World Cruise Day 54/152 - Sea Day - Plumbing, Chivito, and jewelry

Cruise day: 54/152

Ports days: 18
Sea days: 36
Countries: 6
Continents: 2
Ports: 11

If you know how these guys are, then you'll know that they're plumbers.  We're getting to know them really well.  Last night, after that incredible meal, a flower and sweets delivery to our room, and just a really good day, we were winding down for the evening.  I went into the bathroom and turned on the faucet to get a glass of water before brushing my teeth.  What came out of the faucet was not the normal healthy flow of water that we usually get, but rather a trickle, a drizzle, not enough to do anything with, that's for sure.

I called the Explorer's Desk and was told that they were aware - a burst pipe, they thought, was affecting most of the water system and the plumbers were working on it as quickly as possible.  OK, things happen, I get that.  But with our track record of plumbing issues, I can't say that I wasn't a little concerned.  Still, we had other water in the room.  We brushed our teeth and gave the toilet its last water-filled flush.  The suction worked, and as expected, no water flowed in.  We went off to bed.

Like most nights, nature gave me a jingle in the middle of the night.  I got up to answer it, wondering what would happen.  I first tested the faucet, and *whoosh* - full-blast water!  Woo hoo!  The issue was fixed.  I completed the transaction and pushed the button on the wall to flush the toilet.  Nada - nothing.  No suction.  No water refill.  Just silence.  So, we have water again, but the toilet won't flush.  Terrific.  Nothing to do but go back to bed, which I did.

Unfortunately for me, last night turned out to be a two-transaction evening and I was awakened a few hours later for another visit.  The sink still worked.  That's good.  I did what I came in there to do, pushed the button, and *whoosh* - the toilet flushed.  So, everything was working again.  Woo!

This morning, when we got up everything was still in working condition, so it seemed like something broke, it got fixed, something else broke, and it also got fixed.  Things happen, and they get taken care of.  So let's move on.  But...

As I was starting to write this today, the many Diet Cokes I have consumed suggested that they had overstayed their welcome and were ready to leave.  I assisted in their exit, pushed the magic button, and once again...nothing.  A quick call revealed that again, they were aware and working on a larger plumbing issue.

It seems to me that there are a lot of plumbing issues on the Star as this makes the fifth or sixth plumbing issue we've encountered along with lots of other guests.  Here's hoping that they can fix things once and for all, assuming, of course, that this latest issue is not another case of guests flushing things that they aren't supposed to flush. You can't fix stupid. Eventually, things started working again.

Bridge went well this morning, and we once again were one question off in trivia.  Today was a multiple-choice event that doesn't lend itself well to repeating here.

Two days ago on our tour to Colonia del Sacramento, we were fed a lunch of either chicken or beef and side dishes.  On the way to lunch, our tour guide started talking about a very popular Uruguayan meal called Chivito.  It turns out that Chivito is a sandwich and is the national dish of Uruguay.  It contains a thin slice of tender cooked beef steak, bacon, fried or hard-boiled eggs, and ham served as a sandwich in a bun or on a roll spread with mayonnaise.  It is topped with mozzarella, tomatoes, and lettuce and can also include olives. It is typically served with french fries.  After she told us all this, we asked if we can just go get those because they sound amazing!  Alas, we got our chicken or beef.

Today - Viking to the rescue!

Chef Thomas decided to whip up Chivito sandwiches for us.  The thinly sliced steak, the ham, the bacon, the hard-boiled egg slices, the fresh tomato and lettuce, the mayo-covered crusty roll, the mozzarella melted over everything - wow, typing all this makes me want to go get another one!

They were super-tasty and a nice way to bid farewell to Uruguay.  The freshly made, cinnamon/sugar-covered churros for dessert were equally as good.

A new art instructor boarded in Montevideo and started classes today.  Arlona made earrings that turned out very well.  They will be a nice trinket to help us remember this trip.

We spent the rest of the afternoon on the veranda reading and looking at what will be our view for the next nine days.

To quote a great philosopher, "It doesn't suck."

We enjoyed a nice dinner and after-dinner drinks with friends and then headed to tonight's main show featuring comic magician, Greg Moreland.  He was quite entertaining and the audience was wowed and laughed a lot.  I'm looking forward to his next show.

The good news is that the bathroom still seems to be functioning, so we're encouraged for a no-go-problem day tomorrow.