All at Sea

Two years ago we sailed on the Regal Princess, one of the largest ships in their cruise fleet. This time we are on Pacific Princess, the smallest. She is an older ship, recently refurbished. There are definite differences between the two, and pros and cons to each.

Pacific definitely does not have the Wow factor of Regal. There is no full sized theatre, no giant outdoor movie screen, no golden staircase or glittering atrium. Everything is naturally smaller and there are fewer activities. This is not a ship for kids. On the plus side, we are never far from anything – getting around Regal was often exhausting! The food and service are both very good. Our cabin this time is larger and has a window, though the bathroom would still have trouble accommodating a swinging cat. We still have our daily trivia quizzes and nightly shows, and there is plenty to do during at sea days. The library is excellent, and there are plenty of small corners to curl up in. There are no real queues for anything. They still try to sell you a bunch of stuff that you don’t want or need.

The big downside is that our size means a lack of stability when compared to a bigger ship. Out in the open ocean, we feel the rolling and pitching. Luckily our cabin is on deck 4 and midships so not too bad; up in the lounges and restaurants, which are higher and either forward or aft, it’s very noticeable. Even with the small swells that we’ve had so far, we move around a lot and most passengers look like drunken sailors as they stagger down the corridors. I’ve been feeling a little bit queasy at times, though nothing really bad; but I will be happy to reach Iceland and calmer waters for a few days. Of course, the smaller ship can get into places that the bigger ships can’t, which is a major payoff.

Weather-wise, it is too cold to be out on deck, although some hardy souls are in the hot tubs. Our program today:

Sleep in – wake up just in time for the 9.30am Stretch class (Deb). Painful but left me feeling virtuous
Breakfast at the buffet
Sign up for the scavenger hunt, which involves collecting all sorts of articles, photos and information. A work in progress
Morning trivia – join our team mates and claim our second victory (ok we tied with another team) and a crappy prize
Laundry – wash and dry
Small lunch, followed by afternoon movie (Ian) and blogging (Deb)
Nap (Deb) while Ian pursues scavenger hunt items
Afternoon trivia – defeated
More blogging (Deb); exercise and nap (Ian)
Dinner
Bed

Yesterday I stayed on the cold, windswept top deck for the sailaway from Lerwick, and remembered what I like most about cruising. While it’s very nice being waited on hand and foot, and having three course meals every night, it’s actually the nautical stuff that I enjoy most; watching the jaunty green pilot boat pull up alongside, then chug ahead importantly to guide us out of the harbour, tooting its whistle three times and receiving three blasts from us in reply. Seeing the town from a beautiful vantage point. Watching the coastline slip away, and catching sight of a tiny lighthouse and natural stone arch under the cliffs. Admiring the gulls and gannets as they keep pace with the ship. Knowing that tomorrow morning we will wake up in Iceland. That’s the good stuff.