13. Diversion

Diversion

The Indian Ocean has been choppy; the waves had white caps all around us as we left Maputo. Swells of 10 Feet (3 meters) rocked our ship. It was difficult to walk on board without holding on to something. Some folks on board wear small round patches behind each ear to prevent sea sickness. There are visibly fewer people at the cafeteria

Cyclone Near Madagascar

tables. We were on the outskirts of a cyclone. Our itinerary will lead us directly into the center of it. Not a good idea. The notification we received at breakfast the next morning was that we were not going to Nosy Bay, Madagascar. This part of the trip, by the power of the captain, has been cancelled. The booked excursions will be refunded, we each got a statement of our on board account to see the refunds stated. Notices and letters were given out with our new schedules, our new destinations, etc. A flurry of changes greeted us.

The Mombasa, Kenya stop has also been eliminated for “security” reasons. We had a practice drill on board in case we get attacked by pirates. It was explained to us that we are entering an area at high risk for pirate activity. This is no joke; even the crew practices a pirate counter attack drill. Pirates?

I never thought about this. Sure, I understand that the captain does not want to steer this ship into a cyclone, so he cancels that part of the trip, but Pirates? Not the swashbuckling kind, rather the ones with AK 47’s and Uzi’s. Pirates! It just shows you how innocent I am, how naïve. Not in my wildest dreams did I think we would be threatened by Pirates.

And what is this about Mombasa, Kenya? Cancelled for security reasons? There is nothing on the news about Kenya, about Mombasa being in the lime light. Am I being kept uninformed on purpose? Is the cruise line trying not to ruffle any feathers and keep their passengers in a mental state of stupor? The news we get is via a paper flyer printed each night with the latest news for each country. I get the US news, Carol gets the Canadian news. There is nothing written about any trouble in Kenya, especially Mombasa. The captain is the master of the ship, what he says will be done and he said we are not going to Mombasa. Period!

So we are now at sea for the next 3 days. No stop over until we get to Dar Es Salam, Tanzania.

So with nothing to do, I read the statement of my account again and….I see I am being charged for having my laundry done. Again this was a negotiated agreement before I took the cruise and I have it in writing that I have free laundry service while on this cruise. What is this with this ship, this cruise line? We did not have those issues last year when we took the trip from Papeete to Sydney. Is it the ship? Or is it because Oceania was purchased by Norwegian?

Something is askew on this trip. So off I went to my “friends” at Reception to show them the wrong entry on my statement. You would think they would smile and fix the entry immediately, right? Well, no, they have to check with headquarters and update their computers again for my account. So now I will wait until the next statement to see if those charges were reversed. It’s a little thing yet it irks me none-the-less. It is mainly the attitude of the folks behind the Registration Desk that make me write this down. They are not helpful but standoffish. Not my kind of people. I would fire them all with glee if I could.

Tea Time Sandwiches

 

The days on board pass by with almost unlimited supply of food. Carol and I read a lot. We started a puzzle game in the game room. We go for walks around the deck. One mile is equal to 13 rounds on the upper deck. We keep on walking to try to keep the weight off. Hard to do when you have cookies and free pastries all around you. We attend all the enrichment classes the ship offers. We go to the free show each night with

Yummy Desserts

performances by tenors, piano recitals, musicals, plays, jugglers and comedians. We also take naps.  We are being pampered and don't fight it. Is that what a cruise is all about, to rest not only your body but your brain, too? Or is it being lazy and spoiled; or both?  It sure is a lifestyle I would have made fun of years ago. Now that I am living it I don't know what to think. Maybe I will see myself differently once I am removed from this experience in months to come. For now we are being

Crepes Made to Order

diverted from Madagascar and Kenya and the itinerary has changed. Next stop Dar Es Salam, Tanzania.

Table Decorations - All Edible

Brunch

More Desserts