Tuesday December 25th 2012
Merry Christmas everyone!
Weather - Fine & sunny 22C
We awoke to a clear blue sky followed by a brief period of thick fog & now clear & sunny again. This is great weather for scenic cruising as it was pouring rain last night. The first thing we saw was snow capped mountains (photos below), so it really is a white Christmas.
After a leisurely start and opening presents (yes Santa found us, photographic evidence to follow) we headed down to breakfast. All the staff are in the Christmas spirit & seem happy to be working. We had egg nog, fruit & poached eggs with asparagus. Lots of coffee to follow. Our water encouraged us to linger as he would not not need to reset table for more passengers. We then came back to our stateroom to grab cameras in readiness for another visit by Santa in the Atrium shortly. We have been told there are 400 children onboard, however you rarely see them so the 3 different age related kids clubs must be working well.
Well those 400 children are really showing their presence this morning. The Atrium on all three levels is a hive of Christmas activity. There is cookie decorating, carols & each age group category are performing songs. They all have hats on and come from every different ethnic background. Then the snowfall begins, flowing down from deck 7 through the atrium. Unfortunately my photos do not do it credit. Then comes the grand entrance of Santa & Pelican Pete! The kids just loved it & each child received a wrapped gift from Santa whilst every parent snapped lots of photos. We had a great spot up on deck 7 looking over the balcony, but out of the way of the children. Well done Princess Cruises, you made Christmas morning very special for everyone. I know my grand kids would have loved it :) Apparently the kids club still operates Christmas Day, so parents can still spend time with their children as well as have some quiet time.
Would. You believe it is just 11.15am & Mike just handed me a glass of ice cold NZ Sav Blanc? This could easily become a habit! We are now sitting on our balcony in glorious sunshine, not hot either ..... just perfect. The ship is barely moving (6knots) and the ocean is like glass. We have land on either side so plenty to see. Haven't spotted any seals yet .... Might need more wine!
This is a very stress free Christmas, the hardest decision is what to order off the lunch menu :) And speaking of lunch, it was much the same as every other day, great food but not really Christmas fare. Apparently dinner will be much more special. We had a seafood lunch (as per usual) of a fresh salmon sashimi & beer battered fish with coleslaw & a potato rostini. The fish was delicious.
After a brief wander we returned to our stateroom to soak up a little more sunshine and watch the scenery. By 4pm it was a little hot & the sun was coming right in so we closed the drapes & retired inside for a little rest, which turned into a nap. This is becoming a habit now, something I could get used to. It certainly helps to keep us awake later than we normally are.
Now we are. Back outside on the balcony, still a beautiful day & because we have now turned around to head back towards Wellington, our (port) side is shaded. So once again we are sipping a wine and watching the ocean pass by. I still can't believe how lucky we have been with the weather, especially today. The only time it has rained has been late evening or during the night. Every day ashore has been fine, if sometimes a little cool.
I am hoping we might get Internet service briefly as we near Wellington, however am not holding my breath. If so I will send this off, otherwise it will have to wait until 27/12 from Tauranga.
I see the hint worked!
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