St. Thomas and Most Travelled Guest Party

We awake and again we are already docked.  We are at Havensight and shockingly we are the only one here.  There is a RCL ship at Crown Bay so that makes a total of two ships in port.  I don't think I have ever seen it so quiet here.

I don't recall this before but there is a spot for independent tour pick up spot at Havensight

But it is Easter Sunday and so many things that normally would be open are not open because of the holiday.  However everything at Havensight is open due to a ship being in port.

It is a bit overcast and a few showers pass but nothing that is horrible in fact it is quite refreshing.

One thing we have both commented on is that we thought the weather would of been much hotter than when we normally travel in January/February but nope it is very similar.  Winds, high humidity, high temps (high 20s) and overcast.  Very similar to what we are use to.

Seas have been very calm, but Captain does announce that we will get a bit rougher weather tonight.  He did announce at the Captian Circle Party the other night that the Atlantic crossing's weather could encounter some bumps as they are tracking a storm.

Princess has put right on the front page of the Patter information about Easter Sunday Mass at St. Peter and Paul Cathedral at 10 am in English and 12:30 in Spanish.

For us we are really enjoying the ship and we don't get off again. We are staying on board the ship for the entire trip.  We have never done this before but we feel this is right for us this time. And we are LOVING it.

We both change into our bathing suits and head down to the Enclave for some pampering.  We spend about an hour and in the entire time there was only one other couple in there.  So nice.

I shower and dress for the day and it starts with a latte and writing and reading in Vines. 

I also get to say goodbye to Michael's wife and kids who fly out from St Thomas today. I am so glad we got to meet them and get to know them.  We hope that they will come to Vancouver soon and we promise to look them up when we visit Britain.

I forgot to add that last night before dinner in Sabatinis I was able to sit down with Franklin and I showed him how to play the Rummy block game.  He was quite good at it and with some practice he may even be able to beat me.  So practice up Franklin!

I wander around the ship taking obscure pictures for my game I am playing on my Facebook page (Cruising Princess Cruiseline with Vickie) by posting a pic of something and having others try and figure out where this is on the Royal Princess.

Back in the cabin we watch the movie Lion in the cabin.  We both really enjoyed it and totally understand why it was nominated so much at the Oscars.

For sailaway I head out onto the balcony and chat with my neighbour while sipping wine and enjoying a stunning sailaway.  St. Thomas is perfect for a great sail away and drinks on the balcony.  Ironically the balcony for mini suites has a footstool but there is no room to put that stool out without taking up all the space.

Tonight is the Most Travelled Guest Party (yes it is now called Guest Party instead of Passenger Party or at least here it is called that).  It is a cocktail party in Club 6 that starts at 7:30.  We arrive and pose for pictures with Captain Nash and it is lovely as we know almost all the officers. 

I take a seat and Ben and Dylan join us.  The food here is outstanding, what a difference from the Ruby and the four appetizers they offered.  Here there is a whole table for sushi, then another for cold appetizers, then a table of hot finger foods, and then another for dessert. 

There is so much food that we just skip dinner and enjoy the party.

For those interested, this trip we are #10 and #11 Most Travelled Guests.

After the party the four of us head down to Vines where we enjoy wine and time just flies.  Up to Crooners to enjoy the piano player Ray Coussins and all is right with the world.

goofing around in Crooners by taking a picture of us in the mirror above

We love getting to spend so much time with Dylan and Ben again and we reflect on our Peruvian trip and future trips back (something is in the works).

We are back in the cabin around midnight and Bernie is asleep before I am even in bed.

Another great day on the Royal Princess.

Mazatlan - Relaxing Day

I had a night of minimal sleep.  Not really sure why but I was awake at 4 am and tossed and turned.  When Bernie woke at 8:30 he turned and said that we should just stay on.  I know he is right.  I need to sleep or I will not be a good travel companion and my patience will be minimal.  And we were here last week and had a great day and we are back next week too.

Bernie dressed and went out and I rolled over and feel asleep finally.

There is an Crew Emergency Drill happening and they make announcements that can be heard in the cabin so it is hard to sleep too much but I sleep in between announcements.

When I finally woke at 11 we both doned our bathing suits and lots of sunscreen and went up to deck 16 forward where there was no one and settled in.

It is very hot and we needed to cool off periodically in the pool.  Oh and the pools were cold but once we were in it was perfect and we were so very hot getting in so anything would of been cold.

The new group of dancers on board are practicing the Love Boat Disco Deck Party - boy that must be hot.

We relax in the sun for quite a few hours.  Lots of sunscreen!  I am not getting burned in odd spots like last week.  And there are a lot of people walking around with bad sun burns.

I wander around and take some pictures of the area from ship so that I can later put up more detailed information on where things are and how to get to it from the ship.

Around 3 we head back to the cabin to shower and tidy up.  We decide to head to the Happy Hour in the Wheelhouse bar.

Happy Hour means you buy one drink at full price and you get the exact same drink for a $1.  It is busy but not as crazy as it is when we are at sea where it is crazy!  Dominique takes care of us -- yes she has moved from Crooners to Wheelhouse this voyage. 

