We have had the best day at sea today, not least because we chose to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary today. I wasn't kidding when I mentioned earlier that, on our "real" anniversary, we had side by side dental appointments and G spent the rest of his day in an anesthetic and pain killer-induced fog.
I knew we could do better.
Our morning routine remained unchanged again today: coffee from the IC followed by breakfast in the DaVinci Dining Room. During breakfast we took a minute to look at today's Patter to see if any activities appealed, and many did, starting with a navigational lecture by third officer Dennis from the UK who was also on the Emerald Princess last year and gave a similar lecture then. He is amusing but educational, and we come away every time with a better understanding of what's happening up on the bridge that allows us to magically arrive in one port after another all cruise long. Dennis' lecture was followed by the Chief Engineer's presentation on the ship's electromechanical and engine systems.
This photo from the presentation shows how large a stabilizer is, and there is one on each side:
Both lectures kept our attention for nearly two hours and, despite the fact that we missed the ice and turkey carving demonstrations, napkin folding and Zumba, and a gloriously sunny morning on the open decks, we're glad we went. Other options included line and ballroom dance classes as well as more unique tap and belly dance classes.
Lunch in the DaVinci Dining Room featured our favorite lunch menu- mozzarella cheese sticks as a starter for G and spaghetti aglio, olio and pepperocino as an entree for me. I enjoyed it so much that waiter Peter said I should ask for it for dinner whenever I want it, but we don't usually order off the menu...there's enough on the menu to keep us content. After lunch, we chose to stroll on the promenade deck, where the shade and occasional blasts of AC when an exterior ship's door opened made it a most pleasant place to be.
This cruises' wine tasting was held at...well, we weren't exactly sure when. Our tickets (it is an Elite perk) said 2:45pm; the Patter said 3pm. We decided to assume it was 3pm as we didn't want to sit and wait an additional 15 minutes for it to get underway. I wasn't really in the mood for the wine tasting (admittedly, I'm never in the mood for the wine tasting), but it would be an unpardonable sin in G's eyes to miss it, so we went. Let me just say this about that: I really, really miss having sommelier Thai Reznich on board doing the wine tastings. I think Princess lost far more than they gained by eliminating those positions.
We had just enough time for a quick hot tub visit afterwards before getting ready for formal night. We weren't all that hungry, and so ordered just an entree (lobster for me and beef Wellington for G) before enjoying the real draw of the evening- a bottle of good champagne we had been gifted, an anniversary cake and being sung to in two-part harmony by our waitstaff and another waiter. It may be hokey, but we loved it.
Sunset from our dinner table was appropriately spectacular for the occasion:
No entertainment really appealed tonight (production show What a Swell Party in the Princess Theater and a mentalist in the Explorers Lounge), so we have returned to our cabin to change into shorts and our heading out to the Terrace Deck to watch the wake and enjoy the last of our bottle of champagne.
Is it asking too much to have a repeat of today in 20 years, for our 50th anniversary? Probably, but it won't stop me from hoping.