Happy Holidays to all my Followers

I wanted to take some time today to wish everyone a very Happy Holidays.  This year has been an amazing journey. 

I have been blessed to have been able to explore even more of the world this year.  Our trip to South America rates as one of the best trips we have ever taken.  In fact we often think of going back but are concerned at how it will rate when compared to this year's amazing voyage.  

Being on board the ship for such a long time enabled us to make so many new friends in the passengers and also the crew.

Then to be lucky enough to get to see the Crown Princess every other week docked at Canada Place in Vancouver while it did it's Alaska run was fun.  We often found ourselves down at the pier welcoming some of the crew to the city and a bit of a tour of our city.

Because of all those great friends on board we managed to squeeze some days off work and do a California Coastal cruise in September on board the Crown.  Which we often say was a week away for just the two of us.  It ended up being a very relaxing, romantic, restful get away.

In November a trip to the Mexican Riviera on the Grand enable me the opportunity to return to Disneyland.  I had not been there since 1970 and it had always been a dream to head back.  Three days exploring the two parks was a highlight of my year.  

Then the ten day cruise on the Grand with our friends ended up being a highlight and really enjoyed it.  We were concerned about the ports and the ship but in the end they scored highly and want to do that itinerary again. Especially La Paz.

The two three day cruises that followed on the Golden were a disappointment (read earlier blog to find out why) and left us with some major concerns about the Princess product. But in the end we knew that the time of year and the length of the trip and itinerary may have played a bigger role in the results.  

Although we have not booked any further cruises, other than what we already have planned until we sail this year, to make sure we are still happy with the product.

2015 is going to be another exciting year.  As many of you know my job is unique, a transit driver in Vancouver.  Our holidays are chosen in October for all of 2015.  So we already know when we have time off and what we have planned.

The new year starts back in the Caribbean on our favorite Caribbean itinerary, the ten day.  Which is now being done by the Royal Princess.  This will be our first cruise on the new class and we are both excited about it.  We will be spending a month on the Royal and getting away from the rain in Vancouver.

In June we are heading to Las Vegas!  Apparently no cruise ships sail into Las Vegas but we are still going.  My sister in law is a huge fan of Las Vegas and when she told us she was getting tickets to Brooks and Dunn we wanted to go too. But with no vacation scheduled it will have to be a short get away but filled with great memories.  

This summer is our 20th anniversary and my 50th birthday and since it is very hard to get vacation time in the summer with my job we are moving the celebration to the Fall.  We have booked our very first Mediterranean Cruise.  We are off to Rome baby!  We will spend five days there before getting on the Island's inaugural season in the Med. and then it's Trans Atlantic cruise back to Fort Lauderdale.  This cruise excites us cause we are getting to do lots of research and learn so much.

And finally this coming year represents Princess' 50th Anniversary too and lots of great things are planned. It will also see us doing our 50th Princess cruise in January.  I look forward to reporting back all that that will entail.  

So thanks again for following, happy travels to everyone, and especially a Happy New Year.

Vickie

A Day on the Crown Princess

After spending such a long time on the Crown this year and reconnecting with old friends and making many new friends we were excited to be getting on the ship as guests of one of the crew.  This would give us time to see the ship again, and see so many of the crew again.

Of course Bernie stopped by Purdy's Chocolates to pick up some treats to hand out to the crew we knew.  

We arrived at the pier at around 9 am and went to the security area where we were happy to be lead to the line for the crew.  They confirmed we were on the list as visitors for the day.  Scanned our bags - guess no issue with bringing chocolates.  

We then snaked our way thru the terminal to the check-in for crew at the pier just before the gangway. Here they once again checked our id, gave us visitor passes to be worn and held on to our driver's license till we got off.  We headed up the gangway against all the traffic coming off the ship.  Kind of felt like salmon going upstream.  

Princess security was there and they scanned our visitor pass and took our picture and binged us in.  

Our friend Laura was called and she came and met us and big hugs and smiles ensued.  

Down to the International Cafe and so excited to see Beatrice again.  But that is one of the only faces we recognize in the IC as all the others have gone home already.

We sit and catch up with Laura and as we sit there we have so many come by and welcome us on board and big hugs again.  

It was great to see so many - too many to list - and of course everyone was asking "are you on for the week". Sadly no.... we have to head back to work but will be on in September.

