Live from the Eurodam Trans-Atlantic

[hulamoon]

Greetings from the MS Eurodam cabin 4187. Tonight the wake is beautiful under the navigation light; I love the sound of the sea breaking from the ship. The Captain has hinted there could be weather ahead but so far the stars are still shining and the breeze is easy. We are moving at 19 knots and may even be to Lisbon a couple of hours early. The forecast tomorrow is 68 degrees and sunny. This is the end of day two of our 18 day TA cruise. Upon embarkation we were greeted with happy competent staff. And I must say the passengers we have met are as mellow, mannered and pleasant. Our experience so far has more than met our expectations.

I surprised DH with lunch in the Tamarind. He is especially sensitive about his Asian cuisine, but he declared the blend of seasoning complex and delightful. We have dinner there tomorrow. But so far they are on track to be his favorite Asian restaurant and we live in Hawaii where Asian food is food. We found the Rembrandt beautiful and the food and service excellent. Even the Lido has been impressive with the only empty table being cleared as we searched for a place for breakfast.

So far, the staff on the cruise has left us feeling like we are in good hands and the few minor snafus were handled competently. There are a few procedures that would likely make the Suite Amenity Package easier on passengers, but for us anyway they were cleared up quickly. I also wonder about those gift cards with items we buy, they seem to be incorrect and for some of us confusing. I told a guest today to ignore them and just make sure the computer had the right number of meals credited. Neither of us could understand how we could confirm with Ships Services and have the number be off when on board. But I have the documentation and so does she. So we are going to chalk it up to a little thing do deal with if it proves to be an issue. I do not think it will be.

The muster drill was fast and probably because it is a TA, I paid very close attention. I have seen too many movies, and even usually logical DS said he dreamed of pirates and cruise ships. J

We checked movies out with Amber yesterday; she said she was coming back from vacation on the Noordam. She was a great employee and she said she was getting a list of the SA package guests to make the process easier.

We are hoping to ask some questions on upcoming ports with Ian Page the Travel Guide he seems as knowledgeable as anyone could be from his presentation today.

We dropped by the Triple Crown Cooking demo in the Culinary Arts Center today. I usually think chefs are interesting characters, but these 3 take the cake and bake it too. We have 4PG meals coming up and if the food is as good as the chef is funny well then we will be pleased.

Last night while star gazing, I spotted a bright blinking red and white light on an object, dare I say a UFO. I had plenty of fun watching it off the balcony and wondered how the object moved so fast and seemed to zig zag a bit. Today the fun of the whole experience crashed when I was told it was a satellite. I knew it could be, and the ship is moving, I am not used to seeing them from a moving ship.

Tomorrow I hope to have my full senses and be up to the time zone, we are now 7 hours off our usual clock. I would also like to spend some money at the spa, but confess to waiting for a special. It does not look too busy. I am glad to see acupuncture on board.

So in closing this cruise so far is very different than our last. We expected the ship to resemble to Zuiderdam but except for the spa and Crow’s Nest it is different. I will check in later tomorrow or the next day. They are teaching a class about how to blog tomorrow, so maybe their will be new writers here soon. If there are questions I will try to help.

[COLLEYBERRY]

Thank you for posting your delightful review.We sailed in 4183 on our Eurodam cruise and I could so easily picture the lovely wake you described.

So glad you enjoyed the Tamarind we also loved dining there.

Looking forward to reading more.

Keep a sharp eye out for anymore UFOs or those pesky pirates;)

H:)ppy Sailing

 

[mrskmirolla]

hulamoon, thank you so much for posting. Did you have your Meet & Greet? I have been thinking of all of you since yesterday and can hardly wait to meet up with you on the 13th.

May all your water be smooth and you have a great time!!!

