We left the pools and loungers in the sun to our fellow passengers and stuck to mostly indoor activities, but had a full and fun day. While I wasn't quite up for line dancing (soon, very soon), I did attend another of Wilson Jean-Baptiste's steel drum classes (I've got When the Saints go Marching In down!) and drummer Antonio's Mardi Gras drumming circle. Both of these are so darn much fun, and have such a basic premise, too. Take an off duty musician with the patience of a saint, bring on board several simple, but quality musical instruments, put a notice in the Princess Patter and...voila! Even veteran cruisers find something to enjoy. The drumming circle held in Club Fusion always manages to grow by 50% over the course of the class simply because passengers hear it, come to investigate and stay because it looks like fun. It is!! I think I've had a frustrated drummer inside of me wanting to be let out. It's sooooo relaxing.
Besides having great fun hitting things with sticks (can you tell I was raised with just brothers?), we walked for awhile on the Promenade Deck (if there's a jogging track on this ship, we've not found it) and enjoyed both breakfast and lunch in the Coral Dining Room. That was about it...until it was time to dress for formal night #463 of the winter. Actually, I didn't mind so much tonight. I must be feeling better!!
The dinner menu was the 50th anniversary menu (which I posted when we were on the Grand Princess). I had that yummy dessert for the fourth time, which reminds me that I'm not certain I've mentioned how they make it. Headwaiter Peter told us last cruise that the raspberry part is sprayed on, which is why it turns out so even and perfect. Huge sheets of plastic are hung around a marble island in the galley and pastry chefs wearing masks and goggles spray it on, as if it was paint on a car. It's worth the effort. People rave about it every time it's served.
I know I've said this before, but all these 50th anniversary additions have made Princess into a new, yet at the same time familiar cruise line. If I could, I'd squeeze in ten more cruises this year just to continue to enjoy them. I'd even settle for nine. ;-)
We left dinner and claimed two seats on Deck 5 in the Piazza for tonight's Captain's Welcome Aboard Party and Champagne Waterfall, where we enjoyed people watching and chatting with fellow passengers. Most people were dressed formally; I might have expected something different on this 5-night cruise. In fact, nothing about the way this cruise is going would cause me to avoid these short cruises in the future. There are several multigenerational family groups onboard, lots of babies and toddlers, many young adults, groups of single senior ladies traveling together; we've seen no behavior at all that was any different than we'd see on any cruise. Another stereotype bites the dust!
After the Captain's Welcome Aboard Party and Champagne Waterfall (still loving that keyboard shortcut), we opted to skip production show Born to be Wild, having just seen it a few days ago, and instead went to Club Fusion for Oscar night. What fun that was! We have finally found the perfect use for that space!! They had two red carpet runners leading into the lounge (the famous Oscar red carpet), and we were greeted by a large, slightly husky Oscar statue ice sculpture. Of course, the fact that everyone was formally dressed added to the ambiance, and special hors doerves were served off trays by waiters. An Oscar ballot was available to be filled out and tallied, and an Oscar trivia was held during the real red carpet timeframe. We didn't stay until the end (arrival in Cozumel tomorrow is at 7am and we're determined...) but we sure enjoyed what we did see.
We're hoping for a beach day tomorrow in Cozumel. We must hold on to that determination to get ourselves to one before noon.