The first person I saw was our room steward Raymond, another Broncos fan. Bless his heart- the first words he said to me were "You were right". After watching the Seahawks v. 49ers game, I had predicted a Broncos loss. I did not predict a Broncos blow out. But Raymond's first thought was to tell me I was right, a very appealing trait in a man. ;-)
I was not in the mood for breakfast. Instead, I got a frozen decaf skim milk vanilla bean coffee (with whipped cream, to cheer me up) and walked off the ship. We were in port today with the Celebrity Summit, a ship on which we'd done the Panama Canal several years ago. Celebrity does "welcome backs" very well; they not only have cool towels as Princess does but lemonade and water and even a seating area which provides a great meeting point for passengers right on the pier.
I knew where to find G...he was using the free wifi provided by our friends at the Del Sol store in Port Zante. I had taken my own iPhone, and so used wifi to download the news and phone my mom using Vonage (for free- get the app!).
It was sunny but very windy, and every so often a 20-second rainshower passed over. We walked around Port Zante near the cruise ship terminal for awhile, just to get some exercise, and I did some minor souvenir shopping but we returned to the Emerald Princess in time for lunch in the buffet.
It was my lucky day: cioppino (Italian seafood stew) was being served today. If I had to choose just healthy food to live on the rest of my life, it would be cioppino.
While I was getting my food, Darko passed over from the buffet line on the other side of the Horizon Court Buffet just to see me. He took one look at me and the first thing he said was, "We will never speak of this again" (the game). He then told me he'd have penne arrabbiata with chicken breast and broccoli waiting for me tonight. He knew that would cheer me up.
Have I mentioned we love Darko? I know I have, but have I mentioned it lately?
And we spent the rest of the afternoon sorting through some mail, making a list of phone calls we need to make tomorrow in St. Thomas and soaking in the hot tub on the back of Deck 17 with the gorgeous hillsides of St. Kitts rising up behind us.
Sailaway wasn't until 6pm, so we skipped the Elite Lounge in Skywalkers and instead went right to Dinner with Darko. We had heard last night that the dining rooms were empty during the game. "Only the Europeans are there", we were told by a waiter who was reassigned to the Horizon Court Buffet for the night. Tonight was not much different; at one point, Darko and Komang had only six guests. I don't know how they plan for staffing or food; every cruise seems to be different in terms of where people eat their meals.
We are sitting in the Explorers Lounge listening to the Emerald Princess orchestra play big band dance music and awaiting the start of Ye Olde Pub Night, back on the schedule this cruise now that new Deputy Cruise Director Adam is up to speed. It will then be popcorn, fuzzy water and bed. A defeated heart needs lots of sleep to heal.
