of bed. I can't say that I've ever really been sea sick, but I don't want to take a chance. Bob definitely does get sick and has finally learned the importance of taking the meclazine BEFORE the symptoms set in.

The first order of the day was to log onto the Holland America website (which we have access to via the Navigator app.) The health form for our next cruise needed to be filled out and I was able to get that taken care of. I also took screen shots of our Nieuw Statendam boarding passes so we should be good to go when we transfer ships on Saturday. 

Bob tried to walk on the promenade deck but one side of the ship was blocked off because of the high winds. He checked the pickleball court and it too was roped off. He ended up going to play ping pong at the tables near the midship pool. Bob found someone else looking for a partner and the other guy did some texting and got a few more to join in.

I sat on the "back porch" working on my blog and counting my blessings that I was someplace warm on February 1! I was fascinated watching a bird floating on the air currents behind the ship. No land was in sight so where did he come from?

At 10:30 I went to the Ocean Bar to watch a flower arranging demonstration. Billy, the lone florist aboard the Zaandam, put together three different bouquets. With a heavy accent, I struggled to understand what he was saying but enjoyed seeing his creations. Holland America has gorgeous flowers throughout the ship (although less than they did pre-pandemic) and some arrangements are huge! Flowers can also be ordered by passengers, which Billy also handles.

I got back to the cabin shortly before Bob returned. He cleaned up and then we went to the buffet for lunch. I usually check the menu online before we go, but often there are special themed stations that aren't included on the menu. Today was "German Day". We both had salads and a few of the German offerings.

We hung out for a little while on the back deck, but Bob just can't sit for long. He headed back to the ping pong table with plans for us to meet at the 2 pm matinee of BBC Planet Earth on the World Stage.

The Planet Earth video is usually a night time presentation, but Ryan explained that there was an excess of entertainment for the ship this week so he scheduled it as a matinee. The video is always accompanied by a group of live musicians, but this time it was only the classical duo...a piano and violin. Much of the time they weren't even playing and only the prerecorded score was accompanying the video. My guess was that much of the score was written for other instruments besides violin and piano. This was at least the third time for us to see this particular Planet Earth video (there are others that HAL shows) but it was still breathtaking to watch.

Afterwards, Bob went back AGAIN to the lido to play ping pong. I really wanted to swim, but both pools were sloshing back and forth and were covered with a net. I used one of the coupons we got for a free "Mariner's cocktail" and enjoyed the drink on the back deck. That is until the sun got too warm and I retreated back into our cool cabin. (Side note: I was very pleased with the ability to keep our room comfortable during the day...and really cool at night.)

A note had been delivered to our cabin with luggage tags. Since we will be transferring to another HAL ship, we will be in the last group to disembark. I am a little concerned because our assigned boarding time for the Nieuw Statendam isn't until 1:40 pm. I made a trip down to guest services hoping there was something they could do to move our boarding time a little earlier but the answer was NO.

Bob returned when I was about half way through a documentary on the Panama Canal that I was watching on TV (Big, Bigger, Biggest) and he finished watching with me. Two or three documentaries on the Panama Canal had been added to the "movies on demand" feature on our stateroom TV for this cruise.  Before dinner, we went up and sat by the pool and were able to see a decent sunset. There have been so few clouds on this cruise (not that I am complaining!) that the sunsets have not been very impressive.

We went through the buffet line and then ate outside. Fish is something I rarely make at home but I have really enjoyed it often on the cruise...tonight was no different. For dessert, Bob had a custom made crepe that was filled with chocolate, bananas and pecans. I remember enjoying crepes on a Norwegian cruise, but I don't recall seeing a crepe station on our HAL cruises before.

The main show was to have been the dance show that was postponed TWICE, but guess what...it was postponed again! At the last minute Nestor Santurio was called in as a replacement. Neither of us were that impressed with his first show (Latin guitar) so we went to listen to the classical duo instead. Both the violin and piano player are from Ukraine and tonight they performed pieces by Ukrainian composers.

The band performing in the Ocean Bar was about the only other option for entertainment but the singer just is not very good. She sang one song in the abbreviated dance show last night and it was very off key. We wandered through the library and stopped to work on a mostly completed jigsaw puzzle. It was a 2000 piece puzzle and all that was left were a few small sections of sky...basically a bunch of pieces that were different shades of blue. By the time we left we had added a couple of dozen pieces.

We enjoyed our nightly tea time by the  pool and that was it for the night.