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Live from the Maasdam - May 1 – 16, 2015 The Atlantic Coast

Alberta Quilter

By Alberta Quilter,
in Holland America Line

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Krazy Kruizers

Krazy Kruizers

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May 13, 2015 Saguenay

 

We were last in Saguenay 7 years ago and we loved it then. We had nothing planned back then. We just walked around town. There was a farmers market and there seemed to be a fair going on in La Baie where the ship docks.

 

Saguenay is the name given to the area and comprises three cities: La Baie, Chicoutimi, and Jonquiere. Since we were last here, there has been a cruise terminal built and the surrounding area has been really fixed up. As I recall, they had started to fix things up even back 7 years ago. It could be more as a result of the devastating flood that they had 17 years ago, too. They certainly appreciate the cruise ship industry and have established a reputation for the port with the best welcome to crusie ship passengers. And, believe me, that is well deserved. We thought very highly of them 7 years ago but they outdid themselves today.

 

Just to remind you all, we were actually supposed to arrive in Saguenay tomorrow but we had the itinerary change where Gaspe was deleted due to ice in the harbour. This moved Saguenay up and we are spending an extra day and overnight in Quebec City. We had planned on going to La Fabuleuse show put on by local, volunteer, actors. The show gives the history of the area and is put on by over 100 actors playing 11600 characters! Unfortunately, with the itinerary change, they could not put on the show for us today. The tour was totally cancelled. We found out that they already had one show this afternoon that was fully booked, and there is a concert in the theatre this evening. There was no way they could accommodate us today for that show. As far as I know, all other tours were rescheduled.

 

So, again, we had nothing planned for today. After breakfast in the MDR, I had to go to the library to ask for time credit from the librarian due to last night's difficulty connecting to the internet. DM went back to bed! As I was fairly sure that she did so, I let myself be distracted with the jigsaw puzzle for a little while. When I got to the room, about half an hour later, she was awake and almost ready to go.

 

You could hear the activities as we left the ship. There was music playing and someone talking over a mic, welcoming us to Saguenay. When we got up to the top of the ramp, there were all kinds of people in period costumes wandering about, welcoming us in English and generally talking to us, finding out where we were from, asking our names, etc. These were some of the actors from La Fabuleuse. In addition to that, some were passing out samples of wild blueberry juice, wild blueberry pie, and maple syrup taffy (they boil maple syrup to a certain temperature and pour it onto snow (or shaved ice). Then it is gathered up with a popsicle stick and eaten. It's quite good and not too sweet. There were also representatives from a local native band who were happy to pose for pictures in their full regalia.

 

Inside the cruise terminal, there were craftspeople selling their crafts (jewellery, sculptures, glass blown items, soap, purses, etc.). There is free wifi in the terminal and some pax said that they could use the free wifi from the ship. (I tried and couldn't get it but we were on the side farthest away from the pier). There were also reps from the local tourist bureau to provide information about what was available. Also, the bathrooms in the facility are VERY nice and well maintained.

 

We found out that there was a HoHo bus here. The cost is $20 (Cdn or US - yes, if you choose to come to Canada with only USD, you will currently be paying a premium for the HoHo) pp and there are two routes. One goes to Chicoutimi (downtown and cultural area), and the other goes to the Bagotvillle Air Defence Museum and the Fjord Museum. We took the Chicoutimi one and rode it for the entire route. I won't lie, we were both tired and we napped along the way. We came back to the ship for lunch which, by the way, featured a PEI potato bar! Yes, out at the taco bar, they had PEI potatoes and you could dress them anyway you wanted. They had the traditional fixings plus some more unusual ones, like gorgonzola. The potatoes were a hit!

