The guys were up early and went down to deck 5 to do a test run of their egg drop contraption…before the Piazza became busy. A few minor adjustments and they were confident that their egg would survive the two-story drop intact. (They were entered into a competition where they had to build some sort of protective gizmo that would keep an egg intact when it was dropped from two decks above the Piazza.)
Once again there were a multitude of activities listed in the Patters to help fill the day. The morning activities (that weren’t a disguised sales opportunity): Bible study (unhosted); MUTS Mamma Mia!; morning trivia; book club review; 60 Seconds Frenzy; Veteran’s Get-Together (unhosted); $60 Texas Hold’Em Tournament; Zumba; Bocce Ball; Bridge, Mahjong & Games (unhosted); Elevator Roulette (still wishing I had done this!); Speed Sudoku; Bingo; and British-Style Lunch (one more thing I wish I had tried.)
Our choice? The culinary demonstration and galley tour at 10:30…along with a large percentage of the other passengers on the ship. The event was held in the Princess Theater and hosted by cruise director, JJ. Featured in the cooking demonstration were Giuseppe Pollara (executive chef) and Generoso Mazzone (head maitre d’hotel). The two of them prepared several recipes…Linguine Al Pesto Alla Moda Ligure, Seared Deep Sea Scallops, and Tiramisu)…with a dash of humor added in.
An introduction of some of some of the crew that had kept us well fed...
We received a handout with the recipes featured in the demonstration as well as a list of how many crew members it takes to prepare and serve the meals on the Emerald Princess.
Following the presentation, we were led on a guided tour of the galley. To get there we went down the stairs, through the Piazza...
through the back door of the Michelangelo Dining room (hey!...there's our table!!)...
...and finally into the galley.
We managed to somehow get in the back of this line which moved v-e-r-y slowly…but was still interesting.
Fruit and vegetable carvings that had been made at the demonstration earlier in the cruise were on display.
And two crew members were showing how to carve roses out of turnips. (Do you think those end up in soup when they are done??)
We also saw gingerbread houses and other Christmas items being prepared for the Christmas display that would be in the Piazza on the next cruise.
After the galley tour, we headed up to the Horizon Court for a quick lunch. The Egg Drop Competition was scheduled for 1:00 and the guys needed to get ready. They named themselves “Men in Black” and the contraption that housed the egg?...the “Poultry Protector”!
The contestants had to drop their egg from two decks above, down into the center of the Piazza.
The Poultry Protector did its job, but alas…no prize. The winners were ultimately decided based on audience applause and they were upstaged by a couple of kids who wrapped their eggs in stuffed animals.
Packing kept us busy for part of the afternoon and then Laurel and I attended Afternoon Tea. This has been a favorite activity of mine on Carnival, but I probably won’t attend on future Princess Cruises. The tea times I most enjoyed on Carnival were held in a smaller venue, with intimate seating and live classical music. On the Emerald, the tea was served in the DaVinci Dining room and we were seated at a very large table which made conversation difficult. No music either.
Our dinner with waiter, Joseph, was once again a highlight of the day. We found out about his family and that he was headed home to the Philippines the next day. He had spent a lot of his contract time on Princess ships in Alaska and liked it so well that he may request to be assigned there again when he returns. How awesome would it be if he were on the Coral for our upcoming cruise to Alaska!! (Note: No Joseph on the Alaska cruise.)
The dining room was a bit livelier tonight (more Carnival style) as the waiters paraded through with baked Alaska…topped by battery operated candles! A little napkin waving took place as well!
Our evening ended with the International Crew Talent Show. Prior to the show starting, the social staff started throwing out balloons. It was amazing how easy it was to entertain a room full of senior citizens!
Some of the talent was quite good…some just mediocre. There is no word to describe the performance by the social staff…but it was obvious they were having a great time on stage!
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