Golden Princess Day 2 - September 26, 2011

Nothing like the rocking of the ship to ensure a good night sleep!  Hmmm not sure what time it is but gee this ship is really rocking, go back to sleep Vickie, she is really rocking (as the hangers bang in the closet), must be time to get up?  It is 8 am, it is really rocking!  But I have been on ships that rocked before, so let the fun begin.

I get dressed and inform Bernie that I am heading to the Internet cafe and then the International Cafe where we will meet and head for breakfast.

As soon as I head out the door something is different.  There are those airline sickness bags all over the ship, just in case.  At the elevators, in the washrooms, at every bar, at every lounge --- my first thought is really, people get sick with this motion. 

The ship is much quieter than normal.  Bernie meets up with me at the Internet Cafe and we log on (we get $75 Internet package each for free because of elite status, and it sure comes in handy later).  The people around us are grumbling the usual stuff "how do I log on", "how much is this", "why is it so slow", and then the most annoying couples reading out their emails for their partners (really people I am not interested in hearing about little Johnny and how he is sick).  This cruise we opted to not bring the laptop for such a short voyage, and right now I am missing the quietness that comes from using your laptop in your cabin.  For those that are new to sailing, Internet on board a ship is not like logging on at home, there is no long DSL cable at the back of the ship to the last port.  The signal comes from a satellite, and depending on the weather, and the numbers on it speed varies, but it is still better than dial up (for those of you who remember that).  Setting up an account on board is very very easy, but you do need to follow the direction, which of course people don't do. 

We head for breakfast in the main dining room, which I much prefer, but Bernie doesn't, but he is accommodating me.  We are sat with a group of 8 and the meal is very good, I had a lovely fruit plate with yogurt, and toast.  Bernie had his oatmeal.  One thing about breakfast in the dining room is it is long but heck where am I going to go.

We head out to the International Cafe and I get my second latte of the day and Bernie gets his tea.  Yes they do have specialty tea but it isn't the Revolution Tea that they usually have but it is still good he says.  We discuss what we want to do today, and one thing we both agree on is we are tired.

I see there is Zumba class at 10 am and ponder going, but it is cancelled due to the movement of the ship - don't need anyone getting hurt now. 

Some of the entertainment offered today are:  Tour of the ship, Movie Super 8, Friends of Bill W. Meeting, Zumba, Lecture on Restless Oceans - tides, Hurricanes and Tsunamis Can They be Predicted, Morning Trivia, Honeymooner's Champagne Meet & Greet, Texas Hold'Em tournament, Acupuncture, Bingo, Pub Lunch, Movie Red Bull, Martini Demonstration, $500 Slot tournament, Movie Just Go With It, Art Auction, Line Dance class, Movie Midnight in Paris, Veteran's Get together, Ballroom Blitz Dance Class, Sommelier Wine Club, Single Get Together, Golf Chipping Contest, Movie Thor, Afternoon Tea, Wii Bowling, Afternoon Trivia.

We decide to try out the trivia in Explorer's Lounge, we join two women and we fair quite well but not well enough to win.  I decide to wander around the ship and take some pictures and here is a video of how the weather is outside.  The swells are not high considering we have heard of worst the wind is what is the real problem.  Captain says the winds are at force 10, Storm Force Winds.  You can hear the sound the ship is making as the winds hit it, lots of creaks. 

All I want to do is find a quiet place and go and read, so I grab my Kindle and I am off to find a spot and decide to head up to Skywalkers Disco which is the highest point of the ship at the aft. 

I find this nice quiet spot to read and settle in but I am entranced by the weather outside and the sounds around me.  All I hear is creak, crack, creak, crack and crash (as a few glasses break in the bar nearby), I start to freak a little, this Skywalkers is going to go flying off!  I decide time to head to more secure spots on board.  Feeling so tired. 

here you can see the weather outside as I head down from Skywalkers

the pool deck with the rain coming down

covered pool - all pools were drained for safety reasons -most of the padded chairs were soaked because of water coming in thru the panes.

I head to the enclosed pool area to read, find a chair with a nice cushion that isn't soaked and curl up to read.  But can't keep my eyes open, I try to sleep but keep getting water dripping down thru the panes in the ceiling (sure the wind had something to do with it).  I figure enough is enough and head to the Horizon Court to get something to eat.

