Dominica Dropped From Our Cruises in January

We knew it was a probability.  We knew it was coming.  But it was still sad to see the emails today from our travel agent - Best Price Cruises - informing us that there was an itinerary change.

We are sailing on the Royal Princess for four legs starting January 19.  

Originally we were to visit Dominica on three of the four cruises.

map still shows Dominica

Currently for the January 19th sailing Dominica is replaced with St. Kitts.  Ironically originally we were to dock in St. Kitts, but they changed the itinerary a while ago to Dominica.  


Currently for the January 29th sailing Dominica is replaced with Martinique.

map still shows Dominica

Our February 8th sailing has no changes.

Currently for the February 18th sailing Dominica is replaced with Martinique.

map still shows Dominica

We are looking forward to visiting Martinique.  We have never been to Martinique and I can't wait to explore it some more.  Also to use my French.

Do you have any recommendations for Martinique?  

But ultimately we are sad that we won't be stopping in Dominica.  The island really needs our dollars to help them.  

Get Agencies to Send You the Best Price for Your Cruise

As many of you know I love to cruise. But to be able to cruise as often as we do I need to find deals. 

When we first started cruising we came across Cruise Compete which is a site where you put in your information for which cruise you are looking at booking and then cruise agencies come back and send you cruise quotes with their best price. 

This is how we initially found Best Price Cruises and have used them for pretty much all our cruises lately as they always had the best price.  

Last cruise a couple told me they had used Cruise Compete and I thought I should check them out again.  So when we started looking at prices for our next cruise I went back to Cruise Compete.

You need to create an account and then put in which cruise you are looking at and what type of cabin. Very quickly you will get quotes sent to you and notification in emails of a new quote. 

Then you have to weed thru the offers. Which I will add is convoluted and I always have to have a pad of paper and I make notes on the paper about each agency and what they are offering.  Make sure to note if there are on board credits offered, what category they are referring to and what it includes like port charges.

If you find something you like click on their link to the deal and also make note of the Cruise Compete deal # - usually found at the bottom of that quote.  The picture shows what one of the quotes look like from a cruise I looked at.

For this quote I clicked on the link and the price was right but when I wanted to book it, it kept asking for credit card information and I wanted to use my future cruise credit.  A quick call to them and I was informed to click on the courtesy hold option on the main page and fill it out and in the comment section add details including the cruise complete deal number.  They emailed me back the quote and I told them to reserve.

Again I need to add that Cruise Compete's site is not so user friendly and a little outdated. They could improve it to make quotes a lot easier to read and compare.  But if you are able to weed thru it then try it out.

I should add I did email Best Price to see if they would match the price but they came back that they could not.  I feel bad that we are not going to use them again but in the end the price difference and on board credit offered by the other agency was worth the change and I need to take care of us and our bottom line.  

So if you haven't tried Cruise Compete give them a try.  

Upgraded to Balcony for the Same Price

We are staying on the Royal and doing a cruise in the Caribbean.  When we booked it was $499 for an inside. Then it dropped to $399.  

Our friends who live in Florida were looking at booking too. When they did book they got a residency rate of $399 but for a BY Balcony.  

After discussing with our travel agent, she informed us if our friends shared the deal with us - through the Princess site - Called Share the Savings - we could also get this deal.

Larry quickly filled out the info and sent it off and Connie at Best Price Cruises took care of the rest.  

We are now in a Obstructed Balcony from an inside for the exact same price.

So I learned something new - sharing a great deal is possible under the right circumstances.  Also staying on top of price changes and what your friends have booked is key. Talk to them, get information and then find out if it can be applied to your booking.  It never hurts to ask.

YEAH - All Inclusive Drink Package Deals

Many of you know we are sailing in the Fall on the Island to the Mediterranean.  

Yesterday we got an email with some Princess specials where they were offering things like All Inclusive Drink Packages as well as free tips and the likes.

After scanning the dates for this special I saw that the first leg of our Island cruise was part of the deals.

So this is how it worked out.

Sometime after we booked Princess had a special where we got more on board credits and Travel Agent Connie from Best Price Cruises got us $200 extra on board credit for the first leg.