We found out that Claudio the Hotel General Manager is still on and is heading home today but he is still around as his flight isn't until later.  We get the chance to meet his beautiful wife and two lovely children.  

We find out that Niki is the new Hotel General Manager while Claudio is away.  We both smile and say oh we remember Niki from the Star when she was the Customer Service Director.  She comes by and we catch up on what she has been up to and congratulate her on her promotion.  We are sorry to hear that she won't be on in September, but then again we are happy Claudio will be back on then. Although she does mention to us that she is getting on the Golden and will be there when we are on it in November.

Johan and Laura join us for a lovely lunch in the dining room.  Note:  Check your Patter when you get on as at least one dining room is open for lunch usually from noon until 1:30.  

It had been a while since I had embarkation lunch so I was curious to see what had changed.  Not much but it is enough of a selection to really be worth the effort instead of fighting the crowds in the Horizon Court.  

I started with the avocado and shrimp salad.  I remember it being served in a half avocado but now it is more just a few slices of avocado, but still very tasty.  

I decided to go with the hamburger for lunch, I know boring but the other options just didn't entice me enough and I really enjoy their burgers and this one did not disappoint.  

I did decide to have the apple Tarte Tatin, but it really was different and not a tart tin at all but the apples were very tasty, but I knew I should behave as I am not on holidays - although I wish I was.

Laura and Johan need to get some work done, so we part ways and tell them we will met up later.

We find all the shoppies (staff from the stores on board) at the forward elevators helping passengers and it was really cute to see how happy they were to see us.  Nancy from Mexico was in charge of one of the elevators and she kept saying "stay here until I come back".  Sanja came and met us and we caught up with her and gave her a belated birthday card and of course a big hug.  We also were so happy to see Clare the Shop Manager as she was getting off today but was still busy doing handover stuff and she informed us she is heading to the Grand so we thankfully will get to see her there.

As the afternoon progressed we both are saying how odd it feels to be on board but having to get off soon.  We are not use to that.  We don't really have an interest in going back to Alaska but we wish we could stay on and just relax, but something tells me this is going to be a busy cruise.  

Why you ask do I say that... well the demographics.... we noticed right away that many passengers were first time or had just a few cruises under their belt.  Lots of questions to the staff, lots of younger people, lots of kids.  I am excited for them.  I remember when I was like them and how everything was so new and fresh and exciting.  So many kids will get to experience this amazing adventure and I am pleased. 

So around 3 pm we decided it was time to head off (we had to be off by 4) and make our way home.  6 glorious hours on board the beautiful Crown Princess.

Not sure if we will get back on again this summer.  We have arranged to meet up with other crew in the coming turn around days to show some of them around and we will be seeing many in just over two months.  

Until then....

San Juan Del Sur Nicaragua – March 30, 2014

We wake up to the vibration of the anchor dropping.  Bernie heads down to get his tea and we sit out on the balcony to enjoy the view.  It is cooler right now but it seems like it will get very hot later.  The Patter says it will be 34C/93F Sunrise is 5:42 and Sunset is 5:53. 

While sitting on the balcony Bernie spots a pod of whales and we sit out and enjoy the whales as they breach and tease us.  Not many people are up on their balconies.  Probably down have breakfast I am guess.

We are in another tender port and there are a lot of ship’s tours.  We are planning on going ashore in our bathing suits and finding a restaurant and relaxing for the day.

I decide to try breakfast up in the Horizon Court, this time I was smart.  I went to the waffle station and saw that the machine was loaded with fresh waffles so I wait for them to be cooked and take one of them and this way I know they are hot.  They were very good.  I also enjoyed a big plate of fresh fruit.  This trip has had a huge selection of fruit, bananas, watermelon, pineapple, melon, oranges, apples, plums and today I even saw peaches.

We relaxed for a few hours enjoying a coffee on deck five watching the people heading to the dining rooms to get their tender tickets. 

Around 10 am we head ashore and a few minutes earlier they called for open tenders so no tender tickets required.  We have no problem getting on a tender and head up to the top to enjoy the vista and the cooler breezes off the water. 

For this port it would be very difficult to almost impossible for someone with mobility issues to get off the tender onto the dock.  It has steep stairs, there is a ramp but it was very steep and that too would be difficult, so be warned if you have mobility issues you may want to talk to Purser’s desk about options.

