Day 2 Rollin' in the Deep

I don’t know who named them swells. There’s nothing swell about them. They should have called them awfuls. ~ Hugo Vihlen

Since we left Los Angeles the Pacific Princess has been bounding over the waves. Sea sickness bags have appeared in discreet little bags draped over stair railings and in all the elevators. Fortunately for me, have scopolamine patch, will travel. I’m doing okay with the motion of the ocean.

“How’s the DH?”  I hear you asking.

The mirror makes the room look bigger, huh?

He’s fine. All those Viking genes mean he likes himself on the water. He woke feeling good enough to eat two breakfasts and then go pillage a village. (Well, actually, he didn’t do any pillaging, but we were part of the six member team who won the Trivia game this morning. Knowing that the Roman name for Ireland was Hibernia put us over the top. Go Aquadesiacs!)  

Before that, we met with the group from the Cruise Critic message board I’ve been in contact with since before we booked this tour last May. It was great to be able to put faces with the names. Several activities led by group members are being planned, such as bridge lessons, crafts, scarf tying, and (my favorite) star gazing!  We’ll also be having a special luncheon for the Cruise Critic group. (Don’t let the name fool you. We’re not a fussy bunch.)

At 11:45 AM, we practiced with the Harmony Choir. The group meets every sea day at the same time. There are over 50 singers. We love singing with our church choir, so I’m glad we don’t have to give that up while we cruise. The Harmony Choir gives a concert once every segment so that means before Sydney, Dubai, Venice and Ft. Lauderdale.

After a lovely lunch in the Club Restaurant, the DH declared it nap time. However, he has yet to even put his feet up. He figured out how to sign us up for the ship’s internet and has been checking his email. We don’t have anything scheduled until supper at 7:30. We’d hoped to be assigned to the first seating, but it’s okay. We have congenial table mates and I’d hate to mess with that. Last night there were only four of us at an eight person table, but I’ve been told some people don’t come down the first night—especially when the ship is rocking and rolling!

There are two shows in the evening to accommodate both early and late supper seatings. Last night we were treated to David Klinkenberg, a classically trained violinist who played some hauntingly beautiful Celtic melodies. Tonight’s offering is a ventriloquist. I’m tempted to file that under “From the sublime to the ridiculous,” but I’ll reserve judgment until I see the show…     

May 8, 2021 update 

One of the first couples we met at the Cruise Critic Meet & Greet were Karolyn and Gary from Reno. She too uses supplemental O2, so we sort of clicked like magnets over our shared situation. Her cannula set up is different from mine. It goes through the earpieces of her glasses and then down the sides of her nose. You can barely see it in this photo. The fact that she can function well enough to live in Reno (which is at an elevation above 4500 ft!) really impressed me. My sister's home in South Dakota is about that high and I end up making like a rock most of the time when we visit there.

One thing you seldom think about when you have a rough sea day is that even if you really batten down the hatches, things will still jiggle around. The drawers in this little cupboard kept banging against the closed door. It didn't bother us too much. We have dogs at home, so little noises are no big deal, but this kind of thing troubled a number of our traveling partners, especially at night. Consider leaving the TV on for background noise or bring a little white noise generator if you are disturbed by the occasional bump, though frankly, the sea provides plenty of white noise when its riled up.

On the subject of  entertainment on the Pacific Princess...I probably should have confessed at the very beginning of this blog that I'm something of a musical snob. Classical is my wheelhouse, and the list goes down from there, ending with the sad rooms in Hell where the condemned are forced to listen to rap music interspersed with heavy metal. It should be no surprise that I'm not a fan of ventriloquists. During the course of the world cruise, we were afflicted with two of them. Only two, thank heaven! 

Honestly, has any good ever come from a tip-lipped man with a bunch of puppet in his suitcase?