We have internet!

First Day at Sea
As I write the coast of Cuba is starboard (R) and since we are on the starboard side, we can see it. And there’s a grey ship in the distance but I couldn’t begin to tell you if it’s military or not. The Island Princess and the Ruby Princess, the newest ship, are passing us on the port side.
107 unforgettable days; six continents; more than 40 legendary ports. That’s what’s at the bottom of the letters to us. Formal nights, at least to LA, are only on Friday nite. I don’t know about beyond that.
We did the treasure hunt for one of the prizes; this was a cinch for us since we know the ship almost as well as our home. We didn’t win anything but had fun listening o the music—great duo—and enjoying the free, but certainly not very good, champagne. We then had a drink of the day which was a mango something or another wqith run in it. IT tasted mostly of coconut and rum to me but Ed liked it enough. Fortunately we didn’t have to take the “souvenir hurricane glass” with it which was $2 on it’s own.
We ran into Nicholas and Ursula, he is the ship’s MD. Had a nice conversation with him about Germany and he complained that the Christmas time at home added a few too many pounds to his frame; we’ve noticed several folks have added a few pounds in the last 2 yrs.
DINNER
Our table is for 8 and each of us agreed that conversation is easier at a table for 6. Only 6 of us showed up but the distances are still a problem. One couple is from Wisconsin and the other from Pennsylvania. Ed and I were in the middle so we each visited with the couple next to us. One of the waiters from an adjacent table came to say hello to us: it was Amador from the World Cruise. We would see him a lot at lunch when we went to the DR. That was certainly a surprise.
ENTERTAINMENT
The dancers came out with their usual enthusiasm and disgusting (because we can’t come close to matching it) energy in skimpy costumes that would do the Academy Awards to shame. The skit was called Cruising and was new to us. JJ King, our favorite Cruise Director (now called “Entertainment something”). He gave us some stats: 321 of us are on for the full 207 days. Others are on only to LA, Sydney or Singapore. Americans are the largest group of course. Most of the cruise staff are Aussies: adorable young folks. JJ sang a few ballads (he was a long time entertainer himself) and then we came back to address the remainder of the unpacking. Ed carried the major weight of the job and he did manage to get all the luggage under the bed!
The egg crate mattress doesn’t fully fit the top of the bed so there are areas on each side about 8” wide where one feels like you’re falling off. Next time the sheets are changed, I’ve asked for it to be turned and leave the empty space under the pillows.
We managed to get to bed by midnight but that’s not to say asleep and my coughing jags, which are less but still pretty impressive, don’t help either of us sleep soundly.
DAY TWO
I had a wake up call for 8 am. No Nancy here to do the set up for me; I was forced to learn myself. Ha. I can’t use my iPhone as an alarm because of the cost of the connections it automatically makes; pretty useless and scary because it chalks up charges I’m not even aware of so I’ve shut it off.
GIFTS
On our bed was a gift (well you know you’re paying for it in the long run) for each of us. It is a round jewelry holder and he got cuff links with the sea witch design; I got CZ earrings and we both got a special pin for this cruise which has a nice design. This was unexpected and a practical thing we will use. I find it ironic that our safe is still not bolted down and anyone with access could tuck it under their arm and be on their way.
COMMANDATORE
He’s with us again for a while and he’ll be doing his culinary demonstrations. We can “earn” a new certificate if we wish. Folks who know me are rolling on the floor laughing.
TRIVIA
I knew you couldn’t wait to hear! We met another Chuck upstairs and were a team of 3 since the others didn’t show. We did well enough but it was a hard quiz; 3 teams tied with 14 so you know it wasn’t a breeze. They are not giving out gifts this time. Rather you get a certificate and at some later date, you can choose what gift you want. That’s a far better system I think.
INTERNET
I went to see why I couldn’t connect and there was a lonely soul up there complaining that we didn’t have any connections. So it wasn’t just me not knowing what to do. Ed just plugged in his iPHone which was almost at zero battery. He got a text message from the infamous MCP carrier which charges you your life’s savings because the iPhone is pulling down data in the background. He finally checked all his connections but I’m still skeptical given my experience in December where I thought I had turned off everything too.
REUNION
There’s talk of a reunion of the folks who were on the Pacific Princess in 2008 for the world cruise; every time we turn around, there’s someone else from that cruise. The rumors about the numbers range from 20 to over 100. We’ll see.
ARUBA-PORT LECTURE
Well the speaker is hilarious and he provides good solid information about the island with only a post script message about “shopping”. I’m looking forward to seeing it in person though I can’t imagine how people survive on what has an aloe vera farm as it’s main industry at this point. Tourism has become big here.
ECONOMIST
It’s surprising to see financial speakers since a law suit years ago where someone accused, and won a large settlement from, Princess for speakers giving financial advice which these folks followed . This fellow is still stuck on Econ 101. I never took an Econ class but I knew most of what he was saying and Ed was tapping his nails on the wooden table between us, a sure sign that he disagreed with the speaker. There are 4 more lectures before he leaves the ship in Acapulco. I’ll go just to watch Ed’s reactions and see how long it takes him to start questioning him.
TRIVIA
People say they will come and then don’t so we joined a group of folks who were pleasant enough. One lady left (she didn’t make any contributions anyway) and we were joined by a very bright lady who I recall from the 2008 cruise. She’s very sharp. We groaned at some of the questions and later at the answers, two of which we KNOW are wrong, but it is after all (repeat after me): “only a game.”
Since I heard the internet connection for the laptops is now available (the unsaid message being that those souls who rely on the terminals in the “internet café” are not happy campers), I figured I’d finish this off and try to upload.
It is gloomy with some sunny skies peeking from behind large clouds. The sea has been roiling all day and the trade winds are fierce. The weather overall is warm and pleasant enough other than the gloom and winds. I can still see the hint of land beyond our balcony so I must assume Cuba is still out there.