Crossing the equator at 77!

We asked our room steward to flip our mattress to the hard side and we’re both sleeping so much better now. As soon as I woke up this morning, Ronnie surprised me with a handmade birthday card and a memento from Dominica with 2 Jaco parrots on it - very sweet! Unlike yesterday, we woke to bright sunshine and blue water. We enjoyed another leisurely breakfast in the Grand Dining Room. I wondered if they might have noticed it was my birthday since we were given one of the choicest tables in the restaurant (before they seat you, they log in your name and room number). Hmm...

 

our window table

ocean view out back of ship

 

Happy Birthday to me!

 

Besides being my birthday, it’s a day of celebration for the 3 year old Vista as well. This is its first sailing to the southern hemisphere and its first time to cross the equator. Each time an Oceania trip crosses the equator, it is marked by a christening ceremony of all Polywogs. A Polywog is someone who has never crossed the equator, while a Shellback is one who has. In order to transition from a Slimy Polywog to a Trusty Shellback (Son of Neptune), one must first go through an initiation process. Since Ronnie and I crossed the equator in 2023 on the Insignia, we thankfully didn’t need any initiation. 

make me a Shellback!

whatever it takes...

 

I've kissed worse!

love his expression!

Here goes...

photo op with King & Mrs. Neptune

a whole bunch of Polywogs turned Shellbacks 

Of course today was all done in fun, but I read that "as late as WWII, the line-crossing ceremony was still quite rough and involved activities such as the 'Devil’s Tongue' which was an electrified piece of metal poked into the sides of those deemed pollywogs. Beatings were common, usually with sections of dry, salt-hardened fire hoses or canvas tubes filled with wet rice. WWII Navy deck logs speak of sailors visiting sickbay after crossing the line. Beginning in the 1980’s, all forms of hazing began being strictly controlled. Today’s line cross ceremonies are relatively tame. Rather than a dreaded rite of initiation, they have become a popular tradition." 

We had a reservation in Red Ginger to celebrate my birthday tonight, but still being without proper clothes we decided to go to the Wave grill for pizza. Still not a bad deal! But as of the 25^th when we expect to get our luggage, we will have missed 8 specialty restaurant dining reservations due to not having proper clothes to wear.  

The bad thing about that is that I marked "share a table" on probably 90% of our evening meal reservations. Dining with other guests is the best way to meet people and make friends on the ship. So for these first few weeks, our main interaction with others has just been a quick introduction or snippets of conservation on an elevator. But we still have many weeks ahead to get to know some of the other guests. It's surprising how many familiar faces we've already seen from the 2023 trip. 

One thing we definitely have not missed, however, is any meals. It will be a miracle if I can somehow manage to even maintain my weight on the ship. Oceania is known for having the best cuisine at sea, and it’s reputation is well deserved. Ronnie refers to it as "float and bloat." lol

Anyway, while eating our pizza tonight, a man came up and started talking to us. A little bit later he came back with a birthday cake and he and the other wait staff sang Happy Birthday to me and told me to make a wish. (I wished that our bags would come soon!) It was delicious, but so rich that we only ate 1/4 each and gave the other half to the couple at the next table. 

 

"Happy Birthday to you....."

delicious but very rich!

Then when we came back to our room, I had another surprise! I wasn't kidding when I said our butler is kind and goes above and beyond. I've had a happy day, which could only have been better if I could have hugged a few of your necks!

 

good wishes from housekeeping Jose and Kino

TRUTH

 

It's been a great day!!!