Then when she checked into yesterday's special we would have to basically loose those on board credits (as this deal was for new bookings only) and the price of the cruise would of gone up by $75 per person or $150 total.  But we would get the All Inclusive Drink Package for basically $350 total for a 12 night cruise.  

That is a steal.

When Connie called me back she had even better news.  Princess will honour our original pricing and would not raise the cost of the cruise to reflect current prices, but we would loose the $200 on board credit.  So now the package is costing us basically the $200 obc we forfeited.  That works out to $8 per day for 12 days each person. 

Consider the All Inclusive Drink Package includes beverages that are $10 or less.  Includes bottled water, espresso drinks, sodas, mocktails, beer, wine, cocktails and even 40% of a bottle of wine if you choose.  

So for us all we need to drink is one drink a day to recoup the money we are loosing from the on board credit.  I am pretty sure that can be accomplished.

Normally the All Inclusive Drink Package costs $49 per person per day plus gratuity.  So we got it for a steal for $200.

Moral of the story, sign up for your Travel Agent's email sales promotions.  Sign up for cruise line email sales promotions.  Follow your Cruise Critic Roll call cause often price reductions and special are posted by others.  Join my facebook fan page cause I often share sales there too.

Happy Sailing Everyone.  

Princess Sale 3 for 3

You may of gotten an email - and if you haven't I am here to tell you now.  Princess has a sale going on right now.  It is called 3 for 3

Here is a link to the sale 3 for 3 Sale till Nov 20, 2014.

Our popular 3 for FREE Sales Event is back, bringing great deals and special gifts to celebrate our 50th Anniversary! Sail in 2015 to Alaska, Europe or Japan and receive all 3 FREE offers (you aren't forced to choose just one) including FREE stateroom location upgrades†, up to $200 FREE shore excursion spending money‡, AND up to $100 FREE onboard spending money†† to use toward a relaxing massage, a refreshing cocktail, or perhaps limited 50th Anniversary keepsake items!

What's more, book 3rd and 4th guests and receive up to $100 bonus shore excursion spending money AND up to $50 bonus onboard spending money!

Plus book your cruise today with only a $100 refundable deposit per person!**






I have nine future cruises booked.  Out of the nine, five were affected.  Of course it depends on when you booked, what you paid, the category you booked, and the conditions/rules of the booking you made. I don't pretend to try and figure out all the rules but a good Travel Agent can.

My wonderful agent Connie from Best Price Cruises checked all my sailings and here is what we ended up with.

• in Nov we are on two 3 day cruises as a back to back. We initially booked an Oceanview, but this sale gave us the opportunity to upgrade to a Balcony for the same price for both sailings.  We also got $200 on board credit for each sailing too.

• in January we are doing three 10 day sailings on the Royal.  The first and last leg has not seen a price reduction from what we booked. But the second leg dropped a few weeks ago and we got the reduction then. Today our TA informed us that the price had not gone down again but she did get us $200 on board credit.  

• our Mediterranean cruise next October dropped in price by $515 each so we got that reduction. They offered us a two category upgrade too, but we turned that down cause we really like the cabin we have.  We also got $300 on board credit.

• our Transatlantic after the Mediterranean cruise has not gone down but we were able to get $300 on board credit.

So if you have booked something I encourage you to contact your travel agent to see if this sale affects you at all. 

How Do I Book A Cruise

People ask me this all the time.  Probably at least five times a week.  It isn't a easy question to answer.  


How do I book a cruise, is easy, but how should you book a cruise could be very different.

For me I book thru an online travel agency I have used for a long time.  

I have a specific agent I use all the time.  Connie knows me and takes very good care of me.  I have cruised over 60 times and know the industry quite well.  I know the cruise line I want.  I know the type of ship I want.  I know the type of cabin I want.  And I feel very comfortable navigating the web to find and answer most of my own questions.  

So the answer I give on How Do I Book A Cruise is easy.  I book with Best Price Cruises.  

But before you go and search out Best Price Cruises make sure you are like me and can answer many of the reasons above with yes.  

