Today was a quiet day. Babac woke up with a headache and opted to stay in for most of the day. I took the opportunity to do some laps on the deck and have some quiet reading time in various areas of the ship. It made for some very interesting people watching.
As I mentioned before, we are surprised at how many people we've met who travel this way a lot - and on the Cunard line exclusively. There is a very passionate following. Every now and then we meet someone who is traveling this way for the first time like us but for the most part, it is people who have traveled by ship extensively.
It seems that there are a few general categories of travelers - there are those who love to travel by ship and they are ready for it. They look like a page taken from the Preppy Handbook or a Vineyard Vines catalog. They are stripes and boat shoes by day, formal wear by night. There are some people who have booked this as their vacation and they aren't going to miss a second of activities. They are at the pool, playing shuffleboard, going to the shows and walking around with the ship map in hand. There are some, like us, who are using this as a way to get across the Atlantic as part of a bigger trip. Really an interesting mix. We have also found it interesting how many British and German people we've met who have seen way more of the US than we ever have. It's impressive. Even though the ship allows unlimited baggage on board we couldn't really take advantage of it because we were traveling by car the first three weeks and by train the last two. So most of what we packed is what we want to have when we arrive in Bologna. Not exactly cruise wear but it's all we will have for several months. There is such a huge variety onboard that it doesn't really matter.Â
Today there was a safety practice drill for the crew. The drill was a "fire on deck 4." Even though they had given several warnings that this would take place and it was in the Daily Program, you could see the alarmed look on some faces as they tuned in to what the captain was announcing. It's like they didn't hear the beginning of the announcement "for exercise, for exercise" and only heard the "fire on deck 4" part. I will admit, that even with all the warnings, it was still a little unsettling to see so many crew members hurrying through the ship wearing their life jackets. The life boats are a constant reminder. Also, I'm reminded that I saw Poseidon Adventure at far too young an age - Sally Hill's 4th grade birthday party - and it left an impression.
They went by every single cabin and placed a "clear" tag on the door.
They gave us a break today from moving the clocks forward. But we do it again tomorrow. Tomorrow is also the second gala night so we will be pretend gala people again.