This was day 6 of the cruise and I mentioned the ship is headed northeast past the Kuril Islands towards Kamchatka peninsula. The wind has increased, creating what the captain reported as 16-foot-high waves. The Anthem of the Seas is a big ship and one of the newer ships of the Quantum class, originally launched in April of 2015. Now this ship has active stabilizers, which are large fins controlled by the ship’s computer system. Even with the stabilizers, the ship was rocking a little bit. I don’t get motion sickness so it’s not a problem for me. In a way, it kind of helped me sleep.
I slept until about 8 AM, then walked around the ship until my sushi making class started at 10am at Izumi. There was a group of ten of us. It was interesting and fun, there was a lot of food. After we made the sushi, the two instructors, which were also the regular chefs at Izumi, cut up our sushi for us. Apparently, it was not safe to have the guests cutting their own sushi. I was rewarded with a certificate from Royal Caribbean for the completion of the class, maybe a little gimmicky.
It was still rainy and visible fluctuated around three to one mile. I was hoping to see the islands.
Day Ten
This was day 7 of the cruise. I decided to join these days in one post since there is not too much to write about when at sea. It was another cold rainy day but with high hopes that being this close to the Bearing Sea by Russia and Alaska that the clouds will part and I will be able to get some awesome shots of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights).
In the military, I had a temporary duty just north of Edmonton, Alberta at Cold Lake AFB, where the sun sets about 10:30 PM but the view of the northern lights were spectacular.
I got up in the morning and I decided to go to the gym with a friend I met on board, another from Canada. On my way to the gym, I would normally pass by the Vitality Center where the staff were standing by the stairwell promoting various massages, skin care, body wraps and manicures packages, along with various products they were selling. I met a very cute Chinese masseuse, named Ping, who with her beautiful smile convinced me to get another massage. The massage was scheduled later that day.
At the gym, my friend was trying to use the dumbbells, with balancing being difficult. I warned him about using the dumbbells with the rocking of the ship and that the fitness machines would be less likely to result in injury.
After the gym, I negated any progress I made by going to the Solarium bar and having a few drinks. The watermelon margaritas were very good, but at this point, why worry about the sugar content? I showed up at the Vitality Center for my massage. Ping was much better and less rough than my previous massage. After the massage, the staff always tried to promote and sell products, and she was no different. Although being gorgeous and trying everything from offering discounts to putting on a pouty face which was adorable, I stayed strong and declined. She continued to recommend I come back to get another massage, so I may have to marry her.
The rest of the day and evening involved drinks in the jacuzzi, hanging out with other shipmates for music trivia in the Schooner Bar. The trivia came close to being an active participation of karaoke (sing-along). Dinner in the main dining hall was tropical themed where the staff did a little dancing to music. For the poor weather we were having, I enjoyed these days at sea.
