Two important notices today:
- We could not upload a new post for the past few days due to a WiFi outage on the ship. This morning it was working again.
- The automatic email messages may not work, and due to the poor WiFi connection, there is no way I can focus on this while cruising. We may not be able to work on this until we return to South Africa after May 25th. In the interim, to see the new daily post, please set a bookmark for: www.worldwidewaftage.com and click on it daily. Once I complete and upload each new day’s post, it will be there.
My generous portion of shrimp cocktail minus the sauce.
After Tom checked out the various posts on Cruisecritic.com, he noticed that a passenger on this cruise wrote there was one case of a passenger with Covid on the ship. Also, the pastry chef and his sous chefs all have COVID and are in isolation.
At this point, there’s been no mention if it’s Omicron or another variant. Nor have we heard anything about Covid during the Captain’s daily announcements. We can only wait and see what happens and continue to exercise caution to our ability.
I was enthused to post new food photos since the dining room manager, and the chef promised to improve the quality of my meals. They have done so with considerable aplomb. The past three nights since my conversations with them, they have taken it up themselves to ensure I have consistently good hot, fresh, well-seasoned, and well-prepared entrees suitable for my way of eating.
My steak was indeed prepared rare three nights ago, and the last two night’s grilled seafood platters atop a bed of lightly buttered cooked cabbage were delightful, so much so that I ordered the same meal for three consecutive nights.
Last night was a dress-up night, but I didn’t wear any of my new dresses. I’ve decided to “save them” for Queen Mary 2 when every night is dressed up to some degree. Tom did the same, avoiding wearing his new suit and shirts until the upcoming Queen Mary 2 cruise.
Have we been having a good time? Absolutely! Not only are we enjoying every moment together, but we have also met so many people it’s hard to keep track of who’s who. I am slightly better at remembering names than Tom but still struggle to recall the names of everyone we meet.
It’s embarrassing to forget the names of the many lovely passengers we’ve met, and we feel bad when we see them later and are at a loss to recall their names. But, one group stands out in our minds: Ceara, Laura, and Jos, adult daughter and husband, and wife. They are lovely people whose company we’ve thoroughly on many occasions.
A few nights ago, we met two more great couples, all from Boston, near where I was born. The “boys” sat in a huddle and chatted while us three “girls” did the same. We didn’t head up to our cabin until 1:00 am.
The past few mornings, we slept in, missing breakfast entirely. Instead, we went to the buffet for lunch, but neither of us enjoyed the items we selected. With a one-hour-forward time change, by the time we got ready for bed the past few nights and finally dozed off, it was going on to 3:00 am, the new time.
We are scheduled to arrive in the Azores and Portugal over the next few days, hoping to get off the ship in each location, depending on weather conditions.
Be well.
Photo from one year ago today, April 13, 2021:
