Day 12 - Engineers at Sea!!

The tumultuous sea, from Deck 2 (close to the water)

We slept pretty hard last night, and as we were just stirring, Mike & MaryAnne called saying they were ready for breakfast.  So, we got up, sort of hurried, and met them in about 10-20 minutes.  We ate breakfast in the “grill” area, which is open air, in the midst of the walking/running track. 

Whiskey tasting!

Later, Theresa went to the “Destination Briefing” on Bermuda, while Bill headed for the puzzle.  The destination presentation was not very useful, missing the mark on providing helpful info (which Bill expected).  

Later, Bill went to the Whiskey Tasting.  Theresa passed.  There were MORE people than the Tequila version yesterday.  But they were less prepared and less organized.  What was different though, is he poured the whiskeys into clear unmarked bottles, labeled A, B, and C.  Then we tasted each in succession, without knowing what they were.  First taste of A, and I guessed it was Rye whiskey, but it turned out to be Jamesons (Irish).  For B, I was split on bourbon or Glen Morangie.  It didn’t seem to have as much sour as bourbons usually do, but it was a bit sweet like GM.  Turns out, it was GM.  The third one was a bit more puzzling.  It didn’t really taste like bourbon, so I guessed Scotch assuming it was either a blend or a very mild Speyside.  It was bourbon, Buffalo Trace, in fact. 

Lunch...with "cheddar" cheese?

Theresa joined me toward the end of the tasting, and we headed to the grill for lunch.  They do more simple foods, so Theresa got a hot dog and Bill got a pizza.  The waiter asked Theresa if she would like some cheddar cheese on it, gesturing with his hand as if it was shredded.  Thus, when it showed up with a slice of “American” cheese, we were amused!  The pizza was good, but they failed (again) to make it a small one.

Our view at lunch.

In the off-limits hallways.  Apparently Bill isn't
the ONLY one checking out the schematics!!

Mike had signed us all up for the Engine Control Room tour this afternoon.  So we met in the requisite place at 2:50, and waited.  And waited.  About 3:10 Mike went up to roust someone, and quickly a person from the Engineering Department hustled up the stairs to get us on Deck 3 and usher us down to Deck 2, and into the Control Room.  We weren’t allowed to take pictures (bummer), but as we headed down the corridors, of course Bill ogled the ship schematics and layout drawings affixed to the walls!  In the control room, the Engineer discussed his specialty, the LNG system.  Their engines are dual purpose, and can burn marine oil (“diesel”) or Liquified Natural Gas (LNG).  LNG is one of the “new things” in being sustainable, green, etc.  They have two 600 cubic meter tanks for LNG, and our guide talked about them a bit.  Then he briefly discussed the electrical systems, waste water system, and a few other bits.  The Asst Chief Engineer relieved him and continued with a  few other bits of info and took questions.  All the while, people kept popping their heads in, seeing the crowd, and with big eyes, backed away.  Included in this parade of eyes was the Chief Engineer.

Mike and MaryAnne went early to trivia (a.k.a. “Bingo”) and held a nice spot for our team.  We managed 24 (out of 26) points, and tied for first.  We have some really good people on the team, and also some people who don’t like to lose.  😊

Since we had cruised with Silver Sea previously, we were invited to the “Venetian Society” reception, where a few officers made speeches and they recognized “members” who made certain milestones (like 100 days, which gets you free laundry).  Included in the recognition were P&M, two of our trivia team partners, who were celebrating 800 days (for her…he was like 17 days behind, since she took one or two cruises without him).  There was also a guy who had 1100 days!!  That’s like living on the ship for 3 years non-stop!

Back in 2008, on our first ever Silversea cruise (to Antarctica), we met the Chief Engineer (Dimitar Nikolov), and he gave us a personal tour of the control room, and also invited us (and about 4 other people) to have dinner with him.  https://billandtheresa.blogspot.com/2008/11/eating-with-engineers.html  So, on this cruise, on the first formal night, when the Officers line up and schmooze the guests, I made sure to tell him we remembered him from 17 years ago, and told him we really enjoyed having dinner with him back then, and talking about the ship.  Well, he must have looked us up, because last night we got the invitation to have dinner with him.  We wondered if it would be a group again, but to our surprise, it was a table for 3, with place cards bearing our names.  We had a very nice dinner, and a nice conversation, discussing LNG, it’s benefits and risks and difficulties, elements of the ship, his career (and ours), some of his family history (last time his daughter was just born, and now she is about to go to college!), our cruising history, and some thoughts on the future.  The time went quickly.  He is a very nice guy.  Even more reason we were so happy to have the chance to dine with him again.

We wrapped up the evening with the comedian from a few nights ago.  He was, again, very funny!  He did a bit singing “Despacito” but with all English words that sounded like the Spanish words.  It was hilarious!!  Here's a link of something similar to give you the idea! Despacito in English