Crossing From Charlottetown

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With our clocks set back one hour to Eastern Daylight Savings time, we awoke to begin our first and only sea day of this leg of our Collector’s Voyage. My day started in the gym looking out at the expanse of water in front of us. I could see the shoreline in the far distance and can only imagine the enormity of the task for early explorers seeking to find that elusive Northwest Passage. This being Thursday, I concentrated my anaerobic workout on the legs after thirty minutes on the treadmill. The Maasdam has three machines for the legs, so I also spent some time on their crunch machine and one for the arms.

Sharon was about to leave for mass when I returned to the cabin. The plan was for me to work on the blog for a bit and then to meet her for breakfast. I’m afraid that I lost track of time and was finishing up the blog from the day before when she returned to the cabin. I’m not sure where that last thirty minutes went! I had one of my favorite new breakfasts I’ve discovered on this cruise, the Swiss Muesli and the Frittata Italiano. Sharon had her All American Breakfast with scrambled eggs and bacon. Sharon had made out a schedule of the day’s onboard highlights, and it was clear that we were going to miss the Cinnamon Rolls in the Culinary Arts Center. The Jive section of Dancing with the Stars at Sea was at 10:30 AM, and we wanted to attend at least one of the two sessions today. On the way back to the cabin to pick up the schedule that Sharon had written out, we picked up the Daily Sudoku. We took it back the cabin, where Sharon had left not only the pen she says she needs; but, her glasses as well. And then the impossible happened: Sharon beat me at the Easy Puzzle… badly. It wasn’t even close. And I’d even written down the last two numbers backwards to my solution wasn’t even right! Good thing that was the practice puzzle. I fared much better with the Hard Puzzle, but am still smarting from the “DNF” for that Easy one.

I decided to check out the blackjack tables; since, the casino was opening at 10:00 AM on this sea day. I arrived as the dealer was finishing the shuffle of the cards for no one in particular; so, I sat down and was soon immersed in some one-on-one play. Things were going slightly better than one might hope for. I was winning at least my share of the hands, and the chips in front of me were increasing just slightly. Then I detected what seemed to me a slight change in the results, I lost a couple hands that I’d expected to win. At the time, I was almost $50 ahead, it was just past 10:30 AM, so I decided to cash in and join Sharon in the Showroom for the jive.

They were having technical difficulty with the projector system when I arrived, so the show hadn’t started yet. They dispensed with the taped introduction to the jive by one of the Dancing with the Stars professionals, and started the lesson live with the outstanding onboard dance instructor. She broke down the various moves which people on the lower floor of the Showroom were encouraged to mimic. Several young children were also participating up front below us, and they were really getting into the lesson and having a blast, and it was fun for us to watch. Most people had a partner they were learning with; but, you didn’t need one. There were a couple of onboard entertainers circulating among the students giving individualized help, and also serving as partners for those dancing alone. At first, the steps were taught at a slow pace, so the individual embellishments could be emphasized. Alternatives were also given to simplify some of the more complicated intricate steps. And then what had just been learned was put to music, and the pace was much faster. The jive was turning out to be a considerable aerobic workout for not just the students, but for the instructor talking the students through the quick steps while performing them up on stage under the lights. Just watching what goes into dancing the jive, makes you really appreciate the artistry of hand and arm extensions, the quick cross-steps, and most importantly the smile. Dancing with the Stars at Sea is all about having fun. Once all of the parts of the dance had been put together, and practiced a couple of times, the whole dance was put to music. Students did their best to keep up and follow the instructor’s lead, and they all got through it and appeared to be having a great time. When it was over, some of the Maasdam cast that had circulated among the dancers had given four people a HAL pin, and these wannabe dancers were invited to remain on the floor for the next part of the show. One was a bit taken back because she hadn’t realized that this was a contest, and that now she would need to perform what she had just learned in front of three judges, and be critiqued. Two men and two women students would now dance again, each with their HAL cast partner that had selected them. Jeremy, the Cruise Director, introduced the judges, which included Lucas the Bingo Caller. The music was queued and they danced the jive again, with their professional partners. When it was done the judges were very positive with their encouragement. The first dancer received a “9” from the first judge, then a “9” from the second judge, and then a “7” from Lucas. Jeremy was announce their scores, “Nine, and nine, and, uh seven… really” and Lucas looked at his score paddle and quickly changed it to a “9”. I suspect they’re supposed score all nines for the first contestant; but, we’ll see if we come to the second show. The scores were all very close. Then the audience was allowed to vote with their applause. The judge’s results were slightly changed by the audience, but Sharon and I both agreed that the best two dancers of the jive advanced to the finals.

