Sea Day

I wish I could write something more exciting but I am having a hard time coming up with a different description of – doing nothing but relaxing.

We woke around 8 am and the fact we are able to sleep until we wake without the thrusters to wake us up coming into port is a treat.

YEAH sea day!  I know some people dislike them, but for me it is a forced relaxation day… yeah I can hear you all now…. As if I need a reason to relax on board.  Okay okay, but it is a forced day to relax and not feel like I should do anything I don’t want to.  The only downside of sea days is nobody gets off the ship! 

So we have to share the Atrium and the coffee bar with a lot of people who would do almost anything to get a table and seat, and don’t dare stand up to get something because someone is eyeing that chair!

  

Ron takes care of my coffee needs

But we are settled in nicely at a nice table and I see Beverly and before I can even ask she says “cappuccino and English Breakfast tea?” yup…. Oh we are going to miss this service.  And when I come back to the table Bernie has just gotten a tea and latte from Ron at the coffee bar.  Oh my what is a girl to do with two espresso drinks!  Well sit back and relax and do my Sudoku and enjoy them.

Oh this reminds me…. I went to the Sudoku up in Adagio Bar this morning being hosted by Corrine and there were not many of us playing but I came in second, but sadly still no prizes.  Really Lee (our CD) time to throw a few prizes down to some of the other activities, even a pen would have been nice! 

Back to the coffee bar and relaxing….. yup you know me!  Bernie and I sit and talk about the trip and the wonderful experience we are having.  We comment about some of the staff we now call friend and part of our Princess Family.  Every staff member keeps asking “are you staying on for another ten” sadly no.  Next question to us is then “when is your next cruise” sadly none booked as of yet.  But I am sure we will sail again this year some time.

The Bijoux sale is happening in the dining room this morning – basically flea market at sea, I know there are good deals there, and I even bought a few things the first voyage.  But I hate how it is organized and the crowds and people freak me out.  I don’t like how they have it set up, the entrance is also the exit and the long lines to pay deter me from buying anything anyways so why do I bother even going in.  I don’t know --- but it is like slowing down to see an accident I just am drawn to it. 

My tummy is upset – could it be the two espresso drinks!   I decide to head back to the cabin and relax on the deck and read and sip a club soda to settle the tummy.  It works great and later on I am take a look at the Patter and see that it is Mexican Buffet in the Café Caribe so I head there for a small bite to eat.

I should state what has been going on today that I didn’t participate in but did happen….. galley tour, Movies Under the Stars is showing the Devil Wears Prada and Princess Bride, Body Sculp boot Camp, Zumba (sadly haven’t made it to any of the classes this cruise), Slot tournament, Morning Trivia (way too many serious players for me), Ice Carving Demo, Pub Lunch, Bingo, Ballroom Dance Class, Art Auction, Bar Wars, Movie in Princess Theater:  Butter, Grape Vine Wine Tasting (never made it to any of them), French Class, Afternoon Tea and much much more.

Natalia and Courtenay

I want to do a huge shout out to Natalia from Russia who works in Facets who went a step above to help a passenger.  A Canadian couple we met the first night who are both in wheelchairs accidently ran over their pair of glasses and the lens popped out and the frame was damaged.  Natalia took the glasses to an optometrist in St. Thomas and got them fixed for them at no charge!  Now that is why we love Princess!

It is formal night tonight…. We are not dressing formally but will dress nice, it seems that the dining room is not enforcing the dress code so we will be find in nice pants and blouse and Bernie will wear a tie but we are tired of dressing up and I don’t think I would be comfortable in my formal dress anymore anyways.

We head down to the Michelangelo dining room for 7:30 and we are happy to see Elda again.  We are at our usual table but it is busy around us.  It is so noisy I can barely hear myself think and there is so much going around with waiters, junior waiters, head waiters dashing all around us.  It is a little off putting and very distracting.  I think this is one thing I really dislike about the dining room is when it is busy it is not an enjoyable evening.  I wish there was somehow to create a more intimate setting where we can relax and hear everyone at the table and not have people rushing around us.

