Monday, June 1, 2015
Repeat of yesterday morning without the rough seas
overnight. I did not want to get up. So
we had still not really fixed on a plan this morning. After breakfast, I showed
Clay on the map that we could/should catch the first shuttle bus at 9am. From
Kildare St. walk through Temple Bar and Merchants Arch, across Ha’Penny Bridge
and through the pedestrian streets over to the National Leprechaun Museum. This
took much less time than expected. Nothing was open and there was no traffic.
We were early as the museum did not open before 10am and the earliest tour
tickets online were 11am. We walked over to O’Connell Street and took photos of
the Spire, a statue of James Joyce and another guy and the Post Office Museum.
Then we started back down Henry St. to Jervis and the museum. On the way, we
stopped at another Butler’s Chocolate Café. This time I got a marshmallow hot
chocolate (which again scored Clay his choice of a free chocolate candy and he
got a different one this time). I liked the marshmallow better than the plain.
Though they put whipped cream and a handful of shredded white chocolate on my
plain yesterday. Both were warm and delicious and warmed me right up. Perfect
for a cold, windy, drizzly day.
We got to the National Leprechaun Museum about 10:15am and
they were selling tickets for a 10:30am tour. She let us both pay the senior
fare even though I was not 60. So, we paid 20 Euros for the 2 of us. I just had
time to use the restroom. I needed it because I had inhaled a melted
marshmallow through the little sippy hole in the cup lid and set off a coughing
fit that nearly made me pee my pants! It was curiously by a statue of a cow
lying in dirt. We later exited the museum at the same spot! I have no idea what
the dirt square or cow statue were about, we didn’t find any signs, but found a
block-long stack of ancient headstones stacked up along the museum wall of the
dirt square. No idea! The Leprechaun Museum was probably even sillier than you
might have expected. It was fun though and was 45 minutes out of the weather. The
best part was the giant’s house with enormous furniture to climb up on and take
photos. We were all helping each other and laughing like fools! When we came
out, we stood under our umbrellas on a corner and studied what we should do
next. A friendly local came up and asked if he could help. I told him we
weren’t lost, we were just trying to decide what we should do next. He looked
up at the sky, snugged his jacket collar up and advised us “ta find a place ta
get outta da wedder.” Sound advice from a wise local. We decided to head right
back to the ship. The LUAS tram went past us and we followed it to its stop.
There we had a disagreement over which direction we needed to travel and Clay
was completely wrong. We bought tickets from a machine that we understood were
good for 90 minutes from Jervis Station to The Point in the Docklands. We paid
2.20 Euros each and I guess it was on an honor system, because we never saw
anyone validate or check the tickets anywhere. There were stanchions were you
could tap your reloadable LEAP card, but we didn’t buy those. The train was
packed when we got on and that was the most people we saw all day. By the time
it reached the last 2 stops, it was nearly empty. I argued for getting off at Spencer Dock, one
stop before the end, and walking a block to the river to get a photo of the
Irish harp-styled bridge. Clay wasn’t sure still. I think he was still
convinced we were going the wrong way. So, we rode to The Point Station at the
end of the line. We got off and many people stayed on. The driver got out and
walked to the other end of the train and got back in. Clay said we should get
back on and go back to Spencer, like you said. We did. Got the photo. Waited
for the next train, back to the Point and off. It was about a 30 minute walk
back to the ship, which you could see from the tram stop. It was not a scenic
walk, but we had our heads ducked down for the wind and rain anyway.
We got back onboard and went up to Terrace for lunch. I
think this was the first meal since we got here that didn’t have a British
theme. There have been a lot of shepherd pies, meat pies, Guinness stew,
Yorkshire puddings, etc. I had a Maryland corn chowder that hit the spot and
then a half order of penne followed by dark chocolate mousse. Clay had salad,
pizza and ice cream and a cookie. He had lemonade for the first time today and
it appeared to have been fresh squeezed as he had to sweeten it and it was full
of pulp. That was impressive.
Tonight between 5 and 7pm, we have to go downstairs to the
atrium on deck 5 and collect our passports. We have a 6:30pm dinner reservation
at Red Ginger. We sail for Southampton at 8pm. Fingers crossed for calm seas
since that was what the cancelled ports were all about! Tomorrow is a sea day.
The next day we have an all-day shared private excursion with a couple from our
Cruise Critic roll call who are also staying on to Stockholm. There will be no
down time after that. It will be go go go until we get home except for the days
in Stockholm before we reboard Marina.
