October 18, 2024 Sea Day #7

    There was no clock change overnight for the start of Sea Day #7. In four days we will be back in Vancouver.  Just a few clouds in the morning sky, temperature was 23°C, but windy. 

  We had breakfast in the dining room after 8 a.m. with a couple from Kent, England, Carol and Frank. They cruise several time a year.

   Today’s guest at Coffee with Alex was the Staff Captain who is second-in-command of the ship. When asked he said that the auto pilot does slightly waver depending on the wind and wave influences, but on average stays the course. This is more fuel efficient than having the autopilot make constant direction adjustments. 

   Today might be the final day for the morning line dance lessons. They are not listed on the app for the next three days, but Declan was unaware that he did not have a line dance class tomorrow. On tomorrow's printed daily program, which will be delivered to our stateroom while we are at dinner, line dancing was not listed.

   Virginia Stilt’s 11 a.m. lecture today was Palms of the Tropics & the World.  Palms have the botanical classification Areaceae. At the Hawaii Tropiclal Botanical Garden in Hilo, that word appeared on a lot of signs.  A palm is not a tree, it is a monocot which do not have rings or wood like trees. They are fibrous. Rattan is a palm vine.

   At noon we attended the Mariners Lunch in the Deck 2 main dining room and were seated with another four star Mariner couple who were from Langley, B.C. There was a very brief Welcome from the Cruise and Travel director and the captain. However there was no toast by the captain as is usual on other ships. There was no mention of the number of people in each of the different Mariner tiers. All tables had pre-poured glasses of Prosecco and the traditional Holland America souvenir tile, it was our ninth tile each. The menu featured a lobster, beet and pomegranate starter or a salad with pickled pear; entrées were Sea Bass or Filet Mignon or a vegetarian option. Dessert was a chocolate trio. I forgot to take a picture of the entrées.

   The Captain’s announcement, after lunch, stated the ship’s position at 30° north and 145°west on course 40.25° northeast at 19 knots.  Weather should be fair, no major rain in the forecast. There were more clouds expected this afternoon.

   Then at 2 p.m. we went to the complimentary Mariners Wine Tasting in the Orange Club private dining room, which could also be purchased for $29 US. The sommelier stated that this the third of four Mariner wine tasting in order to accommodate the 500 four and five star Mariners onboard. There were only 25 participants for the 70 minute event. 

    The two pre-poured wines were a Riesling from Washington state and a French red blend of three different grapes including Shiraz. Then a French Rosé was poured. We were told that Brut means that six grams of sugar has been added. Some of the wines were aged in stainless steel tanks, others in oak barrels. Toward the end the sommelier opened a bottle of sparkling wine using a small cleaver. They don’t have swords onboard.

    We walked to the other end of the ship to the Grand Dutch Café for our afternoon Americano and Cappuccino, to take back to the stateroom and read.

   There was no ballroom dancing at 5 p.m. tonight, so we were on time for dinner, rather than racing in at 5:15 p.m. Suzanne asked Armadi, our assistant waiter if he would take a group photo of us all. Each couple asked him to take a picture on their phones. We confirmed with Jo and Mike that we will meet them tomorrow morning for some dance tutoring. 

    Tonight’s entertainer was the second appearance of comedian, Kremit Apio. It was a full house. After the show, we walked through the Casino. As usual on sea days most of the 100 or so slot machines were occupied, but only one of the six black jack tables was busy. On previous voyages there would be about half of the slots being used and all the black jack tables occupied. There is smoking allowed in the casino, the smell is not as obvious in this casino.

   On the satellite TV, Starlink, going to Hawai’i the first few days ESPN and the NFL network

 were available but not on the way back so far. Some sports fans are hoping that Starling can reconnect these channels as the ship approaches Vancouver.


Steps 9,751

laundry back in the stateroom
Mariners Lunch - a salad with pickled pear
lobster, beet and pomegranate starter
dessert was a chocolate trio
Mariners Wine Tasting

Claire, Jo and Mike seated - Larry, Suzanne and Graham standing



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