I feel for Elda today, she is very busy and both Bernie and I are wanting to not eat much as we are meeting up with Johan later and I know he will have the spicy tuna sushi in vines for us so we want to save space for that. 

I start with the Thai Salad Rolls and sadly the rice paper wrapper is hard, this usually means it has been sitting for a while.  I am having no luck with appetizers this trip but don’t feel like returning it as Elda is just too busy and I just eat the insides.  My second course is the tomato soup and I love their tomato soup!  For my entrée I have the short ribs.  This is the first time I order it, but I had tasted it the past few cruises when others have ordered so I made sure to order it this time.  I don’t eat much of it (again I am saving room) but I really enjoyed it.

Carin the photographer is set up outside the dining room but tonight I take the picture

We opt out of dessert and coffee/tea to head over to Vines, plus the dining room tonight is just not enjoyable with so many people in it. 

Ryan and Christian

We are joined by Johan, and others and we share wine, sushi, and lots of laughs and reminisce about our holiday and old memories.  Ryan and Christian take very good care of us and Meldon assists with a special after dinner drink – ZING.

We want to catch Blame it on the Boggie 10:15 show and we run in and sit right in the front.  Those dancers, singers are great, still don’t care for the wigs but really enjoyed the performance tonight and it seemed like they had an extra boost of energy!

We are back in the cabin just after 11 pm and we are greeted with a lovely note on the bed from Princess wishing us a Happy Valentine’s Day.

Barbados

my view today

We are pulling into the pier and I can see that we are at the same spot as last visit but at the end of the pier this time.  The Thompson Dream is parked where we were and the NCL ship is parked further away.  I see we have to all board buses to get to the terminal and back, they won’t let us walk because this is an industrial pier and it is too hazardous to walk around.

Breakfast arrives in the cabin and we enjoy a leisurely meal and decide what we want to do today.  We both agree it is a good day to head to the beach.

We are dressed and lathered in sunscreen and head off the ship onto the awaiting bus.  Once in the terminal we dodge around those trying to pick up internet signals and shoppers checking out the stores (that are not open yet as it is just before 9). 

At first we head to the taxi stand located within the terminal parking area, we already know that the fare to the boatyard is $5 a person so we agree to go with a gentleman who takes us and four others and places us in his van promising us he is leaving right away.  But while we sit in the van it becomes clear very quickly we are not leaving right away.  After waiting about 10 minutes we get out and so do the other four.  Our driver shouts that he is leaving, he is leaving but it is too late we are walking out of the terminal parking lot, something we should of did in the first place.  When we exit the terminal there is a large round about and we go with the first taxi driver who says he can take us right now. 

We board Lucas’ taxi and we are off, just the two of us, and as he maneuvers the streets, at a high speed I might add (no worse than the Fort Lauderdale taxi drivers) he asks us if we are open to trying Lobster Alive instead of the Boatyard.  Our friend Jeannie often recommends Lobster Alive so we agree to take us there.  The Boatyard charges $15 per person to enter, that includes a chair and an umbrella and use of their facilities and a drink and ride back – note our friends only were charged $12 though, but others were charged $15 so can’t confirm exactly what the costs were. 

very quiet here at Lobster Alive 

Lobster Alive is much quieter about a quarter of the people are at this location compared to the Boatyard.  There is no entry fee, you pay for what you use, chairs and umbrellas are $5 each, and for each item you get you get a coupon for two for one drinks.  In the end we paid $15 for the facility and $6 for drinks in total (three rum punches). 

We really enjoyed chatting with the people around us, we sat beside two couples who are on the Thompson ship from Britain and another couple on the NCL ship.  We spent the entire day relaxing in the sun, enjoying the water and meeting new people.

There were numerous options to go snorkeling with the turtles (around $15-$25 we heard quoted) which included drinks in some options.

We ran into many people from the ship and many of the crew, including Nathan our Junior Waiter and his girlfriend, and our server Elda and many many others.