Once ashore we are hit with two things, HEAT and sand!  Yup Sand!  The wind picks up the sand when you walk along the beach and whips it at you.  Ouch, ouch, ouch.

There are a few venders with the port area and as soon as you leave the port gate there are numerous other vendors.  There were taxi and guides there offering tours and rides to Granada, etc.  Fares are not on meter so agree to a price before you get in.

We decide to walk along the beach to get cooled off.  Today is Sunday and the beach is full of families who have come down to enjoy the day with their families.  Kids are playing in the water, playing in the sand, playing soccer and enjoying picnics.  It is a lovely sight.

We walk all the way to the end of the bay.  The sand is hot as it is black sand from the volcanos and the beach isn’t that clean.  Sadly there is various types of garbage around.

Doesn’t look that appealing to swim in.  They really should look at coming and cleaning up the beach every day, but it doesn’t seem to be a priority and it doesn’t appear to be in their culture to throw items in the garbage instead of leaving it on the beach.  It was much cleaner at the end of the bay than where we docked. 

The water is lovely and just what we need to cool off.  But as soon as we walk out the wind kicks up and one side is pelted with sand.  It is hard to lay on the beach without getting an exfoliating treatment to one side of your body.  We last only for about 40 minutes before we can’t bear it any more.

We decide to walk out to the street and follow the beach this way.  Nothing really along the road except for homes.  Lots of places you can rent out too.  It is a lovely area, minus the blowing sand.

We walk along the main street and see a cute little restaurant/bar that I believe is called The Howler (after the monkey).  They served freshly made fruit smoothies and so we order up two and a mango quesadilla, which was so good.

We decide to head down a bit further and maybe stop somewhere for a beer along the beach.  We do stop and a large thatched roof restaurant right on the beach.  Bernie orders one of the local beers and I get a margarita and we sit and people watch.  Lovely place and the people are so nice too. 

As we leave the restaurant we decide to walk up the street to the main square and church and wander around a bit.  This place is so tranquil and quite reminiscent of some smaller Mexican towns we have visited.  There are no big name stores, restaurants, shops here.  It is way way laid back with many small stores/restaurants. 

We decide to head back on board so we enter the port area and we check out a few stalls selling items.  We see some lovely belts, the one I was looking it was all embroidered and they are asking $12.  A guy is also looking at it and he offers $10 and she says yes, so I pick it up and say $10 and she nods.  Bernie see a different one that is not as intricate and the other woman says to him it is $14.  When he asks why this is so much more than the one I want she responds, oh that one is $16, this one is $14.  I comment really this woman said $12 and took $10.  Really I said…. And we just walked away.  I don’t mind paying a fair price but I hate when someone is just trying to take advantage.

 

There is absolutely no line for the tender… Wow what a difference today’s tender operation was compared to all the others.  Today’s was very very smooth.

We are back on board and in the cabin around 3:00 and first thing we need is a shower to try and remove most of this sand. 

Barb and Craig invite us over for a drink for sail away… so nice to have such great friends with us.  We spot more whales as we leave.

Tonight we decided last minute to head to the Crown Grill and Johan is joining us.  We are given a nice booth by the window and Hector is serving us again.  The place is relatively quiet although there are fewer waiters around too.  I believe there are three waiters for the entire place tonight, or maybe two waiters and one assistant and the head waiter.

We enjoy a bottle of Merlot from Tabali winery we went to in Chile… and we are reminded of our great day there.

I ordered the salad to start and it comes and there is too much salad dressing on it.  This ship really seems to enjoy dousing their salads with dressing.  I should of ordered it on the side.  Oh and Bernie also ordered the other salad with the beets and it too had way too much dressing on it.  As I always say “less is more”, I can always add more I can’t always take it away.

I then enjoy the Black and Blue Onion Soup which is great as usual.  For my entrée I have gone back to the fillet mignon and it is served on it’s own and cooked perfectly.

 

We get garlic fries, spinach and mushroom for our sides.

The garlic fries are once again very plain with very little seasoning, including no noticeable garlic.  I comment about this to Johan and he agrees and wonders what has happened.  The head waiter comes over and brings us a fresh one done the way we normally get it and right away we get a wiff of the garlic.  He comments that the old chef there had gone home and the new one is not making it the same.

  

For dessert I try the lemon tart and it is very good, but Bernie ordered the chocolate obsession and darn it sure looked good but I am glad I tried the lemon tart.

