Favorite Sea Day activities

[cobeck]

We are sailing on a transatlantic cruise next spring and a little anxious about those 7 sea days.  We haven’t sailed Princess since before the pandemic and wonder what your favorite activities are.  We appreciate any and all suggestions.

[photomikey]

I like to wake up early and watch the sun rise. If I'm up early enough I go up and get some coffee and a chocolate pastry and bring it back to my balcony. I sit out there and I have a daily reading that I do, then I think on my daily reading while I drink coffee and eat on my pastry. Eventually I get hungry so I go up to breakfast. Sometimes I eat there, sometimes I bring it back to my balcony. After breakfast im usually a little nappy so I either lean back in my deck chair or lay down in bed for a bit. All that napping catches up with you and after a while I feel a little peckish so I go up and get a little snack that I generally bring back on my balcony. The wife and I sometimes play some cards out there and often the loser goes up and brings the winner some coffee. Around this time I shower because I want to look presentable at lunch. We eat, but it's been a while since I saw the ocean so I usually sit on my balcony and take it all in while I digest. The rocking of the ship and a full tummy sometimes does a number on me so I try and catch a few winks on the balcony or maybe lie down in bed. When I arise, im feeling a little peckish and the room steward drops by right on time with some canapes. I slip into my swimsuit and take a hot tub and maybe a steam. I return to my room to shower and clean up for dinner. Eventually we make our way to dinner and shortly thereafter retire to the balcony to do some nude stargazing and then nod off in a lounge or retire for the evening in bed. 

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

Sanctuary 🙂

[ChristiCruising]

We bring games or other activities that we personally enjoy on board with us for cruises with many sea days. We might bring as many as 4-5 different games or even a puzzle but we try to keep them small for packing purposes. 
On one of my last cruises, I brought jewelry making supplies. Not professional quality, but something fun to pass the time. 

We also bring along any books we have been wanting to read. 

We’ll often do a day or two in the Sanctuary or buy a thermal spa/enclave pass for some relaxation on sea days. Maybe throw in a massage or spa treatment. 

 

We attend the Princess hosted enrichment lectures and day-time games hosted by Princess. 
 

If all else fails, I usually download a couple of movies we’ve been wanting to see in case we find ourselves looking for something to do but we rarely get to the point of watching them. 

[BamaVol]

For my wife: yoga, tai chi (if offered), line dancing (if offered).

 

For me: walking the promenade, watching wife exercise, naturalist presentation (Alaska). 

[mtnesterz]

What would you do if you were at home and your chores were done? 

Would you shop, play a table game with friends, read a book, Sudoku or a crossword puzzle, watch movies and TV, go to a bar, make a friend and have a drink or two. Maybe go to Reno, if you are in Oregon and try your luck gambling.Maybe you'd go to a live music concert, attend an auction, not for the art in Princess case, but to feed off the energy.

For me you ask?  The immersion lectures. Learning new things. Understand my retirement gig is a docent at a museum, so that may or may not interest you.

You can do all of those things and not even have gotten out to the Lido deck yet.

[WisCruiser2]

We always enjoy playing Trivia - if we can fit it in between reading, eating, playing Cribbage, eating, doing some walking, eating...you get the drift. Really, it depends on what YOUR interests and enjoyments are!

[BamaVol]

Sea day Patter. Take your pick. 

[Ken the cruiser]

When we're on a cruise with a lot of sea days, the first thing my DW does the previous evening is to review the next day's Patters noting which events look enjoyable. For example, we enjoy attending any enrichment programs they have planned. We also include a 1.5-mile walk (usually 5-6 laps around the promenade) to burn off calories.

 

We also like to chill in our cabin during the down times between eating and any daytime shipboard activities we're going to attend. She likes to play her computer games while I sit on the balcony looking for any sea life and weather anomalies there is to see as well as post to my CC Live From thread, which at times includes going on scavenger hunts looking for answers to questions someone might have asked on the thread. It's amazing how many places we would have overlooked if it hadn't been for some of those scavenger hunts.

 

But the main thing is to relax and have fun enjoying your cruise, and trust me when I say, there will be plenty of things to do. Just make sure you check out the Patters the previous evening, so you'll have a plan when the sun comes up! 😉

[voljeep]

what time does Vines open on a sea day?  No, we won't spend "all day" in there, but possibly multiple stops for 'roadies' ( or doubles ) to take to a nice spot to 'people watch' or 'ocean watch' - or maybe back to the cabin balcony - if it makes it that far ...

