12) First Full Day on the Island Princess @ Sea

First full day on the Island Princess @ Sea

It was a day filled with new impressions and frustrations, too.

The ship felt crowded; there were lots of people everywhere.

Waiting seemed to be part of the first day. Even in the public restrooms were lines where people had to wait.

4-Level Atrium With 2 Glass Elevators

It took a while to get the layout of the ship into our heads. Time flies when everything you see is new. We explored the ship from breakfast until late afternoon, trying to remember where everything was, where the ‘action’ was during the day.

The ship is ‘obsessed’ with hand washing, not touching this, not touching that. Hand sanitizers are everywhere. Handshakes are discouraged. Some people recommend touching the door knobs with paper towels. We had to wait for dishes and utensils to be handed to us in the cafe, the lines were long, the buffet was crowded.

One of the 2 Pools With Hot Tubs

I am not kidding. It seemed to me like a phobia. I guess the flu outbreak on the previous voyage led to this.

Everything went ok for a while until dinner time came and we wanted to go for dinner. We had signed up for the ‘Any Time’ Dining Room and got there around 6.30 PM. The lineup was long and people were bumping into each other. I guess everybody decided to eat around 6 PM. There was no room left to sit in the dining room and the waiting line was not our cup of tea. We waited for 20 minutes in line but then went to the café, a few floors up where it was self-service like a buffet.  The food was ok, but the atmosphere was like a cafeteria. 

Another Pool With Hot Tubs

We ate and then decided to spend the evening at the theater to hear a singer who was scheduled to be on stage. When we got there, there were no seats available, the theater was packed. 

We left the theater because there was no room for us and went to a bar that featured a Canadian comedian, who was supposed to be very good. When we got to the bar, there was no room to sit. Not even at the bar itself. The place was packed.

So we struck out at dinner, at the theater and at the bar.

3 strikes and you are out……………. we went to our room and watched TV.

(I normally never watch TV; it was an experience for me)