The November Epic # 6: Life at Sea

Sea days are, in some ways, my favourite part of a cruise. Sure, it’s exciting to step ashore, especially in a port you’ve never visited – but a ship is built to sail, and a trans-Atlantic cruise like this one is a great relaxing way to enjoy life at sea. 

 

There’s a massive list of activities throughout the day – from yoga to golf, knitting to dancing, trivia games to bingo to shopping to art auctions to movies to… well, you name it, it’s happening.

 

So, what does this blogger’s sea day look like? First of all, that depends on the weather. The last time I did a trans-Atlantic cruise we had five solid days of wind and waves from Madeira to Bermuda. On this trip, we had one rough sea day, from Lisboa to Ponta Delgada. Since we left the Azores and took our southwesterly course towards Florida, we’ve had four solid days of sunshine, calm seas, and a wonderful feeling of well-being. 

 

First thing in the early hours is to check the internet and look in on emails and social media. As always on a ship, the system just clogs up as the day goes on. Anything I can get done online before 8:00 am is a huge improvement over trying to do it later.  So that’s when this post is happening

 

Then, breakfast. Emerald Princess has a bright and cheery buffet area, as I’ve mentioned earlier in the trip, and the food, while not spectacularly good, is tasty and filling. The chef here does a great job with omelettes to order. The coffee is also better than it used to be on Princess, a huge plus. 

 

Sunscreen follows, and then it’s time to walk the deck. The ships of the Grand Class were all built with a full-circuit promenade on Deck 7, although you do have to go up a flight of stairs to circle the bow area on Deck 8. I’ve been passing on the stairs, which are a bit steep for my cranky knee, but I walk all the rest several times, perhaps with a sit-down-and-rest break, until I’ve racked up an hour or more of walking.

 

Sea days are also a great time for the crew to carry on with the never-ending job of keeping everything neat and tidy -- all the way from deck washing to painting and more.

 

 

The walking’s a little harder to do when the ship is moving more, but then you get the compensating bonus of watching the spray flying as the bow digs into the waves. Since Emerald Princess weighs in at a respectable 113,561 tonnes, the amount of water the bow can heave at one time is mighty impressive.

 

 

Or you can spend a few minutes immersed in the mighty roar at the stern as the ship’s wake streams out behind it. It’s one of my happy places.

 

 

After the walk, the next step is to go up to the Lido deck for a cooldown in the pool. For whatever reason or reasons, there aren’t many passengers on this ship actually using the Lido area during this cruise, so it’s never been hard to get a seat where you like, and you can usually get the pool to yourself for a while – or maybe share it with one or two other people.

 

 

Part of the fun on a sea day is being in the pool when the ship does encounter waves and the water begins sloshing dramatically back and forth.

 

Depending on time of day, there may be some live music from the 16^th deck bandstand overlooking the Neptune Pool, while various films, concerts, or sports events are playing almost all day on the giant Movies Under the Stars screen above the Calypso Pool.

 

Somewhere along the line, it’s time for lunch. There’s a grill dishing up burgers and hot dogs, and a pizza counter serving pizza by the slice, as well as a counter for ice cream and premium coffees, not to mention the bars at each pool. 

 

Or there’s the buffet, same deck, just aft of the Calypso pool. If I’m in the mood for something light and quick, the International Café down at the main deck of the Piazza (Deck 5) does small sandwiches, soup, premium coffee and tea, dessert squares, and the like. And one of the main dining rooms is always open for lunch on sea days if I’m in a more sedate mood.

 

After lunch, it’s nap time. Then I may head out to walk the promenade some more, before heading topsides for another dip in the pool. My lucky break was getting to photograph a rare total eclipse of the sun -- although, oddly enough, it didn't get dark and there was no corona around the eclipse.

Also on the Lido deck is the display map where the ship's course is marked off with push pins and a piece of yarn.

And then it’s time for dinner, perhaps with a drink before or a nightcap after, depending on the entertainment schedule for the day. I’ve become a familiar sight in Crooners, a bar where you either get a musician right there on the piano or you can listen to the music from the stage two decks down in the Piazza, since Crooners is on the top level of the three decks of the Piazza.

 

And finally, it’s bedtime. I know I have mentioned it before, in years gone by, but Princess Cruises scored a real winner with their bed, which is – hands down – one of the two or three most comfortable beds I have ever encountered in all my years of travel.