Day 16 - At Sea

We woke up this morning to the ship rocking in the same 10-12 foot swells it left us in last night.

But this time, the ship's navigation channel told us the outside air temperature was only 52 degrees -- a 40 degree drop from the previous ports. A little extreme. And likely contributed to Emma getting sick a couple days after we got home.

After some breakfast, we went down the Princess Theater for a comedic culinary demonstration by the Executive Chef and Maitre 'D. Watching them prepare a caesar salad, pasta and tiramisu actually turned out to be pretty humorous.

The crew-produced show was followed by a stirring rendition of "My Way," sung by a member of the wait staff -- which closed the demonstration to a standing ovation.

Immediately afterwards, we were fortunate to be a part of a tour of the ship's main galley. The galley boasts 4,800 square feet of food prep space (or three times the size of our entire house). Crazy. Oh, and there's an escalator in the galley too.

The tour also included some fairly disturbing consumption facts. Like that 1,200 pounds of poultry are cooked. Daily. And that's along with 1,800 pounds of vegetables. Daily. Annnnddd 2,000 pounds of fresh fruit are served...alllll to amount to 60,000 dishes washed. Daily. To me, those are some pretty astounding figures.

We tried to walk around the Promenade Deck, but our tropical weather disappeared and was only replaced with 50 degree gale force winds...with large, loud swells. Not exactly great for walking. But on the after terrace of the ship, there was little wind -- which made relaxing a bit easier.

Throughout the cruise, the Cruise Staff held a series of "Amazing Race" competitions inspired by the reality show on CBS. Today was the finale -- which meant we watched as two elderly couples tried popping balloons stuffed inside sumo (wo)men outfits by jumping on one another. But only jumping one each other after they took the glass elevators to Deck 8, ran around Deck 8, then ran down the stairs to the bottom of the Atrium on Deck 5. All while fellow grandparents watched in shared shock and confusion.

It's a somewhat fantastically hilarious sight watching as somebody's grandfather yells to his wife (as he's dressed in a a sumo outfit), "Hit me!!"...and she proceeds to hit him with her boxing gloves-covered hands....right before she jumps on him while he's lying on his back in the ship's Atrium.

Later, with some free time (and no good weather to relax outside with), we went down to the Explorer's Lounge to watch the final art auction of the season. And while I doubt it was influenced by the flowing free champagne, we watched as a man confidently purchased a $20,000 Pablo Picasso sketch. We were shocked.

Did I mention that up in the Horizon Court this afternoon was the dessert buffet? Basically, you could have any dessert you wanted -- they were all lined up for your taking. So Emma made me take a plate so we could collectively have as much as possible. Gluttonous...

For our final (spoiled by the dessert buffet) dinner:

Emma

Appetizer: Watermelon and feta

Salad/Soup: Caesar salad

Main Course: Linguine with clams

Dessert: Love Boat Dream

Ryan

Appetizer: Shrimp cocktail

Salad/Soup: Grilled vegetables

Main Course: New York strip steak

Dessert: Sweet mud pie

As we wrapped up dessert, the lights dimmed and members of the waitstaff gathered for the presentation of the Baked Alaska -- a dessert and Princess staple -- parade. It wasn't as visually impressive as it could've been if the desserts had a real flame, instead of a battery-powered light, but the thought and attitude of it all was great.

After dinner, we caught a showing of "It's Complicated" -- which was actually funnier than I thought it would be. But it was more interesting listening to 600 audience members laugh hysterically at parts of the movie I didn't necessarily find all that funny. Age gap I suppose.

Wrapping up the night, we walked down to the Universe Lounge and caught a few songs by the Princess orchestra doing some standards as a part of the Ballroom Blitz show.

Which was followed by Princess Pop Star -- a version of American Idol at sea. We stayed for 2 1/2 of the 6 final contestants. The 1/2 was the nail in the coffin and signaled our escape. Really, really bad. Just awful.

Photos from the Day

Tomorrow: Los Angeles

Day 15 - Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Today's wake-up call came at 4:45 a.m. Holy crap. Out on deck, it's so dark and void of activity.

Even while in the buffet, where we're getting an early breakfast, we were suddenly the only living things under the age of 70, walking around this 90,000 ton empire.

