On every cruise a welcome back luncheon is held for returning Mariners. The pre-lunch event is when those who have achieved a new status are recognized, ie, one cruise, thirty, seventy-five, two hundred, and five hundred cruise days. The captain makes a few comments, photos are taken as each recipient comes up front, and you get a free photo with the captain and head of hotel management. Everyone has a choice of champagne, a mimosa, orange juice, or soft drink and a few appetizers. At this one, we enjoyed chatting with a couple from Arizona.
Following the “awards” the group heads to the main dining room for a special luncheon with more champagne, etc. Seating was completely random as we entered the dining room. We headed toward the stern for more of a view and were seated at a table of eight . . . two other couples and two women who were traveling together.
We all struck up a conversation, and I especially enjoyed chatting with the lady to my left. Whenever possible, I ask if people have done their genealogy. Either they have or haven’t and I always hope it will encourage them to get started.
She shared that she had French Canadian ancestry on her father’s side, but hadn’t done much on her mother’s side. She inquired about how far I’d gone back and I shared that I had quite a bit on my ninth great-grandfather’s side which was all the way back to Jamestowne.
That led our conversation to Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), to which I belong. She shared that her sister-in-law is a new chapter regent in California. So, I asked if her sister-in-law attends Continental Congress, the annual meeting for DAR in Washington, D.C. She said she always attends, so thinking it would be fun to meet up with her there, I presented my business card so she could share it with her and we could connect.
I wish I had a photo of her response which is indelibly imprinted in my mind.
With a look of incredulity on her face, she stared at the card, and said, “You’re my cousin!” She then said, “I’m Barbara Beveridge, Addie’s daughter.”
Flabbergasted, I said, “Oh, my God!”

Once the staff was ready for us to leave the dining room, we made plans for dinner the next day. I look forward to calling Hubby’s cousin, Diana, who has done a LOT of their family genealogy.
Hubby and Barbara are related via his Dad’s side. Her dad was my hubby’s Uncle Vern. Her mom was his wife, Aunt Addie. Hubby hadn’t seen her in sixty years! As you can imagine, it was quite a reunion. I had only met her once and that was nearly thirty years ago at her mother’s funeral. Though she is my hubby’s first cousin, he wasn’t able to attend the funeral due to a work commitment. So, I had driven his parents from San Diego to the Los Angeles area for the service. The odds of being on the same cruise was uncanny, since we live in Oregon and she lives in Boise, Idaho and Yuma, Arizona. Randomly sitting next to each other at the same table for the luncheon had to have been divinely inspired . . . we really should have purchased lottery tickets! It was our lucky day!
Hubby enjoyed a little reading/snoozing time, and I enjoyed some writing time before attending a class on photo editing. I learned a couple of new techniques that will come in handy! And, did I mention it was free?
We had a few minutes to enjoy Happy Hour, and chat with one of our favorite crew members before we returned to our cabin to get ready for dinner. One of our greatest joys is seeing crew members we’ve met on previous cruises. On this one we were delighted to reconnect with Joanna, whom we met in 2015, on an Alaska cruise. It was a gala night, so we were happy we’d already made reservations in the Tamarind Restaurant.
Dinner in the Tamarind
Though there is a bit of a charge for dining in this specialty restaurant, it is well worth it. We dined here twice on our previous Eurodam cruise, and thoroughly enjoy the Pan-Asian fare. I won’t entice you with the entire menu, but will say that each of the items has been delicious and artfully presented.
Since the music is too loud for Hubby’s ears for some of the shows, we opted to enjoy a movie in our cabin.
I’m getting used to this early to bed thing! It might just work when we get home!