Day 8: 2nd cruise day

2nd cruise day – Day at Sea

Hunter and I didn't sleep well as I was up with leg pain early in the morning. Our alarm went off early so I could make my 7:45am massage and be down in the Casino lounge for our mandatory 9am lifeboat drill, since Hunter and I missed it boarding the ship late yesterday. The massage was good ($129 less 20% discount plus $20 tip) but I was bruised from it. The good thing was that the massage stopped the tingling as the lactid acid buildup in my muscles was massaged away. I was in such pain I agreed to purchase about $100 worth of oils and soothing lotions and a scrub brush to help my muscles continue to heal over the next few days so they would be looser for the next massage. I switched to flip flops as I felt my shoes were digging into my Achilles heel.

Chantal from Canada ran our lifeboat drill and as it was just Hunter and I there, it was informal and short. She told us a story about the Star Princess catching on fire and cruise staff having to stay in their muster stations for 8 hours! She also said last cruise – the first one of this itinerary – there were a lot of passengers from Russia and Turkey and they even had a Turkish translator on board. Chantal thought this cruise was mostly American and Canadian and British but said we should ask the Cruise Director if she knew the breakdown.

Hunter had already eaten breakfast at the sit-down breakfast while I was at my massage so Hunter went back to the room while I grabbed food at the Buffet (chocolate chip muffins and a chocolate croissant). The boat was really starting to sway! At 11:15am, Hunter and I went to the Casino Lounge for the morning trivia and did terribly with only 7 correct. Our goal is to do better with each new session! (Our highest ever was a score of 8.)

We ate lunch at the Buffet on the 9th floor, but it was swaying pretty badly up there and decided to head back down to the stateroom. In the meantime, I picked up some information about the shuttle to the town of Okinawa (no longer free, it cost $5pp each way). We also filled out and returned our health inspection and customs declaration card required by Japan to enter, which had to be turned in by 3pm.

We had a very low key day. Because the boat was so rocky (it was “Medium to High Seas & Swells” due to the strong winds and leftover effects of the Pacific Ocean monsoon that occurred a week ago), we decided to stay in our cabin which was the least rocky portion of the boat (low floor, back of the ship). We were very drowsy and tired from our long sightseeing days in China and wound up napping for a few hours, too. At 3:15pm, I took a break from the room to take the origami class and stumbled upon the ice cream bar at the buffet. Yum! I brought back cookies and brownies for Hunter as an afternoon snack, to hold us over until our late dinner.

Tonight was formal night and the Captain's Welcome Cocktail party. We were running late and at 7:45pm were finally dressed in our tuxedo and fancy dress and took our formal picture by the grand staircase on the 4th deck, right outside our stateroom. I preferred that location as there was a beautiful Christmas tree set up. The photos were quick – they made a much bigger deal about it on the Crown Princess, but I am getting the feeling this is a much different type of cruise than last year's. Because the cruise is so long, it is more of a no frills, this-is-your-home kind of feel to it. Because we arrived late to the Cocktail Party, we didn't get any of the free drinks because the presentation started quickly. We had a nice speech by the Italian Captain, Stefano Rivera, an introduction of the employee of the month, and then it was over. We went to the dining room for dinner and saw the other couple decided to join us. They were Connie and Tony from Dallas, Texas. They were very nice and we wound up becoming good friends as the cruise went on and were so lucky to have been paired with them. Hunter was feeling very nauseous and drowsy by dinner and left quickly after he finished eating the main meal. I made it through dessert but then skipped out on the show, which was supposed to be the first big “lavish” entertainment. The dancers are right in your face as the lounge where they perform is more of a show lounge than a theater. I stayed up until 11pm although Hunter was passed out by 10:15pm.

written by  mohicanfan on December 19, 2009 from Shanghai, China
from the travel blog: Beijing/Shanghai and a Princess Southeast Asia Cruise - Dec 2009
tagged Asia and Cruise
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