We slept in a bit, and skipped breakfast altogether. When G finally got up to shower, I sprang into action, opened a suitcase on the bed, and grabbed every one of my hanging items out of the closet. These I literally tossed in a pile on one side of the suitcase. No folding, no rolling, just toss and smash. I’ve never before done this, but realized that everything I had was going to have to be laundered or dry cleaned, so it would make no difference. It did help that my suitcase wasn’t full to begin with. Given the opportunity, I’d do it again.
We went to lunch in Botticelli, and weren’t seated in Marco’s area, but he made sure to go out of his way to come over and say hi. I do get attached to our waiters!
Summer rolls
Paella
We had to divide and conquer a bit for the next activity. G went to Grapevine Wine Tasting in Da Vinci and I caught part of the Princess Pop Choir in the Piazza (such a great vibe) and then went to the Princess Theater to get seats for Voice of the Ocean at 2:30pm. I got there early (very early). In fact, the doors were still closed and there was a long line of people waiting to get in. This is a very popular activity!
G had given me specific instructions on where to sit (all those cruises without me have made him very set in his ways 😉) but by getting there early it was mission accomplished. We front row people have all gotten to know each other, and the waiting time for shows passes quickly because we are so busy chatting.
I was never a fan of Voice of the Ocean when it was held in the evening. I like professional entertainment best, but G has become quite taken with this show on ships (we’ve never seen the original on TV). I definitely understand the appeal now. It was a lot of fun. And, after 22-nights, we knew the judges well and especially enjoyed their personas and jokes. It was a very fun time.
Then it was back to the cabin for me, where I showered for the last time and then packed most of my toiletries, while G went to Club Fusion for Snowball! Jackpot! Bingo!! He bought two sets of bingo cards and made it only as close as three away. Still, you don’t have a chance if you don’t play.
We were sad to go to our final dinner on board. We had a great waitstaff team, and our tablemates on either side of us were very enjoyable. It was funny that Lana and Howard already knew G and on the other side was a mother-daughter pair from Brisbane, so we had talked about Australia quite a bit.
Salmon cake. Much yummier than it looks
Cauliflower steak
I had this on the Sapphire and thought it was one of the best things I’d ever eaten in my life.
This one was very NOT good.
So for all those people who ordered it because I raved about it: I’m sorry. Some ships apparently do it better than others.
Finally it was time for the show I was most looking forward to, the Princess World Orchestra- Rock Edition, held in the Princess Theater. As I listened to the pre-show playlist, I was immediately struck by how this wasn’t a typical Princess playlist. It was way edgier, like the kind of music we heard on the Carnival Jubilee last fall. Frankly, I wondered how some of the older guests (those even older than me) were enjoying it. In the end, I decided it was a perfect warm up, because the Rock Edition of the Princess World Orchestra was all that and more.
Did you ever think you’d hear these songs before a Princess Theater show?
Princess World Orchestra was performed by the show band, party band Topaz, three of the production show vocalists and the two lead singers of Topaz, so two bass players, Two drummers, two guitarists, etc. If I had ever considered that maybe their standard entertainment fare was the limit of the musician’s talents (I hadn’t), this rock concert blew away that theory. They performed 45 minutes of rock classics, mostly from the 70s and early 80s. My times! Music by Def Leopard, AC/DC, Heart, Eric Clapton, Queen, etc. It was loud, it was wild and I thought it was the best thing I’d ever seen on Princess.
And I think it may have put Frank Sinatra to rest on the Ruby Princess for good.
We walked out of the theater with CD Aaron. He said that this was the premier of this event, and people had told him he couldn’t have that kind of show on Princess. Au contraire! Those of us who’ve sat through Stardust umpteen times needed exactly that kind of show. He was thrilled that we had loved it.
We stopped by the Farewell Party in the Pizzazz for just a few minutes, but wished we could have stayed longer. It looked like a hugely fun time, and the Piazza was packed. . Let’s just say the entertainment staff knocked it out of the park this last night of the cruise.
Suitcases had to be set out by 9pm, and we just barely made it. I took out my contacts, a wordless signal to G that my day was over, and he contemplated going back out, but instead just brought some ice cream back to the cabin. We had an early alarm set on disembarkation day, and some solid sleep wouldn’t hurt.
