October 11, 2022
Today was our first full day on the ship and as we travel east we will be losing an hour each day for the next few days.
Breakfast showed us that the ship is back to normal as far as food service goes. There are many self serve stations. Last year in Greece, we couldn’t touch anything in the food service area. There was even an attendant in front of the self serve drink station to get the drink for you. The food selection was outstanding and the service the same. Every employee says “hi” and also “have a nice day”.
There appear to be many new employees in food service. These employees all come from Indonesia where thee is a large HAL training center. I’m not sure why so many are new but my guess is the pandemic had something to do with it. Many are not as comfortable with English as past employees and guests have to resort to pointing at what they want.
I did lunch at the Dive In near the pool. I ordered a Cannonball Burger and naked fries and was given a pager to let me know when it would be ready. Terri decided to try something new for lunch. A salad.
We tried the general knowledge Trivia after lunch. It really turned into group trivia. We decided to try just the two of us on our team. I scored on the name for a group of lions and the substance that fingernails are made of. Terri scored on the Spanish artist who invented Cubism and the one who invented Surrealism. Not my cup of tea. We scored about 8 out of 18. We missed what period of time an Eon represents and the first woman Nobel prize winner. You’re right. I should have called you.
Just prior to this cruise we were notified that all passenger had to wear a mask for the first 7 days in all public areas. Not sure how logical this is but the staff has not said anything to those without. Everyone on the ship has been triple vaccinated and had a Covid test done within 3 days of debarkation. This private group of people need a mask until their first stop when they get off the ship and mingle with other people. Then they don’t need to wear masks anymore. Huh? Virtue signaling at its finest.
Late afternoon was a ship sponsored “block party”. Each floor mingled in the hallway and met others. Staff brought around appetizers and champagne. No masks for anyone. We did meet a few more folks that were on the world cruise with us. This was a fun event. When the party was over, everyone submitted back into the mask policy. Anyone thinking ridiculous?
The evening entertainment was comedian George Casey. George is from Ireland but now lives in Florida. He made fun of the Irish and spoke of a Gent who had a wee bit too much of the “Holy Water” and asked George if he was reading the newspaper that he was sitting on at the bar. Instead of answering him, George got off the stool, turned the page and sat back down. Lots laughs and good clean humor. I give him an 8.…