Hey, I Could Get Used to This - Oct 10

 In Alaska, “cabin fever” means you are stir crazy, you are tired of being cooped up in a small cabin, especially in winter. It might have a completely different meaning on a cruise ship. It might mean you are so comfortable and happy in your cabin that you don’t want to leave it.

For an onboard book club, I am reading The Happy Isles of Oceania: Paddling the Pacific, by Paul Theroux. In the final chapter, Theroux visits a luxury resort on the Big Island of Hawaii. He stays in a luxurious bungalow and experiences “bungalow fever.” Guests of the resort

“check in and eat all their meals in [their bungalows]. They use their twenty-four-hour butler service. They give parties, they have cook-outs. They don’t leave. And when it comes time to check out they don’t really want to go.”

I can see how easy it would be to surrender to some version of “bungalow fever” on a cruise ship. You could call it “cabin fever, or “suite fever” or just languor. Theroux reflected upon the speed with which he became habituated to a billionaire’s life. He wrote that after one has tasted luxury, one is forever changed, and there is no cure for it.

Added to the pure pleasure of luxury, I believe there can be a desire to insulate oneself from the harsh realities of a world that is awfully scary lately. I don’t want to think about the implications of the new war in the Middle East. I could be very happy holing up in our cabin, stateroom, suite - whatever you call it - for the duration of this cruise. That’s probably not a good idea.

I recognize what Theroux writes about, but I hope I am not that far gone. I am looking forward to the next meeting of the book club to see if anyone else recognized themselves in Theroux’s description of “bungalow fever.”

We actually did venture out today, and it was worth it. We shared one of the “premium desserts.” It was sooo good. 

We ate breakfast in the Harmony dining room. The waiter Asked me yesterday what animal I would like on my cappuccino today, and he brought what I had asked for - an octopus!

We went to the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet. All the passengers who had communicated with each other online for the last year or two had a chance to meet face to face. We were welcomed by the Captain and some of the other officers, and had a chance to ask questions. It was a very nice event.

We ate lunch in the buffet (Mexican). We had cocktails before dinner and met a couple we didn’t know. We asked for a “sharing table” at dinner and met two more couples we didn’t know.  

We went to a production show called Encore. It’s a delightful performance by a guest soprano, some talented singers  and dancers from the ship’s cast, and the ship’s in-house orchestra. We were treated to opera, show tunes and some light rock. It was well done!

The sea was a little bouncier today, but not enough to make anyone seasick. Once again, lots of water, no islands, no whales, no pictures.

Today’s fabric is Bluish Bobbins Blueprint, by Moda.