AT SEA----RUBY PRINCESS

AT SEA---
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Atlantic Ocean / calm seas / Sunny, 76 F / water temperature 73 F

TK told me there are winter storms in Erie. I hope everyone is handling that well. One day left before a special birthday tomorrow. Fourteen days till Christmas.  We are thinking of family!

Today was not that different from others. Another lecture about ocean liners, TK at the beach. Reading books, enjoying live music everywhere. Today’s special music is Beatles with a show at 9:15.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Atlantic Ocean / easy seas / Cloudy, 71 F / water temperature 75 F

We learned today at noon during the Commodore’s announcement that we are sailing at 19 knots or 22 mph. We have 1150 miles to sail to Fort Lauderdale on Saturday morning.  He went on to tell us that the Atlantic Ocean, the 2^nd largest, was named for Atlas, the Seas of Atlas. The Atlantic Ocean is 41 million square miles. The Commodore also told us that the ocean is 12,000 feet deep where we are passing.

I did not see the Meteorological Buoy that the ship passed a little while ago. Apparently there are such buoys around the world to help gain information about weather patterns and what weather is coming. The Commodore told us that he purposely sailed near it.

This morning I went to John Maxtone-Graham’s lecture, “Liner to the Sun,” about the first vacation like cruises in the early 1900s. At first such ships were making “crossings” specifically as transportation. People wanted destinations in warmer areas, long before such ports were developed as such. Mr. Graham showed a charming old image of Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas and a street that I recognized. He also had a photo of a ship that visited the construction of the Panama Canal and the cruise passengers, women in long gowns and fashionable hats, men in white suits and straw hats, exploring the Culebra excavation area. Fascinating.

He has written books about cruising and crossings, so I decided to purchase the one that had information on Holland America’s Rotterdam, the ship I sailed in 1967 and 1968 to cross to France and then return to New York.

We went to the “beach” this afternoon and read for a while even though it was cloudy.

This evening we met with the couples who went on our Rome tour with us in the Skywalkers Lounge, Jack and Lan (Austin, Texas) and Connie and Harry (near Atlanta, Georgia). TK was the star because of his cruise finding skills. Everyone wants to know how he does it!

After that I went to the dining room and TK went to the Movie under the Stars (Pacific Rim). After dinner (spinach quiche with too much spinach J, I went to Night Country & Western in Club Fusion and saw the Mentalist Wayne Hoffman in the Explorers Lounge.

The Princess Morning Show was broadcast from one of the huge food storage areas on the ship. Two decks are reserved for such storage. We could see the vegetables (pallets stacked high with carrots, onions, potatoes, cucumbers—the hosts said that by Saturday all of the stored food would be used). They also said that there is a cooler unit for bananas alone—varied temperatures in different areas of the cooler for ripening the bananas at different times. I did notice that the bananas in the buffet are always right at the ripeness I like.

TK’s Take: this was the best day yet, calm seas and warm. He spent most of the day at the beach.

AT SEA---- 

Monday, December 9, 2013
Atlantic Ocean / 10 ft. swells / Cloudy, 69 F

I just cannot believe how warm it is in the middle of the Atlantic, which according to maps aboard, is just about where we are. Last year’s voyage with a southerly heading was in early November, so it did not seem unusual that the weather was warmer. But, this year, in December? Too bad we can’t build 2^nd homes in the Atlantic! Although that would certainly upset the ecological balance.

This morning’s digital camera lecture was a field trip. We used tungsten light white balance settings at the atrium and cloudy WB settings on deck. Tara, the superb photo lecturer from Ireland took us to the 19^th deck to see her photography studio and try out studio lighting. I was amazed at how setting my DSLR to 200 ISO and using tungsten WB could make such a difference in indoor photos.

I have started reading my 4^th book this trip.  Sea days are good for that. I have been reading historical fiction, one about a Spanish queen in the 1500s, another about a Provencal mystery in the 1600s. TK is almost finished with his 2^nd book, Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep, a sequel to The Shining.

Tonight we saw the production show, “Stardust,” with the Princess dance troupe and singers. Music from the 50s and 60s—Boone’s “Catch a Falling Star” and “Three Coins in the Fountain” were two songs.

Last night’s Pub Night was fun---a sing along and pub jokes with the Princess troupe.

TK’s Takes: He thinks smoking is on the way out on Princess.  There is no smoking anywhere, even balconies, except for one small area on Deck 7 and a smoking room in the casino. No one seems to be smoking anyway. On last year’s NCL Epic cruise it seemed everyone was smoking. [Note: most passengers were European last year]

Culinary Delight of the Day: Last night’s dessert was Burned Rhubarb Napoleon. Even though the burned part did not make the dish sound good, it was unbelievable: A warm rhubarb sauce served with a five layered piece of cake Napoleon, and a small scoop of ice cream.