On our way to Tahiti, we crossed the equator, which requires a special maritime ceremony. Pollywogs are sailors who have not yet crossed the equator, and when that happens the ship has an initiation ceremony, so they can become Shellbacks. The Island Princess is the largest ship that Princess has sent out on a world cruise, and we are full (just over 1900 passengers), so there were A LOT of first-timers. As a result, the crew chose representatives to go through the “trial” with King Neptune. Thankfully, I was not one of the chosen. It was fun to watch though. I don’t want to ruin the fun for future pollywogs so I will just say, don’t wear your favorite shirt.
Today’s room service adventure was soup with no spoon (or
fork or knife for that matter). The waiter said he was coming right back with them, but
it’s been about 40 minutes, so I think he got lost. I’m drinking my lukewarm
chicken noodle soup from a mug. Oh well, I know they are trying. The club
sandwich was delicious.
Sadly, we had a medical emergency on the ship that required
a medical evacuation. There was a bit of excitement watching the airlift, and
prayers were sent for their safe travels and recovery. I was very impressed
with the ship’s crew who handled this. They were all calm and well-trained and
there was a minimum of fuss over it. They had to close the Lido Deck (pool
area) and strap down all the furniture for the helicopter’s arrival. I was able
to watch from my balcony as the helicopter came from Tahiti (I think) and the
crew rappelled down to the ship and get everything ready. The helicopter kept
perfectly placed and in pace with our ship while they offloaded, then flew away
for a bit until they were ready for the patient transfer. The whole exercise
was over in about 30 minutes all told. The patient must have been in bad shape
at that point that they couldn’t wait the extra 12 hours or so until we docked
in Tahiti. This ship (like I’m sure all ships), is rife with gossip, and word
has it that it was a diabetic episode of some sort. I’ll keep my ears open for
any patient updates.
Tomorrow, Tahiti, where I feel well enough to go out, but will still mask up so as not to infect my fellow passengers. The younger people on the ship are very courteous with masking, etc. but the old folks are the rebels. They don’t give a hoot that they are coughing out loud in an elevator or at dinner. One man on my Pearl Harbor tour even mocked a woman who was double-masked. She told him to mind his own business and her travel partner asked him if he was serious? Yes, he was, apparently. Words were exchanged and I was just about to get involved when his wife told him to shut the hell up and it was done. They have sinks outside the buffet restaurant for people to wash their hands before entering, and people get offended when the little server girl gently gestures toward the sinks and says “Welcome”. Hey, I don’t know where your hands have been, buddy, and you’re touching the serving utensils too. Let’s make an effort here.
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