Hey! They changed the towels.
No, not the towels in the bathroom – but the skimpy white souvenir towels. Many loyalty programs give you presents, perks or goodies as a thank you present. Cruise lines especially are heavy on the food and drinks side of that equation.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that RCCL has changed towels (that are gifted above a certain level in their loyalty program). When I first started cruising Royal, the towels were royal blue large beach towels with an inflatable pillow you could place in a pocket at one end. Then they changed to white towels with a logo. As the last few years progressed, the towels became steadily flimsier as well as smaller.
Imagine my surprise when I found a pair of these –
the new towels
awaiting me. They certainly are no lighter weight than the previous towels and are much less likely than white to show dirt. Especially in a household where things occasional go to the dogs.
Otherwise – the port today was George Town, Grand Cayman’s. One of the British overseas protectorates with a population of around 30K. I forgot my pounds sterling at home. Which would have been an issue if I had ever intended to get off the ship. It is a tender port; bobbing like a cork while packed in a fiberglass container like a sardine is pretty much not my thing. I still considered it till I looked out the windows on Deck 14. We are at anchor. So are a number of other ships (the following numbers are capacities)
Freedom of the seas ———————-4375 passengers—————–1360 crew
NCL Epic ————————————-4100…………………………………..1700
Celebrity Reflection ————————3030———————————-1250
Celebrity Silhouette ————————-2866———————————1250
Holland American Eurodam —————2044———————————-800
Disney Magic ———————————-2713———————————-950
Even if less than a quarter of the passengers chose to get off their ships just to wander around – it is an overwhelming load of tourists into a fairly small area.
Instead I hung out in the Diamond Lounge, having it and the new coffee machine to myself for most of the day while enjoying decent sunlight and cricket on the telly. I made decent progress on my Alternate 363 Fractal.
17 Jan 2017
