Day 30 - At Sea

Today is Wednesday, or at least that's what the daily ship's paper and the carpet in the elevators say.  It is so easy to loose track of time out here.  We just float along, no alarm clocks, picking from the many daytime activities the staff plans for us or just sitting on our balcony enjoying the sun and the sea.

Chocolate Mud Pie

Last night we enjoyed a great filet mignon dinner at Chops, one of 2 specialty restaurants onboard.  We both started with a Dungeness Crab and Shrimp Cake appetizer.  Ray had the Caesar Salad and I tried the Chops Signature Salad.  After that, the filet with our choice sides.  Ray got a baked potato, I ordered roasted potatoes with prosciutto and parmesan, and sautéed broccolini.   For dessert, I had a melt-in-your mouth Chocolate Mud Pie and Ray had a great slice of New York cheesecake.  We shared a great bottle of Merlot and finished with specialty coffees.  We left there very full, happy, and a little tipsy.  During dinner we sat next to a couple from Florida (the Villages of course) named Bruce and Marian, and enjoyed a nice conversation with them.  They are also frequent cruisers, so we compared notes on ships and destinations.  They were very nice and I hope we see them again.

BAT

This morning, we both woke up around 6AM and went out on the balcony to see the stars.  It was a beautiful morning.  A few clouds passed by, but in the clearings you could see so many bright stars and planets.  I wish I had a star chart to tell me what we were seeing.  Ray has one on his iPhone, but it needs a connection to work so it can figure out where we are, and there is no connection out here.

ELEPHANT

I did finally get an Internet connection and posted yesterdays notes this morning after breakfast.  It should be ok for the rest of the trip. 

Our room steward has been creating some interesting towel creatures during the voyage.  I've included a few photos of those today.  It's fun to come back to our room at the end of the day and see his latest creation. 

SWAN

Today there was a lecture that we thought might be good but it was too crowded - standing room only.   I went on a tour of some of the art on the ship before lunch.  Royal Caribbean has a lot of money invested in the art on it's ships.  Even the curtain on the theater stage is a work of art, with a woman's figure embroidered and decorated with beads in about 7 dance poses.   The main dining room on the ship is actually 3 because it is on decks 3, 4 and 5, and each one has an art theme from a different ballet - the Nutcracker,  Coppell a, and Swan Lake.  Plus, every public room on the ship is decorated with art in various themes.  I may take a walk on my own tomorrow to look at some of it a little closer.

ALLIGATOR

Tonight was the last formal night.  The chefs danced around the restaurant aisles.  After dinner we went to have our picture taken with the captain and then went to listen to our favorite guitar player again before calling it a night.   Captain Patrick Dahlgren is from Sweden.  He is easily the friendliest captain we have ever encountered.  He seems to really enjoy going out around the ship and talking to passengers.

We have now begun packing away formal attire and laundry. Only 2 more days at sea before this cruise comes to an end.  Sniff, sniff.