Argghh, matey! Sometime this morning we traversed the straight between Cuba and Haiti, but there’s nothing to be seen on the horizon but some distant mountains that must be Cuba’s southeast coast. We keep track of the ship’s progress through the map on the tv’s channel 15. 16 has a camera that points over the bow so we can monitor the weather and sea conditions. Everything is calm at the moment.
Today is a sea day, so we’ll just loaf around the ship. Breakfast at the buffet, which has just about everything imaginable, from full English to carved meats to cook-to-order omelets to yoghurts and fruits. We sort of settled into a routine of poached eggs for Loni and oatmeal for me, supplemented of course by bacon or sausages, a pile of fruit, and one or two pastries or rolls. After, we hiked up to deck 11 to check out the view from the forward lounge. This is one of our favorite spots on the ship to flake out and read, or catch a rainbow or two.
About mid-morning we went off to ouor first lecture on the flora and fauna of Central America. Unfortunately, the naturalist on board for this cruise was not an effective speaker, and constantly got lost in her slides, endlessly backing up or searching for her place. We snuck out after 15 minutes and read until lunch, which we took in the sitdown restaurant. We ate with a couple from Boston (she by way of the Australian outback), and a Mormon couple from Utah, natch, who were NOT annoying and very outgoing. Duck for Loni, pesto pasta for me with a crumble dessert. Yes, I could get used to this. Yea, overactive metabolism!
Mid afternoon we took another shot at a lecture, and this time hit the jackpot. Bill Fall was the onboard lecturer on all things Canal, and boy was he worth it. We both think that he made the cruise much more memorable than it would have been otherwise. He was born to American parents in the Canal Zone when it was still under U.S. control, grew up there through high school and a bit beyond, and was loaded with stories, insights, personal photos, and information that would have done McCullough proud. Over the course of the cruise he gave four lectures on the Canal, and gave a running commentary from the bridge that was broadcast throughout the ship for the full day that we traversed the crossing. If you ever are thinking of a Celebrity cruise through the Canal, check first to make sure Fall will be on board for that cruise. He is a major plus for the experience. Anyway, we had an excellent talk, then wandered off to join the afternoon trivia contest in one of the lounges. We paired up with an English couple, he a retired naval officer, and managed to score only 16 out of 20. It would have been 18 if they had deferred to my vastly superior knowledge of camels and leap-year calculations. Ahem. Afterwards, we poked through the laughablyl pricey “duty free” shops, where some poor soul tried to interest us in an $18,000 opal ring. Clearly he failed in his appraisal of whom he was huckstering!
Celebrity did away with formal dinner nights on this class ship (about 2200 passengers) a couple of years ago, and replaced them with “smart casual” attire, whatever that is. Jackets are preferred, but no tuxes. I wasn’t about to lug a sportcoat around for showoff night, so I opted for a havanera shirt, which is considered formalwear in certain climes, like the Philippines and latin america. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. Mine was white with an embroidered front, and it went just fine. Loni jazzed up with a nice scarf and a sparkly earring-necklace set she got from daughter-in-law Alia. One of our table companions was a gal from Seattle, along with her parents from Chicago. The gal had celiac desease, and it was nice to know that she could make appropriate arrangements with the kitchen to avoid the wrong foods. In fact, nearly every night the waiter would ask before taking orders if anyone had any allergies they should be aware of. Good practice.
The evening show was a mini Vegas review with singing (too loud) and dance routines. This was done well, but it’s not our favorite entertainment. Afterwards, we retreated to the cabin and read, Loni starting a book she found in the ship’s library today, “The Apache Wars.” She was finding it fascinating. I settled in with “The Franchise Affair” by Josephine Tey.
Friday, November 11. Got up early and decided to go up and get some exercise on the walk/jog track. It was warm enough to sweat, but the breeze dried us almost immediately. Having earned breakfast, we went and stuffed ourselves. Another morning lecture by Bill Fall, this time on our first port, Cartagena, Colombia. Take own H2O, don’t eat anything from a street vendor, umbrellas better than ponchos unless you like a portable sauna. The list of things to see is suspiciously thin. Thus working up an appetite, we had lunch with couples from Atlanta and Nebraska. The Nebraska guy lamented that everyone he meets assumes that he voted for Trump because of where he’s from, and he related an encounter earlier in the day with a pro-Trumper that turned loud. Nice guy. Re-stuffed, we took in a matinee performance by the 3 Divas, all different material, then took another crack at trivia. Our former partners opted for smarter companions, so we played as a twosome against mostly groups of 6. It showed. Only 9/20. At dinner we joined a couple from Kolomb, BC, and a couple from Colombe, Germany. What are the odds? Both couples were perplexed over the election and were sincerely concerned about Trump. Join the club, folks. The show tonight was some comedian-magician escapee from America’s Got Talent. Welllll, maybe. Mildly funny, but underwhelming magic. I mean, if I can figure out the trick, how tough is it? The act was saved by the doofus volunteers from the audience who helped with the tricks. They were funnier than he. Sea days are over. Tomorrow, Cartagena, with promises of 90 degree heat and 90% humidity. Oh, joy.
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