Peter Rayner's 7 Day Scandinavian Cruise

Peter once again wrote a great review of his 7 day Scandinavian Cruise from Southampton on Emerald Princess in July 2016

Embarkation:

Although the drive to the port is only 2 hours away, we have been caught out before by problems with traffic so we always stay at a budget hotel the night before. Travelodge is our preferred choice because they offer a decent bed with no frills at a very low price.

We chose to park away from the port and take a shuttle bus in. It is about a 20 minute journey and is less convenient than port parking, but much cheaper. We prefer to spend the money we save on the ship and so do not mind the slight inconvenience.

The baggage handlers are right there at the kerbside when we get off, placing luggage on the conveyor belt. Unlike in the US, nobody seems to be tipping them. I, however, decide to give the handler a tip because it is what I would have done automatically in Fort Lauderdale. Good job too, because the handler spots that I have dropped my luggage at the wrong conveyor belt. I offer to take my luggage back and move it, but the handler says no problem and takes it to another conveyor himself.

We are early but are welcomed by the Princess staff. There is no queue for preferred boarding and we are seen straight away. We are given a numbered boarding card and asked to take a seat as they will be starting embarkation is a short while. After about 20 minutes they start calling the numbered cards in order and we are on the ship about 15 minutes later.

Ship in General:

We were on the Ruby Princess a few months ago and so we feel instantly at home, as the Emerald is almost exactly the same. The ship looks good and we will be sad to see her leave Europe when she heads down to be based in Australia at the end of this year.

Our favourite relaxation area has had a makeover. Just above the Terrace Pool at the aft of the ship is a section of artificial grass and a couple of water features. It is outside the Share restaurant (which was Sabatini’s). The chairs here were a sort of wrought iron with padded cushions. The cushions used to get wet when it rained and then had to be dried off before you could use them again. They have replaced these with a range of new tables and chairs with no cushions. They are still comfortable, but can be dried off with a quick wipe. They have also introduced more tables and chairs and have removed the smoking section that was here last time we were on this ship. This is now a no smoking area, which is great for us, but squeezes the smokers into fewer areas on the ship.

Cabin:

Our cabin was an inside in the aft of the ship (Baha 717). For the most part it was a good cabin. We moved the table into the wardrobe area to give us more room, but we had no lack of space. The down side was noise and vibration whenever the ship used its manoeuvring thrusters. I do not know whether this was a problem with the ship or just the location of the cabin, but we have never felt this level of vibration and noise in any other cabin on any other ship. It only lasted for short periods throughout the cruise, so did not bother us too much.

Our Steward was Kim. We met him almost straight away as he was still vacuuming his allocation of cabins as we arrived. He was up to the high standard we have become used to, but we did not see very much of him at all. Everything was done as we would have expected, so I think it was just that he was in different places every time we came in and out of our cabin.

As we had found on the Ruby Princess earlier in the year, the new Princess bed was wonderfully comfortable. We have sailed on Emerald Princess a few times in the past and have always found the beds a bit too hard. Not this time.

Added by Vickie - to see pictures of cabins on the Emerald click here.

Dining/Food:

We opted for Anytime dining and usually turned up to the Michelangelo dining room around 6.30pm. We were asked if we wanted to share a table and said yes most nights, provided the table was no larger than 6 (due to hearing issues we both have). They were happy to organise this for us and we were always seated straight away. Others who wanted a table for 2 were almost always given a pager. 

Mario Propato was the Maitre D’ and he was always there helping to organise and direct. We found by chance that we were sat with a nice couple from the US on 3 or 4 occasions during the cruise and joked that we seemed to be stalking each other.

The food was wonderful as always in the MDR, although one dish that we always order was a disappointment on this trip and that was Pad Thai Noodles. It just did not taste the same as we had experienced before.

On sea days we ate lunch in the MDR and found that nice and relaxing. On port days we either ate ashore or in Horizon Court. This was the first cruise we have taken on Princess where I did not have a pizza at any point. I will have to make up for that next time.

Our Travel Agent gave us a surprise by leaving a voucher in our cabin for a bottle of Champagne to be redeemed at any of the dining venues on board. To celebrate, we booked the Crown Grill on the second formal night. They allowed diners to dress smart casual on formal nights which suited us, as we only really want to dress up in formal wear once on a 7 day cruise. Our meal was fantastic and the service excellent. I opted for New York Strip Steak and my wife had the Veal Chop. Both were cooked to perfection and we finished the whole thing off with the Chocolate Fudge Obsession. The relaxed pace in Crown Grill allowed us to polish off the champagne between us.

Something we have not done for a while was Afternoon Tea. However, we skipped lunch one day and gave it a go. It was well worth it with nice sandwiches, cakes and biscuits all topped off with warm scones. We were not rushed and were offered more tea, coffee and food if we wanted. Very civilised.

