April 29, More Competition and Relaxation

The evening was comfortable, but we experienced higher seas and wind. You could feel the increased rocking of the ship last night. This was even more apparent when we awakened; you could see the wave and wind action; and it picked up through the day, such that we found ourselves often walking from side-to-side. Nothing disconcerting, but noticeable, nonetheless.

Other than that, the day was very straightforward. We woke up, early actually and went to breakfast. Came back to the room and read and otherwise killed time until 9:50am. At that time, we went to the Two70 degree theater for the Captains Corner event. This was a question and answer session with the ship’s top four officers, moderated by the Cruise Director. The top four officers and their names – first names only – are: the Environmental Compliance Officer (Ryan), the Ship’s Engineer (Ricardo), the Hospitality Officer (Sanjay), and the Captain (Espin). Ryan is from America, Ricardo is from Mexico, Sanjay is from India, and Espin is from Norway. The four of them gave a quick summary of their backgrounds, their responsibilities on the ship and how long they have been serving on the Ovation of the Seas. The questions were varied from the fun (What do you do in your free time?), to the serious (How do you handle the ship’s waste?), to the obnoxious (Why did you skip the landing in Bay of Islands and cut a half day off of Mo’orea, to just have us spending another day cruising?). The four officers were gracious and very informative through the entire hour. The passengers were overwhelmingly appreciative.

(Environmental Officer Ryan [left], ship's four highest officers [center and right])

(Chief Engineer Ricardo, [l], Chief Hospitality Officer Sanjay, [c], Captain Espin [r])

Immediately following the Captain’s Corner hour, the room transitioned for the Master Chef Competition final. Patrise met her teammates, who then began their preparations. I positioned myself to take videos and photos. The two teams had to prepare a three-course meal from a given set of ingredients, in thirty minutes time. Both teams were active, the food preparations were amazing to watch, they both exhibited a great deal of teamwork, and both teams finished within the given time limit. The judges certainly took their duties seriously, and they most certainly enjoyed savoring the various dishes from each team. In the end, Patrise’s team came in second, but acquitted themselves well. They were awarded one night’s dinner at any of the ship’s specialty restaurants of their choice. The winning team was awarded two nights’ dinners at any of the specialty restaurants of their choice.

(The runners up display their award certificates.)

After Master Chef, we returned to the room, having decided to go to lunch late. (Frankly, I felt full from just watching the competition, so I was in no hurry to eat anything.) Patise watched the ship television, viewing our ship position and other related information, while I repacked our souvenirs in the luggage. We had purchased a third piece of luggage in Sydney, so as to have space to pack souvenirs and mementos. We did go to a late lunch and then returned to our suite. Patrise took a good long nap, while I sat on the balcony, reading and working on the changes I am making to my class for this Fall.

I am excited to get started with a new group of graduate students. The Andrew Young Policy School plans to do a big promotion, to make more students aware of the class. My first cohort numbered six students. The school was embarrassed by this, but I certainly was not. We were a small group of pioneers: they were taking a class that had never been offered, from a professor that had never taught; although I had lectured to college classes many times before, this was the first time I was carrying a course from beginning to end. Thus, I felt the small numbers worked for both professor and students, and I was in no way insulted. The AYS leadership was relieved to hear that I did not feel the class had been a waste of my time. Still, they want to boost the enrollment, which I am more prepared for now. Having taught the class once, I have things I want to do to adjust and strengthen it for the next time around.

When Patrise awoke from her nap, we went to the Concierge Lounge, a bit later than usual. We spoke with Danilo about the upcoming disembarking process. Then, we played some cards and enjoyed the quiet of the room and its view of the ocean. Back to the room killing time, then dinner at 5:45 pm.

Back in the room we reviewed the information that had been distributed about the upcoming customs and immigration processes we will undergo in two days. The Captain has been required to come into Hawaii a daily early, in order for U.S. officials to have time to interview and vet all of the passengers and crew. A bit much in my mind, but it’s what we all have to go through. This will be a final customs and immigration process for us for this trip, since when we leave Hawaii, we will be on U.S. soil headed for a U.S. destination. When we land in Atlanta, we will experience the normal domestic flight arrival and luggage processes.

(A pair of swan [towels] left by our steward, Faisal. Several nights of the cruise he leaves us a new towel animal -- rabbit, koala, seals, and others.)

That’s it for today. Tomorrow is Sunday, April 30th and the cruise leg of our trip will almost be at an end.