At sea again so after breakfast we walk our laps on deck ten. Just before 11:00 I descend eight floors, and I find that Christmas has started to appear overnight. I’m on my way to the cooking demo on deck two.
Whilst this is moderately interesting it’s more about the entertainment than anything else; chef Ali is undoubtedly talented (he manages a team of 140 chefs!) but he’s also a proper grouch, and it’s notable that the new Cruise Director doesn’t try to co-host like he did with the previous chef. Whilst I agree with his point about people’s expectations – for example half of customers complain the vegetables are overcooked and the other half complain they are raw – his manner is most unsavoury!
After, it’s the inevitable questions because nobody listens – can I use a different meat to lamb? Can I use a different oil? What does French trim mean? Can I use a different oil? Can I use beef? Can I use a different oil?
Back on our balcony we get our Spanish done, and then fight with the Filipino immigration website which is possibly the most complex yet for this holiday. Finally a successful email is received so we must have done it right eventually!
For lunch we choose Italian – a bit of lasagna and a slice of pizza, and then gelato. However the wine is Washington State!! We observe the lido is setting up for a seafood special, but we can’t get excited about this.
We enjoy a lazy afternoon reading and for me a little bit of quiet checking on various systems to make sure all is well over the weekend.
Later Mark does his swimming lengths whilst I take my cousin Anne on a tour of the ship, the staff are so friendly they love waving to her! We cover all the public spaces but I forgot my keycard so a tour of our cabin and lounge will have to wait until our next call.
A relaxing jacuzzi is needed before we start our evening ritual, and before we know it we’re watching the Solid Gold production show for the second time, today from the gods so we can get away at 20:00 for dinner.
The show is good although not our favourite, screaming electric guitars cannot compare with preferred genres such as films or musicals.
Dinner tonight is excellent. We both enjoy candied bacon and then diverge to sea bass and halibut. Both are excellent but the jury remains out on which is better! Ditto the puddings: key lime pie or stroopwafel cobbler?
