I’ve shared with you a lot about what I’ve been doing off-ship, but now I want to share with you what’s been going on while we’re at sea. The ship’s staff puts great effort into making a full schedule and listening to passengers’ requests. The photos are some of my favorite places and events on the ship.
Each morning is a new episode of The Wake Show, where the cruise director and various guests talk about all the fun and wonderful things that are happening that day.
There are trivia contests, and meetings of like-minded people such as first responders, Rotarians, teachers, train enthusiasts – pretty much anyone who wants to put together a group. Every card or board game you could think of has people meeting somewhere to play. One of the passengers put together an arts-and-crafts session each sea day that was regularly attended by over a hundred people; she did it because she loves sharing her talents and could be seen hitting Walmarts in port to get more glitter and glue.
The staff put on demonstrations for cooking, ice carving, bartending, towel animals, fruit and vegetable carvings. There were tours of the galley and backstage at the theater. There were Q&As with the captain, the entertainment staff, and the chefs. There were enrichment lectures on everything from World War II to Organizing Your Space to Comedians of the Golden Age of Television.
There were crew competitions – tug of war, lip synch, and game shows. There was a show in the theater every night with entertainment galore: singers, dancers, comedians, production shows, folkloric performances, acrobats, jugglers, balloon artists, impressionists, musical acts, a crew talent show, The Voice of The Ocean competition for passengers.
There are two main dining rooms, two specialty restaurants, a food court, and a coffee bar. A library, a game room, a smoking room (never smelt a thing!), and a four-story main plaza that is the hub of the ship.
There were activities like Zumba, line dancing, ballroom dancing, tai chi, gym; exercise, hula, and ukulele classes; and passengers’ choir.
Everywhere you went there was live music at all the bars and Lido deck. There were two pools – one inside, one outside, and spas. Speaking of spas, they also have a lovely salon and spa on board for all types of indulgences like massages, facials, mani/pedis, and the necessary root touch-ups!
The Island Princess is an aging old lady, so it was not sparkly new with all the latest things, but it is a homey place, easy to move around, and I never found things crowded. Sharing a table at dinner, an excursion, or a drink at the piano bar for four months makes for familiar faces, so there is always someone to say hello to and pass a few moments chatting.
The crew has been exceptionally impressive to me. They are always pleasant, smiling, and happy to have a quick conversation. I wonder what they are putting in the water. If they are adding something, sometimes it doesn’t work on the passengers! There are some grumps aboard. But not so with the staff. Always a smile and a hello when you pass them. I cannot say enough good things about the staff of the Island Princess. They are truly special, and they seem happy to be here.
Like a microcosm of society, we’ve had our share of drama. Some deaths, some medical emergencies, and some oustings, like the two guys who came to blows in the laundry room, or the COVID-positive man who refused to stay in his room. They all got kicked off the ship at the next port. There are some cray-cray people you steer clear of, and some people who will never, ever be happy. But for the most part, people were happy to be there and enjoying themselves.
Being at sea for 111 days with approximately 1,700 passengers is a big undertaking. The captain shared some statistics at our farewell party: we used 28,529 wine bottles, 4,500 bottles of vodka, 35 tons of beef, 750,000 eggs, 5.5 tons of pasta. We travelled 29,758 miles and used $10 million is fuel.
As I approach the end of my “trip of a lifetime,” I find myself thinking deep thoughts. Thoughts about how I came to be here, where my life will be going after this. No answers yet, but I have loved the journey and I see so many opportunities ahead of me. I have seen and done things I have often dreamed about and challenged myself to step outside my comfort zone and experience things to the fullest. My only regrets are those times I stepped back instead of forward.
I have met so many wonderful people on this trip – young couples with little children, families, old married couples, solo travelers. We all share a love of the sea, and of seeing new things. Meeting so many like-minded people has encouraged me to keep traveling, as it seems to be part of our DNA. Our group of solo travelers was large – at times 16 people. There was always someone to chat with, share a table, go to a show. But you could also have your own agenda, do your own thing and that was cool. We kept tabs on each other and helped each other when needed. It was a lovely group, and they made my trip so much more than I imagined. I will treasure the friendships I have made, and hope to see them again on some other ship.
At their final concert, the harmony choir sang this beautiful Sam Cooke song that really spoke to me:
Far away places with strange sounding namesFar away places over the sea
Those far away places with the strange sounding names
Are calling, calling me
Goin’ to China, or maybe Siam
I wanna see for myself
Those far away places
I’ve been reading about
In a book that I took from a shelf
I start getting restless whenever I hear
The whistle of a train
I pray for the day I can get underway
And look for those castles in Spain
They call me a dreamer
Well maybe I am
But I know that I’m burning to see
Those far away places with the strange sounding names
Calling, calling me.
Thanks for taking this ride with me. I hope you enjoyed my posts. I loved sharing them with you. Until next time!
What a beautiful culmination. I have enjoyed every single one of your posts along the way and look forward to learning about your continued journey as well as creating my own!
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