Sadly service was really lacking I thought.  Often our water glasses were not filled and we often had to pour our own wine.  Plates sat in front of us for longer than normal as waiters rushed passed us to try to accommodate those in the restaurant. 

Overall we have dined here three times this voyage, and three times in Sabatinis and none of the experiences have been that great, good but not great.  Sabatinis seems to have gone downhill, and even when friends with us said they wanted to go back we both declined.  Crown Grill had good food most of the time but service seems to be lacking.  Not that the waiters are not good but there just was not enough of them.  Just not the personalized attentive service we use to get.  Not sure why they didn’t call down another waiter.

After dinner it is relatively quiet everywhere as most people seem to be in a show somewhere.  Jennifer Fair a vocalist is performing in Explorers, she did have a lovely voice.  Chris Bliss a comedian is performing in the Princess Theater. 

We are back in the cabin around 10 pm and we read for a bit before we can’t keep those eyes open any longer.

Sea Day Number Two – March 27, 2014

Today marks 365 days we have sailed with Princess (actually I am 7 days more but want to celebrate with my honey).  It is also a formal night and we decide we will celebrate tonight with some champagne.

Today I surprise Bernie by heading up to Horizon Court with him for breakfast.  I had an egg, one sausage, some fruit, one piece of toast and all of it was hot, well not the toast but that is understandable.

What amazes me about this cruise is how crowded it feels.  Now we have sailed on this class of ship over 20 times and have never felt it so crowded as we have for these past 40 days.  The demographics of this cruise is much much older than we are use to.  I am sure this has to do with the length of the trip and that it sailed from a US port and returns to a US port.  Also these are very experienced cruisers they love their trivia and their evening shows.

Trying to find a seat in the International Café in the morning is a game of chance and speed (which works in our favor because we are much younger than most).  Trivia, both morning and afternoon is well how do I put it, survival of the fitness.  Some teams are downright mean!  And rude! 

Making really nasty comments to whoever is hosting.  People it is just a game!  Sadly some of the more nasty comments come from the most travelled passenger Ju. 

Every time I run into her she has some nasty thing to say about cruise staff, the ports, the ships, the officers, and even Princess.  Now really!  They have sailed over a 1,000 days more than us, you would think if she hates it that much she would just stay home.  Okay I have vented.

Lisa Ball the Cruise Director is giving a talk on Life at Sea.  She has prepared a presentation that talks all about ship life, chain of command, contracts, cabins, dining halls, how to get hired etc.  This is the first time I have seen this type of talk and I am interested.  I come early (20 minutes early) and the place is already ¾ full.  I take a seat along the back wall where I can’t see the podium but I love that they show the presentation on the tvs so it is not necessary to see her.

I took lots of notes and will prepare a full article that I will publish on my facebook page Cruising Princess Cruiseline with Vickie so look for it there in the note section.  Facebook page

What I was impressed with was Lisa saw how busy it was getting and called for more chairs to be delivered.  Also she took questions after the show, which is great, but also not so great.  Most people seemed to take the time to complain.

I even heard a woman complain on how there are not many hand sanitizers around the ship.  REALLY – I not sure why us North Americas have been hypnotized by these large companies like Purell that this is the be all end all for hand cleaning.  First it DOES NOT kill the Noro virus.  Second it does not replace proper hand washing.  Third people have a false sense their hands are clean and don’t wash them properly.  Wash your hands in the washroom with soap and water, dry with paper towel and you are good to go.  I have seen numerous people walk right by the washroom into the dining room and use the sanitizer there, and people leave and use the sanitizer and but walk right past the washroom again.  By using just the sanitizer you have not cleaned your hands of any viruses.  You are better off walking into washroom before a meal and washing your hands, and when leaving go in and wash again.  Okay I have vented again.

Theo is conducting the Zumba and I remember Theo from the Star.  He just boarded in Valparaiso.  I decide to stay for the class, and once again it is packed.

Back in the cabin we relax for a bit and I am trying to decide what I want to do this afternoon.  The Crossing the Equator ceremony is this afternoon. 

Oh I forgot to mention that Lauren did the noon announcement and she talked about crossing the Equator and made us laugh when she said we may all feel a bump when we cross. 

