Today was a big day for me. HUGE! For the first time since June 21, I went the entire day without using crutches. Nor did I use the cane I brought at the insistence of my surgeon, physical therapist and husband (I hate that thing with a passion). Instead I used two hiking sticks, and felt downright svelte in comparison to the past 3+ months. Go me! And that’s not all; I actually made two laps on the Promenade Deck (minus climbing the stairs to Deck 8). Progress, for sure, though it helped both achievements that the sea was so calm today.
We were both up early and watched a beautiful sunrise from the Promenade Deck. It was the harbinger of a beautiful day, weather-wise. Sunny, warm and barely a ripple in the water; the Pacific Ocean is truly being pacific for us right now. We swung by the International Cafe (the first time I’ve even looked at what was offered there) and were in the DaVinci Dining Room for breakfast. I ordered a mixed fruit from Nelvin, our waiter, and was brought a entire fruit feast. One of my favorite things about cruising is the variety of the produce we can eat. It’s tough to replicate that at home for just two people.
Because we went to bed as early as we did last night, we were up in time for a beautiful sunrise at sea. 
We scoped out the International Cafe in the morning...
...to look at, not to eat!
What you get when you request some mixed fruit from Nelvin, our waiter :-)
WiFi speeds were better again this morning
Following breakfast, I returned to the cabin for my morning pill-taking exercise, and had a good look at today’s Princess Patter. There is no shortage of activities on this sea day intensive cruise. Tui and Maile, our Hawaiian Ambassadors, are busy all day, every day. Today at 9:45am, they were teaching a class on the Tahitian version of the Hawaiian hula. I went just to watch, and very much enjoyed the drum-forward music Tui played to accompany the dance. We learned on Kauai on Monday that the Hawaiian hula has been significantly altered to appeal to tourists. The original hula dancers were men, and, just like the Hakka in New Zealand, the hula was originally a war dance. With its percussive beat, the Tahitian dance sounded a bit more fierce than today’s Hawaiian hula.
Noon found us again in the DaVinci Dining Room for lunch (are you seeing a trend here?). I had three courses, all fairly light and veggie based (roasted peppers, salad and Oriental noodle salad), but, good grief. Three courses for lunch? This cannot continue. It also sucks 90 minutes out of the middle of our day...not that we had anything else pressing to do.
Day 9 lunch menu, page 1
Day 9 lunch menu, page 2
Marinated red and yellow peppers without the cheese
Oriental noodle salad
Following lunch, I used the Terrace Pool (it was very popular today) to do a water workout. That pool is ideal for me, with its stair step entrance. I really want to use the small round pool in the back of Deck 17 that is rarely used, but G thinks the ladder to get in and out is still beyond me. Sigh. We spent a good amount of time in the hot tub back there, and I’ve decided that’s my favorite way to spend a sea day afternoon.
Our hot tub with a view on Deck 17
We were dressed for the evening and in the Elite Lounge at 4:30pm. It was guacamole and chips night, which I would usually adore, but I didn’t eat a single bite. I simply wasn’t hungry. I told G I was not going to order anything at dinner, but then remembered that they were making the coconut and curried carrot soup dairy-free for me, and saving me a vegetarian curry from lunch as my entree. I couldn’t abstain. The soup was delicious, but headwaiter Mehai showed up at our table with a troubled look in his face. Apparently, the chef had set aside a portion of the lunch curry for me, but when he returned to the galley, it was gone. Mehai felt so badly, but I assured him that they actually did me a favor. I really didn’t want anymore to eat. Besides, I told him, we have the same issue at home and there’s just the two of us.
Day 9 dinner menu, page 1
Day 9 dinner menu, page 2
Day 9 dessert menu
The Princess Theater show schedule was again different tonight. There were three shows with the first being at 6:30pm. We chatted with Cruise Director Aaron about it. They’re playing around with the times to try to accommodate the greatest number of passengers’ dining times. Tonight’s production show was Once Upon A Dream. I’m still trying to decide if we’ve seen it before. It seems vaguely familiar. I think G said it best: it’s a good show. It’s not an outstanding show. But the music and costumes really were the best parts. Well, those and the ballet performed to Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. I liked that, too.
Tomorrow should be another great day...we cross the equator around 9pm, and, just like that, fall turns into spring. Isn’t life good?
Day 9 Princess Patter, page 1
Day 9 Princess Patter, page 2
Day 9 Princess Patter, page 3
Day 9 Princess Patter, page 4