We awoke in better shape than some on the ship, and not as good shape as others who hadn't drank half a bottle of champagne on New Year's Eve. We made it back out last night and stopped by all three venues: the Casino Lounge, the Pacific Lounge and finally welcomed the New Year with lots of noise and streamers and music at the deck party, which the weather allowed to take place outside as planned.
And then we fell into bed, where we stayed until nearly 8am this morning. G's first words? "Where do we have to go today, what do we have to pack, how much will the taxi cost to get there?" And then we laughed and laughed. We had to do NOTHING today, at least until 4:40pm. What a feeling!
The only downside of the Pacific Princess is that we miss watching football on MUTS, especially at this time of year with its end of regular season NFL games and the College Bowl games. It one sense, that's been a blessing this year (our favorite teams have not done well) but I would have enjoyed seeing that Ohio State loss to Clemson last night!! There is just no keeping up with the games and outcomes; the TV in our cabin is seldomly turned on and even then we're usually watching videos we have downloaded on our iDevices. Most of the football news we get is in emails and texts from friends, and too many of those this year have brought bad news.
Of course, if we didn't believe that there were 101 benefits to this small ship that more than completely offset the lack of MUTS, we wouldn't keep returning to it. Obviously, we do. But I am grateful that we were on the Emerald Princess when we watched the Broncos win Super Bowl 50 last year. I'm not sure I could have recovered from missing that!
So, back to this morning (it's a sea day so you already know to buckle your seat belts for a wandering post)...
We weren't especially hungry after that feast that was last night's dinner followed by treats at the New Year's Eve party on deck, but it's important to start a new year on a healthy note, so we went to the Panorama Buffet where I had cereal and plain yogurt and fruit. We spent a few minutes in the Cabaret Lounge watching the previews of the DVD about this cruise (the Reflections DVD, for those familiar with Princess) followed by an extended preview of a Princess documentary on the Caribbean, but that became a mistake for me. The ship was doing a bit of pitching, and I don't suppose last night's consumption of alcohol helped, but after 20 minutes or so I had to leave. That left me lying in bed trying to shake my unsettled feeling until G asked if I wanted to accompany him to British Pub Lunch. The seas weren't so bouncy that I thought I'd have trouble up on Deck 10 aft, so I went and ordered chicken curry with lots of rice and ginger ale and felt much better for consuming them.
Captain D gave the noon update from the bridge and told a couple of funny New Year's jokes, including one about making New Year's resolutions being a lot like writing a check on a closed bank account (he really is quite entertaining). He has a real fan club on this ship. G left lunch to attend a 1pm guitar lesson in the Casino Lounge but I went out on the Promenade Deck and relaxed and listened to an audiobook and tried to nap but just couldn't today. I really needed one, too. I've been dragging since yesterday morning. Around 2:30pm I returned to the cabin to find G was out using a hot tub, providing me a perfect opportunity to use nail polish remover and give myself a manicure. He still wasn't back by 3pm so I made the sacrifice and started getting ready for the evening early, so he could have the bathroom when he returned. People ask us all the time how we manage to cruise for so long and not in a minisuite or suite and my answer is always the same: I don't need more space but sure wish we had two bathrooms. In fact, it was my only requirement for our rental condo in Hawaii. It had to have two bathrooms. I've done my time sharing for this winter.
I was sitting on the bed, already dressed for the evening, when G returned, and, with spare time on my hands, that is when I always get myself into trouble. In a chain of events that is me to a 'T', I embarked on a simple project with unfortunate results. I have an omega chain necklace I purchased in St. Thomas years ago (I think I mentioned it on the blog when I bought it). We were cruising with Bob and Janet then, and Janet had advised that, when I wasn't wearing it, I keep the necklace in the large flat box it originally came in, to keep it from bending when not in use. It was advice I took to heart; the problem was that the outer sleeve that fits over the box and keeps it closed was becoming dog-eared at all corners. I thought I would fix that while I waited for G.
Handy me, I travel with some duct tape spooled around a pen just in case we need to make minor repairs. I thought it would do the job nicely. However, I had chosen to wind the duct tape around a Sharpie marker this year, and its lid made it considerably trickier to unwind. Still, I carried on, wrapping duct tape around each of the corners of the cardboard sleeve. What I hadn't realized is that the lid had come off the Sharpie, and as I unwound the tape I was getting black permanent marker all over me. Thankfully, it spared my white tank and my slacks were black anyway (no 's'), but the palms of both hands and my nails (freshly polished with OPI Nail Envy nail strengthener) and part of my face were covered.
This would have been a sorry thing at any time but it was particularly unfortunate tonight because we and our guests were being escorted into the Captains Circle party in just 30 minutes, where I would be shaking Captain D's hand in front of half the ship and accepting a gift bag containing a crystal and holding it in front of me for the requisite photo with the captain. Yep, this was me in a nutshell.
My mind raced; I had a hundred ways to remove the permanent marker. At home. But I was considerably more limited on the ship. Finally I hit upon the tiny tub of Aquaphor I always pack. It serves a multitude of purposes, including silencing noisy bathroom door hinges. Knowing it was a petroleum product, I thought it might do the job. Well, it did, eventually. I went through an entire box of Princess tissues (no big loss, that) and half the tub of Aquaphor but I was able to offer a silky soft hand to Captain D and smile with an unspotted face for the photo.
Time on my hands is a dangerous thing.
We were joined by next door tablemates Mary and Horace (from Alabama, and college football fans to boot), and Dottie and Paul and were honored to be this cruise's 2nd most traveled passengers. I received my choice of a Mexico crystal because I already have a Caribbean one. Both the first and third most traveled passengers are staying on the Pacific Princess for the World Cruise, beginning January 3 in Fort Lauderdale. For those interested, the Princess days for the top three most traveled passengers were 1537, 923 and 768 days. .
Dinner tonight was the chef's menu, and I had that wonderful cream of mushroom soup and salmon as an entree with strawberry thyme sorbet as an intermezzo. It is only 8pm, but I am wiped out, still tired from yesterday and last night. I will be asleep soon; G is out listening to Mark Preston's second show and then, I'm sure, Jere Ring in the Casino Lounge. I am with him in spirit, if not in body.
And, finally, with a few minutes to spare, I must tell you about fellow passenger Evie, who, with two of her children and their spouses, celebrated her 98th birthday on this cruise. Evie is in a wheelchair, and we all assumed that it was required for mobility at this stage of her life. Not so, we learned. She injured herself working out too hard just before the cruise began and needs it for a couple of weeks. She does water aerobics every day and aerobics several days a week and lives on the fifth floor of a retirement community and climbs the stairs to her apartment every day. She doesn't look a day over 75 and has had the time of her life on this cruise.
We all want to be Evie when we grow up. And, to that end, we wish you a safe and healthy new year.
Life is good. :-)