Day 17/138 2022/2023 Viking Neptune World Cruise
I always start with what happened last night, but after I publish the blog for the day, we don’t stop livin‘ so I’ve got to tell you about last night!
A full moon off the starboard deck as we were doing some laps in 14.5 foot swells. The picture is crooked on purpose to help you understand how much the ship was rocking and rollin’ as we were trying to deck walk before dinner. It definitely pays to hold onto the hand rails doing deck laps, in large swells!
After only being able to walk around the ship 2.5 times (4 times is a mile), we headed back inside to safety, since the swells were quite violent and the deck was quite wet and slippery in places. No need for another broken femur although we have met an orthopaedic surgeon and an anesthesiologist onboard who could come in handy!
We had seen in the ‘Viking Daily’ that ’Juveler’ (the jewellery store) onboard was featuring watches from Denmark yesterday, so we went to Juveler before dinner to see what these watches were all about. Richard always wears a watch and unfortunately just before we left for the World Cruise, he noticed that his Skagen watch was losing time every day. He had changed the battery in the fall, before we left Canada, so it wasn’t the battery, and we did not have time to leave his watch in for service before we left for Ft. Lauderdale. I googled the watch brand that was being featured in the jewellery shop onboard to understand the pricing and how the watch actually looked and after seeing the online version of the watch, I thought this brand would suit Richard perfectly.
A ’Picto’ watch! See if you can tell what time it was when I took this photo of his watch? If you guessed 6:15, you would be correct. Both the dot and the hand move. Picto watches (www.pictowatches.com) were first created in Denmark in 1984 and all of the mens watches are 40mm. “The PICTO wristwatch is for the man who’s not afraid of standing out. The original who breaks with the norms and is happy with having plenty of possibilities-on the store shelves and in life”. Well that certainly sounds like my Leo husband Richard! He is really happy with his wristwatch and at less than $200 the watch is a real bargain and a wonderful conversation piece!
We had Chef’s Table reservations again last evening and the theme was ‘La Route des Indes’ or in English, ‘The Indian Road’.
La Route des Indes. We are on the Silver Spirits beverage package as part of the world cruise so our wine pairings are the Premium Pairings listed above.
Oops! We forgot to take a photo of the dessert before digging into it! It was absolutely delicious! The beef was fantastic! Richard was not thrilled with the carrot and cardamom cream to start though; too much like ‘eating in your dreams’ as he says, but I enjoyed it. The Chef’s Table has been wonderful so far on our voyage. We’ve dined there 4 times and really enjoy the extra special attention we’ve received from Vignesh our head waiter, who unfortunately will be leaving us tomorrow in L.A. where he is being promoted to a Viking River Cruise in Germany, after his 2 month furlough. We have 3 more Viking cruises already booked, with one of them being a 2023 river cruise at Christmas for 15 days, so you never know, maybe he will be on our ship!
Last evening was the Captain’s farewell for the people who are departing in L.A. tomorrow. It was wonderful to see all of the smiling faces of the Viking ‘family’ that look after us each and every day, recognized by everyone in the Star Theatre last night.
The Viking guests giving the crew a warm round of applause. Viking definitely has excellent staff and crew and we have been so well taken care of on this first segment of the World Cruise.
After the staff left the stage, the Viking Neptune Vocalists performed a Musical Journey of ‘The Sounds of Motown’. With hits from over 20 artists, the singing and dancing was wonderful and I still have no idea how they can dance and sing when the ship rolls with such large swells. I managed to keep it together for the show, wearing my wristbands and sea sick patches, and when we arrived back in our stateroom at 10pm, Richard suggested I take a Dramamine which we had bought at CVS (off the shelf) for anti nausea. I was reluctant to take a pill, but the ship was really swaying and I wanted to sleep, and it turned out to be the right decision!
When we arrived back in our stateroom last night we had received a room drop! Unexpected room drops are always the best kind!
Something special is going to be happening!
Our 2022/2023 Viking World Cruise pins have arrived!
We are going to be having a very special celebration tomorrow on Sunday January 8th, 2023 in L.A. at just after 5pm. The Viking Neptune naming ceremony will be taking place! Who will be the Neptune’s Godmother? That is the big question that has everyone guessing! A new ship is only official when it has been christened, typically by its Godmother. A ship‘s godmother is a civilian who is invited to sponsor a new ship. Godmothers usually include royalty and celebrities and it is believed that the feminine energy brings the ship good luck and protection for future sailings! Dating back thousands of years, the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans all blessed their ships to keep the seaman safe during their voyages. Viking’s naming ceremony will be with a bottle of Aquavit, appropriate given the Viking’s Norwegian heritage. The Godmother will bless and officially name the ship tomorrow and while we have been sailing with the Neptune name on our new ship, after tomorrow we will be legitimate if you know what I mean!
As 300+ people prepare to leave their luggage outside of their staterooms by 10pm tonight, the crew are obviously very, very busy with disembarkations as well as getting the Neptune to look all spiffy for the naming ceremony tomorrow, where we understand Viking’s Chairman will be in attendance. We are having a very relaxing day on the Neptune today, with some gym time, followed by Team Trivia (we don’t know our Broadway musicals!), then a massage for me at The Nordic Spa and a nap for Richard. Now its time for us to go and experience the Wintergarden tea for the first time since we arrived on board.
Stay tuned for more excitement tomorrow as we dock in L.A. at 5am and spend a busy day disembarking for US Customs & Border Protection Regulations, followed by lots of shopping for things we wished we had packed (mostly clothing) and getting back on the Neptune in time for the naming ceremony and the big celebration that will happen under the stars in L.A. tomorrow evening.
A stunning sunset to end the very relaxing day on the Viking Neptune as we sail towards L.A. And try to guess who will be the Neptune’s godmother?
Very curious as to what you think you need for clothing that you didn't bring, as a future WC, packing is something I definitely want to know about!
My guess for Neptune Godmother - Bette Midler.
Wow, have to bring every motion sickness items imaginable. Just in case. - Love the watch! - Questions: Is it hard to get the Chef's Table reservations? I would imagine it's a set meal, right? No vegetarian options. How often do they rotate the type of meals?