 

After lunch, we went back out to do the second circuit of the HoHo. One of our roll call buddies told us that the market that was on today consisted of only 7 vendors and they were mostly jewellery and knitted items. So, we decided to forgo the market and head to the Fjord Museum. It's not a large museum but we didn't get to see it all because the last HoHo of the day came about 40 minutes after we got there so we had to leave quickly. However, it was still worth it. The cost to cruise ship passengers was $11.50 each, which happens to be the senior's rate. First time I've received a senior's rate but I'm not complaining. They have a movie on the fjord which is quite well done (some may consider it a little hokey but it gave different perspectives of the fjord and explained the history in an unusual way). I thought it was creative.

 

The fjord was, of course, created through the ice age. It is the second deepest fjord in the world. No, they didn't say what the first one is and I'm not spending what little internet time I have left to find out. What is unique about the Saguenay Fjord is that it has different layers of water. The top layer is fresh water, the middle layer is brackish water, and the bottom layer is salt water. The salt water layer goes from the St Lawrence down the fjord, and the fresh water layer goes from the Saguenay river and it's tributaries down the fjord to the St. Lawrence. In fact, in the movie, they show how you can see the two currents of water meeting at the St. Lawrence. The museum also has an aquarium showing the variety of species that live in the fjord. It's quite unusual to have so many but it's due to the different water in the fjord.

 

Back at the cruise terminal, I took some time to try to update apps on my phone while DM when back on the ship. When we boarded the ship, someone from the Saguenay tourist board gave everyone a chocolate with several wild blueberries in it. I gave mine to DM so she had two! We had both forgotten that they did this the last time we were here. You can understand now why they get the best port welcome award - they bribe us with all things blueberry and maple - and it works!! Seriously, they seem to really want us to visit. It pumps a lot of money into the local economy and they know it. Lets hope that it never gets to the point where they don't want us to visit, like it sometimes happens in other tourist destinations.

 

Dinner tonight was just the two of us. Our table mates chose to watch the scenic cruising as we left Saguenay. We watched in comfort from our dining table (even though we're not right at a window) and we were actually done and out before we cruised by the Madonna statue on the west bank of the fjord. We retired to our verandah to watch the rest of the scenic cruising from there.

 

Last night's entertainment, the comedian, had mixed reviews. It sounded like we didn't miss much. Tonight's entertainment is a variety show with the ventriloquist and the comedian. The movie tonight is Unbroken. We chose to skip both. As I've been awake since 3:30 am, I will be heading to bed early tonight.

 

Tomorrow we will be in Quebec City for the first of two days. Bon soir!

 

 

Another great day and another great review.

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Alberta Quilter

Alberta Quilter

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May 14, 2015 Quebec City

 

Well, my friends, I've succumbed to the onboard virus. I'll spare you the gory details as that is wayyy too much information but suffice it to say that my illness was reported at 4 am this morning and I am now quarantined to the cabin. We still haven't heard from the Medical Centre; DM was told that they would call in the morning. They opened at 8 am and were to be open until noon and then from 2 to 5 pm. When we still hadn't heard by 10 am, DM went down to the Medical Centre to find it was closed. So she went to the Front Desk. The Front Desk personnel were very helpful. Apparently, there were many reports of GI illness last night and the Medical Centre is overwhelmed; that is why they are closed during posted hours. We'll get a call eventually.

 

As this is our first experience with getting a GI illness onboard, we weren't sure of the proper procedure. I did know some of it from CC but wanted to be sure. I am the only one quarantined; DM has free range of the ship as long as she remains healthy. I am to stay in the cabin but can go out on the balcony. I was able to eat most of my breakfast (preordered room service) this morning and it stayed down so that's a good sign. The other symptoms arise now and then but it could be a lot worse. Now DM is the one running around to fetch me things like the green tea and honey that the room stewards recommended.

 

We had two tours planned for today. The first one was a walking and carriage ride tour of Old Quebec. The second one is for a traditional Quebecois Dinner tonight, with a tour of a sugar shack and some music and dancing. This tour was a new tour added when the itinerary change was made. DM wasn't too keen on that one but I wanted to go. Does anyone know if we would get a refund of these HAL tours because it's due to illness or is it money spent because we cancelled past the deadline? I'm more curious than anything; it's not like we could go if I wanted to.

