Almost Aruba

DREARY AND MISERABLE OUTSIDE
As I write this it is Saturday morning and we are due in Aruba around 11 am. The sea has been very ugly all nite; so many folks are saying this is the roughest sailing they’ve experienced. Ed and I say “ha” in our minds. But the wind and conditions remind me of snow blizzards as a kid though the temp is in the 70s probably.
Ambulation is a challenge and it is amusing to see feeble folks holding hands as if they could help each other if one lost their balance. And while there are grab bars in many places, there are still substantial parts of the ship without any.
Photos
I’ve managed to upload a few photos before the internet connection was lost. Ed still hasn’t signed on.
We had several formal photos taken last night so we’ll see if any are salvageable.
Port Talk: Cartajena
This guy is hilarious no matter what he’s discussing. Dry British wit with good solid information. Some folks are concerned about security and have decided not to go off the ship. The drug lord situation is real but on a sponsored tour I can’t imagine one would have any problems as long as you aren’t wearing a Tiffany’s window on your body.
Pat Dahlstrom was just here and told me of some things to see so we’ve signed up for a tour that includes many of those sites.
Econ 101
I’m still waiting to be impressed by this speaker. WE discussed him at the table last night and everyone’s rather “eeehhh” about him. There was much discussion about the fact that he feels no one is at fault per se; everyone is at fault. That’s probably too close to home for some of us to swallow. He does provide handouts some of which are useful. Ed critiques and argues with the content of each. I just read until MEGO (my eyes glaze over) and then pass them to him. There is a quiz where you have to unscramble letters for companies on the stock market and I did better than I expected on it. Ed is stumped with 3 left. We’ll see if some brain spasm comes alone to complete the perfect answer(s).
Jackie Kennedy jewels
The knockoffs were still on display when we sauntered through the atrium and we took a look. There was a video going on showing her wearing some of the pieces (also photos on the display table) and many interesting vignettes about her jewelry collection. Ed bought me a set which are lovely and have faux emeralds with Austrian crystals or CZs. Not exactly redhat quality but they’ll be enjoyed by both of us.
Formal Night
We passed on trivia because it’s simply too much to try to get dressed in 10 minutes. Besides, I don’t know how someone can get dressed alone. I need help with so many things on my dresses and Ed doesn’t have the dexterity to put in his studs and get his bow tie lined up. I wonder how many of these cabin stewards become “dressers” for passengers.
Captain’s reception
Well we do know we have a Captain. We know because we saw him for about 3 minutes when he said, or rather mumbled, hello and welcome. He left JJ to introduce the officers and staff. Overall not very impressive. Clearly he’s not a “people person.” I’m mildly sympathetic (though I do think the grip and grin is a part of the job description) because I can only imagine what a trial it is to smile and make nice over people.
I don’t know to what extent the personality of the Captain permeates the staff but I think it does matter. While the cabin stewards and other public personnel are universally pleasant, the dining room staff are perfunctory in some ways. The head waiter has come to our table 2 of the 3 evenings but has never introduced himself and all he ever says is: “is everything alright?” Those of you who travel a lot know that these guys will also expect tips at the end of the voyage. Most spend time getting to know the folks at the table, passing along tidbits of information, telling jokes, etc. Our table staff are pleasant but no banter. Perhaps they are new to the position and concerned about doing well.
World Cruise for all?
Many people are getting off in LA. Apparently they oversold that leg and there is a program called MOVE OVER. Princess calls folks and asks them to “move over” to another leg or cruise so they can have their accommodations. The more you play “hard to get”, the better the offers including, $$, free future cruises, etc. Well we haven’t experienced this but it’s intriguing. We’ll keep listening.
Also it seems that those who are not on for the full 107 days are not getting the jewelry sets and other special tokens. This makes sense but they expected to enjoy all the same perks as the folks signed up for the full world cruise.
Newspapers
There have been discussions about the lack of newspapers on the ship, even in the library. The internet services available to us are more generous than usual and the thinking is that between the TV and the internet, you can get your news there. Indeed, in reality most people are migrating to those sources of news but there’s nothing like a real newspaper in your hand.
No one knows what was in the state of the union address; we ask each other all the time. But the Super Bowl will be played in the Cabaret Lounge on Super Bowl Sunday.
Religious services
Shabbat services were advertised but no rabbi is on board. The priest says Mass everyone morning at 9 am in the Cabaret Lounge.
DANCE
This was the name of the production this evening where, again, the dancers outdid themselves. Despite the shifting of the ship, they somehow keep their balance. The skits were new to us except for “Sara Lee” which is cute take on a boy’s love for…Sara Lee. Amazing costumes. I’ve posted a few photos but it’s hard to get a good shot in those conditions and folks behind you don’t like the light from your camera LED screen so I probably won’t do it again with that camera anyway
Breakfast
Since Ed and I woke up around 6 and couldn’t go back to sleep, I got up and eventually went down to the dining room for breakfast. We had many stories of cruises at the table and all seem to have heard about the notorious cruise around So Amer on the Prinsendam several years ago. You learn a lot from other cruisers about bankruptcies and how to protect yourself in the case of one; lots of other practical information as well. Grand Circle has a great reputation among everyone with whom we speak.
Weather now.
While the ocean is still at 15’ swells, the sun is out and it is gorgeous. We will arrive in Aruba late because of the weather but we also will stay later. Good weather is predicted for today on the island. Many folks have been there before and all seem to enjoy it.

We come on as passengers; we leave as cargo.