We awoke feeling better today. Thankfully. I really very much hope that illnesses, be they large or small, are behind us for this season. We’ve had a tough run.
G was out and about early this morning, despite the fact we had moved clocks ahead an hour overnight. I lingered in bed, watching a video I had downloaded yesterday. Finally, about 9:30am, it was time to get industrious. I sorted through paperwork we had received the first day of the cruise, tidied up the vanity, scrubbed out my water bottle (really well, to rid it of illness and zoo and Sydney transit germies), made a reservation for dinner at a specialty restaurant one evening this cruise and logged onto the ship’s WiFi, hoping beyond hope that a miracle had happened on turnaround day, and the WiFi, though of course not at MedallionNet speeds, might be at normal, relatively slow cruise ship speeds. No such luck. Sigh.
I eventually wandered into the World Fresh Marketplace to grab some fruit and a decaf cappuccino. Even at nearly 11am it was packed, and I walked quite a while before I saw spare seat on the corner of a larger table, asked to share, set down my cappuccino and went off in search of fruit. This buffet remains such a challenge for me. Where fruit was two days ago, it was not today. Instead it was around the corner, on the other side of the cold buffet line. By the time I found it, I couldn’t find my seat. I wandered awhile longer, and finally saw my solitary coffee cup waiting for me. Not as hot as it had been. :-(
Perhaps you can see why this fantastic, large World Fresh Marketplace has yet to win me over.
I met up with G at noon in the Concerto Dining Room, much more my speed. It’s funny; on the Ruby, the line to get into the dining room for lunch stretched through the Piazza back to the casino. On the Majestic Princess, there was a modest line of fewer than 20 people when the doors opened. Francesco found us a nice table for two and I enjoyed my usual starter of The Floret Family, followed by my entree of...The Floret Family. ;-)
Day 2 lunch menu, page 1
Day 2 lunch menu, page 2
G ate and ran, going to Crooners for the military get together. I went to the Princess Theater for a presentation on Maori history and culture (you might imagine that I’ve been fully educated on that by now, but I always find it interesting), and then stayed for a documentary called Kiwi Country, which I had somehow never seen before, also covering the Maori in New Zealand.
We were both fading a little by late afternoon (this crud is brutal), but managed to get to the Elite Lounge in the Vista-less Lounge and then to dinner. Dear Francesco is our Headwaiter at our new dinner table assignment and he is so solicitous and kind. He takes my special orders very seriously and comments on how healthily I eat (yes, but there’s still that World Fresh Marketplace for late night snacks to undermine the best efforts). Oh, and that apple ginger sorbet for dessert is fast becoming one of my favorites (Sidebar: it’s really infuriating how autocorrect changes apple to Apple. The hubris!)
Day 2 dinner menu, page 1
Day 2 dinner menu, page 2
Day 2 dessert menu
We weren’t quite up to getting to production show Encore tonight. We love that show, without a doubt, but the deep coughs had returned, and we’re not spreading these germs any more than we have to. However, we may or may not have swung by the World Fresh Marketplace on our return to our cabin. Oh, who am I kidding? Of course we did. After rarely finding cookies on the buffet in the Ruby Princess, we’re both quite pleased to see them all the time in the Bakery in the World Fresh Marketplace. Chocolate chip for G, lemon for me.
Life is good. :-)
Day 2 Princess Patter, page 1
Day 2 Princess Patter, page 3
Day 2 Princess Patter, page 3
Day 2 Princess Patter, page 4