SAILING TOWARD ENSENADA

Another good morning from the Pacific Ocean. Today, I decided to skip my walk and sleep in later with the time change. Losing the hours is not as much fun for for sure.
I went to the Bistro for some coffee and fruit while I wrote. I did try a pastry this morning that I think is the Portuguese style cake that gets raves on Cruise Critic. I had pastel de Belem on our first trip to Portugal (which was on Crystal) and became obsessed with them. This has similar appearance but is more muffin/cake like. The filling is quite yummy as well but overall the texture isn’t the same. It’s a nice nod to them though and thankfully for my waistline they aren’t exactly the same. A great treat with my fruit and coffee this morning.

After breakfast, Veronica texted to meet at the Movie Making Made Fun: Writing a Screenplay. She went and had breakfast at the Marketplace and said she would meet me me there. I walked to Avenue Saloon and saw Veronica sitting. Who was the instructor? The seat stealer from last night. I whisper to Veronica that she could’ve texted me that. As awkward as I felt, I decided to stay because I know I have the next great screenplay inside my head after all. It was a small class with only about ten of us. I did learn a few strategies and the software I would need to purchase. The seat thief didn’t acknowledge us and we left right away at the end. I doubt we will attend his next class which is an “air drop party” (for those who are not tech savvy this is where you can send pictures directly to other devices on the same WiFi network) but Veronica joked about hanging near by and sending funny pictures.

After lunch, we returned to the cabin so I could write a bit more. Veronica did some reading. Trivia was approaching and we needed to mentally prepare after all. We thought we would be a team of two again our friends showed up about 4 questions in and helped us out. We scored 10/15 which was a three way tie for first. The tie breaker was how many words are in the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets? Sad to lose when we are such Potter fans. By the way it is NOT a trick question. All teams asked if it was!

After trivia we decided to go to Marketplace for lunch. I made a salad and Veronica decided to go back to Trident Grill and get a cheeseburger. The vegetables today were not very exciting with lots of cheese type dishes. I decided to get a garden burger. Earlier in the trip, I asked if the garden burger contained cheese inside as most of the Gardenburger brand do. I was told it did not. I didn’t notice it the first time but it was more well done and crunchy. Today, it was mushy and I could see the orange bits that Gardenburger sometimes has. I don’t understand why to have a vegetarian burger with cheese inside when you can easily melt it on top. So my vegan friends, always ask and Crystal, switch to a bean burger!

After lunch, I went for some tea and a stroll inside the ship. I watched a bit of the foxtrot class and read some of my book. Of course, at 3:15 I had to meet Veronica for Bingo. A fun game but unsuccessful at this time.

We were not that excited about the dinner selections in Waterside so we called to see if we could dine in Umi Uma, the Japanese restaurant. They only had a nine o’clockreservation which we decided to take. Growing up with a 5:00 dinner on the table each night by my grandmother, this would be the latest I’ve dined. Veronica brought me some chips and salsa to tide me over before I showered and changed for the evening.

I went to Avenue Saloon to wait for Veronica and I ordered us both Lonely Mules, a non alcoholic version of the Moscow Mule. It was nice and spicy for me but I’m not sure if Veronica enjoyed it as much.

We decided to go to the early show at 7:30 to see comedian, Ritch Shydner. He was funny but Veronica thought he talked to much about marriage. She’s right, they were his only real jokes. It was more funny when two little girls sat next to us and we overheard the comments from other passengers about kids. These girls were sitting alone next to us in the front row and I’m not sure if others thought I was the nanny for all of them. We sat near the same girls for the first comedian who picked on them so I think they wanted to be stars of the show again.

After the comedian, we dashed to the 8:30 showing for “Jump & Swing-A-Mania” which is a variety performance by the Crystal Showband and Ensemble. Another fine performance. Great job, Brett! You looked fabulous!

The show ended right before nine and we were just steps away from Umi Uma. If I didn’t mention, Umi Uma is designed by Chef Nobu. It has an amazing menu and the sushi is spectacular. We decided to skip the sushi since we had some yesterday at the Gala Buffet. We both started with our own order of the lobster tempura as we both enjoyed it immensely last visit. We wanted to try something new so we shared the Soft Shelled Crab Spring rolls. These were ok but not a favorite for us. The portions are perfect here to try new things. We wanted to eggplant but we were informed they were out. We both wanted to try the mushroom soup. It is presented in a tea kettle with a small cup to sip the broth and chopsticks to pick out the mushrooms. Very great flavor and nice variety of mushrooms. We both preferred this the the Prego soup but we both enjoy lighter soups. Veronica decided to be different tonight and order the Wagyu filet. She said it was now the best steak of the trip. It is served with three sauces and her favorite was the teriyaki. I was a creature of habit and returned to the Nobu Lobster for my entree which was a tasty as the first time. For dessert, I ordered the fruit plate again but Veronica tried the chocolate soufflé dessert which is more like chocolate melting cake then a true soufflé to her disappointment. She still enjoyed it and really liked the sesame ice cream that came with the cake. Another great meal in Umi Uma!

We walked around the ship after our late meal. The Avenue Saloon was busy this evening. We made our way up to Palm Court to have a drink before returning to our cabin.

In the cabin, we finished the movie, IT. Yikes! That movie freaked me out. Clowns give me the heebie jeebies. Now, my closet door made quite the noise the first night. It shook at frequent intervals all night so I asked if it could be fixed. I thought to myself of my Grandmother who on a cruise in the 70s or early 80s, had a noisy cabin on I think a Holland America ship. She told me how she snuck out early in the morning hours and slept in a lounge. Thankfully, I did not have to do this. It was fixed the next morning. The door became difficult to open with the repair and I still had to slightly crack it to not hear shaking. As the cruise has progressed, the door has become easier to open. Last night, I was awoken with some rather violent shaking from the closet like something or someone really wanted out. Too freaky after such a scary movie!