Fun on the Ship

Fun on the Ship --  Jan. 26-31

Many fun activities have gone on around the ship as we sail to Valpariso, and Santiago, Chile.

There has been too little time to write this, but plenty of time for fun, drinks, laughs, education, games, walks, ceremonies, football, unbelievable food, and smiling crew members. 

So this will be more photos than dialogue. 

We've had a well organized fun "Crossing the Equator" ceremony.

 Our trivia team continues to do well. 

Dave is learning and playing a lot of bridge. 

My new friends from Mah Jongg have enjoyed the high tea service in the Wintergarden, in addition to morning mah jongg play. 

We had a wonderful private dinner party for 10 other friends in Manfredi's restaurant. We closed it down  after 3 hours that just flew by. We were having such great conversations and dinners. 

They showed the two live NFL playoff games on the large screen tv near the outside pool. Drinks, nachos, friendly boos and cheers, pizza and snacks. 

The busy chefs have prepared many wonderful delights with themes such as an Australia Day, a Sunday Brunch, an authentic German brunch, a British themed day. Today, the theme was Chinese New Year of the Tiger. They also have live music and dance until after midnight on the pool deck to celebrate Chinese New Year. 

Oh yes, and I missed this because of having room service for breakfast (poor me). But they had homemade Cronuts on National Cronut Day. A cronut is a cross between a flaky buttery croissant and a freshly made donut, plain, decorated, and/or filled. Hope there's a next time on that, because I saw some amazing photos of the "cronuts". 

Sunrise from our veranda

Mah Jongg friends at tea

Mah Jongg group - Joan, me, Connie, Cheryl, Deb

 

Private dining room dinner

Chefs Table dinner

Masked fish for kissing at the Cross Equator ceremony

King Neptune, mermaids, and jailers deciding fates 

They've all been redeemed after a pool plunge and kissing fish

NFL playoff party

Big screen tv for playoff games

Chinese New Year lunch

Polynesian coconut rum drinks

Trivia Team, Man Overboard

 

A winning Team, Man Overboard

PANAMA CITY, PANAMA - Jan. 25

 PANAMA CITY, PANAMA - Jan. 25

The cosmopolitan center of Central America, Panama City, is a mix of unique high rises dedicated to international finance, and the colonial, Old Town, or Casco Viejo, with its churches, palaces and plazas, all of which we enjoyed very much.

Panama City is situated next to the 48 mile Panama Canal, with an average of 14,000 ships passing through each year, generating $2.6 billion per year.

We drove through the huge Howard military base of US Army, where during WW2 55,000 servicemen and families lived. This was given to the Panamanian govt in 1999.
A visit to Panama City is not complete without many stops for views of the Canal, the scenic peninsula, islands, and Gatun lake and locks.

We are not going through the Canal this time. With our change in itinerary, we are heading south to the Equator and South America. 

Next stop, we will be in Chile after 6 days of sailing and fun things to do.
  

Ships lined up to enter Panama Canal

Panama hats and canal

Streets in the Old Town 

Church spires and buildings of Old Town

"New" town of Panama City

Port we used for docking is so new, its still under construction 

View from our ship

SURPRISE GIFTS and MORE

Surprise gifts and Speakeasy

Every so often we return to our cabin after dinner and the evening show to find gifts in our freshly tidied cabin.

What nice surprises from Viking. 

The first time we received nice lined rain/windjackets with great zippered pockets, Viking hats and pins. 

A few nights ago, we returned to find some very useful tote bags with inner and top zippers.                                                                         

Two nights ago before dinner, they turned the Wintergarden into a speakeasy with craft cocktails, scrumptious canapes, Latin music, and a little bottle juggling by Emrah, one of the multi-talented Flairtenders. I have a video of his talent, but videos must not work on this blog.

Dave, me, Beth and Kent

Beth sporting her new Panama hat

Johann, our General Manager

Sarah-Leanne, Asst. Cruise Director

Damien, Asst. Cruise Director

What to do on a Sea Day?

