Today should have been a lazy, relaxing day, but somehow we managed to stay busy the entire day. The big news was that our weather was perfect, sunny and not hot, but comfortably warm with not a hint of bumpiness. Where was this weather early in the cruise? We saw Captain D today and he said it would continue, at least through Melbourne next cruise, and that our weather in Sydney tomorrow should be excellent. Well, yay!
We enjoyed breakfast in the Horizon Court Buffet and were amazed to see that, when we took our iPhones off Airplane Mode, we had Telstra service from the mainland just 23 miles to our west. We followed right along the Continental Shelf all day, and our service continued all day. This enabled me take care of some business that I thought I’d have to put off until our already overscheduled turnaround day tomorrow. The internet speeds were snail slow but they were fast enough, and that’s all that mattered. Plus I was able to text Mom and friends in the US before it got too late back there. I was so excited to hear that McGuy’s football team made the championship (game to be played this week) and that McGee’s cross country season is done. This is the sort of news that, for years, I’ve been sad to miss while cruising. I’d get updates, of course, but not quite so real time. This T-Mobile plan is the best.
We returned to the Horizon Court Buffet for lunch, because it’s just so darn easy...and we can get a table for two AND see out a window. Plus the food and service is fantastic. If it seems like we’re dining more in the buffet this cruise, we are! But never for dinner though. We’re changing tables next cruise to a table for two near a window in the Bernini Dining Room on Deck 5. We will miss Nemo and Mark and Gabriel, but they get moved around frequently on this ship, and so won’t likely be together next cruise anyway (no s).
I have had no issue adhering to my modified vegan/pescatarian eating plan on board. In fact, it is so much easier that it is at home where I’ve been making two separate dinners for the two of us. I have far more variety on board than I can replicate at home, and, because there are so many things to choose from, don’t feel at all deprived. Case in point - today’s lunch in the Horizon Court Buffet. I had three different pre-made salads, one of which had seafood in it, and then fruit, nuts and seeds for dessert. (Photos provided because of our cellular internet signal today). I don’t get the same variety of salad greens that I get at home (no kale or chard), but there is usually spinach and romaine lettuce in the salad bar and they work just as well.
We went to a lecture by the Great Barrier Reef port pilot, Ian, at 2pm. His topic today was about modern day pirates, and, like his other lectures, it was excellent. Luckily, there is minimal/no pirate activity in this area, but illegal fishing is prevalent along the Great Barrier Reef.
We met Captains Circle host Alessandra for coffee in the International Cafe at 3pm, and you won’t believe this, but it was the first time we’d been there all cruise. It’s nearly impossible to get a chair there; as on other ships, people camp out at those tables the entire day, and most of the time aren’t there for the food or coffees. We ended up being lucky to get seating in Vines before it was open for the evening. Also unbelievable...this was the first coffee I’ve had all cruise. Naturally it was decaf and made with soy milk, but it’s still not something I’d have every day. I have been drinking a lot of hot water with lemon as an alternative and am finally getting out of the habit of drinking coffee, especially in the morning.
No decaf coffee (because of the chemicals used to decaffeinate it), no alcohol, no sodas or artificial sweeteners. The struggle is real. ;-)
We went up to Skywalkers for the PES Lounge just to enjoy the views of the mountains of eastern Australia in the distance. For dinner I had a seafood starter with a slice of avocado, and then a large grilled vegetable salad as my entree. Dessert was (what else?) a fruit plate. The fruit on the ship, especially the honeydew, cantaloupe and watermelon, has been out of this world...which is good because I’ve eaten a boat load of it. Dinner was followed by the baked Alaska parade (accompanied by the usual HOT HOT HOT), but then progressed into an Australian favorite, the Chicken Dance (with all diners participating) and then into the Australian standard, Waltzing Matilda. The Aussies stood and swayed and sang at the top of their lungs and we American joined in best we could on the refrain, but we were swept up and linking arms and swaying with our Australian passengers. What fun! Apparently this is standard practice on cruises out of Australia so we’ll be able to enjoy it several more times (and have vowed to learn all the words to Waltzing Matilda).
The entertainment tonight was the finals of The Voice At Sea, and we surprised ourselves by attending. It was actually quite fun though there was one contestant who was a clear winner. She sang the Tennessee Waltz in a shockingly un-Australian accent. How do they do that? And that was the extent of our evening. There is an International Crew Show at 9:45pm, which we would love to attend, but the alarm is set for 5am tomorrow. After watching the Golden Princess arrive in Sydney Harbour once from home (on the Sydney Harbour Webcam) and then walking down to the waterfront ten days ago when we were staying at the Holiday Inn Old Sydney to watch the ship’s arrival, we will view it tomorrow from a different perspective...on the open decks of the Golden Princess. We’ve been waiting for this for a long time.
Life is good. :-)