It's sad really. Today is day 64 of our journey so it is all downhill after this. We're half way thru our trip and it has flown by. We still have so much to see, simply amazing.
While I'm talking, I'll mention some of the events they've had for us on the ship. The CEO of HAL boarded in Hong Kong. Because of his visit there were special cocktail parties, dinners and events. He spoke in the Queen's Lounge one afternoon. Told us about HAL's plans for the future and their fleet of ships. He was very approachable during his visit. Seems like a great cruise line. We'd never been on a HAL ship before, so good thing! The officers were all in dress blues, looked really nice. They gave an Asian Market event on the Lido deck, expecting most to dine there rather than in the dining room. They had a HUGE dragon which extended the entire length of the pool area. They had a small boat in the pool with 2 men in typical dress "fishing". Drinks were on the house, so by the end of the evening, a passenger decided to get in the boat. She ended up in the pool, with her beautiful silk Chinese jacket on! They had different booths set up with food and merchandise. There were fresh flowers everywhere. It was a huge effort and really nice.
As for the flowers, there are 2 full time florists on board. It is a couple from Holland. They do an incredible job of placing fresh flowers all over the ship, using very creative arrangements. I've taken pictures of most of them. I've heard that they have a $7k per week budget. It shows!
Today they had a Mongolian Buffet at the Lido. They had chopped veggies, meat and seafood for you to select on your plate, then you stood in line to have someone stir fry it for you. My cook was dressed in a maintenance uniform. Guess they were short of real cooks. My dish was delicious so I guess he did just fine. They have done this several times during the cruise. There was live music on deck also. They have live music all over the ship in the evenings from a piano bar to a string trio.
For lunch in the Lido, they have a made to order sushi bar EVERY day. When I first saw it I figured it would be for that day. Nice touch if you like sushi. They have really gone all out to make this Grand World Voyage extra special....and it is!
Passing by the Hong Kong Harbor just now, we dropped off 2 engineers who were on board doing some repair work. A small vessel came up beside our ship and they hopped off. During most of the day we had ships passing us or we were passing them, traveling at 20.5 knots. A very busy shipping lane. Outside Hong Kong Harbor were at least a dozen ships that looked like they were just anchored, with nothing to move. Result of the economy. It's been overcast and foggy all day. Sometimes the ships pass fairly close. Glad we have a good Capt on board.
A week or so ago we were having a private viewing of 11 Faberge eggs they had on board in the Mirabella, the fine jewelry store. The eggs were beautiful, fun to see, but not something I need to take home with me. While in the store, Jackie, the ship's hostess, came in to return a beautiful pearl and gem necklace and earrings that she had worn for the evening. Well, tonight was formal night and when I put on my dress, I decided that I needed a little sparkle at my neck. If Jackie could do it, I could do it so we went to the Mirabella looking for the manager. He was at dinner, but Mia, who was in the other store, asked "What would you like to wear?!". I pointed out a beautiful gold necklace with tiny diamonds dangling, hard to describe. It was 18k gold, $6000. Another item I don't need to take home with me but it sure was fun to wear for an evening. Mel dragged me to any table where we knew someone at dinner time to show off my necklace. Guess it shows how well we've gotten to know some of the crew. Another crew friend said "They usually only let crew do that!" :)
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