Kathy

[hulamoon]

Monday April 28th 2009

At 7am we were awakened with a loud speaker message just above our heads. Basically it said “Brightstar to the Lido”. This was the second medical emergency that we knew of on our cruise. My husband slept on but for me I decided to get up and exercise. The gym was very busy, so I walked the Promenade and picked up 3 blisters for my efforts. I logged 2 miles then decided to track down Ian. My stalking abilities were lacking because he was not to be found after numerous attempts. On my last trek to the Explorers Lounge I heard an announcement; the ship was being diverted to Bermuda to drop off a passenger. We were told we would be within 3 miles of the island but we will not stop or get to leave the ship. The Captain announced we will stay on schedule for our ports of call.

I picked up breakfast at the Lido and found the lack of trays was indeed good for portion control. I found a table by the pool and noticed it was next to our Captain Bowland. He explained to me the sea was raging with storms but our course was perfectly set to avoid them.

Next I went to our Meet and Greet and met amazing people. This is the most social cruise I have been on and I found everyone I have met so far to be wonderful company. I met our hotel manager and discovered another passenger in our group was having issues with the Suite Amenity package but it was clear the Hotel Manager knew of the problem and was fixing it already. A couple of folks on our floor complained the rooms were cold. I always think the rooms are cold and had not thought to mention it but I did chime in that I thought the heat was rather cool in the room. He made notes and by the time we could walk from one end of the ship to the other there was someone in our room working on the problem!

At two we went to the port lecture by Ian. He gives a lively and informative lecture. I introduced myself and he asked me to meet him at 3pm. As it turned out this meeting was a group of passengers. We asked some questions and decided we were finished with port planning; we need to get on with the fun on the ship. My DH took his computer to the mainstage during the lecture to get a better wireless internet signal as the signal in our aft cabin is quite weak.

There are so many activities on the ship, I hope by the time we are through with the transit I can get to the dance classes and the photography classes.

We went back to the room and watched a movie we rented. Our package gives us popcorn with our movie. We were able to get some today, but need to give a days notice in advance. During the movie we had a call from DJ asking if the air was working properly. It was warmer for us but it also seemed to be circulating some cigarette smoke, which we had not noticed before it was fixed. She sent an ozone machine and it worked very well.

Tonight was our night at the Tamarind. My husband felt it was the best Asian restaurant he has experienced. I loved the dinnerware, the mini ladles and the glass teapot. Halfway through our two and half hour dinner I went out and snapped a few shots of Bermuda. It was hazy and the pictures will not be that good but it was an attempt. As I left I noticed a boat like a tender pulling away from the ship. Many silent prayers went with the passenger and the family.

For our evening entertainment we decided to go to the Screening Room to see “Last Chance Harvey” with our next-cabin neighbors. We arrived at 9:00 to ensure getting a seat and the room was filled by 9:30. The movie was a great end to our day.

 

Thanks for your encouragement.

:)

[JoKen1]

Sounds like you are having a lovely time. Would you mind trying to get a copy of the menus on board and also of the one at the Tamarind.

 

I'm going to be on Eurodam in cabin 5065 so I'm excited to see what is going to be served.

 

Thank you so much and enjoy every minute of your trip.

 

Joanne

[DFD1]

It is great to hear from you. Well done and fun to read. We love Eurodam and hope you continue having a grand time! Keep us posted!

[Susie51]

Thank you for posting. Your cheerful attitude makes reading about your experiences a pleasant past time.

[hulamoon]

This morning we ate at the Rembrandt. It was very good. DH loves Belgian waffles. We tried to get a good connection for the internet but it was very slow, many folks in the aft cabins have stopped trying.

Checked out the computer classes but they are so busy. Most of the passengers waited 30 to 40 minutes to get in to them.

Today we completed 9 laps around the ship on the Promenade deck, 3 miles, in preparation for dinner at the Pinnacle. Chef Brendon was impressive as was our waiter Firat. The lobster was small but the best tasting I have ever had. I have to tip toe around gluten-free items, so missed out on the Chocolate truffles but loved the onion soup, asparagus with béarnaise and trio of Crème Brule.

I will see if I can get a copy of menus before our ports begin.

We have been tired and trying to spend time out of the room to let the ozone work. So far no asthma, but I am carrying the rescue inhaler just in case. I made some rules for myself, such as I am not going to walk on the starboard side of our deck nor will I walk through the casino as the smell of cigarette smoke is too much. Holding my breath just isn’t working right now.

