Most Travelled Luncheon - Last Day

We are honoured to be invited to the Most Travelled Luncheon.  A few years ago Princess introduced this luncheon (sometimes a cocktail party) to the top 40 most travelled passengers on any given cruise.  Lately we always make the cut off but sometimes it is close.  This sailing we are the fourth most travelled on this sailing.

Riz Sirilan is the Captain Circle Host and she sent out the invited on the first day for the luncheon.

Today it is held in Sabatinis and it is a sit down meal.

Normally you are sat according to where you fall on the list.  Top three couples sit at the Captains Table.  Next three are at the Hotel General Manager's Table (but today it is both Customer Services Directors - Stefano and Nelson), etc etc.

Bernie, Stefano, and Nelson

But I should back track.  When the open the doors to the restaurant you hand in your invite and Riz will introduce you to the Captain.  They will then take your picture - and you get a copy of it at the end of the meal.

You are then led to your table.  We are sitting with Stefano on my right and Nelson on Bernie's left, along with three others.  There are place settings and a personalize menu for each of us.

For today's menu we are served Alaskan King Crab Cake Drunken Prawns, Cilantro Caper Dip and Wasabi Lime Foam.  Then we have the choice of Red Beet Risotto, Fried Pumpkin and EVO Oil or Steamed Halibut Poached in Green Tea with Galangal, served on Pea and Sweet Potato Mousse and Asparagus Foam or Grilled Fillet of Beef Tenderloin, filled with Boursin Cheese, Carrots, Rutabaga Pont Neuf Truffle Potatoes Pancetta with Shiraz Glaze.  For Dessert it is a Champagne Mouse and Marinated Berries served in a chocolate cup.  Home Made Macaroons.

Mark (our favorite waiter) and Riza are up here serving us.  Mark right away serves me sparkling water - he knows we often prefer that.

We have a choice of red or white wine.

Both Bernie and I had the exact same meals. We started with the Alaskan King Crab Cake and Drunken Prawns

Oh my this is so darn good.  I loved it, and everyone at our table who had it loved it! Would love to see this on the menu.

My entree was the steamed halibut in green tea with galangal.

Again it was so good, perfectly cooked.

Now the big treat was dessert.  And all I can say is WOW.  

At first when they put it down I thought the cup was just a real cup and saucer covered in chocolate. No!  The whole thing is made of chocolate, the cup and the saucer and even the "steam" is white chocolate.  Sure the mousse and berries were very good but we were all having fun with this chocolate cup.  People were breaking it apart and savouring it.  Lots of laughs heard throughout the room.  Felt like when you devour your Chocolate Easter Bunny.  

I wish I could of eaten more of it but I just couldn't.  Darn should of brought the rest back to the cabin to munch on with some wine later.

Riz thanks us all and we all acknowledge the officers who have taken time out of their day to attend. We show our thanks to the hard working crew that helped put it together - way to GO!

The Captain thanked us all too and said a few words.  Our photos were handed out and we waddled out of another great luncheon. Again how lucky are we.

 

Birthday Dinner in the Crown Grill

What a treat.  I have never sailed during my birthday. We often are at sea for Bernie's birthday but never for mine. So to get to have a meal in the Crown Grill, served by Mark, our favorite waiter on board and with friends, and with my amazing husband. I just can't ask for anything more.  I feel blessed.


But first here is a run down of what is happening on board:

• North to Alaska Folkloric Show with Steve Hites 8:15
• Evening Game Show - Jeopardize Trivia
• Comedian Rich Shydner 7:00 and 8:15
• Ballroom Blitz - Jive Class
• Stateroom movie is Focus
• 60s Music Trivia 9:15
• Alaskan Midnight Sun Sailaway with Live Music from Will Dickerson - Come and enjoy beautiful Alaskan scenery (blankets provided) Outriggers Bar Deck 15 Aft 9:15 
• Evening Game Show: Fish Stories - about Sharks 9:15
• Cruise Cult Classic Rock n' Roll Night
• Movies Under the Stars - The Longest Ride 10;00 pm 
• The Yes/No Gameshow 10:45

We arrive and are sat at a both that we really like (also called the fishbowl by the staff).  

