Day 2: Inside Passage (At Sea)

Today we were at sea cruising the inside passage. The compass was full of activities to choose from. We had windjammer breakfast, which wasn't too crowded. We found the best place to sit was at the tables near the Boardwalk DogHouse. There was a coffee station open out there and very few people would sit there- we always found window seating.

After breakfast we went to progressive trivia. We were a little early so we played a quick game of pool. The self-leveling tables really do work!

Progressive trivia was run differently than we had seen in the past. You were given a booklet (similar to the majority rules game show) and you would bring up your answer after each question and the answer would be revealed after each question. Questions were worth anywhere from 1-5 points, and Darren did stump everyone on one question.

Next up was our cruise critic meet and mingle. We did not have a very active board. Many were B2Bers so perhaps they were active on the other week. About 15 people showed up to the party. Paul, the CD, was the host and there were two other staff members there. He made it very clear that he reads the message boards (Hi Paul). They auctioned off a RCCL tote bag and three giftwrapped swag bags. Well, we never win anything and we won both the tote bag and one of the giftwrapped bags. It had a coffee mug, luggage tags, magnets, keychains and a pen. They gave everyone a "free gift" which is the same notepad/pen thing that can be worn around your neck that they have been giving away for a while. They had fruit punch and something else to drink and canapes to eat. We only stayed about 15 minutes as we had other activites we wanted to do.
From there we went to the horseracing being held in the Centrum. This is a fundraiser for Make a wish (there were 2 make a wish families sailing on our cruise). The horse racing is three races that each have 6 horses and you make real bets with your sea pass card. (2 dollars for the first two races, 5 dollars for the last race). This activity is run by the CD who serves as the announcer. He rolls three dice and each time the number appears that horse moves a space. People seemed to get very into it. Lindsay was the jockey for horse #2, the Australian horse. Race 1 she came in last, but she was very close in races 2 and 3 and came in second on both of those.

After horseracing we went to the champagne art auction (which is in starquest/viking crown lounge). There were several trays of champagne sitting out compared to the usual situation where they are passed out. The art ranged from 500- 7,000 dollars. There was not much bidding all week. The auctioner was not very entertaining or informative. He only spoke about one or two artists giving the history behind their paintings. Of course as this was a RCCL ship there were plenty of Romero Britto's on display. Also they had a special night just for Thomas Kinkade later in the week. This was the first of 3 art auctions. There were also events in the art gallery on many nights. There were some RCCL swag giveaways and of course the piece of free art. The art was bigger this time, which we didn't like as it made it difficult to travel home with. We folded ours up. Again the rock climbing wall was closed.

We did some more stuff around the ship and then got ready as tonight was formal night and the captains reception. At the captains reception they once again had free champagne. The captain, who is very funny, spoke for a few minutes and then the top staff introduced themselves. We always find it awkward walking through the line of staff on both sides as you enter the lounge. The event was held in the Colony Club.

After this was dinner in the Main dining room. Lindsay had the strawberry bisque, shrimp ravioli and chocolate souffle. Jason had the bay scallop gratin or something like that,the seafood kabob and the cheesecake.

After dinner we took formal portraits- we did this twice during the week but never found any we liked. The lines were always very long and the photographers would use the same three poses. Tonight was also the first production show- the piano man- a tribute to billy joel, elton john and the like. We stayed- but we didn't go back to another production show. Just wasn't for us. You either love them or you don't.

We ended the night with some tea and milk from the solarium/park cafe. At night the park cafe has all the sandwhiches and desserts from the day but the salad bar (which is a bagel bar at breakfast) turns into make your own pizza. They also have pizza at the park cafe which is usually only at windjammer during lunch.

The solarium wasn't crowded at night, quiet enough that you could hear the piped in animal noises and the lights are turned down to add extra ambiance. it was Jason's favorite spot at night. A bonus on RCCL compared to Carnival is that the hot tubs and pools are open 24 hours.


Tip of the day: If you like champagne, there is plenty flowing today! Grab a glass on your way out of the captains reception and bring it to dinner!