January 5, 2020



At Sea



After a good 8 hours of sleep, I woke up at 8:45.  Today was our first Cruise Critic Meet and Greet.  We had a huge turnout – probably over 200 people.  Being the second time I started the roll call and having to actually speak in front of everyone, I am getting better at it and wasn’t really nervous.  HAL provided coffee, tea, some muffins and cookies and most everything was gone by the end.  We had a sign-up sheet for a Cabin Crawl (where you go around the ship and see different types of cabins) and had about 25 people sign up.  I finally got to see Marilyn and Rodney (Australian trivia partners from 2018) after looking for them yesterday.



At 11:45 we met for trivia.  It was in the Ocean Bar and the place was packed.  We met up with Diana (who was another member of our 2018 team) and we formed a team.  We have six members (the maximum) – Rodney, Marilyn, Diana, Sherita, Margaret (also from Australia), and me.  We did not have a great start with only 9 out of 15.  The winning team had 13.  As a request from two of my die-hard readers (just for you, Frances and Nancy), I will be posting the answers before the pictures.

1.  A “skulk” is the name for a group of which animals?

2.  “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep” was the working title for what 1936 novel?

3.  Traditionally in the UK, what food is eaten the day before Ash Wednesday?

4.  Mycology is the study of what?

5.  What country won the first World Cup?

6.  What is the only sea without any coast?

After trivia I had lunch in the Lido and read for awhile out on deck to try to get warm.  The temperature onboard has been very cold (I even turned my cabin thermostat to warming rather than cooling).  Today has been mostly overcast with the sun only peeking out a time or two.  Air temperature was only in the low 70s.


We met for Arts & Crafts at 2:30. Nancy Grace is the instructor again (she was also on the 2018 GWV) and I enjoy her crafts.  She handed out the schedule and talked about some of the things we will be making starting tomorrow.


Since there had been so many people at morning trivia, I went up to the Crow’s Nest early to get seats for us.  The dance class was meeting up there and they were packed in.  In the past they have met in the Showroom. 


We had five for afternoon trivia (Margaret does not play in the afternoon).  The acoustics were terrible in the Crow’s Nest and it was a major undertaking just to hear the questions.  We persevered, however, and tied with another team with a winning score of 16 out of 17.

1.   What continent is home to five of the eight longest rivers?

2.  The developers of Snapchat attended which west coast university?

3.  In “The Life of Pi”, which animal was named Richard Parker?

4.  What was the gift for the 12^th day of Christmas in the song?

5.  How many US states begin with the word “New”?

6.  What is the maximum number of clubs you can carry in golf – 10, 14, or 18? (the one we missed)

After trivia I went to visit Sherita’s cabin.  She was not very happy with hers (she had a guarantee, also) because of its location on the deck with the walking promenade around it and because it was further forward than she liked.  It also turned out to be a few feet shorter than mine (I have an extra closet and about three feet from the end of the bed to the desk – she has only a few inches).  She then came down to see my cabin.


After Sherita left I finally unpacked all my shawls from the compression bags I brought them in.  I cut it down from all that I have made and only brought 22!  I really need to start making something else!!! 


I was the only one at the dinner table tonight.  Turns out only one other person was assigned to the table for six.  Along the back window there are no more than four at any of the tables.  Seems rather strange not to put people together at a few tables instead of putting a couple at a number of tables.  The maître d’ came over to talk with me and arrangements have been made for me to move to the table where Kathy and Mike are sitting (I was at the same table with them in 2018).  There is another couple assigned to that table but they have not been either night so it may be just the three of us.
  

Since I was finished dinner early, I swung by Guest Services because I had been charged a second time for the internet package.  This happened to a number of people but it should all be straightened out now.


Went to the show entitled “On Tour” with the Amsterdam Entertainers (used to be called the singers and dancers).  They did a variety of songs mainly from the 70s and 80s.  It was a good show.


When I returned to my cabin we had pillow gifts which was rather unusual because we normally get them on Gala Nights, the first of which is tomorrow night.




Morning trivia

1.  Foxes

2.  Gone With the Wind

3.  Pancakes

4.  Fungi

5.  Uruguay

6.  Sargasso

Afternoon trivia

1.  Asia

2.  Stanford

3.  Tiger

4.  Drummers

5.  4

6.  14

                                    Usual large crowd 

 Nancy Grace

 all of the crafts we will do

 for my knitting friends here are the shawls, capelets, and stoles I brought with me

 Messenger bag

                                      Lanyard and diary

Tote bag

Smooth sailing until next time!