12/30–Sapphire Princess

We are up at a relatively normal time this morning, after sleeping really well straight through the night (well, with the exception of being woken up twice with the baby screaming across the hall).  The clouds are gathering outside, but we decide to try to walk anyway.  We make our half hour circuit alongside one of the canals that has a nice promenade running on both sides.  There are lots of people out running and walking, and using the exercise machines alongside the walkway – which gives us plenty of people watching opportunities as we walk.

We are ready for coffee now, but Tolido’s doesn’t open until 9:00 today, so we head back to the hotel to the coffee shop in the lobby.  But unfortunately they are not open because their system is down.  Bummer.  Upstairs we go, to hit the instant coffee we have brought with us as a back up (smart thinking!).  After showering and suitcase organizing, it is time for Tolido’s to open, so we wander over there for another great cappuccino.

The interesting thing about this place – besides the fact that it has great coffee and lovely, young servers – is that you have to make reservations to get a table.  It is this teeny little coffee shop with fresh cooked food – breakfast/brunch stuff – and it is crazy busy.  We are just lucky to get a table this morning since the 4 top in front of us was “granted” a table as long as they are out by 10:00 because it is reserved after that.  Amazing!

Duly caffeinated, we stroll back to the hotel, check out and grab a cab to the port. . 10 Singaporean dollars later (less than $8USD) we are deposited at the port facility and in the waiting lounge to board the ship.  Smooth as silk.

Let the people watching begin!  We are in Boarding group 1 with the suites and Elite group – we’ve finally risen to Elite status on Princess.  There is a little special area to wait – but it is full, so they show us to chairs right outside the “elite” area, but tell us we can get refreshments located inside the “elite” area.  Cool.  Well, cool with us.  Oh geez, the people who walk up and refuse to sit “outside” the elite area.  Really? Come on, it’s not even 10 feet away.  Too funny!

Boarding starts around 11:45, and we all shuffle through immigration, which is about as crazy as the airport immigration.  But they have these automatic machines, and one of the immigration officials takes a lady out of line and asks her to try it – saying if it works for her, we can all do it.  Yay! Shorter lines!  The automatic machine works for her, so we all go scooting over (and under the Disney-esque line place holders) to the automatic machine where I breeze right through, but Ed gets stuck because his fingerprint won’t work.  He gets shunted off into the exception line, and soon is free of immigration too.  Even with that little snafu, it was still totally quicker than the other lines.
Once onboard we go to our fantastic cabin!  E731 – last cabin on Emerald deck, a mini-suite with that awesome balcony that goes almost to the stern of the ship – and since we are under Dolphin deck, the balcony is covered.  Which comes in handy since it is pouring down rain outside!  But we can stand on the balcony and watch out over the storm totally dry.  Love this room!  Except for the fact that it brings back memories of my first Vasal Vagel incident – but otherwise – heck – it’s a great cabin!
Our bags come right away, so we are unpacked and organized really quickly. Then off to the Muster drill, and back to the cabin for sail away.  Nothing remarkable about the sail away except for the oil rig we pass on the way…

…then its out in the open ocean for our 2 days at sea before Bali.  Happy almost New Year!