SEA DAYS

Here's a typical "Sea Day" as we sail along to our next destination.

1st up is the saliva spit-in-the-tube test. After spitting up to the 1st line we each place our marked tube in a baggie (also marked with our name). Then we place it on the floor outside our door by 8:30. There is also a quick 4 question health survey, which you do each day either on your phone or your tv screen. Every restaurant has a temperature check kiosk that you use once a day by simply facing the screen. It recognizes you, gives you a green light and flashes your temp. 

                                                        

                            Saliva tubes 

                                                                               

     Lower photo, 1st recognizes face. Top photo shows temp w green light. Good to go!!

Many activities begin long before I wake up. Even "early-up" Dave has not gotten into any of these.
There is a 7.a.m. walk and stair climb w officers, and a meditation/stretch group on pool deck at 7 each day.
At 8:00 is a wonderful sounding yoga/tai chai class. Hope I get to try it soon. There are also nature watches early in the morning led by a naturalist/sea life expert.
We have been enjoying the great weather and leisurely, delicious room service breakfasts on our veranda.
Dave has intermediate bridge lessons at 11. I either go to enrichment lectures, play mah jongg from 10-12, or roam the ship until trivia at noon.

Our trivia group of 6, called Man Overboard, has won 4 times so far, tied twice and has been runner up twice. So we are doing GREAT-- tied for 1st place overall!!
How many post offices in India?  A bit over 155,000.
How many sonnets did Shakespeare publish? 154.
National animal of Canada? The beaver

After a delicious lunch, Dave plays bridge. I go to port talks, play cards, play mah jongg, read or walk the deck. There are also shore excursions to read over and reserve. There are baggo (corn hole) and putting competitions, bible study, chess club, crafts, wine tasting, art and origami classes, and live music venues around the ship.

Each afternoon from 3:30 to 5, there is a wonderful high tea, although we haven't been there yet. That would have to be on a day we decide not to have either lunch or dinner, since the scrumptious tea, scones, sandwiches and sweet treats are almost too much.

There is usually a destination or enrichment lecture at 5:15 and there is happy hour with music in both the Explorers' Lounge and Viking Bar, with snacks if desired.

Tasty dinners can be found in 4 different type of restaurants, the Main Restaurant, Manfredi's Italian,  the Chef's Table or World Cafe. There is also snack food at the Pool Bar and Mamsen's.

Viking provides a variety of musical entertainment around the ship-- with vocalists, classical music, guitarists, and the 4 member Viking band.  All are highly talented in their fields. Some nights also have "Name That Tune" in the lounge area. Other nights have movies on the pool deck, and of course, popcorn.

Each night at 9:00 p.m. there is a live show, with either guest entertainers or the resident musicians. Most of them have been great. 

After that, there's more live music around the ship, also music and dancing, until the last guests leave, in the Torshavn Lounge.  

And if you are still hungry, there's homemade soup and open-faced sandwiches in Mamsen's.

Lunch w Mah Jonng group --Cheryl, Connie (our great organizer), Deb, Joan 

                                                  

Baggo (Corn hole) competition --staff against passengers

Room service breakfast

Puntarenas, Costa Rica -- Jan. 23

We were late starting our tour because the very narrow dock we were using was being shared with the arrival of a huge Holland America ship, the Zuiderdam. 
Since we are covid free and the Holland American ship recorded many cases, we did not want to intermingle on the narrow dock and possibly become infected. So we patiently waited for them to clear the dock.

Sunrise arrival of another ship


A former fishing village, Puntarenas has magnificent beaches and rich wild life.
Puntarenas prospered due to the coffee industry.  Before the railroad in 1879, oxcarts delivered coffee beans to the docks. One form of local art is the beautifully painted oxcart, or Sarchi. 

Sarchi cart

Even today coffee is Costa Rica's largest export. We enjoyed local school children performing in the town square of Esparza. We also stopped in the church during mass and enjoyed the beauty of the mountains and beaches of the western side of Costa Rica.  

Our tour guide joining in the dance