The sun was shining brightly and Cabo San Lucas was right off our starboard side as I walked on the Promenade Deck en route to the IC. Everyone was wisely sleeping in today, so I sat alone through several cups of coffee while enjoying a book on my iPad. Eventually G showed up, then Jan and Phil and Suzan and Greg and it was finally the party I had been looking for. Some of us left at 11am to attend the backstage tour in the Princess Theater, but I needed to return to the cabin after the Q&A to get some meds and never did make it backstage.
G and I went to lunch in the DaVinci Dining Room shortly before 1pm and enjoyed a menu we'd not seen before. I had a smoked salmon mousse as a starter and a duck salad as an entree and both were delish. We took the time afterward to walk around all the public areas on the ship; we hadn't yet done that. Back in the cabin, I finally allowed myself to watch the first episode of Season 5 of Downton Abbey, which I had downloaded while we were at the Crowne Plaza in San Pedro. I was going to hold off watching the first three episodes until our flight home but couldn't resist.
We had time for a quick hot tub visit before it was time to get ready for formal night and tonight's Captains Circle party, which, for us, was held at 5pm. The top 3 most traveled passengers this cruise all had over 1000 days sailed on Princess, which is what we usually see and what made our first place most traveled awards in French Polynesia all the more meaningful. We will most likely never see that honor again! Dinner was lobster and champagne...you know, same old same old ;-), but we had another special 50th anniversary Chocolate Journeys dessert. I could get used to these!!
We went to production show British Invasion in the Princess Theater afterward. I don't believe we've ever seen this show before, and we LOVED it. The music, the costumes, the special effects and the choreography all combined to make a fun and innovative show, and the cast received a well deserved standing ovation when it was done.
We then went to the Vista Lounge to hear guitarist Chris Rickets play James Taylor and Carole King songs. Chris is one of the seven musicians in the Grand Princess show band, but was recruited last night to provide a show in the Vista Lounge. I really like how Cruise Director Mike Witte has done that every night, even if it's just a musical act that usually performs in the Piazza. It's nice to have choices in entertainment, and it helps to spread out the passenger load on the ship.
Headwaiter Rui stopped by last night to see if we were staying on for the Grand Princess' next cruise, a 15-night round trip to the Hawaiian islands. We must have that travel-worn look of people who get on a ship and simply don't leave, but, amazingly, this cruise was a one-off for us, and we are so happy we did it. First, of course, was the opportunity to see good friends. I used to qualify friends that we'd met on cruise ships as "cruise friends", because it didn't seem quite accurate to describe people we only saw once every few years as "friends", but I've since abandoned using that distinction. Friends are friends, and with technology the way it is, we stay in touch as much as if they lived on the next street (though Suzan and I will have to wait seven long months to again text about cruises and football simultaneously). So, seeing friends was certainly the highlight of this cruise.
But other things have made this cruise a standout, too. Swimming with sea lions in the Sea of Cortez with girlfriends while the guys lounged on the boat is not something that I'll ever forget (or let them forget!). Margaritas and fish tacos in Cabo, dive bombing pelicans in Loreto, Dos Equis and parasailing spectatorship in PV; every day has brought at least one memorable experience topped with what another passenger called "our corner group" in the Elite Lounge and Phil's infectious laugh.
It's been great to re-discover the Grand Princess for the first time in ten years, and we have been reminded of how comfortable the smaller Grand Class ships are, lacking the extra 600 passengers on the larger ones. I had seen the Grand Princess sail away once in Fort Lauderdale while on another ship (probably the Emerald Princess...duh), and thought the back of the ship where Skywalkers was removed looked like a bad haircut, but I've certainly changed that view. The re-do's on this ship are gorgeous, especially the Piazza and the One 5 (1 Five?) Lounge, and the open, aft decks are my favorites. We would cruise this ship again in a heartbeat, and, in fact, will look for opportunities to do so.
I'm not certain what our day will be like tomorrow. Between packing and the Super Bowl, it's likely to be busy but unusual. There will be no camping out in front of the MUTS screen all day as we did last year; with no dog in this fight, we're simply interested in watching a good football game in any venue on board. Hopefully. It will be a MUCH better game than we suffered through last year. :-(
