Sabin’s at Sea - Day 35 - Sea Day #19
by Nina Sabin - Travel Blog
The weather conditions were not favorable and the captain made an announcement that we would not be tendering to Avatiu, Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Wind gusts were 50 miles an hour and seas were 10 to 12 feet. Not a good time to be in a very small craft.
The winds, as I mentioned yesterday, affects the waves and it is not safe to tender to these small islands. Plus, with being overcast and raining it would not be very good beach or snorkeling weather. This is pretty much all one can do on the Cook islands.
So once again we had a sea day. When we originally booked this cruise over a year ago, there were a total of 23 ports and 27 sea days. We thought then that would be a lot of sea days.
Since we have been on the cruise we have had locations change, unable to visit islands because of the weather, and more sea added as a result.
As of now, we actually have about the same amount of sea days and that is because we are at Papeete, Tahiti for three days which was added to itinerary. If everything goes as planned with the new itinerary we should visit in total 19 locations.
The staff has done a great job to try to accommodate these sea days. They adjust the activities to a sea day, so there are plenty of options to choose from and keep the passengers happy.
The captain even provided unlimited sparking wine for not being able to go to port today.
Speaking of the staff, we can’t boast enough about how polite, complimentary, and caring the staff are from the captain on down.
The dining room maître ds are outstanding. They know every passenger’s name and make each person feel so welcome and special when you arrive for any meal of the day.
The waiters and waitresses also go above and beyond to make sure you feel comfortable and have a pleasant dining experience.
The bar staff are so sweet as well. We especially like talking to the ladies from Thailand.
Our cabin stewards are fabulous too. Always asking if we need anything. One day they even thanked us for coming on this cruise because that gives them jobs.
We pretty much had a similar day to most of our sea days: dance class for Thriller and other line dances, Bridge and Euchre with our friends, John taking his naps and enjoying his books, drinks, and dinner with a couple that I met the wife in dance class.
The night finished with a BBC Planet Earth Documentary with live music as our entertainment.
Tomorrow we are supposed to be arriving at Aitutaki, Cook Islands.
As of right now the the weather is looking better. However, we still have to tender to the port and if the winds and the waves were like today we won’t be able to tender. So we won’t know till tomorrow morning if we will be able to go to the island and snorkel.
Praying again for good weather and very little waves tomorrow.
There is a Halloween party planned tomorrow so that is something else to look forward to.