If you answer no to more than two of the above reasons I recommend the following:

Find a reputable travel agency that knows cruising, trust me not all of them do.  Ask your friends for a recommendation. Find one that you can walk in and go and chat with them. 

Not all agencies are alike and it is key to find one that you can head to or call easily to answer any questions you might have.

A good agency won't just book you on a cruise that is having the best deal they will ask you questions about what your needs are and what you look for in a vacation.  Not all cruise lines are the same, not all itineraries are the same and are suitable for everyone.  

Note our last cruise to South America that was 49 days would not be a good cruise if you are bringing small children.  I think I could count the number of kids on one hand, therefore your kid would be bored stiff.

As many of you know Princess Cruise line is our cruise line of choice, it suits us.  We have been on other lines and even though they were good they were not for us.  This means that Princess may not be necessarily the line for you.  A good agent will fit the right line for you and your travel companions.

Also a good agent will find you the best cabin type for your needs as well.  Would an inside cabin be okay with you and then save the difference?  Or is this a trip that a balcony is the only way to go?  Or is it a special trip that a mini suite or full suite could make the trip EXTRA special?  Also they will make sure the cabin location is also the right location for you.  They also can help explain what a cabin guarantee means.

I have even heard of agents that enter all your data into your cruise personalizer, print out your boarding pass and luggage tags.  Have it all together neat and tidy with sometimes extras like luggage tags, luggage straps and even some have all kinds of gifts if you are on one of their group cruises.

The last choice is going directly with the cruise line to book your cruise.  Now I know many people who do this with no issues whatsoever and wouldn't change how they book. But I have to say that booking with an agency will be far better.  

It will never cost you more than booking directly with a cruise  line.  In fact it often costs you less that booking directly.  Agencies have a lot of booking power and can often get great deals on many sailings.  And many times they have bonuses that you rarely see thru the cruise line. Like on board credits, bottles of wine, small gifts etc.  It is important to note that agencies can not advertise online their best deal.  Often you need to enter some details and they will email your their best quoted price.

When you book directly with the cruise line you don't have anyone protecting your interests.  A good agent will ensure you are taken care of.  If there are any issues they will deal with it directly with the cruise line.  And trust me things happen.  I know my agent has worked very hard for us.  I recall one time them calling Princess directly to get something corrected which was really my fault.  Connie my travel agent reminded Princess how often I have sailed with them and how dedicated I am to their brand, and the issue was resolved and I even got a bottle of champagne when I got on from Princess welcoming me back and thanking me for my continued loyalty. 

No matter which way you book, it is important that you ask lots of questions to your agent and that you read all the important information on your cruise personalizer.  Make sure all travel documents are taken care of.  Make sure you have proper passports, visas, or anything else you may need.  A good travel agent will make sure you are aware of this.

So head out and book a cruise, and enjoy.

Planning for Future Cruises - Care to Join Us?

The one downside of doing such a large cruise this year is that it used up almost all of our vacation time this year.  So what is a girl to do?  But plan a future cruise.

We really missed the Caribbean this year so I discussed with Bernie, do we go back next year?

The one good thing is that the Royal will be doing the 10 day itinerary instead of the Crown.  Now is that good or bad, well I guess it depends who you ask.  

We haven't been on her and I really want to see her, but there are some things I will miss from the Emerald (Skywalkers, Oustide cabins, wrap around promenade, oh and the Explorer's Lounge).  But there are quite a few things that I am looking forward to on the Royal (Champagne Bar, Fondue dinners, the aft area of the ship, the bigger showers, the new Live Theater, the larger Horizon Court and well a ton of other things).

Bernie's birthday is the 18th of January so it is a given we have to be away then.  But the ship is scheduled to leave on the 18th, so it looks like it will be our embarkation day.

We have now booked the highest inside guarantee on the Royal for a back to back to back.  Thirty Days again!  We talked about twenty but we knew that we would be disappointed if we had only twenty so we thought lets do it for thirty.  This is why we have to book an inside, we just can't justify the added costs for the balcony.  If we booked a balcony for twenty days it would actually cost more than the thirty days in the inside.  