As we eat our breakfast, we're actually still en route to Cabo San Lucas -- where we'll be for around 6 hours or so.

Similar to Fuerte Amador, Cabo is a tender port -- meaning we take a small boat from our anchored ship to the port -- about a 20-minute ride each way. Little did we know this ride would be among the highlights of the day.

We were asked to meet with our tour group in one of the lounges downstairs at 6:30 a.m. -- which was a bit odd considering we wouldn't really be anchoring until 7:00 a.m.

Shortly after arriving in the lounge, we stepped out onto the floating dock where we were board the tender. And the view was simply amazing. The ocean below us was a bit chopping, but the sunrise in front of us was gorgeous. On the horizon, visible rays were shooting out from behind the sun. The photos below aren't retouched -- I didn't change any colors or balances.

Twenty-minutes later we stepped from our tender, took a few steps on the Cabo pier, and then stepped aboard a yacht for a ride around El Arco de Cabo (Los Arcos) -- a distinctive rock formation at the southern tip of Baja California. You recognize it in photographs, but it's exponentially more impressive in person.

So tall, such texture in the towering formations, the smooth beaches, the pelican and sea lion colonies.... and of course, the way the ocean reacts when the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific Ocean. In a word: angry.

Once our yacht turned around the tip of Baja California and into the Pacific Ocean, large swells rocked our 30-foot yacht pretty royally. And for 5-minutes (that felt like hours), I felt terribly sick and Emma felt terribly anxious. I was going to throw up, and Em was going to march up to the captain and tell him to "go faster." And suddenly, he turned around and all was well. And we felt stupid... kind of like the guys in the plane scene in "Almost Famous."

Once we returned to the harbor, we took some taxis to Baja Cantina -- a private beach overlooking the harbor and Los Arcos in the distance. Our package included lunch and beach-side relaxing.

There was literally a roped fence around the resort area -- which designated where vendors were allowed to be. So when we arrived, vendors blocked our oceanview with trunks full of sunglasses, bracelets, and wood carvings.

After a few morning hours in the sun, we ventured into the Sea of Cortez for a swim. And were immediately shocked by how cold the water was -- definitely a good 10-15 degrees colder than the water in Huatulco.

After dragging Em into the water -- under her shoulders -- it wasn't so cold anymore; instead, it was quite refreshing. But even if the water wasn't nice, we would've forced ourselves into the water -- after all, after swimming in the Caribbean, the Gulf of Alaska, and the South Pacific, we had to go for a dip in the Sea of Cortez.

Today's excursion also included a beach-side lunch -- so we ordered a few steak tacos and a plate of chicken nachos. It was so fresh with so much color. And free to boot! ...and that makes everything taste better.

Our solitude was interrupted a bit by our fellow passengers -- who were all Canadian, and all wanted (for some odd reason) wanted to buy anything from any passing vendor. So, in front of us for most of the day, stood a sea of white-collared vendors. Oh!...And Los Arcos too...

Today's vendors had a few new catchphrases -- of course, the standard "Lady!" and "Special deal for the honeymooners!" were present. But new in Cabo were "Buy now, pay later" -- just to let you know they take credit cards -- and the new one, "Almost free!" But when I asked how free was "almost free" (is a penny free??) the vendors got upset and kept walking. Oh well..

As we stood in line waiting to catch a tender back to the ship, we were both surprised by the size of the Federale's guns. Seriously. They looked like toys.

A little after 3:00 p.m., we pulled anchor from Cabo and began our trip North toward Los Angeles. And immediately as we made the turn across the tip of Baja, we were met with gale-force winds again. White caps across the ocean and nautical flags which are so wind blown it looks as if they have too much starch in them means it'll be a rocky night. Which is unfortunate especially since tonight is our last formal night.

Like we said before, tonight was the itinerary's last formal night. But since we had breakfast at 5:00 a.m., lunch at 10:00 a.m., and second lunch at 2:00 p.m., our dinner may have been a bit spoiled.

Emma

Appetizer: Caesar salad

Main Course: Lobster tail with shrimp prawn

Dessert: Carrot cake

Ryan

Appetizer: Peach mango cold soup

Main Course: Beef wellington tenderloin

Dessert: Chocolate pudding pie

As we walked out of the dining room, we hung out in the Atrium for a bit for the Captain's Farewell message -- which was all of "Thanks for joining us on an epic journey from East to West Coast" in a broken Italian accent.

