Grand Turk January 17, 2016

The morning is a restful one.  We don’t arrive in Grand Turk until 1 pm. 

After Bernie delivers the coffees to the cabin - got to say I am very thankful for this extra service I get -- we relax until around 9 am when I shower and head down to the Atrium to get a coffee and an egg sandwich.  I stop by the Morning Show Drop Box to put in a shout out for Bernie’s Birthday tomorrow.  Sadly I found out later that it was already recording at that time and wasn’t read out. 

We took a seat in Vines near the window.  I love this area, it is a quiet area with a beautiful view with four chairs.  We sit here during the day and in the evening too if it is available.  Friends Sue and Bill come by to chat.  Michael stops by -- this is beginning to look like our office or hang out.  Our friends know just where to go.

Lisa is hosting the Mardi Gras Dance class.  Tonight is the big Mardi Gras in the Atrium and there are a lot of people attending the class so I bet tonight will be good.  After the dance class they have Steel Pan Drum Class and then the Drum Circle Class.

I tell Bernie I am going to head to Club 6 to read for a few hours until we dock.  But I will be at the Speed Sudoku at 12:30 - for which I sucked at but it was fun.  Not many people have been attending the Sudoku but those of us who have been attending have really had fun and chat amongst each other before and after. 

One thing about arriving in any port later in the day like today is people are ready to go.  Corralling them away from the gangways is key.  The Captain at noon announces about the fact we will need a bit of time to dock and do clearance before we can let people off and that people should wait in public areas away from the stairways. 

I am up in Horizon Court having a light lunch when we dock.  We are the only ship in port today and again the pier is on the starboard side of the ship.  Weather is clear and hot but the winds are strong.

The forward gangway is the one that is open today.  Reason for this is the pier is just not long enough to open the others.  Well they could but you would be walking off the gangway into the water.  So this does create a bit of a bottleneck so if you are coming here sometime soon take note and head off later like at 1:30 when you can walk off and enjoy less frustration.

We put on the swimsuits, get the beach gear.  We leave the snorkel gear in the cabin as it is just too windy.  Slather on the sunscreen (applied three times today), ball caps and my float.  

Off the ship we walk thru the Duty Free Shop and turn left and along the beach.  Now we are in Margaretville and there are a ton of chairs but we want something more quiet so we keep walking up to Jack’s Shack.  But of course Jack’s is not quiet so we keep walking a bit and lay out our large flat sheet that we bought at Target in Florida.  We lay out on that and jump in the water, read, enjoy a cold drink from Jack’s --- wicked!!! 

The wind is very strong.  So strong we later found out that the swimming area right near the pier was closed because the ship needed to use it’s thrusters to stay in place.  But there was still a lot of area to swim if you went further down the beach.  We had no problem with swimming where we were.

But I did go in the water with my float and sat in it and well the winds almost drifted me to a different island.  So that was useless.  Even swimming was great but you did drift with the current. 

The day was great though.  We raised our glasses to a great cruise so far, to an amazing island, to us, to the beach, to well everything - till our glass was empty.  I can only handle one of Jack’s rum punches though.

Around 5 pm we packed up and walked back towards the pier.  We stopped and visited with Martin and Sanja for a drink in Margaretville.  This is their last stop and they have to go around to the stores to pick up any items passengers may of bought that they want picked up by the shopping hosts.  They also have desk hours later tonight so they need to head back shower and get ready.  I am so impressed by them.  I have learned a lot about all that the shopping hosts do and I am impressed and seek them out if you have any questions about purchasing any item.

Back on board at 6:15 we peel off the suits and well the sand!  That sand sticks everywhere!  We rinse off our suits and float and jump in the shower.  It is a lot of work trying to get rid of that sand - but I will suffer thru it.  But oh that feeling after you shower and moisturize - feel refreshed and ready for a great night.

Down to Vines - well you know the routine. 

Dinner is back at our table with Dragisa from Serbia and Aggat from Indonesia.  We are connecting with them now and today the whole dining room is rather quiet.  Not surprised, late port stop (we didn’t leave until 7) and there is a football game and many are up there enjoying the game.

It is the Chef’s Dinner and I start with the goat cheese soufflé, probably one of my favorites and it is perfect.  I skip a salad or soup and have the KFC for dinner, well at least that is what I call it.  But the first attempt was not very good, not crispy and dried out.  Dragisa recognizes right away that I am picking and immediately heads to get me a fresh one.  The second one is perfect. 

