Page 14 August 16th 2023 Wednesday - Bridge Tour & Formal Night
We had a great start to my day with a normal breakfast before heading to the SPA. My best friend Mary made the mistake of ordering too much food last night when she was hungry. We joked about selling some of our excess food from our cabin door, as we had enough to feed a small army.
"I can't believe we are going to eat the whole thing"
We were chugging right along as 19 knots
Day two at sea was amazing! It was a formal night and we were lucky enough to get a bridge tour arranged by the Captain just for Dr. Mary, who is a hero on the ship! We headed to the SPA. We were greeted by Security and they did a quick search, but surprisingly they didn't take me up on my offer for a full body cavity search. One of them even said that I had trusting eyes! Overall, it was a great day filled with lots of excitement and adventure.
Security briefed us before entering the bridge
He introduced Dr. Mary to all the guests!
We moved console to console with the Captain explaining and answering questions.
The best view on the ship which is a good thing!
The man standing behind the captain is an Able Seaman who is on watch just in case the seven radars do not pick up anything.
Did You Know? - An able seaman (AB) is a seaman and member of the deck department of a merchant ship with more than two years' experience at sea and considered "well acquainted with his duty". An AB may work as a watchstander, a day worker, or a combination of these roles
What? No Large Wheel? Nope, the ship is steered by a "Joystick"
The displays were very informative - Take a minute and examine them!
There is a wheel but it is very small!
The circle on the bottom left of the display shows in yellow the wind direction and in blue the water current. The autopilot calculates where to steer the ship because it is essentially a sailing vessel with a 18 story sail!!
The Captain is Italian but very fluent in English!
The propellers are turning at 125 RPM and the generators are making 20 megawatts of power (with a potential of making 60 MW if needed).
He knows where the ship is within 20 feet anyplace on earth, thank you GPS
Did You Know? - A cruise ship can take a surprisingly strong wind, depending on the size and design of the vessel. Generally speaking, most modern cruise ships are designed to withstand winds up to Force 8 on the Beaufort scale (48-55 knots). However, some vessels have been known to brave even stronger gusts in extreme weather conditions.
He and Mary hit it off form the first time they met.
A view from the bridge looking backward!
The display includes the depth under the keel and we have 1505 nautical miles to go until we reach Ensenada!
We are making 18.1 Knots!
He went through every display including the Fire Suppressions systems!
Mary had some good questions!
The bridge was uncluttered.
The little girl was cute and she also had questions.
There is a complete control system on either end of the bridge to assist with maneuvering in tight places and preparing to dock.
I had a great desire to pick up the plant and throw it overboard (do you remember the movie??)
The crew has a pool and hot tub for their use on the bow.
I was told I wore an appropriate shirt!
Someone is having a good time!
This is where the Captain stands when coming into the dock.
I am ready to take control!
We are on the same deck as the Captain but 450 feet down the hallway!
Meet Captain Stanley
There is some humor on the bridge!
In the commander's seat!
The bridge is fairly roomy!
One could get his exercise by walking back and forth on the bridge
We had a small lunch and mostly talked about the amazing bridge tour.
Just a small snack she says!
Hula lessons!
Love the hand work!
The lounge was full!
I sat and watched the CCTV.
Hands up!
Wow! I have my own Hula Angel!
Did You Know? - The two main categories of hula are the Hula Kahiko (ancient hula accompanied by chant and traditional Hawaiian instruments) and the Hula 'Auana (less formal hula accompanied by song and the western influenced musical instruments like the ukulele and the guitar).
Let me translate; I better not!
Everyone had a story to tell
Meet Captain Mary Cote, US Army Medical Officer!
The guys asked why their doctor didn't look like Mary!
More flowers delivered to the cabin!
We begin with champagne!
Surf and Turf!!
I mean real champagne!!
We dined alone most every meal; more time to talk!
The wild girls meet!
After dinner, we decided to head to the lounge to catch some live music and maybe dance a little. The musician tonight was fantastic - they played some really fun, upbeat tunes that had everyone moving on the dance floor. It was a great way to cap off the night!
Hit those strings!
Mary showed them how to do a line dance!
She almost blew over!
Not great when you wear contact lenses!
The app alerted us, we have more pictures posted.
