Tales of the High Seas: A Norwegian Prima Voyage
November 9, 2022
Breakfast up at Seaside Café first thing in the morning is perfectly divine. I started the day with a made-to-order omelet with peppers, onions, and cheese. Grabbed an eggs benedict. It was fine but could not compare or compete with the one I ordered in the main dining room earlier in the week. I swilled it all down with some cranberry juice. I noticed they had the same type of French Toast as in the Local. I had very thick cinnamon raisin French Toast and topped it off with sliced bananas and caramel sauce.
One of the most confusing things about this trip is the time zone situation. We have traveled to central, eastern and Atlantic time zones back and forth. At times, the ship time was different than port time. Get yourself a watch that is not linked to your phone. The phone may be at the incorrect time than ship time. Set your analog watch to ship time to ensure you get onboard and not end up being a pier runner.
There was a long line at the Guest Services desk. My guess is it’s about crediting port fees for Cozumel and Great Stirrup Cay. I could be totally off base. I didn’t bother to ask. It was none of my business. Most days I checked my account via my television to ensure everything was correct. I found the business all around Starbucks to boggle my mind. Don’t people have them at home? Do you really need to pay for a cruise to stop at a Starbucks? Personally, for me a vacation is for new experiences. Starbucks would be fine in a pinch. But I wouldn’t be seeking it out. It seems to be a favorite spot for the crew.
I played several games of solitaire in the Observation Lounge. At one point, we either got rain or they were cleaning, and streaks of water ran down the windows. It was a nice, leisurely way to spend a morning. I had woken up early this morning with enough time to allow me to mostly pack. I was surprised at how quickly it seemed to come together. Now it is a waiting game because my body really would like to fall asleep but within the next few hours Arnold should come to service my room. Now my plan is to bide my time until noon. He should be done by then.
When I checked my account today, there was no news. No news is good news as far as I’m concerned. Rain is still scheduled for Miami.
I enjoyed my lunch at Hudson’s main dining room with some chicken noodle soup followed by Hudson’s smashburger. It reminded me of a Patty melt. This was a sirloin and brisket smashburger with cheddar cheese, carmelized onions galore, and remoulade sauce on a brioche bun.
Claudine and I earlier in the week had a discussion about the mini golf. It turns out that the interactive play portion of the game was not functioning, but you could play a regular round of mini golf with no extra charge. Once it is fully functioning it will come at an extra charge. Tee Time mini golf just didn’t have all of its bells and whistles. Claudine and I had arranged a date and had a lovely time playing the game.
At 3:30 pm, I met our Facebook/Cruise Critic group in an area of the sundeck on deck 18 that was unoccupied. I didn’t go up there often and I doubt the others had as well. It wasn’t terribly hot or windy like it was when I visited earlier in the week. For me, it was the perfect spot. We sat in a circle and conducted a gift exchange with “dirty santa/white elephant” rules. There were a little over 20 of us playing. We had a good amount of laughs. Everyone who was stolen from took it as a trooper. There were quite a number of gifts that were stolen which always made the event more fun. I was incredibly impressed with the creativity and quality of gifts that people brought to the event. I had spied a small painting on a canvas of Bonaire that I wanted. Unfortunately, someone managed to steal it out from under my grasp. One of the group was thoughtful enough to organize everyone that she could to sign a “Thank You” card for all of the hard work put in to create a special memory. I still have it! I ended up with a $20 Starbucks gift card which was perfect for someone who wants to travel light. The final party only lasted a ½ hour, maximum.
I had plans with Sara and Zenzi to try another visit to the bars. We had set the Waves pool bar as our meeting point. I had a number of yummy frozen drinks, all of which were quite strong even by my standards. Hilary kept me company as we waited for Sara and Zenzi to finish business playing bingo. In the meantime, the Mango Meltdowns and the Pina Coladas kept flowing and Hilary and I learned about each other’s lives. Soon after when the others arrived the sunset made for a beautiful sailing. The live band was excellent and made for wonderful entertainment but were loud. At this point my feet started to swell and inflame. This had been an issue the second half of this trip. We made our way to the Observation Lounge and found the most comfy seats to sit in. Brad was an instigator and got us all shots of fireball. Not just one, but multiple. Brad and I wanted to hit the Fleetwood Mac tribute band in Syd Norman’s performance venue. They recreated the Rumors album along with stories about the band mates as it relate to the creation of the songs. The band was talented and I sang backup underneath my mask. It was a small venue given how much attended. Luckily, we had found seats.
Afterwards, our little gang decided to attend the adult stand up comedy show by Alison Weber. I found her to be unfunny. She was just crude for the sake of being crude. Listen, there have been comics who are lewd but they back it up with cleverness. Brad seemed to love her. The ladies in our group left for the atrium with its live entertainment. Another issue with Alison’s set is that as a gay man I could not relate to her issues with heteronormative sex and women’s issues. All of her complaints fell on deaf ears. We could have had some issues in common, but she did not mention any of those, unfortunately.
My item of the day was my day bag. I used a Zomake bright royal blue, small, lightweight, travel hiking backpack that could fold in on itself so it was reduced to the size of a small pillow. It is made of weather resistant material. It proved invaluable for going out for the day. I recommend you pick one up. I found mine on Amazon. There are several brands out there that are similar, but I chose this one.
Once I got to my room, I filled out a room service door hanger for the next day’s breakfast.
Next: Operation “Save My Foot”