4th - 5th Oct 2019
Day 6.
Sea State: Slightly wobbly. Heading: 250˚. Weather: Overcast.
I spent a bit of time sitting around in the 'Dive-In' restaurant (right). The photo does not show the scale of this 'help-yourself' eatery. It extends down both sides of the ship at the rear of deck 9 between the 'lido' and the open-air rear bar/pool area and offers a vast array of food and soft drink with an army of attentive waiters to top you up if required. Having found a vacant table, it was before the lunchtime rush-hour, I wasn't going to relinquish it for a bit. Boringly my 'Kindle' had run out of new books and due to the useless internet I couldn't connect to top it up, so I had nothing interesting left to read.
Another feature on this ship are the Gala Nights. Old cruise hands obviously know about these occasions. They seem to happen about twice a week. All it involves is the excuse to 'dress up' for dinner. It took me by surprise on the first occasion as I was shuffling off, scruffy, to the dining room. I passed lots of blokes wearing dinner jackets with wives in smart dresses dripping with jewellery. I did my best and went back to put a semi-respectable jacket on. Same style of dinner and service but with a 'Gala Menu'. I think the cruise aficionados expect this sort of thing. They must pack a lot of luggage.
Left: The Gallery bar, near the casino on deck 2. This has become my favoured watering hole as it is usually sparsely populated (can't think why) and has a good seat next to a power output which is normally vacant. Quiet and pleasant.
Right: I couldn't work out if the mop on top of this lady's head was her hair or decoration on her hat. I was tempted to ask; but thought better of it.
That afternoon I went to watch a song and dance performance on the main stage. Quite jolly. They had to cancel their evening show as the sea had become a bit rough. Not unpleasant if you are a passenger but might have led to a prancing dancer missing his/her step and spraining something I suppose.
I was feeling much better this morning and decided to visit the gym. Unfortunately all the machines were occupied apart from this treadmill behind me (left) which was out of service.
I saw on the programme a 'Military Meetup' was scheduled for 11.00am in the Gallery Bar. I went along out of curiosity and carefully stood, hopefully as a covert observer, at the back (right) by the bar. There were about 15 people there, including wives, and those with 'military' experience were encouraged to stand up and tell their stories. Actually some, that I could hear, were quite interesting. The others clapped politely after each little speech. There were a few Vietnam 'vets' and, surprisingly, a Scottish RAF Padre who ended up as a vicar in the Gorbals in Glasgow. Now that's a real war zone. I thought/hoped I had passed unnoticed but no such luck. I was cajoled into giving a short spiel which was entirely unimpressive, but I still got a few polite subdued claps. All harmless stuff.
By the way, this gathering was followed, not far away, by an LGBTQ+ Trivia Meetup. I most certainly did not risk going as a covert observer to that!
Left: Now this really does take the biscuit! An advert outside the Spa Centre. At the desk nearby were three silver-tongued pretty girls trying to persuade passers by to avail themselves of these indispensable services. Not being in a rush I decided to talk to them and let them have a go at convincing me. They said the massages were so relaxing and would make me feel much better and happier. They told me it was a bargain price because elsewhere you would have to pay another $I50 for a 'consultation'. I suggested, even at ship prices, I could achieve the same effect at one of the bars for a quarter of the price. As for the leg therapy....pull the other one! Leg mask?!
They are trying to flog this Elemis stuff in other places (ie. at the gym). A small bottle of said gunk costs a mere $75.99. It is supposed to delay ageing and reduce wrinkles if used regularly 'over time' (unspecified). I worked out that it would cost over $2000.99 per litre. It probably doubles up as embalming fluid which, looking at some of the potential clientele here, will come in handy long before any wrinkles have disappeared. The only thing it would most certainly remove is a lot of money from your wallet. For goodness sake; if you are a woman, or man, aged about 70 (which is about average on this ship) why on earth should you be so worried about a few wrinkles? It's not as if you will ever be capable of successfully pulling the chicks or the hunky yound studs, wrinkles or not. Flashing the cash would be a more effective option. Anyway, I asked, what if I used this stuff for a year and my wrinkles had not reduced. Who would I complain to anyway? "Ah", they silver-tongued, "if you hadn't used it your wrinkles would have increased". I think they soon realised they were flogging a (nearly) dead horse here, but took it in good humour. There must be, no there undoubtedly are, some very vain, gullible, bored and (temporarily) extremely wealthy old people around who are ripe for skinning....many of them on this boat.
