Panama Canal Cruise - Day 2-3 - At Sea - February 13-14, 2022

Our cruise started with two full days at sea.  Temperatures were a bit cool but the promise of warm weather was within grasp.  The days were spent getting to know the ship, catching sunrises, searching for the best spots to get good drinks, and enjoying good food.  Here is the sunrise from the first morning.

We stayed in room B749 on the Baja (11th) deck.  It is considered a Premium Balcony room.  What is really special about the room is that it is an aft facing room and the corner one on the Starboard side so the balcony is bigger and you can kind of peak around the side (although not completely because there is a fire/service stairwell between this room and the side of the ship).  Here is a video of the room.

Ships are not yet sailing at full capacity especially this cruise being on the downward trend from the height of the Omicron COVID peak, so the ship was a little quieter than it might normally be.  The Captain reported that we had 1,634 passengers on board (about 50 more passengers than the cruise before) with approximately 1,050 crew.  Double occupancy for this ship is 3,080 with a normal crew of about 1,200.  Here are a few photos from around the ship.

Skywalker's (a lounge on one of the top decks)

The back pool

The buffet

Movies Under the Stars - Everyone was focused on the Super Bowl pre-game show

Seating between the two middle pools

Salty Dog Grill

The Piazza (a three level atrium)

Crooner's Bar

The Promenade

lifeboats

Good Spirits at Sea Bar and the International Cafe

The International Cafe

Vines (wine bar)

Our first at sea day came the last of our COVID tests.  All Princess cruises, regardless of length require the COVID test within 2 days prior to embarkation, along with requiring vaccination (with very few exceptions) and requiring masks to be worn while indoors except while eating and drinking.  For cruises that were 15 days or longer (such as this one), we also had the COVID test at the port on embarkation day and a third COVID test 2-3 days in.  To discourage larger gatherings until after everyone had been tested three times, they did not allow people to sit up at the bars those first three days.  You could sit at a table in a bar or lounge.  They just didn't want the large group that might gather around the bar so close to the staff.

On Valentine's Day (the second at sea day), the moon turned red just before it dropped below the horizon before the sun rose.

We then went up on a higher deck to get a better look at the sunrise (and ran into my parents walking the jogging track).

A buffet breakfast (with a latte from Coffee & Cones) out on the pool deck where we could continue to watch the sun rise

Throughout the day, there were sightings of dolphins and whales.  I caught what I believe is a group of whales not too far off the back of the ship in the morning.  By the time I got my camera out, there were further away.

Valentine's Day was our first formal night.  I always really enjoy dressing up on cruises and had purchased some new dresses.  Unfortunately, the dress I wore this night was almost identical (just different neck line) to the dress worn by a woman at a table next to us at dinner.  How embarrassing!! ;)