Episode 603 – Suddenly It’s Saturday! (and time to party!)

Yesterday was Thursday.

Today is Saturday.

We “skipped” an entire calendar day overnight, and yet somehow I didn’t feel as if I’d had 24 hours of sleep. Hmm. At least I don’t suddenly feel older!

It was another day of lovely calm seas, sunshine, soft sea breezes, and just chatting, reading, and relaxing until the evening’s special event celebrating our crossing of the International Date Line.

At 5:30, everyone joined in a toast in recognition of entering the “Domain of the Golden Dragon”.

According to Wikipedia, “The Domain of the Golden Dragon, Realm of the Golden Dragon, Imperial Order of the Golden Dragon, or Sacred Order of the Golden Dragon, is an unofficial award given to crew members of ships which cross the International Date Line.

A sailor enters the dragon’s empire when they cross the International Date Line by sailing west, where Asian nations celebrate the power of the dragon. The certificate is an unofficial award of the United States Navy and the United States Coast Guard. With the extensive Navy operations in the Far East since (and before) World War II, this passage has become so common that few initiation ceremonies are actually held. But the certificate, decorated with Chinese-style dragon, is still given out. It is also awarded to dependents travelling together with their Military Sponsor. This certificate was not only available to American sailors and other military branch members, but was also available to British Sailors when crossing the international date line. The British copies were printed by Gale & Polden Ltd. Portsmouth, England.”

An example of the certificate that was given to a member of the US military in 1951.

Our certificates were considerably less ornate….

… but our celebration was absolutely amazing!

There were drinks, served by the officers.

Hotel Purser Adrian (top) and Cruise Director Matt (bottom) with trays of the evening’s special cocktail, dubbed a “New Zealand Sunrise/Sunset” : orange juice, vodka, galliano, aperol, and amaretto, garnished with fresh pineapple, orange, and cherry.

There was music.

Left: Assistant Cruise Director Tara and Cruise Director Matt. Right top to bottom: Viking Vocalists Kyle, Lucy, Barry, and Ellis.

There was food.

Dinner was served family style. Top: the appetizer course. Bottom: desserts (one platter per couple) – cappuccino mouse, chocolate pot de creme, strawberry and white chocolate macaron. The main course was steak, brisket, lobster tails, grilled vegetables, truffle macaroni & cheese, and French fries.

Photo credit: Sue Field. We ate our own platter before Ted could photograph it.

There were friends.

Top: with Allan and Karin. Centre: with Don and Katherine.
Bottom: with 6’7” tall Captain Markus Jurland!

The chefs, wait staff, officers, and entertainers who made it such a magical evening all deserve our appreciation and respect for their skills and hard work.

There was a stunning blue sky above us.

It was perfect.

We didn’t miss our “lost” day at all!

4 comments

And, of course, I’m still trying to figure out if I’ve missed our Sunday FT call tomorrow. LOL! Seriously, this trip is just waaaaay too fabulous to comprehend, Rose! And your wardrobe is just downright enviable…

Barbie

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