Day 42, At Sea

Day 42, At Sea – 15 Feb 2018

Change in plans

The heavy weather continued today but we were able pick up our speed to around 16 knots.  At this rate Captain Jonathon said we should arrive at Kangaroo Island around noon tomorrow.  This news threw a big monkey wrench into our plans.  Five of us were planning on renting a van and driving to the Flinders Chase National Park, which is as far away as you can get and still be on Kangaroo Island – almost 100 miles each way.  This trip was going to take every minute of our original 9 hour port visit but was now out of the question since we would be delayed 4 hours.

Most of my morning was spent reviewing our options and what may be possible in 4 hours.  My original van reservation was with Hertz for 9 AM but I wasn’t sure if they would hold my reservation if I was 3 hours late and rental cars were in short supply.  I was able to connect with a Hertz rep via online chat and the rep adjusted my reservation for a 12:30 arrival.

I stopped by the 10 am knitting group but didn’t do much knitting as all the conversation was on our schedule and what options might remain for a half day in Kangaroo Island.  This stop was never a high priority of the places I would like to visit, so I wouldn’t have been too disappointed if they cancelled the port altogether.

Afternoon events

I played Texas Hold’em in the afternoon and lost.

Judy went to her drawing class where the subject was a continuation of recognizing circles and boxes and now adding shape to those shapes.

She was able to get a seat at crafts where she made some wine glass charms.   HERE is a list of all the craft projects for the cruise.   Other reference items can be found HERE

We continue to have fun at evening trivia and we have picked up a guest from the UK on our regular team who has been helpful answering questions like “How many pounds in a stone”.

I checked on the exchange rate for Australian Currency on the ship to compare with what you can get out of an ATM.  $115 Australian was being sold at the front desk for $101.65 USD.  The same $115 AUS would cost $91.27 AUS if you used an ATM ashore or about 10% less than on the ship.  As expected you pay a premium for the convenience of changing your money aboard ship, but for the small dollars most people exchange, it may be worth it to avoid the hassle of finding a shore side ATM.  I used to change my foreign currency back into dollars but now I just keep it and use it for my next trip.

Evening events

I had the Lasagna for dinner this evening, which is the first time I ever tried this on any cruise ship anywhere before.  It was pretty good and I will definitely order it again in the future.

Paul Adams put on his second show this evening.  This show was much better than his first show as he avoided any further commentary on the small size of the 10 PM audience which I find very boring and unimaginative.  Paul has a quick wit, a nice delivery and was very funny and was at his best when commenting on current events like the surprising number of commercials about the “My Pillow” guy on Fox News.

• Paul Adams