I get to the buffet and nothing really seems to grab me, I realize my tummy is a little upset.  I am thinking maybe I do have a little motion sickness after all.  I get some soup, a roll and head to a table, lots to choose from, the place is deserted.  I request a Ginger ale, hoping that will settle my stomach.  Can't really finish the meal and then I figure yup it is definitely motion sickness.

I have now been on 30 cruises, and even though I realize I have felt like this before, including the last 20 days on the Emerald where I felt ill one evening, this is the first time I realize it is motion sickness.  I am prone to it, I am not the person who can sit at the back of a van, I can't be in a car and read without getting nauseous, and obviously the times on the ship prior when I thought I was hung over I was actually suffering motion sickness.  So now that I realize it I have to figure out what I am going to do.  I head to the store and purchase some Bonine, a graval type medication - which they are selling very rapidly, along with Ginger Ales and Ginger Pills.  The box contains 6 pills for $8.24 (a bit of a rip off but hey it isn't like I can head out to my local pharmacy). 

I am back in the cabin and Bernie is snoozing and wakes to see me walk in and disclose what I have discovered.  I take one pill and head into bed, after about two hours I take a second one as symptoms are still there and that does the trick.  Ironically I never had an issue with watching the movement, the seas or throwing up, my stomach was just upset and felt tired.  From now on I will take along some type of motion sickness pills, just in case. 

After sleeping the afternoon away we both agree we are not up to dressing for dinner and agree a nice simple meal in the Horizon Court is in order.  We see there are not many people out and about and enjoy a bowl of soup with a bit of pasta and a cup of tea.  The ship is still moving quite a bit and we find ourselves having to grab our glasses of water often as they slide from one end of the table to the other. 

We find out as we wander the ship that numerous windows on the Promenade and Lido deck have broken because of the high winds.  The crew are quick to cover with plastic wrap and board up.  Many glasses have been broken but other than that all seems well.  The ships production show Stardust has been cancelled tonight to ensure the dancers safety.  The comedian will now be in the Princess Theater, comedian is Carl Banks.

Ironically they are still going ahead with the Champagne Waterfall in the Atrium, and then when we see it we see that it is much smaller than normal and they have placed some kind of sticky substance to hold the glasses in place.  We grab a seat in the Bar on deck 5 and notice Ronnie as the bartender.  We sailed with Ronnie on the Emerald in January.  It is always nice to see a familiar face.

Since I am feeling better I decide to ask for my bottle of wine from the dining room that we corked last night, since we didn't eat in the dining room tonight and will not be eating there tomorrow either.  The server says I can get it but it will be a $20 corkage fee, I said really, but it was a gift from the ship and it is already opened and it is in the galley waiting for us.  I said that is okay and decided to see the head waiter in the dining room and when I walked in I ran into Maitre d'hotel Angelo who remembered me from a few years ago and asked what he could, I explained the situation and he quickly got a waiter to retrieve our bottle and it was delivered to the bar.  See even on board one crew member gives you one answer and another gives you another answer.  If you feel you are correct, seek out advice or ask the right person.  We made sure to tip the waiter who delivered the wine.  And Vickie enjoyed the last two glasses of wine from the bottle.

We sit and watch the champagne waterfall, and then sneak out to get seats for the comedian Carl Banks, who I thought was funny but Bernie thought was just okay, and said "he isn't Al Katz".  Really I am just surprised we have never seen this comedian before and I enjoy that.

There is a 70s dance Party going on in Explorers but it is quiet and we really are not into dancing tonight, we are still tired and head to bed around 10:30.

I should mention the officers on board.  The Captain is Craig Street, who we sailed with three years ago when he was Staff Captain on board the Star Princess.  He married a woman from B.C. and now calls the Okanagan home.  Staff Captain is Graziano Napolitano, Hotel General Manager is Danilo Portoso, Cruise Director is David Bradshawe, Food and Beverage Manager is Oliver Neuburger, Customer Services Director is Andrea Cavallucci, Executive Housekeeper is Michael Collins, who was also on the Emerald with us, Executive Chef is John Convery, and the Maitre d'Hotel is Angelo Balbiani who we sailed with on the Golden two years ago.