Earlier Bernie had dropped off the bottle of champagne that I had asked for for my birthday -- Perrier-Jouet, Blason Rose from France.   It was sitting in the bucket beside our table when we arrived. Also a bottle of wine from Stefano and Nelson was a surprise and appreciated.  Oh forgot to say that earlier they called the cabin and on speaker phone sang Happy Birthday to me.  Lovely

Ashwin is joining us for dinner and Tammi too.  We just met Tammi this voyage, she is from Halifax and so it is nice to connect with someone from home and Bernie originally is from Nova Scotia.  And of course we know Ashwin for quite a while now.

I start with the Pan Seared Pacific Scallops

Then I had that amazing Heirloom Tomato Salad with Goat Cheese and Beets - sorry forgot to take a picture.

For my entree I really wanted to try one of the new Alaskan Special Menu items and I chose the Halibut.  It was like butter!

You can see the lovely cheese plate that Mark prepared for us too.  Lovely to munch on in between courses and along with the wine.

Of course the waiters came out and sing Happy Birthday. They even had balloons for me.  

Was so touched too that Riza came down from Sabatinis where she is a waiter to wish me a Happy Birthday.  Here is a picture of Mark and Riza sandwich of all love and kindness. 

After dinner Bernie insists that we head to Crooners to say hi to Red - he hasn't seen us yet today and he wants to see me.  When we arrive he too gives me a gift!  

It is amazing how the world brings such great people into our lives.  I want them to know that they mean the world to us.  They brighten our day when we see them.  We love hearing from them when we are home, and we really love seeing them outside of their work environment whether it is in Vancouver or they home city.  

They are our Princess Family!

Saturday Evening - Crown Grill

Dressed and ready for the evening we walk down and chat with Riz Sirilan the Captain Circle Host.  This our first time sailing with Riz and by the end of the cruise I am sure she will be part of our Princess Family.  

There are not many Elite Passengers (later I find out there are only 49 Elites) this sailing and we are told we are part of the top 40 passengers and just missed being in the top three by a few days.  But we are happy just to be including in the top 40.  I don’t usually ask what the cut off is for the party but I know it must be low as we are in the mid 400s.

Bernie and Ashwin

Walking down the Promenade we run into Ashwin Koli who is the Assistant Shop Manager and who we met on the Grand and travelled to Puerto Vallarta (you can read it here) with some of the other shoppies last November.

Elite Lounge is up in Skywalkers and it is very quiet up there at 6:30, but we are told that it was a bit busier earlier.  The drink is the Margarita but they allow us to order any of the drinks for the Elite Lounge for the $5.  The view is stunning with Mount Rainier in the background.

Tonight’s dinner is at the Crown Grill with Mark.  We are sat at a lovely booth and we order a bottle of Ancient Peaks Merlot.

The menu is the standard Crown Grill Menu, (here is a link to the Crown Grill Menu) but they have some added features for Alaska. 

I start with the lamb carpaccio with gooseberry chutney and then the spinach and goat cheese with heirloom tomatoes.  I love that salad.  

The lamb appetizer is so good especially a sweet gooseberry chutney that is served with it. 

Bernie had the prawn appetizer and the salad too.  For my entrée I had the fillet mignon and Bernie had the rack of lamb.  

My steak was cooked perfectly but seemed to have been sitting for awhile as a lot of the juice from was gone. 

I especially love the assorted cheese plate that Mark brought us which along with those amazing rolls and the wine tickled our pallet.

Dessert was the Norman Love feature the Peanut Butter Bar and Bernie had the Lemon Meringue Pudding Tart. Oh what a great meal, great service and wonderful company.  As we raise our glasses to another great adventure.

On the way out we run into the Maitre D’ Federico Milano and he is surprised to see us on board again.  We ask about his wife Monica but sadly she has just gone home.

There is a lot going on tonight but we are beat and return to the cabin around 11 pm and crash knowing we will be rocked to sleep.

The officers who are on board are the following:  Captain Heikki Laakkonen, Staff Captain Marcello Mancini, Chief Engineer Tomislav Jukic, Hotel General Manager Claudio Mazzoni, Cruise Director Kelvin Joy, Senior Doctor Mark Mason, Food and Beverage Director Michael Glass, Customer Services Director Nelson Neiva Da Silva, Human Resources Manager Susan Watson, Executive Housekeeper Michael Collins, Corporate Executive Chef Jean Peter Seidel, Maitre d'Hotel Federico Arcos Cantos, Environmental Officer Georgi Takov.

