Down day

When you are on the open ocean food plays a big role in your entertainment. I promised pictures from last night's combination meal and video production. I must postpone these images because we had to postpone this experience. Something I ate in the last couple of days attacked me and I had to spend the day in the cabin within quick access to the bathroom. It was probably seafood, I have difficulty with certain kinds of seafood. At my age, I should know better and keep away from those seafood stews with mysterious ingredients. I am feeling better this morning so I have decided I will not be the person responsible for one of those ship-wide epidemics you hear about on the news.

In a brighter note, I did have an opportunity to catch up the political news and offer some comments on social media. "Slimeball" is another of those unpresidential labels I have personally never applied to anyone. I am worried this administration is polluting my vocabulary.

Behind the scenes

So, we motor onward and eat, go to shows, talk with folks, and read. For all of the interesting things will eventually expect to see, experiencing the boat is also very unique. The number of people employed is probably a function of the expectations of the cruisers (if that is what we are called). Some people will complain about anything and seem to have llttle appreciation for the numbers and complexity of a city on the water.

Anyway, we have always been curious about the behind the scenes functioning of entertainment/educational settings. We have visited the hydroponic back rooms at EPCOT a couple of times.

Here we had a chance to tour the kitchen area. 14,000 meals a day with parts of a meal each cooked to order (each order goes in via technology and they can decide to put on 50 more sirloins, etc. They make pretty much everything from scratch - croissants, ice cream, sauces.  

The kitchen staff is very hierarchically arranged - you put in your time, demonstrate your skills, and move up when an opening is available. Rank here is indicated by the hats and scarves that are worn. Tall hat and no scarf - top chef. 

Some images from the tour. 

BTW - we are attending a unique dinner tomorrow evening - a combination meal and video show. I will save the details for another post. 

At sea - day 1

So we have cleared port, found our room, sat through our safety briefing, had a steak and glass of wine, and slept through most of the night. Food on this trip could be a problem for me. It is great and available almost as entertainment. We did not get the enhanced drinks package because we did not think we could consume enough to make paying by the glass or bottle a better deal. I am already experiencing harassment for my food choices - I guess I am expected to eat things neither of us has heard of before. What is wrong with a Ceaser salad, a good steak, and cheesecake. With the cheesecake, I asked for the peach topping which was actually something new for me. I bet Cindy cannot remember the names of the strange things she ate.

Watching the water go by is peaceful, but not that great for exciting photos. Maybe I will take a picture of the sunset this evening. There are plenty of interesting things to photograph on the boat. I was wrong about shuffleboard. I don't think they have it. I think the old folks play croquet.

There are plenty of things to do. I am not big on dancing and do not intend to take lessons. Music is good. There are lectures and shows. The lecture today is "Behind the scenes at the White House".  That reminds me, we had a nice chat with some Canadians at dinner. I started laughing when I overheard their comments about U.S. politics and that led to some comparisons of our leaders. We were in agreement regarding which seems to be the worst, but neither ended up with any fans.

A couple of photos to complete this post. One from our escape from port and the other of Cindy in one of the many nooks on board.

An i-Lounge - I should be fine

I am activating Grabe Travels to chronicle a trip. We are taking our first cruise and sailing across the Atlantic to eventually end up in iTaly (;)). If interested, you can follow this adventure at the usual Grabe Travel blog site.

Yes, we were just in Hawaii. But, Cindy found this really good deal and there is probably some reason the ship is making the trip to Europe, so why not go along. I am usually nervous with Cindy’s travel adventures. The trip across Russia will be something we cannot top, but this sea thing should also be interesting. I have been on a large ocean-going vessel if taking the ferry up the inside passage to Skagway, Alaska, a couple of times counts. On those trips we slept on the floor of the boat.

This promises to be a little different. I can handle it though. I have already visited the iLounge, connected to the Internet, and been informed that there is a licensed Apple dealer on the boat.

Via the Internet - one final post from Kauai 2018

We heard Kimberly McDonough play several times while we were in Kauai. She seemed so talented to be playing at farmers' markets and art fairs. I guess this is what you do if you are a musician on a small island.

She mentioned being on YouTube and having a collaboration with a singer from Italy. I finally found the YouTube video. Note, these two musicians are not in the studio together. They met and traded content online and skilled editors spliced their music together.