Sunday,
July 3, 2016:
At Sea—Sailing to Alaska Along the Inside Passage
We had the kind
of day today of which people think
when you say the word ‘cruise’, i.e one on which you eat too much, drink too
much and overdo everything.
Sunday
Mass on Board:
I awoke early (as is my
wont) leaving Llew to lie-in while I showered and got dressed. He followed right
after and we were able to make it to 8.00 am Mass on board as it was a Sunday
and we wanted to start the day right. In the Hudson Room, over 150 people had
assembled so that there was only standing room although we managed to find
seats. The priest was an Irishman but we did not get his name. Later on, we
discovered that he is Fr. Tim McCarthy from Vancouver.
The
sea was choppy and for the next two hours, we were off balance. Father, therefore, suggested we sit
down throughout the service which was very inspiring. By the time Llew and I
made our way to the Manhattan Dining Room
for brekkie, it had calmed down somewhat—but, apparently, several cruisers on
board were sea sick and actually had to see the doctor on board for a shot. But
here is how we spent our free sailing day on board:
Sit-Down
Breakfast in the Manhattan:
The
Dining Hall was packed when we entered but we were seated with three other
folks right by the window—we kept our eyes peeled on the water for whales but
none revealed themselves to us. We are still probably too far south. Breakfast
for Llew was the Full American: eggs over easy with sausages, hash browns,
brown toast. Mine was a custom-made omlette: I chose ham, mushrooms and Gruyere
cheese with smoked salmon on the side. Both of us had freshly squeezed orange
juice—which is always a treat on Holland America Line ships. We both declined
the trays of baked pastries that came around as we can do without the carbs.
Setting
Up Internet:
At
10.00 am, I returned to our stateroom to set up the Internet on my mobile
phone. For some reason, I am unable to get on to network connections on my
laptop when I am traveling unless I use a dongle. I am not carrying one with
me, so there is nothing I can do now. Anyway, set up was very simple and
because Llew was keen to watch the UEFA match between Iceland and France that
was being screened live in the Casino Bar, we split up and off he went.
Cookery
Demonstration:
I headed off to the
Culinary Arts Room to watch a live demonstration of three dishes that are
served in the three specialty restaurants: Dungeness Crab Cakes (Pinnacle Grill), Rigatoni with Sauteed
Vegetables (Canaletto) and Penang Red
Curry (Tamarind). We were given
samples of the pasta and it was very good. An hour later, I left to join Llew
for the next item on our agenda.
Champagne
Art Auction:
Our
next stop was the Art Gallery where a glass of Champagne was offered to each
person who participated in the Art Auction. Although Llew and I had no
intention of bidding on any of the works, it was fun to watch the proceedings
while sipping bubbly.
Lunch
at Lido:
We
intended to head off for lunch next to the Manhattan
but when we saw that the line for a table was so long, we decided to get to the
more casual Lido Buffet style restaurant where the menu is identical to the one
in the Manhattan and the choices more plentiful. Before long, I picked up a
small plate of Middle Eastern appetizers (hummus, babaganoush, feta cheese, one
dolmas—vine leaf wrapped rice—and an olive) which I ate with focaccia bread
which was great. For my main course, I went to the salad bar and ordered the
Asian Sesame Salad with Seared Tuna which was simply great and made me feel
virtuous. Llew chose the Roast Lamb Au Jus from the carvery and the Steak with
Mashed Potatoes and Veg. Since the salad made me feel good, I opted for a small
ice-cream sundae made with chocolate and biscotti ice-creams, a splash of
chocolate sauce and nuts and I tried something I had never eaten
before—Holland-America’s signature Bread Pudding with Sauce which was every bit
as delectable as other bloggers say it is. I had a tiny sample portion as I was
already beginning to feel I was eating too much. I hate this Gourmet Remorse
with which cruising tends to leave you.
A
Short Nap and Some Surfing:
It
was time for a short 20 minute nap which I enjoyed thoroughly in my stateroom
as the sea was back to feeling as calm as a mill pond. Half an hour later, I
was dressing to head out again while Llew decided to shower and relax some
more. Iceland had lost the match and he was disappointed. Together we watched a
program on TV in our room about London’s Food Scene that was great fun.
High
Tea in the Manhattan:
I
went off for High Tea on my own as Llew was too full to eat another morsel, he
said. The place was packed and I wondered how I would cope on my own (as eating
alone is not my favorite thing to do) when I spotted Kathleen, another cruiser
who was also sipping tea alone. Her husband had also decided that High Tea was
not his thang! She had a daughter named Rochelle who was exactly the age of
mine! How was that for coincidences? We had a lovely cozy conversation over
delicious finger sandwiches (I had smoked salmon on mini bagels and roast beef
with tiny cornichons), the fluffiest scones with cream and strawberry jam and
bite- sized pieces of chocolate cake which were all washed down with decaff
Earl Grey which made for a really wonderful tea.
