Caribbean Cruise 2014:
Day 10 - At Sea
Day 10 - At Sea
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Sunday, March 9, 2014: Another glorious day at sea! |
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Since we were sailing past Cuba, we treated ourselves to breakfast on deck. "So we're eating food and looking at Cuba." |
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Cuba? Yes, Cuba. |
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As soon as the pool bar opened, we ordered our customary four Diet Cokes, ... |
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... and enjoyed them poolside. |
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We put our feet into the water that sloshed out of the pool as the boat rocked ... |
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... and enjoyed the ambience of the pool. |
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Now, we'll give you a tour of our cabin. It was identical to the cabin we had when we were on the Zuiderdam in Alaska in 2012. |
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We had received an upgrade offer from Holland America a month or so before we sailed, so we paid an extra fee to upgrade from our usual verandah suite to this cabin, billed as a Signature Suite on this ship. |
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The room and the deck were 50% wider than a regular verandah cabin. |
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We had plenty of storage, ... |
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... and a luxuriously large bathroom by cruise ship standards. |
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There were two sinks, two medicine cabinets, and a long shelf underneath for storage. |
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We made use of both the shower and the tub areas to clean our snorkeling gear ... |
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... and to dry our swimsuits, such as today after spending an enjoyable hour in the aft adults-only pool. |
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We hit the Mexican buffet again and brought our plates to our cabin so we could eat on our balcony. |
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In the early afternoon, we passed Cay Lobos lighthouse, which is probably one of the most picturesque lighthouses anywhere. Its perch on a perfect white sand island certainly helps. |
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It's mixology time again! |
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Today's class focused on Holland America's signature cocktails and we'd be using these ingredients. |
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Once again, Kiersten and Nick led the class, and invited a volunteer to come up and mix the first cocktail, "Tuscan Lemon Drop," made of Absolut Citron, sour mix, limoncello, and fresh rosemary. It was quite delicious and we vowed right then to try some of the other Drop cocktails on the menu for dinner. |
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Tom was brave enough to help mix the next cocktail: "Strawberry Basil Belisimo." It was made with fresh strawberries, basil, strawberry puree, vodka, and sour mix. This one is a keeper. |
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Our last cocktail was called "Fashionista." It included fresh raspberries, pineapple vodka, raspberry syrup, sour mix, and soda water. So very delicious! As we did with each cocktail, Kiersten led us in a toast, often rhyming. |
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Here are the final results, made in order clockwise from the top. |
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We staggered out on deck so that Tom could get some of that pizza that he kept walking past each day and so that Debbie could try in vain to get sick of bread pudding. |
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Our final dinner of the cruise featured the Master Chef's International Dinner, previously enjoyed on the Zuiderdam. |
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Dining selections were divided into four sections: North & South America, Asia & Australia, Europe & Africa, and Chef Rudi's Tour Around the World. Debbie managed to pick one item from each section: Latin-America-style Gravlax, Scandinavian-Style Seafood and Potato Chowder, Wattleseed Roasted Duck with Apricots, and of course, Baked Alaska. |
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Tom opted for Vietnamese Spring Roll with Chicken, Scandinavian-Style Seafood and Potato Chowder, Tofu and Vegetable Korma, and Mohr Im Hemd. |
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We kept our earlier vows regarding cocktails and ordered a Coral Drop (made from Chambord) and a Glacier Drop (made from blue curaçao). |
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Here's Tom's Tofu and Vegetable Korma, ... |
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... and here's Debbie's Baked Alaska. |
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Cruise Director Mario got the excitement started when he announced the traditional March of the Baked Alaska. |
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The song "We Are Family" came pumping out of the PA system ... |
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... and we swung our napkins and smiled until we could swing and smile no longer. |
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After dinner, our assistant waiter Tarmizi ("Call me Zee") and our waiter Gede posed for a farewell photo for us. It was Tarmizi's last night before getting to go home to his wife and young son for a well-deserved break. |
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We went out to the Promenade Deck to watch the sunset and to pose for photos. |
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OK, one last towel animal photo. This one was just so very cute. |
Copyright © Deborah Schilling/Thomas Bundy