Right: I saw this notice in the gym, spa and elsewhere. You get a free test. I have no doubt that you will be told that your feet need correcting, as left unchecked your posture will suffer. They will have just the solution for this, and as a result your bank balance will suffer. There is no such health offer as 'free' on this ship.
I asked the Spa team if they did burials at sea and how much they cost? It got me wondering how many people died on cruise ships each year. One site reported that the average worldwide was 3 per week. The Captain hasn't mentioned any in his morning briefings yet. Perhaps he isn't meant to.
Left: Ping-Pong is a popular diversion. There are two tables at the front of the Lido and frequently occupied. Much time is spent by the players hunting down escaped ping-pong balls rolling under distant tables and chairs. Some probably end up on the buffet and happily eaten. "Say, Hiram, this Mongolian goose egg is really chewy. Pass the ketchup".
Early tomorrow morning we cross the International Date Line (IDL). As a result Sunday will not exist. We go straight to Monday. East to west you lose a day. West to east you gain one. I try to work out the simple maths and logic for this but usually fail. It just is. And the clocks go back a further hour just to complicate matters.
Chugging on.............
Day 6.
Sea State: Slightly wobbly. Heading: 250˚. Weather: Overcast.
We were passing south of Kodiak Island (where the bears come from) but I never saw it.
The 'chill' I picked up in Juneau has developed into a cough and cold. Not serious but enough to put the gym on hold for another day.
I spent a bit of time sitting around in the 'Dive-In' restaurant (right). The photo does not show the scale of this 'help-yourself' eatery. It extends down both sides of the ship at the rear of deck 9 between the 'lido' and the open-air rear bar/pool area and offers a vast array of food and soft drink with an army of attentive waiters to top you up if required. Having found a vacant table, it was before the lunchtime rush-hour, I wasn't going to relinquish it for a bit. Boringly my 'Kindle' had run out of new books and due to the useless internet I couldn't connect to top it up, so I had nothing interesting left to read.
I was joined (there were 3 spare spaces at my table) by a very respectable looking American gent. Normally I go into 'grumpy don't talk to me' mode, but this chap, Ed, proved both charming and very interesting. He was 92 years old, but looked much younger. Sharp as a pin and fit as a fiddle it seemed, and was travelling alone. He was travelling to Shanghai on this ship and then flying to Auckland, NZ, to join a group calling themselves the 'Roads Scholars' for an extended tour of New Zealand and then Australia. He told me a bit about his history. He was born in Yokohama in 1927 of an Austrian father and Russian mother (who had fled to Japan from Russia after the revolution). He was educated at an English-run school there, spoke Japanese fluently then, and got a good grounding in British history, Latin and French. His family left Japan in 1938 for the US and he completed his education in Washington DC with a short break on conscription to the USAF. He now lives in Houston, Texas. His wife died 4 years ago and he has obviously not been sitting around. Amusing company and goes to prove that there is life (for some) after 90! I tried to persuade him to do the bungee jump off the railway bridge in Queenstown (NZ) when he got there. You know, I think he will!
Another feature on this ship are the Gala Nights. Old cruise hands obviously know about these occasions. They seem to happen about twice a week. All it involves is the excuse to 'dress up' for dinner. It took me by surprise on the first occasion as I was shuffling off, scruffy, to the dining room. I passed lots of blokes wearing dinner jackets with wives in smart dresses dripping with jewellery. I did my best and went back to put a semi-respectable jacket on. Same style of dinner and service but with a 'Gala Menu'. I think the cruise aficionados expect this sort of thing. They must pack a lot of luggage.
Left: The upstairs dining room (deck 3, aft).
Right: One such suitatbly attired gent.....by no means the most elaborately so.
Left: The Gallery bar, near the casino on deck 2. This has become my favoured watering hole as it is usually sparsely populated (can't think why) and has a good seat next to a power output which is normally vacant. Quiet and pleasant.
Right: I couldn't work out if the mop on top of this lady's head was her hair or decoration on her hat. I was tempted to ask; but thought better of it.
