Sea Days

Thought it was time to write about a typical sea day.  You really have the option to do as much or as little that you want.  Traditionally I start the day with a two or three mile walk.  13 times around in the circle is a nautical mile and it tends to be busy on the track between 7:30 to 8:30.   I feel like I am in great shape in that I can still lap people.  The fact that they use walkers, in my mind, gives them an advantage.  After walking, it is time for the morning shower, followed by breakfast.  The selection is amazing with fruit, cereals, omelets, eggs of every variety and a good selection of breads and pastries.  Then you usually have a choice of activities to partake in or not.  For cloudy, cool days there are always shows or movies you can watch in your room.  You can opt to play in ping pong tournaments, attend  lectures on bridge or listen to "scholarship at sea " presentations.  For this segment of the journey they are covering WWII with a focus on battles in the Pacific.  And always they have Bingo and ballroom dance classes.    For those who like to sing you can join the choir.   There are computer classes available, casino games, carpet bowling and shuffleboard.  If you feel lucky you can hit the casino but whenever I walk by I rarely hear the sounds of winning machines and when I have misguidedly put money in these machines, nothing ever comes out.  For artists they offer ceramics classes and drawing classes.  At least twice a day there is trivia as well.   As part of this cruise we have the head chef of Princess cruises who offers culinary classes which are most enjoyable to attend.    I find the best part is sitting on our balcony in the afternoon sun in the peace and quiet.  Our neighbors next door are big Sinatra fans so we sometimes hear the strains of his music.  But we have an agreement that if either side is too loud pounding on the wall means cease and desist.  No problems yet. Lunch can be had in the Buffett or formal dining room.  Each lunch has a theme.  Today was Mexican, yesterday was Italian and the day prior was sushi. Dinner has been spectacular with a wide variety of choices. In the evening music is played throughout the ship in various lounges and there is always a show unless the seas are too rocky. 

Sharing the day with 600+ strangers means that conflict will invariably arise.  So each morning they have the equivalent of a breakfast show to highlight various activities and events of the day.  As the cruise progresses they have added a new segment which I call "providing minds for the mindless".  This segment focuses on rules that need to be created to prevent strife.  Topics have included "walking on the fitness track in an anti clockwise direction" and "no saving seats in the showroom for more than two people.". The theme in this segment has been "use common sense" and "play nice".  My solution is sit on the balcony and avoid them all.

All in all life is good, in fact it is wonderful aboard the Pacific Princess as we cross the Pacific.   

Cruise tip:  if you enjoy working out on the machines avoid the early mornings.  The best time to use the fitness facilities is between 11:30 to 1:00 when everyone is at lunch.