We are also excited because we will get to see so many of our friends again.  On each sailing we will have friends we know on board.  

So if you are interested in joining us, look into the January 18, January 28 and the February 7th cruises on the Royal.

Ports include:  Princess Cays, St. Thomas, St. Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, Bonaire, Aruba, St. Kitts, Dominica, Antigua, and Grand Turk.

The Game of Booking

You would think after over 30 cruises I would know more of when to book.  But even an experienced cruisers needs to realize when it is time to say "time to book, price isn't going to go down".

We knew a long time ago we wanted to do the Star Princess Vancouver to San Francisco Repositioning two day cruise.  Then to stay on and do the ten day San Francisco round trip Mexican Riviera cruise.  We started watching the price back in June.  Price was $919 for an inside, and $149 for two day back then. 

I swear we checked pricing every day.  Every day it was the same price, but I wasn't concerned I was sure it would go down and I advised Bernie that we should wait to book.  Note there were a lot of cabins still available, in every category too.

By mid July price still was the same and we then stated that if by the beginning of August the price hadn't dropped we would book. 

One positive is that the price of the two day had dropped $20 each.  And airfare was excellent, in fact it was so good we booked our return flight before we had booked the cruise.

Finally the day came where after doing some research we sat down and decided to book.  Why you might ask, well a couple of factors.

- balcony cabins were almost totally sold out
- the selection of inside cabins was getting less and we didn't want a cabin with upper berths (too many smacks in the shoulder) so we knew we had to book a specific cabin and only guarantees were available in most categories
- since we saved on the two day cost, and we saved on the flight we knew we were already ahead of the game
- lastly our travel agent bestpricecruises was offering an on board credit of $60 for the ten day and normally they drop that the closer you get to the sail day so we didn't know when that would be removed

The last thing was we found a cabin in category L for the ten day that met our needs and the same cabin was available on the two day.  So we booked the ten day inside category L with a $60 on board credit from the travel agent. 

We then went to book the two day cruise but the $129 price was for a category M and J and we had to take our chances and book a guarantee.  The category L cabin that we booked for the ten day was available still on the two day, but the price was more so we rolled the dice hoping Princess when assigning a cabin will put us in the same cabin for both legs.

Today I checked our personalizer and we got our cabin assignment, guess what.  Yup they did assign us into the same cabin for both legs.  Yeah.  So we got a few category upgrade and saved a bit of money. 

Now changing cabins on turn around day would of been fine.  We have done it before.  But now that we don't have to move we can be off the ship right away when we dock in San Francisco and enjoy the city for the entire day instead of packing up and moving bags.

So the moral of the blog today - even I second guess everything.

Repositioning the Quick Little Getaway

I mentioned in an earlier blog about how much we like doing the short little repositioning cruises.  Of course we are blessed because we live in Vancouver, but if you live in California or Seattle you too can take advantage of these repos.

We are booked on the upcoming Golden Vancouver to Los Angeles, and we scooped it up for $175 each person for an inside thru bestpricecruises.com an agency we have been using forever (this is a past passenger price - a little more if you have never sailed Princess before).  It should be noted that this price was about two months ago and the price has gone up a bit, but often the price drops closer to sailing date and especially after final payment which I believe is this coming week.

Now think how romantic a short voyage would be.  No distractions, great food, great accommodations, great entertainment and time alone with your honey.  Normally if you book a hotel, you can't get a price lower than $100 to 150 a night (in fact we just booked Seattle for two nights and we are paying $100 night and that was thru Priceline).  Then you still have all your meals and entertainment to pay for, and even parking. 

After reviewing this Fall's repositioning cruises in the Pacific you can get cruises for around $55 to $75 a night!  Sure you have airfare back but even with that you are still ahead of the game.  We got airfare back to Vancouver from Los Angeles for $130 each, so for $305 each total $100 a night each, we have everything covered, minus drinks.  And if you know me that could add up, but the price of the drinks on board are comparable to what we would pay on land.  In fact just had a Cosmo at a local restaurant called Milestones and it was $8.99 plus tax!  So that is more than the ship's price.

