February 27 - Crossing the International Date Line

I broke down and bought the ship's internet yesterday.  Partly because the price fell to a rate that didn't give me palpitations and partly because as we start visiting ports I've never been to before I don't want to spend limited port time on my computer.  So here I am, sitting in the Crow's Nest enjoying a panoramic view of the very calm sea.

Feel free to skip directly to the photos at the end.

Here are some random observations from the last couple of days.

• Yesterday I went to the Dive In for lunch.  I love their burgers and sweet potato fries more than I should.  As I waited for my food to be ready a gentleman asked if he could share my table.  We ended up spending almost two hours together, chatting over our burgers.
  
  Jim is a 90 year old widow from Las Vegas who has done five world cruises plus a LOT of other cruises and travel.  His stories were fascinating.  His dad was a career Navy officer and got Harry Truman to recommend Jim to the Naval Academy.  Wow.  He went on to tell me a story about a rowing competition.  He was on a team with Jim Lovell who went on to be Commander of Apollo 8.
  
  Jim went on to tell me stories about his career as an engineer in the Army Corps of Engineers and then for Boeing where he tested missile launches.  We also talked about his 57 year marriage and then chatted about child rearing and respect and the changes we've both seen over the years.
  
  It was a lovely couple of hours.  One of the things I really enjoy on this trip is talking to seniors who've lived such amazing lives and have wonderful stories to tell.  I'm going to steal one of Jim's lines - when asked what he does on such long cruises, his stock reply is "As little as possible."  He shares my view that it's nice that they have a variety of entertainment options but that doesn't mean you have to go to them.
• I hate elevators.  I've been stuck in elevators three times prior to this trip.  Once, on a Sunday morning, in a closed bank with no one else in the building (I worked there and was putting in some overtime).  Then on an elevator in San Francisco, between the 22-23 floors.  And one horrible time in Jamestown NY. 
  
  It was Superbowl Sunday and I'd met a couple guys on my flight in that morning and we met in the bar at our hotel to watch the game and drink some beer.  I left at half-time to go back to my room.  And got stuck in the elevator.  Do you know how long it takes to get an elevator repairman during the Superbowl?  It seemed very long since I'd had a couple of beers and had been heading to the bathroom.  I held it but set a land speed record getting to the bathroom once they finally had the doors open.
  
  The elevators on the Amsterdam seem to have problems.  It is not unusual to have at least one in a bank of four to be out of order.  This morning, the forward bank of elevators that I typically take had two of the four out of commission.
  
  Twice so far I've been "stuck" briefly in the elevators here.  Both times only lasted a few minutes but were scary.  The first time after I pressed the floor I wanted, the doors shut then all the floors lit up but the doors wouldn't open and we didn't move.  After a few minutes of me breathing hard and pressing the "door open" button repeatedly, the doors did open.  The second time I pressed the floor I wanted, the doors closed and we started moving but stopped at every floor but the doors wouldn't open.  The elevator finally took me back to deck 8, where I'd started and the doors finally opened.
  
  It always makes me happy to be on an elevator with someone carrying food and drinks.  At least if we get stuck we'll have sustenance. 
• Big news about breakfast in the Lido.  Seems they took the suggestion of a passenger to have a daily breakfast special.  I noticed the other day they had a plate on display with steak and eggs.  Yesterday was stuffed French toast.  I didn't pay much attention and didn't realize they were only there for that day.
  
  Today I sat next to a woman who was happily eating biscuits and gravy.  I had my standard fruit and shot of muesli.  She explained that the dish was the new daily special.  Dang.  Good for my diet but I LOVE biscuits and gravy.
• The ship celebrated Mardi Gras yesterday, in a very low key way.  They handed out bead in the Lido and MDR and had special lighting for a party in the Crow's Nest.  I didn't go so don't know what they did or how many people were there.  One of the bar servers and I were talking yesterday and she said after 8 p.m. there are typically only 10-15 people there.
• The flowers are back!  I've enjoyed all of the creative fresh flower arrangements around the ship (there were no fresh flowers on the Zuiderdam and Westerdam last year when I was on) so was very disappointed when suddenly all the large vases were empty.  Good news, new flower arrangements have appeared and they're beautiful.  A bit surprising that the theme seems Asian instead of Polynesian but who cares.
• Rumors are flying!  As the Corona Virus spreads, the speculation about the impact on our itinerary grows.  I can't imagine how challenging this is for HAL corporate.  One of the hot rumors is that we'll skip anywhere in/near Asia and instead spend more time in New Zealand and Australia.  Since we're due to arrive in New Zealand in a few days, they'll need to make the decision soon, if there's any truth to the rumor.
  
  I was at Guest Services today on my regular movie run and overheard a guest asking about what changes might be coming.  The official answer is that as soon as HAL in Seattle informs the Captain, he'll let us know.  As of now, we're continuing on our planned itinerary.
  
  The other rumor is that Orlando Ashford, HAL President is coming on board.  His wife, son and others have been on board since Ft. Lauderdale.  I'm guessing that he's a wee bit busy since the entire fleet is being impacted by the virus and their stock prices are tanking.  But, could be a good PR move since some of the most loyal passengers are on this ship.  Who knows?  I just know I'm very happy to not be the one making the decisions.
  
  Bottom line, it's out of my control and I'll be ok with whatever they decide is most prudent.
• Well, that's disappointing.  I just got a voicemail message from a stranger.  He's mad because I called him two days ago and hung up on him.  Except I didn't.  My guess is that one of the evil robocall companies is using my phone number to make their calls.  I did the same thing last year - called back the local number that had called me.  It was a very nice lady who had no idea her number was being used.  If you know of something I can/should do about it, please let me know.
• I'm off to lunch now.  Tomorrow is Tonga and I'm looking forward to a new country and seeing how it compares to Samoa since I almost ended up in Tonga as a Peace Corps Volunteer.
  
  Here are some photos.   Just kidding.  After trying to upload photos for a couple of hours, I give up.  I'll try again later.  Currently the internet is just too slow on the ship.

 

Took a minute to wrap my brain around this one.  Today is February 29 and Google says it's March 1, just to make things more challenging.

No Wednesday for me!

Sooooooo good.  I'm going to learn to make cappuccino mouse.

The flowers are back.  Ironic that they have a Chinese theme, given the virus situation.  Also interesting that we're deep into the South Pacific but no tropical flowers.

Everyone was talking about how calm the seas were all day.  Literally, all day.  Beautiful and happy we weren't under sail.