Oh forgot to add the sorbet they served to cleanse the palate was so good! Bernie ordered a shot of vodka to pour over the sorbet just like the chef's table.

We skip dessert and munch on some Gouda to complement our wine.

Tonight there is a lot going on, or at least a lot that we are interested in. 

The Atrium is a buzz with the Mardi Gras Festivities going on.  Last year we were here when they had just started this and it is interesting to watch how it has grown.  It definitely is more organized and setup and take down are coordinated much better.

They started with the steel pan players - sadly only half the players showed up and they quickly removed one of the tables with the pans.  Then after they finished they cleared that and then they set up for the drum circle.  But the lag time is noticeable and would be better if they could make it flow more seamlessly but that could be hard.

The drum circle was very good - I should try one of the classes next cruise or the one after.

Then the dancers set up and come on in.  It is a large group.  I missed the dancing around that they did last year but they may not have been able to coordinate this with such a big group.  We are dancing off to the sides and enjoyed ourselves. 

We run into Cindy and Dave and we all go to the Voice of the Ocean together.  The show is at 10:30 but get there early as the place fills up and the voting devices are limited and are handed out on a first come first serve basis.  Note you need to leave your cruise card with them as the devices are not cheap and they want them back. 

Our seats are right down in the front to the right.  The center three rows are reserved for the contestant’s family and friends (nice touch).

Those chairs are huge!  The coaches are Michael - HGM, Trisha from the magic show, Adam Ace the comedian/performer.  They are hilarious!  The singers blow us away and boy that takes nerve to do something like this.

In the end you vote for the last three singers with your device and the tally is automatic. 

This is wow and I am impressed Princess!  So if you are on the Royal, Regal, Ruby and the Emerald at the end of this month make sure to check it out!

Grand Turk – February 15, 2015

It is so nice to get to have a sleep in today.  With the clocks going back an hour and not docking until 1 pm we enjoy the excuse of “no where to go soon” excuse.  In fact I lounge in bed until around 10 am.

We are sitting in the International Café and it is getting busy.  People are already down in the Atrium at 11 am waiting for the ship to dock.  Extra staff have been brought on to deal with the crowds.

I just relax and do some Sudoku and sip my coffee. 

Now as we are sitting here we are pulling up beside a ship!  Now that is a strange site!  In fact we are right beside the pier and a P&O Ship is docked beside us.  It is similar to the Grand Class ships on Princess with just over 3,000 passengers.  Off in the distance is an Oceana ship (I believe) that is tendering passengers ashore.  Wow three ships in port.  I have never been here with more than just us.  It should be busy ashore then.

I am tired and really could use some time alone.  Even the best relationships require personal time. 

Bernie really wants to go to the beach and snorkel and I really don’t want to fight the crowds and listen to lots of noise.  So he dresses and heads out on his own.  Isn’t it great that a couple can do their own thing on ship knowing the other one is okay.

I come back to the cabin and relax and do some writing, reading and watch part of a movie.  I head back up to the top deck for some tea and a few scones and check out the P&O ship.  It is neat to see the ship as it is exactly the same as the Crown and Emerald (which we have been on quite a few times) but to see the subtle differences.

At around 5 pm I head out on to the pier.  The Oceana ship has left and the P&O Ship is all aboard right now so it is a nice time to head ashore. 

I run into Bernie on the pier and he decides he is going on the ship.  I walk thru the duty free shop and out to the Grand Turk Center and look in the shops.  I wander to the right and the beach is totally quiet.  I lay down in a lounge chair and watch as the sun is going down.  The passengers are returning to the ship and it is so peaceful.  I reflect on the day, this cruise, this voyage. 

Check out the dueling cruise horns that happened as I sat there on the beach watching the P&O Azure leave.  

Back on board (all aboard is 6:30) I return to the cabin and shower and get ready.

They are doing the Night Sky Lounge up on the 17^th deck in the Retreat Pool area.  I love that they are doing it on a different night than the Hot Latin Night Party.  Tonight the weather is perfect, not too windy.  

The area is beautifully lit with different colored globes/shapes.  I order up the “Issac” drink and we take a seat on a couch off to the side.  It is a relaxing way to start the evening.  The lounge ends at 8 pm and we head down for dinner.

