GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN–AND GOOD FOOD!

• ACTIVITIES
• We have a long 6 days at sea, leaving Punta Arenas on Sunday, Feb. 5 and arriving at Easter Island on Saturday, Feb. 11
• Today, they offer “Indoor Cycling” for $12, Yoga for $12 or Pilates for $12.  No one’s showing up for these classes, probably because HAL decided its passengers should pay the instructors’ salaries.
• They “offer” two jewelry programs:  “Tara & Sons Pearl Seminar” and “Tara & Sons Pearls Collection Showcase”.  Want to buy some pearls, or a timeshare perhaps?
• Alternatively, I could watch “Grand World Voyage DVD Viewing – Part II” – so they can sell us their DVD’s of our trip.
• There’s the usual fare of watercolors, bridge, knitting, aqua aerobics, arts and crafts, bingo and ballroom dancing.  Stop – I’m getting all excited.
• I could go to the spa seminar on how to “burn fat faster”.  Yeah, it’s called liposuction (ha)!
• Oh, I’ve got it – here’s the class for me:  “Where are We?"!
• We got kicked out of the hot tub at 10:10 pm the other night – it closed at 10 pm!
• Most people are in bed by 10 pm, but for the “adventurous few”, there’s “Dance to your Favorites” in the Crow’s Nest at 11 pm.  They’ll be playing 50’s music (or similar)!
• Yes, I’m bored to death!  I’ve started reading the Family Code.  What else is a vacationing family law attorney to do?
• DINING
• Bill and I decided we’d eat our dinners at the Lido instead of the main dining room, except on formal nights. That way, we can still dress up and see those of our tablemates who would like to see us from time to time.  Bill also likes the fact that we can wear jeans in the Lido and don’t have to dress up at all.  We can also see the food before we select an item and have a much better chance of getting it hot.  It’s been better since we made the change.
• I have really been missing breakfast!  At home, we’ll wake up late and then I’ll make us a yummy breakfast.  I haven’t had that since we left, largely because we have to eat at HAL’s convenience, rather than HAL serving at ours.  Recall, the Lido Restaurant only serves breakfast until 10:30 a.m.  Then they close.  By the time I get up there for breakfast, it’s closed 99 percent of the time.  They serve lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and then close again.  Dinner is from 5:30 to 8 p.m.  While this offers a lot more flexibility than a set 5:30 or 8 pm dinner time in the main dining room, we still find ourselves heading up there to eat at 7:30 pm, whether we’re hungry yet or not.  If we don’t eat then, we won’t eat period.  There are two sides to the Lido, so they could easily keep at least one side open all day, if they wanted to.
• Craving breakfast, I got brave last night and tried room service one more time.  I wrote on the form that I wanted my eggs over medium.  I even specified, “whites cooked, yolks runny”.  Here’s what I got:  over hard, once again.  They just will not, or cannot, cook eggs over medium on this ship!
• I asked for “hash browns”, with country gravy and salsa.  I got these little circular “potato cakes”.  There was no gravy or salsa.  Bill got cold, chewy, pancakes.
• Ironically, they offer a program today on “Cooking with Confidence”.  I wish I could.  Only the two Penthouse suites have a (small) kitchen.
• And what I wouldn’t do for a decent vegetable with lunch or dinner!  You wouldn’t want to see the mushy “mess” of veggies they usually serve with their meals.  I need to buy some vitamins, apparently.  At least they have salads . . .
• IS THE SUFFERING WORTH IT?
• I am trying my level best to focus on the things I DO like:
• The itinerary is fabulous.  I can’t wait to see the places that drew me to this cruise.  They’ve been amazing so far and should remain so in the weeks to come.  I can’t wait to get to the next port and off of the ship!
• The swish of the big blue Pacific Ocean!
• The SPA!  I LOVE the girls in the spa and the massages, facials, and getting my hair and nails done.  I do wish I could use the whole spa, as you can anywhere else – but they charge you $25 just to use the steam room, hot tub (“hydro therapy pool”) and other amenities in the spa (“thermal suite”), even if you paid for a treatment in the spa.  (You thought airlines were bad?  HAL makes nickel-and-diming an art form!)
• Wine tastings.  The “Wine Guy” (Ingo) is really cute and funny, and I love his wine tastings.
• Many of the people we’ve met are interesting and nice . . . new friends.
• Bill finally coming with me on a cruise.
• Our room attendants are nice and leave these cute little “towel animals”.
• In retrospect, I would have done something else with my money . . . oh well, live and learn.
• ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT:
• “Food’s not that important anyway.”
• “You didn’t go on vacation to have FUN.”
• “Suck it up”!
• “At least they didn’t put you in one of those other homes!”