As far as sea days go, this one was just about perfect. Our weather was sunny, hot and calm. In fact, the huge majority of our sea days in Southeast Asia have been calm; I can only remember one day and part of another when it was rough. The Sapphire Princess is handling this holiday passenger load well. In fact, the ship seems less crowded than it did during the three-night cruise, and I believe there are nearly 200 fewer passengers (but I’m not firm on that). All in all, this is starting out to be a very pleasant cruise.
G left the cabin earlier than I did today, and I knew he’d gone to breakfast in the International Dining Room where he can get more varieties of juices than are available in the buffet. I lingered over a breathing treatment (today was the last day!) and then gathered up the several page document we received last night spelling out the immigration requirements in the different ports on this itinerary and went to the Horizon Court Buffet. That immigration information was riveting breakfast reading and detailed everything we’d need to know to get into the seven countries (plus Singapore) on this itinerary. This is complicated stuff, and Customer Services Director Miguel is all over it. Apparently, Japan’s and Korea’s immigration authorities require personal presentation of our passports, and it’s going to take awhile to get off the ship. We were also told today that disembarkation in Shanghai could be as late as 1:30pm for the same reason.
In that sense at least, it will be nice to get back to Hawaii and the US.
After breakfast, I made several laps around the Promenade Deck and noted that there were lots of padded loungers available for use. I retrieved my iPad from the cabin, left a note for G and returned to read, and that is where G finally found me when it was time to go to lunch. He had just come from the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet, and said the Administration Department had taken time during the session to go over that same immigration information I’d read at breakfast. It’s a very big deal.
We went to the International Dining Room for lunch, and were seated with a couple from Perth, Australia and a truly international family of three who live on Penang Island by way of France, South America, China, Tahiti and Mexico. Theirs was a fascinating story and their daughter of about 10 years old can speak four different languages. We meet the most interesting people when we cruise! I asked them a lot of questions about living in Malaysia, especially with the three major diverse ethnic and religious groups there: the Malays, the Indians and the Chinese. We were told that that Malays tend to keep a bit more to themselves, simply because their Muslim dietary requirements (no pork and careful preparation) are so very different from the cuisine of the Indians (Hindus) and Chinese (Taoists and Buddhists). I showed them the photos of the small shrine I had taken on the Clan Jetties in Georgetown on Penang Island and they said it was definitely a Taoist shrine.
Now I have to research that faith.
G had big plans for the afternoon (veterans get together, enrichment lecture and the BIG!!!!!! $1000 Treasure Hunt Drawing*!!! (*must be present to win)) where he naturally won NOTHING; my plans were considerably less participative. I am nearly recovered, but am determined that sea days remain rest days for a little while yet, not Zumba or line dancing or vegetable carving or ice sculpture demo or martini wars gingerbread house contest or…. There is plenty to do if one chooses. I chose to nap and read…and watch Destination Expert’s Narelle Froude’s morning lecture on Ko Samui on VOD TV. (She mentioned that the island usually has a very sunny climate and laughed, saying anyone who was there a week or so ago might dispute that. Yes, we would!)
Tonight was formal night #139 of the season. There are three this cruise; just two more formal nights and those clothes can be buried in a suitcase and stay there all through Hawaii until we get home. I am feeling so well that we actually made it to the PES Lounge in Skywalkers before dinner (you haven’t heard mention that much this year, have you?). The sun glistening on the water, the view of the ship’s wake 14 decks below, the conviviality of fellow cruisers and bar supervisor Paul…we need to get there more often this cruise. Dinner for me was what I call my old reliable: rice or quinoa, salmon and broccoli, all served with soy sauce. I eat it at least every fourth night for dinner. Poor Waiter Joffrey is still in isolation, but Hector has filled his shoes well.
We exited dinner into the Captain’s Welcome Aboard Party and Champagne Waterfall in the Piazza. The ship’s photographers were kept very, very busy tonight, as they always are on these holiday cruises. Entire family groups were having portraits taken, and I love watching the multigenerational groups posing for photos wearing their best finery. There aren’t a lot of small children on board, but those that are dressed up a little always steal the show. Formal night attire on holiday cruises is truly the dressiest we see while cruising. Lots of tuxedos and formal gowns. And short short short dresses on the teenage girls…it reminded me of blousoning our high school uniform dress to shorten the hem at least six inches as soon we’d walk out of the building (it was the 70s, after all). ;-)
I was reminded tonight of one of our favorite parts of extended cruising over the holidays: we are away from friends and family, the ship’s company is away from friends and family, and because we are familiar faces to each other we bond like at no other time. We received so many hugs and Merry Christmases as we made our way through the Piazza. Cruise Director Marco came to chat after he started off the champagne waterfall and we commented on how pleasant this cruise is starting out. He said that everyone thinks it has a really good vibe, and it does. Maybe because it’s a 15-night cruise and people are more relaxed? I’m not sure, but holiday cruises are generally rather intense. This one (so far) is not.
They brought out the big guns for tonight’s formal night entertainment, and started the cruise with production show Bravo. We’ve now seen it three times in six days, and aren’t complaining a bit. It’s that fantastic. I’m sure it’s been performed with this frequency because the opera singer from Sydney has simply stayed on board this entire time, and will no doubt return home from Bangkok.
The Sapphire Princess cast of Bravo!
I told G tonight that this is the first time I’ve felt truly relaxed all season. It’s been fun, interesting, busy, inspiring, challenging, entertaining, educational, enlightening…but it has not been a relaxing season. First, of course, were all the moves we made at the beginning. Then, as soon as we re-boarded the Sapphire Princess in Singapore, and I felt like the only challenging thing that remained was the long days in large cities, I got sick. I’ve felt like I was juggling and never fully in control of all the balls. But tonight…sure, we still have a few big cities to go, but I am feeling so much better that it should less stressful from this point on. I hope.
(Knocking on wooden rails in the Princess Theater as I type) ;-)