January 27, 2016 Sea Day

The weather was much better than it has been since we left home. It was about 75 degrees and sunny, and the humidity seemed to have dissipated somewhat. It was very comfortable out on the deck where a large amount of guests were enjoying the pool and the sun.

The ship was having a cancer fundraising event called “On Deck for a Cause” where guests can walk a 5K around the ships deck to raise money for six international cancer organizations. Guests could sign up at the front desk to receive a free t-shirt and wristband. The Holland America Foundation sponsors this event.

Our first lecture was by KK, our locations guide as she discussed things to see and do in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The second lecture of the day was about sports and the British Empire. Games like cricket, rugby and soccer were discussed in great detail and how they evolved over time. The afternoon lecture by Werner Salinger was about his 2003 book titled “Tugboats and Towlines”. The book is a coffee table style picture book on tugboats and their Captains around North America.

We each did our walking separately before Mark’s watercolor class and Kent’s visit to the gym and sauna to melt off last night’s dinner.

The entertainment on this night was a new show by the vocalist Paul Fredericks that had performed a few nights ago.