At Sea for three days

I am trying to write this blog after three days at sea and so bear with me as I try to recall.

The first sea day the weather was perfect, clear and sunny still a little cool but we could be up on deck with a sweater not like when we went around the horn.  Today we are heading into the channel to check out the Chilean Fjords and the day is full!  I attended the sudoko challenge and got there a little late but still was able to finish and walked away with a Princess lanyard.

Lots of reading was done and socializing with others while we slowly make our way towards the fjords.

Now about a week ago the staff organized an egg drop contest, today is the day to test out your method.  Everyone who took part got their fresh egg and went up to deck 7 in the atrium and had to drop the egg from there to deck 5.  Whoever could drop it without breaking it won a prize with the best dropping mechanism winning based on audience approval.  Out of the group four managed to drop it without breaking it.

I could say so much more but let me leave it with we laughed our heads off watching everyone drop their egg with the most interesting one being made up of condoms with egg in the middle of blown up condoms.  Just as Sammi the cruise director was chatting up with makers of this ingenious contraption asking them about the various sizes of condoms, asking what was this poor guy going to use for the rest of the cruise and talking about it with everything coming out having a bit of a sexual spin and we are all laughing, Captain Perrin comes over the speaker to announce we are arriving the in fjords.  The egg drop stops to listen, but everything Captain Perrin says makes us all crack up laughing.

“hello everyone, we are slowing making our way up the channel to see the glaciers and ice field, I hope you all enjoy it, we will take you right to the edge and then we will spin around so everyone can enjoy it, later we will exit slowly and then we will speed up and things could get rough” 

The crowds are laughing so hard, Sammi is on the floor – you couldn’t of written a funnier bit.  I had tears in my eyes!

I quickly make my way up to the sun deck to find Bernie and to enjoy the glaciers and the views!  Absolutely beautiful.  We can see ice bergs in the water.  The sun is shinning and lots of people are out and enjoying every moment.

The wine tasting is next, this the regular wine tasting that you get for free with your elite status so the dining room is about 2/3rds full.  I take Trudi with me as my date and we are sat at a table with four others.  We have a great time.  The wines well they never seem to change, and I really wish they would change them even one or two different ones would be good.  But I do like four of the five wines they serve so I am happy.  I give Trudi the little shot glass souvenir we all get as I don’t need another one!

It has been a very busy day!  I need a nap which is great because we aren’t going for dinner until later.

We meet up with Sara and Berk, Trudi and Jerry, and Bonnie for dinner in the Capri dining room, which has been our dining room of choice this voyage.  We bring a lovely Malbec from Argentina and enjoy a great meal with great people.

We have just entered the Pacific Ocean and it has begun to get rougher.  The table is listing to one side and after we get up and walk around we are having trouble walking around.

Explorer’s Lounge is hosting the Western Hoe Down and we arrive just in time to take part in the a bit of their game of bang bang!  Well I suck at that too, I shoot way too fast and even when I am not suppose to. 

We head to bed soon after and the ship is rocking, not too too bad but enjoy for things in the cabin to make noise, like the glasses and the hangers.  We have sailed enough times and this is not bad, we have encounter worst in the Caribbean as recently as last December.  We wake up quite often throughout the night and we are up early.

The ship is still moving around quite a bit when we wake in the morning.  Bernie heads out to get some coffees and we relax in the cabin enjoying our drinks before heading out for breakfast. 

I try the Sudoku challenge again and come in first place and win a magnetic clip with the Princess Logo on it.  Bernie heads off to do his daily trivia and then his speed team trivia for the results, his team came in third – not a bad score considering they missed an entire day.

We meet up with Russell and Gail for some games in the Crown Grill in the afternoon and I had a lot of fun, this is really what cruising is all about.

I have finished my book and start the next one and end up falling asleep in the afternoon trying to catch up on the sleep I missed the night prior because of the noise from the ship’s movement.

Tonight we are heading back to Sabatinis for dinner.  Again I had the lobster three ways, but found the lobster tail overcooked and chewy and the Risotto warm not hot.  The service tonight is lacking, it started as soon as we walked in and had to wait about five minutes just for someone to come and acknowledge us.  Then we sat down and it took another five minutes for someone to come by and give us menus or give us the antipasti.  A table beside us sat down after we did but were served beverages and antipasti before we were. 

So far we have eaten at the specialty restaurants three times, twice at Sabatinis and once at Crown Grill.  We have enjoyed all the times but have found the service lacking and feel the staff are short staffed so I can’t blame them really.  Food has been good but not great.  Company so far has been the best thing about the meals.

After dinner we head to Explorer’s Lounge to take part in the Blankey Blank Show and we have a great laugh.  Andrew from the cruise staff is so great and he has put on his Canuck Tattoo and have embarrassed him.  He even showed the audience the tattoo!  Beet Red Faced too…. 

Tonight in the Vista lounge the hypnotist David Knight is performing and a few of the Cruise Critic gang go up on stage.  Sara takes the cake though, going right under.  Mr. Knight was amazing but he really needed more time.

Our last sea day we sleep in until 7:30, lots going on today too.  We head down to the International Café for coffee and then I head to the Sudoku Challenge again but don’t fare so well today. 

The Culinary Demonstration is going in the Princess Theater and I have never been to one in the 28 cruises I have done but I want to see it.  Mario the Maitre D’Hotel and Douw the Head Waiter from the Amafi dining room and well everyone up on stage were so darn funny!  It was like watching a great comedy act, and I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes again!  I didn’t attend the galley tour as I have been many times but head to meet up with Bernie and a few others for lunch in the dining room.

After lunch I meet up with Jayne and she is heading to bingo, and well I have never taken part in the bingo so well why not try for that too.  I bought a six card sheet for four games and it was $30.   Didn’t win, didn’t even come in close but it was fun.

The Princess Pop Choir is happening in the Atrium and we have numerous Cruise Critic members participating so I head over to check it out and it was great!  They did a fabulous job.

Back to the cabin to enjoy a drink and watch the whales off the starboard side.  Cruising is GREAT.

Dinner tonight is the Landfall Dinner so we are heading down to the dining room again but we know it is going to be an early night.  We end up meeting up with Berk & Sara, and Trudi & Jerry and Bonnie so we eat together.

After dinner we decide to visit the Purser’s Desk and close our account so we start fresh tomorrow.

The Explorer’s Lounge is hosting a “Where on the Star am I” contest, they put up pictures and you have to guess where on the Star this image is from.  Our team won with 22 out of 25 right answers.  We won a bottle of champagne so Connie and Derrick took it to save for their renewal ceremony.

Off to bed, Valparaiso tomorrow and turn around day.  New cruise cards have been delivered to our cabin and with 1100 people in transit and staying on to San Francisco it should be good.