Nov 2

Nov 2 Day 4 - A Day At Sea

Today is our first day at sea and one look outside from our balcony would indicate that we are about to get some rain. However, the rain never got to us and it ended up being a very sunny and warm day.

This morning, we chose to go back to the Dining Room on Deck 2 aft for breakfast. When we arrived, there was already a line of guests waiting to dine.

We asked the hostess for a table for two and we ended up with a great table at the very back of the dining room, next to a window overlooking the wake generated by the ship’s propellers. I ordered coffee, which, by the way, is quite good. I like that they left a pitcher of coffee on the table today so I don’t have to wait for refills.

*Good coffee, and they leave the pitcher on the table!*

Rickee ordered the banana and strawberry pancakes again which were good and warmer than on our previous visit.

They seem to really struggle with getting the poached eggs right on my Eggs Benedict. Today, they are practically hard boiled eggs. I did tell the waiter that I wanted them cooked “medium”, but I consider these to be “well done”. Still, I would rather have that than raw, runny egg whites. Actually, I would just like them poached properly. They offer a Lobster Benedict on the menu for $12.50 and I have to say, if I ordered that and got eggs that were anything but perfect, I would not be pleased.

Nevertheless, I did enjoy the English back bacon and the corned beef hash, which is still the strangest corned beef hash I have ever had, but I like it.

After breakfast, we decided to check out the Lido Pool and could see that many guests have already claimed their poolside loungers this morning. The sun is already out and the temperature is climbing into the 80s. This is the perfect day for sun lovers.

Up on deck 11 aft, there were plenty of open sun loungers available. Does this mean the ship is not sailing at full capacity? We found lots of empty lounge chairs in several locations.

There is a short walking/jogging track on Deck 11, so Rickee and I decided to do a quick mile this morning. By the way, 12 laps make up a mile. I have a friend at home who is a marathon runner and she would laugh at my one mile stroll.

On Deck 11, there are also a couple of Cornhole boards, so we decided we would give it a try. We do play Cornhole at home sometimes.

*Rickee tosses the bean bag while playing Cornhole*

There is also a Basketball/Pickle Ball court where Pickle Ball seems to have taken over the top spot. When did Pickle Ball become a thing?

This afternoon it was time for trivia, once again with Don, one of the cruise staff. Today’s theme is Biology, a subject which Rickee enjoys. We ended up splitting the win with another team and acquired two more Rotterdam Caribbean pins. Guess what our friends will be getting for Christmas this year.

*Don calls out Team Trivia questions at the Explorations Cafe*

Tonight, we have dinner reservations at Nami Sushi. We have time for a quick photo as we are leaving our stateroom for dinner.

Nami Sushi is Rotterdam’s a la cartè Sushi restaurant located inside Tamarind. We are seated at the Sushi bar where we can watch the chefs prepare the various dishes.

Rickee’s Shrimp Tempura roll was a real work of art and was quite good. I had a Spicy Tuna Roll which was very good.

I tried the Red Curry Chicken Panang and asked the waitress for extra spicy. The chef was not shy with the chili peppers! The dish was delicious, but should have been served with a side of rice. I did not even see rice on the menu, but I am certain they would have brought some had I asked for it.

*Panang Red Curry Chicken at Nami Sushi*

We will be doing an in-depth review of all of the dining experiences on Rotterdam for our YouTube channel at the conclusion of this cruise, so make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel!

When we returned to our stateroom, we were greeted by our first towel animal, a friendly dog (I think).