2 Days at Sea

            Sunday, 7 Jan 2023 – We went to our usual breakfast in the Terrace Café.  As we walked across the pool deck to the restaurant, we noticed the temperature was getting much warmer as we traveled north from the Falkland Islands.  We sat at a table for two next to Mike & Jody, whom we had met yesterday on the ship tender.  Sally was still tired from yesterday’s excursion, so she lay down for a nap.  Jesse went to his pedicure with Stephanie at noon.  Quite a bit of crust had accumulated on the soles of his feet since his last pedicure.  He asked Stephanie questions about the tools she used, and told her that he planned to purchase some similar ones online.  She cautioned him not to use tools designed for pedicures on his hands!  After returning to our cabin, Jesse went to the laundromat to do a small load of laundry.  There were lots of passengers there, some waiting for dryers; however, there was an empty washer available and since Jesse did not plan to use a dryer, there was no problem!

Jesse returned to the Beauty Salon/Spa at 3:00 PM with Sally for her massage appointment with Mary.  While waiting for her, Jesse went to the fitness center to ride one of the exercise bicycles.  A man on the elevator and the man on the bicycle next to Jesse’s were both online, so Jesse tried unsuccessfully to get online also.  Sally was very happy with her massage!

Before dinner, we went to the Horizons again and danced to the 4 Corners Band.  We arrived there at the end of a private cocktail party, apparently for Oceania Club members.  We hadn’t realized that Oceania had scheduled two separate cocktail parties.  That explained why ours was so sparsely attended!  Ed & Alicia were there also, and there were several other dancers on the dance floor.  After dancing, we walked across the pool deck to the Terrace Café.  It was windy, but the temperature wasn’t too bad.  During dinner, we saw Jim & Pat, who scheduled a lunch date with us in the Grand Dining Room.  Jesse stayed up late and finished addressing his portion of the postcards.

Monday, 8 Jan 2024 – We went to the Terrace café for breakfast at about 9:30 AM.  It was very crowded and we had a difficult time finding a seat.  Then two other couples offered us their seats, but we were only able to accept one!  Since we would be eating lunch later, we ate very light.  When we returned to our cabin, Sally addressed her portion of the postcards.

We met Jim & Pat for lunch in the Grand Dining Room at 12:15 PM.  Sally ordered a fruit plate and Jesse ordered soup and salad with grilled tuna.  And we both enjoyed a glass of Riesling wine and tiramisu for dessert.  We enjoyed great conversation during lunch.  We learned that Pat had worked for the Government also, and they had met in an evening training class.  They have been married for 36 years and have four children; their youngest is 27, and they have no grandchildren.  Like us, they hadn’t been able to get online since 30 December!  While returning to our cabin, Jesse stopped to talk with Robert & Marinella.  Robert lived overseas for a few years before retiring from the Air Force; then he worked in computers for several years.  However, he said that Marinella knows more about computers than he does!

After lunch, Jesse went to the reception desk and mailed our postcards.  Then he went to Internet Services on Deck 14 to ask about access to the internet.  The Internet Manager informed him that there had been no significant internet available on the ship since 30 December.  Those online were using either What’s App or Facebook messenger, neither of which is currently on our mobile phone.  He said that access to the internet may be available by tonight, but he couldn’t make any promises.  There were about six Oceania computers available in the Internet café, through which passengers were able to access their e-mail, but all six were occupied.  While in the area, Jesse discovered the Baristas Bar & Aperitivo, which is adjacent to the Internet Services.  There, coffee and snacks are available throughout the day!

Before dinner we went to the Horizons for dancing again.  Two members of the Marina Show Band were performing, the pianist and the trumpet player.  We were the only dancers.  There weren’t many passengers in the Terrace Café tonight, so we took the opportunity to take a photo with our favorite waitress, Maribeth!