International Jaunts 2020

We really have no cause for complaint ... especially where the weather is concerned. The seas calmed down considerably today ... not that the swells of the previous days were particularly noticeable anyway. The forecast of a high of 64F today was accompanied by plenty of sunshine and blue skies. A perfect day ... even if it was a tad chilly to sit outside in the morning. That was going to change later in the day ... especially on the port side of the ship where our cabin is located.

This was far from a routine day at sea. But then you already know that because I posted a couple of snippets about the med-evac that caused Allure to change its course this afternoon.

When the captain comes on the P/A around noon for his daily announcement, no one gives it a second thought. It’s par for the course and we all listen to the day-at-sea stats he imparts.

When the captain comes on the P/A at any other time during the day, we all sit up and take notice as it is usually not-so-good news. Today was no exception.

I have to admit that when the P/A went bing-bong and I heard Captain Grimstad’s voice, two thoughts popped into my mind.

First was that the azipods — part of the ship’s propulsion system — were acting up. It made sense since Allure had slowed down considerably.

The second thought was that he was about to announce that we were being quarantined due to a case (or two or three or more) of COVID-19 ... or that we were returning to the US to be quarantined. Not that I have reason to suspect the virus is on Allure. In fact, the ship seems far healthier than most cruises we’ve been on ... with far less upper respiratory issues in evidence. But with news of the worldwide epidemic on every news channel every time we turn on the TV, I should be forgiven for having this thought ... especially since there have been two ships recently quarantined because of the Corona virus.

Even as those two thoughts popped into my mind, however, they were replaced by a more logical reason for the impending announcement. I remembered the critically ill patient for whom a blood transfusion was required at the end of our fourth day at sea. Seconds later, Captain Grimstad confirmed my third thought and explained that we were changing course to meet up with a helicopter being dispatched from the Azores — some 300 NM and about 2.5 hours away — to med-evac a patient.

Anyway, long story short, the passenger has been evacuated ... as noted in the previous post ... with video evidence of the hovering chopper. We are now back on course towards the Strait of Gibraltar and Malaga beyond.

There was an unintended benefit to our course change. We had the sun on our side of the ship and were able to sit out on the veranda for a good chunk of the afternoon ... as long as we were heading north. When Allure turned west a bit, however, our veranda became a sauna. Amazing just how hot it was under the blazing sun ... it is winter after all, and we’re in northerly latitudes where one expects cool — even cold — temps.

We wrapped up our day with another terrific headliner show in the Amber Theater tonight. Featured this time was a quartet of guys from the UK — The Barricade Boys. They apparently met when they were performing in “Les Miserables” and decided to venture out on their own. They have amazing voices that harmonized well as they performed songs not just from Les Miz, but also Motown ... Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons ... and more. They definitely deserved the standing ovation they got from the audience.

Lunch, by the way, was at another new-to-us venue. Sorrento’s is one of the included-in-the-base-fare eateries on the ship. It’s on the Royal Promenade ... sort of a café ambiance with “sidewalk” seating. The menu features a couple of different pizzas ... all thin crust. We agreed that it wasn’t half bad for pizza-at-sea and might go again before we disembark Allure.

No time change today ... we’ve been springing ahead on a daily schedule of lose-an-hour, lose-an-hour, stand-steady schedule. So we will lose time again tomorrow and the next day ... our last two time zone changes. No matter really since the noon time change really is making the effects of having 23-hour days negligible.

Hoping for a routine day at sea tomorrow ... Ciao!Läs mer