Jerry joins us for drinks.  I had the Captain's Bounty and after two I am feeling good!

Happy Hour last two hours which is kind of long.  It isn't like I can drink more than two drinks anyhow but I guess it gives people more time to enjoy a drink at least.

Even though we stayed on, there are a lot of activities happening if you want to stay busy. 

Things happening are Morning Trivia, Movie Jason Bourne, Pictionary, golf putting challenge, carpet bowl challenge, 80's music trivia, afternoon tea, and Mariachi sailaway party.

After happy hour we head back to the cabin to change for the evening.

The Most Travelled Cocktail Party is happening at 7 pm in Adagio.  It is exactly the same as last week.  We pose for a picture, we say hi to some of the officers and we take a seat.  Today we are sitting with Gidea the Crew Manager and the Future Cruise Consultant (sorry forgot her name).  It is nice to chat with them and we know so many people that they do.  We also enjoy learning more about South Africa.

After the party we decide to head down to Salty Dog again.  It is 8 pm so there is no problem getting in.  In fact for most of the meal we are the only people there.  The meal was really good.  This time I had the soup and grilled cheese and then the mini burger - but we can't finish it all, we are stuffed. 

Tonight there doesn't seem to be a lot happening but that could just be us as we were on last week so some things we don't want to see again. 

Events tonight are:  Showtime is vocal stylings of Rebecca Jean The Girl from Oz.  Love Boat Disco Deck Party Dance Class in club fusion, Comedy Showtime at 7 and 8:45 of A. J. Jamal, Effy is having a party, $500 Blackjack Tournament, Karaoke, Love Boat Disco Deck Party.

Oh it was Italian Night in the dining room.

For us we wander around a bit after dinner but we both agree to just call it a night and head back to the cabin to relax - but we are asleep just before 10:30.  Guess we needed it.

Wednesday Evening

After resting, showering and dressing for the evening we head to Adagio bar for the Most Travelled Cocktail Party.

We pose for pictures with the Captain – great pic and he even signed the frame.

Lisa and Elkie join us for drinks – it was so nice to see them again and catch up.  

The party is over in an hour and well I have to say that of all the parties we have attended I normally enjoy the cocktail party over the lunch.  But this cocktail party did not live up to the other cocktail parties at all.  

The food they came around which was minimal (normally there is such great food that we skip dinner). They had a meatball, a sushi roll, a shrimp, and a piece of sashimi. Later they came around with a bit of lobster with a parmesan crisp. 

So if you don’t like seafood you are out of luck and enjoy the meatball.

The company and the drinks were the best part of the party.

So since we were still hungry after a few nibbles we decide to head to the dining room.  Michelangelo was not too busy and we got a table for two.  It is Italian night and we start out with a salad and then I get the chicken.

It was all very good.  We had a great meal, and it was nice to spend the time reflecting on the day.

After dinner Bernie wants his dessert – a Bugsy Martini so we are off to Crooners for a drink or two.

Tonight is the Love Boat Disco Deck Party so we head up there.  It is being held at the Muts Pool as the Love Boat Cast makes an appearance. It was great to see the dancers there too and so impressed because they did two shows tonight of Once Upon a Dream.

Bernie and I are up on Sun deck dancing away and really enjoying ourselves.

Lou and Ken approach us introducing themselves and how he reads my blog.  So we chat for a bit and pose for pics! 

Nice couple and Happy Birthday Ken!

Costa Maya, Mexico

Today we dock early in Costa Maya - 7 am! When Bernie returns with coffees we sit on the balcony and enjoy the arrival.

Sadly it is pouring rain but I believe it will pass. The usual Caribbean shower I say. But we hear people complaining how they can't cancel their excursion because of the rain. Really! I don't think Princess has control over the weather. Plus it will pass and a little rain will hurt no one.

We head ashore with Larry and Amy. We haven't been to Costa Maya in a very very long time. Way before they were hit with the hurricane in 2007 that destroyed the port.

The whole port area is huge and is similar to many of the port destination beach areas - similar to Grand Turk, Mahogany Bay, and even Amber Cove (from what I hear). 

We are docked with a Carnival ship and this port really can't handle two ships in my opinion. 

Our first goal is to leave the port area and head to the town of Mahahual. 

Note most of these pictures were taken when we got off way before the second ship docked and before it got crazy busy.

Took us some time to exit the port area. Note I saw lots of washrooms, shops, bars, restaurants, tour companies. You could easily spend your entire time here but it will be busy. Oh they also had some lockers for rent too.

But we are wanting to head out to the town. Just before you leave the port area there is a table set up (see above pic) where they sell shuttle tickets to the town of Mahahual for $3 US per person one way. The shuttle is similar to those you see in St. Thomas - open bench seating in the back of a truck.

However if you leave the port building compound - just outside is a taxi stand (they are not allowed to pick up people in the compound but can drop you off inside). The taxis to town are $10 US total - as we took at a taxi back. Note the shuttle only operates going to town, not sure why but that is the way it is. Taxis to come back were plentiful and fast and cheap.

