March 8 - Sea Day #11

Sunday, March 8, 2026

My morning began with a little confusion. The sun was shining bright when I woke up and looking at the time on my clock I couldn't believe how late I had slept. BUT...then when I glanced at my watch the time was an hour earlier. This was the first day of Daylight Saving Time and even though the ship hadn't changed time, my iPhone did. (I had it set to NOT automatically update a change in time zones, but the switch to DST must be a different story.)

I left Bob sleeping in the room and went to the buffet and got a bowl of yogurt that I topped with all kinds of seeds and nuts. I texted Michelle to let them know where I was sitting but she responded that they were going to the church service. I left to go meet them there, but before I could even get an elevator she said they had the time confused (I wasn't the only one!) and they were too late. I went back into the buffet and got a cup of coffee to take back to the room.

Bob was up when I returned and was in the process of gathering up our dirty clothes to take to the laundry. While the clothes were washing we went up to the buffet and had breakfast (or 2nd breakfast for me!) By the time we had finished eating it was time to switch the clothes over to the dryer.

We enjoyed some balcony time until the clothes were finished.  The sun was shining and the seas were calm. I am SO loving our balcony on this cruise. Bob was in a hurry to get to the enrichment talk on "Jet Fighter Pilot Training" at 10 am. I didn't want to deal with wrinkles so I took time to fold and hang up my stuff before I went. I was missing one sock so on the way to the Club Fusion, I took a detour past the laundry room and there it was still sitting in the dryer.

I met Bob in Club Fusion (handy because it was just 3 floors below our cabin) for the talk on fighter pilots. Not necessarily an interest of mine but the speaker was excellent. (He was definitely a man of many talents we were to find out!)

Club Fusion isn't the greatest venue for a speaker,
but at least there are quite a few monitors to view the slides.

I left a couple of minutes early to get seats for Michelle and I for the crepe paper flower making class in the Michelangelo dining room. We sat next to a couple of friendly ladies and had a nice chat while we worked. 

Lunch was at the buffet with most of the other 3000 passengers it seemed. We had a little trouble finding a table, but the delicious BBQ ribs were worth the effort. 

The only afternoon activity we had saved on our schedule on the Princess app was Pictionary. It was being held in the Wheelhouse Bar at the opposite end of the ship. When we arrived the game had just started and we weren't really invited to join in. Jon went to the library next door and found another Pictionary game on the shelf so the four of us had our own little session...guys against girls. Michelle and I beat them by a LONG shot.

Later, when we arrived at the Botticelli Dining Room for dinner we had to inch our way through the crowd waiting outside to get a table. Again...it was so nice to just walk past everyone and through the door. By this point Pretty, the dining room hostess at the door, knew us and just smiled and said hello! We had arrived early with hopes of getting out in plenty of time to get seats in the theater but it took almost 40 minutes from the time we ordered before our appetizers were served. It was 6:40 pm when we left the dining room which is cutting it too awfully close to walk the length of the ship AND find seats when we arrived at the theater.

After the ship, Jon insisted he and Michelle have their photo taken by the ship's photographer.

And the day before Jon and Bob also had a photo taken (these guys are so silly). We discovered that by scanning your medallion on any of the video screens throughout the ship the photos would pop up!

Prior to the show, Holly (the cruise director) acknowledged that it was International Woman's Day and introduced the women officers on the ship. 

The headliner for the evening was singer Michael Washington performing songs from Ray Charles. During his show he went out into the audience and a lady named Alisha ran up to him and then wouldn't leave. She was obviously VERY drunk. When he went back up on the stage she followed him. He got her to go back off but then she returned again and wouldn't leave. He finally had to call for security to come but it took quite awhile before one of the stage hands came out and escorted her off the stage. I wonder if she will remember any of it happened in the morning. 😏

After the show we stopped into Club Fusion briefly to listen to the end of comic Mike Wilson's act and then ended our day as usual with cups of tea and cards at the buffet.