July 5th- A Day At Sea

Bonzai in the Dining Room

Dining & Living Space-plus desk with window

We had a glorious day at sea on this July 5^th. Slept in and had room service breakfast. We gathered our third and last round of laundry, read and relaxed. All through the morning various groupings of the kids dropped by to chat. Kate and Bill did a big round of packing and repacking of clothes that were going back to Sydney or NC.

We went to a special lunch for those Mariners with 3 and 4 stars. Lots of people wore their big medallions but we had chosen to leave ours at home in the interest of the weight.  It was a small group of folks and we had some interesting conversations. The Front Desk Officer sat with us and she was full of information. An Australian couple had been aboard another Holland America ship just before this cruise and they watched a couple who had not participated in the lifeboat drill be forcefully escorted from the ship and not permitted to sail. They do say that now if you don't do the drill you will not be permitted to sail and I guess they mean it!.

The Front Desk Officer said before the Costa disaster they were fairly casual about all of the safety stuff but the protocol has changed and EVERYONE must be present or they will not sail. Makes good sense to me.

Ella and her porthole creation

Ella did the Club Hal program and made tons of crafts. Her porthole using markers, paper plates and foam sea creatures was so cute. She proudly brought them down for us to see.  I believe the Club Hal program for that age must keep the Crayon Model Magic in business- based on how much she used.

Will and Christopher said $150 each for a tour of the backstage of the ship. They saw the engine room, the bridge, and talked with the Captain. They visited the laundry, the galley, and a place where the CO2 of each stateroom could be monitored. They checked out their own suite to see the CO2 level. Will said the worst job he saw was the guy who labels ALL the dirty laundry with those tiny laundry mark strips. It never occurred to me that that gets redone every time you send even the same piece of clothing to the laundry. Different colors are used to indicate the day and service required at that time. They learned that the flowers on the ship are kept in the morgue- that has space for 4 bodies but was unoccupied at the moment.

Ella and Kathryn did a Family Photo Scavenger Hunt around the ship. They came to show the photos they had taken of all the spots on the list. We heard lots of noise on the open decks and we decided that is what it was since they had 30 minutes to complete the tasks.

Kitchen/Pantry

It was a glorious day sitting outside on the balcony and watching the water glide by while being cooled by a gentle breeze. We have been so spoiled by this space. 

Our Kitchen/Pantry has a full-sized refrigerator, a commercial microwave, a serious coffee pot and its own private door for the wait staff. The buffet in the Dining Room contains enough silver flatware to have a real party. What a marvelous place to entertain.

Ella and Jack

Bill’s family dropped by to share some photos. The Photo Gallery makes it possible to purchase digital images and the copyright so all can be shared. Here is the Barnett crowd boarding the ship and also Ella and Jack the first formal night.  Jack came to deliver the message that it was “unfair” that we had to get off the ship in 2 days. I certainly agree with him about that!  This has been so wonderful. Being together but with the opportunity for each family to explore the ports, the ships, and cruising life in their own style.