Day 68

Day 68 – New York to St Thomas – Sunday 22/7/12

Weather – Cloudy 23C - 26C

Sunrise – 5.47am

Sunset – 7.51pm

Time difference - minus 14 hours ex Sydney

Throughout the day Sun Princess steered a south-easterly course through the North Atlantic Ocean, passing over the North American Basin. About 3pm we passed 200 miles of the nearest land, which is the east coast of America. We crossed through the Gulf Stream (or North Atlantic Drift) which is a powerful, warm and swift ocean current that originates near the tip of Florida and heads north easterly back up where we have come from in the North Atlantic, reaching the UK and Norway.

Rest day at sea, so you know the drill, not much to report today. Quiet day catching up with friends and sharing tales of our adventures in New York City. The warmer weather got folks out doors, even though it was cloudy all day. For the first time since Dover I was able to sit out on the Promenade deck to read and write up the NY blog updates.

There were over 500 photos taken in New York, so there is some serious culling to be done to get it down to a manageable number, which is easier said than done, as it was such a great port visit. I may save that task for tomorrow. Hopefully I will get a few in the can to put on the blog in St Thomas.

We went to dancing lessons again today. Today was a slow nightclub dance, which I am afraid I just did not grasp at all. This dance is set for 6 lessons, as you learn an extra bit of it each day. I figure if it takes 6 lessons to learn, and I am struggling after lesson 1, it is best I make a graceful exit, and we focus on the waltz

We hit the Promenade deck for an exercise walk in the arvo, it is so nice to have warmth in the air again, though the legs were still a bit sore from the New York adventure, so just a half pace today.

Our CC group had a meet and greet today, which was well attended, to welcome on board the New York embarkers, then a quick change, and off to pre-dinner drinks, and another dining room dinner. Carl – sorry, I lost track of the soufflé scoreboard, they came too thick and fast there for a bit. You may not believe this but I have passed on the soufflés for about 4 weeks now. And you definitely will struggle to believe this – I have passed on the lobster 3 times now. Too much of a good thing …....

This morning the Captain said that the Norovirus (gastro) has eased, with numbers dropping, but there must have been a surge in cases reported as we were told by staff tonight that we had gone to 'Condition Red' , which is the highest rating. I have not been top deck tonight to see if the yellow flag that has been flying has been changed to red, but multiple staff told us so we assume that it is accurate.

The ship had a full sanitisation in New York, with every part of the ship being cleaned and sanitised, all the cabins were stripped and sanitised. It was a massive job, and now we are told that because we have gone to Red, they will have to do it all again in St Thomas. So the procedures in the eating areas, with staff serving everything will continue, tables and chairs being sanitised after every use etc etc, which I actually like. I used to avoid the buffet, as I never felt comfortable with the hygiene up there, but I dont mind it now, though some folk are cracking the shits as they cant treat the buffet like a sloshpit trough like they want to :)

The good news is that the revenue generating parts of he ship continue to be immune from germs:) No sanitisation required after a person leaves a pokie machine, they wipe them down every half hour the staff member tells me. I asked for the machine I was going to use be sanitised before I used it, and they were happy to do so, but it is the exception, not the norm. Same in the Internet cafe. Same in the boutiques. It will be interesting to see if they amp up the procedures even more tomorrow with the Red status.

Apologies for the delay in posting sometimes, as the ships Internet has been a real drag through the North Atlantic, though it seems to be more consistent now. We get on late at night, or early morning, when other usage is down, and it does help. We dont bother during the day now, as it just hangs, and burns up precious Internet minutes. We really appreciate all the comments we get, thank you. Sorry I dont respond to them all, but again, the premium of Internet time means we try and get on, and get off asap. We have a daily allowance of about 20 mins per day, to update blog, check emails, do banking, check facebook, so it does not leave much time to do other stuff, but we do see all the comments and appreciate them.

Kerrie & Sav – Congratulations on your engagement !!!!!! Exciting news, and we are thrilled for you. Look forward to hearing about all your plans. xxx

Taryn & Rob – Good luck with the next few weeks, fingers crossed you will get the news your looking for xxx

Kimberley & Wayne – Best wishes to little Blake on yet another surgery, that must be surgery number 9 or 10? Poor little bugger, about time he got cut some slack. Nana talks about him every day :) xxx

Marie & Mal – Yes we did get the video, thank you. I have tried emailing you a few times, but they keep bouncing back, dont know why. It is not quite the same on board without you, you are missed by many, but we soldier on – someone has to :) Happy travels, and stay safe.