Two Sea Days Heading Down to Newfoundland

picture taken in Halifax but this is how quiet it was today

After two port days I know we are ready for a sea day.  I believe the guests are too.  Unfortunately the weather is misty and does not make sitting out very comfortable.

I did try to sit on a bench under cover to watch Bohemian Rhapsody under the stars - correction under the clouds, but just too cool and damp.  

Of course this makes all the indoor public areas very very busy.  Impossible to find a quiet spot.  Even Skywalkers is busy and people are playing cards and for me to be able to write and read I need quiet.  Oh and sitting in the International Cafe is impossible.  I think I maybe have gotten a seat once or twice.  They are hugely coveted.  Of course this is all because the weather is not conducive sitting outside.  Another itinerary that is warmer would be completely different.

picture taken in Halifax but this is how quiet it was today

Also today the Captain came onto the Public Address and into the cabins this morning.  You know it is important.  Covid cases have been rising and they are asking guests to be diligent.  Wash your hands, wear a mask and report to medical if you have symptoms.  

I have noticed more are wearing masks in public.  Note too that everyone on the sailing is fully vaccinated and boosted.  It was required because of the length of the voyage.

I have been careful, but so many guests have been chatting with me without masks so I have brought my own supply of tests and have tested every few days.  So far, all negative and I feel great.

I have my Newfoundland presentation today at 1 pm.  It requires a few props and logistics so I have to take more time getting ready.  I am sure it will be busy.

What Should of Been Nuuk

Ahhh  nothing better than sleeping in.  I shower and dress for my lecture.  A quick bite to eat at the IC and I meet up with Bernie in Explorers Lounge.  We read and chat with some of the guests.  

My lecture is at 2 pm but I need to set up early.  I always try to get there a half hour early to make sure everything works.  And trust me, there have been numerous occasions where I have needed that extra half hour.  If I have no issues then that is great and I mix with the passengers and chat with them.  

People are disappointed that we missed Nuuk, but these seasoned cruisers seem to understand. However, a woman did complain to me "the Captain should of sailed in, the storm was not bad according to my weather app".  I so wanted to say, but did not, maybe the bridge needs to consult "your" weather app.

I should also add that internet signal is very sporadic. So do not rely on it if you are doing this itinerary, especially in the north. 

I have been added to the schedule for today, because of the sudden sea day.  Today I am doing my 9/11 lecture, the Day The World Came to Gander Newfoundland at 2 pm. Unfortunately it is in Explorers Lounge and it just can not hold that many people (maybe a few hundred).  We are sitting in the lounge and at 1245 it is getting really crowded. I second guess myself thinking hmmm is my lecture at 1?  Because there is barely a seat available, but nope it is at 2pm these people are smart, they found a seat.

It soon becomes apparent that there are a lot of guests who want to see it, but can't.   After the presentation I head to the cabin and call the entertainment director Madison and she says she already has had four calls from guests upset that they could not see the show.  I tell her that I am more than happy to redo the presentation on the original date in the princess theater.  Easy enough for me to do and really, if it makes the guests happy, I am happy.

Tonight we enjoyed a great meal in the Palm dining room and the went early to the theater, in order to get seats, to see Bravo.  It has been ages since we have seen this show and this cast truly did an outstanding job.  So happy we got to see it again.

Halifax Sail In

Well I did crash very early!  But at 1 am after 4 hours of sleep the rocking of the ship and all the creaking that comes with it woke me,  yes there is movement.  I have done this itinerary to Halifax numerous times.  Today we are experiencing a bit of weather which makes the sailing a little rough.  Now I say a little rough but I am sure many would it is really rough.  

Drawers would slide open, bathroom door creeks open and slam closed.  Until I am tired of hearing it and get up and close it.  Bu truly the feeling of being rocked to sleep is very comforting to me.  And trust me I have experienced much much worse seas.

So I lay in bed, as Bernie softly snores.  I am jealous of how easy he can sleep through anything.  I read!  Love that I cam read undisturbed on a cruise and I anticipate a few books being read this voyage.

But I put the book away when my eyes start to get heavy.  But!  Do you think my mind would shut off?   Nope.  I am running thru parts of my lectures in my head.  Ideas to add to them enter my thoughts.  No I can't add more, or could I.  I will need to find some wifi to figure some things out but if I can I will.  

I do dose off for a while longer but the next time I open my eyes it is 6 am so I quietly gather a few items, dress and sneak out.

We don't dock until 8 am but I have never been awake for sail in so I thought I would like to get some pictures.

Light rain is falling but the wind on the open decks in the open ocean is brisk!  

I walk thru the World Fresh Marketplace, grab an egg (which sadly was cold) and a roll and a mango fruit smoothie.  I take a seat in the aft area as it is very quiet here and I want to leave the prime seats for the guests.

Once again the crew are so attentive and helpful.  My coffee cup never sees the bottom as it gets constant refills before I can even ask.  I forgot to get ketchup but the lovely waiter says no sit, I will get it for you.  Oh, can I take them home with me.

The sun (I know it is there somewhere) slowly rises.  But rain is in the forecast.  But the earth is happy to get it after such a long period of extreme heat.

Day One - Sea Day

Clocks went forward an hour and we are now on Atlantic time.  It appears many guests are thrown off by this.  Many are up and about and surprised by the time.

We dress and head to the dining room.  We sit with 2 other couples (getting a private table for two is almost impossible)  but we are okay with sharing.  One couple from San Diego, the other from Virginia.  

Breakfast was very good.  I started with the fruit plate then a bowl of rice crispies with banana.  Service was very impressive.  The lady next to me wanted very crispy bacon and when he delivered her plate the waiter was concerned as he knew she wanted crispier bacon.  He ended up coming back with even more bacon to see if this bacon was better, without her even asking for it.  That is great service.