We opt for the ceremony since I missed it last time.  This time it is being held at the pool with the MUTS.  This is good and bad, they are videoing it and showing it on the big screen too but sadly many people have pushed their lounge chairs up to the glass on the second level meaning few people can watch from above.  Next time they should remove the lounge chairs so more can see.

Bernie and I sit around the pool bench and soon there throngs of people that I almost think about leaving but glad I stayed. 

Now many of you will rememeber that two years ago on the Star when I was a Pollywog I was picked to be in the ceremony.  That ceremony was quite different than this one.  This one was similar with the crimes the Pollywogs had committed but the rest was different.

Lisa Ball - Cruise Director

In the end lots of chocolate sauce, spaghetti, jello, cream were doused on the guilty Pollywogs and most of the crew that participated.  As an observer it felt like the ceremony was more about the crew having a food fight than the Pollywogs being included.  Seemed like the passengers watching and involved were more of an afterthought.  When I participated last time it didn’t get this bad and the four Pollwogs and the passengers were included more.  Click here to read about that day when I crossed the Equator for the first time.

It is late afternoon and I am hungry so we grab a small bite to eat.  I love the afternoon snack at the Horizon Court cause they serve baked potatoes.  I then add cheese, sour cream, chives and enjoy.

I have been experiencing a tummy ache all day – I am sure it is something I ate or drank.  I have been having a hard time digesting the milk in the latte and if I have two I find my tummy really acts up.  May be a lactose thing but find I don’t get the same problem at home.  Oh well, I am just going to have to watch myself. 

So we relax for a few hours in the cabin. I really don’t feel like going to dinner tonight.  I am not hungry and with this tummy ache I know I won’t be able to eat anything.  But we are celebrating and Johan is joining us so I dress in my formal wear and meet up with Bernie and Johan at 8 for dinner.

Champagne was served, toasts were made, picture was taken….. aren’t we fortunate.

Tonight is also lobster night and Bernie said he really enjoyed it.  The appetizer gnocchi was very salty again.  Me, well I had to apologize and bow out cause of sore tummy but I left Bernie in the very capable company of Johan.  The boys can have fun tonight without me. 

I head back to the cabin and watch Cocktail – yup the one with Tom Cruise – Hubba hubba.

Oh and by the morning my tummy was settled down and back to normal – fingers crossed and no latte for me today.

Sea Day – March 26, 2014

Jasper tries on some bling from the Silent Auction

I love sea days and after two days in port the crowds seem to be ready.  I am writing this on the 28 so I am racking my brain to try and remember what we did each day and night.

Most of our days are spent relaxing in the cabin first thing.  The weather is warm again and we love sitting out on the balcony and enjoy our coffees and look out at the ocean.

We run into Sherri and Ken and catch up with them in the coffee bar, it has been awhile since we have seen them.  Amazing you can be on the same ship and not see each other. 

Cabin is still taking quite a long time to get cleaned in the morning.  We were gone for four hours and when we came back it was still not cleaned so we went off again.  This steward Ronalda does his job but he is not great.  I finally had to ask for some items that should be standard.  Soap, beach towels, clean the mirror (not sure what was smeared all over it when he cleaned it last time).  Sadly this steward is worse than the last one.  But still sure beats the heck out of cleaning it myself.

We end up having lunch in the dining room with Barb and Craig.  I had the Mediterranean Panini again LOVE IT.  Oh and for dessert they have a banana split and we all indulge in one.  It is just the right size and much smaller than the volcano.

Lots going on around the ship.  Hole in One Challenge, Zumba, lecture about Puntarenas with Julio, Horse Racing, Scrabble get together, Bar Wars, Enrichment Lecture about the Mystery of the Pyramids with Jeffrey Wolff, Move The Place Beyond the Pines, Soccer 3 on 3, Tango class, Carpet Bowls, Muts is showing Overboard then Billy Joel Concert then Frozen, Afternoon Tea, Trivia.

I have Afternoon Tea and really enjoyed it today – I had only one small sandwich and one scone and they were less salty this time.  It is lovely that Princess still does Afternoon Tea, it is a civilized break in the afternoon.

Barb and Craig invite to their balcony for drinks.  They have the last aft cabin on the Starboard Side that is large and you can see right down the side of the ship.  It is not very private, everyone can look up and down and see you and the walls that surround you are all metal and can be quite noisy when the sounds bounce off it.  Another downfall is that if you want to see to the right you can’t really do it cause of the wall.  The positives are that it is large, you can easily accommodate four, you have a stunning view down the ship.  We have also noticed quite a bit of vibration when we are back there.