 

DM tried to report my illness to the librarian (because of working on puzzles) but she wasn't there due to shortened hours on port days. She'll try again later. As much as people would love to be able to work on a puzzle, it's not worth it if that's one way the bug is being passed, IMO.

 

Other than my woes, it's a beautiful day here in Quebec City. What sky I can see, is clear of clouds. We are docked starboard to the city so we get the city view from our verandah. It's shady; when I go out, I wear my jacket. We're taking on water right now, I think. We already bunkered fuel in Halifax. They're also doing some maintenance work on the ship; there was a huge rental cherry picker out and they were doing something up high, maybe on the Lido or Sports decks.

 

The one good thing about my getting sick is the timing. It was after our must see ports and at a port where we had seen most of everything so it's not a big deal to be quarantined (other than the boredom). It's been such a fantastic cruise because we were able to see our bucket list ports and they exceeded our expectations.

 

I'll report again if and when I have something to tell you. I will not report the mundane things I'm doing while in quarantine!!

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KerriL

KerriL

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Oh no!! :( I am so sorry to hear of you getting sick. Hoping you feel better soon and that DM continues to stay healthy. I don't know how J has managed not to get sick. Talked to her today and she is fine so far.

Take care and drink plenty of liquids if you can.

 

Kerri

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Seabreez

Seabreez

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Clipper: I hope you feel better as each hour passes. Did you get any meds yet from the ship's medical facility??

I too love jigsaw puzzles but it may be the source of your illness. My parents are in assisted living and they do puzzles all the time. So far so good over the past months.

Loving your reports by the way.

Pat

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Alberta Quilter

Alberta Quilter

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May 14, 2015 Quebec City (cont'd)

 

I had the laziest day that I've ever had on a cruise ship!! I slept most of the day away, morning nap, afternoon nap, evening nap and then I slept through the entire night!

 

The Medical Centre did call me shortly after I wrote my last report. The nurse confirmed they are overwhelmed and said it was their worst nightmare. It sounds like I have a very mild version of the virus so that's good. I've now been symptom free for over 17 hours so I should be able to be let out this afternoon assuming I remain symptom free. DM is still symptom free, thank goodness.

 

They gave me some Imodium and basically suggested that it might be best to ride it out. If I was having attacks every five minutes that would be different but since they were happening every three hours or so, they recommended riding it out. She also told me that someone would be by to take my temperature (it was 100.3) and to give me some paperwork.

 

Did you know that when you report such an illness, you have to fill out a six page questionnaire with the food you've eaten on and off the ship for the past 72 hours? Thank goodness I wrote the blog! I'd never have remembered all of it. Some of it was easy because dinner at Le Cirque but that third day before symptoms was tough; I had to refer to the blog.

 

I have to say that the staff have been very good to us during this time. DM went to get me some chicken noodle soup at lunch time. The cook in the Lido made up one bowl of soup, just for me, for her to bring down. Can you imagine, making just one bowl of soup for one person? Mind you, they weren't overrun with guest demands as most people were off the ship, enjoying Quebec City. And then for dinner, well, DM was able to get them to strain out the solids from chicken/rice soup to give just the broth. The first soup, that was specially made for me, had chicken and noodles of course, but it also had cabbage, zucchini and carrots. Cabbage, in particular, isn't easy to digest so it wasn't a good choice to put in the soup. And I didn't think to take it out. When one goes through this type of illness, they recommend clear liquids only for 24 hours.

 

Last night's dinner was to be the last formal night. For those interested in menu information, the menu did include ssurf & turf but it was the filet mignon with prawns instead of lobster. The escargot were also on last night's dinner. The rest of the menu was nothing spectacular so I don't remember it.

