Sea Day B Day

The next day on our cruise was the 14th, my daughter's birthday. I had packed surprises that waited until this day to be opened. She was delighted when the song was sung to her both at lunch and dinner. And she was presented with a special cake, got to stay up late and see a show. She decided not to go to the kids place for the evening, but spend her special day with my mom and me. It was a lovely day and it was calm seas. The next several days were going to be busy, with myself and mom on tours while she stayed at the Club HAL, being looked after by capable if unenthusiastic staff. We swam at the pool, and Brianna even got to swim to fetch golf wiffle balls for one of the on-ship activities. Fellow passengers tried to chip a ball into a hula hoop floating in the pool, and they mostly missed, giving Brianna and a brother/sister pair ample opportunity to retrieve the balls for the staff. Brianna's swimming was greatly improving! Just the day before she learned how to float, first with me holding her, then gradually by herself. Not everything ran smoothly, though. The ships photographers were a young and untrained group, with only one who knew what to do for portraits, so her five year portraits were not worth buying until we found the one lady, days later. My biggest frustration was with the dining room stewards and their poor performance. On every other cruise I had been on, dining stewards had gathered to sing Happy Birthday to a passenger with gusto and as many bodies as could be mustered for the occasion. But not Ketut. Oh no, he either was on the least-liked list in the dining hall, or he just didn't give a shit, because he only mustered himself. Brianna blew out the candle before we could sing or take any pictures, and I was seriously pieved. But Brianna didn't seem to notice or care. Mostly she just wanted to play ... with her new toys and her mom, and that is what she did.