Breakfast in the Botticelli Dining Room was packed, and after nearly 45 minutes with only one cup of coffee and no food yet appearing, I finally had to leave to get to the Piazza to sign up for ribbon lei making class. The activities staffer started by saying, “Now, don’t line up just yet…” and a line immediately formed. 😉 Here are the details: there will be four ribbon lei making sessions, these are free and each session holds 50 people. So unless there are more than 100 people clamoring to get a ticket at the sign ups in the Piazza (each person is limited to two tickets so no one can claim one for everyone in their group), just chill and don’t worry about standing in line. My ticket is for tomorrow’s 11am session.
I went from there directly to the Princess Theater for the 10am Princess Theater enrichment lecture with Rowena, who, along with her husband Brian are the Hawaiian ambassadors for this cruise.
A helpful map showing the wet (windward) and dry (leeward) sides of the islandsNext up we were both in the Explorers Lounge at 11am for the enrichment/naturalist lecture by (seemingly) Renaissance man Daniel, who went into an overview of the Polynesian migration and history of Hawaii and you know how much I enjoy all that.
Sigh. It’s been too long. I’m so happy to be returning to Polynesia. Well, I was today. Yesterday I was actually having a mini anxiety attack remembering that, once you start out on this ride (a cruise to Hawaii), you can’t leave the ride before Ensenada without great financial pain and suffering. As someone for whom the mere idea of being trapped, physically or emotionally, is a nightmare, this is a slightly scary adventure.
We went to lunch in the Botticelli Dining Room and it was nice to be relatively famished. It was also nice to see that same “old” lunch menu make an appearance. I’m still hoping for chicken korma, but the stuffed bell pepper is a favorite also.
After lunch it was time for the first progressive ukulele session with Hawaiian Ambassador Brian. I had a decision to make here: someone who is a veteran of these cruises filled me in…towards the end of the cruise, there will be a Hawaiian concert by guests either playing ukuleles or doing the hula, and, frankly, I didn’t want to subject my fellow passengers to the sight of my swaying hips. I have never in my life played a stringed instrument (the piano excepted, but that is an entirely different sport) and decided it was time.
G went with me for this, as he likes anything musical, and, in fact, he actually participated in this on our Pacific Princess crossing from Los Angeles to Papeete ten years ago. As it turned out, he was a great help as he called up the finger positions on his iPhone for me to have a closer look, and, when it seemed I needed even more help, turned his phone sideways and held it next to my ukulele strings to make it easier for me to orient. Yeah, I’m not a natural but, if my fingertips survive, I’ll get there in my own time.
We both needed a rest after that, and I returned to the cabin for the first time in six hours to recharge my iPhone and me. I walked across Deck 15 on the outside of the ship and it was mostly cloudy and definitely cool, probably in the high 50s. These Hawaii cruises in January are generally cold for two days to/ from California, and this one is proving to be no exception. It definitely wasn’t pool or Sanctuary weather.
Tonight was not (hallelujah) a formal night, so I threw a scarf on over my long-sleeved T-shirt and added my fleece jacket and figured that was acceptable dinner attire. I will say that this cabin at the front of the ship has definitely increased the number of steps we walk. Well that plus the fact that the Elite Lounge was moved to Skywalkers for this cruise. Getting from Skywalkers to the Michelangelo Dining Room at 5pm is a journey worthy of carrying a sack lunch: walk down the aft stairs to Deck 15, forward through the World Fresh Marketplace and past the Calypso Pool area, and down a mid ship elevator to Deck 5, always the milk run at that time of day. The aft elevators are totally packed with people going to the Botticelli Dining Room.
I can’t say we were hungry for dinner, but at least it was a two- and not a three-meal day for me. We took the two bottles of MTG wine we’ve been awarded, and, not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but the Canyon Road Chardonnay has a retail price on land of about $7 or $8, and it might still be highway robbery at that.
I noticed while we were in the Princess Theater awaiting tonight’s show with comedian/impressionist Jeff Burghart that I had missed another enrichment lecture on the history of Polynesia at 4pm. I should be able to catch it later this evening on our cabin TV. There simply aren’t enough hours in the day!
Jeff Burghart…what can I say? Probably the funniest comedian I have ever seen in person, without a doubt the funniest I’ve ever seen on a cruise ship. If you ever have the chance to see him- don’t miss it. If he does a single late night show in a couple of days, we’ll need to get seats three hours ahead of time. It will be packed.
Hawaiian Ambassador Rowena said this morning that Princess wants this cruise to feel like we are in Hawaii from the minute we step on the ship in California and, except for the weather, it certainly does. Hawaiian music in the cabin corridors, lots of Aloha spirit; I’m glad I’m giving Hawaii cruises another chance. How much we enjoy this cruise and the next will definitely impact any plans we make for next winter. So far so good (though I do love those Sea of Cortez cruises too!).
