The first post of each season:

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Sunrise, Day 13 (At Sea)



We took the ship's tender over to Princess Cays yesterday for a short time. It was intermittently sunny with quick, light rain showers. One of these finally sent us back to the ship, where we spent a pleasant afternoon (with most people off the ship) using the pools, hot tubs and simply soaking up the sun. About 4pm the ship's anchors were lifted and we headed south from Eleuthera.

We spent a pleasant evening at dinner at our table for two by the window, and then attended a class on how to play craps. We've done these several times in the past, but last night's instructor, Olga, the casino hostess, was the best ever and we actually now have a basic knowledge of the game. I was the dice roller during class and was very lucky, resulting in wins for all of us at the table. Too bad we were playing with funny money, as it might have changed my views that gambling (mostly the parting with my money so frivolously) is a generally painful experience. At least craps involves some mental gymnastics, which is a bit more rewarding than roulette or slots. Still, when the lesson was over and it was time to begin playing with real money, we headed to our chosen entertainment for the evening, a classical concert by the string quartet. This was our option over the Princess Theater entertainment, a comedic magician. After almost 50 cruises, I've had my fill of magicians, jugglers and hypnotists. Luckily, there are lots of options appealing to all tastes.

We moved the clocks ahead an hour last night, and it was darn hard get up this morning to walk. Finally, G goaded me into it, reminding me that I had not missed a single sunrise yet. And luckily I was up on Deck 19 in time to catch a beautiful sunrise directly in front of the ship. Today is sunny but with moderate (6.5 feet) seas, and the additional pitch and roll of the ship makes simply walking around a bit tiring. People always ask me if we get seasick on cruises, and we don't, not even in the 40 foot seas we've experienced between Australia and New Zealand, but I do get very lethargic when it's rough.
After a nice breakfast in the dining room, we have settled into loungers up on deck. G just left to meet Davy Jones (of The Monkees) who is on board this cruise with his wife, a featured flamenco dancer providing entertainment in the Piazza. I cannot be persuaded to move from this chair for even that great honor.