Day 11

It gets harder and harder to blog because each day is remarkably like the previous as we near the end of this part of our trip. Today was our 11th day, and while I sound whiney, it really has been a marvelous and restful start to our adventure. The atmosphere around the ship is so much different than when we started. People are crankier and the energy level is just a bit lower.

The staff of the ship are marvelous and they have seemingly unending energy. I hope many of them get some time off before they have to set sail again. I asked our waitress (we have had the same waitress and assistant waitress for the entire ship; both are from Romania; she takes care of our table and I think one other) if she gets any time off after we get into Barcelona. She does not. The Voyager of the Sea will begin a series of seven-day cruises around the Mediterranean, and she will continue to work on those cruises. Someone told me (and I believe it to be true) that the wait staff earn $50 per week plus what they get from tips (which are generous) and obviously free room and board. It seems as though most of the wait staff are from middle or eastern European countries, Caribbean islands, or Asian countries. There is no one from the United States or western European countries. I suspect the work is just too hard and the time away from families (six month contracts) is just too onerous.

I continue to be very impressed with the talent they have on board this ship. Last night we had a comedian/juggler from Great Britain who was extraordinarily talented and extremely funny. (Each night they have a special show in the big theater – one at 6:30 for the folks who dine at 8 and one at 8:30 for the folks who dine at 5:30.) Afterwards, Bill and I went to one of the lounges where the singers and orchestra were performing jazz music. It was very enjoyable.

Tonight is lobster night! Those of you who have been on cruise ships know that this is a very BIG night! It’s also the final formal night.

I have talked about our table mates, and here is a photo of the people with whom we have dined each night: from left to right: Ray and Carol from Kansas City, MO (he’s a chiropractor and she helps run his business); Bill and me; Tom from Salt Lake City, UT (he’s a retired high school teacher); Dave from southern California (who is a retired travel agent who travels extensively); and Joe from Tampa, FL (also retired, who watches his 2-year-old granddaughter every day while the parents are at work). At the beginning of the cruise we also dined with Alex McLean from Scotland, but he seems to have found other friends as we haven’t seen him since the first few days. It’s hard to imagine that he could have found anyone more interesting than the seven of us!

We moved our clocks ahead again today at noon, so we are now ahead of our friends and family in Colorado by seven hours.

Tomorrow evening at 5 p.m. our time (which, after we move our clocks ahead again tomorrow will be 9 o’clock in the morning in Colorado) we will be passing through the Strait of Gibraltar. As I understand it, Spain will be about five miles away on one side and Morocco will be about three miles away on the other. We should be able to see both.