Thursday, Jan 24 - Day 4

First morning on the ship and a new routine was about to be started.  I had spotted the games room as a good location for early morning writing and found La Patisserie for a substitute Starbucks latte.  They only had hot chocolate as the substitute as I do not drink any of the exotic coffee.  The hot chocolate is a good substitute but I always long for the Chai Latte taste when on board a cruise ship.

I sat down and watched the coast of Baha drift by us that morning as it was not too far away.  This cruise has many sea days with only a few port stops (5) so there will be lots of time to reflect and perhaps get ahead of some of the things and projects I have been planning.  The first order of business was to get ahead of some of the things that I am behind in.  That includes things from my work assignment, our consulting practice, our cottage industry business and my personal interests in photography.  That became a tall order after a very short period of reflection.  Over the next few days I hope to modify the wide ranging aspect of my focus and concentrate on some, one or any of those interests.  On this particular morning I was interested in getting a handle on my e-mail and responding to a few folks and clearing up some small issues that were laying about.  After a couple of hours I was feeling less pressure as I was settling into holiday mode as well as getting a few things off the plate.  However adapting to the fact that Internet access on a cruise ship is a timed event and it is costly on top of that.  I purchased a package of minutes but regardless of the number you hold you are always mindful of the time you are actually online.  Somehow this is a deterrent to logical process and orderly Internet access and use as every time you are online your thoughts go to how much you are spending and how efficient you must be.  I long for a higher status in the Princess family when Internet becomes a non-issue. 'Nuff about that subject.....

The day started with some writing, reflection and email.  We then ventured to the Horizon for breakfast thinking that some of the more elderly folks would be finished their early breakfast and there would be lots of room in the eating area.  Wrong ..... these folks tend to linger and chat after their meals.  I guess since there are no ports for a few days and there are only about 100 things to do on the ship an early morning gab session seems to be practical.  We finally found a table to sit and enjoyed the forward view and the sun peeking out through the clouds.  Breakfast was good as we sampled many buffet selections  and I enjoyed a prepared omelette.  We were joined by a couple from Montreal who were very French but spoke English very well.  He was an Engineer and she was a Nurse in the blood bank business.  They have travelled extensively and they shared their experiences about their recent two week China tour.  It sounded very interesting and somewhat exhausting as they did  lot in 14 days.  Francois and Lynn were very nice breakfast guests and I am sure we will see them about the ship during the cruise.

After breakfast we returned to our cleaned up stateroom but along the way we got waylaid and we watched the end of a somewhat benign but captivating (early) Tom Hanks movie.  It was relaxing as we watched it outside on the Lido deck.  That lead to an impromptu sleep on the deck - oopps.  We then walked about and pissed away some time in the stateroom.  Suddenly, it was time to eat again......

We decided to go to lunch in the main dining room and enjoyed a clam chowder and some rigatoni that was really penne and carbonara sauce. Freddi had a Cobb salad that was designed by the bank.  That means they provided the ingredients but Freddi had to do the work to make it into a salad.  This user participation is getting out of hand.  Basically, the main dining room offers a full menu and fine service in a relaxed but comfortable dining room.  It is a contrast to the buffet feeding station approach of the Horizon Cafe.  Both have merits and the difference is all about service and atmosphere. 

After lunch we returned to our stateroom to read and continue my quest to get on top of the outstanding things in my life.  I was making progress so I was not at all upset about doing this work.  Freddi managed to watch a couple of chick flicks which I tuned into in background as they had some appeal.  Watching movies in your own space is always relaxing.  Later in the afternoon we went for a stroll to look over the merchandise in the various small stores on board.  We ended up in the watch and jewellery store where we looked at several watches.  After deferring an investment in a Tissot watch we each bought a less expensive option for the variety of having yet another watch.  A fast review of the art that is available for purchase on board we decided that there was no further reason to investigate that option.

Somewhere during all of the frantic lifestyle we were living we missed the memo that it was a formal night on board.  We had dressed nicely (jacket included) for dinner but were put to shame by the flocks of people who were decked out in long dresses and tuxes and the smell of champagne in the air was unmistakable.  As a result getting into the Bordeaux dining room was a 45 minute plus wait so we decided to wander down to the other specialty restaurant to see about getting some food.  They were not at all busy so they were happy to see us and treated us to a window seat for dinner.  The Bayou Steakhouse had a Cajun slant to their food as well as offering a fine array of premium beef.  Our waiter Goran (from Macedonia) was very enthusiastic and a bit difficult to understand due to his thick accent.  None-the-less we were able to arrange for a fine feast for the evening. Freddi and I ordered the Carpet Baggers Filet dinner with a shared order of gator ribs in bbq sauce.  I added a tomato crawfish bisque with aioli and cheese additions as a starter.  The latter was delicious but another banker special as I had to add and blend my own aioli sauce and cheese.  Not a difficult task but I was helping the chef with this one.  It was very tasty and worth the effort to make my own.  We both enjoyed our wines which were retrieved from the evening before.  During our dinner Calum, a very young photographer from England came around and took a few shots of us relaxing.  He didn't seem old enough to be away from home and this was his first operational day with Princess.  He was very excited about this new opportunity.  Nice young man and he was learning how to be open and friendly with the clientele.  The food experience was wonderful and the service was exemplary.  It is a very relaxing place to spend an evening.

After dinner we waddled off to our stateroom and were diverted at the lounge as there was a very funny comedian entertaining the guests.  We stayed and laughed at his observations of everyday life.  Very talented lad.  Then it was good night!