We see quite few pods of dolphins – large numbers and they are playing in the surf.  Many jump up and right out of the water.  Sadly I didn’t have my camera but I loved watching them. 

Back in the cabin we are kind of lazy (why I don’t know we have done nothing all day).  The remains of the sunset have drawn us outside.  We sit and enjoy the skies for about 45 minutes and really take it all in.  This moment of Relaxation is Brought to You By Princess Cruises.

We decide to head down to the dining room for dinner, it is always lovely to see Mark and Lorelei. 

Just as we are leaving we run into Johan who was looking for us and we sit in Vines and enjoy a bottle of wine.  Anthony is there and he serves us.  We haven’t been in Vines much this leg.  The first two legs we were here more.  We catch up with him and he comments that Mark Cornish’s show was excellent and we agree to go see him for the 10:15 show.

Mark Cornish is one of the cruise staff.  We have sailed with him before and he has an amazing talent of not only being a great cruise staff but he has an amazing voice too.  He is quite comical too and has many of us singing along and laughing.

March 23, 2014 – Second Half

I haven’t mentioned but I finally got the cold that seems to be travelling around the ship.  Again I have to say “it could be worse, I could be at work with a cold”.  At least I get to relax at sea today and pamper myself.  And it has hardly slowed me down that much.

I am achy and I know a shower will make me feel a whole lot better and it does. 

Passenger Services comes by and delivers the passports for Bernie as he needs it for tomorrow and his trip to the Nazca lines.  He had to inform them the day prior that he would require it back and he was able to get it after the Peruvian Officials had stamped all the passports.  In fact they told us we could now keep our passports in our safe as the countries remaining that we will be visiting do not require to see and stamp our passports.

I meet up with Bernie just outside Crooners and we catch up with friends on board that we have met.  That is one thing with these long voyages you really get to met a lot of passengers and they soon become good friends and we look forward to running in to them on board and catching up.  When you are on a shorter voyage you just get to meet them and you or they are off the ship.

We head to Da Vinci dining room and it is really quiet in here, in fact Mark and Lorelei don’t have anyone in their section. But that quickly changes.  They are both such amazing servers that the passengers ask for them often.  He is so much fun too and we are now teasing both of them.  They will be missed when we go home.

Johan joins us and well all I can say is with him and Bernie I was teased a lot tonight, kind of like hanging out with a younger brother, pest I said to him.  They were bugging me because I was in a bit of a grumpy mood – yes I do get in a grumpy mood sometimes.  But I was over it but they just wouldn’t let it go – pest like I said.  But I love them both.

I see the Thai soup is on the menu!  I so need it tonight and ask for a big bowl and when he brings it to me it is huge and the guys each have the small bowl.  I really wish I would have had my camera it was quite a funny site to see. 

I then had the scallops for my entrée and I am in heaven, that is such a good dish.  Then the mango sorbet to end on a sweet note.

Johan had to leave for a bit to head to the casino as one of the passengers won big on the slots $17,000, yup it does pay out.  I then found out that later on today another person won $5,000.  Darn it, it wasn’t me!

Johan recommends a Camomile tea to help me sleep and get a restful sleep too so we all head down to the International Café and I get my tea and we then head back to the cabin and I change and crawl into bed and by 11 pm I am sound asleep.

Another great day.

There is a lot going on tonight:  Stateroom Movie The Hobbit, Variety Showtime featuring Bobby Brooks Wilson (people were raving about him), Country & Western Night, MUTS The Way Way Back, Country Trivia, Slot Tournament, Ballroom Blitz Dance Class the Samba, Name That Tune, Disco Inferno in Skywalkers, and A Little Less Conversation with the Crown Princess Cast in the Piazza.

Sea Days - March 22 and 23, 2014

After such a great night yesterday we were ready for a sleep in but with an hour gain we woke at 7 am and really it is 8 am.  Today I run down to get Bernie his tea.

Once back in the cabin I really take my time this morning.  I do up my blog, catch up on line.  I will add here that internet has been pretty good on board.  I have noticed numerous pages having difficulty loading and come back unable to load, like my Hotmail account.  Others have noticed the same issue.  May have to do with so many on line but eventually I can get thru.