Entertainment:

We did not see any of the production shows on this trip, as we had seen them all before and preferred to do other things. We saw 2 tribute acts, which were both very good. One was Robbie Williams and the other was Elton John. Our favourite act in the bars was a singer/guitarist, but he was on at the wrong times for us. Only once did he appear between 8pm and 10pm, when we are looking to sit down and listen to some music. Other times he was on too early or too late.

Vickie here, if you want to see pictures of the Emerald Princess you can check out my album here.

Itinerary:

Southampton – We were the first of 3 cruise ships to leave port and it was a good job we left when we did. Our ship was bathed in sunshine and if you looked forward you might have been sailing in the Caribbean with blue skies and sparkling seas. Behind us was a big black storm cloud and you could see the ships following us out being rained on by that big black cloud. We kept ahead of that rain all the way out.

passing Cowes on the Isle of Wight

It was quite windy and we had to make a sharp turn just off Cowes on the Isle of Wight, where we were surrounded by small sailing boats all out for a Saturday afternoon sail. We looked across the deck and the turn had made the ship list to one side quite heavily and it looked like the deck was going downhill. Henry the Eighth’s flag ship the Mary Rose sank on its maiden voyage in these waters while performing a similar manoeuvre, so we were quite relieved as the ship straightened up.

Zeebrugge for Bruges – This was our second cruise of the year and we had been to all the ports before, so we had decided to cut costs as much as possible. We had not purchased any local currency and had decided to put anything we wanted on a credit card. Last time we were here, there was a free shuttle to Blankenberge where you can get a train into Bruges. Princess Patter arrived to say that the shuttle was 10 Euros per person and that this could be paid in cash only. Because of that we decided to stay on the ship and have a relaxing day reading. 

The little spa pool area only had a couple of people on the loungers, where it is normally full, so we laid there and soaked up the sun.

Copenhagen – After a relaxing day at sea we arrived in Copenhagen and were awoken by the thrusters. Having been here before, we knew that you can walk to most places if you are reasonably fit. We set off in a mixture of sunshine and cloud along the seafront and past the Little Mermaid. We did not stop as there are always crowds around this statue and we have seen it before. We instead headed for Kastellet, an old castle which is still an operational army base. There were some nice buildings to wander around before we headed back along the waterfront to Nyhavn with its nice cafes and colourful buildings. We stopped for a coffee and a snack while we watched the world go by.

We then headed for Rosenborg Castle, where they keep the Danish Crown Jewels. We used a credit card to pay for a ticket and to get a 25 Krona coin for a locker (bags are not allowed in the castle). The rooms are all fantastically ornate and packed with antiques. On the top floor is a huge throne room where the Kings and Queens of Denmark would have held court. Back down in the basement are the crown jewels, which are displayed so that you can get very close.

Once we came out of the castle it had started to rain, so we took the shortest route back to the ship. The rain came on very heavily in the afternoon and would have soaked anyone still out in it. We decided we did not want to dress for dinner and so went to the Platinum/Elite Lounge in Skywalkers for a cocktail and a snack, before grabbing a burger and a hotdog up on deck later.

Helsingborg – We left Copenhagen in the early hours of the morning and awoke to be advised that Helsingborg had been cancelled due to high winds. It is a tender port and they thought it was too dangerous to operate tenders in that wind, so we were going to sail slowly to Oslo (our next port) instead. Another day at sea was fine by us, particularly as when the early poor weather had cleared, it became a lovely sunny day. More reading and sitting in the sun for us was no hardship.

Oslo – The weather was fantastic in Oslo, sunny and warm. When we were here previously, we were docked beside Akershus Castle just 5 minutes from the central quay. This time Regal Princess was in that spot, so we docked on the other side of the fjord at Filipstad. This is more of a container berth, but still has nice views of the city and fjord. It is a little further away from the central quay, but is only a 10 to 15 minute walk. We had a walk around and sat down at a quayside bar for a coffee and a croissant. The service was friendly and the view was nice.

One thing we did not do on our last trip here was visit Vigeland Sculpture Park. We looked on the map and decided to walk rather than take a taxi or bus. From the central quay to the park took us 30 minutes at a reasonable pace. 

The walk was through some delightful residential areas and showed us how pretty Oslo is. The Sculpture Park was impressive and free to enter. On the way out we wanted to use the toilet, but found that there was a fee. We did not have any local cash, but luckily the toilet attendant took credit cards. It is the first time I have paid by credit card to use a toilet! Our walk back took about 25 minutes, as our cruise berth was nearer to the Sculpture Park than the central quay. We then sat on the rear terrace and watched the first part of the sail away out of the fjord and back towards home.

the Regal Princess still at her Berth

Disembarkation – We were allocated a 10.20am departure slot and so had enough time for a relaxed breakfast in the MDR. We then sat in the Platinum/Elite Lounge in Club Fusion until we were called. They were running about 20 minutes early so we were off around 10am to meet up with our shuttle bus to take us to our car.