Daniel and Inna are there to greet us and we open up our champagne and share with them and some other new friends.  We are so happy.  The ship is amazing, the crew are wonderful, the food, well all my clothes are tighter!  It has been an amazing voyage.

After dinner I really wanted to see the Comedian/Vocal Impressionist Jason Neistadt but I turn to Bernie and say “we have an hour what do you want to do till the show starts” and he says bed and I couldn’t agree more.  We are tired so off to bed we go.

Grand Turk February 5, 2015

The sun is shining and the skies are clear and the high is according to the Patter says 26C or 79F.

We are at sea heading towards Grand Turk. 

I love that we can sleep in and relax and not have to worry about getting ready and heading ashore too early.  Bernie has gone down and gotten me my latte and we are relaxing in the cabin watching a movie.

For breakfast we head up to the Horizon Court and grab a small bite to eat.  I love the variety on this ship for breakfast and it is so spread out and you are able to get the same item in a few spots. Like for me I love bagels and cream cheese and I find it easy to find and they are also available in a different area.  So nice, it may be hard to go back to the “old” Horizon Court.

There are a lot of events happening this morning; Bible Study; Catholic Mass; Aero Box; Mahjong; Ping Pong; Morning Trivia; Ballroom Blitz The Forro; Drum Circle Class; Win Lose or Draw; Shopping Talk about Grand Turk; Steel Pan Class; The World of Rembrandt; Lawn Bowl Competition; Open Tennis Play; Wii@Sea Bowling; Bing; Afternoon Trivia. 

It is still early when we dress and head out (around 9) and we are surprised at how many people are dressed and ready to go ashore with their items.  We still have four hours before we dock!

The Atrium is busy.  It is lovely to see so many people chatting with other passengers that they have met throughout the voyage.  And really that is one of the great reasons we love to cruise.  It is the people you meet and the life long friendships you make.  Even we are so happy to see so many people we have sailed with before on this itinerary and we find that we may have met them on a prior trip but this voyage we are deepening this friendship. 

I sit in the International Café for a bit and sip my second coffee and do some reading.  But it is getting too busy and noisy so it is time to head elsewhere.

Coming into Grand Turk is a beautiful sail in so being up on deck provides a great opportunity for this.  I have to say I do miss the huge wrap around Promenade for being able to get out easily to see the arriving and departures from ports.  I do like their wide sections and seating area that is available but it is not conducive to walking and watching the happenings ashore. 

Back in the cabin we put on our swimsuits and slather on the sunscreen just when they announce the clearance to head ashore.  There is only one gangway that is open (forward deck 4) which is probably cause the ship is large and the pier can only accommodate the one gang way.

Grand Turk was founded by Taino Indians who crossed over from Hispaniola between 500 and 800 AD.  Ponce de Leon discovered the island in 1512, Spanish settlement began in 1766.  The area is located about 575 miles southeast of Miami and 30 miles south of the Bahamas, Grand Turk, just one of 40 islands in the Turks and Caicos island chain, site at the eastern end. 

We have been here before but I thought I would suggest we go explore a bit more.   Once we cleared the duty free shopping building we turned right passed the sperm whale statue and then along the beach.  We do have to walk along many rocks (you can walk up on the land to bypass this) and then we came to the point which is called Baby Rock Point.
 

We continue onwards for about another kilometer.  The area is deserted, there are really no amenities at all.  There is a place that has some palapas with some lounge chairs (but they are locked up and there is no one here).  There is a guy who is racking up seaweed for harvest I guess.  Even though the place is quiet the wind on this Atlantic side is high.  It isn’t really safe to head into the water as the waves are strong but right near the shore it is not deep and you can wade in.  Bernie wants to snorkel so he heads in but stays close to the shore and sees a lot of fish.  I just sit on the beach and read.

After about two hours we walk back and thru the Grand Turk Cruise Center.  It has grown since we were last here two years.  A few more shops and restaurants.  

Margarittaville is hoping but we walk along the beach and past the gate of the Center.  Again there are more beach bars set up here.  But we keep walking all the way to Jack’s Shack.

Jack’s is busy too but we grab two chairs and pull them a bit away from the noise and relax from sitting in the sun to floating in the water. 

