Sea Day Number Two – March 27, 2014

Today marks 365 days we have sailed with Princess (actually I am 7 days more but want to celebrate with my honey).  It is also a formal night and we decide we will celebrate tonight with some champagne.

Today I surprise Bernie by heading up to Horizon Court with him for breakfast.  I had an egg, one sausage, some fruit, one piece of toast and all of it was hot, well not the toast but that is understandable.

What amazes me about this cruise is how crowded it feels.  Now we have sailed on this class of ship over 20 times and have never felt it so crowded as we have for these past 40 days.  The demographics of this cruise is much much older than we are use to.  I am sure this has to do with the length of the trip and that it sailed from a US port and returns to a US port.  Also these are very experienced cruisers they love their trivia and their evening shows.

Trying to find a seat in the International Café in the morning is a game of chance and speed (which works in our favor because we are much younger than most).  Trivia, both morning and afternoon is well how do I put it, survival of the fitness.  Some teams are downright mean!  And rude! 

Making really nasty comments to whoever is hosting.  People it is just a game!  Sadly some of the more nasty comments come from the most travelled passenger Ju. 

Every time I run into her she has some nasty thing to say about cruise staff, the ports, the ships, the officers, and even Princess.  Now really!  They have sailed over a 1,000 days more than us, you would think if she hates it that much she would just stay home.  Okay I have vented.

Lisa Ball the Cruise Director is giving a talk on Life at Sea.  She has prepared a presentation that talks all about ship life, chain of command, contracts, cabins, dining halls, how to get hired etc.  This is the first time I have seen this type of talk and I am interested.  I come early (20 minutes early) and the place is already ¾ full.  I take a seat along the back wall where I can’t see the podium but I love that they show the presentation on the tvs so it is not necessary to see her.

I took lots of notes and will prepare a full article that I will publish on my facebook page Cruising Princess Cruiseline with Vickie so look for it there in the note section.  Facebook page

What I was impressed with was Lisa saw how busy it was getting and called for more chairs to be delivered.  Also she took questions after the show, which is great, but also not so great.  Most people seemed to take the time to complain.

I even heard a woman complain on how there are not many hand sanitizers around the ship.  REALLY – I not sure why us North Americas have been hypnotized by these large companies like Purell that this is the be all end all for hand cleaning.  First it DOES NOT kill the Noro virus.  Second it does not replace proper hand washing.  Third people have a false sense their hands are clean and don’t wash them properly.  Wash your hands in the washroom with soap and water, dry with paper towel and you are good to go.  I have seen numerous people walk right by the washroom into the dining room and use the sanitizer there, and people leave and use the sanitizer and but walk right past the washroom again.  By using just the sanitizer you have not cleaned your hands of any viruses.  You are better off walking into washroom before a meal and washing your hands, and when leaving go in and wash again.  Okay I have vented again.

Theo is conducting the Zumba and I remember Theo from the Star.  He just boarded in Valparaiso.  I decide to stay for the class, and once again it is packed.

Back in the cabin we relax for a bit and I am trying to decide what I want to do this afternoon.  The Crossing the Equator ceremony is this afternoon. 

Oh I forgot to mention that Lauren did the noon announcement and she talked about crossing the Equator and made us laugh when she said we may all feel a bump when we cross. 

We opt for the ceremony since I missed it last time.  This time it is being held at the pool with the MUTS.  This is good and bad, they are videoing it and showing it on the big screen too but sadly many people have pushed their lounge chairs up to the glass on the second level meaning few people can watch from above.  Next time they should remove the lounge chairs so more can see.

Bernie and I sit around the pool bench and soon there throngs of people that I almost think about leaving but glad I stayed. 

Now many of you will rememeber that two years ago on the Star when I was a Pollywog I was picked to be in the ceremony.  That ceremony was quite different than this one.  This one was similar with the crimes the Pollywogs had committed but the rest was different.

Lisa Ball - Cruise Director

In the end lots of chocolate sauce, spaghetti, jello, cream were doused on the guilty Pollywogs and most of the crew that participated.  As an observer it felt like the ceremony was more about the crew having a food fight than the Pollywogs being included.  Seemed like the passengers watching and involved were more of an afterthought.  When I participated last time it didn’t get this bad and the four Pollwogs and the passengers were included more.  Click here to read about that day when I crossed the Equator for the first time.

It is late afternoon and I am hungry so we grab a small bite to eat.  I love the afternoon snack at the Horizon Court cause they serve baked potatoes.  I then add cheese, sour cream, chives and enjoy.

