Down to the Rembrandt Dining Room for the special Mariner luncheon at 11 a.m. Unlike previous Mariner luncheons we'd been to, this one didn't feature a lot of speeches or recognition of milestones. We did each receive a commemorative Dutch blue-and-white tile as a thank-you gift. From there to the gallery to pick up our infamous hat pictures. Mark headed for the Promenade and took a few laps around the deck, something he always likes to do on sea days when there's nothing but water all the way to the horizon. Then it was nap time.

Woke Jill in time for her 2 p.m. "Chat with Stripes" in the showroom, in which the Captain and Hotel Manager discussed their careers and experiences, and took questions from the audience. One of the guests asked if they'd ever left passengers behind. (The answer was yes.) After that Jill attended another of Ian's talks, this one on the history of the Vikings, which she found interesting. Lauri played in the casino, while Mark took the laptop to the Exporer's Lounge to work on the trip journal, mostly ignoring the acupuncture talk that was going on at the time, flip charts on easels at the aft end of the lounge. He updated the daily log until the battery icon started flashing, then took the laptop back to the stateroom for recharging. He decided to head out again for a liesurely amble around the ship, with no set destination. Not surprisingly, at the SeaView Bar he ran into Lauri who was getting a slice of pizza. Taking it as a sign, he plopped down on a barstool and ordered a pina colada, thereby crossing that bar off the list. (The goal on every cruise is to have at least one drink in every bar aboard ship.) After the drink, he wandered back to the room. Jill had returned from her talk, but he decided to take some ship pictures and left again with the camera.

The weather for our sea day is sunny but a tad cool. Some people on the aft deck bundle up, some do the opposite.

Double stacks sprout from the Sky Deck, with chaise lounges neatly stacked nearby as it's a bit windy on the unprotected upper deck.

The more sheltered Lido Pool is a popular spot for adults and children alike. Note that the roof is closed.

The starboard Promenade Deck is devoid of walkers and joggers in the late afternoon, although one girl has found a quiet reading spot in the shade.

The view astern from the aft Promenade traces our wake as we sail southwest through the Baltic Sea.

Mark jokingly refers to these fiberglass life-raft canisters as depth charges.

The Pinnacle Bar is our favorite pre-dinner hangout during the trip; we usually park on the bar stools to talk to Michael "Corleone."

When he returned, he and Jill grabbed the cribbage board and made for the Explorer's Lounge to continue the AVCT. They split a pair of games to bring the standings to 3-2 overall. Then it was time to shower and change for dinner, which took a while because it was our second formal night. Stopped by the photographer's corner again for poses on the way to the Pinnacle Bar. Enjoyed our pre-dinner cocktails, then ambled aft to the dining room when we heard the guy with the chimes make his way along the Lower Promenade Deck. The whole gang was at the table that night, all dressed up. Ship's photographers made the rounds during dinner, and we 'posed' for another picture (although 'cut up' might be a more accurate description). Dinner was fun, as usual, but we nixed any plan for late-evening activities and went directly back to the suite, as we had (another) very early wake-up call the next morning.

On the second formal night, Lauri and Jill show off the Afghan scarves that were a gift from our brother Terry who was stationed in Afghanistan at the time.

The ship's photographer captures our table in a playful mood. Sitting, from left: Lauri, Karen, Bill and Jill. Standing: Mark, Harry, Jane and Marie--a fun group.