From Rudolph to Nirvana

Day 63, Grand Asia 2017

Sunday, Dec. 3, 2017 – At Sea

We officially kicked off the holiday season tonight with a Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony, accompanied by holiday songs, cookies, hot chocolate and apple cider and even a little snow.

Passengers and crew packed the three-story atrium, where a train circled through a village of gingerbread and other culinary-decorated buildings.

The day started as a typical sea day as we head toward Fiji. I once again went to the late morning Sunday brunch. After the last brunch left me almost comatose for the rest of the day (too much food and mimosas), I limited myself to just a bite or two of the many samples of breakfast and lunch food. That was a good strategy. I spent some of the afternoon sorting through the many things that have cluttered my stateroom, scanning some documents and filling the paper-recycling slot on my trashcan.

Friends Lisa and Joyce joined me at happy hour in the Crow’s Nest, and we headed to an early and light dinner in the Lido, joined by Deborah. Much laughter ensued.

A small group of Māori descendants have joined the ship in Auckland, representing not only their ancestors but also those of many of the South Pacific islands. Today they gave a weaving lesson and demonstrated how to make island food in the test kitchen. We ate early so we could attend their Ocean Love Songs concert and shop at their cultural market before the tree lighting.

Katei, a young classically trained rock violinist from Australia, ended our evening of performances with a rousing concert. Those of us who love rock music loved every number, from Pachelbel to Sting to Nirvana. Later I overheard some passengers complaining about the rock numbers, but if they read the program they should have known this wasn’t going to be a staid evening.