a few more days

Friday, May 3, 2013 continued

Just Carolyn and me for dinner in main dining room—J wanted to eat in the lido. So we were in and out fast.

Decided to wander the ship since we hadn't done that yet. Saw part of Antonio Salci's show in the theater. Then Carolyn wanted to check out the shops. Good, because you could hear the rest of the show in the shops!

Then we caught Ric Steel in Café al Bacio—he was great! Had everyone singing along and the waitresses and some of the customers dancing in the aisles.

We lose another hour tonight.

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Another 7:30 a.m. call saying our coffee is on its way. Except we haven't ordered coffee and it doesn't come. When I actually called the butler to bring my mocha and almond croissant, I asked him to find out who is calling us and get them to cease and desist.

Breakfast in Blu with Ida and her sister (didn't remember her name) who have been on since the Panama Canal cruise. They had Gene as a butler the last cruise.

Response on the who is calling us mystery is for me to look at the display and record what it says. Right. Like I'm gonna remember that when I'm woken out of a sound sleep. And don't have my reading glasses on.

Our other mystery is the source of the sewage smell that renders our lovely veranda pretty much useless. Had the guest relations director and the engineers up here. They called back and left a message that they've identified the source of the odor and taken steps to fix it. Odor is still there, although not as pronounced. Still cannot sit out on the veranda and enjoy the beautiful weather and the smooth crossing.

Carolyn slept most of the morning after being awakened by the 7:30 call. We went to lunch and got salads—not a huge line like the other day, but still hard to get the ingredients with the bar in the way. Much prefer the salad bar layout on the S class ships. Actually, the M class after their Solsticizations have acquired several dead ends. For somebody who is used to how it used to be, it's a bit disconcerting. Suppose we'll have it figured out by the end of the three cruises. But can't say it's an improvement.

Went to hear Ric Steel again this afternoon since he won't be playing tonight until 10:00 p.m. Met Marilyn, J, and Peggy there.

Carolyn and I are having the first of our complimentary meals in a specialty restaurant tonight—we're going to the SS United States.

Carolyn had lobster prepared table side and I had filet of sole Véronique. Nice meal. Not sure it would be worth the extra $45/pp. It came complimentary with our suite.

Back to the room to find out the odor still persists on our veranda. Down to Guest Relations, but David was not in. Told the whole sorry saga to his assistant, Antoinette.

Lost another hour. Sure hope someone is enjoying all our lost hours!

Sunday, May 5, 2013

No 7:30 a.m. wakeup call! Slept until 8:30. Bliss. Had to rush up to Blu to get there before 9:00.

Sat by the pool and read since we can't use our veranda. Also had to buy a t-shirt since we passed the sale table. Actually it was all Beth's and Carolyn's fault. I couldn't be the only one without a Celebrity t-shirt.

Another Cruise Critic lunch was scheduled for noon in the main dining room.

Came back to find a message from the guest relations manager that the engineers have decided to cease and desist from the activity which is causing the odor. Really? They couldn't have ceased when we first complained? Amazing. So we got to use the loungers on our veranda. One has a broken wheel. Maybe we can get that fixed by the time the cruise is over?

Carolyn has gone off to the thalasotherapy pool. I'm too lazy to change and walk there. Will just sit on the veranda instead. Am really into sloth mode. Our next two cruises are so port intensive, we will hardly have time to breathe. So this is the change to just veg out.

By the way, Domnik says his baby is due at the end of October and that he'll be home for the birth (for those of you who know Domnik). He's pretty excited to be having his first child.

Dinner in the MDR tonight. None of us ate much. We're all kind of tired of the food. Doesn't seem to keep us from having treats after dinner, though.

Then off to hear our favorite guitarist, Ric Steel again.