Saturday, March 24, 2012

SE Asia and China Cruise—Day 11 (At Sea)

March 24, 2012—At Sea

We all slept in until a little after 7:00 am.  My dad was feeling just fine, and since he was released from quarantine the previous night, he was looking forward to getting out of the cabin.  It did get a little gusty out the previous night, but the swells were not nearly as bad as anticipated, although there were a few whitecaps.  Unfortunately, my mother really feels the motion of the ship.  She was wearing her sea bands and also took a Meclizine, a seasickness medication.

I saw our cabin steward, Gerald, in the hallway when I went to get coffee for my dad and he said he would be doing our room again—guess he got the word that my dad was no longer quarantined.

My mother really wasn’t sick (just a little dizzy from the motion), so she and my dad went to breakfast in Sabatini’s while I headed to the Lobby Bar for cappuccino.  Ronald was working that morning and it was pretty quiet, so we got a chance to talk a little.  The bartenders and bar stewards on Diamond rotate every few days, so I was getting to know more of them than I normally do. 

I went to the casino for a little while, and by the time I left, I still had almost $200 on my cruise card.  I met my parents later in the morning, and we decided to have lunch in the International Dining Room.  It was the first time that my parents had gone there for lunch.  Most of the folks were avoiding the Lido Deck and pools since it was still windy and cold, so there were a lot people hanging around the inside areas of the ship. 

After lunch, I spent some time in the Lobby Bar area reading and just relaxing.  We had an early dinner scheduled so the three of us were at the Pacific Moon Dining Room by 5:30.  David, the headwaiter, has been so good about taking care of our reservations and all the changes we had made (whether it was five people, three people, or two people for early dinner or late dinner); Jerry, our waiter, has also been very patient with us.  Both David and Jerry were happy to see my dad back for dinner.  There weren’t that many items on the menu that night that appealed to me.  I did ask Jerry about a couple of them, but from the expression on his face, I thought it best not to order those items.  I ended up having the garden salad and the rib eye steak which was very tender and flavorful—a good choice.  I also decided to have dessert and ordered the Grand Marnier and Orange Soufflé with vanilla sauce which was excellent!

At 8:15, I headed for Explorers Lounge for Al Katz’s show.  It was very crowded and I ended up standing in the back.  Al walked up behind me before the show started and said he was glad to see me there and asked if I wanted a front row seat.  I said I was fine standing in the back and that if the show sucked, I could easily leave.  He laughed, said he would see me later, and then went back stage.  The show wasn’t bad, and I even laughed at quite a few jokes. 

Afterwards, I headed back to the lounge.  Ronald was there and immediately poured my drink—he really does take good care of me.  Ronald actually works in the Lobby Bar, but comes in to work when Richard goes on his dinner break.  Al came in and asked me how I liked the show—I told him I thought it was pretty good, and that the other passengers seem to enjoy it.  He said he was doing another show in 2 days and that I should make a point of going since it is a different show and not just a repeat.

I was back in the cabin around 11:00 pm and asleep shortly afterward.

No comments:

Post a Comment