This stretch of four consecutive days at sea is a challenge. Both Deborah and I are struggling with boredom. We shouldn’t be; there are many activities on board. Things like bingo, dancing, cooking demonstrations, game shows, seminars on numerology... Yes, many activities in which I have absolutely no interest. I should be painting but, even if I had the necessary thinner with me, which I don’t, this windy, wave-tossed environment isn’t exactly conducive to my precise style of making art. So instead I edit my photographs, attend the daily history/destination lecture and write blog entries like this. Deborah goes to the gym every couple of days and has made use of the ship’s library to keep herself supplied with reading material. If the afternoon movie or evening show is of interest we attend that also. And of course we eat. Often.
Many people onboard seem to actually like the sea days. They lie all day in the sun, lined up in their deck chairs like sausages on a barbeque, self-turning every 30 minutes. All are dedicated to the proposition that, as one of the entertainers said, brown cellulite looks better than white cellulite. I tried the sunbathing gig one day but it just isn’t my scene. Deborah has to be careful about getting too much sun also.
The evening shows have been a mixed bag. Some, such a violinist and one of the singers, were actually pretty good. Others, such as the chubby Tom Jones impersonator, clearly demonstrated that they are at the point in their careers where they are reduced to working on cruise ships. Live music also pops up in the various lounges around the ship throughout the day. It too is a mixed bag. Unfortunately we often end up sitting within earshot of this one female vocalist who is just awful. Deborah just wants to wrestle the microphone away from her and beat her over the head with it.
I’ve heard an unsubstantiated rumor that the ship is only about half full, which perhaps shouldn’t be surprising given the state of the global economy. We paid just under $4000 for this cruise last summer. Just on a lark I checked the prices again a couple of weeks before we left and found the price had decreased to $2800 for the same type of stateroom. Once onboard, Deborah got to chatting (as she does) with a couple who booked at the last minute and paid only $1600. So much for the benefits of planning ahead.
Part of the difference is the $224 fuel surcharge, which was discontinued last fall, but only after we had already booked and paid. We didn’t get a refund in cash but we did get an onboard credit for that amount. That comes in handy since any illusion one may have had that everything on the ship is already paid for is quickly dispelled. All alcoholic drinks are extra. Sodas are extra. Lattes are extra. Many of the exercise classes are extra. You have to pay for any laundry services onboard, or salon services, or day spa services. Internet access is quite expensive. And of course there is the minibar, where even a bottle of water will set you back $5. All items are listed as available at a “nominal fee.” In this case a “nominal fee” translates as “an inflated price to which our captive audience has no alternative short of abstinence.” And any money left in your wallet after the plethora of nominal fees can be quickly extracted at the casino.
Fortunately we can be tightwads when necessary. So far we’ve managed to only splurge on one bottle of water (to be refilled and reused endlessly), one soda (to help Deborah choke down that cauliflower lodged in her esophagus), two laundry services, a whopping $3.50 poured foolishly into a slot machine, and of course a few hurried internet sessions to check email and post blog entries. We’ve also bought a few cocktails, although we generally wait for the two-for-one specials or just split one beer.
Some people must be racking up huge bills, especially given the amount of alcohol being consumed onboard. The cruise line must have underestimated the very considerable drinking capacity of the Australians, who make up the majority of guest onboard. Halfway through the trip they had already run out of the favored brands of Australian beer.
Tomorrow we will be landing in Laihaina, Maui. Later that evening we will be sailing over to Honolulu where our cruise will end the following morning. We fly home that same afternoon. I may not have the chance to blog on our day in Maui until we return home, but I’ll be sure to try and wrap things up in the next few days.
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Deborah passing the time.
Towel sculpture by Tony the room steward.