Conclusion:

We had another wonderfully relaxing time on board. This trip was not about the destinations, it was more about just being on the ship and having a restful time. Princess was top for service yet again and we have already booked a back to back in the Caribbean for next March. This will be another first for us. First time back to back and first time opting for traditional dining. We can’t wait.

Cruise Radio Interview

As many of you know I am a transit driver in the city of Vancouver.  So to help pass the time I often listen to pod casts on my iPhone   I have been doing this since I first got an iPod and the selection was limited as to what pod casts you could get. 

Thankfully as the years have passed the selection has increased and of course the travel pod casts, including cruise pod casts have been added to my favorites.

I have been on a few other pod casts.  But sadly these two other pod casts have pretty much folded.  It is a big commitment but they are missed.  but....

Last year (or maybe two years ago) I found Cruise Radio and started listening to them every week.  

We have been in discussions for almost a year about me coming on for an interview to discuss Princess. 

Last week we finally coordinated our schedules and we were able to get the interview down.  

So here is a link to the interview Pod Cast 

You can learn more about Cruise Radio by visiting their website at cruise radio  or visiting their facebook page at Cruise Radio's Facebook Page 

Sea Day

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

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

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

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

  

Ron takes care of my coffee needs

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

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

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

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

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

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

Natalia and Courtenay

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ryan and Christian

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

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

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

Thermal Suite

I wanted to write a bit about my experience again in the Thermal Suite.  As some of you may remember I first tried the Thermal Suite last Fall on the Star on a short re-positioning cruise.  That experience was not the best because it was just so busy and my thought was that they must of oversold the package for the two day trip as it was always so crowded.  So I wanted to try it again to see how a longer voyage would compare.

On the first day of my last ten day cruise I went on a tour of the facility.  The facility compared to the Star is similar but it seems like the Star’s Thermal suite is bigger and certainly laid out better in my opinion. 

With the Emerald you have to check in at the desk, hand over your card where you are then given a robe to wear.  I changed into my bathing suit in the Women’s change room and put on my robe then walked thru the spa area and down a flight of stairs to the Thermal Suite – note there is a wheelchair accessible lift if needed. 

The area is one very large room with three different rooms or experiences to enjoy with the main area having five heated stone lounge chairs.  There are two shower experiences – one on each side, but one of the showers the wand did not work the entire ten days and a few times the temperature would fluctuate so much it was not always a relaxing experience.

Now for the four different Thermal Suite experiences. 

Scented Steam Room:   very small room that could accommodate comfortably two people, four if you wanted to be intimate.  Now from past experience I know that this room is supposed to smell of Eucalyptus but I never once smelled anything let alone Eucalyptus.  Nor did I ever feel like this was a very hot steam room.  There is a fountain that didn’t work but if it did I am sure it would have been nice.  Overall I enjoyed the room as I really enjoy a steam room but this room was not hot enough, and often cooler than the gentle steam room, and really missed the scent.

Gentle Steam Room:  This is right beside the Scented Steam Room and is much much larger.  It had numerous benches, four water spigots and bowls and another fountain, but that one was broken too.  There is no scent in this room, but there is not suppose to be a scent.  I like this room as it was often hotter than the earlier one.

gentle sauna

Gentle Sauna:  This is a very appealing looking room with a large heated bench on each side of the fountain – but again the fountain doesn’t work!  The room is warm, not hot, and not like a sauna.  When I asked about it, I was told it was the right temperature as it is a gentle sauna – okay, but not sure what to do here.  I like the heated benches that are very warm, certainly warmer than the heated lounges in the main area.  I did relax in here but would of preferred a hotter sauna and would of really have enjoyed a fountain to have a bit of a background relaxing sound.

The main area with heated lounges:  very pretty looking, a lovely green hue to the room, lovely lighting that was very relaxing.  The lounge chairs are popular and was disappointed that people would actually stake out their lounge chair with a towel and their stuff while they visited the other rooms here.  I would wait till I was ready to use a lounge chair before putting my stuff on one, this way others could enjoy when I wasn’t.  The lounge chairs themselves are comfortable and warm and I did enjoy relaxing on them.

With the Thermal Suite being situated just below the workout area the sounds of the heavy beat from the music and the banging coming from when there is a workout above were very off putting.  I often tried to plan my visits to the suite when there was no scheduled work out.  But often my relaxation was interrupted by a thud or a boom which could even be heard in the saunas and steam rooms.  Very poor design by Princess. 

Overall the Thermal Suite is nice but certainly not relaxing and in need of some repair and sound proofing.  Fix the fountains in the rooms; create more of a sound barrier between the room and the gym upstairs.  I think piping in some soothing sounds into the rooms would also be nice to create a more relaxing atmosphere.  Also a nice aromatherapy should be added to the rooms, especially the one steam room that says it has a scent but doesn’t.

