Our alarm goes off and we get right up. I phone Mary and Trish, waking Mary up. Trish has already left for Zumba class! I call Leroy and Eve and wake them up as well. Oh dear. Told them to go back to sleep. So much for that plan!
Jeff and I know that today the Wheelhouse Bar will be serving a traditional British pub lunch, so we put sticky notes on everyone’s cabin doors inviting them to join us at 11:30 and we head off for breakfast. Oatmeal and fruit for both of us.
After breakfast we go to the Princess Theater for the ‘Enrichment Lecture’ by Dr. Samuel Glassner. His lecture was on “The First European Doctors” and it was fascinating!! The impact of ‘healing’ and illnesses on politics, agriculture and especially religion was so interesting! Christianity gained many followers because it touted “healing powers” and “miraculous healings” along with the promise of an everlasting and BETTER life. These things were paramount in the widespread acceptance of Christ and then Christianity. I could write pages and pages about his lecture but I think you had to be there to enjoy it fully.
Turns out that Mary and Trish were at the lecture as well and we bumped into them as we were leaving. We make firm arrangements with them to meet for the pub lunch. An hour later we meet and despite the fact that there is a variety of traditional British fare, including ploughman’s lunch and steak and kidney pie, all four of us opt for the fish and chips – which were very good. Dessert was bread pudding. Trish told us that this particular dessert would be more properly named “bread and butter pudding and describes how it is made. All I can say is, “I don’t care what you call it, just bring me six more servings!!” That stuff was GOOD!!
During lunch the four of us decide it would be fun to get together later this afternoon to play a game (Jeff and I brought several.) Trish and Mary will pass the info along to Leroy and Eve.
After our pub lunch Jeff and I hurry back to the Princess Theater to watch a destination presentation on Huatalco, (pronounced “wha tool co), Mexico which is one of our upcoming ports. The presentation is informative and Humberto Neto, the guy who does all of the destination talks is excellent and very funny. The government is hoping to make Huatalco another Cancun style resort town and a lot of money is being put into making this happen. Many more hotel rooms, improved roads, etc are being planned. Jeff and I have never heard of Huatalco and we’re looking forward to visiting it.
After Humberto’s talk, we go back to our cabin where I write (this!) and Jeff goes down to the Captain’s Circle desk to ask if there is any sort of cocktail party. Turns out that, yes, there is! Somehow we did not get our invitation and we missed the first two. Thank goodness he checked! We would have been so bummed out not to have known. Jeff also made sure that we are on the invitation list for the Captain’s special reception later in the cruise.
On his way back to the cabin, he stopped in one of the bars just as the 2-for-1 happy hour was starting and got two gin and tonics. When he got to our room, he took the ice out of the drinks and poured the g&ts into empty water bottles so we could have them later.
Soon it is time to head down to the card room to meet our friends. We decide to play Phase 10, a card game my brother Jack and sister-in-law Kim taught us.
It takes a while to teach Mary and Trish the basics and explain the rules, and midway through our first phase Eve and Leroy show up! I’m so excited to see her up and alive. hahaha!
They join us at the card table and we begin again and play until the other four rush off because they are late for their 5:15 dinner seating.
Jeff and I go up to our special cocktail party which tonight features “Beef steak tartare with Melba toast” (eewww) and the drink of the day is a Chivas Regal Rob Roy. Luckily, along with the steak tartare, there are a lot of fresh vegetables, olives, fancy breads and cheese. Jeff gets the Rob Roy and I order a margarita. We choose an unsuspecting couple to sit with, Kay and Doug, and the four of us spend a pleasant hour together.
Now, of course, we aren’t hungry for dinner. So instead of dinner we go to the top outside deck of the ship for tonight’s “Movie Under the Stars.” The movie is: “Now You See Me 2” which we’ve never heard of and don’t know anything about. I snag two lounge chairs and a couple of blankets because it is windy and Jeff runs downstairs to get the gin and tonic water bottles. When he gets back I go get four bags of popcorn (2 each and so much for not being hungry!) The movie is good and makes me want to watch the first “Now You See Me” movie and then this one again. Maybe we’ll do that at home sometime.
We are having a great sea day! After the movie we go to the Princess Theater for the late show. Tonight the entertainment is a comedian named Tom Briscoe. He is very funny and the show is a perfect end to our day.
Time for bed! Tomorrow we land in Puerto Vallarta – our first port day.