Saturday, March 30, 2024

Today was our first full day on the Sun Princess cruise ship, and it was a Sea Day in route to Gilbraltar, United Kingdom. All four of us were excited to explore this massive ship today and enjoy the amenities.

Andi and I decided we’re going to start taking better care of ourselves by using the gym everyday we’re on the ship. I haven’t lifted weights for nine weeks, so I knew the first few days were going to be rough as I got back into the swing of things. I also know it’ll get easier with each day. Hopefully by starting now we’ll have good habits established when we return home in a few weeks.

As part of our Princess Premier package, Andi and I have unlimited access to the classes offered in the gym. There’s stretch classes, yoga, pilates, cycling, and barre as well as various health seminars throughout the day. This morning, Andi and I lifted weights separately, and then joined in the stretch class afterwards.

After the gym, Andi and I joined Tory and Aden in our stateroom. The kids were just waking up for the day. We decided to have breakfast in The Eatery which is the ship’s equivalent of a buffet restaurant. At 9:30am, we arrived just as the staff was closing down the breakfast stations to prepare for lunch service. We were all able to find something to eat, but not exactly what I would have chosen given more options. In addition, all the tables were full and we had to wait for someone to finish their meal so we could sit down. Andi said The Eatery was too chaotic for him this morning, and we agreed that we need to have better timing when eating here in the mornings.

Tory and Aden were excited to go to the Neon Grove Tweens Club this morning, so after breakfast the four of us walked to that part of the ship to drop them off. Fortunately, they’re at an age where they can check themselves in & out of the Tweens Club as they like throughout the day. We have a family rule that if they leave, they can only come back to our stateroom (they can’t wander the ship without telling us), but Andi and I are also able to track their location on the ship using the Princess App.

Tory checked herself out of the Tweens Club mid-morning, and said there was a lively putting challenge happening in the hallway. She thought that was pretty comical.

Andi, Tory, and I spent time walking around the ship. There’s 18 decks and loads of entertainment happening on every level, so there was plenty to see and do. We walked by a paper airplane competition happening in the Piazza, live music, and games. Unfortunately, it was too windy today to be outside on the pool deck.

For lunch, the four of us ate at the Horizons Dining Room. This is the main dining room on the ship which has two levels of seating. The menu changes daily between breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

After lunch, we braved the cold weather on the outside deck to try sundaes from Coffee & Cones on Deck 17. We saw pictures of these decadent sundaes on the Princess Facebook page before we boarded the ship, and they are every bit as indulgent as we’d heard. Tory’s eyes lit up when the employee scooped layers of vanilla ice cream, brownie chunks, chocolate syrup, candies in a cup and finished the creation with a lollipop on top. Unfortunately, it was too cold to eat the ice cream outside so we moved indoors to a warmer location. The kids received lots of oohs & aahs from other passengers as they walked through the halls.

Mid-afternoon, Tory, Andi, and I hung out in our stateroom while Aden went back to the Tweens Club. Last year, Tory absolutely loved the kids programming on the cruise ship, but this year it appears she’s grown too old for it. She wasn’t interested in going back this afternoon to play games & do crafts with the other kids this afternoon. Aden, on the other hand, absolutely loves it there.

Andi, Tory, and I relaxed and watched half of the movie Legally Blonde on the TV. After traveling so hard for the past two months, it was really nice to sit on comfortable beds and relax as we watched the ocean pass by outside our balcony door.

For dinner tonight, we ate at the Americana Diner on Deck 8. Andi read about this restaurant on the Princess Facebook page, but it’s location is a bit hidden on the ship unless you know where to look for it. The American Diner is on the top floor of the main restaurant, Horizons Dining Room and the decor looks exactly like Horizons; the only difference is the menu. We were happy to have found a hidden gem on the ship! This restaurant wasn’t busy at all, and the food was excellent.

We ordered a plate of nachos, french fries, and the corn on the cob to share amongst the four of us. Andi and Aden shared the sticky pork ribs and the buffalo wings for their meal. Tory loved the macaroni & cheese, and my chicken was very good.

After dinner, the four of us made our way to the Princess Arena for the evening performance. Tonight, a Swedish singer performed classic hits from Billy Joel, Elton John, Queen, and others. He was a great artist, but I personally love the production shows more. Aden was bored fo the singing right away, and asked if he could go off to the Tweens Club.

A comedy show was happening in another part of the ship, but it was standing room only so we didn’t stay long. There was other music and games happening as well, but Andi, Tory, and I decided to go back to our stateroom instead. We finished watching Legally Blonde together before calling it a night.

Tomorrow is Easter & another Sea Day on the ship. There’s lots of activities planned for the holiday so it should be fun.