DH was skeptical about the ships claim that they could launch the lifeboats manually if the ship lost power, but while walking the promenade we ran into two ships officers who explained that the cranes were pre-pressurized when the lifeboats are loaded and all they have to do is release the latch and the cranes lower the life boats. They also have two jet boats are onboard. In the event of a full evacuation, the crew will leave in inflatable rafts. The rafts will be tied together and towed by the jet boats.

DH took me to tea, but he misread the schedule and we had tea while watching napkin folding demonstrations. When we left we ended up finding the correct tea. No music like we hoped but maybe another day. When we have heard the string quartet in passing they have sounded very good.

We are just going through the motions with renting movies with the suite amenity package. The truth is the ones in the screening room are better and so are the ones for free on TV. So we will not try so hard. Having to order popcorn a day a head is silly. Today we learned if we aren’t in our room when they come to deliver the popcorn, they may not leave it. So DH cancelled the popcorn for port days. Movies are fun for us, but we like movies and popcorn spontaneously. This is too much work. I suggest they change this part of the package.

To see movies in the Screening Room, passengers are showing up an hour early to nap and read so they can get a seat. But, the next day it is on TV.

[JoKen1]

Sounds like you are having a nice time. Can you answer a question for me. I'm going to be in cabin 5065 which I believe is on the starboard side of the ship. Do you think the smoking from the floors below will bother me if I'm out on the balcony? I can not be around smoke either and while I know people are allowed to smoke on their balcony I can always make sure they are not out there when I go outside. But, if the smoke from the people below will be so bad that I can't enjoy my balcony I'll need to make sure my room is changed before I leave.

 

Thanks so much!

 

Can't wait to hear more about your cruise.

Is there an actual movie theater on the ship or is it like the others where they just put a portable screen in another room for the movies?

 

Have fun.

Joanne

[mrskmirolla]

HULAMOON, thank you so much for taking the time to post, it makes me feel like I am right there with you. Did you have the Mariners Brunch yet, if so what did they serve???? And please, please tell me you have had some bread pudding!! I got my Mariners magazine today and they have the recipe in it and my husband said to make sure we save it.

Smooth sailing.

Kathy

[RuthC]

Is there an actual movie theater on the ship or is it like the others where they just put a portable screen in another room for the movies?

There's a real movie theatre on the E-dam, but it's very small with few (albeit comfortable) seats.

[jtl513]

Last night while star gazing, I spotted a bright blinking red and white light on an object, dare I say a UFO. I had plenty of fun watching it off the balcony and wondered how the object moved so fast and seemed to zig zag a bit. Today the fun of the whole experience crashed when I was told it was a satellite.

A blinking red and white light on a satellite?? A UFO is far more likely!! (I.e., a plane.) Seriously, the only possible light you could see on a satellite would be sun reflection: solid white. Keep binoculars handy while you're star gazing from now on! :D

[hulamoon]

This morning I strolled around the ship. I tried to go forward from the spa the way we could on the Zuiderdam, but no luck. I did discover from a spa employee that deck 5 had a passageway to an outside deck of the ship forward. It was closed due to our high speeds. But I will try to see it as we get to closer to ports.

The Lido was packed and it seems to me the Lido cabanas are a hit. Many passengers rented them and laughed while people watching all day. I asked a party of 3 how it was going and they said it was the most fun they have had since the cruise began. Upstairs the sanctuary seems barely used. I think the wind from our fast trip may make it less attractive right now and there are seats available elsewhere you just have to look for them. The aft pool was crowded with Speedo-wearing passengers today, the sun was out and I was surprised how warm it was. The horizon was sharply contrasted today and beautiful.

DH just couldn’t get out of bed. I think the slow drip of losing hour by hour is tougher than we expected. We are now 9 hours ahead of our home, and I believe we have 3 more to go.

I gave up on the computer classes, but I see the passengers have adopted the same strategy for the computer classes as the Screening Room. Take a book and wait 30 to 60 minutes to make sure you get a seat. Most of the bar areas and the Silk Den have passengers lounging around reading books.

