Happy New Year's Eve 2023!

 January 1, 2024

I am writing this blogpost on Jan 1, 2024, but it's all about our fabulous New Year's Eve yesterday aboard the Majestic Princess on an at-sea day.  I'm happy to report we had no more medical emergencies requiring evacuating any passengers!

We had the 2nd of our two specialty dining dinners last night at "The Catch" by Rudi on Deck 7 midship.  It's a wonderful fresh seafood restaurant.

The Catch by Rudi

Dinner was early at 5:30 p.m. and the restaurant is open to the Piazza below that starts on Deck 5.  Because it was New Year's Eve, there was New Year's Eve headwear handed out as we entered the restaurant and the chef, Rudi, was offering every diner a complimentary glass of champagne.  We both also ordered a champagne cocktail from the bar that had a slice of apple floated in it.

The dinner presentation (all the courses) was elegant!  I had a giant shrimp cocktail on ice, served in an octopus-shaped silver bowl holder and Carl had the seafood tower.

Anne with giant shrimp cocktail

Carl and his Seafood Tower

For the main course I had the sea and shore (aka surf n turf) with a melt-in-your mouth filet mignon paired with a lobster tail and some asparagus - oh so good!  Carl got the fresh caught broiled swordfish, also with some asparagus and a cauliflower puree (that was served chilled).

We both ordered the triple chocolate mousse dessert that was plated to look like a face with the mousse slice as the nose, two mini brownies with white chocolate disks with raspberries on them for eyes, and then a solid white chocolate (dyed red) pair of lips and some red hearts on the plate!

Our Chocolate Mousse "face" dessert

Anne with her red chocolate lips

Carl - only has chocolate eyes for Anne!

We were stuffed after dinner and so just went wandering around the ship for awhile, and ended up at Effy Jewelers (again), so I could wish a happy new year to the folks there who made us some great deals on jewelry this week.  They urged us to come back at 8:15 p.m. for their nightly raffle drawing (every night of an at-sea day) for prizes for those who have bought something during the week.  I scurried back to our cabin to get my raffle tickets and came back and met up with Carl at a table (well just 2 chairs) overlooking the piazza on deck 7.  We ordered (non alcoholic) drinks and just sat and people watched for awhile.  This was our last formal night aboard ship for the cruise and because it was New Year's Eve, everyone was decked out in their really fancy duds.  We also stopped and got some formal portraits taken.  One of the benefits of the cruise package we have is that we can download copies of all the formal portraits that have been taken this week for free!  We also get 2 free printed photos!

OK, so at 8:15 we went back to Effy for the drawing.  I didn't win (this time) but, I got more jewelry.  I hemmed and hawed and thought about all the money we've already spent on jewelry for me this week, but the zultanite was really calling to me.  At the end, they made us a very good offer (because after tonight, they're packing up the zultanite for the rest of the cruise).  I am going to have so very many pieces of jewelry with special meaning and memories from this trip.  AND - I now have 2 more raffle tickets!!

By the time our jewelry sale was completed, it was time for the very special New Year's Eve show in the ship's theater.  It was a production number called "Fiera" and was loosely the story of a traveling carnival, where the carnival master's daughter fell in love with a 'townie' causing lots of strife for the dad/daughter.  In between, were the carnival acts/events - including a very clever approximation of a roller coaster ride!  It was colorful and musical and a wonderful production.

When the show ended, Carl took my new jewelry back to the stateroom to lock up and I told him I'd be somewhere on Deck 7 watching the New Year's Eve festivities gear up in the Piazza on Deck 5.

Lining up on Decks 6 & 7 above the Piazza 
for New Year's Eve

Getting the party started in the Piazza

Unfortunately, with the 'party' starting at 10 p.m. that meant we had 2 hours to kill before ringing in the New Year, and we couldn't just stay standing at the railing overlooking the Piazza for two hours! Carl's back wouldn't take it and neither would my knees.  So, we actually wandered all around Deck 6 and 7 looking in on other places that were doing a pre-New Year's celebration.  We went down to the Vista Lounge (usually reserved for playing bingo) and they had a singer and band (but it wasn't really my style of music - and there was nowhere to sit).  Eventually we ended up in the Double Down Bar on Deck 6 where the singer "a girl named Jake" was performing.  Carl has been down in this bar a few times on the cruise and heard her sing and said she was pretty good.  We actually found a place to sit and each ordered an alcoholic drink and just sat & relaxed for awhile.  Carl got Jackie to sing a special request: "Never Tear Us Apart" by INXS (was played at our wedding).  So special!

We left the bar around 11:45 p.m. and made our way back to the Deck 7 stairway to the Piazza for the great New Year's countdown.  It was packed!  People were all lined up at the railings overlooking the Piazza and we even stacked up on the staircases.  Still, we stood maybe two steps down from the top of the staircase, put on our funky 2024 glasses and cheered in the New Year with several hundred of our new 'closest friends'!

Happy New Year from the Crawfords!

After cheering in the New Year, I turned to Carl and said "OK - now it's time for bed!"  I am NOT a party animal!!  We went back to our cabin and collapsed into bed.  Here's to a happy, fulfilling, and adventurous 2024!!