Since it's almost always light, it's difficult to estimate the time when you wake up during the night. We get up at 7 o'clock, freshen up a bit, and head to the Lido for breakfast. Tonight is a formal dress night, so we'll give ourselves a thorough cleaning later.
On the schedule are Wilhelmina Bay and Charlotte Bay and of course, the daily recap by our knowledgeable folks at 11 o'clock. At 7 o'clock, we plan to attend Meagan and Gabe's special show at the Mainstage, followed by dinner in the Dining Room. Whether everything goes as planned and how it turns out, we'll find out today.
As for now, at 8:10 AM, the weather looks better than yesterday. There's high cloud cover, good visibility, 0 degrees Celsius, and some wind, so it might feel colder. It's starting to snow lightly.
When we're in Wilhelmina Bay, the visibility is good, it's not too cold, and the surroundings are stunning, albeit looking quite cold. You really get that Antarctica feeling here. There are penguins perched on an outcrop of rock, or so it seems, but upon closer inspection, they turn out to be other birds: blue-eyed cormorants. There are also several whales around. Surrounded by annoying Dutch people making silly remarks and thinking they can lower the tenders. Of course not, that's legally prohibited!
Then we turn around because a large iceberg blocks the way. We head towards the other arm of Wilhelmina Bay. In the distance, we spot a Weddell seal on an ice floe. It's a bit complicated because in our language, a seal is a seal and they don't have ears, while sea lions do. Here, there are various seals, some with ears and some without. Quite confusing to explain.
There are whales again, both further away and closer by. It's explained that based on their behavior, they've just eaten and are now relaxing. They roll over and stick their pectoral fins out of the water. Here we have more annoying Dutch people who chatter through everything and then later ask, "What did he say?" Well, if you had kept quiet, you would have heard it.
It's getting cold, so we head inside for a warm drink. The Lido is crowded, so we move on to the Crow's Nest. It's just as busy here, but we find a spot. We sail out of Wilhelmina Bay, and it's a 2-hour journey to Cuverville Island. On the way there, I spot a
sunken ship that has been rusting away for some time. This side is also very beautiful, and there are many whales here too.
The captain announces that we should go to the bow for a once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunity. There are two enormous icebergs, and he wants to try to get the bow as close as possible to them. Eventually, we get about 200 meters away, which is very close for such a large ship, and you never know what lies beneath the water. This makes it incredibly crowded, of course. I'm small and squeeze my way to the front to take a photo of the two icebergs that we seem to be passing between. It's a tight maneuvering for the captain. Many people have others take their photo. We do too, but of course, we end up with someone who has less of a knack for photography. Still, it's a nice memory.
We haven't had lunch yet because it was extremely crowded everywhere. It seems like there are suddenly twice as many people on board since yesterday. But now that everyone is outside, we head to the Dive and find a nice spot by the window. At one point, a humpback whale swims relatively close to the boat. It's a shame that we're already moving quite fast, which makes taking a photo more challenging, but it's always exciting to see. The view is magnificent, and there are so many whales passing by that it feels like Whale Highway 1. However, they're usually too far away for a photo.
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| Photo Neil. We saw it, but were too late for a photo |
We went to the future cruise desk and secured an option for August 2024, including Iceland and Greenland departing from Copenhagen. What do we do now? Booking onboard offers advantages that you wouldn't get otherwise. Plus, it's free to cancel until June 19, 2024, with a €150 deposit.
Then it's all about time management. We want to have a drink, but where? And we need to shower, get dressed up, and the show starts at 7. Pinnacle Bar is packed, so we head to the Billboard. There, I try out a new cocktail: Strange Brew, with IPA, gin, lemon, honey, and some mint maybe? I basically gulp it down due to time constraints, but it's quite tasty. It reminds me of Hoegaarden.
Quick back to the cabin, freshen up, put on our dressy clothes. During this time, we pass by a massive iceberg, which we missed seeing. They said if you were on deck 10, it towered above you, probably around 15 stories high.
Heading downstairs because we want a good spot. There are already a few people waiting outside Mainstage 1, which is still closed. It opens at 6:30, and to our surprise, there are already a lot of people inside. The other entrance must have been open. It's an incredible show. Meagan and Gabe are at two large electric pianos with the One Step Dance Company dancing around them. Behind them, images are projected of old stars whose songs they're singing. It's truly a top-notch performance. There's also a performance by Shelby, the lead singer of the Rolling Stone Band, who "duets" with Whitney Houston, and she does it really well. It's certainly not the case that there are always second-rate artists on cruise ships. Meagan also mentioned earlier this week that on one of her trips, there was a saxophonist who is now playing saxophone for Stevie Wonder.
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| Shelby |
It's a whirlwind show from start to finish, but unfortunately, it only lasts for three-quarters of an hour. There's another show at 9 o'clock, but we opt to head to the Dining Room after the performance. For the occasion, it's dressy night, and the menu is in full gala mode. We enjoy our meal immensely; the filet mignon is beautifully rare. We don't feel like going to the Billboard for Meagan and Gabe's show at 10:15 PM. Instead, we cozy up in bed with the laptop and watch an episode of Poldark.