I went to Ian’s lecture on Great Britain today. He is a good lecturer and he has office hours posted now. I ran into Amber from the Explorations library today and she was cheerful as ever. She teaches line dancing at noon and says she has a blast doing that.

Tomorrow I am choosing a couple activities at the same time. A plan A and a plan B, this way if one if full I will just go the next class.

I haven’t mentioned our room much but I have a couple of details. Our tub is small but deep. Works well for me a short person and works like a Japanese soaking tub for my husband only not as deep. The tub looks a little worn for a 9 month old, but it is perfectly functional. The water is nice and hot. Our balcony is on the stern and gets some black sooty material and I think trash from somewhere maybe the upper decks. I use towels on the chairs to not stain clothes. It was so warm today out there I had to take some breaks inside. The balcony is very private, completely private from the ones on either side. Others have mentioned this, but the closet is dark. I do have to use the bathroom light to see inside. I gave DH the closets with the least light as he has fewer clothes.

I have not spotted any sea life, pirates or UFO’s. J I used the rescue inhaler today, should really have done that yesterday, it made the day much better. We still turn on the ozone machine when we leave the room. I know I am more sensitive than most, but I am still hopeful someday there will be some type of air filtration to cut down on the shared air fumes. It would be nice if they didn’t circulate so readily.

We are enjoying the laundry package with the Suite Amenities. Instead of waiting to fill a bag we wash every day. I spoke to our popcorn delivery person today and realized he worked in the bar. I asked him to just leave the popcorn at the door if I am not in. It does still seem odd it is the most difficult thing about the package. Some in our group believe we will get full Pinnacle breakfast at the end of the cruise, but it is not listed, so will try to get more information as we get closer to that fateful day.

We ate at the Rembrandt this evening and I had an amazing dinner again there. This kitchen is fabulous. This is the type of cruise food we first discovered years ago. I recommend the Salmon highly. Dinner did take 2 hours tonight and that seems normal. 2 to 3 hours. But you can get in and out of the Lido very fast. Our dinner mates cruise a lot but this is their first HAL cruise, they usually travel with Celebrity. They told us the food they have had on this cruise is better than any cruise they have every booked.

During our first hour on the ship we tried to sign up for the special cooking classes for 12 people. They were booked completely with 20 on the waiting list for all 3. But I did notice there are additional cooking experiences being offered. Chef Brendon is offering a tour for buying ingredients in Lisbon and to have a special meal at the Pinnacle. Wow! If I did not have a tour set up already I would do this, it is $75.pp

We saw Luke Barrage, the juggler, tonight; he is hysterically funny. We got some good belly laughs from his show.

We lose another hour tomorrow. I think I finally am in the groove of the cruise and more focused on rest and relaxation.

The staff is so good on the cruise, we are very happy. The most important things to us are food service and trust, and we couldn’t be more pleased. Our cabin steward asked if DH was okay this morning. I wondered if he wanted to make sure he wasn’t sick with the bug, but he seemed genuinely caring.

Tomorrow I am going to attend the High Tea and a couple of lectures. Who knows, if the computer class opens up I may end up there too.

I took some photos of menus today while DH slept the day away. I will attempt to send the Tamarind menu and picture of our flowers and cheese tray. The other menus had glare and did not take well.

More later, and hopefully I can continue to post before midnight rather than after.

[hulamoon]

Here is the Menu from the Tamarind:

[hulamoon]

More Tamarind menus:

[hulamoon]

More pictures:

[hulamoon]

Sometimes I entertain myself with whimsy, I did know those lights were manmade because they did not looklike the UFO lights I have seen before:D But it was at night, so didn't see the object of interest.

 

I am not sure how to help with the smoking issue. If people are smoking around you, you are going to smell smoke. Bring your inhaler. I don't know who is getting off or staying on for your trip.I can say now the smell is intense much further back than your cabin on the 4th deck starboard side. So that smoke, if it is still happening will not likely blow forward.

