Punda, the heart of the old city is gaily lighted with reds, blues, and greens as dusk settles over Willemstad, Curaçao. We ate
another marvelous dinner on the ship and decided to just relax on the
ship and not go back into town. We later stood on the top deck taking in
one last view of the pretty city before going to the ship's theater and
watching another one of the great shows, the ship's
company version of “Motor City.” This time the dancers had a
flat, level stage to perform on! I still don't see how they do it in heavy seas!
We
headed back up top after the show to catch our last glimpse of
Willemstad as we cast off and headed toward our morning arrival in
near-by Aruba. This departure was quite different from our last port
departure on a Princess ship when we left San Juan on the Star
Princess some eight years before. On that trip, we were adjacent to
a Carnival Cruise lines ship that blared party music almost non-stop.
The Star Princess was comatose by comparison. When we finally slid
out of our berth late that night, it was if the Star Princess was
trying to slip out of a party without being noticed. While the
revelers next door waved goodbye, we slipped silently and morosely
out into the dark harbor. We nick-named that cruise the “Geritol
Cruise.”
This
one was different. We think it was the work of an energetic young
woman we met back on day one when I stopped her on a staircase and asked some inane question about the ship, like, where could I get
writing material. She cheerfully helped as much as possible, and
before being swept away by the throngs that surrounded her. It
turned out to be Lisa Ball, the ship's cruise director. The
“company” part of the cruise was really enjoyable because of her.
To me there are two main parts to cruising: the “natural”
part, ie, ocean, sky, weather, the enjoyment that comes without any
outside influence, and the “company” part, which includes music,
dancing, dining, and entertainment, the part that is supplied or
created by the ship. On the Star Princess, the “natural” part
was outstanding, the “company” part left a lot to be desired.
Not so on the Crown Princess, we enjoyed all parts of the cruise, and
even really didn't mind the rocking and rolling of the heavy seas. Part of the
experience.
The
good news was we enjoyed the “company” part of the cruise this
time as well, and the departure from Willemstad was a showcase for
Lisa Ball's efforts. A huge banner was hung across the top railings
of the pool deck that proclaimed “The Ultimate Deck Party,” which
usually is a warning for poor, loud music, and confused drinkers
who aimlessly wander around looking for something that vaguely looks like a party. This
one was a model for how to throw a deck party properly.
When
Lisa took the microphone on the deck below us (we stayed one deck above
the pool deck) and enthusiastically welcomed everyone to the
world's greatest deck party, we realized the group of young, good
looking people behind her were the ship's dancers who had changed
into casual clothes. Lisa started the dancing by encouraging
everyone around her to follow her lead. Soon the whole side of the
pool she was on was dancing in rhythm, clapping their hands and
really getting into the spirit of the party. As more and more
passengers joined in the dancing, more of the ship's dancers faded
away, and soon, the whole pool deck was a mass of dancing passengers.
Great stuff, lead by the assistant cruise staff who had stepped in
as lead dancers for the entire deck. By the time they got to the
conga line, by now with a live band, there were well over several
hundred passengers enjoying themselves. A great wrap up to a great
day. My wife and I ended up in a piano bar listening to really good
jazz and a great vocalist, the very things we missed on our last
trip. You couldn't tell we were under way as we quietly sailed
northward at 11 knots with trailing wind and a following sea. It is only 100
miles or so to Aruba. No rush, we would be there by 8:00am.
Both parts of the cruise were in harmony.
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