I have been experiencing a tummy ache all day – I am sure it is something I ate or drank.  I have been having a hard time digesting the milk in the latte and if I have two I find my tummy really acts up.  May be a lactose thing but find I don’t get the same problem at home.  Oh well, I am just going to have to watch myself. 

So we relax for a few hours in the cabin. I really don’t feel like going to dinner tonight.  I am not hungry and with this tummy ache I know I won’t be able to eat anything.  But we are celebrating and Johan is joining us so I dress in my formal wear and meet up with Bernie and Johan at 8 for dinner.

Champagne was served, toasts were made, picture was taken….. aren’t we fortunate.

Tonight is also lobster night and Bernie said he really enjoyed it.  The appetizer gnocchi was very salty again.  Me, well I had to apologize and bow out cause of sore tummy but I left Bernie in the very capable company of Johan.  The boys can have fun tonight without me. 

I head back to the cabin and watch Cocktail – yup the one with Tom Cruise – Hubba hubba.

Oh and by the morning my tummy was settled down and back to normal – fingers crossed and no latte for me today.

Sea Day -- Crossing the Equator and Connie and Derricks Renewal of Vows

Today is the big day… all of us Pollywogs officially become Shellbacks.  I am very excited to be participating in the ceremony but a little nervous too but I know they won’t do anything bad to me.

We are up around 6:30 and we know it is going to be a very hot day because we are so close to the Equator. 

We head down for our espresso and chat with Gerry and Lynn and Tommi.  At 9:30 I participate in the Suduko challenge and come in first and get another Lanyard.  Thankfully it was an easier one today.

I put in our form to get two more Future Cruise Credits, this will give us four each so we have to do some bookings when we get home.  Always remember to get a Future Cruise Credit when you are on board.  They cost a $100 each and they sit in your Cruise Personalizer on Princess until you need them for a booking.  The next booking you make you can apply the $100 Credit to your booking and it is used as your deposit!  Also you then get an on board credit for that cruise which is based on the cabin type and cruise length, so you can’t loose!  Plus if you don’t use the credit within four years they refund you money!

Back to the cabin and I have the official invite for the ceremony, the invite says:

Dear Pollywogs….  Just a quick note to remind you that today is our big day… you will be proxy for all the guests on board to cleanse their sins in hopes that King Neptune, Ruler of the 7 Seas will permit our ship to cross the line!  Meet us at the deck 15 AFT Pelicans Youth Center at 1:15 and look for Matias.  Wear an old t-shirt, shorts or a bathing suit, and leave your glasses, shoes and jewelry with us in the Youth Center.  You will enter in the procession with the team.  Have fun with this, and we will be sure to launder your clothes and we will be sure you get a gift!  Have fun with this and thanks for being a good sport.   Sammi

I am ready!

We all meet in the youth center where we are prepped, there are four passengers involved, two women and two men.  We are lead out to the aft pool area that has been covered and is acting as a stage. 

When I was brought up I was accused of drinking all the gin and tonic on board forcing all the others to drink tea and King Neptune found me guilty.  I was hit first with chocolate sauce, then eggs, then whip cream then flour.  Yuck

chocolate and eggs

flour

here comes the whip cream

I got Andrew good, asked for his help getting down and then gave him a big hug

After the ceremony I made it back to my cabin with a few towels wrapped around me, quickly went into the shower and peeled off my clothes and needed to use almost a whole bottle of shampoo to clean my hair (even after that I still smelled chocolate).  I dried my hair put on some clothes and we then headed up to the renewal of vow ceremony.

Connie and Derrick have been married for 32 years and Derrick surprised Connie with this ceremony.  When they originally told us about this we were honoured to be included and a few days ago Barb, Rose and I cooked up a scheme, now when you attend a wedding you need to bring gifts right.  So we thought maybe they registered with Princess.  We called all the guests and suggested a item for them to bring.  One couple brought plates, another bowls, cutlery, napkins, towels, cups, salt and pepper all from the Horizon Court, we were all very imaginative with our wrapping and we set all the gifts on a back table.  Connie at first thought oh no gifts but then she quickly understood.  Even the Captain had a good laugh. 

The ceremony was beautiful, they have both been thru so much recently and their love was very apparent.  Many tears were shed in the ceremony.

After the service we all went to their cabin for some beverages and appetizers and a good time.

Dinner was Horizon Court we just couldn’t manage to get dressed and head to the dining room, we were just too tired.  When I get back to the cabin there is a large Princess bag that is full of everything, an interchangeable Princess bag, bottle of champagne, pens, lanyards, carabineers, pens, flashlights, water bottle and passport holders. 

We crash and we were asleep before 10 pm.