Two Heavenly Days at Sea

Tuesday & Wednesday, 7-8 December

When we first started to cruise (1999), the ports we visited were more important than either the ship or the sea days.  Fast forward to 2010 and 19 cruises under our belt … we still don’t cruise for the sake of the ship, but we now find the relaxing days at sea to be equally as important as the days in port.  This is especially true of cruises to the Caribbean where we tend to book itineraries that offer a good balance between the two.

This cruise, unlike most of our recent ones, however, is very port intensive.  We have nine ports of call and only four days at sea, so I’ve been jealously hoarding the hours spent on the veranda these past two days.  Though I’ve done little more than read and blog, time has flown by much too fast; our first port looms just over the horizon.

Reading is a favorite pastime on sea days.

After sailing from Fort Lauderdale on Monday, we found ourselves settling into our usual routine for sea days.  It goes something like this …

Up early (we did sleep in yesterday, or it seemed like we did since we lost an hour overnight to a time change), we put in two miles (3.8 km) on the Promenade Deck.  On the Grand, three times around the deck equals 1 mile, so we don’t have to do too many laps to reach our goal on this cruise.  As the bow of the Promenade Deck on this ship is a crew-only area, our walk includes climbing stairs to round the bow on Emerald Deck to complete each lap … a built-in Stairmaster, if you will.

The Promenade Deck becomes Emerald Deck at the bow of the ship.

Next … time for breakfast.  We prefer to eat at the buffet where we can pick and choose what we like and keep our morning meal light.  Usually, we bring our food back to the cabin and eat on the veranda.  On this cruise, we’ve opted to eat on the deck aft of the Horizon Court buffet.  As early as we eat breakfast, we have the deck almost entirely to ourselves … think extra, extra big veranda.

Afterwards, we visit one of the bars to pick up a specialty coffee for Mui (beats drinking the syrup-based coffee served elsewhere on the ship).  I’m not a coffee drinker, so I order a hot chocolate or a cup of specialty tea instead.  We bring our beverages back to the cabin, which has been serviced in our absence, and sip them on the veranda while we try not to let the gentle sway of the ship lull us into a snooze.  On this cruise, we have the double whammy of the mesmerizing wake to contend with as well, but we’ve managed to resist and stay awake to enjoy the day.

We spend pretty much the rest of the morning on the veranda.  We occupy ourselves reading and working on the computer.  For me, the latter means drafting my blog entries for the cruise; for Mui, it means editing video.

Got to get the videos done for the blog!

While Mui may slip in and out of the cabin a few times to get his people-fix, and maybe take a dip in one of the pools, it takes a lot to drag me away from the veranda, especially if there’s plenty of shade and the temperature remains comfortable.

The weather has indeed been cooperating thus far.  Yesterday’s high was 77F (25C); today’s 81F (27C).  A bit of humidity started creeping in this afternoon, but it’s still very comfortable.  Both days have had scattered clouds, with a bit more sunshine yesterday as compared to today.  No complaints from me since I am a shade-seeker by nature.

Hanging out at the Calypso Pool before the crowds descend.

Left: reading poolside while Mui takes a dip.
right: I suppose that’s one way of reading a book!

Back to our routine on sea days … Lunch is a quick trip to the buffet to pick up a selection of items for a light mid-day meal … salads, grilled/oven-baked fish, and fruits feature prominently, with maybe a bite of dessert.  We bring the food back to the cabin and enjoy our meal on the veranda.

Left: Picking up a bucket of beer ... which will last us a week.
right: Mui and Rotchana (our dining room server)

The afternoon is pretty much a repeat of the morning.  Boring to some perhaps, but we enjoy relaxing on our own veranda.  If there are interesting lectures we’ll attend them, but that’s not usually the case on a Caribbean itinerary (it’s certainly not on this cruise).  In the late afternoon, Mui picks up a few tidbits from the buffet, and we enjoy a glass of wine or a bottle of beer on the veranda.  More quiet time and before we know it, dinner time is at hand.

Cheers!

We tear ourselves away from the veranda and have dinner in the dining room.  Having switched to anytime dining with a standing reservation for the duration of this cruise, we’ve been able to eat shortly after 7:00p these past couple of nights.

Again, no food photos (I don’t take my camera to the dining room), but here are our selections:

LAST NIGHT

Mui: grapefruit and kiwi dressed with a mint-raspberry purée; butter lettuce, curly endive, and radicchio salad; filet mignon.

Me: herbed chicken and wanton soup; Caesar salad; shrimp Newburg.

Dessert: raspberry ice cream; cheese platter with walnut bread and grapes … to share.

TONIGHT

Mui: fruit kabobs with lavender-honey cream; mesclun greens; Provençal-style frog legs.

Me: French onion soup; Caesar salad; fettuccine Alfredo in a parmesan basket.

Dessert: maple-walnut ice cream (yummm); Princess Love Boat; fruit platter … to share.

The earlier dinner time is easier on the digestive system, and it also gives us time to check out the first seating shows if we are so inclined.  Last night’s production show was filled with music and dancing, and elaborate costumes; tonight’s featured entertainer was Jamila (she should stick to singing as her small talk left a lot to be desired).

Vista Lounge, one of the two show venues on the Grand.

As you can tell from this post, when I say that we do little more than relax on a Caribbean cruise, I mean it.  Sure, our days in port will be a bit more active, but the focus will still be on relaxing … especially in the ports that we’ve been to before.  As for the few islands on the itinerary that are new to us … well, you’ll just have to excuse us if we squeeze in a bit of exploration into those days.

Next Up … Video: Around Grand Princess