Here, we also learned that the ship's miles per gallon were an industry-leading 35 feet per gallon. But then again, we also weighed more than the average SUV...and carried around 3,000 more people than the everyday vehicle. Across the cruise, we collectively consumed over 10,000 bottles of beer, 4,000 wine bottles and 6,500 pounds of self-serve ice cream.

After dinner, we saw a comedian who evidently has a pilot airing on Fox in 3 months. But if his 45-minute show is indicative of his upcoming sitcom, his Jersey-boy comedy will quickly fall short.

Following his act, we walked down midship to watch 3 couples participate in the Not-So-Newlywed Game. One couple, who were married over 20 years, knew nearly nothing about one another. Very sad.

But we left encouraged by the coupled married 40 years who knew each other without flaw. Oh, they also compared their love life to the energy of Superman.

Nineteen hours after waking up, we decided we'd had enough activity and went to bed.

Photos from the Day

Video from the Day

Tomorrow: At Sea

Day 14 - At Sea

For the past week and a half or so, we've had high, heavy humidity coupled with high temperatures -- giving us that wonderful "I'm melting" feeling.

Once we left Costa Rica for Mexico, the climate and surrounds changed -- from lush green and sticky to dry heat and brown hills.

Now, as we sail from Acapulco to Cabo San Lucas -- located at the southernmost tip of Baja California -- out on deck, we're experiencing the coolest weather thus far. It's overcast, very windy and hasn't yet broken 80 degrees.

As we lay by the pool, the wind makes it a bit difficult to read as our pages are being flipped by the wind faster than we can read the words on them.

We realized earlier that between our Alaska cruise last year and this Central America venture, we've spent nearly a month at sea (23 days) just in the last year. Craziness.

Tonight was the Chef's Dinner -- with items created uniquely by the Executive Chef -- Chef Nilo -- and created specifically for our itinerary.

Emma

Appetizer: Goat cheese souffle

Salad/Soup: Boston lettuce salad

Palette Cleanser: Strawberry sorbet with lime

Main Course: Rack of lamb

Dessert: Menage a' trois with amaretto ice cream

Ryan

Appetizer: Goat cheese souffle

Salad/Soup: Mushroom soup with tomatoes

Palette Cleanser: Strawberry sorbet with lime

Main Course: Braised pork tenderloin

Dessert: Menage a' trois with amaretto ice cream

At dinner, we sat near a nice couple from Toronto who had a strong interest in all things California -- our failing economy, fickle weather, etc. The California Tourism Board would be proud.

After dinner, we picked up some drinks and headed back to an absolutely packed Universe Lounge for a juggling comedian named Dan Bennett. For me, running on the treadmill was hard, so I can't imagine what it's like to try and juggle on a bouncing ship. His jokes may have been a bit crude for the audience, but his hand/eye coordination was impressive.

While swimming in Huatulco's ocean, we saw some terraces on the aft of the ship. So part of our lazy day included finding the portal to these not-so-available balconies. At the back of the ship, these terraces are found on most decks and feature ample space for a lounger, plus a great view of the ship's wake. Very quiet and relaxing.

It's just a shame it took us 12 days to find a great, private corner. Nevertheless, I'm sure we'll be heading to the aft terrace to read -- after all, it's void of old men in speedos to seem to be absolutely unashamed of all things body-related. And surprisingly, these aft terraces are only featured on Island and Coral Princess -- the other 15 Princess ships don't have them. Kinda strange.

Photos from the Day

Tomorrow: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Day 13 - Acapulco, Mexico

So I'm currently sitting in the Acapulco port terminal before we board the ship after a day in the city. Emma is finally talking to Marina on a nice long distance call, and while I sit here, my shirt is drenched with sweat. I feel disgusting.

Today's Monday -- and it is today that the residents of Acapulco are celebrating Mother's Day -- or at least that's what all the street vendors are telling us. Not quite sure if they're telling the truth or if they're just trying a new angle to increase sales.

