A lazier start ensued for our second at sea day. We headed up to breakfast sometime after 8am and for today I started with some Eggs Benedict which was very nice.
We didn’t linger too long as we had a busy day of doing nothing planned and headed straight up to the Crow’s Nest to get Karen a proper coffee and myself a decent cup of tea. We supped these in contented silence as we watched the ship kept its course to the never-ending horizon.
The weather today was predicted to be a high of 26c with a low of 25c. We decided we would take that and headed back to our balcony to enjoy as much of it as possible. I read for a while and tried to do some more editing of the ‘book’.
This is more challenging than I thought. It doesn’t help that I not really a detail person, nor would I say a natural completer/finisher (although if I say I will get something done I will – I mean that though in the other sense). I do like books, facts and logic to be correct though and I am finding it annoying to find that if I have written something on say page 21 then I find it very irritating if then on page 221 I have written something that could perhaps be construed as a possible contradiction. I presume that is where professional editors earn their keep, which is something I cannot afford on this self-funded ‘vanity’ project.
Anyhow it was lovely sitting on the balcony although we decided that we would have perhaps liked the passing scenery to change occasionally. We were still waiting to see Shamu swimming alongside the ship performing some tricks.
Around lunchtime we thought we would go and explore Deck 3 which we hadn’t been to. The first part was the Casino. It was horrible. Full of garish machines with people who seemed to have taken root playing them and worse of all being allowed to smoke whilst doing so. Dreadful place and we hurried through.
The other side we came to the Dutch café which was a real surprise. It was different to the other café, quiet with a small but interesting selection of snacks with a seating area seemingly set over one side of the ship. We first ordered hot drinks but went back for a Dutch version of a croque monsieur and a toastie for our lunch. We then just to try the Bossche Bol which seemed to be a type massive chocolate choux bun type. I was allowed a ¼ of it to try. They were all very nice and we will be giving them our ‘free’ custom again.
We had a long chat about next January plans. At the moment we are still going ahead with our Asian plans and then looking to reslot New Zealand in for 2027. As part of the planned Asian cruise, we have found that we can take a 2-day excursion to visit the Death Railway sites again including parts that we missed last time. It is quite expensive but we think we will probably do so.
From the cafe we then decided to explore the Sun Deck on deck 10. It was blowy up there but we found sheltered seats and ordered some drinks. Karen had a supersize can of Blue Moon.
Karen wanted to be more exposed more to the elements so we decided to move further outside and went to the promenade area where we sat completely outside for a while.
I read the book I had borrowed from the ship library which James Patterson by James Patterson. It was fascinating vinaigrette of very short anecdotes telling his life story. What a very interesting man with so many stories to tell. It was also a great insight into how he writes. If I was ever to start to consider myself as a proper writer there would be much, I could learn from it. As it was, I just took it on a much more superficial level as things to bear in mind.
We finished our drinks and returned to the balcony for a while. I took the opportunity to shockwave my foot again. It is still very sore and the way I would describe now it is that I am still walking very gingerly (I was just distracted by looking up the origins of the word gingerly – it comes apparently from the word daintily – which is not how I would describe my movement at all).
Back to today. We couldn’t decide whether to go into dinner early or late. Making decisions like this becomes more difficult when you have no other decisions to make in the day. In the end we just went when we were ready.
The Dining Room was quite quiet tonight and we were seated straight away at a table for 2. Well, it might as well have been a table for 4 next to us had only a 1cm gap. Fortunately, the American couple were exceptionally normal and just wanted to talk about the subject all Americans get onto eventually and that is how much they love the Royal family. I may have made out that we were almost neighbours with William & Kate which impressed them hugely. I think that in parts of America being only 40 miles would made them very close neighbours.
I had the New York Strip tonight (a bit fatty) which Karen had the Meatballs (average). The service more than made up for it tonight even if the anchovies for my Caesar Salad turned up long after my salad had been eaten and cleared away.
We got a glass of Savvy B whilst walking along the ship to go the Theatre. It was supposed to be a variety show with the ship’s company of singers and dancers of which we had been told great things.
The dancing was good, the singing passable but some of the costumes very less than flattering. We recognised some parts of the show from the last cruise and to be honest they didn’t warrant sitting through again. I think we have been spoilt with some the top productions we see on a regular basis in Norwich and compare them to this. As Karen put it you could see why they were working on a cruise ship and not making it big. They were no Jane MacDonald’s amongst them.
From here we went back to the Piano bar who were down to one pianist due to illness. He tried his best but it just wasn’t the same. It was amusing seeing all the artistes from the show come and sit near to us and join in with the singing. They get very excited when he performed ‘You’ll be back from Hamilton’ as a request.
I was tired by 10.45am so we went back to the cabin. Now the ships time had moved forward last night yet our phones and watches had not. We assumed they would do so at any time but didn’t know when, meaning it was a challenge knowing what time to set an alarm to make sure we went up and ready to get off as soon as the ship docked in Antigua tomorrow. What a first world problem to have.
