128 Days Around the World

March 14, 2020

At Sea

What a day! It started out normal and we had a big group for Sit and Stitch. I left a little early because I wanted to get on a waiting list for a snorkeling excursion next week.

When I got to trivia the people in the group next to us were all on their computers. A few minutes later they showed us what they were looking at. It was an announcement from HAL that they were ending all cruises for 30 days – including ours! Trivia started and we were on question #9 when the captain came over the loudspeaker with a message. The same sad one we had seen on the computer. Our cruise is now going to end in Fremantle in ten days. Logistics were still being worked out.

We continued trivia although everyone seemed a little shell-shocked. We ended up with 9 out of 15 and the winners had 12.

1.Corsica is part of which country?

2.Rodin’s “The Thinker” is believed to be a portrait of which Italian poet?

3.What type of juice is distilled to make cachaca?

4.Which legendary rock band had a drummer nicknamed Bonzo?

5.The Clio Award is given in what field?

We stayed and talked after trivia. Marilyn and Rodney are probably the only two people on the ship that will not be majorly inconvenienced by the cruising ending in Fremantle – they live in Perth about 20 minutes from the dock.

After lunch we made earrings in Arts and Crafts.

A petition has been started asking HAL to let us stay on as the ship returns to Florida. It would definitely be less costly than getting us (and all that luggage) home by air. Sherita and I signed it.

Sherita and I watched some of MSNBC’s coverage of the now proclaimed “national emergency” before she had to get ready for dinner and I left for afternoon trivia. We had 15 out of 21 and the winners had 20.

1.What is Australia’s most popular sport?

2.What is the world’s largest land carnivore?

3.What powerful liquor was Van Gogh drinking right before he took the knife to his ear?

4.In the American game of Clue, what are the six weapons?

5.What is the only planet that rotates clockwise?

I sat out on the back of deck 9 in the sun for about 40 minutes. There was a breeze (not like the winds of yesterday) that kept it from getting too hot. I then laid out my clothes for Gala Night before heading to evening trivia. I played with Joe, Cheryl, and Laura. We had 12 out of 17 and the winners had 13.

1.What is the Greek word for “great city”?

2.What city is the second largest French-speaking city in the world?

3.What Italian entrée’s name translates as “cooking pot”?

4.Which direction does the head point when burying the dead in Japan?

5.Who “discovered” the Mississippi River?

The theme for Gala Night was “Under the Sea”. We had Jeff, the acupuncturist, host our table (Jennifer, Lenore, and I). I did not go to the show which was the singers and dancers.

I have to say I have been really down all day with the news. I am keeping my fingers crossed that HAL comes through and makes sure everyone is taken care of. There are many passengers onboard in their 80s and 90s and as daunting as taking two days, changing flights a number of times is to me, it must be horrific to them.

Sea day tomorrow.

Morning trivia

1.France

2.Dante

3.sugarcane

4.Led Zeppelin

5.advertising

Afternoon trivia

1.cricket

2.polar bear

3.absinthe

4.revolver, rope, lead pipe, wrench, knife, and candlestick

5.Venus

Evening trivia

1.megalopolis

2.Montreal

3.lasagne

4.north

5.deSoto