From Polliwog to Shellback

Last night we had dinner beside an experienced couple from Philadelphia, married 64 years. They had been on fifty cruises, twelve of which were with Oceania. Clearly we’ve got a ways to go! This morning we awoke for the first time to overcast skies. That meant we could go to the fitness centre but our track walking kept getting interrupted by showers. With all of this ocean and not another ship in sight, I think it must be autopilot time for the Captain.

We figured that once we headed out to sea that the one self-serve laundry facility on board would be taxed, so we snuck in last evening before the hordes to do a couple of washes. Good plan, since today, the laundry was crazy busy. Especially on “At Sea” days the ship is very good about offering a very of activities to keep the guests out of trouble. There are generally four to six lectures during the day, varying in content depending on where we are. We attended our first today by the Fitness Centre guy on reducing belly fat. We didn’t really learn anything new, but it’s good to hear the same message again to refocus one’s healthy endeavours. The highlight of the day was a Crossing the Equator ceremony. Harkening back to seafaring traditions, all sailors who cross the equator must be initiated into The Ancient Order of the Deep. Those who had never crossed the line before were referred to as Polliwogs and once the initiation ceremony was completed, the wogs became known as Trusty Shellbacks.

Our ceremony occurred at noon on the pool deck hosted by King Neptune and Queen Neptuna. Clearly, Neptune had a close relationship with Santa, because he was wearing the same outfit.

Each Polliwog onboard was invited to an initiation that involved kissing a fish – a fairly large, nasty looking tuna, I might add – and then be baptized with some kind of pinkish fluid.

Considering that people were prepared to subject themselves to what could be considered a minor form of humiliation, the length of the line waiting for a dousing was embarrassing. Well, we ARE at sea and people are obviously bored.

During the ceremony, we slipped across the equator, which is truly a sight to behold.

Without daylight savings time here, the days begin at 5:30 and finish at the same time. The ocean remained calm and waveless for the remainder of the day and the sun simply disappeared without a sunset. The lack of sunsets is due to the fact that the sun is so high in the sky that when it sets, it simply disappears quickly without fanfare.