Day 17 ~ Rockin’ & Rollin’

I dislike feeling at home when I’m abroad. ~ George Bernard Shaw

Last night we flipped our evening schedule around. Instead of going to the second seating of supper at 7:30 PM, we ate at the Panorama Buffet at 5:30 PM. They offer table service then, though the food wasn’t as good as the main dining room. It did, however, allow us to make the 7:30 show with some very talented singers and that exquisite troop of dancers.  After that, we joined in for a Broadway sing-a-long in the Casino Lounge with David Crathorne, our choir director, on the grand piano. The activity was scheduled for when we would normally be at dinner, so it was the main reason we flip-flopped our evening. It was great fun!

Today is another sea day as we make our way from Fiji to New Zealand. Even though the discreet sickness bags have reappeared in elevators and on handrails, we had a standing room only crowd for our Harmony Choir concert. We dedicated the concert to the gentleman who died during this segment and also did a tribute song for Sammi Baker, our cruise director. She’s retiring and leaving us in Aukland.

Our table mates, Shirley and Dave from Farmington, MO, told us about a couple they’ve met on board the Pacific Princess whom they describe as “vagabonds.” They own nothing. Not a house. Not a condo. Not an RV. Not even a car. They travel constantly by various modalities—rental cars, cruising, flights, rail. They maintain a PO Box somewhere that collects their mail. They have no home address. They live in hotels and B & B’s for short term stays, furnished rental properties if they want to explore someplace longer. They say they save so much on taxes, insurance, maintenance, they can keep on traveling, carrying everything they own with them.

Could you do that?

I confess I couldn’t. Not that I’m terribly concerned with accumulating stuff, but the stuff I have I like very much. And unlike George Bernard Shaw, I like having a base of operations when I travel that serves as home. It’s why we enjoy camping with our travel trailer. We pull our own little home, our own  space, with us.

And even though we’ve only been on board the Pacific Princess for a couple of weeks, it feels like home each time we return to it. I’m totally excited about exploring new ports, but I love the sense of place we enjoy on this little jewel of a ship.

PS. I’m back on the patch and have no trouble with the pitching deck. And once my head hits the pillow, I’m like a baby doll. Lay me down and my eyes close. This ultimate water bed rocks me right to sleep!