Really our day is so boring and relaxing that there isn’t much to write about.  Coffee in International Café, Trivia for Bernie – boy are these popular! 

There was a Cruise Critic Meet and Greet today but I just wasn’t up for it this time.

I sat out in the sun up on deck and read for quite a while but since I don’t have sun screen on I came in after about 40 minutes.  Lunch was two slices of pizza and some fruit and a yummy chocolate mousse napoleon. 

Back in the cabin Bernie and I relax on our balcony.  The Caribe balcony is so large that we are able to stretch out and we are partially covered which is nice. 

We meet up with Johan for afternoon tea.  This is our first time for afternoon tea and it is a nice break.  The tea was lovely and all I had was two scones and a cookie – I tried to behave.

Back in the cabin we are joined by Barb and Craig for drinks.  We ordered ice from room service but it never did come.  So we made due with what we had.  Also sadly didn’t get our canapés order form the night prior from steward (elite benefit for formal nights) so we just had to drink – somehow we survived.

Our new steward is good, but certainly not great.  We have had to ask for many items, elite toiletries, robes, ice, laundry bags.  We never did get our Princess tote bag (but we can manage I am sure, not really a complaint just an observation), no pool towels for the first two days, had to ask.  A great steward is one step ahead of the game, replacing toilet paper when getting near the end, providing extra soap just in case, extra laundry bags, beach towels etc.  Today we left our cabin at 8 am and came back at 11:30 and the room still had not been cleaned.  We have decided to stay in the cabin and forgo the cleaning.. maybe just get clean towels.  I think we have been spoiled with so many great stewards they have ruined it for the ones that are just good.

Tonight is formal night, it is our 7^th formal night of 9 and neither of us really want to dress up so we dress in our usual smart casual clothing and head up to the dining room to see Mark (full name is Mark Joseph Sapitana and Lorelie Lladone) I refer to them as the dream team!  So nice to see them again.

I really enjoyed dinner and then we followed it up with Liar’s Club and lots of laughs.

Ship Observations:

Even though there are lots of very very nice passengers on board the complainers are standing out and well are loud.  Seems I can't go anywhere without hearing someone going on and on about something negative.  Heck someone is still commenting about the long embarkation in Florida; really that was a month ago, get over it and enjoy today.

The people above us have a laundry line strung up along the glass of their balcony, and of course they have their underwear (both his and hers) hanging.  Pretty bad sight to look up at, so we try not to look up. Here is a pick, if I have to look at it so do you!  

The coffee bar staff make my day every day with their smiles and hot coffee, love the designs that they make in my cappuccino too.

Trivia is a huge hit and the crew are doing a great job at keeping it interesting and new.  Dan's nightly game at 10:15 is so popular, he talked about tonight's name that tune by saying.  "I am back with a new Name That Tune for all you well travelled passengers it is songs from the 1840s"  That had us laughing.

We tried breakfast in the dining room again this morning and Bernie tried to get hot pancakes with two eggs, and still not hot.  So cold the butter didn't even melt!  That is four times we have tried in the dining room and four times it has been cold.  We now are officially giving up on hot pancakes and eggs.  Well it isn't like we are going to go hungry.  I should note my omelet was HOT and yummy.  Service was very good too this morning.

$10 Bijoux sale is going on and long lines and seems like a lot are buying.  Sure have had great sales and items from the stores available for this voyage.

La Serena/Coquimbo, Chile – March 21, 2014

We dock early and today our cabin faces out to the water so we can’t see too much and we are missing the music and dancers that those on the Starboard side are enjoying. 

Our meeting time with our group is 8:45 and I grabbed an egg sandwich from International Café (which has been very good – no more issues with over heating).

Today’s tour is to the Petroglyphs and Limar/Valley and Vineyard, visit to Winery and Lunch.  We booked this tour quite a long time ago thru Southtours www.southtoursdestinations.com and the actual tour is with Turismo Nuevo Mundo  www.turismonuevomundo.com  So save some money and see if you can book directly with the tour provider. 

First I should note that Coquimbo/La Serena is not know to have cruise ships arrive here.  They only get a few a year so tour operations here are available but not normally designed for cruise ships.  This is our second time here and both times we found it hard to coordinate tours.

Two years ago our friends did this tour and we knew we had to do it this time. 

