At Sea

            Thursday, 30 Mar 2017 – At 10:00 AM the captain called a drill (code name: “Safe Haven”)   Guests with inside staterooms were to stay in their cabins.  Guests with outside staterooms (like us) were to move out into the corridors.  We sat on the steps near the elevators closest to our cabin.  This lasted only 15 minutes. 

While sitting there, a woman nearby told us about the “Welcome” meeting she had attended the evening she had boarded in Dubai.  At that meeting, it was announced that there are about 700 Americans and 400 Canadians on this cruise (Dubai to Venice).  To us, one third or more of the passengers appear to be of Asian descent, but most of the ones we have spoken with live in either the USA or Canada.  (Other than Dubai officials, we have seen only one passenger dressed in traditional Muslim attire on this cruise.  There were several on the previous cruise from Singapore to Dubai.)

At 2:00 PM we swam a little; it was too crowded to swim very far at a time.  At least, Jesse swims more here than he does at home (because the water is too deep and too cold for water aerobics); therefore, he is getting more vigorous exercise.  In the hot tub, another couple told us that earlier a school of dolphins had been swimming near the ship.  Of course, we missed seeing that, though Sally continued watching for them after that.