Boatyard beach - very crowded

Lobster Alive beach

Warning, warning, warning… those rum punches pack a punch!  First one went down smoothly, second one enjoyed even more, third I was too drunk to remember.  I should know better! 

All aboard is 3:30 so we asked Lucas to be back at 2:30 so we can catch a ride back to the ship.  Oh I need to rest!  I get back to the cabin and when I take off my bathing suit there is a ton of sand in the suit it takes me awhile just to rinse it all out and I am sure there is still sand in it!

I crawl into bed and fall asleep so fast and soundly that I miss all the announcements, and sail away too.  We both sleep until after 5 pm and I am feeling a bit better, but I know I have gotten a bit too much sun.  Even with layering 50 spf on twice I have spots that are tender.  Time for some of that Aloe Gel that we got in Aruba.

Tonight is the Captain Circle Party and we arrive just prior to the start and there is still a line but we are given the option of entering the side door if we don’t wish to meet the Captain, and since we have met Captain Draper many times we enter on the Starboard side and grab a seat and Johan comes to greet us.  I am not going to drink, I have a headache from all those rum punches and need rehydrating.  Club soda for me. 

We sit with a lovely couple that end up surprising us by saying they are from Vancouver and get this he is also a transit driver, but he works out of the North Vancouver garage so we don’t recognize him, but boy what a small world.

Dinner tonight is with Alice and Norma and I know I need some food so I quickly order and Elda brings me the Pad Thai as a starter but it is not hot, just warm (seems to be a consistent problem this cruise) but I just eat it as I don’t feel up to waiting for a new one.  I then get a salad and the pork for my entrée but my stomach just doesn’t want to eat this pork and all the sauces that I am sure are delicious but just too rich for me tonight.  Elda steps up and says “Vickie what about a roll with some cheese” great idea and that does the trick.

But I am still suffering and I can feel the sun burn on my back, and my head is aching.  Too much sun, too much rum punches, too much salt water?  Who knows but tonight is going to be an early night.

We are in bed at 10 pm and I don’t see 10:05 as I am out like a light and sound asleep.

Antigua – In the Evening

I came back to the cabin from a relaxing time in the Thermal Suite.  Bernie has just informed me that Alice and Norma are both going to the Most Traveled Passenger Party so it may just be the two of us for dinner instead.  Then Tracey the Captain Circle Host called to say because of some cancellations we now qualify for the Most Traveled Party.  Which makes sense because we know a few that can’t make it because of the Chef’s Dinner tonight.  But both of us don’t really feel like going tonight and would rather have a nice meal with Elda tonight and not rush to get ready and head to the party.  Plus just doesn’t feel the same getting an invite because others cancelled and now we qualify.  There will be others I am sure.

We watch the sail away from Antigua and even spot some sting rays in the water. 

We head down to the Piazza and get a bottle of the Ferrari Carraro and then head into dinner and Elda and Nathan are surprised to see us, and Jasper is excited too and he gets into a bit of mischief in their station.

I start with the crusted sushi that I normally love but when I get it is cold and the crust is  cost and soft and well not that appetizing.  We let Elda know and she checks with the Head Waiter and he has let the head chef know as it should not be like that and we move on to our second course.  We are fine with it though and just glad that they are going to correct the issue as it is one of my favorites.  My second course is the roasted garlic soup.  Boy is this good and since the garlic is roasted it is not strong but sweet.  For my entrée, in fact we both ordered it we get the Tandoori Shrimp and it is very good, I am running out of adjectives to describe the great food on board.  But trust me very yummy.

Alice comes and joins us at dessert time and we catch up with her and how things are going.  She had a good time at the party and we invite her to come see Kory in Explorer’s Lounge but she says she is going to head elsewhere.

Kory’s 9:15 show is just letting out so we grab some seats up front.  We chat with a lovely couple from New Brunswick we met the first night and Jeannie and Greg come in too.  They had the Chef’s Table tonight and they really liked it they said. 

Kory tonight is being accompanied by the Emerald Princess Orchestra and it is a nice treat.  We can tell Kory has a bit of a cold tonight, his voice is a little raspy but the performance is still amazing.  But we sure hope he takes care of himself as there is nothing worse than having to sing when your voice says something else. 

