13 April 2016; At Sea, South of Italy.

Today we have a relaxing day while sailing from Katakolon to Naples via the Strait of Messina. It is chillier outside than was expected but in the sun and out of the wind it is very pleasant. This being the first real cruise, means we are now having all the standard HAL activities which go with a HAL cruise. Thus we hosted the first Mariner Luncheon on board and the attendance took up most of the lower dining room. There was the Walk on Deck for the Cause and so it went on and on with all the other regular activities we are used to. On top of that there are the items which none of the rest of the fleet ships has, such as the Wine Experience and the extended Culinary Arts Center which goes way beyond what can be offered on the other ships.

The Mariners luncheon in full swing in the lower diningroom.

In the mean time I have been trying to get my head around the Music Walk concept. As it is something new it takes a little bit of getting used to but it works really well.  The World Stage (Main show room) has 3 performances each evening at 19.00 hrs. 20.30 hrs. and 22.00 hrs.  This is the anchor of the whole operation. The Lincoln Stage Centre plays at 18.00 hrs. and 20.00 hrs.  so everybody who goes to the show can also hear both the classical music programs. (Tonight there is Brahms and Edith Piaf). When the classical music stops, Billboard on Board, the dueling pianos kick off with two sets at 21.00 hrs. and 22.30 hrs. and then a late night one at 23.45 hrs. Again you can catch one or more of the performances. For those who consider 23.45 hrs. too late; tonight we have an hour back to return to middle European time and thus the real time is only 22.45 hrs. In between you can then run over to BB King in the Queens Lounge with performances at 21.00 hrs. 22.00 hrs. and 23.00 hrs.  Everything is staggered and does not interfere with each other. BB King does not do either as it is the Queens Lounge and their music does not carry over into the BillBoard area.

The Billboard on Board. the place was really packed and I was lucky to get this shot as the centre table was had just vacated.

For those who like less noise and a more tranquil surrounding, there is a pre- cocktail piano player who plays from 17.00 hrs. to 20.00 hrs. in the Ocean Bar.  More culture is being offered in the Two Deck Lido area with Movies under the Stars at 19.30 and 22.00 hrs.

With my Lord and Master being on board I have been fully occupied in the evenings of checking each venue out and doing so in conjunction with testing all the food outlets as well. Everybody knows the Canaletto and the Pinnacle by now and the standard on the Koningsdam is as good if not better than on any of the other ships. What is new to the fleet is the Sel de Mer Restaurant and this is considerably different from the rest. Here the emphasis is on Sea food but as in a regular French restaurant you can also get a Steak with French Fries or a Coq au Vin. There is no cover charge but the menu is a La Carte and you pay for each course as in a shore side restaurant. The place has been booming from day one and the quality is superb. It does not have to be expensive, as my wife and I with friends had dinner there, and we paid each 16 dollars for a Mussels and Fries. There is an extensive wine list and yes you can buy a Chateau Petrus for $ 1400 but I was quite happy with a Belgian Triple beer for $ 5.75.

The one restaurant I am not able to comment on is the Culinary Arts Restaurant for the simple reason that we could not get a reservation for any time which suited us, having to juggle the other restaurants, the shows and the music venues.  Tomorrow evening is the last evening of the cruise and then we are planning to do an in depth investigation of all the outlets in the Lido Deck area. (Dive Inn, Gelati’s, New York Deli, and the two bars including the self-service beer pumps)

As you can see it is a hard life but somebody has to do it. This does not mean I have not been working, on the contrary I have been quite busy with writing training manuals for all the safety trainings which need to be held on a regular basis now the ship is settling down to routine. These little manuals will enable the various Heads of Departments to give training themselves and they will not entirely have to rely on the presence of a deck officer anymore.  And you can only write those once the ship is in service and you know where each piece of equipment is really located and button has found its final location. Some installers and contractors can be a bit creative with their interpretation of a construction drawing and thus a button is not always going where it was assigned to go.

Not really exciting for a blog but every cook should know how to operate the CO2 hood panel in case of a kitchen fire. So I make little training manuals for them.

Tomorrow we are in Naples and the weather calls for sunny skies and temperatures of around 72oF or 20 oC. If the authorities let us, I will be messing around with boats, training lifeboat commanders.