{"id":71685,"date":"2023-08-15T11:31:49","date_gmt":"2023-08-15T18:31:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/?p=71685"},"modified":"2023-08-17T12:16:13","modified_gmt":"2023-08-17T19:16:13","slug":"day-11-sailing-sailing-over-the-bounding-main","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/?p=71685","title":{"rendered":"Day 11; Sailing Sailing Over The Bounding Main"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

The sea was calm, so we slept in until 6:45 am.\u00a0 We spent the morning leisurely until breakfast arrived, and around 8:30 am, we began preparing to meet up with others on the ship.<\/p>\n

While awaiting MAry to get ready, I went to the veranda and thought to myself (always a dangerous thing to do), what did Cinderella wear when she swam in the ocean?\u00a0 Then, in a blinding flash, it came to me,\u00a0 gl<\/a>ass\u00a0flippers.<\/p>\n

We left the suite at 9:45 am, changed some spa appointments, then went to Deck 18 to relax with a cup of tea and some reading.<\/p>\n

On the way there, Mary asked me, “What keeps the ocean from leaking out?”\u00a0 Being smart, I quickly responded,\u00a0 “The seals.” Then the fight started.<\/p>\n

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Our secret place in the sky!<\/p><\/div>\n

At noon, we had lunch in the DaVinci dining room.\u00a0 Paul had pasta, while Mary opted for soup and salad.\u00a0 We had to be done at 3:00 pm because, being a formal night, we needed fixin’.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Health food on a cruise ship?<\/p><\/div>\n

At 3:00 pm, Mary and I went back to the spa.\u00a0 While Mary was getting her hair done, I received a shave and exfoliation treatment.<\/p>\n

\"\"

How do you make perfect more perfect?<\/p><\/div>\n

It was a new experience for me, but it felt pretty good.\u00a0 Of course, the only way to improve my appearance would be to have a full head transplant. The poor technician worked on my face for almost an hour and finally offered me my money back. There was nothing he could do.<\/p>\n

\"\"

He worked so hard but nothing can fix ugly!<\/p><\/div>\n

A technician came up with a clever solution – Mary just has to lead me around.<\/p>\n

\"\"

It seemed to work, except is was hard to walk!<\/p><\/div>\n

It was 4:00 pm, so we rushed to the fourth-floor medical center and met the ship’s doctor.\u00a0 She showed us her cabin, which was Spartan but actually quite nice; she is a lovely lady who we enjoy every time we meet.<\/p>\n

\"\"

What’s up, docs?<\/p><\/div>\n

She then took us into the crew area, and we saw “M1”, the main end-to-end walkway on deck four.\u00a0 It was like a freeway!\u00a0 People with every uniform went about their duties.<\/p>\n

We went to the engineering office and met the Chief Engineer, a cheerful man with 23 years of experience with Princess Lines.\u00a0 We talked to him in his office for about twenty minutes, asking questions.<\/p>\n

I attempted to stump him, so I asked how much power generated on board is used for air conditioning.\u00a0 He smiled and responded, “2.5 MW”.<\/p>\n

\"\"

The Chief Engineer is a fantastic person overseeing 400 people.<\/p><\/div>\n

Then he took us on a tour of the “engine room” and its supporting equipment for an hour and a half.\u00a0 The engine room is not exactly a room; it is many rooms from the bow to the stern of the ship.<\/p>\n

The ship is powered by six diesel generators providing over 67 MW of power to operate the vessel.\u00a0 We were loping along at 19 knots, 24 miles per hour, on four of the six engines consuming about 34 Megawatts for propulsion.\u00a0 The remaining energy went to operate the cooling systems, sanitation systems, and running all the ship’s electrical\/electronic systems.<\/p>\n

The engine room was 900 feet long and contained a nice-sized machine shop and all the other equipment.<\/p>\n

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The engine room goes forever, the entire length of the ship<\/p><\/div>\n

Below decks is a fantastic array of machinery, all operating in unison to make to voyage memorable.<\/p>\n