We walked along the street to the furthest beach bar/restaurant and checked it out. We could enjoy the lounge chairs and beach as long as we ate/drink at the restaurant. No problem. 

We secure four chairs under some palapas as it looks like it could rain again. Order some drinks and enjoy the scenery.

This place also had an all inclusive package but I can't recall how much it was and really there are so many places along the beach that offer this type of thing I would not personally pre reserve. Just show up and check things out and then choose.

After a few hours here and dodging rain showers we attempted to grab some food in the restaurant area. But because of the rain it was packed so we opted to just leave and walk the boardwalk.

It is very nice, busy and people will try and get your business - massage! Beer! Drinks! Food! Beach! Trinkets! you name it.

We all agree to just head back to the ship and walk off the boardwalk to the street and easily grab a taxi back (again only $10).

Tonight is the Most Travelled Cocktail Party. This voyage it is a cocktail party as opposed to a luncheon. Just not enough days in the cruise to squeeze it in. 

We really enjoy the cocktail party as the officers get the chance to mingle with everyone and we can order whatever we want from the bar. Not to mention the food is amazing. 

This time there were food stations (we had only seen them walking around with food at other cocktail parties). This is amazing. There is a cold station with sushi, and other cold items. Then a hot station. Then a dessert station. Very impressive.

We arrived and posed with Captain Street and again with Leanne, his wife. She saved us a seat and Gail (Ron's wife), Kelly (Deputy Cruise Director), Dylan (Senior Doctor) joined us. 

It was great to relax in this casual atmosphere and get to know everyone even better.

There was so much food that we did not need to go to dinner.

In fact right after the cocktail party I tell Bernie that I could really use some hot water and take a Neo Citron and hit the hay to try and get over this cold. So that is what we do. We are asleep by 2130. But it was a fun day.

Tuesday Evening

The Most Traveled Cocktail Party is this evening in Skywalkers at 7:30.  We arrive just after and there is quite a line up at the bottom of the walking sidewalk.  Someone is checking names from a master list and also calling out names.  This is quite odd, not sure why they don’t just take our invite and cross off the names one at a time then send us up the ramp to meet the Captain.  I know they need to make sure there is no bottle neck at the top but they could always wait before sending up the next couple.

I am not sure what number were are on the list but I know we are not near the top.  The third highest is around 900 days with the top being around 1300 days.  We are just over 300 days but we are definetly the youngest in the crowd.  Many people have been on for the last Baltic cruise then did the crossing and are doing the first Canada New England.  The couple we sit with from Adelaide Australia did exactly this.  A very nice couple to sit with and we enjoyed our time with them.

We did get a picture with the Captain.  It was nice to see Captain Pomata again, and he is now sporting a beard.  He looks very good with this beard.  

I like the cocktail parties personally.  We can order any type of drink we wish and we do and the wait staff come around with lovely tapas and there is a food station set up as well with other items.  But we didn’t indulge too much because we are dining at the Crown Grill tonight.  We meet Adam Gorst the Hotel General Manager and we are so wowed as he comes around serving crepes for everyone and I must say they are great too and a nice treat.  He even wanted to clear our plates but I wouldn’t let him.  He is much too high an officer to do that.  I actually told him I wasn’t finished and then when a bar staff came by I gave the plate to them.

We finally got to meet Michael Glass the Food and Beverage Manager who Douw had been telling us about and invited him to join us for a drink in the Crown Grill later.  We also met Dana I the Customer Services Director and we really like her.  Her smile and her caring manner really shine thru.  She knows Johan and we giggle about our experiences with him.

Overall the party was very nice and the views spectacular something we have never experienced at other parties.  The officers get a chance to wander around and chat with many different people instead of sitting with just one officer at a luncheon.  The food is good too and I like the drinks more than just wine.  But a luncheon is nice too but my preference is the cocktail party.

We meet up in the Crown Grill for dinner at 9 and we are sat in a very nice booth at the end and enjoy a lovely bottle of Jack London, and after that a lovely bottle of wine that we got in port from South Africa. 

I ordered the Black and Blue Onion soup and it was good, not as hot as we are use to and not as flavourful as we are use to but still good.  In fact I didn’t even finish it because of this and to save room for the steak.  I ordered the filet mignon medium and it arrived perfectly cooked and so wonderfully seasoned on the outside.  I was able to also get a side of Bernaisse sauce too.  For our sides we got a variety of items, garlic fries, mashed potatoes, asparagus, spinach and also mushrooms.  They no longer offer scalloped potatoes or creamed corn.  The entrée was fabulous and I managed to eat most of my steak.  But had to save room for dessert.

Of course many of you already know me well enough to know I got the molten chocolate cake and we sprinkled some pink salt on it to bring out the flavours of the chocolate.  Yummy.  I am writing this a few days later and my mouth is watering just thinking of it.

Dining in the Crown Grill is an experience, a nice treat, great way to celebrate and trust me you don’t need a special occasion to dine here, just being on vacation is a good enough reason.