From the ship, Acapulco looks impressive -- hilltop resorts, inviting water and boats galore. But it isn't until after you step across the secure port border that you're attacked by cabbies and "government paid" tourist guides. I'm still not sure which guides were actually sponsored and which were impostors.

We made our way along the harbor shoreline -- past the fisherman fileting this morning's catch near the sidewalk. Each tourist-looking couple we passed along our way said the same thing: Not much to see here. The alternative being paying to watch a lunatic diver jump off a cliff.

So instead, we walked near downtown -- with a pseudo government-sponsored (maybe) guide wouldn't leave our side -- to the Old Market.

The market seems to be one big cooperative with store owners helping in other's stores. As we walked from booth to booth, the owner would turn on the lights and the fan to make sure we were comfortable -- so we'd spend as much time there as possible. And as we walked out, off go the lights and fan. In one store, we were admiring a wood-carved bowl which appeared to be hand-painted and glazed. We started at $75, got it down to $25 and then walked away wondering how much the bowl was actually worth.

We picked up some maracas for Cole and Braydon -- because Sara and Jeremy explicitly asked for a very loud and annoying toy for the boys. <--- sarcasm

After the shopping spree, we headed down to Fuerte de San Diego and museum -- only to find out it was closed on Mondays. Neat.

Did I mention Em did her best to blend into the Mexican culture today -- my petite white girl with the blonde hair wearing a new white dress we bought in Fuerte Amador. My all white companion...

The downtown cathedral is small but vibrant. When we arrived, mass was being held so we quietly observed the ceremony without taking photos or video. Which is a bit of a shame seeing how beautiful the interior of the dome was.

Today was also a change for us. While walking through Cartagena, Em was called "Lady" while bracelets were being thrown at her. But here in Acapulco, the sales pitch changed to "best price for the honeymooners." Oh silly street vendors, how you slay us...

Even though we're only a couple hundred nautical miles from Huatulco, it's amazing to see the difference in cultures. There's of course the Mexican standards (cuisine, music, colors, etc.), but Huatulco was more of a small-town feel. Which we absolutely preferred.

Back on the ship, we somehow managed to take a nap before the Italian-inspired dinner in the dining room.

We arrived at the dining room a little later than usual, so we didn't have our normal wait staff. Instead, we were assigned Jorge -- who would give us a menu -- but then tell us "No, you don't want that. You want this instead." Okay Jorge..

Emma

Appetizer: Eggplant Parmesan

Salad/Soup: Minestrone vegetable soup

Main Course: Pot roast / shrimp to share

Dessert: Tiramisu and rouleau to split

Ryan

Appetizer: Nippy peach soup

Salad/Soup: Minestrone vegetable soup

Main Course: Fish saltimboca and fettuccine / shrimp to share

Dessert: Tiramisu and rouleau to split

I wish I could tell you the dishes' exact names...but Jorge's method didn't really allow for it.

We sat next to an older couple who had sailed with Princess 11 times -- and with an August Alaska trip planned. Watching them interact was great fun -- listening to the wife tell her husband he needed to finish his potatoes and take another bite of his salmon before he could have his Love Boat Dream dessert.

Tonight was also "Island Night" on the top pool deck -- where grandparents take their shirts off, drink alcohol from neon glasses and dance to the macarena without abandon. Which is a trainwreck to watch, but still impressive to see that many people all having fun at the same time. Especially when one of the games that night was called "Chunky Hunky Man" or as we know it: musical chairs.

Walking back to our room, we encountered one Asian lady who may have purchased every pool toy available... as she carried them back to her room. If anything, it was funny. At least it was that night. Very random. Especially since we never saw anybody in the pools with pool toys.

Photos from the Day

Video from the Day

Tomorrow: At Sea

Day 12 - Huatulco, Mexico

We pulled into Huatulco (pronounced Wah-tool-coh) a little before noon -- an hour earlier that our itinerary suggested. And that was nice, especially considering the call was only a few hours anyway.

When we walked outside, one thing was immediately clear. Gone was the constant, heavy humidity of the previous 11 days. Now, in our first of three Mexican ports, the very dry heat was here.

The small town of Huatulco is expected to be the next Acapulco -- which, as we would find out the next day -- would be pretty upsetting. For now, it's a quaint port, and full of the Latino culture. It's almost like a Mexican version of Venice -- with water taxis and canals galore.

