EASTER and PIRACY UPDATE

EASTER and PIRACY UPDATE

This has certainly been a trip of many special “firsts”! We went to a lovely Holy Saturday evening mass that the Rabbi on board participated in by reading the story of Moses parting the Red Sea to save the Israelites. On Easter Sunday we got up early and attended a very windy non denominational Sunrise Service on the deck at the rear of the ship. The weather's been in the low 80s and the skies were a little dark, but the rain held off until the service was finished and the sun had come up. It was absolutely beautiful! That was followed by an 8:00 a.m. mass. We’d planned to go to the Easter Sunday brunch at 11:00, but the seas were a little higher than usual and the ship rocked a little more, so we put on our wrist bands and skipped the food ….

Regarding the pirates:
We're safe and have been detouring to avoid dangerous waters, and have eliminated our port call in Nosy Be because of the political unrest in Madagascar. Things were a little tense for about a week after we left the Seychelles. The high jacked Maersk Alabama that was docked behind us and left the Seychelles 2 hours before us, has now safely docked in Mombasa, Kenya -- 2 hours after we left, so we didn't see it again. After a 5-day standoff, the U.S. Navy and Seals were able to rescue the Alabama’s captain, Captain Phillips, and we’re now far enough south that our captain has discontinued all the additional outside watches and extra safety measures. We should now be able to resume our original itinerary.

POST TRIP UPDATE:
The Alabama's captain was rescued, unharmed, and returned safely to the U.S. Ironically, one year to the day, the pirates again seized the Alabama! Cruise ships are typically not attacked because of the high number of crew on board -- it's easier for them to overpower a smaller crew of 8 or 10 sailors on a cargo ship.