I realized, after a couple of seasons of extended cruising, that each cruise can have a completely different feel than the cruises that precede and follow it, and that is especially true about this 8-night cruise to New Caledonia and Vanuatu. First, the average age on this cruise is probably at least 20 years lower than last cruise. Many Australian schools have just started their summer break (have just broken up in Aussie-speak), and, as I said last night, there are 300 kids on this cruise. The Traveling Film Festival at Sea has turned out to be a major event, and has added another level of entertainment to this cruise. And, finally, Aussies know how to have fun, and their fun is hugely contagious. We are having a blast.
We are also still getting smoke from the Australian bush fires, and it made for a very weird sky this morning. We went to breakfast in the DaVinci Dining Room (new waiters are William and Lizel, both from the Philippines). It’s kind of funny...headwaiter Mehai told us that fixed dining was so undersubscribed that both midship dining rooms are seating Anytime Diners all evening long. Over 2000 people requested Anytime Dining. However, breakfast and lunch in the DaVinci Dining Room today had lines that looped around the Piazza just before the dining room was opened. People want to eat in the dining room: they just want to do it on their own schedule. We are savoring our table for two. It’s a little piece of tranquility on a otherwise busy ship. We also had a watermelon snack after breakfast in a quiet corner of the Terrace Deck.
The sun shining through a sky hazy from smoke this morning
Finding our own moments of solitude (and watermelon) on a busy ship
We had returned to our cabin last night to find a brochure about the Traveling Film Festival at Sea. All movies except the last one are being shown in the Princess Theater, not MUTS, as I had expected would happen. This morning at 10am we watched an excellent documentary called The Buggest Little Farm. We loved it (though I sobbed when their dog Todd died). Each film is introduced by Australian Film Critic Richard Kuipers, who also hosts a discussion each sea day afternoon.
This photo and the five following are from the brochure that was in every cabin last evening.
Travelling is Australian for traveling. ;-)
After lunch in the DaVinci Dining Room, G was busy playing the Quest game again (he loves this and always brings back stories of the wild things that go on during this game) and attending the Veterans get together. He wasn’t interested in this afternoon’s film, a drama based on Rudolph Nureyev’s defection to the West in 1961. However, this definitely appealed to me, so I was dressed formally for the evening and in the Princess Theater at 2:30pm for my second movie of the day. This one was good but not as good as this morning’s documentary. G and I finally caught up with each other over dinner, another day where we did very different things but still had a great time.
Day 2 lunch menu, page 1
Day 2 lunch menu, page 2
Day 2 dinner menu, page 1
Day 2 dinner menu, page 2
Day 2 dessert menu
We went directly from dinner to the Princess Theater (again!) to get seats for Patrick McMahon’s 7:30pm show. We’ve seen him already this year and he is a party waiting to happen. Put him in front of an audience looking to have fun and this was one of the best shows we’ve seen this year. People went wild in the audience, clapping and singing along, and it was fantastic.
Tomorrow’s morning film is one I want to see, plus we have the Most Traveled Guest luncheon at noon. I’ll have to be dressed for the lunch at 10am in the morning to squeeze it all in. For someone who thought she’d be hiding in the closet to escape the craziness of this cruise, I’m finding myself doing exactly the opposite.
I promised some photos of the Christmas decorations. These are all from the Piazza.
Day 2 Princess Patter, page 1
Day 2 Princess Patter, page 2
Day 2 Princess Patter, page 3
Day 2 Princess Patter, page 4
