Yellow Fish cruises: Day 8: At Sea

Friday, October 22, 2021

Day 8: At Sea

It’s only 3:30pm as I start to write this post, but I thought I’d better get a head start today. We will be enjoying tonight’s Chef’s Table, so I will publish what I have written before we go, and finish the post with the description of the dinner tomorrow morning.

My cruising friends knew that I have forever compared every cruise we take with the Pacific Princess cruises in French Polynesia. We told ourselves several times when we were on that ship that it was never going to be as good as that again. The ship, the crew, the itineraries were all perfect. Well, we may have been wrong in that assumption. I believe that, when this cruise on the Emerald Princess is done, we will both say it was as good as those Pacific Princess cruises. Different, of course, in ship size and destination, but in terms of personalized and attentive service, this cruise compares well in every way.

But into even the most utopic cruise, some mundane tasks must fall, and I needed to do a load of laundry this morning. I’m not sending out any laundry this cruise. It’s just not worth it to us. Most of what we brought can be hand washed in a pinch , but the laundry down the hall makes it convenient to do a load every few days.

Usually. Today I opened the door to the Deck 14 laundromat and was greeted by a woman who put up her hand and said , “Stop! I’m using all these”. Ok then. I’ve cruised enough to know to never stand between a motivated woman and a washing machine. I was carrying my Target bag (aka my laundry basket) back down the corridor when our steward Mohammed (aka Mighty Mo) saw me and came running. He quickly figured out what the issue was and walked me to an Ocean Medallion portal on the wall to find me the next closest laundromat. That one was closed off due to an iron malfunction, so I tried again and the third time was the charm. I started my load and took the elevator up to Sabatini’s to have a cappuccino. After I moved things from the washer to the dryer, I returned and that’s when I finally had brioche French toast (heaven on earth) and a fruit plate…and a mimosa or two.

It started to rain while we were in Sabatini’s, so G left from there to check out the Sanctuary situation on a rainy day, and I returned the clean clothes to the cabin. He texted me (we use iMessage, not the Medallion app because it works so much better) and told me there were a few loungers protected from the rain. Our doppelgänger friends met us there, and we alternately relaxed and used the pool and hot tub in the Lotus Spa.

We continue to be unable to lift a finger in the Sanctuary without an offer to help. G had the soft drink package this cruise, and has been using it a lot to order fancy mocktails He uses the Medallion app to order them, a Serenity Steward is buzzed when it is ready, and goes to get the drink. And then all of us gather around the pretty drink to take pics. I ordered lunch from the Sanctuary menu and it was unbelievably delicious…and attractive. Once again, a meal started with a photo op.

That’s G’s Strawberries on Fire mocktail in the background.

Be afraid, be very afraid of this one. It is firey hot.

Day 8 lunch menu

When 3pm rolled around and when they started setting up the items for afternoon tea, we returned to the cabin. We had been instructed NOT to have tea today by Rui, our iPhone batteries were dead and the phones needed to be charged for tonight’s dinner, and we needed to rest after…resting all day. 😆

I’ve decided the one good thing about not having turndown service in the evenings- the only good thing- is that I don’t feel guilty when I crawl between the covers for an afternoon nap. Previously, I never wanted to mess up the bed by doing that, forcing the steward to re-make the bed again. And there is nothing cozier than a warm comforter in an air conditioned cold room. But, other than that. I would rather give up my Elite laundry than turndown service. (I realize this is not an opinion that is widely shared.)

I’ll be back tomorrow morning with a recap of our Chef’s Table experience.

Day 8 dinner menu

Instead of starting the galley, as Chef’s Tables used to be able to do, our group of 12 met at Vines Wine Bar. Maitre d’ Rui explained the evening to us. The Chef’s Table was held in the Da Vinci Dining Room, and we entered to see that beautiful table waiting for us. Rui had told us that, once the Executive Chef decides the menu, the restaurant staff plans the table setting, including which dish ware is going to be used. This was the first Chef’s Table on the Emerald Princess a very long time, and great care was taken to make the experience perfect.