Life Onboard

Ah, the sweet life. We had such a good time on the ship itself. With such a long time onboard, and such a great distance to cover (I think we covered around 5,000 miles!) we had many days that were simply "at sea," with no shore excursions. I didn't know what to expect from that time. Obviously they'd have a lot of things for us to do - but I wondered if we'd get a bit stir crazy on a two-week cruise.

I needn't have worried.

There was a lot of entertainment...



Soren particularly loved this drummer:



So much so that he asked me "Mom, is that God?" Um, WHAT?

I have to say that I was utterly bewildered by the question, but then I realized where it had come from. A few days earlier Soren asked if we can see God. I told him that when we see things that are beautiful or wonderful that some people say that that is like seeing God, because we are seeing God's work in the world. Yeah, I know, probably a bit esoteric for a 4-year old, but sometimes I just can't gloss over his more profound questions.

For Soren, the takeaway of my detailed explanation is that the drummer aboard the Star Princess is God. Way to go, Amy.

There was also an onboard Naturalist who told us details about the land and the animals we'd be seeing.



There was art to be viewed...



Michael Goddard was Soren's favorite artist in the gallery. I guess there is something about dancing strawberries and olives that really spoke to him.



Of course, the pools were always fun!



Though we did only use the outdoor pools (there was also an indoor pool) on the more northerly sections of the cruise. Around Cape Horn and the Falklands it was cold!

We played games with our friends. Yahtzee!



Thought deep thoughts...



Ate countless "high sugar treats."



Peter's bag did not actually arrive when promised. Our ship left port with Peter having only his 1.5 changes of clothes...and his new Levi's. Princess Cruise line was kind enough to give him a rental tux for formal night though. Doesn't he look handsome?



It was kind of fun to get all dressed up as a family.



The rental tuxedo, however, did NOT come with socks! Peter looked fabulous when he was standing, or hiding his feet under the dinner table. But while seated in the theater...this was the view! Niiiiice! It really makes me smile.



Soren really liked wearing a tie...



And often insisted on wearing it...even to breakfast.



Soren always looked forward to coming back to our room in the evening to discover what kind of candies Rico, our cabin steward, had left for us. When he left us heart shaped candies, Soren exclaimed "Mom! Rico left us candy hearts! I think he loves us!"



It wasn't all a life of leisure though. There were the challenging moments. You know, like when we had to improvise a way to open our Chilean wine after having forgotten to bring a corkscrew. This is Peter jamming the cork into the bottle with a knife...