 

Just before 5:00 pm, Jude came on the PA system and said that it was Formal Optional so one could come in Smart Casual clothing, too. With that, I encouraged DM to go down to dinner. Besides, I didn't really want her eating here in the cabin; the smell may send me back to the bathroom. She did go down but there was no one at our table. And the nearby guests were dressed in their formal wear. So, she chose to go up to the Lido.

 

Both times she was up in the Lido yesterday she met others who have been affected by the virus. One fellow, travelling with his girlfriend and aunt, told her that all three of them were affected over 6 days. He said they super sanitized their cabin twice. They missed what we consider to be the best part of the cruise! For sure, it was a significant part of the cruise. DM was told by another woman who is part of the Road Scholar group that 9 out of 19 of their group have been affected by the virus.

 

Last night for entertainment, they had The Marriage Game (which I've always enjoyed so I'm sorry I missed that), and a movie Kingsman: The Secret Service. They also had Jupiter Ascending in the Wajang Theatre.

 

That's it for now. Hopefully, I'll be sprung this afternoon and can provide better reporting later. There's something interesting happening this afternoon that I'd like to see. Otherwise, I'll have to try to get DM to take pictures which will require some training; I don't know how that will go over!!

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Assateague Island Princes

Assateague Island Princes

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So sorry you are sick, Clipper. Hope you're feeling better soon and are sprung from quarantine. Been following your blog and loving it - thanx so much for keeping everyone informed. How sweet that you had your own personal bowl of soup made - great staff on those HAL ships always come through, don't they? Now get some rest, drink plenty of fluids, and get back to your old self real soon, ya hear?;) Hugs to Mum for me.

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Alberta Quilter

Alberta Quilter

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May 15, 2015 Quebec City

 

DM slept until 8:45 this morning! She was quite surprised that it was that late; almost 2 hours later than normal. While she got ready, I ordered room service for breakfast. In Room Dining called back a few minutes later to confirm that we were in isolation. Since we were, they would prepare our breakfast for us. I thought that was unusual but thought no more about it. It took over an hour for it to come because they are SO busy with all the requests from quarantined passengers like me.

 

In the meantime, the Hazmat team came in to service our room. I thought it was our breakfast being delivered so stepped out onto the balcony. When I realized that it was the Hazmat team (all dressed up in masks and gloves and aprons), DM handed me my jacket to stay out there on the balcony for a while. It took them about 10 or 15 minutes. I guess they changed all the towels and glasses and super sanitized the bathroom. I'm not sure what other things they did. It certainly smelled like they super sanitized the room!

 

I called In Room Dining about our breakfast an hour after ordering. They thought it would be there in 10 - 15 minutes and it was. Today, I have to say, not only was it not complete, it was cold. They totally left off DM's portion of the order. Fortunately the Lido continental buffet was still open so she ran up there to get her yogurt. She also got herself some smoked salmon which sent me out on to the balcony when she started to eat it; the smell was a little much for me. At least, it didn't send me to the bathroom!! What was also interesting about this particular room service breakfast is that it came on a former Lido tray, with a black cloth napkin lining and the silverware, and croissants were wrapped in a black napkins. I'm guessing that the black is to signify the need for super sanitization of the dishes and food waste.

 

After breakfast, we utilized our time by packing our bags. We figured that if I was sprung this afternoon, we would make the best of the time we have left either on the ship or in Quebec City, depending on how I feel.

 

The crew is making good use of the extra time in Quebec with their maintenance. The work being done outside with the cherry picker is painting up on the outside of the Lido windows. They have also loaded some fresh provisions this morning. And, future pax will be happy to know that the Museum of Civilization is preparing their planter boxes for planting. (They were quite lovely when we were here 7 years ago, in the fall.) There was also a couple in the apartments right across from our balcony who were planting on their balcony this morning. The things one sees while one is forced to stay in one small room. Thank goodness we had the balcony! Although, I did feel like Jimmy Stewart's character in the Alfred Hitchcock movie where he's laid up with a broken leg and see things from his window.