We stayed in the Showroom for the $20,000 jackpot bingo, but went to the lower level of the Showroom to play. Sharon bought the cards this time, and I found us a nice place to sit up front. Someone else quickly one the first card, a simple bingo, winning after about six calls using the Free Space. The second game was a small postage stamp, a box of four numbers (two-by-two) without using the Free Space. One person was standing after just four calls; but, most importantly, I was standing after the fifth number was called (needing just one number to win). It had been ages since I’d been able to stand early in a game. Normally, it happens just as someone is calling “Bingo”. Two calls later I have three-of-four on a second card. By now half a dozen people are standing. And then something unusual happened, the first person to stand called “Bingo”. Close, but no cigar for me! The third game was a horizontal line allowing the Free Space. Wouldn’t you know: I had a vertical line through the “N’s” after seven calls! And I had two vertical bingos when the winner finally claimed the prize. I started out pretty fast on the blackout bingo for the jackpot; but, in the end even Sharon was closer to winning that one than I was. We have not done well with bingo these past several cruises (after winning seven times on our first three cruises, we haven’t won since).

We went up to the Dive-In for lunch. First we ordered, Sharon her burger plain with naked fries; while, I decided to order the chicken sandwich and also one of their hot dogs. The grandkids we’d eaten with the night before had said how good they were, so I thought I’d give the one with cheese and jalapeños a try. We then scouted out a place to sit, and there was nothing available pool-side. We did find a table free in the Lido, and we sat down and waited to be paged. It took exactly the fifteen minutes they’d predicted. The chicken sandwich was good, but I think I preferred the burgers I’d been having. And those grandkids were right: This was an excellent hot dog to which I’d added a little bit of chili con carne from the Poutine Bar (which replaces the old taco bar while sailing in Quebec waters). Poutine is a Quebec tradition of serving French fries with gravy (and other stuff). Sharon thinks it is disgusting.

We went to see the Cha-Cha featured on the Dancing with the Stars at Sea at 1:30 PM. The kids returned and were having a blast. This dance wasn’t as physically demanding as the jive. When all was said and done, four women were chosen as the contestants for the judging, each paired with one of two male cast members. The voting was very close, and two winners were chosen. Afterwards we went back to the cabin to post the blog from yesterday and to hang out before Team Trivia.

We went up early to scout out our spot for Team Trivia, and had to move slightly. I decided to try the chocolate mint syrup cocktail concoction that came with whipped cream on top and Irish Cream and vanilla flavored vodka. Everything, except perhaps the liquor, was readily identifiable. The Penguin Spotters Team all arrived. The first question was what country bartered 40 million barrels of oil for ten Boeing jets in 1984. We were going back and forth between Iraq and Iran; but, unfortunately never considered Saudi Arabia. Sharon did know what languages are the official languages of The Vatican City (Latin and Italian). And she confirmed who the first missionary was when our teammate wrote down “Paul”. We came up short when asked what country has the highest cable car. Our team had proposed Chili (which Sharon pooh-poohed… my suggestion) and I pooh-poohed the suggestion of Switzerland, and our answer U.S.A. wasn’t right either. Who would have thought: “Venezuela”? And answers were all over the board when it came to “What U.S. president made a huge breach of protocol by kissing the Queen Mother on the lips?” We agreed on “Bill Clinton”. The paper we graded said “George W. Bush”. Any guesses as to the political leanings of these two teams? Well, that loose lipped president was actually Jimmy Carter. It all came down to the Bonus Question: “What do the “H’s” in The 4-H Club stand for?” Our team mate claimed to know this and wrote down: “Health, Heart, Hands and Happiness”. Except for that final word, which should be “Head”, we would have won. Again, we barely broke into the double-digits, two points behind the winner, and tied with others for fourth place. We only have one more chance to redeem ourselves.

We dressed for our formal dinner on Surf-and-Turf night that features that lobster that came aboard in Bar Harbor. I went with the dark suit tonight, having already worn my tuxedo twice. I ordered the Lobster Parisiene which is a lobster chopped in half combined with some peas, carrots and cream sauce. Sharon had the apple vichyssoise, which was very good. I had the sausage gumbo, but it was a broth-based soup with some chopped up okra but the okra hadn’t been cooked up to gumbo-ize it. The 4-mushroom cream soup would have been a much better choice. I also had the Caesar salad before my grilled halibut entrée. I was surprised to see halibut on the menu, because we hadn’t had halibut on the first leg, and we hadn’t had it last year when we took our mothers on an Alaskan cruise for one week. My dish was exceptionally good with the lobster tail from Sharon’s surf-and-turf. Her filet was perfectly cooked. Sharon ordered the chocolate lava cake and I had the Grand Marnier Soufflé with Vanilla sauce; and, we both enjoyed our desserts very much. After dinner, the plan was for me to play blackjack from about 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM and then we’d go to the late show at 10:00 PM for the soprano/tenor Encore performance that we watched last week; and, then go to the 11:00 PM Julie Barr R-Rated show.

