It is only 8:30pm as I start this post, and we are already settled in our cabin for the evening. We had a relaxing and uneventful day, documented by precious few photos, so this will be brief tonight.
We were highly amused today by tales from the crew. The Star Princess docked in Fuerte Amador at 9pm last night, and crew members who claimed their passports in advance were able to go ashore until 1am. This is cause for extreme celebration, especially for the younger ones. Apparently a bar nearby was selling $1 beers and there was a steady line heading that way. I’m happy for them. Those sorts of opportunities happen only rarely.
I’m sure there were some passengers who also went out last night but we were not among them (I know you’re shocked). It’s now clear to us that this tropical heat packs a punch. Still, we intended to ride the Panama City double decker Hop on Hop off bus today (there are a couple of stops very close to where the ship docks in Fuerte Amador. ($30pp, $22 for seniors)).
We were up early and went to breakfast in the Sanctuary Restaurant, then made the mistake of going up to Deck 19 on the jogging track to get a good view of the area. G had not yet been up there, and I discovered it only yesterday. With the ship not moving and the sun baking, it was beastly hot up there, and the thought of riding around on the upper deck of a HOHO bus all day started to lose its appeal. We decided to instead just walk off the ship in search of those $1 beers.
 |
| I missed this game up on Deck 19 yesterday |
 |
| In the Piazza today |
While we were leaving the terminal area, G said he thought we should climb the circular road to the top of a nearby hill for the exercise. He’s so funny! Actually, that’s exactly the kind of thing we did, frequently…15 years ago in the Caribbean (do you recall our forced marches?). Those days are long behind me, and should be behind him, at least in the Panamanian heat and humidity.
When we returned to the ship, we settled in what is quickly becoming our favorite area of the ship, the Wake View Terrace. I actually fell asleep in a lounger while G used the pool and hot tub nearby and I ended up in the sun as it shifted around. Luckily, G spotted that and fashioned a pool towel to provide some shade, a very good thing. I’ve would have gotten fried. We were surprised, when we returned to our cabin about 3:30pm, to hear a rehearsal in the Princess Arena with the show band. Tonight’s show was a juggler. We thought we wouldn’t hear drums as we were getting ready for dinner.
We spent some time in the Elite Lounge (still a weak link in this experience, though we had a guitarist tonight, which was nice) and then had a leisurely dinner in the Sanctuary Restaurant with Somphot and Man. We didn’t intend to go to the Princess Arena juggler show tonight, so there was no need to rush. We ended up instead enjoying a Candlelight Concert by guitarist Kali J in The Dome, and it was fantastic. Such a beautiful venue, with the candles reflecting in the glass ceiling.
 |
| Restaurant Manager Ray carving G’s prime rib |
A couple of people have emailed asking how we got so lucky to be dining in the Sanctuary Restaurant this cruise. I really can’t say. DRO Claudio is making it happen. We certainly didn’t ask for it, and it never even entered our minds that it might happen. We had never before met Claudio but we do have a common dear friend (in whose debt we will forever remain). But, to us, the real win is that we have a table for two at 5:30pm. There are three more entree options each evening, and G has certainly enjoyed the beef, but, aside from them, the menus are the same and the galley is the same. And we’re getting the same great service we generally seem to get in the dining room. However, the Sanctuary Restaurant when we go is never anywhere near full, and, in fact, is almost empty some nights. It was actually a smart utilization of that space to make it possible for us to dine there.
Tonight’s Celestial Dining Room menu for comparison:
Once the concert ended, I really didn’t want to eat anything else today, so we were safest back in the cabin. Tomorrow starts five days at sea, and I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to every one of them.
It’s 9pm and late show just started. Wow, that percussion is loud tonight. For a juggling show?!? Time to break out the ear plugs. Don’t leave home without them!!
 |
| Guess who figured out where to best take the scans of the Patter in our inside cabin? No more shadows. It only took a week! |
