Days at Sea

 Happy New Year's Eve to all.  May the Holy Spirit sweep into each of your homes and bless you with hope, peace, and joy.  We hear of snow back home.  Stay safe, please.  Wildfires in Colorado...oh my, please, God, send heavy snow.

Jen here, giving Jerry a bit of a break from typing.

First, here's a snapshot of our ship life:  

• We have a satellite TV that gets MSNBC, CNBC, FOX News, SKY News, SKY Sport News, TV series, and a channel of all movies arranged similar to Netflix.  So what about Bowl Games, you ask?  Well, surprisingly, we have learned that the ship has special access to the Orange Bowl today and we can see it on our TVs in our rooms.  Tomorrow's Hawkeye game?  Our fingers are crossed as are our eyes, our toes, and my swimsuit straps.
• A fully furnished fitness room sits just next to the spa area and near deck 10's jogging track. (the deck just above the pool and sunbathing deck) We live on deck 8 so it's an easy trip upstairs to these facilities.  Sometimes I go up as Jerry's meds wait to kick in; sometimes he joins me.  13 trips around the track equals one naughtycal (huh, wonder how that spelling showed up).   We power walk next to a waist-high fence and have an uninterrupted view of the ocean.  Mostly we see small waves and distant freighters or cargo ship; if lucky, we see a whale breaching or large fish jumping.  Usually the open wind makes me happy to have a snug fitting visor that keeps my wild hair from assaulting my face.
• Our inside state room is tiny compared to most of the other living spaces.  The bed is top of the line and comfy with more pillows than we need.  Hallway traffic is silent. No bouncing or rolling of the ship so far.  Our aging bodies sleep just about as well or poorly as we did at home.  Check the Oceania website if you're interested.  It suits us fine as we really like each other and can share close quarters. We play bridge with a 93-year-old man who has made this ship his home until he dies.  (Of course he thinks he will live forever.) He is in the Owner's Suite.  Huh.  He wryly says he is homeless when we share where we are each from.  His daughter doesn't want him to cruise alone, so she has arranged for a "partner" to live in his vast dining area while he has all his life possessions in his part of the suite. I'm still aghast...
• We have now met many people on board--through activities like bridge or shore excursions or sharing mealtimes.  Other activities (listed on daily pamphlets left on our beds the night before) include bingo, blackjack (yes, there's a casino on board), team trivia, afternoon tea, outdoor golf, an artist in residence, table tennis, shuffleboard, baggo bean toss, evening entertainment, and food, food, food.  Some of these people have already become a bit more than acquaintances depending on if they are leaving the ship in Los Angelos on Jan. 4 or continuing the ATW (Around The World) with us.  Those are names we are trying to remember.
• Let's talk Covid-19 and Omicron.  If you wish, you can find links we've been following on the cdc.gov website, one of which is Cruise Ship Travel During COVID-19 | CDC.  Early in the trip a couple was released before we cast offshore; supposedly they had lied about their shots.    A couple days ago, the captain's belltone sounded and he announced, "A small number of Covid-19 cases were identified through our onboard testing and close contact tracing.  These individuals identified were immediately placed into quarantine in accordance with CDC guidelines.  Nevertheless, the vessel has been denied entry into Puerto Quetzal by the Health Authorities.  As a result, Insignia will spend the day at sea and arrive in San Diego at 8 am local time, January 4.  I am very sorry for any inconvenience caused and appreciate your understanding in this matter."  Then yesterday as we listened to MSNBC, we heard that the CDC is now saying that nobody should board a cruise ship.  How might this affect us?  Stay tuned.  Some of the seasoned ATW travelers who have been ATW more than 3 times already are already making advanced reservations for 2022 or 2023 excursions, thinking that our cruise will terminate in Los Angelos.  You may hear about this at the same time we do...