Day 13 - BA5 takes the lead

The Acropolis!!…

Aerial View of Athens and the Acropolis!!!

Dinner at the Manhattan Room tonight…

Attraction: Shadow and Black Light - tonight’s entertainment!!!

7/4/22 - Monday - Independence Day - Day 5 on Cruise

11:00 - 12:00 - We’re scheduled for Athens and The Acropolis, but we don’t have to meet until 1:30, outside the terminal building, in the parking lot. I’m up at 11:00 to ensure that I have plenty of time to stop by the Garden Buffet and start my day with protein. Eggs and sausage have turned into my breakfast staples during this vacation. I walk by the pool and every single chair is taken.

12:00-12:30 - L. is insistent that she get at least ONE spa treatment in during the cruise. The spa is completely booked except for one 8:00 a.m. slot, today, which L. takes. I go to the Garden Buffet by myself, have “the usual”, and check out the Freestyle Daily [itinerary slipped under our door every morning]. The following advisory is printed on today’s copy:

“IMPORTANT NOTICE:

For your health and safety, we will provide individually wrapped KN95 masks in your stateroom. As per local authorities, while we are alongside in Italy and Greece, we kindly request that guests:

-Wear masks onboard while indoors, except when actively eating or drinking or when in their stateroom

-Wear masks outdoors when social distancing is not possible

-Wear masks when going ashore.”

The “Important Notice” is completely ignored. Nobody wears a mask, either on or off the ship except, as usual, bizarrely, the ENTIRE crew. This is starting to feel a little like the Twilight Zone…I say again, do they know something we don’t know? Wearing a mask must be Norwegian company policy, but why for the staff and not the passengers?

We’re at the half-way mark [Day 5] on cruise which is when Covid infections generally run rampant on cruise ships, if previous patterns are any indication. I consider myself a quasi-Covid scholar and have studied [er, read about] cruise infections. My ex has been cruising on-and-off for a year with no issues, but in 2020/2021, entire cruise lines sometimes became infected and passengers were forced to quarantine in their cabins for days on end, with little to no food. Some ships weren’t even allowed into port and had to drop anchor off the coast. This doesn’t appear to be happening any more because cruise lines no longer give a f—k if there’s an outbreak…as long as the staff is safe, the passengers can go to hell. Since we’re at the mid-way point in our journey, I think it’s probably time to start hoarding food in the event a serious BA5 outbreak occurs and we’re stuck in our cabin. I take a banana and two oranges back to our room.

I try to order a Mimosa on the way out, but am told that it’s not permitted when we’re docked in a Grecian port. This will become more confusing as the trip unfolds. Here’s a portion of the Guest Advisory:

“In accordance with Greek laws and regulations, the sale of duty-free goods including alcohol beverages is not permitted while the vessel is in port or proximity thereof. Guests who have pre-purchased any of NCLs beverage packages may be served.”

The drink packages my Mom purchased are absolutely stellar, the gold standard…BUT, apparently they’re not the platinum standard because while we’re in port, I can’t get a drink to save my life. The same applies to coffee at the Atrium Cafe. L. and I are routinely denied coffee during certain days/times on the ship because we don’t have the “super-duper, deluxe, fantastical, end all-be all” drink package. These denials appear to be arbitrary and capricious because, on occasion, we’re actually able to get coffee. It’s a mystery.

12:30-1:30 - L. and I meet up with S&M and Mom at our cabins and head to the terminal. L. says her spa treatment was ‘meh.’ When she asked her “therapist” if the beds were heated, the therapist said yes and did nothing, causing L. to wonder if she lied about the heated beds. Mom graciously offered to pay for L.’s spa treatment, which totaled a whopping $300 (cha-ching).

Our Acropolis tickets contain the following advisory:

“PLEASE NOTE:

Wear comfortable walking shoes. Acropolis is explored on foot, requires approximately 2 hours of walking, 75 steps at the entrance and in certain locations the marble is uneven and slippery. Not for wheelchair/walking difficulties.”

Uh-oh.

1:30-2:30 - The bus is a hermetically sealed Covid closet - the windows don’t open. More and more people are coughing on this excursion than the last one. L. and I wear our masks on the bus ride even though it’s probably futile. As stated earlier, at this point on cruise, passengers are contracting Covid left and right - they can’t help it. Getting on and off the boat at every port, booking multiple excursions, no masking, no testing protocol whatsoever [“Don’t test, don’t tell”]…people are getting infected. It’s only a matter of time before the family is infected - but I knew this going in. I’m praying that the immunity we have thus far will go the distance.

