March 27, 2024
Today was a sea day (meaning, no port stops). After breakfast (same oatmeal as every day), we had a 10am sushi making class. I was pleasantly surprised at how it turned out. Though my hand roll didn’t look quite as it should have, it was all delish: California hand roll, shrimp tempura & spicy tuna maki, and shrimp nigiri. I think we may need to do this more often at home. Time to plan a trip to Mitsua (Japanese market)!
TG and I hurried ourselves out right as we were finished eating so we could make it to the 11am art auction registration. None of us had ever been to an art auction before, so this was something brand new. For the most part, TG wanted to go for the raffle and I wanted to go for the free champagne. Ha ha ha. Trick was on me! I couldn’t get a glass of champagne to come my way for the life of me. On top of that, I ended up buying a print! I had to make an appointment at the gallery to get the shipping set up (and of course, for them to try and sell me more art).
Elouise came over to schedule my appointment, and I asked if she could send the champagne guy over, which she did. She also told me there might already be a bottle of champagne in my room. Incredulous I said, “What?! Why?” She said, “Because I already met you last night.” Well sure enough, there was a bottle of blanc de blancs (my favorite), two glasses, and a black envelope with an invitation addressed to Hubs and myself for a VIP art event. So, I guess we’re fancy art people now.
In addition to the bottle of bubbly, we had a new friend hanging out in our cabin, courtesy of our cabin steward, Jesmon.
The weather was warm and sunny, so I decided to spend a bit of time at the beach pool in the afternoon. I met Hubs up there and we chatted with some other passengers and got a much-needed vitamin D boost. If you’re wondering about the beach pool, it’s filled with (filtered) sea water. The salt content eliminates the need for chemicals. Around the pool is a gently sloping “shore” area where even the lounge chairs are a bit in the water. It’s like a big kid wading pool. The “shore” drops off into a 4ft deep pool. I was thrilled to sit on the edge of that pool and feel sunshine on my skin (through a generous layer of 50 SPF zinc oxide sunscreen).
Dinner was at Giovanni’s Table – one of the specialty restaurants on board, in Central Park. We all enjoyed our dinners, but I especially enjoyed my indulgent dessert: tiramisu (natch). While I was busy taking photos of my dessert, our waiter took my phone from me and snapped a family pic.
Coming soon – Day 5 in Jamaica: caves, culinary delights, and chaffering