 

The doctor called me twice today. The first time was at 12:30; he indicated that he was three hours behind in his calls! I advised that I had more episodes since I had spoken to the nurse yesterday but none since 2 pm. He cleared me for release at 2. He also advised that he would try to get the computer updated so alarm bells wouldn't go off should I leave the ship. Apparently, it's all set up to embarrass one into quarantine compliance. I'm not sure why he called again at 1:30, waking me from yet another nap. I confirmed that I hadn't had any episodes since I spoke to him and he cleared me again.

 

We did leave the ship for a couple of hours, shortly before 2:30. No alarm bells, thankfully! I would have been mortified. I never even stepped over the threshold of my cabin door during the quarantine.

 

We went with one of our tablemates and took her around Petit Champlain. We then went up the funicular and walked around the Dufferin Terraces, around and into the Chateau Frontenac. For those of you who like to only bring American dollars to Canada, please be aware that you will likely be ripped off! I was appalled when our friend purchased a tote bag and a baseball cap which totalled C$47 after tax. That was bad enough but she then paid US$47 and did not receive ANY change. Their excuse was that they don't provide any exchange charges when the Canadian dollar is higher than the USD, which only happened a couple of years ago in the past, oh, 30+ years! I thought there would be a poor exchange rate given, certainly not the current 20% but this was a real rip off, IMO. Unfortunately, she did not have a credit card. Even with a transaction fee, she would have been better off to pay with a credit card. I think we were more incensed than she was!

 

We continued our walk, walked down to the Petit Champlain area, instead of taking the funicular. Gradually, we made our way back to the ship, poking in shops as we went. When we got back to the ship, DM and I went up to the Lido for a drink. I also wanted to see the Poutine Bar that was set up at the Taco Bar area. I'll have pictures to post when I get to free wifi or back home.

 

Dinner tonight was the International Dinner. There were only four out of six of us there as the wife of one couple came down with the virus yesterday while on tour. The husband of the other couple and myself were the recovering ones; he was also sprung today. Anyway, most of you know about the International Dinner and either like it or hate it. I can take it or leave it but I do LOVE one dessert on that menu, the Mohr Im Hemd. It's a chocolate hazelnut sponge cake usually topped with whipping cream and served with a chocolate cognac sauce. Tonight the whipping cream was served on the side and the chocolate sauce had been ladled overtop the sponge cake. It was still very good! I'm glad I was well enough to handle it.

 

We found out at dinner that the current GI outbreak is the largest one that our Maitre d' has seen in his 15 years at sea. There were over 200 people sick (there were 70 sick people on the last cruise); I'm not sure if that was just yesterday or for the cruise. He said that when the outbreaks are large (over 100 people), the bigwigs come from Seattle to see what can be done to rectify the situation. DM heard that they flew in a nurse to help with the workload but she caught the virus, too. It's just been insane for the crew. He said that once they are at zero count tomorrow, the ship will be scrubbed from stem to stern, and top to bottom. Inspections will be held at 3 pm and if those go well, embarkation of the new pax will begin at 5 pm.

 

After dinner, I went out to the Sports Deck to see the Maasdam sail under the bridges; oh, my, it was like she barely fit! But, of course, there was plenty of room. There was one long toot of the horn which made me jump, it was so loud. I then went back to the room to watch more scenery with DM before we finished our packing.

 

You know, it's a good thing we packed as much as we did this morning because it would have taken all night if we hadn't!! I had no idea we bought so much stuff and some of it is bulky stuff. We purchased two bottles of alcohol in the duty free shop onboard which we picked up tonight. Plus we had one bottle of wine leftover from our wine package and then we have a bottle of champagne that our tablemates won at a show earlier in the cruise. As they don't drink champagne, they were going to share it with the rest of us on the last night of the cruise. We don't drink it either and with the other couple away tonight, we opted not to drink it at all. The winners of the champagne are flying home tomorrow so they don't want that hassle and gave it to us. DM has a friend who lives near Montreal so we'll give it to her when we see her tomorrow and Sunday. She's going to be touring us about Montreal. She's actually going to get quite a bit from us!! We certainly got caught up in some excitement with some of our purchases!

