Spinning

Monday, February 10, 2014
At Sea, Nord-Ouest, Haiti
Today's theme: Spinning

Up on deck for coffee at 8:00, I notice that I am almost alone. I guess most folks partied harder last night than I did even though I didn't get to bed until after midnight. It was a fun night. The sun this morning is shining and the seas are calm and the coffee is hot. I head to the fitness center for a few miles on the treadmill because the jogging track aboard the Epic is the only non-Epic thing so far discovered by yours truly. The jogging track is really an up and back course along the starboard side. The distance is good but back and forth and back and forth seems worse than the treadmill so I opt for the latter.

Finishing four miles, I barely have time for a shower before the Cruise Critic Group’s Meet & Greet with the officers of the Epic is scheduled at 11:00 in Bliss. The Captain doesn’t show; that’s a first. John and Scott, the amazing organizers of all kinds of activities for this CC group make a few announcements and everyone seems to be having a great time. I am assigned to Team Four for the Slot Pull Tournament scheduled for 1:00pm in the Casino. For an entry fee of $25.00, my ten teammates and I compete against the house and three other teams. Our captain, when we are down to our final $23.00, pulls the lever for an even grand and we call it quits to walk away with our winnings.

I am nearly late for the 2:00pm NCL University Margarita Tasting event in Maltings Bar. I bond with the other margarita tasters, trying to sip and not gulp. I am a traditionalist, preferring the regular recipe over peach, strawberry and Japanese. Needing food, I head for a very late lunch passing the majority of the CC group who have opted for a NCL University Martini Tasting event at Shakers Bar. There is a lot of tasting going on.

I am making friends and being influenced by people like never before on a cruise. Here, it is a combination of the Studio Solo Travelers Lounge and CC. Norwegian is responsible for the former and this arrangement, unique in the industry, is a sure fire winner.

There is a large group from the Singles Travel International Travel Agency aboard. Among them is a guy I met in Istanbul. Small world. STI is very guarded about letting a non-STI person fraternize with their proprietary guests. So be it. On this cruise, there are so many other singles that it doesn’t matter. I get it; the STI people paid a bunch extra to be taken care of and any interloper, such as myself, is in essence a free loader. No problem; I’m cool with being "excluded" given that I didn’t pay the extra freight. They tend to avoid the Studio Lounge. Their loss.

Tonight’s entertainment was a mixed bag. “Music of the Beatles” by the Manhattan Band in the Atrium was excellent. But, when they changed lead female vocals, the replacement was beautiful but flat. I tried the Dating Game Show but couldn’t do it. Second City wasn’t funny; a lot of people walked out. Sad. Then, the Abba show was oversubscribed so I couldn’t get in. As great as last night was, tonight was a letdown.

Dinner, on the other hand, was super. Good salmon, good company. Howl at the Moon is back, albeit late. I’ll stay up for them.

.

Comments

2025-02-07

Comment code: Ask author if the code is blank