First Night on the Island Princess

Explorer's Lounge but at a much quieter time

The Drill announces and we grab the life jackets and head to Muster.  Our Muster station is A – Princess Theater and we enter and it is pretty full already but we can walk down the stairs as we are very able bodied.  Bernie takes a single seat on the edge and I go one down and on the other side.  

As soon I sit the woman beside me – Chris – looks at me and says “are you Vickie” and I say yes.  She follows my blog and we chat for quite a while.  This is her first cruise and I am so excited for her.  We talk until the drill starts and we agree to meet up for coffee or drink sometime.  

Now it does seem awkward when we get approached like this but we love meeting new people and really we almost always walk away with a new friend in the end.  So if you run into me please come say hi.  

We are back in the cabin and we unpack and get settled.  
Sailaway is happening but really not interested cause it is dark and there is no way to really see anything.  So we decide to go to the Elite lounge which is held in Explorers Lounge.  The place is packed.  Crissy informed us there were just over 300 elite on this voyage (there will be even more next voyage and that laundry is going to take longer than normal cause of it – but that is fine with me as long as they don’t make me do my own laundry I am good).  

Now this lounge is for Platinum/Elite and suite guests and it is busy.  They run out of plates and keep replenishing the food but they manage it quite well.  We sit with Jim and Bonnie and another couple from Los Angeles.  

Oh yeah the drink of the day is the margarita but they allow us to order any of the drinks for the same price. 

We spot Cara who is Customer Services Director on board. We sailed with her on the Crown this past Spring and she is on board with her Mom this voyage.  

As we leave the lounge a couple asks us “are you Vickie” yup and we meet Tad and Nathalie from Calgary and chat with them for almost an hour.  A lovely couple who obviously love travelling just as much as we do.  

For dinner tonight we head up to the Horizon Court – we are going to be eating up there a lot this first leg cause we know we don’t want to change and we are just want to eat and then go to bed early tonight.  The food was very good, I especially like the three Indian dishes they served.  I was very impressed when a head waiter walked around and was checking in with each table to see how the meal was and if there was anything he could do for them.  Now that is service.

Back in the cabin at 9:30 and both agree that we are done for the night.  We are both asleep at 10 pm.

Officers on board are:  Captain Mariano Manfuso; Staff Captain Vincenzo Lembo; Andrea Scantamburio Chief Engineer; Sheila Griffin Hotel General Manager; Dan Appleby Cruise Director; Dr. Jacques du Preez Senior Doctor; Cara Winter Customer Services Director; Boukje Bijlsma Food & Beverage Director; Alessio Aliotta Staff Engineer Officer; Antonio Pimpao Executive Housekeeper; Antonio Cortese Executive Chef; Giuseppe Gelmni Matre d’Hotel.

Production Shows and Entertainment this cruise:
Do You Wanna Dance, Motor City, Piano Man, On the Bayou.  Carnivale Di Venezia Mask Making, Flags of the World Trivia, Concertina Classes, Tarantella Dance Class, Festivals of the world Trivia, Oktoberfest Trivia, Stein Holding Contest, Arm Wrestling Competition, Schuhplattier Dance Class, Create a Traditional Bavarian Alpine Hat.  

Movies Under the Star: Tomorrowland, Cinderella, Inside Out, The Sound of Music, Far From the Maddening Crowd, Ant Man, Beatlejuice, Jurassic Park, Woman in Gold, Avengers:  Age of Ultron, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Age of Adeline.