We sent a little time planning for our day tomorrow. Maré, New Caledonia, will mostly be a beach day (happy, happy, joy, joy) so, for now, the wool hats and gloves and scarves we wore on Mount Wellington on Sunday have been shoved to the back of the shelf in the closet, and the Swimways Papasan floats, beach tarp, mask and snorkel and kite moved within easy reach. There are no shore excursions available for Maré, only a transfer to a beach, so we purchased one each and are anxious to see this new (for us) port.
We used the Neptune’s Reef pool and hot tub until lunch time. I have brought my old iPhone 4S loaded with music in my original Lifeproof case and waterproof ear buds for doing water workouts. I enjoy that so much. Lunch was in the Donatello Dining Room, and I had a delicious tomato soup and the veggie burrito, which was not vegan, as it had a little bit of cheese in it, but I had not pre-ordered anything and didn’t feel like a salad.
That’s a good segue to talk more about special ordering in the dining rooms. I’ve had a few emails asking me about it, so I’ll go into more detail about it now (‘cause it’s a sea day!). I do not have food allergies and so do not need to avoid any specific foods at all cost. That makes it considerably easier for both me and my headwaiter. I am simply following a whole foods, healthy diet, mostly vegan though I do eat seafood. Preferably the fruits and vegetables I eat would be organic and the seafood wild caught but that’s just not possible on a cruise ship.
Every night at dinner, our headwaiter (Gabriel has moved to a different dining room and now we have Francesco from Portugal) hands me the menus for the next day in the dining room- lunch (if it will be a port day) and dinner. He returns toward the end of the meal after I’ve had a chance to look at them and takes my order for the next day. Most of the time, I can order right off the menu with just minor tweaks: a pasta or salad without the cheese, fish without the sauce, a vegetarian curry or korma made without dairy. If nothing comes close to working, I just opt for salmon and broccoli or order a baked sweet potato. I don’t place special orders for lunch. We never know for certain where we will end up eating and today was the first time I’ve gone ‘off plan’ at all, and that was personal choice, as there were other compliant options.
Dessert is mostly fruit though I’ll occasionally have the sorbets (I’ve always loved Princess sorbets!). I steer clear of the sugar-free desserts as most of them contain dairy and I also have to avoid all artificial chemical sweeteners. Eating this way is so much easier on the ship than at home. I am getting such a variety of food and don’t feel deprived (very often). But I know my needs are easily met, and others, with specific intolerances and allergies, might be more limited.
G went directly to a veterans get together in the Wheelhouse Bar after lunch (and returned with Aussie army stories, including parachuting cows into war zones) but I spent a few minutes listening to the Golden Princess orchestra playing Dixieland Jazz in the Piazza (huge applause, especially after When the Saints Go Marching In) and then went out in the Promenade Deck to walk. It was certainly warm enough, and not too windy, though the port side had some sea spray and the floor was a little wet there. I thought I would dislike, but have turned out to enjoy the fact that the Golden Princess has no loungers on the Promenade (it’s not wide like on the Pacific Princess) or even teak chairs like on the Emerald Princess. It simply has a few teak benches scattered about, and, since it wraps around the entire ship (requiring steps at the front to Deck 8 and then back down the other side), it is truly a deck for promenading. That’s a good thing, as there is no walking/jogging track up on Deck 17 as there is on the Emerald Princess. The options are to use a treadmill, use the Promenade Deck or walk the interior corridors, which really only works when the stewards’ carts are not lining the halls.
We met up in the cabin for a brief rest before it was time to start getting ready for formal night. We cleaned up as much as possible (we took formal portraits again tonight...I am still in search of a photo that makes me look 20 years younger) and then went to dinner. Have I mentioned this cruise’s waiters yet? Rodrigo from Isla Mujeres, Mexico (fantastic diving there!) and Ronaldo from the Philippines are just superb, but, actually, every wait team we’ve had so far has also been. Tonight I had a grapefruit and kiwi starter, roasted vegetables in lieu of a salad and a seafood stew that’s not called cioppino but basically is.
Roasted vegetables in lieu of a salad. Beautiful!
The Captain’s Welcome Aboard Party and Champagne Waterfall was held in the Piazza starting at 7pm. G snagged a beer and then we went to the Princess Theater to get good seats for tonight’s production show, Born to Dance. And let me say a few things about Princess’ newest production show. It is simply amazing, a show about the great choreographers and dancers and Broadway shows of the past 75 years or so. The costumes are beautiful and the choreography and music are fantastic. It’s even an adult-length show, 50 minutes long, which I hope means that Princess is getting away from the 30 minute production shows they first introduced on the Emerald Princess 5 or 6 years ago. We were never fans.
There was a second show option tonight. Singer Jo Little is back on board and was performing in the Vista Lounge. One of my favorite things about the Golden Princess is the abundance of entertainment options. We skipped her show tonight and returned to the cabin. The alarm is set for 6am tomorrow. Douglas Pearson (we miss his port lectures so much) taught us well; we must be on the open decks for every island arrival!