That afternoon I went to watch a song and dance performance on the main stage. Quite jolly. They had to cancel their evening show as the sea had become a bit rough. Not unpleasant if you are a passenger but might have led to a prancing dancer missing his/her step and spraining something I suppose.
Day 7.
Sea State: Calm. Heading 255˚. Weather. Partly o'cast and chilly.
I think we are now going to be passing down the south side of the Aleutian Islands which stretch for hundreds of miles south-west of Alaska. I don't know what goes on there. Much aleuting I expect.
I was feeling much better this morning and decided to visit the gym. Unfortunately all the machines were occupied apart from this treadmill behind me (left) which was out of service.
I will try again tomorrow.
I saw on the programme a 'Military Meetup' was scheduled for 11.00am in the Gallery Bar. I went along out of curiosity and carefully stood, hopefully as a covert observer, at the back (right) by the bar. There were about 15 people there, including wives, and those with 'military' experience were encouraged to stand up and tell their stories. Actually some, that I could hear, were quite interesting. The others clapped politely after each little speech. There were a few Vietnam 'vets' and, surprisingly, a Scottish RAF Padre who ended up as a vicar in the Gorbals in Glasgow. Now that's a real war zone. I thought/hoped I had passed unnoticed but no such luck. I was cajoled into giving a short spiel which was entirely unimpressive, but I still got a few polite subdued claps. All harmless stuff.By the way, this gathering was followed, not far away, by an LGBTQ+ Trivia Meetup. I most certainly did not risk going as a covert observer to that!
Left: Now this really does take the biscuit! An advert outside the Spa Centre. At the desk nearby were three silver-tongued pretty girls trying to persuade passers by to avail themselves of these indispensable services. Not being in a rush I decided to talk to them and let them have a go at convincing me. They said the massages were so relaxing and would make me feel much better and happier. They told me it was a bargain price because elsewhere you would have to pay another $I50 for a 'consultation'. I suggested, even at ship prices, I could achieve the same effect at one of the bars for a quarter of the price. As for the leg therapy....pull the other one! Leg mask?!They are trying to flog this Elemis stuff in other places (ie. at the gym). A small bottle of said gunk costs a mere $75.99. It is supposed to delay ageing and reduce wrinkles if used regularly 'over time' (unspecified). I worked out that it would cost over $2000.99 per litre. It probably doubles up as embalming fluid which, looking at some of the potential clientele here, will come in handy long before any wrinkles have disappeared. The only thing it would most certainly remove is a lot of money from your wallet. For goodness sake; if you are a woman, or man, aged about 70 (which is about average on this ship) why on earth should you be so worried about a few wrinkles? It's not as if you will ever be capable of successfully pulling the chicks or the hunky yound studs, wrinkles or not. Flashing the cash would be a more effective option. Anyway, I asked, what if I used this stuff for a year and my wrinkles had not reduced. Who would I complain to anyway? "Ah", they silver-tongued, "if you hadn't used it your wrinkles would have increased". I think they soon realised they were flogging a (nearly) dead horse here, but took it in good humour. There must be, no there undoubtedly are, some very vain, gullible, bored and (temporarily) extremely wealthy old people around who are ripe for skinning....many of them on this boat.
Right: I saw this notice in the gym, spa and elsewhere. You get a free test. I have no doubt that you will be told that your feet need correcting, as left unchecked your posture will suffer. They will have just the solution for this, and as a result your bank balance will suffer. There is no such health offer as 'free' on this ship.I asked the Spa team if they did burials at sea and how much they cost? It got me wondering how many people died on cruise ships each year. One site reported that the average worldwide was 3 per week. The Captain hasn't mentioned any in his morning briefings yet. Perhaps he isn't meant to.
Left: Ping-Pong is a popular diversion. There are two tables at the front of the Lido and frequently occupied. Much time is spent by the players hunting down escaped ping-pong balls rolling under distant tables and chairs. Some probably end up on the buffet and happily eaten. "Say, Hiram, this Mongolian goose egg is really chewy. Pass the ketchup".
Early tomorrow morning we cross the International Date Line (IDL). As a result Sunday will not exist. We go straight to Monday. East to west you lose a day. West to east you gain one. I try to work out the simple maths and logic for this but usually fail. It just is. And the clocks go back a further hour just to complicate matters.
Chugging on.............
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