6-14-14

6-14-14 – At Sea

We both welcomed a break in the routine and spent the day relaxing on the ship.  Roger had requested a tour of the bridge and we were due to meet at 10:30 am.  The formal invitation which we had received regarding our tour, noted that cameras were allowed on the bridge, but absolutely no video is allowed.  We arrived at the appointed elevator about 10 minutes early and were afraid we were in the wrong place, as not one else was there.  But ten minutes later we had a group of 20 people.  Omar met us and established a couple of rules.  We were to listen, quietly, to the person who gives the tour.  When he is finished, we will be able to ask questions.  The most important think for us to remember is “DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING”.  

BUDDY thinks he is the Captain

Then Omar led us to the bridge and turned us over to one of the navigators.   He first explained that there are always two navigators on duty together.  One is assigned to make all of the changes or decisions regarding the vessel.  When something needs to be done, he must first discuss it with the other navigator and obtain his approval before making the change.  This greatly reduces the chance of human errors. 

Next the officer explained all of the numerous monitors on the consoles of the bridge.  One is strictly for navigation.  It shows all the ships in the area around ours.  By clicking on the triangle icon representing the vessel, you obtain all the necessary data about the ship: size, course, etc. 

Other monitors control the doors on the ship, allowing the navigator to shut down, part or all of the ship, in case of an emergency, such as a fire.

The ship is equipped with multiple exterior cameras, to aid in docking and departing from a port.  Yet there are also assigned personnel who are present during these procedures, as well.  The navigator answered several questions by different people in our group.  He noted the depth of the sea where we were at the present time.  He shared his own personal education and background, when the question was asked.  He seemed quite young to be in a job with such responsibility (26 years old). 

When Omar returned, I asked him about security personnel.  He brought me over to a chart that listed all the names of each staff member and their rank of command.  He noted that there were rarely in problems encountered by passenger.  There most common issue arises with young people over drinking during Spring Break.   

When Roger started to take a few pictures, the battery died.  He was so disappointed.  Then a few minutes later he realized he could take pictures with his phone.  One of the guests was allowed to try on the Captains hat.  So we asked it we could put it on Buddy, as well.  The officer readily agreed.  The hat was so big; it covered up Buddy’s eyes.

Shortly after arriving back at our room, Betty called and said that Jan still wanted to go in the Jacuzzi.  So we made plans to meet down on the pool level.  Betty came by our room, first, so she could use one of the white robes that were provided in our suite.  When I put mine on, it reached almost to the floor and you could not see my hands.  So I rolled the sleeves up a couple of times.  Boy were we a sight to behold.

Roger wasn’t interested in joining us, but said he would come visit us later and take some pictures.  We found one of the four Jacuzzis had only three occupants and we joined them.  Two were men from Mexico and one man was German.  One of the Mexican men spoke pretty good English, so we were able to converse with him.  He expressed a love for his country and talked about some of the cities that are popular with tourists.  After about 30 minutes the men left and we had the Jacuzzi to ourselves.  

We saw a young girl, about 10 or 12 years of age, come down the waterslide right next to our Jacuzzi.  Jan thought that looked like fun.  She asked the girl if the water was cold, because she was shivering.  She said that it was.  When we climbed over the railing into the area where the ladder was, we were all shocked.  The water was not just cold, it was icy.  But Jan would not be deterred.  We all climbed up the ladder and slid down the slide.  Actually, the slide was not very slippery, so we had to pull ourselves down to the bottom.  Once was quite enough for all of us.  We breathed sighs of relief when we got back into the comforting warm water of the Jacuzzi.   After about 15 more minutes, Karen said her hands were starting to wrinkle, so we got out and returned out towels. 

I had missed the dress up night at the Captain’s VIP cocktail reception on 6-9-14, because I hadn’t seen the notice in the daily newsletter.  So Roger said he would take me to dinner at Cagney’s Restaurant this evening and I could dress up for dinner.  I really did have fun putting on the navy blue dress I had bought specifically for this trip, along with the new jewelry Doedie had helped me find on the internet.  I had also purchased new shoe to match.  Roger was very pleased with the final effect and complimented me on my appearance.  We made a point to take the camera, so someone could take our picture together.  Roger had actually brought a suit jacket to wear for the occasion.

Before dinner, we went down to the jewelry store with our raffle tickets, in hopes of winning a prize.  Then the manager explained that the number of tickets was based on the amount of the purchase.  He said that one person had bought over $100,000 worth of jewelry, so that person would certainly have more ticket.  There were two tickets drawn, but though one of the numbers was only three away from one of our tickets, none of our numbers were called.  So we returned to our room until dinnertime.

When Rose found out we would be going to Cagney’s, she told us that she would be there as well, having dinner with the captain.  She asked us to stop by their table, when we came in.  Sure enough, she was seated in the same place we had always met.  We greeted her and she introduced us to the Captain.  Then we were led to our table.  I was very pleased and surprised that Roger had bought me a vase of red roses.  They were so lovely.  After we were seated and had placed our order, Roger asked if we could give Rose one of my flowers.  I was so happy he had thought of such a lovely gesture.  When Roger approached Rose and handed her his gift, she looked like she was holding back tears of joy.  She was so appreciative of Roger’s thoughtfulness. 

We both ordered the rib eye steak for dinner.  It was delicious, especially with the béarnaise sauce.  But it was just too large for either of us to finish.  We hated to waste it, but knew we would be miserable if we ate it all.  After dinner, we walked down to the atrium area and found a young lady with her mother, taking pictures.  Roger offered to take one with both of them, but the young girl said she did not need one.  She did offer to take our picture, for which I was very grateful.  What a special evening and a great way to spend our last day of the cruise.