So I know I am rambling, but these repos are such a great deal and such a great getaway, and trust me your honey is going to love it.  Just think breakfast in bed every day, a movie in the afternoon, latte in the atrium watching a juggler, a game of trivia, cocktails before dinner, fabulous 4 course dinner, checking out a full production show that evening, and then dancing in the disco, then go to bed and get up and do it all over again.

drinks with some of our friends on the Golden

Many ask me when should we book a repo, well that has changed as of recent.  With the loss of a few ships to Alaska these past two seasons the inventory is less.  But next year we are seeing a few more ships coming back, namely one more for Princess, the Star is back.  My advice is book early and then take advantage of any price drop before final payment.  But saying this, you can always sit and hold out and book last minute -- meaning a month to two weeks prior.  But if you are going to wait for a last minute deal be prepared to loose out on the cruise you may have your heart on, and you will probably have to settle for a cabin guarantee, and maybe an inside, however an inside is fine because you really are not going to partake of a balcony on board as it is too cold in the Pacific in September.

Now the other inside information I have - buy stock in the cruise line that you travel most as most lines have a stockholder benefit if you own 100 shares and they give you an on board credits.  So with Princess for a cruise of 6 days or less you get $50, 7 - 13 days $100, and more than 14 days $250.  So for this voyage we will get $50 on board credit, and we will also get a $25 loyalty credit (21 - 30th cruise with Princess) - so guess where I will be spending my $75 on board credit - yup on wine, or cosmos, or maybe margaritas... notice a trend.

So check then repos out!  And bon voyage.

Vickie

Emerald here we come again

Since we had to cancel the back to back cruises in May we starting thinking maybe we should do something in November/December when we had two weeks vacation.

But where to go at that time?  Options are minimal, mainly Caribbean or Hawaii and some late repositioning cruises. 

After checking out prices and damn the prices are good during this time as the time falls between the American Thanksgiving holiday and Christmas. 

The Emerald Princess is doing its regular 10 day Southern Caribbean medley alternating itineraries with St. Thomas and Princess Cays being duplicated. 

So after very little deliberation we booked another back to back on the Emerald.  We currently are holding an inside cabin guarantee, but since the price has already dropped once we have a feeling it may go down further and we will probably upgrade to a balcony.  Again we used Best Price cruises you can find them at bestpricecruises.com

This itinerary is the exact same as we did last January/February and we love it.  We know all the ports and we look forward to trying new things in port or visiting old favorites.  In the end what we really need is some R & R and some time away with no distractions from home.

We are also hoping that some of the officers /crew that we got to know so well in January will still be around. 

Now we are checking out flights and well that is a different story as we are looking at flying in the weekend of Thanksgiving and coming home just when the kids get out for Christmas.  Currently prices are about $100 more than what we paid in January.  But who cares right!

Take care, happy cruising.

Vickie

Oh So Much To Say About Cruising and Cancelling Last Minute

It has been a while since my last post and so much has happened.

In early March we had booked a back to back on the Sapphire for April 30 and May 7, a seven day Mexican cruise and then a coastal from Los Angeles to Vancouver.  We looked forward to two weeks on the Sapphire and seeing old friends again.  Our roll calls with Cruisecritic.com were very active and lots of events were planned.

Mom and I

Exactly one week prior to leaving we got the call that most hate to get.  My Mom who had been fighting cancer for a while had taken a turn for the worst and was in the hospital and the family was called to be by her side before she passed.  Without hesitation we cancelled the two cruises, the flights and the hotel and made travel arrangements to head to Montreal to be with my family.  We had a week with her in palliative care before she passed on May 5 surrounded by her family.

The cancellation was easy to do, a quick call to our travel agent (Best Price Cruises) and the paper work was done and sadly the penalty was 100% cancellation fee as it was within the fourteen day period.  Thankfully we had travel insurance through our credit card and we were able to make a claim and will be reimbursed for the total costs.  Another big reason to always get insurance.

Somehow we must of felt that our cruise would of been cancelled.  I say this because not a single item was placed in the packing room - you know that space that you start to collect stuff for the trip.  Not a single item.  And that is just not like us.  We didn't even organize a single excursion in any of the ports for the entire fourteen days.

