A wonderful evening and another day at sea

In the late afternoon our suite AC stopped working. Someone came and said “Yes, it is hot in here.” We laughed for we knew without the aid of thermometers or sophisticated testing equipment it was HOT. They promised someone would come fix it, but as time went on we called again to receive the same assurance. 

We finally went to dinner about 6:30 just to escape the warm cabin.

We ate with an interesting couple from Boston who have already been on this ship 25 days in South America. They have traveled a great deal so the conversation was lively about places we’ve seen…the same ones…and different ones. Like us they have had many different travel experiences- some terrific and some not so terrific but still enjoy and feel the lure of traveling on.

After they left and we were waiting on a bottle of wine to take to the suite the two women sitting at the next little table began chatting. Turns out they are leaving the ship and going to spend 2 weeks at Anna Maria Island at the Blue Water’s Resort. They are from Ottawa, Canada and come every year to AMI. She said she wished she had known she’d meet us because they’d just made arrangements for a car to pick them up in Ft. Lauderdale and drive them to Anna Maria. We offered to give them a life if they can cancel their car…so we’ll see how that all works out.

Fortunately when we got back to 024 it was beginning to cool down. So grateful for that! We talked with a server in the Ocean Bar about coming back and sleeping on one of their large couches if our little home was still too warm. At least we didn’t have to do that.

Jim checked out the show with the comedian and stayed about 5 minutes. Said he wasn’t really very funny but the theater was packed. There do not appear to be any sort of lectures on this journey so we both are a bit disappointed.  Actually looking at the daily program we found most everything has a cost attached or would lead to a pitch to buy some extra spa, gym or salon services. I guess that is how they stay in business. The cost for the specialty restaurants has increased with some that were free and are now $20 a person.  Clearly I don’t understand how to run a cruise line in this modern age, but I do remember a more gentile day of sailing with Holland America when much more was included.

The ship’s captain is Captain Dag Dvergastein. Captain Dag was born and raised in Nevlunghavn, Norway- a small fishing village on the south coast of Norway where his family, generations of seafarers, can be traced back to the 15^th century. Captain Dag began his career in 1974 on the cargo ships of a well-known Norwegian shipping company call Wilh. Working his way from deckhand to Captain, as the company became involved with marine management, Captain Dag was offered a position in 1984 as Chief Officer of a new build, the Sea Goddess 1. He sailed her around the world until that company was sold to Cunard in 1986. He was offered the position of Captain at the French shipyard ACH in Le Havre onboard the new sailing cruise ship, the Wind Song. He sailed her and her sisters, Wind Star and Wind Spirit, until 1992 when he joined Seven Seas Cruise Line. He sailed their Song of the Flower and the twin-hulled Radisson Diamond until 2002 when he supervised the construction of the Seven Seas Voyager, sailing her around the world until 2010 when he joined Seabourn Cruise Line, sailing her ships until recently and is now taking command of the beautiful ms Prinsendam. When Captain Dag is not sailing he lives with his wife in Nevlunghavn, Norway in an old family home overlooking the outer Oslo fjord. A New York Times article I found said when he is home he often catches and poaches his family’s fish for dinner. We think he was the Captain when we cruised the fjords of Norway on the Voyager in 2008. I just remember how kind the Captain was and he made a point of sailing slowly by a village and waving to his mother. 

Today is December 21^st and Christmas is coming. The decorations aboard the ship are lovely. There is something almost everywhere you look. Trees,packages, gingerbread houses, garlands and wreaths. Great to see this, feel festive and not have to have spent time putting up nor taking down  decorations.

So today the seas are still rolling and the wind is still blowing….but as the old song says “we can weather the storm” aboard this fine vessel.