[BamaVol]

21 minutes ago, voljeep said:

what time does Vines open on a sea day?  No, we won't spend "all day" in there, but possibly multiple stops for 'roadies' ( or doubles ) to take to a nice spot to 'people watch' or 'ocean watch' - or maybe back to the cabin balcony - if it makes it that far ...

IIRC, it was fairly late in the afternoon on Sapphire Princess last month.  3? 4?

[BamaVol]

27 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:It's amazing how many places we would have overlooked if it hadn't been for some of those scavenger hunts.

LOL.  That reminds me of an odd moment last month on Sapphire.  I was coming down the steps in the piazza and a woman approached me, asking me if I was wearing a brown belt and could she take a picture with her phone. I’m glad she explained that it was for a scavenger hunt. Or maybe it wasn’t …….

[QuilterGirl]

@voljeep, we're on the Crown Princess just now, and it's our first sea day after four days in Hawaii.  Vines is open from 11 AM to 11 PM today.  Yesterday, in port, it opened at 4 PM.  YSMV, of course!

[LACruiser88]

6 hours ago, Snaxmuppet said:

Sanctuary 🙂

 

The Sanctuary is our happy place!

 

On all but one of our 12 TA's we have been able to spend our sea days in the Sanctuary while heading to Ft Lauderdale. 

 

[PurpleHays]

On our TA last fall, I spent mornings in Good Spirits. Coffee, crossword puzzles, novels, and CEUs for my RN license renewal. 

 

My favorite thing to do on a sea day is to find a shady spot somewhere (anywhere) and read whatever book I brought with me. Sometimes it's in the pool area, or the promenade, or our balcony. Of course, there's usually a drink-or two-in hand.

[JerrySueW]

We did a transatlantic in April and there were a lot of special activities planned for sea days.

 

There was a scavenger hunt and an "Olympics" that had new events every sea day.

 

There were lectures by a fellow whose career was as a broadcaster for the Dallas Cowboys and one of the pianist/singers did special lectures on musical topics. There were plenty of talks by the destination specialist on board as well.

 

One of my favorite things was a Q&A with some of the entertainers, followed by a back-stage tour.

 

The CD and staff did a great job of keeping us busy and entertained. We really enjoyed the cruise.

[luvtoteach]

I spend my days in Skywalker's listening to audio books.

 

 

 

[travelin.sisters]

I have enjoyed the assorted music classes even though I am not very musical ('ukulele, steel drum, glockenspiel...didn't like harmonica because the guy teaching it took it way to seriously), crafts, enrichment lectures, tea, usually take some books I never get to 

[WisCruiser2]

I often tell people that one of the reasons I enjoy cruising (besides getting to go to different places while staying in one "hotel") is that you can do as much or as little as you want to!

 

[Catchum]

An afternoon "nap" is always fun 😉

[c-boy]

We enjoy consumption of various libations while people watching and playing in the casino.

Edited October 11, 2023 by c-boy

[karatemom2]

Lazy mornings, trivia, sitting on the balcony watching the ocean and looking for wildlife, a good book, wine tastings, and afternoon tea are just some of the ways we enjoy our sea days. The gift of all that free time is a joy!

[KKB]

Our sea days:

Walk

Poker tournament

Trivias

Play card/dice/board games while listening to musicians

Read

Nap

Dance classes (that's just me--not DH!!)

[KKB]

On 10/9/2023 at 11:39 PM, cobeck said:

We are sailing on a transatlantic cruise next spring and a little anxious about those 7 sea days.  We haven’t sailed Princess since before the pandemic and wonder what your favorite activities are.  We appreciate any and all suggestions.

What TA are you sailing? We are on the Regal April 5 

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

My favorite part about cruising is being on the water.  Sea days are perfect for that.  I avoid the main pool as i don't like the noise and all the people interaction.  So I will find places where I can see the water, whether that's my balcony, the sanctuary or some other quiet area of the ship such as the retreat pool or the wake pool.  

 

Then I reach into my backpack and grab my ipod, or my kindle or my sudoku book and enjoy.  Maybe I pull out my German exercise book or have a quiet conversation with my hubby.  every once in a while, I will nap for a little bit.  

 

When I get a little hungry, I find some food and then find another place to the repeat the above.

 

That is what a sea day means to me.  Can not wait for my TA in Nov 2024!!