At Sea

Day 46, 20 February

At Sea

With this being a day with no ports of call I will have time to catch up on correspondence and get these posts up to date. Not that there isn't a full schedule of events onboard. Here is a sample of the line-up:

7am: Read and discuss the daily info sheet: todays subject: The History of Time Zones

8am: Sudoko sheets available

9am: Gentle stretch and tone

9:30: choice of shuffleboard or Arts & Crafts “Flower Mobiles”

10am: quilting

10:30: Animal toss (?)

11am: choice: Seminar on relieving back pain or Sit and Be Fit exercises

11:30 : Blongoball Target Toss

12:00 : Feeding Frenzy

1pm : Refresh and Renew your eyes

1:30: Choice: Wiifun in the basement or Sit & Knit needlework or Mah Jongg enthusiasts meet

2:30: Arts & crafts “Variety”

3pm: Tea and cupcakes

3:30 : Watercolors

4:00 : meetings of like minded people and support groups

4:30: Bingo

5pm: First Feeding

7:30: onboard game show: The Marriage Game

8pm: Second Feeding

8:15 and 10pm: The big show: Comedy and Music

 I didn't make this up. I did leave out the more riveting programs such as Mass, book club, Portuguese lessons, poker lessons, Bridge and a lecture on sea turtles. This brings the question: what kind of a cruise is this? My best description is this is a floating retirement home. There are two reasons for this, according to the experts.

The first is the ship. This is a small ship, in the world of Cruise Ships. About 835 passengers when full. This means one does not have to go far to get about ship. Another reason is that the ship's layout is that of a large yacht and one may move fore and aft without having to go up or down around partitioning bulkheads. Passengers with walking issues avoid stairs and stick to elevators so being able to walk the length of the ship is desireable.

The second reason there are so many older people aboard is that younger people (below 65, say) are mostly still working or are involved at home and cannot take the time for a long voyage.The shorter the cruise, the younger the people. At one time I thought that another reason could be financial; that only some retirees could afford the expense, but that has been diminished for many people enjoy this voyage because it can be a cheap way to travel, be waited upon and be entertained.

Keeping the voyage in a profit, which is the reason for the cruise line in the first place, is evident in many facets. Metal erosion on window frames, breakdown of air and water systems, rust on outside surfaces and some bubbling paint outside are a few of the indicators that constant maintenance is needed. The food is pedestrian and institutional retirement home food. 46 days out and the fruit is in need of replenishment. The line does not re-supply in enough ports so though we have been in tropical ports the food is what we brought with us. Long frozen fish is a daily offering which we have learned to avoid. The culinary staff does a fine job but I get the feeling they are digging in the bottom of the freezers now. Still, they manage to put together some excellent special events now and then.

The crew makes the difference. They are outstanding.

Tonight was a special event in the Pinnacle Grill, featuring food of India. With help from Pinnacle Grill Manager Roger D'costa (who is from India) and Pinnacle Grill Chef Ronald Tausch the dinner of authentic tastes of India was one of the best of the voyage. Fish cutlet & lamb kabob with masala sauce and potato patties. Tomato Shorba, a soup with garlic and ginger. Malabar chicken salad spiced with garlic and ginger, a main course featuring dishes of Beef Vindaloo (flavored with cinnamon, cardamom pods and ginger), Prawn Curry (coconut milk infused with curry, turmeric and Southern India chili), Vegetable Korma (north India gravy) and side dishes of saffron rice, pappadan, pickles, naan bread, Raita and Mango chutney. This was polished off with dessert of carrots cooked in milk and flavored with cardamo and nuts , a dish of vermicelli noodles infused with condensed milk, dates, cardamom and raising and washed down with Masala Chai, a traditional tea with flavor of ginger, cream, sugar and cardamom.

This evening we passed through a few rain showers which provided a much needed rinse.

Noon: 18° 18.96'S, 038° 29.01W. Course 031°. Speek of 18 knots. Wind E 18 (4), Water and air temp 28°C 82°F. Sunrise 0529. Sunset 1824. Total distance 11,630. Noon-Noon 328 nm.