Frenchie comes up at the end and she is so cute in the Elton John glasses Kory was wearing.  We love Frenchie she sure is funny and is a comedian in her own right. 

We are back in the cabin at around midnight and we are tired but rested, now does that make sense?

Antigua – January and who knows what day it is

We arrive at 8 am and as Bernie heads down to get my latte and his tea we relax for a bit as our day doesn’t start until later.  I had a great sleep!  And as Bernie heads up to the International café for a bite to eat I write up yesterday’s blog.

When he returns he tells me a funny story about couples up there…. We laugh our heads off as we see the type all the time.  Normally it is the wife, but certainly it can be the husband too but in this case it was the wife.  Screaming at her husband, “got a table here – here – here” he finally comes over and she screams “sit – SIT – SIT” I am giggling just thinking about it.  But obviously these couples have been married for a long time and it works for them.  But I promise Bernie I will never do this to him.

Today we are heading out on a sailboat again, but this time Cathy organized it.  She researched and found Miramar Sailing Team www.miramarsailing.com   She booked a lovely sailboat for just the six of us for the day.  The boat was waiting for us as we got off and we met up with Captain Kevin and Tyler his assistant.  We quickly get settled and we motor out of the harbour of St. John’s.  

Bernie spotted Greg right away - the shirt was a dead giveaway

Tyler gives us a safety briefing and we are ready for some fun as he serves us a beverage of choice, but warns us if we are going to go snorkeling we shouldn’t drink.  I take a gingerale and head forward to lay in the sun, but lathered on the sunscreen as the wind and sun combination can be strong. 

We head south and as we travel we pass beautiful stunning gorgeous beaches (any and all would be a great place to spend the day).  We travel for about an hour and a half of sailing we pull into a harbor where we drop anchor and we have the option of swimming or ridding the small dingy to the shore where we will enjoy a lunch.  Bernie, Bill, Sue and I decide to swim in and it is so refreshing.

The meal was very good, chicken, salad, rice, vegetables, and fries with the Suzie hot sauce!  And of course there are beverages.  We stay here for about an hour before making our way back to the boat, which Bernie and I swim to.

this is where we got off and had a lunch

We make our way back to the ship and it is windy and the sailing goes smoothly.  We loved the excursion but we were under the impression that we would have been stopping and snorkeling (although they did say it would be murky and not a lot of visibility because of the wind) we still wanted to go in the water again.  And I know that their website did say they had fishing and Cathy had stated in her email that she wanted fishing but once on board there was no fishing poles.  Well that is ruled out. 

In the end we had a great day and I would recommend Miramar and Kevin/Tyler but felt that we should of gotten what we were stated we would of gotten.  I am sorry Bill missed his fishing too.

We are back on board at 3:30 and we are all aboard at 4:30 I wander up to deck 15/16 to take pictures of the Freedom of the Seas in port beside us and head back to the cabin to shower and get all this salt out of my hair!

Anthony

We head up to Skywalkers tonight for the sunset and a few cosmos, well a few turned into three each – how can that be we don’t know but Anthony has taken very good care of us and as we leave we realize oh my there was alcohol in those cosmos.

Dinner tonight is the five of us as Mike is missing in action and taking it easy in the cabin.  We are so happy to see Elda and Nathanial again and we quickly tell them so too.  I am happy cause I see the deep fried sushi is on the menu again! 

I start with the Carbarnara Pasta as an appetizer, then I have the coconut soup and well of course you already know I had the deep fried sushi for my entrée and then the cheese plate for dessert.  We have lots of visitors to our table tonight, many want to say hi and Greg introduces us to his beautiful Peruvian girlfriend – what a cute couple. 

But we want to get out as we have arranged to meet up with Johan for some drinks in Vines at 9:30 and the Beatlemaniacs are playing too, but somehow I think we will miss it.  But I really don’t mind we love Johan and we have missed him so much and chatting on facebook just isn’t the same.  We catch up and all of a sudden it is after 11, boy where does the time go? 