At some point we wander up to the bar at Jack’s Shack for a drink and some food.  The prices are high but the drinks are darn good!  Food well not so much but it hits the spot (hamburger was $10 and you have to buy the fries separate $5).  But all in all it was a fun day at the beach and so nice to spend time alone on our own for part of it and then with good friends for the last part of it.

here are some ads for prices for some things you can do here.
this was located just outside Margarittaville on the beach

Back on board at around 6 pm (all aboard was 6:30) and when we arrive in our cabin there is a yellow rose on our bed.  It is from Natasha from the Celebrations store thanking us for our friendship.  Wow we are so happy and surprised, what a lovely gesture.  We actually met Natasha back in July when we went on the Crown for the day in Vancouver.  She was just joining the ship and we were visiting it for the day.  

We were so happy to see her on board and she is the highlight of our day when we visit her. 

We decide after a full day at the beach that tonight we are not going to the dining room.  It is great to have that option.  So we shower and head to the Elite lounge where we meet up with friends again. 

Friends saw Miguel Washington a comedian in the Princess Theater and they said he was very funny.  Team Rootberry is performing in the Atrium.  We feel for these guys cause they had to take four flights to get to Grand Turk to board after we missed Dominica.  I am very impressed at how hard Princess worked to get these entertainers to us for the last two nights of this cruise and the costs that was incurred. 

Oh forgot to mention that we were all credited $6.70 for the port charges that were paid for Dominica.

Tonight we head up to the Horizon Court for the Brazillian Buffet.  We have been to Brazil twice now and we always love their food so it was great to experience it on board.  There are tons of options, all kinds of meats, sausages, poultry, fish and many items that you won’t go hungry for sure. 

We are excited to head up on deck to the Retreat Pool tonight as tonight is the Night Sky Lounge.  This is a new feature that Princess has introduced on the Regal and the Royal.  If I had to describe it I would say it is like a nightclub that you would find in a city.  We have a few of them in Vancouver up on the top of roofs of buildings downtown. 

The pool is lit up and there are these cool plastic globes that light up in various colors.  Also these neat tables and stools that are of the same material.  Heck I want to take some of them home for our deck.

DJ Shea is spinning some cool mellow tunes and many of the officers are out and mingling and chatting with the passengers that are up here.  We grab a drink and mingle and enjoy the ambiance. 

Sadly it is very windy and I think it has kept a lot of people away.  I like the idea of this event and I hope it takes off.  It is held on the same night as the Latin Nites Party in the hopes that people will start up at the Lounge then wander over to the Latin Nites. 

I think it should be on a separate night than the Latin Nites and maybe have some drink specials, maybe bottle service in the cabanas.  Perhaps a red carpet or photo backdrop like you find at large premier events.  The photographers on board could take pics, make it an extra special event.

We are so tired though, it has been a long day and no nap means early to bed.  Back in the cabin we start watching a great movie called Pride, but we need to watch the end of it tomorrow cause I can’t keep my eyes open.

Tomorrow is a sea day and the last day of our second leg.

Grand Turk – Sunday

our view from Jack's Shack

Events today are of course the Super Bowl for our American friends who follow.  It is being shown at Movies Under the Stars, in Club Fusion and in the Casino, I am not sure if it is being shown in the cabin or not though.  The Casino is hosting a football pool today too to make it more interesting.  I later found out that it is not being shown in the cabins because of the cost.  To get the feed to all the cabin tvs it is an extra $5,000 for Princess.  Now I understand why it is not shown there, but it sounds like they have lots of fun activities planned for tonight.

But for the rest of us the other events happening tonight are Rollin Jay Moore (comedian with a new show), Are you smarter than a crew member (which was hilarious last cruise), Korey Simons at the piano again (huge hit on board), Famous Couples themed trivia, Accent playing in Explorers, Ballroom dancing in Wheelhouse, and Karaoke.   

It has been a while but we both decide to head to the dining room for breakfast and we are sat at a large table with six others and we can’t hear a thing it is so noisy and the table is so large we can barely converse with each other.  And I once again say to myself “you hate large tables, especially when they put us in the corner”.    But once breakfast is done are good and I relax a bit before Zumba.  I am really looking forward to it as it has been a few days since the first class and they had two others but because of scheduling and us being in port I didn’t make it.  Today we don’t arrive until 1 pm so I have no excuse.

The interdenominational church service – hosted by Lee – is just wrapping up and Leesh and Lexi arrive and set up.  It is clear to see that Salt n Pepper (their new nickname) are more at ease as this is their fourth class together.  It is busy but not as crazy as the first class was.  And since many of us have done at least one of the classes we can follow a bit better.  Thanks again Leesh and Lexi for getting my butt going, it was fun.