Lots going on tonight though:

• Cabin Movie - Juno, MUTS Billy Joel Concert, and The Rewrite
• Dining Room Inquiries from 1 to 3 pm in Michelangelo Dining Room
• Muster Drill was at 3:30
• North To Alaska with Guitar Vocalist Will Dickerson
• LGBT Gathering
• Welcome Aboard Trivia at 7
• Music and Dancing with the Tritone Duo in Wheelhouse
• Shopping Party at Sea with the Jewelry Team in Facets
• Party Band Icon in Explorers
• Welcome Aboard Show with Comedian Ritch Shydner at 7:45 and 9:30
• Karaoke
• Evening Music Trivia: Hits of Yesterday
• Music in Adagio - The Elegy Duo
• Texas Holdem School 
• David Moore Piano Entertainer in Crooners
• Singles and Solos Meet and Greet
• Stateroom Movie: Say Anything
• 18-20s get together in Club Fusion
• Happy Hour Buy One Get one for $1 at Skywalkers 11-midnight

Specials today:

• All Inclusive Beverages of up to $10 per drink for $49 a day plus 15% gratuity
• Boutiques Onboard 2 days Only save an extra 10% off your tax and duty free purchase of $10 or more.
• Lotus Spa Embarkation Day Upgrade - today only receive complimentary upgrade on select signature spa services
• Photo Dept. purchase your embarkation photo set and receive a free USB thumb drive, digital file and VIP membership with your passport to value coupon
• Internet Cafe embarkation special - purchase an internet time plan today and receive up to 40 additional minutes free
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All Aboard The Crown Princess to Alaska

Jan and Michael live very close to Pier 91, in fact you can see the ships in port and today there is a Holland America ship beside the Crown. In fact we will be with this ship all week as we have the exact same itinerary.

We head to the pier around 11:30 and we drop the bags off. 

We enter the port building where agents are numerous and very helpful.  There appears to be a lot of new cruisers and therefore a lot of questions.  The staff at the pier are busy and so patient and friendly, and what I really love is they are excited for all the passengers as they head out on their cruise. 

While filling out the health form we heard a man who was trying to figure out what he could do with his pocket knife.  Security won’t let him board with it (note no knives, guns, or any possible weapon are allowed on). 

Up the escalator to a large area for check in.  I remember when this port was first opened.  I think we were like the third cruise to leave from it and it was all new.  Well all these years later it still looks great and it flows very well.  I wish Fort Lauderdale’s piers were like this. 

We head thru the security and because we are bringing on a bottle of champagne we go to the table located just past security where two crew members are and they make note of the one bottle and we continue on.

Because of our elite status we can go in the Preferred line, and today this does help.  We later find out there are around 2000 first time cruisers on board!  With cruise cards in hand we head to board the ship.  

We take note that they are handing out cards with boarding groups and at 11:30 they had group 10, but we are directed to go right on.  What I really like is we are directed to a different door to head to the gangway and therefore no line at all for security pictures.  

However note the line for non preferred was long it was still quite reasonable.

Once on board it is that immediate “ahhhh we are home” and yes getting on board Princess feels like coming home.

Our cabin is A710 a balcony cabin near the aft on the port side, and we drop off our bags.  The rooms are not completely ready so dropping off the bags to give the room attendant the space to do his job.  We head out to explore and grab a coffee/tea. 

Right away we run into crew we have sailed with.  It is so nice to see so many familiar faces.  The last time we were on this ship was at the end of April and many are still on board, but there are a few crew that we have met on other ships that are on this ship now.  Including Nelson Da Silva the Customer Services Director and Michael Glass the Food and Beverage Director. 

We see Alexandra and Michael Smith who work in the shops, and who just got married!  We sailed with them many years ago and then were with them again when they got engaged two years ago and now they are married.  

We see Claudio Mazzoni the Hotel General Manager who is a dear friend and he is so busy, but is on with his family for a few more weeks. 

Mark our favorite waiter is now serving in the Crown Grill at night so that means we need to make some reservations for there to see him.  He is up in Sabatinis right now taking care of the reservation line and he looks great.  We make reservations for tonight, Skagway night and the last night in Crown Grill.  So here is a tip, if you want a reservation for a specialty restaurant just head up to Sabatinis that first day while exploring and make a reservation for either restaurant.

Wandering around some more and the make of passengers is probably the most different we have ever seen.  Lots of families, many kids, grandparents, and parents.  It is lovely to see so many people being introduced to cruising. 

The All Inclusive Drink Package is very popular and they are selling a lot of them.  And it seems every kid has the soda sticker on their card. 