Here’s a chronological account of our immunity:

-I had the J&J on 4/8/21; [Boy, am I glad I had the one-and-done viral vector vaccine instead of the 2-dose MRNA from Pfizer and Moderna. Even though 28 people out of 8.7 million developed blood clots, I’ll take the J&J over Moderna and Pfizer any day (especially since I was NOT one of the 28). Viral vector vaccines have been around since the 70s; MRNAs were created last year. Remember when the ice breaker du jour was “Which vaccine did you get?” People who were vaccinated proudly said “Pfizer!”…those injected with Moderna, acknowledged this in a softer voice…with J&J recipients mumbling “J&J” and looking away, embarrassed. Pfizer was considered the best vaccine at the time, BECAUSE PFIZER CREATED THE MORE AGRESSIVE AD CAMPAIGN ASSERTING THAT THEY WERE THE BEST VACCINE!!! There was never any real proof that Pfizer was the best vaccine - in fact, over time Moderna took the lead. But, if you had J&J you were considered a loser. However, none of the vaccines truly work because you can still “contract and transmit”, although, most likely, you won’t die; HOWEVER, the reason I like J&J so much is because I only had to have one dose of that sketchy shit as opposed to two.]

I contracted BA2 the first week of January 2022;

I received a Moderna booster on 5/16/22.

-L. received the 2-dose Pfizer vaccine on 4/27/21 and 5/18/21 and a booster on 4/3/22 because Otis issued a mandate that all students must be boosted or they would be banned from campus. Note that Otis issued this mandate the last month of the Spring Semester, which makes absolutely no sense. So the Spring Semester ends in one month, before the entire student body exits for the Summer, but they’re still forced to get a booster? L. and I hate this school.

-Both S&M are vaccinated and both contracted Covid.

-Mom is vaccinated and double-boosted, but has NEVER contracted Covid.

It’s a certainty that all of us will contract Covid by the end of the trip. The question is: How sick will we get?

2:30-3:30 - The drive through Athens was like driving through any other city - I thought it would be more historic but it wasn’t. Pros - the Acropolis was incredible largely due to the fact that it’s centuries old - we’re at the top of a mountain, having climbed up the 75 steps, and the views are amazing. Words can’t describe how I felt, being in such close proximity to these ruins. Cons-it was hot, humid, and the marble steps are especially treacherous…for anybody, but I did worry about my Mom having a slip-and-fall. Once again I’m struck by how much the scenery resembles the Antelope Valley.

S&M were with us briefly and then disappeared, per usual - I think M. had to go to the bathroom. We walk back down the treacherous marble steps and S&M take off, looking at shops down the street, far away from the bus depot. Mom, L. and I stay close to the busses and check out a gift shop - I buy two miniature Grecian urns for myself and B.

3:30-5:00 - Back on the bus, in our Covid coffin, and there is even more coughing on the return ride to the ship. L. and I look at each other and put our masks on - we’re the only people masking on the bus. When we arrive at the ship, members of the crew are there, welcoming us with white towels dipped in ice, hand wipes, and water. This happens after every excursion - it’s a nice touch.

5:00-7:00 - All of us head back to our cabins - I need to lie down after that excursion, it was so hot. Then, we meet outside our cabins, and decide to try the Manhattan Room again, which is one of our three complimentary restaurants. Incredibly [I say this word a lot], we learn that S&M went to the Grotto and then the spa. High energy, those two.

7:00-9:00 - I like the Manhattan Room and the food is very good, but there’s live music and the table [my family] says it’s too noisy. Nobody seems to care that it’s the 4th of July for Americans. In the middle of dinner, M. breaks down and starts crying, saying she hates being fat and is so uncomfortable. My brother pats her on the shoulder and tells her it’s okay. I feel horrible seeing how unhappy M. is because, truth be told, I don’t give two shits how much she weighs…anyone who can put up with my brother for 20 years is a saint :-) [j/k…not really] and, in general, I just really like M.

M. quickly recovers and we order dessert. :-)

9:30-10:30 - Tonight’s entertainment is Shadow and Black Light!!! M. originally reserved tickets for 7/3/22 at 9:30 pm, but on 7/2/22, we get the following Notice slipped under the door of our stateroom [the memo is poorly worded and grammar is lacking]:

“Dear Guests,

Thank you for taking your time to book Attractions: Shadow and Black Light performance. Our records indicate that you have made the reservation for the above mentioned show on Sunday 7/3/22 at 9:30pm. Please be informed that due to the last moment itinerary changes, we had to make adjustment to the show date and your reservation for Attractions: Shadow and Black Light performance has been automatically moved to Monday, 7/4/22 at 9:30pm…”

The reason for the change is never fully explained.

Here’s how Attractions: Shadow and Black Light is billed:

“Winners of Britain’s Got Talent, Attraction Shadow and Black Light Theatre are among the most sought after and popular performance of their kind….the Black Light Theatre absorbs, thrills, and enchants everyone. Watching it, you suddenly find yourself in a new dimension, a non-existing wonder world where the audience, the dance, the choreography, the motion, the light and the music meld into perfect harmony.”

What is it, you ask? A dance troupe, holding colorful muppets and wearing black leotards, performing in shadow. Totally cool!! These performances are always packed and I wear my mask for the entirety of every show and even while exiting, during the “crowd crush.” Very few people mask, however.

9:00-10:30 - After the show, L. and I have Mojitos at the Sugarcane Mojito Bar and discuss the day. Then, we call it and head back to our cabin. It’s been great having this time with L.

10:30-11:30 - NIghttime routine. Bed. We’re at sea tomorrow.