We walked the small shop circuit, avoiding the men without boundaries who only want to pull you in to make eye contact.

After picking up a few souvenirs -- including some colorful and festive decorative plates for the backyard -- we headed down to the soft, sandy beach at the front of town for a quick swim.

The water was extremely warm (we'd later find out back on the ship that it was 88 degrees warm). It wasn't the cool retreat we really wanted it to be -- in fact it was almost like looking around to find the kid peeing as he's swimming past you, only to realize, nope, it's just that warm here.

It was a little strange walking around -- especially just outside the secured port -- and passing Policia Federal armed with rifles that just didn't look real. But it should be said that we never encountered any violence currently associated with vacationing in Mexico. None.

Until we arrived that day, we were considering a mountain bike excursion that visited the big three bays of Huatulco. But after getting slapped around with the heat, there was no way we were voluntarily paying to exercise. Not that day.

Looking back, Huatulco is one of our favorite ports. It was different, it was a pleasant change, and it wasn't too busy. It was nice and relaxing. Quaint and funny -- especially when the trumpet in the mariachi band wasn't able to hit that high note in "Tequila!"

For dinner:

Emma

Appetizer: Crawfish pastry

Salad/Soup: Thai chicken soup

Main Course: Beef tenderloin

Dessert: Vanilla souffle with Lady Godiva cream

Ryan

Appetizer: Fresh mozzarella and tomatoes

Salad/Soup: Potato and ham soup

Main Course: Tilapia

Dessert: Oreo and peanut butter chocolate pie

Later that night, we tried watching "Avatar" in our stateroom (there was no way were spending 3 hours downstairs in the Theater) -- but couldn't help finding blatant comparisons to Pochahontas and Dancing with Wolves. Especially on our 17-inch screen. Oh....and what's up with the weird beastiality thing in that movie? Weird, right?

Photos from the Day

Video from the Day

Tomorrow: Acapulco, Mexico

Day 11 - At Sea

After spending 8 hours in the heavy, hot and humid rain forests of Costa Rica, a sea day is a nice break. No obligations or early morning meeting places for the day's excursions.

Instead, we wake up whenever we want and take our time doing everything and anything -- whether it's a long shower, a no-hurry lunch from The Grill or reading poolside.

Today, as we sail past Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras we plan on doing just that -- nothing.

We actually won't arrive in tomorrow's port, Huatulco until around 1:00 p.m. tomorrow -- maybe sooner if the Captain "floors it."

In all directions around the ship, only blue ocean is visible. But back at the mid-ship pool, we find natural wonders of the "at sea."

Men and women with no shame, bright red bellies, gorilla-like back hair and some of the uglies hats known to man.

It doesn't make it better that the pool is "endless" -- there's a 2-foot high wall around the perimeter of the pool so water doesn't escape during rough seas. But that also means when we look up from our reading, we watch as a large man moves from lying down in the 1-inch water around the pool and slowly executes a not-so-graceful turn into the pool itself. Very Discovery Channelesque.

After a Horizon Court dinner (remember, today's a day of no obligations, so dinner's included in that thought), we went downstairs for a comedy/magic show in the Universe Lounge.

The entertainer said if the magic trick didn't work, it's suddenly the comedy portion of the show. Hmm. Despite all his tricks, his routine was pretty elementary... and boring.

Photos from the Day

Tomorrow: Huatulco, Mexico

Day 10 - Puntarenas, Costa Rica

We pulled into Puntarenas, Costa Rica -- the actual port was called Caldera -- around 5:00 a.m. this morning. Today's call is actually pretty long -- 14 hours -- and that's mainly because very little is actually in the port city.

Our excursion today, for example, was a 2-hour bus drive away. The end destination? An aerial tram ride, walking tour and lunch in Costa Rica's tropical rain forest.

Our young tour guide, Joseph, was impressively sharp. Very well spoke, better educated, and a passion for his country that was unmatched.