I sat down at first-base of the only open blackjack table, sitting next to the player who had won the blackjack tournament the previous night. Things weren’t going particularly well, and eventually he left me alone to play a few hands by myself. Things were starting to warm up in more than one way. Sitting at this center pit table the air was stifling and heavy with that casino ashtray odor. And then they descended on me, and wouldn’t leave. But still play was moving on at a reasonable pace. I pressed a bit too hard, and found myself again playing catch up. And then the guy who slows play down to a snail’s pace showed up. I’ve seen him before pondering whether he should hit a hard-17; and, even hitting a hard-18. Combine that with his non-stop banter with the dealer, it’s no wonder we can only average twenty hands an hour when he’s at the table. I’m sure the pit boss is livid as well. But the way he plays, it does keep him from losing more money. Cards were running very badly for some time, and I was biding my time waiting for things to change; which, they never seemed to because of the pace. When the poor run of things did improve, I made one of my larger bets. I received a pair of twos versus a seven; requiring me to split the hand. I do, and I hit a face card (of course) and happily followed that with a four and then a five for twenty-one. Things were looking up. Then I got another two. I expected to win that hand, and then I paired the other two. I decided not to risk losing the additional split, or worse, getting another two, so I simply hit the two-card four. Again with the face card. If I’d thought about it, I might have simply stood on the “14” and been happy winning one hand and losing the other for a push. But I hit, and busted (my best chance for winning that hand). The dealer turned over an eight (an with me hoping the down card was a face card). The dealer then dealt himself a six for the worst of all possible outcomes, and I only pushed the second hand! I pulled back to reassess what happened before I stepped up again and made my largest bet of the day. I received a blackjack, and no one was more surprised than me; except for the dealer who did quickly check his hole card. I was happy that the dealer didn’t also have a blackjack under his ten. Things cooled for me quickly after that; except, the stifling air only got worse from the broken A/C. The lady sitting next to me was the one that’s been at the table every day that I’ve played on this leg of our voyage, who I’m happy to say is learning something and no longer splitting fours, fives or tens! She turned to me while the dealer shuffled the cards and asked, “How do you know when to jump in with one of your larger bets?” I just smiled, realizing there is no way to be sure of that; but, more importantly, from the vast number of simulation hands and real play that I have done, I have a pretty good idea of when not to make them. I had almost had my fill of the oppressive heat, and it was about ten minutes before 10:00 PM when I was to meet Sharon in the Showroom; when, I noticed that the blackjack table at the end of the pit was open and only one person was playing there. I grabbed my chips, went over and sat down. As he had the night before, the man in the center who insisted on wasting everyone’s time with his self-centered banter looked disappointed that I was leaving his court, “What, you’re leaving; but, why?”

I sat at the new table, and it was like walking into a buzz-saw. I think that both the player there and I lost the first three hands. I started to trade wins and losses with the dealer, but the other player continued to lose, and I’m sure he was none too happy that I had sat down. He was soon out of chips, and I was playing alone; and, better still… I noticed that this table had a cool breeze blowing in from the piano bar. I was actually comfortable; but, it was now 10:00 PM. I was approaching par for this evening, when I pressed again; but, lost the first hand. I made the next bet; and, again received a blackjack. There was quite a stack of chips that were out there, and the dealer asked, “How would you like that colored?” I simply replied “Black please.” The dealer clearly thought that was a joke, and gave a skeptical glance at the chips that I’d bet. I wear progressive lenses and looking at the chips it did indeed look like there were less chips on my spot than I thought that I’d bet. The dealer started to pay what she thought was appropriate, when the pit boss chimed in “What are you doing?” The dealer stopped, then realized that there were two green chips under the stack of red ones, and the bet should be paid as I’d asked, with one black chip and one red one. “My bad,” the dealer apologized. I played a couple more hands, and losing those, cashed in and went to meet Sharon. I needed to go to a restroom first, but the one by the Showroom was out of order. It then took me a while to find another one. When I finally did get to the Showroom the performers were starting their finale number. I waited, and during the standing ovation that they received, I joined Sharon. Needless to say, this is the second time on this cruise I’ve failed to be where I was supposed to be because of blackjack, so she wasn’t too thrilled to see me. Especially after skipping the 8:00 PM show by my promise to come to the 10:00 PM show. It was the hour or so that she whiled away in the bar, alone, that was worst for her. Fortunately, by the time Julie Barr’s performance started I was only sitting on the outdoor porch of the doghouse.



She started her performance warning the audience that this was a more R-Rated Show that is typical of her performances; and, not one that is family oriented. Sharon was looking forward to seeing her from rave reviews that she’d heard from others. And I suppose that what she had to say was humorous, and she poked a lot of fun at herself, but at the end of the day the bulk of the humor was only funny in a raunchy sort of way. Still, much of the audience was in stiches. And she had plenty of audience interaction, and her impromptu skills are excellent. Enough said.

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