Tansatlantic

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Bermuda + 1



The Captain is trying to avoid a low pressure area heading down from Newfoundland so we are really running hot. To add to his challenges we are running on three engines since one went out on the previous voyage and is being repaired on the run. This means that there is a little vibration in our cabin but nothing to keep us awake at night. Our days fall into a kind of routine. Coffee and juice in the room, then a light breakfast, and the rest of the day is up to us.



I play trivia, ML goes to bingo, we catch up with Bev or Jan or visit with the great folks on board. One lovely thing about a small ship is that you are always running into people you sailed with before or met at breakfast or had drinks with in the evening.



MaryLou has been a Bingo Buster!!!!!! She is on a roll winning two games on Tuesday and splitting one on Wednesday. She also took the grand prize at the Casino Paris Night raffle. I won $20 on roulette. We have not been able to get a poker game going but will continue to try.



The band in the Ocean Bar is quite good and is playing music from the 60's and 70's as well as some of the old favorites. Imagine one day the music for the old folks will be rap!



Bermuda + 2



Today we have our cabin crawl and poker run. There are 41 crawlers and eight hosts. Each host has opened up there cabin so that the rest of us can get a look. This is especially helpful when sailing on a new ship and possibly sailing on her again.



We divide into groups and head out. We visit a new inside cabin that is quite roomy and comfortable, an Ocean View that is similar to ours with a giant tub/shower and walk-in closet, then three veranda configurations. One is a cabin the same size as ours with a small veranda with a chair and table. The next is a suite with a separate toilet, a larger walk-in closet and a veranda that is triple the size as ours. I like this room. It has two desks as well as a sectional sofa and large screen TV. The Neptune Suite is lovely as well. Slightly larger than the other, it boasts a divided living room, bedroom with two TV's. Otherwise it is the same as the other suite. Finally we visit the Penthouse!



This is the largest stateroom on the ship and has a completely separate bedroom with custom linens, a bathroom with a separate shower and a Jacuzzi tub that has an ocean view and a window you can open to get a breeze if you want. There is a guest bathroom, a small kitchen with coffee maker and microwave but is usually used when the occupants are hosting a dinner and the servers work from here. There is a large living/dining room with a dining table that seats eight and a balcony runs from one end of the cabin to the other.



It was fun to visit the hosts and hear the stories of how they decided on their choices and how they negotiated the price they got. At each cabin we picked up a playing card so that at the end those who played the Poker Run have eight cards. Then prizes were given for high hand, second high hand and low hand. High had was Aces full of Kings for $102 and next was Aces full of 10's for $51 and a seven low for $51. Quite a fun event.



Now the days seem to run into each other. Came in second at the Hold'em tournament, bingo was cancelled for lack of a quorum. I'm fighting a head cold so missed the magician/comic and heard he was very good. Skipped the violinist but did attend the Hal cast for songs from the 50's and 60's. Unfortunately they were songs that were originally sung by Patty Page and the Mills Brothers. The voices were good but I really hate "How much is that Doggie in the Window" and "Mambo Italiano" or "Come Ona my House." Headed to the casino with Jan and picked up $10 at roulette.





Today at noon our position is due east of NYC and due north of Recife, Brazil, smack in the middle of nowhere if you discount the Azores and that would make them very, very angry.



ML played bingo while I lay by the pool covered in towels and soaked up some vitamin D. I have a nasty cough and feel lousy. ML made a drug run for cough drops and syrup. We made our appearance at the CruiseCritic wine tasting but left shortly. ML doesn't drink wine much and I didn't want to infect all so instead I Played Hold'em. Not a great idea as there are only five of us and if I share my cold, there goes the tournament. Knocked out in third place. The Atlantic has been remarkably calm and there is little movement. The food has been very good, especially the beef. I head to the cabin and fall in and out of sleep. ML meets Jan & Bev for dinner and brings me back my cinnamon ice cream. Clara Barton has nothing on her. ML meets Jan at he Casino. She can't bring herself to tell Jan of her $190 win on the slots..Jan hasn't been having much luck. I'm tucked into bed and willing this cough to GO AWAY!



Bermuda - Day Whatever



We are north of the Azores. The seas are calm but there is a cool, brisk wind and even in the sun it's cool. A perfect day to find a nook and read. There is a Private Party in the Crow's Nest so that's out. Someone from the spa is giving a seminar in the Explorer's Lounge, there is a talk about Emeralds in the Ocean Bar and there isn't an empty seat in the library. I end up in the Lido where lunch has not yet been served and read for an hour or so. No sign of ML, Jan or Bev.



Decided to go to the dining room and asked for a table alone. Had Gazpacho and chicken picata and finished off my second bottle of wine. Three more to go and ML doesn't drink it much and Jan and Bev just purchased another package. It damn well will not go to waste. Headed to the poker table and played in two tournaments. Came in second and broke even in the first and won the second for $40. ML didn't do well at the slots tournament. I went down to the room to read and nap and ML headed for Mass. I spent part of the day just looking at the ocean. It is mesmerizing. We are seeing more traffic now, a freighter here, a fishing boat or a tanker there. We see a small sailboat and I think of Linda and Ed and their adventure crossing the Atlantic on the Fiddler's Green. I can't imagine the feeling of being all alone on a small boat here. Someone spotted a whale a couple of days ago and near Bermuda there was a spotted dolphin sighting but not by me.

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