Johan - Princess is our family and Johan is family

We get back the cabin and crawl into bed, what a great day, one of many with great friends that made it extra special.  Tomorrow we are in Barbados and the ship is moving.  The Captain did warn us we would have strong winds and well he doesn’t disappoint.  But we don’t mind it, we get rocked to sleep again.

Sea Day and Sea Day – Thursday and Friday

Feels nice to know I don’t have to rush and get ready for the port today.  We take our time getting ready, we would love to have breakfast in the dining room; however it closes at 9 here, I much prefer the 9:30 that the Star closed at. 

We make our way up to the Horizon Court and well how do I describe it, a Zoo!  Not surprising since many are sleeping in today and missed the dining room just like us.  We have a light bite to eat and then head down to International Café for our coffee/tea and to catch up.  But the Bijoux sale is about to start and they are lining up and events in the Piazza are gearing up so finish up and then decide what next.

Beverly our waiter in the Coffee Bar every day - such a joy to see every day too

Bernie wants to do trivia again and I head out to find a quiet place to read and think the Wheelhouse would be good but darn it, it is closed because the pub lunch would be in there in an hour.  So I head aft to Club Fusion where the trivia is going on but sit at the back and read.  I can hear Bernie’s team, he is happy with his team currently they are having fun and I can hear the laughter coming from them.  This is more like it I think.

Today at MUTS they are showing The Devil Wears Prada so I throw on my bathing suit, lather on the sunscreen and head up to the Sun Deck.  The place is busy but I am able to find a lounge chair on the Sun deck, there were no chairs around the pool available but that is okay I prefer it up one deck where there are less crowds.  I grab two slices of pizza and start watching the movie and an hour into it I remember why I hate watching Movies Under the Stars during the day, the band at the next pool starts up and even though I love the band I hate having to hear it when I am trying to watch a movie.  I give up and head in. 

I decide now is as good a time to relax and maybe get a nap in.  When Bernie comes back to the cabin he naps too and when we wake we are rested and ready to enjoy the evening.

Bernie and Elda with Jasper

We meet up with Lori and Jeff and Alice prior to dinner and we head to the dining room at 7:30.  Elda and Nathanlian aka Nathan are waiting for us.  We ordered a bottle of wine that everyone had been recommending, London Fog and it was delicious and now I can highly recommend it.

Bernie Alice Lori Vickie and Jeff

For our meal I started with the Salad Roll (one of the new items) then the goat cheese with grape tempura soup, both were so yummy.  For my entrée I decided on the Beef Wellington and it was cooked perfectly and very good.  Of course I had the cheese plate for dessert to finish off my wine.

Tonight the show is Blame it on the Boogie, this is their new show and so I want to see it.  We get a seat up close and we are dancing and singing in our seats.  Great show, my only negative comment is the wigs the women wore…. They did not flatter them, but loved the costumes and the singing and the dancing.

We are in bed at 11:30 and ready for our last sea day and last day of this cruise.

Elda turned Bernie's souffle in an a piece of art

Nathan our Junior Waiter

I wake and realize we are rocking a bit more this morning.   This is not uncommon and something we experience when coming back to Florida.  It is overcast and raining, and we both comment oh it is going to be busy inside today.    Bernie ventures up to the Horizon Court and I decide to head to the International Café where I meet up with Alice and Anita and I grab an egg sandwich and yogurt.

There is another sale in the dining room today and the people are lined up twenty minutes prior!  Really!  I do make my way into the sale when the crowds have died down a bit and buy a wallet and a top, the line up to pay was long but it moved fast.

I am back in the cabin relaxing and watching the movie “the Words” on our tv.  I think room service is going to be the ticket for lunch today and more relaxation.

Oh I forgot to mention, when we saw our cabin steward this morning we told him not to worry about our cabin tomorrow, then he told us he was moving to another section starting tomorrow.  Not sure if I am happy or sad, in the end he worked out quite well just took a few days for him to settle in.  He is shy and I think he is new but he definitely has potential.