Listening to his commentary as we drove, we learned about the country's deep pride and commitment to itself. They pride themselves and exporting better tasting coffee than the nearby Colombia (which is true, their coffee is fantastically-smooth), being labeled the "happiest people" in the world by a CNN study, and being ecologically-friendly in any circumstance -- they (as a majority, of course) actually volunteered to pay nearly $7/gallon of gasoline being imported from Venezuela than harm their own coastal reef in search of its own resources.

This same though extended to the aerial tram itself. The tram soars over 1,000 feet above the ground -- and if stepped back you could see the tram's structure were built in a natural valley, not one carved about the by company. Further, the peace and natural sounds of the rain forest itself aren't ruined by engines operating the trams. Instead, the tram ride is functioning completely silent. They mentioned that rather than ruin the vegetation with construction road up the mountain, in its initial building stages, the company opted to install the tram towers via helicopters -- lowering each tower down into place.

Each of the aerial gondolas seated 8 passengers (which were distributed by weight... a little weird, but understandable) along with a tour guide, seated in the bag who gave commentary on what you were seeing and pointing out any wildlife that you might normally miss.

Along our 40-minute flight, we were fortunate enough to see a wide variety of butterflies, hummingbirds, waterfalls, streams, "old growth" vegetation -- which is thicker than most rain forests, wild turkeys, alligators and tucans who liked "kissing" each other -- and all without ruining their native habitat. Unfortunately, because we're in their home, they were either too far away, too quick, or blending in too well with their surroundings for us to actually get a photo of them.

As you're sitting in the gondola, (look up, look out, look down and repeat) you're overwhelmed with green. It's everywhere, in different shapes and sizes. And for a moment, a caught myself wondering when we'd see something different -- you know, to break up the green forest we were sailing over. But I had to remind myself that this was some garden with colored flowers and bright trees placed for variety. This was the rain forest in its purest form. Idiot...

Later, Em and I were talking about how attractions like Disneyland's "Jungle Cruise" are so dominate in our minds it makes it a bit difficult to differentiate between a man-made forest attraction, and the original. Yes, we know one is real and one is built over an orange grove, but it's almost like we had to force ourselves to be impressed by the Costa Rican version. So sad.

Everyday, we like to sit back and boast to ourselves where we've been thus far. Yeah, I'm checking email from Costa Rica, sorry, service was a bit sketchy in Cartagena, and not much better in Panama. And in our fantasy bragging, we realized that even though these countries are culturally very different, their stances on social classes are actually pretty consistent.

Today, as we traveled away from Puntarenas and closer to the city of Jaco (where our rain forest adventure began), you noticed as real estate billboards stopped reading "Se Vende" and started reading "For Sale" -- basically the acknowledgement that wealthy Americans were seeking retirement homes in foreign countries.

After our aerial tram, we walked on the ground -- a different view of the same forest. Passing by colorful ginger and oregano plants, and not-so-colorful cocoa and coffee varieties, we also manages to stay away from the snake exhibits.

The last part of our excursion was an outdoor buffet lunch -- with this amazing chicken, fresh pineapple (did you know Costa Rica exports more pineapple than Hawaii does?), and chilled drinks.

Upon our return back to port, we walked the volcanic black sands of Costa Rica's beaches and perused the selection at the local flea market.

A somewhat comedic sighting on our walk up the pier to the ship -- a series of speaker rocks playing some flavorful Costa Rican music. Seeing a rock-shaped speaker, sitting on a concrete-coated pier, with wires hanging off the edge made us smile -- we were happy they tried to make us feel welcome, but laughed at the foreign placement of all these rocks.

Back on the ship, and after cooling down with those frozen towels, we returned to the main dining room for dinner:

Emma

Appetizer: Calamari

Salad/Soup: Beef and vegetable stew with empanadas

Main Course: Braised oxtail with pasta

Dessert: Apple strudel

Ryan

Appetizer: Calamari

Salad/Soup: Frozen melon trio soup

Main Course: Beef stroganoff

Dessert: Almond toffee with chocolate chips

You'll note we both had the calamari appetizer -- we both love fried calamari. But to our surprise, this dish wasn't fried -- so on our plates were squid tentacles, plain and simple. Not bad, just different.

We pulled out of Costa Rica a little after 7:30 -- and marking the first time we were joined in port by another cruise ship. Which is a bit strange since during our Alaska trip, there were always a minimum of three ships in port at one time.