Bernie gets his suitcase right away so he unpacks but mine takes over five hours to arrive.  Weird since they were put on the same cart.  Unfortunately when mine arrives it has obviously been in the sun for a long time and many of the chocolate bar treats we have brought for the crew have melted and lost their shape – but still taste great. 

We head down for Muster Drill and once that is over we head up on deck for sailaway.  It is so hot out, I would say it is around 27 and thankfully being on the water there is a nice breeze.

In Seattle they are not allowed to have the band/music play until we clear the point because of noise bylaws.  But as soon as we do clear the point the band starts up and many people are up dancing and having a great time.  The pool is packed with kids enjoying the great weather. Sadly I saw a parent with a child in a diaper in the pool, which is not allowed. 

Back to the cabin to unpack and get settle before the evening festivities.

Friday - Victoria - All Day and All Night

The Coral docked with us around noon

I wake to the sounds of docking... oh I won't miss that noise.

Then Bernie informs me he is not feeling well.  He has abdominal pain and a headache.  It may be something he ate, it could be allergies, it could be so many things.  I tell him to just rest in the cabin today as I will be just fine on my own.  -- footnote, after getting home a few days later he ended up in emergency with worse pain, they have ruled out appendicitis, and it looks like it is his gallbladder and will probably have to come out soon.

We are in Victoria today and it looks like a beautiful day. We had to fill out the Canadian Customs forms prior to arrival and hand them over to the Purser's desk or our steward.  We don't have to clear customs here at other than that form.  Nice and easy.

Today I have arranged to head ashore with some crew who are close to us.  Mark (our waiter), Giovannie (our assistant waiter), Victoria and her husband Jason and Riza (all waiters/assistant waiters).  We meet up on the pier at 11 and we walk to the harbour.

Walking around Victoria is very very easy and the walk to the harbour is about 20 minutes.  But there are shuttles from the pier to the harbour for $10 US or $12 Canadian (roundtrip - $6 one way).  There are many taxis and pedicabs too and even horse drawn carriages.

I take them to the grounds of the B.C. Legislature and I explain our government to them.  I show them the totem poles and we pose for pictures.  

We head into the Legislature and I show them around the stunning building.  They tell me later that they had no idea you could go inside and are amazed.

A short stroll across the street and we walk into the Empress Hotel, again the grandeur of the building blows them away.  Sadly I find the Empress is not as nice as it use to be before they renovated it. Now it is hard to see the beauty unless you actually dine there.  You can however walk thru the south end and see some beautiful wood work.  
We exit via the Victoria Conference Center, which has stunning aboriginal art in the public spaces to view.

My main goal today is to take them to a Filipino restaurant. I had gotten a recommendation from a friend, made note of it, found it on a map and headed there.  As we find the place I glance at my map, and back at the building, back at the address I have and back at the address on the building. Nope this is NOT a Filipino restaurant.  It is now a coffee shop (as if we need another coffee shop).  I ask a guy there and he said the restaurant closed around four months ago.  

Darn!  I feel so bad.... but the guy does say there is a good Filipino store in the next block.  So we head there cause the crew will be in Victoria for two weeks while in Dry Dock and they could always come here for a taste of  home at least. The store doesn't disappoint

We end up at a Thai restaurant and enjoy a lovely meal.  It is nice to spend time with all of them away from the ship in a more casual atmosphere.

After lunch we walk over to the mall so they know where it is and they can check out some costs for sim cards for their phones so they can have access to their phones during dry dock.  

Back out on Government Street we spot the ship's shuttle but at a cost of $6 one way it is cheaper for them to just take a taxi back to the ship.  

I decide to wander around a bit and make my way back to the ship on foot later.

When I get back to the ship around 5 pm Bernie is still not feeling well and he is just wanting to rest. I am restless and since so much on board is closed.  Note the shops and casinos closed last night and will be closed all day today cause we are in port.  You had to close out your casino accounts last night.

Restaurants on board are doing open seating.  Amazingly there are a lot of people on board still.  I don't really want to stay on board for dinner and it is a lovely night and since we don't sail till very late I have lots of time.

So off I go again ashore and head back to the heart of the city and head to my favorite noodle restaurant.  Noodle Box it is called (there is one in Vancouver too), nothing fancy but I like their philosophy and the food is good and quite reasonable.  When I use to teach in Victoria for a few days I would mainly eat here and just bring it back to my hotel.  

