Sunday March 30

I woke up very late today – 10am. It felt good to spend so much time asleep. And, because all of today was dedicated to a sea day, there was no need to arise at my usual early hour.

After we ate breakfast from the buffet, I spent time lying in the sun by the Lotus pool. Unfortunately, I fell asleep (and I hadn’t applied sun block) so now I am very pink – the worst sun burn I have had in years. But the time on deck was so relaxing; I’m not surprised I fell asleep. In fact, I’m amazed that sort of thing doesn’t happen to me more often.  An espresso in the afternoon woke me up.  Soon after, we again met for a gay gathering. Today there were fewer people, but the formalities of first meeting were behind us, so our conversation was much more relaxed and enjoyable.  We stayed for about an hour and a half.

For dinner we met our tablemates in the main dining room. As is the norm for Princess, the second night is usually a formal dress night. Everyone looked terrific – especially the ladies in their sparkly black dresses. Our dining mates included a couple from Vancouver, WA, two lady friends from Atlanta, and a couple from Kentucky. Marcus, as usual, turned on the charm and soon the whole table was laughing and expressing their thanks for his wit and infectious laugh.

Post repast, we watched the stage show in the Princess Theatre. It was the strongest singing cast I have seen on a Princess ship. The audience was smaller than I expected, and less enthusiastic, but it was fun none the less.  However, by the time the show was over, my sunburn had given me a headache and I was very feeling tired. Marcus had wanted to go up to the disco, but instead he followed me back to the room. My burn had darkened and my skin felt very hot. After applying some lotion, I fell asleep with a cool wash cloth on my chest.

Tomorrow we dock in the first port: Ocho Rios, Jamaica. At most I will walk off the ship and stroll around town. Jamaica is a virulently anti-gay society. I don’t plan on spending any money because I don’t want to support the island’s economy.

Saturday  March 29

What a beautiful day for a cruise! I slept an unusually solid 8 hours last night. Most of the time, my first night of rest on vacation is full of tossing and turning – but such was not the case for this beginning. The Marriott Renaissance is a very nice hotel with friendly people.  I had my usual Eggs Benedict for breakfast in the hotel restaurant this morning.

After picking Marcus up at the airport, we headed to Ft Lauderdale’s gay neighborhood, Wilton Manors. We ate a light lunch at a café called Rosie’s. It was very enjoyable, and dining on the outdoor patio was perfect.

We returned the car to the airport and took a shuttle to the pier.  There was a line for security screening, but no lines for registration. The Grand Princess looks the same as during my last cruise on her in February of 2007. We departed exactly on time. Marcus and I toasted his first voyage as we sailed out of the harbor with horns blowing, flags waving, and the band playing Caribbean music.

Soon after, we attended the traditional gay gathering that Princess always hosts on every cruise. We met about eight people. Three of us are teachers. That’s not unusual since teachers always travel at the same time, and I find professional compatriots on almost every cruise.

Dinner was in the quiet Painted Desert restaurant. Marcus established a bond with our waiter immediately by showing an interest in his home country (Poland) and language. Marcus is a whiz with languages and accents. Half our conversations are peppered with British, Jewish, and southern expressions. No conversation is ever boring. Imagine discussing politics or the economics of the US airline industry with a New York Jewish accent. It’s great fun.

The dinner was the best I’ve had in Princess’ steak house restaurant.  The menus on Princess have changed in the last few months, and I like the new emphasis on a broader selection of steaks, chops, chicken and fish. The side dishes are of higher quality than they used to be.

After dinner we went to the “Welcome Aboard” show and one of the cruise staff members saluted “John and Marcus” from the stage. She had hosted the gay gathering earlier in the evening.  I guess we impressed her.

Tomorrow I plan on doing very little. We will be at sea the whole day, and then the evening will be full with our first formal night of dining in the main dining room. Hopefully our dining mates will be enjoyable, as they usually are. There will also be the Captain’s Welcome cocktail party and the first big production show, Cinematastique – which I have seen before and enjoyed very much.

Bon Voyage!