We had a surprisingly eventful day at sea, and not all in a good way but, thankfully, most of it was and even the part that wasn’t was quite successful in its own way. Our weather remains really nice, and, in particular, today there were enough clouds to cut the heat but not enough for it to rain. We’ve been very lucky.
As predicted, due to setting our clocks back an hour last night, we were in the DaVinci Dining Room for breakfast as soon as it opened at 7:30am. We have been particularly spoiled this season (at least so far) in that we have the same table for two next to a window for breakfast and lunch that we do for dinner, which means we have the same waiters every day for those meals and they know us as well as our dinner waiters. When we arrive for breakfast, the window sheers have been opened, offering us a beautiful view of the sea, there is a small pitcher with soy milk on the table and G’s favorite danish is already on his pastry plate. Waiter JoJo asks if I want the usual, and a double order of orange segments and a plate with smoked salmon (but no cream cheese) appears within minutes. Spoiled, I say!!
Day 11 breakfast menu
We swung by the Horizon Court Buffet immediately afterward, as we do too often, for watermelon, which has been delicious since day 1 of these cruises. I personally consume at least (at least!) 8 slices every day. We took it out to the Terrace Deck and enjoyed the expansive views off the back of the ship. People were already using the Terrace Pool and sitting in the loungers out there by 8:30am.
This morning turned into a housekeeping one for me as I replenished toiletries from the “closet” in my roll aboard suitcase under the bed, scrubbed out my water bottle and washed and ironed my sleep sack (still loving it). As the morning progressed, I could feel myself slowing down a bit; I think I finally, after 55 days, have caught my annual cruise cold. If I’m being honest, I think snorkeling sort of hastened it along, which is not unusual for me. I wasn’t yet sneezy or messy, and so I joined G for lunch in the DaVinci Dining Room. I love that stuffed eggplant Provençal (made without dairy) so much that I ordered a serving to be set aside for my dinner entree (and this time it made it to my table!)
Day 11 lunch menu, page 1
Day 11 lunch menu, page 2
There were a couple of things in the Princess Patter this afternoon that appealed to us. First, at 2pm, we went to the Princess Theater for the finals of The Voice of the Ocean. The man in the photo below wearing a sweater vest won a whopping 61% of the vote with a pitch perfect rendition of Pretty Woman.
The Voice of the Ocean finalists
Immediately following that, G enlisted my assistance for his attempt in the Egg Drop Challenge. His egg survived the drop from Deck 7 to Deck 5 in the Piazza, and, much more important to him, created a spectacle as a whistle from a New Year’s Eve favor stuck in a deflating balloon squealed during the entire descent.
Shortly after we returned to the cabin to get cleaned up for the evening, Captain Steven Lewis made an announcement that a fellow guest had taken ill and needed to be evacuated by helicopter to Noumea. He said it would be at least an hour before the Ruby Princess was within helicopter range, but that, once it was, all 300-series and 400-series cabins from Deck 9 to 14 on both sides of the ship would have to be evacuated. That was unusual; we’ve been on board ships at least four times when there’s been a medi-evac and I don’t recall cabins being evacuated.
Day 11 dinner menu, page 1
Day 11 dinner menu, page 2
Day 11 dessert menu
Just as we sat down to dinner, the captain announced that the helicopter was just 10 minutes away and would be arriving off the port side of the ship, which is where our table is located. Sure enough, we heard the helicopter before we saw it, and looking up saw that it was just off the ship’s port side. The helicopter hovers (it doesn’t land) over the Neptune Pool area, a basket and medical personnel descends onto the ship, and then the helicopter then circles for the amount of time it takes to load and stabilize the patient in the basket.
Waiter Jorge from Mexico getting penne arrabbiata for us on Italian night.
He looks just like Clark Kent. ;-)
I was starting to fade a bit over dinner, and so left immediately after I had a scoop of limoncello sorbet for dessert. All the midship doors from the elevator lobby on Deck 14 were closed, and I had to walk across Deck 15 to reach the aft stairs. Just as I reached the Calypso Pool, the helicopter was directly overhead as it left the Ruby Princess for the last time. There were a couple hundred people there who had been watching the entire process (just as we did our first few times).
I am now tucked into bed with the sniffles. I hope it stops at that; there have been a lot of deepening coughs on board in the last few days. G is still out, with plans to attend the Tropical Deck party on the pool deck. We move clocks back another hour tonight to put us back on the same time zone as Noumea, New Caledonia as well as Sydney. The extra hour of sleep couldn’t be better timed.
As, finally, huge shout out to my sister-in-spirit Suzan and her husband Greg as they boarded the Crown Princess today for 20 days of Caribbean cruising. They are on an identical ship to the Ruby Princess in the same cabin we have. Peas in a pod...that’s us. Thank goodness she purchased unlimited WiFi so we can continue our daily texting chats. Bon voyage, Sis and Cuba, and safe travels.
Day 11 Princess Patter, page 1
Day 11 Princess Patter, page 2
Day 11 Princess Patter, page 3
Day 11 Princess Patter, page 4
(Sorry it’s tilted. This is the best of 4 attempts)