Day 12 - Pool Party

We slept in until almost 8, which usually would be a problem because of needing to be in the dining room right when it opens at 8 so we can get breakfast before Zumba and so on. But it has finally happened that neither of us is even remotely interested in breakfast. There are always bananas in our cabin, and even that sounds like too much food. I think what may have put me over the edge was the plate of food at the wine tasting – even though when I saw it, I thought “urg, I don’t want to eat any more” I ate it anyway. I’m sure it wasn’t the chocolate crème brulee, which gave me the energy to be hoppin’ and boppin’ to the crocodile rock at the show last night. Since we didn’t have to go anywhere Dave tried dialing 25 to get an outside line again – with 1800 people trying to get one it was not an easy proposition – and on the 3rd try he got one, and got through to Alaska Airlines without much wait time. It was a bad news/good news kind of phone call – the bad news was that the flight we wanted was sold out in coach, the good news was that the cost to upgrade to first class was pretty tiny. So we’re going home first class, which means that we pay no bag fees, and also will make the transition to being regular people again a little easier. We both feel good about having that taken care of.

After I ate my banana I headed up to Lido aft for Zumba. Today they taped our class to send to headquarters in Seattle – maybe I’ll be on the next Holland America promotional video. Your lifestylist Louise said it was so they could see that Zumba is something that they should keep doing - and given that there are about 25-30 people there every day, it seems like a pretty obvious thing. I was pretty sweaty by the end as always, and grinning like an idiot. I’m starting to think my face might be permanently set in that expression. Down to the cabin to pick up my swimsuit, and then up to boot camp, which seems to get easier every day – I’m not sure what is up with that. Mark did the whole workout with us (usually he has Matt do the last bit) and I was pleased to see that he was just as sweaty as I was by the end. Susan was a little late getting there, and a little crabby when she did – she’d been caught behind some coots and couldn’t get around. Matthew says he’s never going to get old.

The best thing about today is there are no ship activities we want to participate until after dinner (well, lunch, of course). So after boot camp I got into my black bathing suit (it took quite some time to get it on over my sweaty body – I may have pulled a muscle in the process) and after a brief chat with Gus and Rita (he’d had a cough last night but is fine) spent almost a whole blissful hour in the pool. The seas are not calm, and I just was having a blast. You can roll around and surf off the ends and just go crazy. Like I said, that idiot grin is getting to be a permanent fixture on my face. Sometimes a few people get in, but I just wait them out. They opened the roof, so in addition to the crazy waves there was also wind whipping the swells into your face. At one point it even poured down rain for a couple minutes, then it went back to being sunny. My my my, it’s a wonderful cruise.

Out of the pool, quick shower, then off to lunch with mama and Merna. Mama had a really yummy looking cob salad that put her in a very good mood. It was nice to sit and chat. It was my first sitting still since 9 this morning, and I will admit to getting a little sleepy while we waited for food. It’s not a terrible problem to have.

After lunch I was a little chilly from swimming so I hung out in the cabin for a while with the heat turned up. I’ve got my suit drying out on the verandah, and soon it will be time to get back in the pool. I was thinking how if you always want what you’re getting, you’ll always get what you want, and since what I want is to get back in that pool I know I’m in for a good afternoon. And in fact it was a good afternoon. The pool was sloshing around. At one point I was in the deep end (6’9”) and I suddenly realized that I was standing on the bottom with my head completely above the water. Amazing! Unfortunately another couple was in the pool pretty much the whole time I was, which was annoying. Don’t they know it’s my pool? Anyway, it was lots of fun.

I got out of the pool around 3:30, spent a little while in the hot tub trying to warm up, and then took a long hot shower. I would have also taken a long nap, but I’d set up an appointment for a manicure. I remember on the Christmas cruise Sami my niece took advantage of everything the ship had to offer, and she had the best time of all of us. So this time I decided I’d ask myself, “What would Sami do”, and Sami would definitely have had the manicure. I’m not totally thrilled with the color I chose – it has too much green in it – but it was fun getting the manicure and having shiny nails.

Dinner was very, very good – I had lamb which was spectacular, and Dave had a chile relleno that was so good he actually asked for a second helping. Also it made me laugh when Dave ordered the chocolate cake and Putu knew he’d want ice cream with it. But the funniest thing that happened, and the thing that made me laugh so hard I completely lost it right there at the table, was just after dinner. Dave turned to me and said, “5… 4…” and I had no idea what he was doing until he got down to 1 and Michael the wine steward turned up RIGHT THEN to say, “port wine tonight, sir? Dave hadn’t even seen him when he started counting. We thought we’d miss Ya Ya, but Putu, Dewa and Michael have been terrific.

Another nice thing about tonight’s dinner was that Rita was really chatty, She’s the shyest of our table, and usually doesn’t say much. We’d shared a laugh last time Gus had French onion soup (he had a cheese-string moment that was very good), and tonight he had the same thing and we caught each others’ eyes and giggled. Gus travelled around for 14 years with a Suburban and a motor home staying mostly in national parks ending in 2002, but we don’t know what brought it on. He and Rita met at a dance after that, but he says “at that time I didn’t know how to dance, so I had to take lessons just to have a chance.” I love Gus and Rita, and John and Carol too. I think this is the best table on the ship.

After dinner you know what comes next – crows nest to see Chris. Turns out last night there’d been a mariner vip party up there. I guess we’re not VIP enough yet. We didn’t get to stay long as we had to be down in the queen’s lounge for Karaoke Superstars at 9. Karaoke superstars was pretty much the same people as the karaoke (except for the two ladies who sang “love shack”), except this time Dave your cruise director, Oosterdam singer Carrie, and the very funny Joel Mason were there as judges. DJ Brett was your MC and we were treated to many of his wonderful fits of the giggles. Like I said, it was pretty much the same people as last time, and in general the ones who had been good before were still good. We sat in the front row with Carol (John was in the contestant area) and Joel Mason’s wife ended up sitting next to her. I showed her the bruise on my hand that I got form excessive clapping at Joel’s show, which she thought was pretty funny. She didn’t know you could do that either. We don’t know her name so we have to call her Joel Mason’s wife.

Each contestant came up and sang, and then the panel discussed them. It was one of those times where everything is funny. John was a little less nervous, so he did better, but Carol said he probably should have had a shot of bourbon first. I’ve forgotten most of their names so it’s hard to tell the stories, and it was kind of a “you had to be there” show – like when it was a country western song and Dave pretended to hang himself with toilet paper because he doesn’t like country western, or when Steve, the eventual winner, was singing “I can’t help falling in love with you” to the two male judges, after introducing the song as a tribute to his wife, with whom he was celebrating their 20th anniversary that night. Or when Tyler came up and sang “Piano Man” so badly, so off-key and so off the beat that when the audience tried to join in to help none of us – not even Carrie or Joel, who make their livings as singers – could sing it correctly.

It got started late and ended a little late, but since Dave was the MC for the 10:00 show we got there in plenty of time and got seats down in front – we weren’t going to make the same mistake as last night! Turns out we would have been better off in the balcony – the show was just mediocre. It was Patrick Murray, a ventriloquist, with his dummy Matilda. The jokes were pretty much old and stale. The first section of the show was about cruising in Alaska, but we were in Hawaii. Anyway, it wasn’t really worth it, and I’m mostly putting it in the blog in case he shows up on another cruise we’re on so we’ll know to find something else to do. We lost another hour tonight, so it was bedtime for sure after the show. Tonight’s towel animal: stick penguin.