Day 63

Day 63 – Reykjavik to Halifax – Tuesday 17/7/12

Weather – Fine and Cloudy 13C - 15C

Sunrise – 4.50am

Sunset – 10.54pm

Time difference - minus 13 hours ex Sydney (another hour back last night )

At 3.30am this morning Sun Princess passed 18 miles from Cape Race, near the southern tip of Newfoundland. We then altered course to a west-south-westerly heading which took us south of Cape Breton Island, which we passed at 8pm 48 miles to starboard. A couple of hours later we passed Sable Island, with its oil production platforms, 66 miles port side. At midnight we were abeam of Nova Scotia 20 miles to starboard side. Tomorrow morning the pilot will jump on at about 10.30am, and guide us into Halifax. During the approach to the port we will pass McNabs Island, and be secured at Pier 22, Ocean Terminal, opposite Georges Island by 12 noon.

Our last sea day on our transit of the North Atlantic to Nova Scotia. That thermometer is very gradually sneaking upwards, 15C max today, heatwave proportions compared to what we have had of late. Cloudy all day, with a heavy dose of thick fog from mid morning till late evening, the foghorn got a darn good workout. Captain assures us that there are no icebergs out there to be concerned about which is reassuring :)

A very quiet morning for us, Donna stayed cabin bound by a migraine, whilst I enjoyed a spa in the fog, hoping to ease my back pain. We hope that we are both kicking along ok in time for tomorrows port call in Halifax. We both came good by the evening, so hopefully all is good.

Pizzeria lunch today, yummo, we just dont go there often enough I reckon, it is a nice change from the other dining options that we usually use.

The pre-dinner show tonight was Donny Ray Evins, who did the Nat King Cole tribute show the other night. Another excellent show tonight, this time he did a Soul music show. The after dinner show was another production show, Oh What a Night, which we passed on. We actually went back to Donny Ray Evins late performance with our dinner table partners, and the show was identical..funny that:)

The production shows so far this cruise have not been up to the usual Princess standard. There will be a whole new group of singers and dancers join us in New York at the end of the week, so we have high hopes that the standard of the production shows will bounce back to the usual good standard that we have had on other cruises.

The sanitation measures in response to the gastro outbreak continue. They have an interesting approach which I dont understand sometimes. Staff in the buffet serve all food and drinks, with absolutely no self service of any kind, not even salt and pepper, everything is done by staff. The library has been closed so germs are not spread from book reader to book reader etc. Tables are sanitised after each user in the lounges and bars. Now all that is quite understandable. What I dont get is that the casino remains open, and all the pokie machines are operating, and they do not get sanitised after each player. Nor do I understand why the Internet Cafe remains open, and the keyboards are not sanitised after each user. The cynic might suggest that the revenue generating parts of the ship are immune to carrying the virus:)

The gossip mongers are having a field day with figures ill passengers and crew being tossed around, and stories doing the rounds. I should be writing them all down, it would make an interesting read. The Captain has advised that the number of infections is dropping, so that is good.

Formal night tonight, again, and Captains Circle cocktail party, again – we did not go as we went to the pre dinner show. After the show we hit the Wheelhouse to see how our waltz was – what a shamozzle, I had forgotten everything I learnt, so we are going to have to practice. On the way back to the cabin, in the foyer nearby, where nobody was around, we had a little practice. Our cabin neighbour came along, and she gave us an impromptu lesson. How embarrassing, there we were in the stateroom foyers after midnight, having a dance lesson by a lovely woman who could move really well. Not sure how old she was, and I am a poor judge of age, but I would hazard a guess of around 80, but she had me spinning round the foyer :)

Halifax tomorrow !! Another day, another city, another country, another continent !!