[JoKen1]

Thanks so much for answering all my questions and posting the menu. You saved me from eating there. Not because the food didn't sound good but because I don't eat meat or fish so there isn't that much for me there. But if it were three years ago I sure would have.

 

That picture you posted of the water is so beautiful. The sun rays look like Heaven is smiling down on you. So lovely. I'm jealous and wish I was there with you.

 

Glad to know you need to get to the classes and movies early. I'll have to remember that.

 

I love sleeping as the sea rocks you to sleep so playing catch up on the time and sleep sounds wonderful to me.

 

Glad you are having a nice time. Looking forward to hear more about your trip.

 

Joanne

[mrskmirolla]

Sharie I am so enjoying your post, I sure wish we could meet up. I know you leave on the 13th and we get on.

Keep posting I love it.

Kathy

[hulamoon]

This morning I woke up and I no longer smelled smoke in our room or in the hall. I am excited about this! We were part of the late breakfast crowd to get through the Lido.

DH noticed that Chef Tino had a presentation today in the Culinary Center. He loved it and picked up a signed cookbook.

I was tired and not quite awake so we went to deck 3 to grab a chair in the screening room. We were greeted with the not so gentle noise of snorers and others reading, but found 2 chairs. I stepped across the hall and spoke to the Microsoft instructor. He said that he had handouts I could pick up at the end of the cruise if they continued to be so busy. Valkyrie was a better movie than I expected, and I think there were a few tears even though we knew the ending.

Next we went to the High Tea in the Crows Nest. Very nice. Afterwards we toured the promenade with a fellow CC member; nine laps sure went fast with some company. We have a cocktail habit with a CC couple each evening. We are not big drinkers usually and even 1 drink a day is a lot for us but we have had some fun with this taking the cheese platters into each others rooms and sharing a bottle of wine. We have been skipping lunch each day to make more room for the dinners.

Tonight was formal evening, and the food was exceptional. My steak was butter-cutting tender. Our table raved about it. AYW dining has been a big success, all the waiters we have had were very professional. . We discovered the neighbors on the other side of us will be doing the Chef Brendon tour and meal in Lisbon, so I can report how it goes from their point of view. They told us the Pinnacle would be closed except for those on the tour and he would be cooking the food they bought that day.

We get 1 mbps from our room and 11 mbps if we go to midship. DH found out that we can get 5.5 mbps sitting in the bathroom. So I will close now and send this, read any questions and then try to get to bed before 2am. We lose another hour today.

The days are going by too fast!

[hulamoon]

Joanne,

 

All the restaurants have a small selection of vegeterian food. Tamarind probably has some of the best; it is under the Earth heading. But you can surely get Vegetarian in any of the restaurants.

[mrskmirolla]

Sharie as anxious that I am for the 13th for your sake and the others aboard I will wish this week to go slowwwww:D And I guess I might need some extra time to prepare for the 13th.

Smooth waters to you!!

Kathy

[hulamoon]

This was a tough morning to get going. But finally I made it to breakfast in the Rembrandt staff and other guests. We stopped in to lend support to our cabin steward who is doing the towel folding demonstration. Putu has worked for HAL for 9 years. We also stopped in to the history lecture, but it was on early American settlement relations. It was informative, but a grim history as the instructor said.

Computer Classes

After leaving we noticed only 12 people standing in wait for the computer class, so DH went back to the room to get a book and we waited for the class on designing a webpage. We stayed late as the connection took most of the class, but it was a good intro to windows live. Our instructor was tired too and he comes from the east coast. There are currently 8 classes that rotate and repeat and 3 more to come. They are working on getting more bandwidth. We also heard from a fellow CC’er that if we opened our cabin door we could get online, we will try that rather than sitting in the bathroom. We just began to get channels again after a few days.

Active Adults

You may have seen the commercials with active good looking mature adults having fun on ships? Well, this is who is cruising with us, the classes are full, the gym is filled, decades older adults pass me on the promenade, it is quite a trip, and I think good models for how to enjoy retirement. Betty, a CC, mentioned to me the TA has been like being back in school, and it has for many of us. We are rushing to get to all the activities.

