We returned to the cabin after watching the Christmas festivities in the Piazza to formulate a plan for today. First I phoned Mom using the ship's wifi and the Vonage app on my iPhone (for free. All calls from anywhere in the world are free to the US. Get the app!). It was so nice to have the chance to talk on Christmas Day. There were three ships in St. Kitts (Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Sea and a smaller Windstar ship) and, between that and the fact that G was still not 100%, but more like 50%, we nixed the idea of going to a beach.
I took one look at this photo and said, "Holy s&$@, when did my hair go red, and just how bad is the lighting in our cabin that I haven't noticed?" but G assured me it's not that color at all, that it was just the lights causing it to look like that. Between you and I, I think he just doesn't want me to tie up the bathroom for an hour coloring it again after just ten days.
Still, it was a beautiful day, and we changed into our swimsuits and sat in the hot tub on Deck 17 enjoying the beautiful scenery off the back of the ship. The view of St. Kitts from Basseterre, where ships dock, looks very similar to the view of Maui from Lahaina harbor. Eventually, we returned to the cabin, intending to clean up and go to lunch, but G became engrossed in It's a Wonderful Life on TV, and then napped, which is exactly what he needs, and today I didn't even flee the cabin to go to the Sanctuary, but instead read and watched the movie too. G woke up just as the movie ended, and, of course, I was crying, as I always do when I watch that movie, which prompted G to wonder how many Christmases we've watched It's a Wonderful Life while I fried (no typo, that, right Mom?). Well, three Christmases in this same cabin on the Emerald Princess, and probably 25 more at home. Some things never change.
Next Christmas on the Royal Princess, it's the Southern Caribbean itinerary, and the ship would usually be in Bonaire on that day of the cruise, but the Royal is skipping it all together and having a day at sea. I personally prefer that, I think. Having twice had Christmas Day on a ship when we were in a port, and once when we were at sea, I think it adds some specialness to the way the day feels when tours and excursions don't get in the way. Of course, I visit these ports multiple times each winter, so perhaps my view might not be held by all. ;-)
By dinner time, we were truly hungry, having just had cereal for breakfast and skipping lunch altogether. There were new (to us) performers on board for tonight's Princess Theater show, a Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons tribute group called the Unexpected Boys and we certainly wanted to see that. The early performance was at 7pm, so we went to dinner as soon as the Michelangelo Dining Room opened just before 5:30pm. There were candles on the tables (!) and a special Christmas menu, and while we were going to get the turkey (me) and the ham (G), Darko steered us to the halibut and the beef tenderloins, respectively, and he was not wrong.
We each had an appetizer and soup too, and so when it came time for dessert, we were just too full. We chose instead to go to the show, and come back afterward for coffee and dessert.
The Unexpected Boys were very entertaining.
Two of the four sang in falsetto voices that were unbelievable. I was enjoying the whole thing immensely until they got me up on stage...and the rest of it was a blur. I. was. MORTIFIED. First, you must understand, because I had showered early in the afternoon and then lay on the bed watching the movie, my hair was flat in the back. My hair styling, as you know, is limited to standing under the air vent in the ceiling of the midship elevator lobby on Deck 14 immediately following a shower on my way to dinner. Since my hair was already dry, I halfheartedly tried to comb some water through it to puff it up again, but it wasn't my best effort. Had I known I would be standing on a stage in front of 900 people, I might have tried harder. Then, to make up for the hair, and in honor of Christmas, I wore my favorite jade green kimono, which is too easily identifiable. After the show, at least 14 people came up to me to comment on my performance. On top of that, several of the singers and dancers had come to the show and were sitting right next to me (why, oh why couldn't one of them have been chosen?). Therefore, from this day forward, I can no longer attend any production shows for the rest of the winter. Or at least not sit in the first row where they can see me. The jade green kimono must be burned tomorrow. Or at least not worn again until next cruise. And I must never leave the cabin again without being stage-worthy. OK, that won't work. I'd never see the light of day again.
As you can tell, I'm pretty traumatized. For my extreme embarrassment, I received a parting gift of an autographed CD and a Christmas memory that won't soon leave me. I was not going to post a photo but my peeps have spoken ;-) and are clamoring for one, so here you are:
We returned to the Michelangelo Dining Room (me holding my purse in front of my face after the 8th person recognized and stopped me to comment) for coffee and dessert. Headwaiter Johann from South Africa seated us at our same table with Darko and Komang, and we both chose gingerbread soufflés for dessert. I know this is unbelievable, but that was my first soufflé EVER on a Princess cruise. It was good, but not very gingerbread-y. It just tasted like sweet and vanilla.
It's 10pm and we're back in the cabin already. We have a 7am arrival in St. Thomas tomorrow, and we know we'll be docking at Havensight, on the eastern side of Charlotte Amalie, because the Queen Mary 2 is in port and is so large it must dock at Crown Bay, about 3 miles away on the western side of Charlotte Amalie. It's our first visit to Havensight this year, which opens up several opportunities for ways to spend the day, but we aren't making plans until we see how G feels in the morning. The Sanctuary also awaits, and after tonight, I need a bit of "SERENITY NOW!"
