Before I even get started talking about our day, I have some catch up to do from yesterday (which includes some catch up from two days earlier…oy vey) that I didn’t get to because I fell asleep again mid-post last night and my iPad slipped and hit me in the nose.
Sadly, this is not an uncommon occurrence. But, thankfully, our immediate itinerary is a perfect one: a couple of port days, then a sea day. Repeat. This gives me something to talk about (beside meals and shows) while also giving me a periodic catch up day. Already today I’ve washed out some underthings and scrubbed out my insulated water bottle (that I bought last year) with the bottle brush I just bought at the supermarket in Auckland. I worry about that “germs in a water bottle” kind of thing, and have been washing the lid and rinsing the inside daily, but wanted a better scrubbing tool. Now I have it.
But that isn’t what I wanted to tell you about before I talk about our day (I do get easily distracted).
The biggest news is that Mom has returned to her apartment. She still has a way to go, and strength to rebuild, but she has all the time in the world to do that. Thank you again to all of you who have emailed asking about her.
Another bit of positive news: I went the entire yesterday with no walking aids. None, even while we were out on our tour. Apparently, this was noteworthy enough that many people on the ship, crew and passengers alike, noted it and commented on it. It brought back memories of when I first injured my foot in 1992 and was on crutches forever. In fact, I was on them so long that it was a large part of little Elizabeth’s (our two year old next door neighbor) life. Elizabeth was a frequent visitor, motivated in no small part by the unlimited attention we showered on her, the drawer-full of stickers we purchased on her behalf and her love of stretching out across the top of our L-shaped sofa while she watched Barney on TV. We were only too happy to oblige her on all counts. Anyway, the first time she saw me without crutches, she got so excited she jumped up and down and proclaimed, “Hey, you don’t have handles!”
Hey, I don’t have handles now, either…except sometimes in the evening when it feels better to use them. I feel like I was making slow progress with frequent setbacks, and then, quite suddenly, things improved dramatically. Let’s hear it for no handles!
Two other very fun things happened yesterday, both involving crew members from cruises past. We were walking through the port area to meet up with our independent excursion yesterday when who do I see but Rex from ShoreEx (as we always think of him). We have known Rex forever, dating back to the Emerald Princess, and again on the Pacific Princess. He is always managing the Shore Excursions team, which is how he got his moniker. It was so great to see him.
But then, last evening on our way to the Elite Lounge, someone called our name, and (are you sitting down) it was our all time best cabin steward ever, Cristian!! I was jaw droppingly astounded. Cristian had just gotten married when we met him; he now has a son and a daughter and is an Accommodations Supervisor (coincidentally overseeing our current amazing steward, Noel). He told us he knew there was a couple on board for awhile, and in this area of the ship, and immediately thought of us but discounted it because we “always cruise to warm places”. I had to look back at my blog to see when we had Cristian as our steward, and it was 2011-12, the first time we cruised for 100 days in a row. He was right...back then we did only cruise to warm places, but we have had to branch out, and now cruise to places that are only sometimes warm, or that are sometimes warmer than it is at home.
I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to see him. He has always been the benchmark against which other stewards have been measured. Awesome Ambrish (remember him?) was right up there, too, and I think Noel is also, and several others have come close, but Cristian will always be the best, because it would be impossible to be better. What makes a steward so good? When we are on board for an extended period of time a really good steward learns our habits and desires so well we don’t ever have to ask for anything; it just appears. A good example was what Noel did our first week on board. Knowing we would be here for awhile, a large stack of laundry bags and forms were placed on an empty shelf on the end of the vanity. Ice was replaced twice a day (because I was using it on my foot). A stack of folded washcloths was always on the vanity (we use a fresh one to dry every time we wash our hands, which is frequently). We don’t ever have to make a request...our needs our met before we realize we have them.
It really doesn’t get any better than that.
So, back to today. With G out of the cabin for breakfast (I ate so much yesterday, and not the best food, that I skipped breakfast today), I did the aforementioned washing and cleaning and then took a moment to take a few photos around the cabin. People remain curious about how we organize our things in an inside cabin, and I have to say it’s really not any different than organizing them in a balcony cabin. In fact, we generally like this more, because we have the beds separated which gives us a good amount of floor space between them in which to dress and pass each other. In a balcony cabin, the person on the bathroom side of the bed (always me) has about 15 inches to work with. I can barely get my shoes on with that much space.
So here are a few pics from the cabin, showing the way I have completely moved in.
My nightstand top drawer
I use the containers my Restasis eye drops come in to organize medications, ear plugs and Coban
They perfectly hold my EZ Dose pill bags
The over the door shoe rack. I think this our second one (since 2002).
