Tuesday & Wednesday, September 23 & 24

Tuesday – September 23^rd. We are still 650 miles from Kodiak, our first port. Weather remains cloudy & cold (50's) but the seas have leveled somewhat and with the ship deploying stabilizers, sailing is pretty smooth. Tonight is the first of our ‘formal nights’. There are a total of 39 ‘themed’ events on this cruise, including nine ‘formal’ functions – this evening is the Captain’s Welcome Reception so for us, that means we need to be decked-out by 4:30 to attend the function in the main theater followed by dinner at 5:30. As we typically do, we only plan to attend half of the formal functions. As I’ve written before, neither of us particularly enjoy dressing up. It’s a challenge to pack for a handful of ‘merrymakings’ or ‘socials’ let alone 39. On top of that, this is both a cold & hot weather cruise, so packing appropriately is even more of a challenge. As a courtesy, we’ve already informed our tablemates not to expect us for every event – we’ll spend those evenings on our own in the Lido (on deck 8) where casual dress is acceptable. The entertainment scheduled for tonight is an opera singer – very talented I’m sure, but we’ll pass on that as well. I think we’ll be back in our cabin by 7:00 watching some Big Bang Theory CD’s we brought from home – that’s more our preference & style!

We started attending lectures today in preparation for some of our first ports. Our onboard Travel Guide (Barbara) has been around the world over twenty times and is a wealth of knowledge & information. We’ve sailed with her in the past and each sea day she gives a detailed, very informative presentation on our next stop – history of the area, what to do, what NOT to do, where to go, what to avoid, currency exchange rates, potential security issues, transportation, etc. She’s a walking encyclopedia – amazing lady. Much of the information I subsequently share with all of you more often than not originates from her lectures – either from my notes or what I can remember.

Speaking of lectures – today we started attending a morning class on Windows 8.1. Holland America employs a Microsoft-certified expert…known onboard as a “Techspert”. He’ll be holding a 1-hour class each morning we’re at sea, teaching the various functions of this new Windows program. He’s an excellent instructor based on our first class – very passionate about his subject, enthusiastic, and speaks in laymen’s terms – so we now plan to attend each of his sessions.

Our second day into the cruise, I’ve not consumed one grain of sugar. Yesterday morning, the warm, inviting pastry bar opened on time at 6:00 – I walked directly past without so much as a hesitation. This morning, I paused, stared at the array of tempting tartlets, but knew if I had just one it would lead to several more – I mustered the strength to continue walking. We’ll see what happens tomorrow. I’d really like to make it through November without violating my diet, then REALLY celebrate (yet sensibly) the final few days before going home. It’s tough – sweets are a weakness for me, but then it takes weeks to work it off…& the older I get, the weeks turn into months!  

Wednesday – September 24^th.  The Captain’s Reception was a very nice affair – free drinks & more appetizers than you could shake a stick at – I had NONE…appetizers, that is.  After about 30 minutes, the Captain was introduced and in turn, he introduced each of his Officers. It was a light-hearted gathering with music, dancing, & rekindling old friendships from cruises past. We had dinner at 5:30 and returned to our cabin for the evening – no opera singing for us! The weather turned for the worse – I was awakened around 1:00am as the ship started slamming some high seas. The wind was whistling around our patio door and in checking the navigation channel on TV, we were experiencing gale-force gusts of 54 MPH. The sea spray was so relentless, all of our exterior furniture was soaked. Put in perspective, our cabin is near the top of the ship! I went back to bed, but had to take a sleeping pill to finish the night. I then overslept – up at 5:30 – improved weather, but very chilly. As I write, outside temp is 52 – I’m dressed for the day in heavy jeans & sweatshirt, with Cheryl much the same.

Nothing special planned as we steam toward Kodiak, roughly 375 miles ahead.