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Day 10: Still gray and chilly

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When we did a transatlantic cruise in 2024, it was in May, so much warmer. We each wish we’d packed another warm outfit or two! The pools and sunloungers remain mostly empty, and today we saw a woman wearing a wetsuit into the hot tub! Some of the avid Flowriders wear wetsuits, too. Last night we enjoyed walking in Central Park to admire the plants and especially the orchids. We had another excellent dinner at Jamie’s Italian, with our charming server Reden, or Big Red, as he told us to call him.  We shared some arancini, then both had the green salads. Charlie had the lamb chops again, along with the tomato risotto for the main course. I opted for the shrimp linguine made with mascarpone—so delish! Green salad Tomato risotto Lamb chops minus one bite Shrimp linguine  Yesterday’s time change really hit us this morning, and apparently others are feeling it, too, as several crafters came dragging in later than usual. In chatting with a woman from Tampa, she told me that her husb...
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Day 9: Getting Closer

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We’ve now sailed over 3300 miles, and this afternoon we moved into Greenwich Mean Time, so we’re five hours ahead of Texas (surely the reference point for everything, right?). The weather is cooler, in the lower 60s, and the wind is still blowing. At 12:30 today, this was our view of the pool deck from Coastal Kitchen: There were two people in the hot tub, but no sunbathers anywhere. I’m wearing a wool sweater over a long-sleeved t-shirt. Last night we enjoyed dinner at Sabor.  Along with their very good margaritas and guacamole, we had the bacon-wrapped chicken skewers and fried calamari, which we did remember to photograph.  Our entrees were the grouper with a tasty salsa served with fried plantains and mashed potatoes (to Americanize it?). Charlie had jalapeno-garlic tiger shrimp and calabacitas (zucchini). This morning we slept past 7:00, unheard of for us, probably thanks to losing an hour yesterday. I had to scurry to get all my puzzles and Duolingo done so I could showe...
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Day 8: still windy, but glimpses of the sun

We’ve now sailed almost 3000 nautical miles, and we will jump ahead another hour this afternoon, putting us four hours ahead of Texas.   Last night we had dinner at Chops Grille, which was packed.  I heard today in the crafting group that both Chops and 150 Central Park are fully booked every night. I had Chops’ excellent mushroom soup to start, then their spicy grilled shrimp. Both were great!  Charlie had a wedge salad and the roast chicken, which he said was delicious.  He’s planning to get a Wagyu steak next time. I heard a wild tale in the crafting group this morning.  The woman next to me is British, but lives in San Antonio.  When she and her husband got to the port in Galveston, they handed over their (five) bags and lined up to check in.  Once at the front of the line, they discovered that her husband’s passport had expired! She decided to board without him!  She tracked down his bags in the hallway and got a crew member to help her get t...
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Day 7: Wind and Rain

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We awoke to more rain and wind, but Charlie braved Central Park for our morning coffee.  He’s my hero! The rain comes and goes, but high winds continue (8 on the Beaufort scale), keeping most people indoors.  At lunch, I spotted one guy in the pool, wearing a hoodie with the hood up.  Now, that’s hard core! Last night’s dinner was back at Izumi, which continues to be packed.  Service was much better this time. Charlie and I both had the pork dumplings, as well as the shrimp tempura.  Then I finished with the Crispy Philly Roll (avocado, salmon, and cream cheese), while he had beef teriyaki.  After dinner I read while Charlie went to the casino.  He has earned 2000 points on this cruise so far! We dutifully took our morning walk on decks 4 and 5, which were mostly deserted.  We did encounter lots of people heading to Catholic mass in the theatre.   Sorry, but there was no craft group drama today, even though yesterday’s perpetrators were all t...
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Day 6: Rainy Sea Day

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Today is foggy and rainy in the Atlantic.  At lunch today in Coastal Kitchen we saw a lone man in the hot tub on the deck below.  I’m sure the Solarium (which we have yet to see) is jammed. Yesterday we managed to find seats in the suites lounge for Happy Hour, and we enjoyed talking to a Pinnacle couple from Tampa. They’ve cruised everywhere! She’s originally from Taiwan, and they’ve cruised in Asia quite a bit. For dinner we returned to 150 Central Park and once again were seated in the throne chairs. They’re comfy, but very low, so we could have almost scraped food directly into our mouths! We both had excellent Caesar salads, and then we ordered the tenderloin for two.  It was delicious! You can see how little of the delicious bread we left.  We skipped dessert this time. This morning we slept later, due to yesterday’s time change, so I skipped walking in order to get to the crafting group on time. Alas, today there were two BIG talkers who annoyed me so much tha...
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Day 5: A Sea Day

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First up, we’re just back from the Top Tier event, which was limited to Diamond Plus and Pinnacle members, due to the sheer numbers. (Mere Diamonds and below will go tomorrow.). The lower floor of the theater was full—and we were too late for the champagne!  They recognized quite a few new Pinnacles and those who had doubled, tripled, or quadrupled the Pinnacle requirement. There were three who’ve been sailing for over 50 years, including one very spry man who must have started cruising in childhood. Maybe that will be Sydney one day!  Here are the numbers on board: Note the number of Pinnacles, which explains the crowds in the suites lounge. We hear that the Diamond lounge is also mobbed, but we haven’t been there.  Here are a few pics Charlie took as we left Nassau yesterday : Other ships in port with us A last view of the Royal beach club The famous lighthouse  Before dinner last night we went to Dazzles to listen to big band music. The musicians were terrific! We...
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Nassau

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This morning we arrived in the Bahamas in pouring rain and 23 mph winds. Not a great day for a beach club!  We saw some people with kids preparing to leave the ship, but I suspect many others decided to stay on board. We have to be back on board at 3:30, so it’s a short port stay, too.  It’s still so windy (mid morning) that the beach umbrellas are still furled. Here are some photos from this morning: There are four other ships here today, but ours is the only Royal Caribbean ship, so the beach club won’t be crowded.   Yesterday we got drinks in Dazzles and listened to an excellent pianist for a while before dinner. In the suites lounge before dinner we met two younger German men who were wearing evening wear complete with medals and brocade vests. They were delightful!  We had a nice two-top in Coastal Kitchen. We both had Caesar salads to start, then Charlie had beef short-ribs with gnocchi and pearl onions. I had veal cannelloni. Everything was delicious!  We...
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