I want, no I NEED to start today’s post by saying that I voted against donuts this morning after breakfast.
Initially.
I voted against them initially. I didn’t want MBW to think that I don’t support everything she does, so I had a chocolate donut with my freshly brewed coffee, even though I didn’t want/need one.
That’s because I’m a team player.
But first let me roll back to yesterday.
I managed to get a quick post up yesterday afternoon before we lost all internet access. We left Melbourne about 5.00pm local time and sailed down the Mornington Peninsula and out through the headlands.
We met our captain last night, although you need to apply a pretty loose interpretation of the word “met”. He made an announcement over the ship’s PA system welcoming everyone onboard and telling us what to do in case we hit an iceberg. Hardly the type of instructions that you want when setting off on a 13 night cruise, but it is what it is.
Captain is Italian and has a very strong accent. You expect him to launch to “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die”. They are probably different nationalities, but they sound similar.
Dinner last night was in the Botticelli restaurant. We didn’t really need to eat much after a three course lunch at 12.30, so I decided to exercise some restraint for dinner.
Botticelli is a beautiful Italian restaurant and we were served by Ferdinand from the Philippines. He has been on this ship since March 2022 – that’s 9 months straight – and his contract finishes at the end of November 2022, then he flies home to his family for a couple of months before starting his next contract.
Showing restraint for dinner meant that I only had:
- Freshly baked bread rolls with butter
- Pan seared garlic prawns
- Beef short ribs and vegetables
- Mango cheesecake.
My GP told me at my last checkup that she is worried about my weight and diabetic sugar levels … so I’m really going to give her something to worry about on this cruise! I mean, I pay a great deal for her advice, so I might as well get some value for money.
After dinner we went for a walk on deck to see if we had gone through the headlands (we hadn’t), but it was so bitterly cold outside that we couldn’t stay long. Instead we went to the Princess Theatre for the 7.00pm magic show. It was OK. One of those magic shows where you don’t think he is very good, although his act gets better as it goes along. I’ve seen better though.
I’m pretty sure that I knew the exact moment that we went through the headlands and hit the open seas. The magic show was just finishing and we were leaving the theatre, and the ship started pitching and rolling and it was no longer possible to walk in a straight line without holding onto something. This must be what it feels like to get drunk 🙁
8.15pm and back out onto the deck and it was still bitterly cold, so we went to look for the trivia show in the Explorer’s Bar.
Have you ever wondered what it feels like to have a genie in a lamp? You just rub the lamp (or in our case, click a few buttons on the Princess app), and coffee arrives hot and steaming.
For the first time Princess are using these medallions instead of ID cards, and they can pinpoint your location with uncanny accuracy. You order coffee, select all of the options, and shortly afterwards someone confidently walks directly to you without hesitation and puts coffee down in front of you.
How do they do that? It’s like magic!
I made another amazing discovery today too. WhatsApp works onboard the ship. Now you may be thinking “so what?”, but my phone is on Airplane mode, not connected to any Australian telephone network and no internet access. I’m only connected to the ship’s WiFi which is “in house” only, with no access to the wider internet … yet my WhatsApp is working.
Go figure.
As you may know we are headed to NZ which is 3 hours ahead of Brisbane and 2 hours ahead of Melbourne on DST. We were advised by Captain Indigo Montoya that he would be setting the ship’s clocks forward by an hour sometime after midnight last night, then forward another hour again tonight so that by the time we hit NZ we will be on the correct time zone.
We didn’t get to bed until well after 10.00pm last night, and that magically became 11.00pm after the clock adjustment, so let’s just say that I was not my best self this morning when I woke.
Before going to sleep last night I put out my walking clothes so I could do a good 10km walk before breakfast. I got up this morning, did the normal administrative jobs and put my walking clothes away unworn. It was all too hard.
At least I’m saving future washing effort.
After a disgusting display of gluttony and excess yesterday, I decided today I would be good – setting a good example for MBW.
She was still asleep, so I went in search of the coffee shop to sample the “unlimited freshly brewed coffee” … to see if it is truly unlimited.
There are no secrets aboard the Grand Princess. Remember I told you about the way that the staff can find you with uncanny accuracy due to the medallion? It turns out that your travelling companions can do the same – MBW just has to look at the medallion app and she can instantly locate where I am.
So when she woke and tracked me down, we decided that we would go up to the Horizon Court which is more like a buffet than a restaurant. Mostly the same food as the restaurants but you can take as much, or as little as you want. Or you can take exactly what you want.
You want 6 rashers of bacon with that hash brown? Fill your boots! No waiters there to judge you.
After a relatively light breakfast, we went out onto the back deck and sat in some sun loungers for a while. We ordered more coffee and realised how cold it was out on deck.
MBW read her book and I listed to some music.
This was around the time that we had donuts. It was way too cold sitting out on the open deck, so we moved to the sheltered side of the deck as far away from smoker’s corner as we could go, but it was still too cold.
We moved again to the nightclub – first time I have even been in a nightclub and MBW read her book while I had a short nap on the couch.
We wanted to participate in a word game in the Vista Lounge this morning. One of those games where one person (MBW) can see the word and has to describe it to the other person (me), who has to guess it. There were probably about 6 teams playing and after 3 rounds, we won the prize. A bottle of bubbly!
Yay for us.
Next on the agenda was Pictionary in the Explorer’s lane. I don’t know what everyone on the ship was doing but there was hardly anyone there to play.
MBW and I contributed our extensive drawing skills to our team and we won again! A couple of drink coasters.
Yay again!!
We headed upstairs to the Horizon Court for a light lunch and then back to our room for a nap.
Did I mention that this is the exact same ship that we were on for our Alaskan cruise 4 years ago? Or that we are in almost the same room?
Spooky.
We rested for an hour or so and then MBW read her book while I went to level 7 and did a few circuits of the walking track. Hardly strenuous exercise but then better than being my normal sedentary self and never moving.
Tonight was formal night, so we had booked for Botticelli Restaurant again. Got all dressed up in our finest clothes and had a lovely dinner. MBW had the duck a l’orange while I had the beef medallions.
Tonight was the champagne pyramid and we were introduced to all of the senior staff. One of these people is the ship’s captain … I’m pretty sure it’s the guy on the right but you never know …
After dinner was a show – very good, and certainly better than the magician. This was a collection of songs through the ages and the Princess Theatre was packed.
After the show we got coffee and went in search of the “Yes/No” game. MBW signed up to play. This is a game where you are asked questions by the host and have to go 3 minutes without saying yes or no. Of the 10 or so contestants, only one bottle of bubbly was won.
MBW had a crack and didnt last as long as we thought she would, but then she won a bottle of bubbly anyway for being a good sport.
Tonight we turn the clocks forward another hour, so 10.00pm magically became 11.00pm and I can already feel myself not getting enough sleep again tonight.
We got back to our room to find that our cabin steward had made a bear out of a towel – very cute!
It’s late, I’m tired and time for sleep.
For a quiet and relaxing cruise, I’m feeling exhausted.
TTFN
#G&KDoNZ2022