We are a group of 8 and we are lead to a lovely bus that enabled all of us to have our own seats and spread out.  Our guide was welcoming –  Jorge Rojas – and right away started with a lovely narrative of the area and of Chile. 

This area is stunning, we drive along and see small communities and Jorge explains the agriculture and what is being grown here and about harvesting.  He explains the difference between growing grapes for Pisco and for wine, the fruits and vegetables and planting schedule.  He points out the topography and the climate changes in the valleys.  Some areas around here have lots of fog that settles into the valley which assist with the grape growing.  The issues with water retention and irrigation.

We arrive in the Enchantment Valley which is of great archaeological importance.  This open air museum of scientific and cultural interst.  From the El Molle people to the  Diaguita Culture tribe and other groups of hunters inhabited this valley from around 2,000 BC until around 600 AD. The first natives travelled with their animals from Argentina or the Chilean Mountain range to the sea and stopped in the Enchanted Valley to do religious ceremonies and other activities. There are numerous petroglyphs depicting bodies with antennae, crowns, sun symbols and snake and fish like shapes which are deeply engraved in the rocks. 

There are numerous drawings of human beings and other figures done in a natural paint. 

Rocks in the ground have this cup like shapes formed into them.  They are not sure what they were used for, perhaps cooking but when the cups fill with water and the Summer Solstice arrive the reflection in them at night lines up perfectly with the stars above!

Since we are a small group with can really take some time to travel to many of the petrographs and listen to Jorge explained each one. 

The huge rocks just sitting on ledges amazes me, and apparently after many earthquakes they have not budged.

Back in our bus we travel to a small village and to a lovely restaurant where we are served a very good meal including Pisco Sours and Wine.

Our last stop is the Tabali Winery www.tabali.com where Vivian Mosnaim the Sommelier shows us around and explains the wine making procedure.  But what I really enjoyed was how this winery has set up an underground display of the day in the life of the original people the Diaguita Culture.  I really enjoyed this part of the tour and Vivian explained it very well.  There is a lovely boardroom here too with casks of wine…. What a place to hold a party I think.

We then get a chance to taste a Sauvignon Blanc and a Shryah…. We also had the opportunity to buy some wines and we were so happy to see they make a Late Harvest wine so we bought a bottle of it and three others. 

What I truly loved about this winery is how they made it to embrace the beauty of the area, the building is all outdoors and even the roof is like a wave to represent the wind.  Everything is natural and embraces sustainability and gives thanks to the earth.  Their wines are made with grapes produced in this valley and legend says that the wine captures this mystic characteristics in its wines.

Living the Dream

Back on the bus for the 1.5 hour drive back to the port.  Chilean music is playing in the bus and as I glace out the window I smile and say to Bernie this country is a country I would like to come back and visit more thoroughly. 

Note if you are not on a tour here you can wander around Coquimbo there are some craft stalls within walking distance and a huge fish market too.  But I highly recommend you take the shuttle or a taxi to La Serena (refer to my blog about our last visit for more details on La Serena – click here).

We are back on board and we check in with Johan and make plans to meet up with him for dinner tonight at Sabatinis. 

The movie Jobs is being shown in the cabin and I really want to watch it, we still have lots of time so I curl up in bad and enjoy along with a couple of glasses of wine as I watch out as the ship pulls away and we say goodbye to Chile.

We meet up with Delip, Laura and Johan in Adagio for drinks, oh my after the two I had and the wine early I better pace myself.

Johan, Bernie and I head over to Sabatinis.  What a beautiful place to enjoy a meal and so nice to spend time with Johan again.  We missed him so and he is very special to us.  

Bernie brought a bottle of his favorite champagne to toast our reunion, then we enjoyed a bottle of red wine (sorry I don’t recall which one).  For our meal I had the calamari, salad and then a serving of pasta (which I only ate half of to save room), and my entrée was the chicken dish.  I really enjoyed it all and loved the polenta that was served with the chicken.  We are too full to have dessert.

After dinner we all head down to Club Fusion and have a good laugh and a little dancing.

We see Lisa Ball and Bernie gives her a big hug as her husband got off in Valparaiso to go and work on the Regal for a bit for it’s set up.  We all have a good laugh for a while and then we all say good night.  Bernie is asleep before his head hits the pillow.

Thank goodness tonight we gain an hour, still three more hours to gain.