I shower and change and head to the International Café for my cappuccino and to do some Suduko but once I get there I catch up with Beverly.  Then I run into Jack and I ask how his wife is doing, he tells me she is doing very well.  He also tells me how much they are enjoying vines every night.  I laugh and say you should replicate a Vines at their home!  He laughs and says that is a great idea. 

Then the couple beside me start asking me some questions about being on back to backs and then another couple beside them say “I recognize you Vickie from your fan page”.  I smile, I have been getting that a lot lately.  I don’t mind, it is so great to see people and put a face to their names and to people we have been talking to for a while.  If you haven’t checked out my Princess Facebook Fan Page, check it out here -- Facebook Fan Page Link                            It is a great spot to share cruising information on a respectful basis.  Lots of pictures, port information and every question is answered by myself or other frequent Princess cruisers.

Today we dock at 1 pm in Grand Turk, in the Patter it stated that the gangway gets busy so if you are not in any rush to head down about 1:30 for a better experience.  I guess many haven’t read that as they are queuing up at 12:15 for the gangways.   People are funny – I personally would rather sit and relax, sip a coffee, chat with someone, relax in my cabin, spend more time with my honey than line up for an hour to get off the ship.  But maybe that is just me.  In fact as we pull in towards the pier the crowds are crazy and I hear the announcement once again requesting that people relax in the public areas instead of converging on deck four for the gangways. 

I call Bernie to see if he wants lunch but he says he doesn’t so I head up to Horizon Court for a bite and then head aft towards Café Caribe for a seat.  Have to comment on these amazing rice balls they had, yummy I have to keep my eyes out for them again. 

We have gotten clearance to go ashore and I go back to the cabin to change into my swimsuit and lather on the sunscreen.  We head off around 1:45 and start walking towards the left towards Jack’s Shack. 

Immediately we both notice that there are more bars and places along the beach to hang out at outside of Margarittaville.  The last time we were here, about four years ago after a bad hurricane the beach was empty from Margarittaville to Jack’s Shack, but today we pass bar and blaring music a few times until we get to Jack’s Shack.  We head off to the side so we don’t have to scream over the music, damn we are getting old!

I ask one of the attendants for two lounge chairs and he says they are $25 and I said “really, last time they were free” and he says “oh yeah they are free” that ticked me off a bit and I was disappointed in this.   We grab a drink each, me rum punch $9 and Bernie a beer $4, pricy drinks – and that does cause us to limit how much we do end up drinking but we spent more here that we normally do up in Skywalkers that is for sure. 

Jack’s also has some great food options and even though we didn’t eat any of it, it sure did look good and others that did eat said they enjoyed it. 

I see a lot of familiar faces here, including many who have been following my blog and many of my Facebook fans too.  Also many of the crew are here, and one of them said oh you found the crew’s favorite spot and I said back heck you found our favorite spot as I have been coming here for years, probably longer than you have worked for Princess. 

We had a great day at the beach, lots of laughs and lots of sun and swimming.  And it is nice because we don’t have to be back on until 6:30 and we don’t head back until just before 6 walking thru Margarittaville, and the many shops.

Here are some shots around Margarittaville at the end of the day, but it was very crowded during the day.

Once back on board we shower and head down to Vines with our champagne to meet up with our friend Johan.  Bernie and he shared the champagne while I ordered a bottle of wine that Christian recommended and even got a small tasting for me to try it before I bought it.  Christian and Ryan took very good care of us along with the sushi chefs serving us sushi and tapas to go with our beverages.  I highly recommend to everyone to take at least one night while on board to forgo the dining room and head here for a bottle of wine or wine flight and some tapas, trust me you will be filled and it is a great place to people watch and quiet enough to chat about your day.

We decide to head to Explorers lounge afterwards to catch the “Are you smarter than a crew member” game, we loved it last sailing and thought it would be fun to participate again.  We took a seat at the bar and joined two women from Ontario in the game.  Even though we didn’t even come close to wining we had a great time. 

We can hear Kory singing in Crooners and after chatting and playing Frisbee with him this afternoon and a promise to check out his show again tonight as it is all about show tunes, and boy it is busy – we can only stand near the elevator banks but we stay for about a half hour laughing and singing before heading back to the cabin.

What a great day, pure bliss.  I love these days, nothing formally organized just played it by ear and had a great time with great people.