At Sea

Overnight we gained an hour, which is always nice. We were invited to have breakfast with Donald on his balcony. I think we caused a bit of confusion because we put his suite number on our order and they tried to correct us. Marchell showed up at 9 with our breakfast, but in the end, we managed to sort it out. Donald has a suite on the aft of the ship, so it has an extra spacious balcony, perfect for having breakfast. At first the weather seemed much cooler and the wind had really picked up, but when the sun came out is was gorgeous. We sat and talked for several hours while enjoying our breakfast. By 11, Donald had to his the spa and we went on to the cooking demonstration. 

They were doing a version of "Chopped" where each chef selected the mystery ingredients for the other. It was fun to watch. By 12:30 we were up on deck 12 wanting to get a little sun, but the winds were more than we could handle. We came back to our suite and found that we had a sunny balcony and only a slight breeze. We sat in the sun for a bit before heading up to lunch. Today we had Tikka Marsala that was scrumptious. Mom had never tried it, but found that she really liked it even though it was spicy. We spent a little more time enjoying the sun before we had to start getting ready for this evening. We invited Leah and Dan over for drinks before dinner. i met them on the zip line trip, or as Mom calls it, the "sling fling". Tonight was formal, so we went ahead and did as much as we could but didn't dress up. Marchell had brought canapés, nuts, and crisps for us to enjoy as well as some champagne. We have also been introduced to a drink called the Bullshot, which is a new one on us, but our new favorite drink. It's just vodka, bullion, and tabasco, served with lime and celery, so basically very similar to a Bloody Mary, but much better in our opinion. We had to pass on this information to Leah and Dan, and it was enjoyed by all. 

We didn't realize how the time had gone by, so we had to get ready for dinner. Our dinner was very nice this evening including caviar (of course), rock lobster, and a lemon chiffon dessert to top it all off. This evening was also the Ascot Ball, where everyone wears their hats and fascinators. Mom and I brought ours from London, and they were a big hit. We even had a few people take our pictures because they fascinated by our fascinators! The funny part is that most people thought we were British. It has been a long day and we've managed to stay out late again. Tomorrow is our last day before arriving in LA. We will be very sad to leave so many wonderful people, but it will be nice to get home to family.