Dance Hosts

At breakfast a passenger was upset that there were no dance host and we learned from the cruise director Nancy, that there will not be any that they will guarantee unless there are 30 day cruises.

Spa

Finally we signed up for the Thermal Spa, we loved it on our last cruise and were happy to see many other CCer’s in the pool. Some of what we loved about it is different on this ship though. The pool is not so warm, today below body temperature and the main jet that spurt out like a waterfall seem to have shower heads on them, so all they really do is make your hair wet, they also are cool rather than warm. The jets around the edges work, but unless you have a snorkel you cannot get a good neck shoulder and upper body massage. We mentioned these things to the staff, but they do not seem to understand the issue about the spouts as they said they do come out forcefully. We saw the pictures on TV in the room and they do come out forcefully in those photos. Mike lost his watch in the spa. He either left it on the counter or put it in the pocket of his robe and put that in the laundry. The staff is very efficient and the laundry was gone. The staff said they would keep an eye out for his watch. It is one we picked on discounted on a ship so it isn’t a huge loss, but it would be great if someone would go through the pockets of the robes.

We met with the FCC couple today. We do not understand the program, as others we speak to mention big savings. She did say a paper would be forth coming so we can look it over.

Our dinner was at the Pinnacle this evening. The three guests I dined with loved their meal. I am GF, so for me it was a repeat of the last meal I had there. My steak was so good in the dining room the night before I didn’t get one tonight, but had a bite of my husbands, it was excellent.. All the rules that worked for the gluten free diet on my last cruise do not apply to this one. I have found the best and most attentive place to be the Rembrandt dining room. I am thrilled with this, but it does mean the specialty restaurants are more thrilling for my husband than for me.

During the comedy show tonight the fire alarm went off. Later the Captain, whose dinner at the PG was interrupted, told us it was more precautionary than an actual fire in the engine room. The comedian did a great job with the interruption.

Finally, I have spotted sea life, with witnesses. Some fins skimming along the surface of the water behind the ship. It was twilight, so not sure what it was, could have been flying fish, but we saw one or two at a time.

May 2nd: The Azores

Land Ho!

We first saw the Azores at breakfast and were docked at about 3:00pm. We walked to the parks and window shopped. It is a beautiful little town. We came back early to go to the thermal suite. No watch was found. They asked us to file a missing watch report.

Tonight at sail away deck 4 aft is having a party. We are opening the balconies and toasting the Azores. Ian says it is pronounced Ajores. Better go, we have company coming!

[hulamoon]

For sail away from The Azores, we opened the balconies of 3 cabins on deck 4, we provided chocolate martinis, Surfgram brought wine she picked up in the Azores labeled Atlantis and a local cheese. Those of us getting cheese delivered everyday brought that out and we enjoyed watching the water and feeling the ship moving from port to continue 900 more miles to Lisbon. At first I needed my full coat, but in about 30 minutes it warmed up. We were having so much fun small dolphins showed up to see what the fuss was about and then we finally saw spout from several whales. I asked if anyone really felt like the Azores could be the remnant of Atlantis. Although it was a nice island we were not quite convinced. At dinner last night we also spotted more whale spouts and the water became rougher. Last I heard the swell was two meters high, but seemed higher. At the end of our party, spray from the ocean and black specks from the stacks fell onto the balconies. Visibility is much improved with all of the cabin’s partitions open.

DH spent sometime reading and sending emails this afternoon in the Explorations Café. The Internet connection dropped 3 times and each time all was lost. It is very frustrating. We will look for an Internet Café in Lisbon

Weather and Promenade

This morning we woke up late and a little resentful we lost another hour. I will not be mixing wine from Atlantis and chocolate martinis again. We checked the soaking wet balcony and there is no way anyone could sit out there with the water splashing on it. After lunch (we got up late!) we had planned our nine laps but it was too dangerous and the crew was sealing off access. Those who did get out before it was closed reported water splashing over the side. The white caps kept us on our toes all day and are just now settling down a little. There was a rumor that the wind speed raised to 55 knots but I heard for sure it was over 30 from the captain.