 

I think it's all under control now. We have almost six full days on land to consume some of it and give some of it away. We'll definitely be checking a third bag on the way home, though.

 

Tonight's entertainment was the Dancing with the Stars finale. We haven't seen any of the DWTS events to date so cannot comment on that and didn't feel the need to go see the finale.

 

Breakfast is early tomorrow, if we want to eat in the MDR, which we usually do on disembarkation day. We have a later disembarkation time of 9:00 am. I think we'll clear out of the room after breakfast and sit in the Lido or somewhere to stay out of the way.

 

We have two and a half days in Montreal before heading to the Eastern Townships of Quebec. I don't know what kind of internet I'll have enroute so will post if and when I can. My final wrap up, pictures and comments will be done when I have a reliable connection.

 

Thanks for the get well wishes; they worked, and thanks for following along on this latest adventure. In spite of the minor illness, it's been a blast! As I said previously, the cruise has exceeded our expectations. We had a good group from CC onboard; it was fun to run into them on shore and on board.

 

Au revoir!

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Alberta Quilter

Alberta Quilter

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Quick note to those embarking today in Montreal. If you read last night's post, you'll know that we were told that your embarkation will be delayed until 5 pm tonight.

 

I also want to reassure you that the crew is working incredibly hard to get this bug under control. All cabins with a currently infected person have a brownish sticker on the door frame and those cabins, like ours, that had an infected but released person in it, have an orange sticker. These rooms will receive special cleaning, in addition to regular cleaning. Whether or not you wish to do your own sanitization is up to you. I will say, that given the circumstances, it may not be a bad idea. Although, I will say, with our table of six (three pairs), only one person from each pair got infected. That leads me to believe that it's not always in the cabins but elsewhere on the ship. Of course, I'm no expert in such things but it seems logical.

 

It looks like all of the shops have been sanitized already. There are signs up indicating so. They must have done so after the shops closed last night at 11 pm.

 

I really hope that your cruise is unaffected by the virus. It's taken quite a toll on the crew. Please be kind to them as they are incredibly exhausted and overwhelmed by the effort required of them these past two weeks.

 

Do enjoy your cruise! It really has been one of the best ones we've taken!

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ger_77

ger_77

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I'm happy to hear your illness was short lived compared to some. Hopefully you'll be able to enjoy the rest of your time before heading west. Thanks for taking us along on your journey; your descriptions make me feel like I've been there!

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

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Krazy Kruizers

Krazy Kruizers

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May 14, 2015 Quebec City (cont'd)

 

I had the laziest day that I've ever had on a cruise ship!! I slept most of the day away, morning nap, afternoon nap, evening nap and then I slept through the entire night!

 

The Medical Centre did call me shortly after I wrote my last report. The nurse confirmed they are overwhelmed and said it was their worst nightmare. It sounds like I have a very mild version of the virus so that's good. I've now been symptom free for over 17 hours so I should be able to be let out this afternoon assuming I remain symptom free. DM is still symptom free, thank goodness.

 

They gave me some Imodium and basically suggested that it might be best to ride it out. If I was having attacks every five minutes that would be different but since they were happening every three hours or so, they recommended riding it out. She also told me that someone would be by to take my temperature (it was 100.3) and to give me some paperwork.

 

Did you know that when you report such an illness, you have to fill out a six page questionnaire with the food you've eaten on and off the ship for the past 72 hours? Thank goodness I wrote the blog! I'd never have remembered all of it. Some of it was easy because dinner at Le Cirque but that third day before symptoms was tough; I had to refer to the blog.