I guess because O closed the self-service laundries due to
the Code Red GI outbreak, they decided to offer one more day of the laundry
special. It was today only 20 pieces for $24.95. This sounds expensive, but as
we have been turning in bags with less than 20 pieces and seeing $50+ bills per
bag, I guess it is a special price! Of course, we would never want to pay
either of these prices when you can wash and dry yourself at $2 per load per
machine. But on a long cruise with the laundries closed, I guess you wouldn’t
have much choice. We’ll see. We had laundry service included on our 41-day
booking so it hasn’t been an issue. On the way back from Stockholm to
Southampton, it is not included. We will be off Marina for nearly 4 weeks and
will have to do laundry somewhere. Either ashore or on a Hurtigruten ferry, if
they have machines which I believe the coastal ones do, but not the one at
Svalbard. Then we’ll need to either do laundry again before we reboard Marina
or as soon as we reboard. I guess I will be looking to see if they reopen
Marina’s laundries when the new cruise starts in Southampton with the hope that
it will be reopened when we reboard in Stockholm. It will work out and if we
have to we can hand launder some things to get by.
So all day to day, we have barely been able to see the view
that we saw yesterday from our balcony. Not that we’ve been out on the balcony
today as it has rained most of the day today. But the difference has been
dramatic. Dramatic enough that we are now worried about seas and sailing
conditions for tonight and tomorrow to Southampton. Having crossed the English
Channel in a small ferry years ago, I have always been worried about returning to
sea on the English Channel. But we are wondering what it was the Captain was so
afraid of that he canceled 2 ports to avoid and if he is actually avoiding it
or if it is arriving late. Anyway, we know when you get on a ship that you are
going wherever it goes not where you thought you booked a ticket to go. This is
what is known as ship happens. It does happen. But, listening to not only other
passengers but crew, you’d have thought a good part of the people working and
traveling onboard had never heard of it happening before. It just seems a lot
of people have decided to be disgruntled and unhappy and they want everyone
else to be the same. It is not ideal, I understand and the 2 lost ports are
small and a bit unusual and the kind people are most likely to feel the loss of
most keenly, but still. Even though we had spent too much time here to want to
spend another 2 days and 2 nights, I think we have done our best to deal with
it enjoyably. The woman we booked the Holyhead, Wales tour with from our Cruise
Critic rollcall has been able to convince the tour operator to reverse his zero
refund policy and share the pain and let each party should have 50% of the
loss. Since she paid the operator and we paid her, she will claim the remaining
50% loss on her travel insurance and see what happens there. If she gets some
or all of the other 50% back at some point, she will explore how to reimburse
the rest of us.
So, it is as we imagined. At 6:07pm, Julie James, our cruise
director, came onto the loudspeakers in the cabin to announce that the local
port authorities would not allow us to sail on time tonight because of the high
wind and rough weather. Right now, we have a new scheduled departure time of
10pm. She also warned that we could expect high waves, high wind and rough
conditions all day sailing tomorrow and that the outer decks would be closed
and we should take care to hold onto something at all times when moving about
the ship. Shit! That was just what Clay and I had feared, that we had parked
here long enough to catch the worst of it.
It is 8pm. We are back from dinner. Red Ginger was the same,
as good as we remember it though we changed things a little. Tonight there was
a birthday celebrated right behind me. In 25 nights that is the first
celebration we have witnessed onboard. We were just as glad that our
anniversary had been overlooked and ignored. It is our previously scheduled
departure time and the wind has died down, no white caps in the harbor and the
mountains are visible in the distance for the first time all day. The sun is
shining in the west about an hour from setting. I guess we are still on for
10pm departure. I hope these pleasant conditions hold up outside the harbor!
Tonight the Jean Ann Ryan Co. presents Under the Big Top.
Clay says we have seen it but I don’t recall it. So, we are going as they are
featuring a special salute to the crew. Last time they did that they must have
had over a 100 of them parade from front to back.
Tomorrow is the sea day we gained with the canceled ports and
they are finally holding their Gala Tea. I will probably avoid it and the bonus
needlepoint if it is as rough as Julie warned us. Horizons is as far up and
forward as we can go and if it is rough, I know I don’t need to be up there.
Clay says they have posted in Currents that they open early for photography
opportunities, so maybe he will go take some pictures and post them. We’ll see.
We are back from the show and it was really very good. It
was this JAR Company casts’ last show. They have been onboard for 6 months and
they leave in Southampton the day after tomorrow. One of the male
dancer/singers, Luke, told me that they will be replaced with a new JAR cast.
So, we’ll see. It is 10:45pm. We felt the engines and the ship moving about
10:20pm. When I looked out our balcony we were still in the harbor, but it
looked all calm and clear and I am hoping against hope for some smooth sailing!
