ISLAND PRINCESS CRUISE TO ALASKA (GLACIER ROUTE) MAY 16 – MAY 23 (2018)…DAY 2
MAY 17 (Thursday)
0021 Wake up suddenly in the middle of a downpour. Proceeding to the balcony, I am amazed to see our huge vessel sailing underneath a series of power lines with the evergreened shoreline just a stone’s throw away. Bizarre…truly! Spend some time luxuriating in the unusual conditions, allowing the ship’s embrace to cradle me through another step in my sleep renewal. Woozy. Ultimately a return to the sheets for another stint of slumber.
0600 Get thy rear end out of bed, guy! This ship identifies as – in the company’s lingo – “Medallion Class”. One of the features of this designation happens to be an incredibly comfortable mattress. Yesiree. Mission accomplished. Deliciously soft. Visions of yours truly melting into oblivion. Yes, that describes the all-encompassing feeling. Wow!
0655 Head to the Bordeaux Dining Room for our first breakfast of the trip. All the accoutrements are available to accompany our entree – a scramble of Eggs & Swiss Cheese. Both of us happily indulge.
0820 Lazy ass morning and afternoon. Delighted to skip lunch. Kneading the palate or needing more sleep? Recuperation from sleep deprivation wins out.
1715 Onboard directions navigation prove challenging. Which elevator to use? Which hallway leads to our stateroom? On which deck is located the gift shops, La Patisserie, the Promenade, the Bordeaux Dining Room or the Provence Dining Room? Midships? Foreward? Aft? Yikes! Finally, we arrive at the Provence with altered dining arrangements already in place.
1720 We are seated at our table for two under the guidance of our assigned Head Waiter “Jako”, hailing from South Africa. His assistant, “Kervan” from the Philippines, introduces himself as well. Susie’s dinner selection is a Steak Medallions Entree and a Norman Love chocolate dessert. Bill chooses a pecan encrusted salmon fillet and a dish of homemade butter almond ice cream for the sweet asterisk. Couldn’t be finer!
1915 Susie and I choose our aisle seat in the Princess Theatre for our first production show of the cruise: ON THE BAYOU. No program here, folks, so a lot of estimating and approximating. Singers and dancers look to number about 14. Musicians add up to 7.
1945 Here’s the scoop.Technical accomplishments are certainly solid. Attractive scenic components (lots of hanging moss), the lighting plot is up to snuff, costumes are inventive and allow for quick changes and the sound design is lively, yet not overbearing. Pyrotechnics, also!
If an audience member wishes to hear any pop song having anything to do with New Orleans, the Mississippi region, etc., this is the place to be. Of course, there is a street funeral celebration, whorehouses in the Old Quarter, the shanty environment in the lowlands and Mardi Gras. Plus an assortment of city denizens appear and disappear: the society elite, the down-on-their-luck contingent, the gangsters, the shady ladies, and so on. Story fragments here and there, but there’s no cigar. The book of this musical entertainment is MIA. Only a lazy framework shows up.
Direction is competent as is the choreography. Talent is top notch as expected. Here’s wishing there exists a way for me to credit these performers, but no program credits or headshots are available. Love the musicians as well. The behind the scenes crew deliver a smart, professional production to a packed house of an estimated 750 passengers. (Just guessin’ on the number.)
2030 Mardi Gras retires for another day. Audience members appear to have been entertained. As we slough back to our stateroom, I ponder the creators’ decision to include “Love Potion #9” in the evening’s musical line-up. Bayou connection seems awful tenuous in this instance.
2052 Arrival at our pleasant stateroom “lounge” for reading and writing and the inevitable droopy eyes that accompany same. Quiet time on the balcony, too.
2200 Oh, sweet slumber!
Vacays…Port by Starboard (Oceans of Pleasure on the High Seas)