 

I have to say that the staff have been very good to us during this time. DM went to get me some chicken noodle soup at lunch time. The cook in the Lido made up one bowl of soup, just for me, for her to bring down. Can you imagine, making just one bowl of soup for one person? Mind you, they weren't overrun with guest demands as most people were off the ship, enjoying Quebec City. And then for dinner, well, DM was able to get them to strain out the solids from chicken/rice soup to give just the broth. The first soup, that was specially made for me, had chicken and noodles of course, but it also had cabbage, zucchini and carrots. Cabbage, in particular, isn't easy to digest so it wasn't a good choice to put in the soup. And I didn't think to take it out. When one goes through this type of illness, they recommend clear liquids only for 24 hours.

 

Last night's dinner was to be the last formal night. For those interested in menu information, the menu did include ssurf & turf but it was the filet mignon with prawns instead of lobster. The escargot were also on last night's dinner. The rest of the menu was nothing spectacular so I don't remember it.

 

Just before 5:00 pm, Jude came on the PA system and said that it was Formal Optional so one could come in Smart Casual clothing, too. With that, I encouraged DM to go down to dinner. Besides, I didn't really want her eating here in the cabin; the smell may send me back to the bathroom. She did go down but there was no one at our table. And the nearby guests were dressed in their formal wear. So, she chose to go up to the Lido.

 

Both times she was up in the Lido yesterday she met others who have been affected by the virus. One fellow, travelling with his girlfriend and aunt, told her that all three of them were affected over 6 days. He said they super sanitized their cabin twice. They missed what we consider to be the best part of the cruise! For sure, it was a significant part of the cruise. DM was told by another woman who is part of the Road Scholar group that 9 out of 19 of their group have been affected by the virus.

 

Last night for entertainment, they had The Marriage Game (which I've always enjoyed so I'm sorry I missed that), and a movie Kingsman: The Secret Service. They also had Jupiter Ascending in the Wajang Theatre.

 

That's it for now. Hopefully, I'll be sprung this afternoon and can provide better reporting later. There's something interesting happening this afternoon that I'd like to see. Otherwise, I'll have to try to get DM to take pictures which will require some training; I don't know how that will go over!!

 

 

I am surprised that your DM was not also quarantined.

I know a couple whose DH came down with the virus and both of them were told to stay in their cabin for 48 hours.

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judynorth

judynorth

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I am surprised that your DM was not also quarantined.

I know a couple whose DH came down with the virus and both of them were told to stay in their cabin for 48 hours.

 

Mothers and daughters aren't quite as close as husband and wife. :) Perhaps that is the reason.

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Cruising-along

Cruising-along

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Quick note to those embarking today in Montreal. If you read last night's post, you'll know that we were told that your embarkation will be delayed until 5 pm tonight.

 

I also want to reassure you that the crew is working incredibly hard to get this bug under control. All cabins with a currently infected person have a brownish sticker on the door frame and those cabins, like ours, that had an infected but released person in it, have an orange sticker. These rooms will receive special cleaning, in addition to regular cleaning. Whether or not you wish to do your own sanitization is up to you. I will say, that given the circumstances, it may not be a bad idea. Although, I will say, with our table of six (three pairs), only one person from each pair got infected. That leads me to believe that it's not always in the cabins but elsewhere on the ship. Of course, I'm no expert in such things but it seems logical.

 

It looks like all of the shops have been sanitized already. There are signs up indicating so. They must have done so after the shops closed last night at 11 pm.

 

I really hope that your cruise is unaffected by the virus. It's taken quite a toll on the crew. Please be kind to them as they are incredibly exhausted and overwhelmed by the effort required of them these past two weeks.

 

Do enjoy your cruise! It really has been one of the best ones we've taken!

 

Thank you again, I have really enjoyed reading your reports. And so glad to hear this has been one of the best for you. We loved that cruise. So interesting to hear about what happens when you're quarantined, and the alarms :eek::eek: Very informative! So glad you're feeling better!

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