Friday, July 29, 2022
Since we were not scheduled to leave until 8:00, there was no pre-dinner slot play tonight. We spent time on the Sea View deck watching all the sailboats.
Decided to eat in the Lido. I had some of the chicken pot pie. Chuck was right – it was very good.
After dinner, we listened to a set of the Ocean Bar band and then went to the main stage for tonight’s show – Iris Kroes. We had spent some time debating on whether or not to go because she was advertised as a harpist. We decided that we would go but sit toward the back in case we didn’t like it.
Very glad we went. She was the winner of “The Voice of Holland” – similar to the “The Voice” show here. She had a beautiful voice, much like Adele, and her harp playing was very impressive. She received a standing ovation.
We finished the night listening to the last set of the Ocean Bar band.
Woke up at 6:00 with sunlight pouring into the room. Someone forgot to close and pin the curtains together. Won’t mention any names (Chuck).
I decided to go ahead and get up and check on my laptop. I had left it on all night to see if I could get more of my photos to upload to the Cloud. I still had 340 left to upload. Ugh! The Internet is so slow.
For most of the day, I worked on processing the photos that had uploaded. Chuck was getting in some pool time. I took a break for lunch because the Lido was featuring Irish dishes. I tried the beef and Guinness stew. I had liked it in Dublin when I had some in 2019. The crew tried to recreate it, but the beef tips were tough, and the gravy was thin. I had a piece of Irish bread that tasted more like one their rubbery pancakes. I usually like all the Lido food but today was a culinary fail in my opinion.
At 2:30, I had an appointment with the Future Cruise Consultant (FCC) on board. Each cruise has one and he/she normally has access to see more cruises than you can see on the HAL website. The FCC can help you select one – you get some onboard credit for booking it and then the reservation can get sent to your normal travel agent (if you have one) to complete the reservation closer to the time you sail.
I wanted to ask her about our Fall 2023 planned cruise to northern Europe. The trip I had booked included an overnight stop in St. Petersburg. I knew that port would be cancelled but I was interested in knowing if other ports would be cancelled also.
She said it just so happened that she got an email that morning about the revised itinerary. Yes, St. Petersburg was out. All the other ports were staying but some of the port days had been rearranged. She also said that a new port would be added – Riga, Latvia. She said she believed I would be receiving the new itinerary in a few weeks. We still have a lot of time before we have to decide whether to keep the cruise or not.
Wasn’t long before it was time for Gala night or as it is now known – “Dressy” night. I noticed in today’s planner that tonight is Pinnacle Gala night. We participated in that night on the South Pacific cruise because the date fell on our anniversary, and we (okay, I) wanted to do something special.
The meal is an upcharge, above even the regular price of a Pinnacle meal, with a special set menu coupled with wine pairings for each course. We enjoyed that night but don’t feel the need to repeat it. I understand some people never miss it if it is offered on their cruise.
Fondest Travel Memories 