After grabbing some mochas from the bartender in the Atrium unabashedly singing Elton John's "Your Song" ("I hope you don't mind! I hope you don't mind!" ...no other lyrics, just those.), we found ourselves relaxing out on the Promenade Deck as the ship's wake washed in the background.

Photos from the Day

Video from the Day

Tomorrow: At Sea

Day 9 - At Sea

Every night after dinner, we receive a 4-page document called the Princess Patter -- it's basically an outline of all the activities available on the ship for the next day.

The usual content often includes some background about the next port, how we'll be sailing there, the entertainment line-up, special activities, etc. But last night, the note from the ship's navigator was a bit interesting. It encouraged us to look from the side of the ship, as we sail, for birds diving into the water for fish. The name of the birds? Brown Boobies...

As we read that one little paragraph, we hoped it was a misspelling... I mean, come on really-important-science-researchers! You couldn't give it another name??

Today has been a lazy day thus far. Reading by the pool, having lunch by the pool, watching a crew member carve a fish out of an ice block, grabbing some blended drinks in the Atrium and now, relaxing..again.. but this time on the Promenade Deck. There's a nice breeze and a great horizon view.

Tonight was the second formal night on the itinerary. But to mark the occasion, we dined at one of the ship's two specialty restaurants -- Sabatini's.

Sabatini's is a separate venue all in itself -- from Italian-inspired decor, extremely attentive waitstaff (you could tell these guys were hand selected for this job), not to mention a huge 6-course feast.

The waiters were great the entire night. Everything from offering "freshly-squeezed water from Alaskan glaciers," -- which as a joke is probably funnier on Alaskan cruises, but it still worked -- to one Romanian waiter saying "holy moly guacamole" for occasions that might not have called for that phrase, to calling each other gigolos, to kissing the hands and and hand-serving bites of ladies' meals at the nearby table. It was just a really fun, relaxed atmosphere.

And the food? It's not your Olive Garden, generic Italian food from back home. With hundreds of Italian crew members onboard with you, this was an authentic, Italian meal made from only the freshest ingredients. And you could tell.

They gave us a menu when we sat down, but told us shortly after that we would only be ordering a main dish and dessert for ourselves. Everything else was already ordered for us... if only we knew..

First, we were served a sample platter of cold appetizers (peppers, mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, artichoke hearts, shrimp, anchovies, prosciutto, etc.). The second course, hot appetizers, included crab cakes, ricotta cheese, calamari, zucchini and 3 slices of artisan pizza.

So by this time, already not knowing what was still ahead of us, we were a little stuffed, but diving into this selection. Really.. how often do you get to have all of this food, that you've never really had before...in one sitting?

The third course was pasta. The Barton family loves pasta, but not as much as the carb-loving Godwin side of the family. So this course was a bit of heaven.

Here, we enjoyed ravioli with goat cheese and truffles (which was, dear Lord amazing) and egg noodle pasta with a wine sauce, which was reduced over a two-day process.

Fourth course was soup or salad -- we both chose soup -- and sampled some minestrone and seafood options. Again, amazing.

And finally! We're sitting there waiting for our main courses, looking at each other and not really knowing how we're going to eat a main dish and a dessert to follow. So we tried to just sit and let some time pass, enjoying our window view. And all of 3 minutes later, our dishes arrived. For me, a Chilean sea bass, and for Em, lobster tail.

Finally, we capped off our night with some amazing tiramisu (which our waiter called tira-miss-me) and white chocolate mousse and limoncello.

We said "amazing" a lot during this meal. So yes, completely stuffed.

The specialty restaurants carry a $20 cover charge (per person), and it was well worth it. It's not just a different place to eat, it's a completely different experience... and actually a completely separate galley from the main dining rooms.

After dinner, we stopped by the Universe Lounge to see a production show starring Adrian Zmed (of TJ Hooker and Grease II "fame"). We saw a good 3-minutes of the same show during our trip to Alaska -- but after just 2 minutes of the same show this night, we remembered why we walked out of it eight months earlier. It's just not fun watching a former television "not-really-a-star" on stage, out of breath, tone deaf, drinking from a water bottle and talking about his career. So sad.

Photos from the Day

Tomorrow: Puntarenas, Costa Rica