February 22 - Sea Day #3

Sunday, February 22, 2026

Bob got up at 6:00 am and the stupid auto-lights woke me up. (There are two under the nightstands on either side of the bed AND the worst is the ceiling light by the bathroom door.) He left to go walk but found all outside access was blocked off and went to the gym instead. I went with Michelle to breakfast and the guys joined us later.

The four of us went to the church service in the Explorer's Lounge at 8:30 am. There was a good turnout. Everyone was given a sheet with hymn lyrics and responsive readings. A man from Memphis gave a short message and led the service.

We finished in time to get good seats in the Piazza for the fruit and vegetable carving demonstration. By the time the presentation began it was standing room only. It was amazing to watch as the two crew members made four different masterpieces in less than 45 minutes. 

Jon loves beets and couldn't resist getting a beet sandwich from the International Cafe

A happy man with a beet sandwich. 😄

There were a couple of ladies who kept walking right up in front of the table to get photos while the demonstration was going on even though the activity director kept announcing for everyone to please stay seated. I'm not sure if they didn't understand English, but common sense SHOULD translate into any language. I think it was more that they just had a sense of entitlement and felt it didn't matter that they were blocking everyone else's view. After multiple announcements asking them to move, the whole crowd started chanting "SIT DOWN".  

This lady was determined to get a good photo even if it meant blocking everyone else's view!

Michelle and I popped into the Michelangelo Dining Room to check out the $10 sale but found nothing we needed or wanted.

The Ruby Princess has a little over 3000 passengers which is about a thousand more than the recent HAL ships we have been on...and over double the capacity of the Zaandam. This is only the third day of the cruise but I am already feeling "peopled out". There are crowds everywhere and to get seats at any show or activity means arriving at least a half hour early. I am craving peace and solitude. The Piazza is just too small of a space to accommodate the type of entertainment that is scheduled.

And having said that, going to the buffet for lunch at noon was probably a bad idea...but we did it anyway. I miss so many things about the buffet on HAL. The food is much better and there are so many more options on HAL...and I like being served by the staff. I cringe to think how many germy hands have touched each serving spoon. 

Jon left lunch early to get to the military meet up, but Michelle, Bob and I stayed a bit longer. Bob decided to go back to the gym and finish the workout he had started in the morning so I went back to the room and did a little painting. By the time I decided to take a nap, he walked in and then Michelle texted to see if we wanted to go to afternoon tea. It was starting to feel like all we had done was eat, but we went anyway. Sandwiches, desserts, cookies and then the best part...scones with cream and jam. I will admit it was nice.

Tea Time

While at tea, Jon mentioned that not only were we able to text without a Wi-Fi package, but that YouTube was also working. (He just retired from a career in cellular technology and tried to explain why he thought the texts and YouTube were getting through but it was over my head.) What I do know is that I am so glad I didn't spend a lot of money purchasing a Wi-Fi package! Now if I could just get into the NY Times daily puzzles (like on HAL) I would be REALLY happy! 

We have now arranged to have Table 51 at dinner on every sea day. The guys are calling it "Area 51". Waiters, Lokesh and Ian, make dinner extra special and fun. Since eating had been the main focus of our day we agreed in advance that we would skip dessert. And that was a good thing because even without dessert, it was 6:30 when we left the dining room. 

Grilled seafood bowl.

By the time we walked the length of the entire ship to get to the Princess Theater, there were almost no seats available. Bob was a few steps ahead of us and found four seats in the upper level. Jon, Michelle and I got held up by some other people on the stairs and while trying to get through the crowds, some guy nearly came to blows with Bob for saving seats. He held his ground and pointed out that we were right behind him. 

Production show "Magic to Do"

On our way back to the cabin we popped into Club Fusion briefly
to see the "Candlelight Concert" by Emotions Duo.

We were all pretty tired after the show (eating really wears a guy out!) so instead of cards, we played Yahtzee in the Cafe Caribe area. We (meaning Jon) had a disagreement over how to score multiple Yahtzees but we will have to wait until we have cell service in Hawaii to look up the actual rules.

When we returned to our cabin, a trash can was sitting in the doorway across the hall from our room and it was obvious that someone had been sick. Yuck. Just the smell was enough to nearly make me sick. I hope it isn't a sign that norovirus is going around the ship. (Having flashbacks to the last cruise that made national news with an outbreak!) With my bad knee I need to hold on to the stair railings and can only imagine what germs I am touching!