May 28, 2022
Evening 1
Sail Away
Ewwww! That Smell!
Hi friends-
We are in an aft interior cabin on Deck 12 (Aloha). The other half of the deck is actually the Covid ward, so it is super quiet.
However, we have run into a problem that is a first for me… there is this smell. It is pretty awful. It is not sewage, but smells more like very old standing water. It is both rank and acrid. We asked our cabin steward about it and he told us that it was the port. He let us know that once the ship gets going, the ventilation system will kick in and the smell will dissipate. We took that as “the word” and went on about our business.
We decided to spend the afternoon in our hard-won seats in the Sanctuary. They have revamped this area so that the cabanas (at approx $200 a day vs $ 40 a day for a lounger) have the front row, as do the massage cabanas. This is different. They also have the new loungers. They are not quite as padded, but super comfy all the same.
As a word of warning, if you want the Sanctuary- hoof it up there fast. We have listened to them turn people away all afternoon. I am pretty sure it was fully sold out by 3 pm on embarkation day. It is crazy popular.
Dining:
We used Dine-My-Way on the Medallion App- but we were late comers to this cruise and could only get an 8:00 pm seating for a private table. Once on board, Jon talked to George- the Director of Dining Services. He told us to just show up to our dining room and ask to be seated earlier. We were seated at 5:45 with minimal wait time at a wonderful table. I really hope that this is where we will stay for the balance of the cruise. It was perfect!
The food was really good, but we have already hit the “food wall”. So we each had two apps and dessert. It is all about balance! I was not missing the flourless chocolate cake. Also, there have been some comments about service being a bit slow. This has not been our experience so far. The service has been excellent!
We decided to attend the main performance in the Princess Theater. We got there about 10 minutes early, and by the time the lights went down, the theater was packed. There were very few masks- we were definitely in the minority. The performance was called Great Balls of Fire- with a trio of a pianist, bassist (electric), and drummer. They were so talented- but there was a lot of schtick- that seemed a little contrived. Some of the selections were a bit off the beaten path (which is a big Yay for us!). Carl Perkins, Stonewall Jackson, Ray Jones were just a few. There was a lot of talent on the stage, for sure.
After, we sat in the Atrium, drank ginger tea, and played cards. It was lovely and familiar. There was a female vocalist up in Crooner who was loud, but even that was not disruptive.
As stated on other blogs, this ship is sailing at or near full cap. There are times you really feel it. Dining lines, buffet, loungers by the pool, elevators… lots of people. Even in the Atrium, there was some jockey-ing for seats. After our 25% cap cruises on the Regal last November, this feels very different, but I am so grateful that the world is opening back up…
I think I will cut here!
Thank you for following along!
More later-
Tracie-Lynn