The weather front has caught up to us and it has turned rainy, blustery, and generally miserable although it is still 68°F (20°C). Captain Timmers says that today and tomorrow will be rainy because the front has caught up with us. This IS the North Atlantic, after all! We’re at 35°38.09’N, 53°39.01’ W at 1758GMT if anybody cares to look on a map.
You may not have heard this on the news, but Holland America Line (HAL) has teamed up with the TV show (or, as they put it, the “famed” TV show) Dancing with the Stars. They are going to have a dance contest called—duh!—Dancing with the Stars and the winner of said contest will win a free cruise—knowing HAL, it will be a 3-day Caribbean cruise in an inside cabin! As I read the fine print I realized—oh, DARN!—that Randy and I are not allowed to compete as it is against the laws of Arizona (and, to be fair, a couple of other states). Who knew that Arizonans would be allowed to carry concealed weapons without a permit but are absolutely not allowed to dance in a contest!
Today was the Mariner Lunch. There are one, two, three, four, and FIVE star Mariners. You get your first “star” after your first cruise. We have over 75 cruise days so we are three-star Mariners. At 200 cruise days you become a four-star Mariner and after 500 cruise days (!) you get your 5th star. You might think it would be like a frequent flier miles where you can get some pretty nice “free” stuff—like free trips. Nope. About the only perk worth anything is free laundry after you reach the four-star level. But of course you don’t get it right exactly as you reach 200 days, you don’t get it until your NEXT cruise. So you could start a cruise with 199 cruise days, go on a 50 days cruise and not get your free laundry until the next cruise after you 50 day one. And, of course, they would NEVER give out any free internet. Even four-star Mariners only get 25% off a 100 minute package. Excuse me, 100 minutes? That’s hardly enough time to check your email once a week.
So, anyway, the Mariner Lunch is supposed to be a “Thank you” for being loyal. We did get a free meal (which of course we get anyway!) and a glass of champagne. ONE glass of champagne. No refills. The dining room was stuffed to the brim and people were lined up for 20 minutes to get in because cruise ship passengers will joyfully trample each other to get ANYTHING free!
Ah, but I expect tonight will be different. We are invited to have cocktails and then dine with Captain Timmers. I’m curious to see who else will be there. We are there, I’m sure, because we are in the Pinnacle Suite. I believe there are a couple of five-star Mariners so I expect they will be there. There are 28 other suites, so 56 people, and I doubt it’s possible for the captain to dine with all of them. But maybe he can as we do still have about 23 days left and who knows how many more formal nights! I think they (HAL) are getting a little carried away with the formal stuff! Tonight is our 5th night and 2nd formal night with at least three more before we get to Barcelona.
It still seems to be impossible to upload even one photo. Bummer!
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