Tomorrow our Captain leaves and a new one boards, who I believe is the regular Captain. Sorry, will get his name tomorrow.

Spa

We were amused in the spa watching the waves in the thermal suite. There is very little water in the pool at this time. It was cool and other guests told me some days it was frigid. The sauna was very hot but for water we had to trek down to the relaxation room and they had only glass glasses and it seems to me they should be plastic in a ceramic room with barefoot guests.

Formal Night

I had another amazing night in the dining room. The filet mignon and lobster tail were fabulous. The food quality on the Eurodam still impresses as does the service. I asked if we could hurry during dinner and darn if they didn’t have us out 85 minutes; very impressive to me. DH is longing for the Tamarind, so we are tying to figure out how to get that into the schedule.

Ocean Bar

I like the Ocean Bar; it was packed and very pleasant. There will be a band change in Copenhagen. The singer, Beau, is a talented Maori and will be joining the Maasdam in June.

Lisbon

We get into Lisbon two hours early, what a treat this will be. We are in port for almost two days.

Black and White Ball

After listening to Brenda Cochrane, who had a strong voice, we danced at the black and white ball. It was sweet, but set up in the Queens Lounge, not a very big location for a big ship. We left after 4 dances when the crew came in to dance with the passengers. I would say the room had many colors, so I would not hesitate to go again if it turned out my formal wear was not without the color range. I had no idea we would have a ball.

Suite Amenity Package

We began with canapés, and then changed to gluten free canapés. After I realized I do not like canapés, we switched to cheese. I have never eaten so much cheese in my life, so we are asking if something else is possible. I don’t know what, but I am cheesed out. Also I believe we can call room service to get this any time we want anyway, so not much value as a package unless you can schedule high tea or canapés. We like high tea, but it isn’t so much of a burden to walk down the hall for it. We may switch one of our PG dinners to the Tamarind. DH is going through withdrawals. We haven’t gotten new flowers yet; we expected them by now.

[hulamoon]

The ship was rocking last night, it is one thing to be rocked gently asleep and quite another to feel yourself slipping in bed. Finally, I put a pillow up against the headboard just so I would not bump my head. It never came to that, but better safe than sorry.

Lisbon

A few days ago I was told by the Explorer staff that all of the Portuguese books disappeared from the library, so they took all the other reference books aside and ask for key cards to look at them. The balcony was wet again when we got up but in a short time the ocean was as smooth as a pond. We were going to watch the entrance to the Tagus River to Lisbon from our balcony but it was being washed so I went to deck five forward and watched the beautiful scenery. This port is stunning. The sky was clear blue and they have a suspension bridge that is shorter but similar and just as charming as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Across from the bridge is a large figure of Christ with his hands spread over the city that was built when Portugal entered World War Two. I did not expect to be so moved by the loveliness and the gentle energy of the city. Originally I was attracted to Hawaii because of it’s blending of cultures, and this city has an even longer history is blending people into one community. DH’s great grandfather was Portuguese and moved to Hawaii to be an interpreter of the court, he spoke many languages. He died a young age in Hawaii but left a daughter, my husband’s grandmother. I wondered what it must have been like to leave this city for Hawaii over 100 years ago.

As we left the ship there were bag pipes and drums played for us, we laughed and waved and boarded the blue line to tour with the Hop on Hop off bus. The city was clean and friendly and I hope to spend more time there another time. Tomorrow we take a private eight hour tour.

Rembrandt

Our service was excellent again this evening but the food was not so good. My avocado salad did not have avocados and some of the lettuce was rotten. I picked through it and ate a little chicken and then will call it a night to try to wake up in time for the tour. I also knew that a delivery was made to my rooms from our Suite Amenity package. The staff was understanding about our cheese overdose and kindly brought some fruit and chocolate.

Hot Chocolate in Lido

There are no hot chocolate packages in the Lido; there is a hot chocolate machine. I mention this as I remember a thread about it recently.

Captain Jonathon Mercer joined our ship today and will be taking us the rest of the way to Copenhagen.