After a full belly I decide to walk back via the harbor and the sea wall.  This is a lovely stroll that is easy to do and takes a bit longer than cutting thru the residential area, but offers great views of the harbour and inlet.  Although cutting thru the residential area is lovely too, residents take pride in their homes and have cute gardens blooming with all types of flowers.  The locals are friendly and it is okay to say hi and how are you, and if you need help just ask away.

Here are some links you may be interested in when visiting Victoria:

BC Legislature

Empress Hotel

Butchart Gardens 

Victoria Tourism

If you like chocolate visit Rogers' Chocolates on Government Street

Cruise Shuttle 

Walking route - note they say it is 40 minutes but you would have to walk slow to take that long

Third Night - San Francisco

Once we are back in the cabin we take a short nap before dinner and when we wake we dress for dinner in the dining room.  

I meet up with Bernie in Crooners for a pre dinner drink and passengers come and go.  The Motor City show is just letting out and second show is just about to begin.  It is Rock and Roll night too in the Vista Lounge.  

Dinner for us is 8 pm in Botticelli Dining room and when we arrive both Mark and Giovanni are waiting for us.  It has only been two nights but we have missed them both.  

Their sections and those around them are full, but ironically many of the sections elsewhere are empty again.  We notice many waiters and assistant waiters from other sections are helping Mark and Giovanni out serving water, pouring wines, clearing plates, getting them dishes, etc. This is impressive and it is noted by us and trust me we know this doesn’t always happen.

The table beside us is celebrating an anniversary and Mark serenades them for the occasion.  Everyone loves him and we see why.  

Dinner tonight is the Chef’s dinner and we have to say that it was not the best.  I start with the shrimp cocktail and the shrimp are mushy, they have been sitting in liquid for too long I am guessing.  

Then I have the fettuccini Alfredo in the Parmesan bowl.  I notice the parmesan bowl has tons of chopped chives in it and it really adds to the flavor and I enjoy that but the Alfredo sauce is really runny and not very flavourful and after two bites I just leave it.  

For my entrée I had the scallops and the sauce is very very good but the scallops are smaller than normal, but I do think that is an issue beyond Princess’ control.  The sliced potato served with the dish is raw, not sure what happened there.  But I see some French fries on another table and ask if I can get some and Giovanni rushes off and returns with a plate of fries.  

We decide to enjoy the rest of our wine with some cheese and savor the evening.  We chat with many of the waiters/assistant waiters and head waiters who come by. So many familiar faces and such a great group.  

As many of you know we are not Traditional Dining types. We don’t like to be set to a schedule when on board and like to go more with the flow.  Dinner here is just not our thing.  We found we were constantly watching our watch checking the time to ensure we weren’t late (too much like work).  

Our table was lovely but found with everyone showing up at the same time the waiters were slammed and run off their feet at first.  We noticed sadly people showing up very very late, one woman who was a solo diner showed up at 8:30 and another table didn’t show up until 8:40. 

Dinner always took at minimum 2 hours and the noise levels were out of this world.  We felt often that we couldn't even carry on a conversation.  Because everyone arrives at the same time and are eating around the same time that conversation levels rose and fell depending on food courses.  
So in the end we know that we are better suited to Anytime dining where we can be less set on a time and it feels more like a restaurant at home where people are dining at various times and conversation (although can also get noisy) varies more.  

This is our last night at Mark’s table because tomorrow we are at the Crown Grill, then next night we are at Sabatinis then we are in Victoria for dinner.  We are going to see Mark and Giovanni and a few others in Victoria for lunch, where we will take them to a Filipino restaurant.

We don’t get out of the dining room until 10:30 and wander along the Promenade.  It is rather quiet.  I think  many people are tired and have gone to bed early.  We wander back in the perfume shop to talk with Henishia, and buy a few more items.  She arranges to delete our old bill and then ring everything up on a new bill so we get the added discount cause we are spending more.  Great service and we are very happy.

We are back in the cabin at 11 pm and we are both looking forward to a good night’s sleep.  The Captain has warned us all that there will be a lot of movement throughout the night and he didn’t disappoint.  The ship was a rocking all night long.  

Sunday April 26, 2015 Catalina

We sure didn’t have far to travel last night.  We wake around 8 am and look outside and there is Avalon.  This is a tender port but we are not in any real rush.  We shower and head to the Da Vinci dining room for breakfast where we are sat with two couples from Southern California.  

I had the fruit plate with ricotta cheese with a bowl of cereal.  Just right!

It seems that the tender queue is a long one, and even though we don’t have to wait in it with our elite status we know the lines back to the ship will be long too.  We are not here long, last tender is at one pm.  Also apparently the port is busy and the ride is slower than normal so we decided to just stay on board. 