Of course because we cancelled we lost 100% which included two future cruise credits each which was disappointing but understandable.  When I mentioned this to my travel agent that we wish we had those future cruise credits as we wanted to book a back to back for Dec and would have to wait till the fall after we sailed again.  She said let me see what Princess says.  After she spoke to them and explained the situation they said it would be no problem to buy two future cruise credits for this one time only.  So nice and appreciated and the day after we booked the back to back 20 days on the Emerald for Dec.  Thank you Princess this is why we are loyal to you.

We may have lost a two week holiday but we were blessed to spend the last few days with Mom.  Rest in Peace Mom - Marie Paule Fugere April 3 1941 - May 5 2011.

Vickie

All Aboard the Emerald

We got up and since we had to check out by 10 am we arranged to meet up with Sue and Mike at 10 and head to Joe’s Diner (near the Publix on 17th Street) for breakfast. We dropped them off at the pier around 11 am with all the bags while we headed back to Sawgrass (because one of the sweaters we had bought they had forgotten to remove the security lock on it). We dropped the car off at 12:30 and caught the Alamo/National Shuttle at the airport (they asked for proof this time that we were in fact customers – never had done that before) and we left for the pier at 12:45.

The Grand was docked at pier 2 so the Emerald was at pier 21, and I have to say it was quite a distance away and although possible to walk to 17th street it certainly would have been a long walk. In total there were five ships in port.

Should say we booked again with bestpricecruises.com again they had the best prices.  Even friends of ours who sell cruises for a dedicated cruise agency couldn't come close or honour the price best price was quoting.  Again a big thank you goes out to Connie Stevens for taking care of us at Best Price.

We had no real issues with checking in but I do have to relay the funniest. As we approached the security line ups there were four distinct roped off lines, I said to Bernie “take the one on the right as no one was going in it” and we went almost to the front, with two elderly couples in front of us but the other three lines had tons of people. The first elderly man in his suit goes in and all the bells/whistles go off. Security asks is you belt an issue – NO, do you have coins, cell phone – NO he goes back thru again the bells/whistles go off, security says take your jacket off and as the man does he hears the mints in the square tin in his pocket and pulls those out, yup that was the issue. We smile and wait patiently as the other lines dwindle. The older gentleman in front of us goes thru all the bells/whistles go off. Sir do you have a belt on that could be the problem – NO as he proudly shows his (what looked like a macramé belt) proudly, do you have a cell phone – NO, he goes thru again, the bells go off, the security is getting flustered and says can you please check your pockets. Now by this time I am giggling as the (I would guess 80 year old) man puts his hands in his pockets (looking like the 6 year old boy who has the frog, stick, tacks, marbles in his pocket) and pulls out the contents – coins fall to the floor, a nail clipper, heck even a bolt fell down. He cleared after this and we made our way thru as we glance to our left and all the lines have cleared! Bernie looks at me and says “guess this is there first time ever going thru security”.

Us with Anita and Richard

We are on the ship very quickly and head to our cabin – an inside Caribe 721 for this leg. We do up our cabin list for our steward. The cabin is in great shape the bed looks great, but definitely needs an egg crate foam, the shower curtain however stinks of mold, it was so bad I had to remove it and put in a bag to contain some of the smell. Carlos our steward quickly changed it though and we are good to go. He very quickly provided everything on our list and was rewarded by Bernie.

The ship looks great, the dining room had been open for lunch but we were too late to take part in that. I can confirm also that the coupon book from the Travel agent does not have the coffee card coupon in it. We made reservations for the Crown Grill for Tuesday night (first formal) for 7 pm for 8 of us.

I love the new Princess Patters layout, very easy to read (for those of us getting older). Our Captain is Giorgio Pomata. We recognized a few other officers. Jaco Diedericks the Food and Beverage manager was on the Island with us in Oct. And as we were walking around we saw Peter Van Tonden the Captain Circle Host from the Island and he came out to give us a big hug and we were congratulating him as he just recently became a circle host and is doing great. We are hoping to meet him for drinks/dinner one night.

