We had another outstanding meal at Umai Teppanyaki last night.
Unfortunately, our tablemates—a couple from Canada and four women from the San Francisco Bay Area—lacked energy and charisma, which dampened the usually lively atmosphere. We felt bad for our chef, Víctor—he really did his best to keep things fun!Last night, we moved the clocks back an hour, giving us an extra hour of sleep. We were both awake by 6:30, and I immediately checked ESPN on my phone for the World Series Game #3 score. I was shocked to see the game was still going—in the 15th inning! I knew the ship had a special channel for the series, so we turned it on and caught the final three innings. What a dramatic finish! Definitely a game to remember.
After a light breakfast in the dining room, we made our way to the Sanctuary Club, hoping to grab lounges around the pool (this area is the most protected from the wind and has the largest umbrellas). They were all taken—and it was only 9:30!
Just like what happens at the regular pools on sea days, the chair hogs had already claimed their turf at zero-dark-thirty. It’s another drawback of the Sanctuary Club and one more reason we’re questioning whether we’d sail on a Sphere-Class ship again.We then tried to figure out which of the remaining lounges would offer the most shade later in the day. The front lounges are far too windy on sea days, so we settled on the port side—sunny now, but it should have some shade this afternoon.
The Cabanas are beautiful, but $499 per day is just crazy! On the older ships, they’re $240 per day—still pricey, but at least somewhat reasonable. Another big negative, which I've previously mentioned, the piped-in music is way too loud. There is no way to enjoy reading a book! Okay, no more complaining, I'll try to enjoy the sun!For those who like numbers, there will be just over 1,000 guests staying on for the transatlantic crossing, which starts on Saturday. Interestingly, more than 1,200 Elite members will be on the TA — up from the 600 currently onboard.
Tonight’s menu in the Sanctuary Restaurant was new to us — and exceptionally good!
We both started with the Coconut Shrimp, which was delicious. Debbie then had the Tomato Bisque, poured tableside, while I enjoyed the Wedge Blue Cheese Salad. For our entrée, we both chose the Seared Tuna Steaks. For dessert, we tried the Red Velvet Cake — it looked better than it tasted! Stefan, once again, pulled out another gem from the cellar. After dinner, we caught the Silken Skies aerial show in the Piazza. WOW! It was Cirque du Soleil–quality — absolutely amazing. If you have the opportunity to see their show, don’t miss it!