In the end I paid $100 for a ten day access to the suite, it is free for those that are staying in a full suite.  I visited the suite 6 times and did enjoy it but would never do it again.   I never felt it was worth the extra money and the free steam room and sauna were just as good if not better.  In fact twice I went to them after visiting the Thermal Suite to get a hotter experience.  I found the staff to be nice but not overly welcoming and long queues at the front desk a little frustrating when all I wanted to do was hand in my card or retrieve it but had to wait for customers to pay or make bookings.

I think Princess needs to work on the Thermal Suite Experience some more and fix the areas that are currently broken and maybe add to it to make it more special before I will do it again or recommend it.

St. Thomas

This is our third visit here this cruise and the first time at Havensight.  Many people prefer Havensight because of all the stores in the port, but since I am not a huge shopper and definitely like to get away from the stores at the port I prefer a quieter Crown Bay and the option of going to Water Island.  But that is not an option today, plus we really don’t need any more sun as we are still suffering from our sunburns.

We head to breakfast where I have the most delicious waffles with sausage and orange juice and we try to figure out what we want to do.  We get as far as heading down to the International Café for coffee.  Now this is cruising!

We watch the crew muster for their Assessment Party Drill – where most crew have to participate in.  Always interesting to be on board when they do this drill and see what happens.

We chat with Meldon for quite a while, he is the bar supervisor down in the Coffee Bar, such a dear and so helpful to all passengers even the ones we personally would strangle, but somehow he as well as all the staff here have the patience of saints!

Havensight

 We decide to head off the ship and walk to town, it is very hot out and the Disney Fascination is right beside us, lots of kids on that ship.  I love kids but don’t know about sailing with a whole bunch of them, but would certainly recommend it to families.

We walk thru the Yacht club along the water to town and with five ships in port it is crazy.  Once downtown it is hard to even walk on the sidewalk cause of the crowds, plus there are so many people trying to talk you into going into their store and people stop and look.  I felt bad as I walked into one woman who stopped suddenly and boy did she get mad at me.  I had it at that point and we walked towards the waterfront.

We decided to stop and get something cold to drink, raspberry lemonade did the trick and we got a light meal of appetizers at the Green House overlooking the beautiful harbour.  The place was packed soon after we arrived.  The food was great and I can highly recommend their bang bang shrimp but because it was so busy service was very poor.

the view from our table

Walking back to the ship we take pictures, admire the scenery and comment on the traffic.  Somehow it just doesn’t compare to Bonaire or St. Lucia or Dominica.

Back on board around 1:30 and our usual haunt is calling.  We get a cup of tea and Bernie gets a sweet to enjoy with his tea before returning to the cabin so I can write yesterday’s blog and neither of us can stay awake.  What is going on? 

Two hour nap, yup that is what I say…. Boy I feel rested but amazingly I can rest more.  Guess it does the body good.

We are pulling out of the pier, thrusters have to work double time today as we are sandwiched between the Disney Fascination and the Carnival Dream.  We pull out horizontally from the pier then back out of our parallel spot then spin around to head out to the Atlantic.

Have to say sailing away from St. Thomas is one of the prettier spots.

I throw on my bathing suit and decide to head to the Thermal Suite.  It has been a few days since I was last there, mainly because of the effects of Barbados (rum and sun) but I am looking forward to it tonight.  When I arrive up there, there is only one other couple and I relax in the steam room, then I shower then head into the gentle steam room, then shower then head into the steam room and when I come out and am drying myself before heading into the heat room I hear BANG!  Then the man screams, then the woman screams – they are both on the heated loungers and the metal lattice that is attached to the wall has fallen down and hit the man.  He has a small cut above his left eye brow and his leg is smacked pretty good.  I run out to tell one of the spa staff to call for assistance and stay with them till someone arrives.  My heart is pounding!  The screams alone freaked me right out.  I am sure the guy will be totally fine.  At worst he may need a stitch or two and I am sure Princess will take care of his needs. 

Back in the cabin and time to shower and get ready for dinner.  We are dining at Sabatinis tonight at 8 pm with Johan.  I am really looking forward to it, I wasn’t going to eat in the dining room anyways as it is the Chef’s Dinner and it is not one of my favorite menus.  The Café Caribe is offering the rice table theme and we would of dined there if the invite didn’t happen.

Tomorrow we are at sea and then Princess Cays before heading home.  Tonight we received our disembarkation information.  It is sad to see but inevitable.

Barbados

my view today

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

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

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

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

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

very quiet here at Lobster Alive 

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

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

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

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

Boatyard beach - very crowded

Lobster Alive beach

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Antigua – In the Evening

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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