We are reaching a maximum relaxed state here and it only took five days. There is hope for us yet.
We slept well. Really well. Actually, I think I was asleep before I even got back to the cabin last night, but the sleep clock doesn’t officially start until the contacts come out. That act marks the best part of entire day. No noise from our neighbors, no noise from the deck above. This is a perfect cabin location (Deck 12 aft) but then we already knew it would be.
I ate lightly at breakfast in Sabatini’s, just a slice of sourdough toast with smashed avo and a little smoked salmon. I knew what riches the day would bring and wanted to start out wisely.
After breakfast I went up to the Lido Deck to check out the pool situation. Yesterday afternoon, the Neptunes Reef pool was a combination of a MUTS movie (with heavy bass) and a lot of people. The Calypso Reef (glass covered) pool was netted over. That’s how I ended up back in the Terrace Pool despite its cooler water temp. This morning the Neptunes Reef pool was still quiet but pretty sloshy, and the Calypso Pool was a construction zone. I think they’re doing a major overhaul on that pool as there were several crew there with sanders and other equipment. It should be fine by the crossing. The Terrace Pool was again my best option. I got my gear and started a workout.
I had planned for cooler water temps I’m used to that. We have four rec centers in our community, and with multiple indoor pools. I know when I go to a class at each one how deep the pool is and what the water temp will be. I brought long sleeved swim tops and swim pants and have been wearing them for each pool session since we got on the ship. Today’s water was pretty nippy. I also fought sea sickness the whole time from the wave action. Now, that I hadn’t anticipated. But I wanted to get that workout in. I knew my afternoon would be a waste.
Today was MTG luncheon day, held in the Crown Grill. Oh my. This was one of the best ever. I have to let you in on a little secret. We came on board not knowing that our captain, Captain Stefano Ravera, had a brother, Captain Paulo Ravera, also with Princess. I thought they were one and the same, and, as we had gotten to know Captain Paulo Ravera fairly well on the Sapphire Princess in Asia, I thought we’d be renewing an old acquaintance. No. Instead we sat with Captain S. Ravera and got to know him. What a delightful man. The other two couples at our table were from Sydney, obviously staying on for the crossing, and we enjoyed great conversation and an outstanding meal and service. And, as anticipated, I was a slug for the rest of the day. But what a luxury to be able to do that!
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| This was G’s beef tenderloin. They were actually two jumbo shrimp on the plate before I snagged them 😆 |
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| This dessert!!! Amazing. Those chocolate circles sandwiched dark and white chocolate truffles. Seriously. Unreal. |
We rested all afternoon. Well, G rested. I blogged. That’s the thing about blogging. It’s like going to college, where, no matter what you’re doing, you really should be studying. Except this is more like no matter what you’re doing, you really should be blogging. Or editing your blog. Always
We skipped the Elite Lounge but did go to dinner, only because we appreciate our table and our waiters Libres and Sulton so much. And because we won’t be there tomorrow night due to Captains Circle parties, we felt we really needed to go tonight. I had soup and tea and was good.
Tonight’s Princess Theater entertainment was vocalist Lovena Fox covering the hits of female stars of various genres. We had hoped to follow that with a candlelight concert (you know how we love those) by Caloy Quemada in the Vista Lounge (not even certain what instrument he plays, but I suspect he’s a guitarist) but didn’t make it.
On a weather-related note, I mentioned to the captain today that the online rumor mill was active regarding what the Grand would be doing to deal with Rachel. He asked me to tell him about them, so I did. And when I had finished he said that he wasn’t aware of any of those predicted outcomes. None of them. It truly hasn’t been decided yet, and, for today, the ship continues to make its way to Mazatlán as planned. We are sailing well out to sea to minimize discomfort on board, enabling us to enjoy a comfortable cruise. The pools are sloshy but aside from that, we’re escaping the inclement weather around us.
Oh, and we were told that there are just over 2000 guests on this cruise, about 500 less than normal capacity. I think that many people did cancel after the itinerary was so revised the day before the cruise began. This ship feels almost empty. Elevators nearly always arrive empty and go directly to the chosen deck, there is plenty of seating. It’s nice. I understand why people would cancel but they missed a wonderfully relaxing cruise.