It is perfect for commonly used items such as sunscreens, Q-tips, first aid supplies and sharps (pins and scissors),
as well as things like saline packets and cotton rounds.
In the bathroom, I use the same kind of shower bin I use in the shower for shampoo, etc, to hold
my toiletry items that don’t stack well in the shelves. A folded washcloth helps to keep the bin organized.
I use two of the three bathroom shelves (as is only fair 😉)
G uses all the cubbies by the safe; I use the two shelves behind the cabinet door in the vanity for swimwear and underclothes and hang the rest of my clothing on hangars in the closet. We were happy to see that inside cabins no longer have that small round glass-topped table that only got in the way and even took up space in the closet when we stored it in there. Three of our four suitcases fit under the beds and the four is stored in the back corner of the closet. Our roll aboards are under the foot of the beds for quick retrieval. They hold our overflow items for when we run out. We use magnetic hooks and cups in the wall to hold G’s baseball caps, the Princess Patters, any invitations and photos we receive. We still have the triple twisted elastic clothesline running from one wall to the other just below the ceiling at the head of our beds. It always has things hanging on it.
It’s not pretty but it all works and is very usable.
I’ve also had some emails curious about my silk sleep sack. This has been the best thing I’ve done this season. It is simple and comfortable and always looks neat.
When untucked for sleep, the provide top sheet and duvet topper trail on the floor because they are so long. ☹️
They then become a tripping hazard in the middle of the night.
Instead, I have just the bottom sheet and the duvet in a silk sleep sack
How I leave the bed in the morning...
...and how it looks after Noel makes it pretty
G wants one for the next time we cruise. It’s a good thing, especially if tightly tucked in sheets make you claustrophobic.
I left a note for G that I’d be on the Terrace Deck. This was one of the prettiest days we’ve had recently, with clear, cloudless blue skies, low humidity, and temps in the high 60s. The wind had also died down quite a bit. Captain Lawes updated us this morning to tell us that the Ruby Princess had been able to leave the Port of Tauranga about 3:30am, but he was able to make up enough time that he believes we’ll arrive in Akaora tomorrow only an hour late. I emailed our tour provider with our update. Since our excursion isn’t until 1:30pm, we should be fine.
I sat in the sun on a longer overlooking the wake, listening to music until G showed up. It really was glorious out there, and he joined me until he went to an enrichment lecture in the Princess Theater at 10:30am. We have a different enrichment lecturer on board now, and his talks seem to all be about WW2 in the Pacific. G and Paul rarely miss one.
It was a spectacular morning on the Terrace Deck overlooking the ship’s wake
Internet remains speedy
This has completely transformed cruising (and especially publishing a blog) for us.
I met G in the DaVinci Dining Room for lunch at noon, and Paul and Marlene joined us. They were also talking with a couple on their other side and we joined in, too. They were fascinating, he from southeastern Virginia, she from London, they met in a hotel bar in Athens, Greece in 1972, have been together ever since, and currently live in Dallas. People lead such interesting lives!
Day 23 lunch menu, page 1
Day 23 lunch menu, page 2
We spent a little time after lunch sitting on the Promenade Deck watching the eastern coast of New Zealand go by. We’ve never cruised New Zealand before where we had this sea day between the North and South Islands. It’s nice; the coastal view was never ending today. Then it was time to get to work. I needed to do some things online, like check on medical charges making their way through our my two health insurances, make credit card payments and check future cruise and EZ Air prices for any savings.
Tonight was formal night, including the Captain’s Welcome Aboard Champagne Waterfall for the second part of this cruise. We started with pre+dinner hors doerves at the Elite Lounge, had a wonderful dinner in the DaVinci Dining Room, watched the champagne waterfall and got great seats for the 8:15pm performance of production show Colors of the World. With the digital screen backdrop, it was visually stunning with great music too. 2fterward we returned to the DaVinci Dining Room for coffee and dessert. What an evening!
Day 23 dinner menu, page 1
Day 23 dinner menu, page 2
Day 23 dessert menu
White Chocolate Mocha Tart (G’s)
Captain Lawes made an announcement this evening that the high winds that are predicted for tomorrow in Akaroa have already found us, and we might experience some rough seas overnight. No worries, we’ll cope. But I do hope the winds don’t preclude us from being to tender ashore in Akaroa. It is perhaps my favorite place in New Zealand and I really want Paul and Marlene to see it, too.
Day 23 Princess Patter, page 1
Day 23 Princess Patter, page 2
Day 23 Princess Patter, page 3
Day 23 Princess Patter, page 4