Considering our bags were dropped off at 11 am we didn’t get them in our cabin until 3:30. Ours were okay but many people got wet bags because of the rain and we did notice another women’s bag had been ripped badly (unusable) and was heading to the purser’s desk.

After muster drill we headed up to the Outrigger Bar to have an impromptu gathering of the Cruise Critic gang, quite a few were in attendance and it was nice to put a face to the name. Now weather was not cooperating it was overcast and showers – that had just stopped in time for our sailaway – but it was rather warm and muggy. We then ventured over to the Neptune’s pool for the music and party.

Bernie and Sue playing in the soaked deck

We had to unpack so down to the cabin and setting up of everything. For dinner we decided on the Horizon Court which was very very good, they didn’t have the seafood buffet but the shrimp and many other items were great and noticed that most of the items were also on the dining room menu. We met up with Anita/Richard for dinner, but after dinner we met up with Paul/Yvonne and Brian/Christine from the roll call who we have sailed with many times now.

We are back in the cabin at 11 and settle in and we are out like a light very quickly.

Tuesday

First happy birthday Bernie! It is always great celebrating his birthday every year in the Caribbean.

Princess Cays

We dropped anchor not far from the beach in the Bahamas, also known as Princess Cays. We caught the tender at around 10 am and heading to the far left, past the music, past the restaurant, past the crowds and saw that Mike and Sue had got a bunch of chairs together and were relaxing waiting for us to arrive.

The weather was perfect, but that slight wind was misleading and kept us cool but trust me the sun was strong. We had a very relaxing and fun day frolicking on the beach, in the water and playing little jokes with each other.

Snorkeling was not very good because of the weather from yesterday the water was just not very clear. Lunch was the usual fare, hamburgers, hot dogs, ribs, salad and fruit.

Bill Blowing up my diaphram

We had a few things up our sleeves too. I had done up a door sign for the entire cruise critic roll call that showed our sailing and ports. When I emailed it out to friends, one of our friends (Bill) decided to add actual pictures to the sign of all of us. Now some of these pictures were not flattering at all, so something had to be done. As soon as we returned to the ship I snuck down and took the sign off and came back to the cabin and scoured the People magazine for “new” “better” faces to past over. I then snuck back down and replaced the poster. Check out the picture below.

Tonight is also our dinner in the Crown Grill for the eight of us, (Bill/Cathy, Mike/Sue, Rose/Jerry and us) now this dinner came about because last year Vancouver (where we are from) and Chicago (where Sue/Mike are from) were in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The bet was whoever won the series would treat the other to the meal at the Crown Grill. Well we lost, and we were prepared to treat, but first we needed to show where our support was. Bernie picked up some temporary tattoos with the Canucks Logo, and all six of us showed up at Skywalkers with our tattoos showing. (see blog link below for picture).


We went up to Skywalkers for a drink in the Platinum Elite lounge (However we have not received our formal invite nor have we received the list of drinks and on which night there are on) we will talk to Peter about this tomorrow. Tonight is was a Rob Roy cocktail so I opted for the Key Lime Martini, very good by the way. We went and grabbled the last of the food items, and there was slim pickens and it was only 6:15.

Dinner was set for 7 pm in the Crown Grill and we were all looking forward to the meal. Jewel was our waiter and she was amazing, very attentive and accommodating. I worked hard at not overeating but man was I full. My one recommendation for Princess is that they should provide electric scooters at the door of the restaurant so you can take them back to your cabin, and if there are crowds in the way you can press a button that squeals out “Crown Grill” and the crowds would disperse, sort of like Mosses and the seas separating.

here are Rose and Jerry with their tatoos

 The Birthday crew all got their birthday cakes and got sung too, and a lovely take home treat wrapped up in foil that looked like a pretty hand bag, check out the shot.

The birthday gang with their little purses

Jewel with Jasper, she was an amazing server

Back to the cabin and a quick change and then back up on deck for a walk about to wear off some of this food.


Tomorrow is a quiet day at sea, we have our scheduled meet and greet with the cruise critic roll call for 10 am in Skywalkers.