Saturday, 30 March 2024
Jost Van Dyke, British West Indies

 

The Sirena is anchored off the small island of Jost Van Dyke, a British Virgin Island named for an imaginary Dutch pirate. The sky is a perfectly clear blue, the air temperature is in the mid-80's, and the sea is as smooth as glass.  We arrived at 8am, and after a leisurely breakfast I tendered the short distance to shore--barely more than five minutes away. But, as usual, I must return to Friday as LFLatSea plays catch-up.

 

Friday, 29 March 2024

At Sea on Board ms Sirena

Our second day at sea is as calm and restful as the first. In fact, it's a very Good Friday indeed. We decide to sleep in this morning and don't reach the Terrace Cafe for breakfast until after 9:30. But luckily we find a private table in the warm shade on the outdoor "terrace" part at the very back of the ship. No important details about breakfast, except that after our food we head down to Deck 5 for cappuccinos and pastry at the Barista Bar.

We spend an hour in a shady spot by the Lido pool and then walk 10 steps to the outdoor Waves Cafe for lunch: a Reuben sandwich for Will and an excellent cheeseburger for me. Will is still wearing his therapeutic boot and using his cane, but is walking more each day, especially since sailing has been so very smooth.

The big event of the day is the Captain's Cocktail Reception at 6pm, with free drinks--Will has white wine and I have "house" champagne and hors d'ouvrés. Although it is suggested that everyone dress "appropriately," the reality is that costumes run the gamut from cocktail dresses for women to casual shorts for men. The Captain and his chief officers line up on stage and introduce themselves and their duties on Sirena, and two entertainment team singers and their backup band perform a couple of songs.

Of course, all this ceremony is just a prelude to the more important event of dinner in the Grand Dining Room. We start off with another round of drinks; Will has a glass of Pinot Grigio and I treat myself to a glass of authentic French Champagne. Dinner is quite elegant tonight and our servers are excellent and very good-looking (two gentlemen from Croatia, to misquote Shakespeare). Will enjoys another shrimp cocktail (not quite as "colossal" as served in the Tuscan Steak Grill), lobster bisque, well-done prime rib, and an interesting chocolate volcano construction for dessert. I start with a small potato fritter stuffed with cream cheese and gravalax, Caesar salad, medium-rare prime rib, and a wonderful Dutch apple pie for dessert. But since I have heard too many complaints about photos of food, I shall restrain myself today. 

After dinner we manage to stay awake for the 9:30 show in the Sirena Lounge. The four young singers perform a program of iconic songs from several decades of Broadway and the West End. The lounge is very small with comfortable armchairs and sofas rather than tiered rows of seats. The singers and the band are good, but the sound system needs adjustment so the audience's eardrums won't shatter.

That's all for our day at sea. In the next LFLatSea you can expect photos from Jost Van Dyke.