At Sea

Tai Chi

           On Thursday, 27 Sep, we slept later than usual; then breakfast and Tai Chi on deck (which now is hot, with the sun shining almost straight down).    While eating lunch, we chatted with a couple from the Bahamas, Pam and Mayberry.  After commenting on the “cheap” cruise fares that are probably available to them, we learned that the Bahamas are closer to North Carolina than to the Caribbean!  They are cruising with 16 others from the Bahamas but, like us, they have cruised more in the Mediterranean than the Caribbean.  Since the laundry rooms are much smaller (and busier) on this ship than on the Star Princess, this afternoon Jesse washed five of his shirts by hand and hung them on the shower clothesline to drip dry.  Today passengers were told to turn in passports to the cabin steward for French Polynesian immigration.  At dinner, the others assigned to our table were all no-shows again.  After dinner, we stopped by the Wheelhouse Bar for a few dances (including one Tango) before bed.

Reading in the Window

On Friday, 28 Sep, after breakfast we attended our Tai Chi class on deck, which was cut short by a sudden rain shower.   By the time our clothes had dried out, it was time for lunch.  After lunch, Jesse went to the laundry room to finish iron-drying his shirts, and Sally washed a few of her clothes by hand.  In the laundry room, Jesse chatted with Warren, a retired schoolteacher from Florida (originally Maine).  After Sydney, Warren and his friend Richard will be continuing on the Sea Princess for a cruise around Australia.  Also, between stages of laundry, we watched a movie on TV, “Source Code,” which involves time travel.  Our dinner companions were all no-shows again, so the Matre’D moved us to a nearby table to join another couple, Don and Sharon, from Houston, TX.  We had met them, previously, on our Hawaiian excursion to the USS ship memorials.  After they soon announced that they did not want “another four years,” we agreed to refrain from discussing politics.  After dinner, we stopped by the Wheelhouse Bar again for dancing.



At Wheelhouse Bar after Formal Dinner

Crossing the Equator Ceremony

On Saturday, 29 Sep, Sally slept late while Jesse had a long turn at playing on the laptop and watching TV with the volume turned down very low.  Since we brought only one laptop, we are taking turns using it, though Sally has often monopolized it, writing messages to new cousins identified through our DNA genealogy ventures.  Since we ate breakfast late, we skipped Tai Chi, but soon were drinking tea and talking with our Australian friends, Gail and Jim.  Before long, Chrys (of Knoxville, TN) joined us with her very heavy box of dominoes that she had brought in her luggage!  (It must weigh 5 lbs.)  Another woman (Jan, of Dallas) also joined us, so that (with Gail), five of us played a rather complicated version called Train dominoes.  We soon learned that Dallas rules for the game are different from Knoxville, TN rules – but Jesse, as uncompetitive as he is, actually won the second game!  Later that afternoon, we had lunch and Jesse washed a few more clothes by hand.  At 2:30 PM, we watched the "Crossing the Equator Ceremony."  Since we witnessed one of these on our last cruise, we knew better than to volunteer!  Tonight’s dinner was formal, so we got dressed up again.  This time the two couples from Reno showed up for dinner, and they brought another couple with them, Roy and John from London, England.  After dinner, we danced at the Wheelhouse Bar and then went for a late swim and hot tub soak.

On Sunday, 30 Sep, we got up a little earlier than usual for breakfast and Tai Chi.  Afterwards, we spent a couple of hours talking with our Australian friends, Gail and Jim, about DNA genealogy and other subjects.  In the afternoon, we went for lunch and Waltz dance lessons; then we watched a movie on TV, “Larry Crowne,” with Tom Hanks.  Toby and Susan showed up for dinner, so we had a great time getting to know them better.  Afterwards, we danced for a while in the Wheelhouse Bar.

We started Monday, 1 Oct, with breakfast and Tai Chi, followed by a long chat over tea with Gail and Jim.  We returned to our cabin and watched another good movie on TV, “Unknown,” with Liam Neeson.  After a late lunch, we spent the rest of the afternoon watching political news on TV.  Iowa seems to be quite popular these days!  Before dinner, we danced in the Wheelhouse Bar.  Then, since no one else was dining at our table, we joined Don and Sharon for dinner at a neighboring table, also meeting their other table mates, Burt and Jane, from Australia.  It turned out to be quite a lively table.  After dinner, we danced for a little while in the Wheelhouse Bar, but returned to our cabin for an early night because tomorrow we have to be on the pier by 8:20 A.M for our excursion on Tahiti.