Wednesday, March 23rd – Our Third Full Day at Sea
We had our second time change in the early hours. Having these 25 hour days on a westbound crossing is a luxury!
Wednesday is the day everyone gets a Covid test. You are assigned a time, based on your deck. Testing starts in the Queens Room at 7:30 AM. Deck 11 is scheduled for 2:30 to 4:00.
Morning activities
Today is our third full day at sea. Yesterday my body was saying: “Too much rich food!” Thankfully today I awoke hungry for breakfast.
We started the day differently, heading up to the Kings Court Buffet on Deck 7 about 7:00 AM for coffee. About 8:00 we walked forward to the Mareel Spa to learn what treatments they have available. Cunard generously gave us each a one hour spa treatment of our choice. My Thai massage is 8:00 AM on Thursday morning. I also booked our lunch at the Verandah Restaurant, one of the perks of the higher tier Cunard World Club is lunch on Cunard during your voyage. That’s set for Thursday at noon.
Next we had breakfast in the Britannia dining room. I’ve gotten into the habit of having smoothies, which change every day. I also tried the avocado toast.
Shortly after 10:00 I stopped at the shop selling duty free liquor and ordered two bottles of Beefeater Gin for $30 total. That’s a pretty good deal because they are liter sized bottles, not 750 ml. They had the same price on Tanqueray Gin too.
The quiz was at 10:30AM. It gets a packed house. The quiz takes place in the same lounge that features the Port Bar. They actually have wines dating back to 1840!
Amazingly, there is not enough time to get everything done! Your schedule quickly fills up once you block out meals and fill in the blank spaces.
Lunch
Today is the wine and food pairing lunch featuring Italian wines. I’m on my own for this one. I know it will be spectacular. It takes place in the Verandah Restaurant and cost $80.
Lunch was excellent. It included five courses and eight wines served over 2+ hours. This included tea smoked duck, filet mignon, a cheese course and strawberry pavlova. I met a nice German couple. They will be joining us for drinks in the Commodore Club at 5:00 PM on Thursday.
As I was enjoying Italian wines, Jane was having lunch in the Kings Court. She and our traveling companion were quite impressed. There was a fish and chips station, a selection of three Asian dishes, a large array of salads, soups, a sushi section, cured salmon, cheeses, breads and rolls. The salmon was a standout. Ditto the soft ice cream station with cones. Everything was served to you by the buffet staff
Next, Jane and I headed to the Queens Room for our Covid tests. The nasal swabs were done quickly. We decided the prices on duty free liquor were pretty good and bought those two bottles of Tanqueray Gin at $30. We have started our Christmas shopping early.
Afternoon Tea was moved to the main dining room today because Covid testing took over the Queens Room. We showed up at 3:30. When 4:30 rolled around it was time for the afternoon quiz. I discovered the Carpathia Room also serves tea and a selection of pastries at the same time as afternoon tea.
Dinner
At 6:00 or shortly after we arrived for dinner at the Britannia dining room. Our wine steward brought the Chateau Musar we didn’t finish at dinner last night. Jane and I both ordered the lamb as our entree and finished off with the cheese selection for dessert. Dinner was excellent.
Afterwards we checked out the shops again and caught the 8:00 PM show in the Royal Court Theater. It was a Beatles tribute band. They got the audience going, probably because everyone was around when the Beatles recorded these songs in the 1960’s!
Back at the cabin I confirmed the clocks are not being set back an hour tonight! We also put out our breakfast order on the door before turning in.
Photos by Bryce Sanders
What’s different:
- Everyone had a Covid test on Wednesday. They were complimentary.
- The general rule regarding masks is you wear them when walking or standing, but can take them off when seated.
- Cabins have soap in pump containers, not individual bars of soap.
