We, or at least I had another lazy day today. I informed G last night that he’d be doing breakfast solo, turned off the alarm and slept until 8:30am (which, in my defense, was 6:30am just two days ago). He attended the destination lecture on Picton, New Zealand (frankly, we’re a little disappointed in the lectures on the past couple of cruises), and then came back to the cabin to fill me in on that. We took the mail boat to Ship Cove the last time we were there; it’s one of the best reviewed things to do in Picton besides visiting the nearby wineries. I’m not sure what we’ll do on this visit.
I’ve mentioned all of the Christmas movies being shown around the ship and also available on our cabin’s On Demand system. We really do have several good choices, including some classics that are personal favorites. I watched Four Christmases today.
I didn’t eat anything or even leave the cabin until it was time to go to this cruise’s Most Traveled Guest luncheon at noon in the Crown Grill. It’s nice to be fairly hungry when being served such a wonderful meal. I think I’ve mentioned that the Byrnes and Hodges are back on board for this sailing, and we were seated with them at a table hosted by Safety (formerly the Senior First) Officer Enrico We had the best time. Those luncheons, as anyone who has been fortunate enough to participate can attest, can be pretty painful if the guests at a table don’t hit it off. No issue with that with this group! The pastry chef really outdid himself this time with the Christmas-y decorations on the dessert.
Most Traveled Guest luncheon menu
The menu starter
My dairy free starter
Grilled veal chop
My dairy free dessert
How do they do that?
The menu dessert
From right, the executive chef Salvatore, the sous chef and the pastry chef
Safety Officer Enrico headed our table
Some of the MTG waitstaff
Petits fours Elizabeth after dessert
We were surprised and thrilled to see a face from the past, Extra Letters Gjeordgie (or EL Gjeordgie as I actually call him) from seven years ago on the Emerald Princess. Do you remember him? He was Darko’s (yes, that one) roommate and the two of them are still like brothers. OMG it was so great to see him! He just came on board last turnaround, and works in the Crown Grill in the evenings, so we hadn’t yet run into him. It was like the last seven years had never happened. He said Darko is now a supervisor on the Sapphire Princess (we seem to keep missing each other by a year), but he was going to get in touch with him tonight to tell him he’d met us.
He also said I hadn’t changed a bit in seven years, which is quite a stretch considering I was Dark Blonde (Golden) then and am solidly white (at least around the face) now. And when I pointed that out to him, he made some sweet comment about eyes and smile and I was reminded again how much we love him (and Darko).
This was the lunch menu in the DaVinci Dining Room today. Mehai told us tonight that they were 100% full by 12:45pm and the line to get in at that time stretched into the Piazza. Maybe that helps explain why we are so committed to showing up at “our” table exactly when the doors open for breakfast and lunch. If the alternative is to wait in line and still not get a table for two, we’ll be punctual and committed to being there.
Day 7 lunch menu, page 1
Day 7 lunch menu, page 2
G went to the wine tasting at 2pm with Terry Hodge but I returned to the cabin to finish watching Four Christmases (I only control the remote when I am alone in the cabin).
We went to the Elite Lounge at 4:30pm more to get out of the cabin than to eat. G had told me the day was grey, windy and chilly but we didn’t realize until we were in Skywalkers that it was extremely foggy and the seas were really rough, with the wind blowing the mist off the whitecaps. The difference is that we had a following wind, so we weren’t feeling the swells on the ship. Had we been sailing westbound, it would have been a very different day.
Loved this koala fruit carving at the Elite Lounge!
We weren’t a bit hungry for dinner, but we still went (see above re: dining commitment). G had a salad and I had prawns and broccoli and that was all. Tonight’s entertainment was production show Magic To Do, and neither one of us was feeling it tonight. Instead we are tucked into bed watching A Christmas Story (known at our house as You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out). It’s always entertaining.
Day 7 dinner menu, page 1
Day 7 dinner menu, page 2
Day 7 dessert menu
We asked Enrico at lunch about getting into Fiordland National Park tomorrow morning, and he hedged at bit, saying Commidore Pomata is very focused on making that happen. But we saw that wind tonight. I’m knocking on the wood trim in our cabin, hoping the Ruby Princess gets into four three two at least one fiord tomorrow.
Day 7 Princess Patter, page 1, take 1
Day 7 Princess Patter, page 1, take 4 ;-)
Day 7 Princess Patter, page 1, take 11 :-o
Day 7 Princess Patter, page 2
Day 7 Princess Patter, page 3
Day 7 Princess Patter, page 4
