Noordam 2013 - Day 12: Another day at sea

Today we sail from the Italian mainland to the Italian island of Sardinia. We were supposed to go to La Goulette, Tunisia. But just a couple of days ago an opposition politician was assassinated in a suburb of Tunis. This triggered a series of political protests. Further protests and strikes are to be expected. So it is not safe and HAL decided to reroute us. Pity we do not get to see Africa, but we understand and support the decision.

We got up late. Getting some extra sleep was nice after a long but beautiful day in Lucca and Pisa. A bit of a cold shower when we got up was… the cold shower. For the second day this cruise we had only cold water. Not only us, but apparently the whole block (or whatever it is called on a cruise ship).

The weather is great. Not too hot and a nice breeze. We saw the coast of Corsica and Sardinia. Rocks in the water, but we pass them at a safe distance. The onboard guide KK gave a preview of what to expect in the next ports. She was very excited about Cagliari, Sardinia  but she was less enthusiastic about Palermo, Sicily. We are really looking forward to the next couple of days.

We had lunch in the Lido. For the first time this cruise (or at least the first time we noticed) the Asian buffet was open. Last year on the Nieuw Amsterdam we enjoyed lunch at Tamarind multiple times, but the Asian buffet at Noordam’s Lido deserves a good second place. The rest of the day we mainly relaxed.

Tonight is the second (and last) formal night. It would have been nice to have a shower before changing in our tuxedo and evening dresses. But still no hot showers. We complained once again at the front office. When we came back from complaining the hot water was back. Literally. We tried the shower and it was steaming hot. When we used the faucet in the sink we found out what caused that. There now was only hot water. Not a drop of cold water this time. Our cabin steward jokingly offered to fill our bath with ice cubes so we could melt them with our hot water. Fortunately later in the evening both hot and cold water were working again.

After diner (shrimp, filet mignon and Caesars salad) we went to the theater. Singer-saxophonist Hayden Smith was really great. Then on to the Piano Bar for some singing and listening while enjoying a Pina Colada (and Strawberry Smoothie for Rhodé).

Kim and Rhodé

Rhodé