Why Chocolate Is Better than Champagne - October 24

Here are our cappuccinos this morning - a cute koala bear and a strange animal (no one knew what to call it).

At Knitters and Knatters, Susan showed off a wonderful shawl she crocheted. I don’t think I would ever wear this style of shawl, but I am intrigued by the pattern.

We had lunch with Bill and Fortunée, one of the Canadian couples we met at the first Shabbat service. They are so interesting - and nice. We don’t seem to intersect with them on the ship very much. They came with a group of friends, and they do things together and eat together. Ken and I spend a lot of time in our cabin because it is so nice and because we don’t want to get Covid. At least two members of this Canadian group have already come down with Covid on this cruise.

Bill and Fortunée told us that a member of their group, Evan, was a finalist in the The Voice of the Ocean, and would be singing on Saturday afternoon. Because we know Evan (a little), we will go on Saturday and cheer for him.

After lunch, I sent an email to the Entertainment Director onboard about the comedian’s show last night. He responded immediately. 

Am I satisfied? It’s hard to say. I believe the Entertainment Director understood my concerns. I believe he spoke to the comedian about it. I believe the comedian flouted Princess’s policies. I think this is a problem that requires constant vigilance from passengers, staff, and management, and it will probably keep happening. I don’t know if I made a difference. Probably not. Yet, I am satisfied with myself for taking action. As Rabbi Hillel famously said: 

If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?

I thought about whether to put my email to the Entertainment Director into this blog. I decided not to include it because my blog is about travel, not politics.

We were invited to the Captain’s Circle Cocktail Party in the evening. This is a party for passengers who have completed 5 or more Princess cruises. The Captain comes to the party and makes a short speech. The Future Cruise Consultant usually talks about some new itineraries that have just become available. The whole thing lasts no more than 45 minutes. Toward the end, the Loyalty & Events Co-ordinator announces the number of passengers at each level, and then the top three “Most Traveled Passengers” are given a gift such as a bottle of champagne. 🍾

There are 3,023 passengers on board now. The capacity of the ship, at 2 per cabin, is about 3,600 - so there is a little elbow room! 😀 There are over 800 passengers at the “Platinum” level - 5 or more cruises with Princess. There are slightly over 600 passengers at the “Elite” level - 15 or more Princess cruises. This particular cruise has attracted a significant number of very loyal repeat passengers.

We were lucky to be the third Most Traveled, so we go to go up and have our photo taken with the Captain. We chose a box of chocolates instead of the champagne. When you open champagne, you have to drink it all at once. When you open chocolate, sometimes you eat it all at once, but you don’t have to. It will be just as good the next day.

Here we are with Captain Steve, and with Maja, the Future Cruise, Loyalty, and Events co-ordinator.

The entertainment this evening is a vocalist named Patrick McMahon. We found out he is an Aussie who sings (American) country western. We decided not to go. It’s not worth going to the theatre and being coughed on for an hour, unless it is a show we are really interested in. We listened to some of the live music that was being played in various lounges around the ship. 

Today’s fabric is Tonga Beach - Pool, by Timeless Treasures.