Saturday
Great night’s sleep. Woke up a couple of times and felt the choppy Atlantic. It’s already been more oceany (is that a word?) than our previous two ocean trips that were like being on lakes. Breakfast in the World Cafe (which is phenominal) was grand (as usual). No food pictures this morning. After breakfast we read for a bit in one of the lounges and then did a walking tour of the ship. The Hide is a great speakeasy type bar that only serves drinks from 9 pm onwards. It’s a great place to sit, read, and hide all day. We also walked by the Restaurant (where we will eat tonight) and Manfredi’s, the Italian restuarant with great steaks (where we will eat three other nights). We also watched part of a kayak briefing in the Aula, the ship’s beautiful theater/auditorium/lecture hall. We didn’t need to stay for it because we won’t be kayaking. We will be doing one Zodiak tour and one Special Operations Boat tour – more about those when they happen.
There are library areas located all around the ship, but we have our own library in the suite. Some great books. I am now reading Fake History by Otto English. Here’s the library (with the television screen in the middle tuned to the live bow camera).
Weather is still nice and we sat on our balcony for awhile. As an expediation ship, the Polaris in general doesn’t have outdoor balconies in its staterooms. Instead, they have Nordic balconies. There is a floor-to-ceiling picture window that open downwards from the top to the halfway point, thereby creating an indoor “Nordic” balcony. The four Explorer Suites (and the single Owner’s Suite) have that but also have outdoor balconies. The pictures below show our Nordic picture window and our small balcony. (The wet look is not from rain – they just passed by with a hose washing things down.)
We met John and Donna at lunch in the World Cafe and then again at Happy Hour (5:00 pm) in the Living Room lounge. The bartender there is also named John, and he makes the best vodka gimlet (Grey Goose, of course). Nice music.
DInner tonight was in The Restaurant (reservations-required). My lobster and scallops highlighted the meal. Wine was excellent.
After dinner drinks were in the Explorer’s Lounge. And then off to bed.
Hi to you too, Cindy. And to Bill as well. All is good here in NH even with a long winter that is still going strong. Yes, it’s great to be back On the Road (or in this case back On the Water) with Joe and Elaine. No one travels better than those two. We’ll be meeting up with them at a lobster eatery in NH in May while they’re on a stopover en route to Dingle. They just keep going!
Wow, Joe and Elaine, what a fabulous ship. So many choices for eating, drinking, reading or just hanging out. The ship seems to be very “homey”. I love all the birds. Are they taxidermies or models? The Nordic balconies are a great alternative to an actual
balcony. Luckily, you have both.
Hope the seas don’t get any choppier when these storms head out to sea in the next few days.
Models, I think.
All looks just grand! How is Charleston! Love the food, among the best we’ve had, at least in this country, although Viking’s meals look very appetizing! Look forward to traveling with you both, vicariously, of course!🥰
Sue that is great you will be seeing Joe and Elaine in May. Will be a fun time together. Yes, they do keep going and like you, we enjoy their journeys. Joe, good pics of the ship. You picked a great one on this trip.