I am currently relaxing in the International Café having my coffee watching the people.  There are a lot of newer cruisers and it is so nice to see everyone enjoying the experience.  

Bernie has gone to the trivia and I am thinking of watching a movie later.  The Theory of Everything is showing in the Princess Theater and also in the cabin they are showing Big Hero 6.

This afternoon there is a lot going on.  Indoor goofy golf, GoPro seminar, the movie, the egg drop sign up, cruise long scavenger hunt, veterans get together, 60 second frenzy, book club which is Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, art auction, line dancing class, golf chipping challenge, origami class.  Princess Grapevine wine tasting, champagne hoopla, bingo, afternoon tea, Discovery at sea is a trivia about Velocity, singles and solos martini meet and a Friends of Bill W Meeting.

Beatrice and I

Buy one get one free is happening at 3 pm for one hour in the Wheelhouse bar as well as in the evening in skywalkers at 11 pm.

It takes a while for everyone to come back from the tenders.  Someone told me it was a very long line to get back to the ship and took a few hours, but I can’t confirm that.

I tried to have a nap cause I was so tired.  But the thrusters are right below us and while they were bringing up the tenders the thrusters kicked in and it was noisy in the cabin.  Although this is a downside for me cause I like to nap during the day it really would be a problem while docking or leaving (famous last words).

One thing I like about the cabin is that is low on the ship (deck 5) and I can sit and watch the seas go by and the spray comes up and it even at some times covers the entire window.  Fun.

Bernie is up and dressed early tonight and leaves the cabin for me to get ready.  Tonight is formal night and I meet up with Bernie in Skywalkers for a drink.  

Rock presenting me with my Mojito

Rock the bartender entertains us along with David as they banter back and forth.  In fact it is hard to leave cause they are fun to be around, but Skywalkers closes down at 7 pm and they are have to pack up all the liquor.  Gee you would think they would just install locked gates for the bar to make it easier.  

We head down to deck 7 to walk towards the Atrium and we see the Captain.  What was funny is we hear a couple ask him (don’t think they realized they were asking the Captain)  where the Atrium was.  Captain Lawes responded “just walk all the way down till you see the champagne then stop”.  

The Atrium is busy but not CRAZY like we have seen it.  I think this may be because of so many new cruisers that just are not aware of it.  

Rick, Monika, Me and Bernie

Claudio, Bernie and Antonio

We finally run into Rick and Monika!  So nice to see them again, it has been a year since we sailed with them and they are so sweet and Monika is so helpful with my facebook fan page.  She has so much knowledge of Princess and is able to answer a lot of questions.  

Rick and Monika are the Most Travelled this voyage and they have been nice enough to ask us to join their table at the Captain Circle Party.  We are more than happy to join them.  

We did qualify for the Most Travelled Party – which is the top 40 passengers.  On this trip it is a cocktail party (which we prefer) which is taking place the night we are in Astoria.

We finally get to meet Stephano the Customer Services Director.  What a lovely man and I can see why Ali loves him so much.  He misses you Ali.

Dinner again is the Botticelli Dining room where we are sat at our table for two in Mark’s section.  It is very busy in this area.  It is full and very very noisy.  Large tables surround us and it is hard to talk, but everyone is having a very good time and I am glad.  

There is a table for 8 beside us but only five are at it and they are so sweet that they even ask if we would like to join them.  But we are happy to have our table.  Plus because two nights on this 7 day voyage are in port, and we are dining in the specialty restaurants twice, we only have three dinners with Mark.  So we thank them and decline.

Marianne a Head Waiter here comes over to say hi.  He ran into Bernie earlier in the day and promised to come over and say hi to me tonight.  We haven’t seen him in a while and we chat and catch up. 

I really enjoy this menu.  I start with the Rissoto Rice Cakes.  Then a lovely salad and my entrée is the Turbot fish entrée.  Bernie had the vegetable curry dish.  Then of course it is the Norman Love dessert.

we played a little joke on Gio

Dinner is very long tonight, over two hours and it is too late to attend the show.  The Production show was Destination Anywhere and we could of pushed it and made it to the show but we choose to not to.  

We wander around a bit and walk to try and digest a bit.  

We stop in at Crown Grill to make a reservation for the next formal night.  We want to see Beatrice and this is why we booked the Crown Grill.

Back in the cabin we watch the morning show and do some reading.  Both of us are asleep by midnight. 

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