The Valentines Day Ball was the only event that warrants a comment so I probably will wait until tomorrow to post. The weather is now warm but windy. Too windy for me to walk out on deck.

The ship was decorated nicely and everyone in their red or pink best. All the staff were outfitted for the occasion. I actually danced but it always is so crowded for the balls. One thing I enjoy about the HAL ships is that all the officers join in the festivities and I danced with two of them. I also danced with a dance host, Tony, originally from Portugal, now living in Canada. Then I saw my tablemate, Melvin, wandering looking lost and I thought I should get him out on the dance floor . Gerta, another of my tablemates and one of the ladies that always dances with the hosts, got him out there. After that dance he beckoned me and I then danced with him. This is exceptionally good for Melvin as we tease him sometime about his shyness with the ladies which he has admitted is why he never married. He is a farm boy from Kansas but very bright having something to do with computers for Boeing.

The dance bands are very good. They have a good beat and you can actually dance to their music. On the QE2 the dance band was horrible with no beat and a mambo had the same tempo as a swing. The problem with the Amsterdam is there is no decent dance floor so the balls are extremely crowded. The QE2’s dance floor was much nicer.

I took a photo of all the gifts and cards received for Valentines day. The candy bar is from HAL and the little box had a few candy’s in it and that was from Barbara and Roger, my other table mates.