Brisk
Three Mile Walk Around the Deck:
It
was time to find a way to work off all those accumulated calories and since we
can get to a gym at home anytime, it made sense to enjoy a more unique
experience—walking around the deck of a moving ship. And that was exactly what
we did. The air was bracing so we bundled up well in our hooded parkas and
began our brisk walk. Three rounds make a mile and within half an hour, we did
three miles. No marks for guessing how much we wanted to pat ourselves on our
backs. But not for long as food beckoned again.
Invitation
to a Wine and Cheese Reception for Returning Mariners:
With
barely ten minutes left before the Wine and Cheese Reception ended, we rushed
off to meet Tina, one of the PR people on board, who had invited us to a very
cool reception to meet other returning mariners like ourselves to try to get us
to sign for their frequent cruiser program. Each of us was given a goodie bag
with a very neat gift—a selfie stick! How appropriate for a cruise that
promised to offer a lot of opportunity to pose. We each picked up a glass of
wine (red for Llew, white for me) and after chatting with Tina for a long
while, we carried our wine glasses out with us and rushed off to our next venue
of interest.
Sip
and Savor in the Explorer’s Lounge:
One of the most loved dishes on board
this ship are the Dungeness Crab Cakes (served in the Pinnacle Grill). Earlier in the day, I had watched chef Felix
prepare them. Since Alex, our Culinary Hostess, had informed us that they were
sampling the crab cakes at 5.00 pm, I was keen to take Llew along to get our
tidbits. And how fabulous they were! They really are among the best crab cakes
I have ever eaten. We had two each—served with a very light Sauce Marie-Rose
(mayonnaise lightened with a bit of tomato ketchup) and as we continued sipping
our wine, Alex began a Foodie Trivia Quiz—Llew and I formed one team. We called
ourselves the Almeida Allies—and though we did not do too badly, we did not
win. However, participating in the quiz was a great deal of fun and we had a
really good time.
Meanwhile, we watched people
dressed to the nines making their way to the Main Dining Room to begin the
first sitting on what HAL calls one of tis Gala Nights—a formal night which
most people take seriously. It was grand to see how well everyone was dressed
and as they began to troop through the ship, it was a delight to take in the
fancy clothing.
Time
to Dress for the Captain’s Cocktail Party:
It
was time for Llew and me to dress for a very special event—Llew and I were
invited to the Captain’s Cocktail Party in the Silk Den, the Asian bar on the
11th floor’s Observation Deck. On our last cruise to the Baltic Sea,
we had received a similar invitation and we were delighted by the sense of deja-vu. I ordered a margarita (as I had
done the last time) while Llew got some more red wine. We met some of the more
important members of the officer strata and as we nibbled on Asian eats such a
shrimp tempura and spring rolls, we got to know them a little better. As we
were already togged out in our own formal gear, it seemed like a very special
party indeed.
Dinner
at the Manhattan:
And on to the next
item: if one has a cocktail in hand, dinner cannot be far behind. We were seated
a good half hour later but we enjoyed every bit of our meal. Both of us started
with the Escargot Bourguignon—which was absolutely scrumptious—served with a
toast point. I then moved to an Arugula Salad with apples and peaches (also
very good) while Llew chose the Roasted Artichoke and Carrot Soup. For a main,
I got something I had really enjoyed on the Baltic cruise—Maple glazed Duck
Breast with Cranberry-Corn Stuffing and Candied Figs (divine) while Llew got a
version of Surf and Turf (Steak and a large grilled Shrimp). For dessert, I had
the Black Forest Cake while Llew had the Chocolate Souffle with Warm Chocolate
Sauce. Overall, it was a very good meal and we enjoyed it thoroughly.
The
Marquee Show at the Showroom on the Sea:
It
was time to race off again—this time to see the stage show called The Marquee—which is a song and dance
extravaganza—with a number of really talented young people who performed all
sorts of circus-style acts including juggling, gymnastics as well as well-choreographed
dance routines. The quality of the show was quite amazing indeed and we had a
grand time. Just when I thought it was time to call it a day after what had
been a most eventful 12 hours, we got side tracked again.
A
Beatles Sing-Along at the Piano Bar:
Passing
by the Piano Bar on our way out from the theater, we simply could not resist
popping in there to enjoy the singing and piano playing of Jimmy Madox who had
a faithful band of fans around him joining vigorously in the sing-along. It was
a 60’s special night and he played a lot of Beatles, Rolling Stones and other
60’s artistes. Needless to say, Llew and I joined in lustily and had a really
fabulous time.
At
almost midnight, we finally decided to call it a day. We headed to our
stateroom and passed out after what had been a truly amazing and most enjoyable
day for me.
Until tomorrow…
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