It is cooler, but then again we are out on the Atlantic.  But there is a storm coming and I know Nova Scotia is in need of some raing.

I was outside in my blouse and I was ok when out of the wind.  But someone from somewhere very hot would find it cold.  Had to laugh when I heard someone complain about the cold weather.   We are at sea heading to Greenland.  Not sure what they were expecting.

I will take this time to cover the demographics of this cruise.  Definitely older.  A lot of seasoned cruisers.  However there are a handful of kids, but not many.  A lot of people in their 60s and 70s. and and a lot much older, but young at heart.  I think the disco is going to be quiet this cruise.

After breakfast I head to the cruise critic meet and greet, that was very well attended. We had a large group that chatted on the boards and were quite helpful.  Some officers attended, but not like pre Covid.  I stuck around until they started talking about private excursions, then I left.  Note this is a no no!  Sure you can do private excursions but don't do it in a large setting on board where the ship's crew are around.  

I then went to the theater to see Hutch, our Destination Expert on board, in the theater.  Today's talk is 2 ports, Halifax and Sydney.  A lot to cover in 45 minutes.  He was good but our styles are very very different.  

But of course I think mine are better, but then again I need to toot my own horn.

First Sea Day - Afternoon and Evening

The ship is busy.  I know there are just over 2,700 guests. with half being platinum and elite.  There are 4 Captain Circle Parties over 2 days.  But as it is a sea day, and it is cool outside everyone is crowded inside.  

The cruise staff have an abundance of activities to do. 

I shower and dress for my first lecture.  I show up a half hour early and I am glad I did.  I seem to always have issues with sound from my presentation onto the screen.  Today it happened again.  The production team again are amazing.  They worked hard to get it working but I am thinking I am going to have to figure out a solution, as this is becoming a real pain.  

The theater was very busy.  I am guessing about two thirds full!  The lecture is all about the Halifax Explosion of 1917 was well received.  I had lots of great feedback.  One woman came up and thanked me so much.  Her great uncle was blinded by the explosion and she did not know the full story, now she does.  A lot of people commented that they were not even aware of the explosion.

After the lecture I quickly went back to the cabin to change and then up to the buffet to eat something as it is now 2 pm and I haven't eaten since 830.  

One great thing about the Caribbean Princess is the promenade deck.  I head out and sit on a teak chair and watch the sea go by.  Ahhhhh  can you hear it?  The waves crashing?  Can you feel the salt air hitting your face?  Well I sure did.  I must of spent 40 minutes out there taking deep breaths and enjoying the moment and realizing how blessed I am.

Tonight is formal night and we have decided to have an easy night.  Maybe a cocktail or two then dinner upstairs at the buffet.  And this is exactly what we did.  Food on board has been very very good.  

Went and ironed a few blouses that needed it badly.  On the way back to the cabin two women recognized me as the lecturer and we had a lovely conversation.  They are looking forward to the next one.  Love it, I am doing my job if people are learning something about this beautiful area.

I really need a good night's sleep and I am determined to get it.

First Sea Day

As you already know I was awake very early and enjoyed some time on deck 5 with my latte and was able to write my blog posts.

I was sitting at the edge of the IC where Vines begins but found it difficult to concentrate (yes I am one of those people that needs to focus to write and conflicting noises or distractions throw me off).  The canned music from the IC was great but just a few feet away Vines was playing some different canned music.

Okay so I got up and went to sit along the window in the coffee bar area, which is called the Good Spirits Bar.  This is a newly branded bar that offers an experience and interaction with guest with featured drinks.  It is a cool event and is offered for usually two hour periods later in the day.

However it is 6 am and the two tv screens are showing the Good Spirits show and the volume is on and it is interesting to watch but very distracting.  Then you also have the canned music from the Atrium to hear as well.

Personally I would like to hear only one thing and I think hearing the canned music would be more appropriate.  The show can be played later in the day, or with subtitles or just when they have the Good Spirts Bar running.   Again just my opinion.

The staff were very friendly and eager to make sure whatever I needed was met.

I did end up going up to the World Fresh Market Place - now that is a lot to type - for breakfast. I was there early and headed to the omelet station (where Planks is at night) and put what I wanted in my omelet in a cup and handed it over to the cook and given a handheld pager that would identify when my eggs were ready.

It took no time at all (again it was very quiet) and the omelet was ready.  It was huge, I am guessing it was a three egg omelet and should of aksed for a smaller one.  I have learned and will do that next time.

It is the last sailing of Canada New England of the season and it is cold.  6C and windy.   You really need to dress for the occasion. Think Alaska cruise clothes. I suggest layers because once you are on shore you don't need all the clothes but when you are on the seas that wind is harsh.

I do end up walking the Promenade Deck for quite a while and looked for whales.  Others had commented that they had seen some so I was trying to spot one too.  No luck.

I am also enjoying the scenery.  To the port side is North side of the St. Lawrence and it is an area that is quite barren but I have never been to, although like a friend mentioned after seeing so many pine trees you have seen enough - good point Linda.

The South side of the St. Lawrence is the Gaspe region and I really want to explore this area and know that we could easily do a road trip here some time soon.  It is about a ten hour drive from our home.  As I stare out at the area is lovely to see the smaller mountains with a dusting of snow on the top.

We enjoyed lunch in the dining room (they also had a pub lunch happening today too).  We joined another couple for lunch and really enjoyed the food and the company.

Bernie did attend the trivia and joined a team of friends only to find out they are all from Coquitlam BC where we use to live.  Small world!

Since it is quite cold outside, everyone is inside.  It is hard to even find a seat anywhere!  I did take up residence in Club Fusion at the back while Michelle hosted Meringue dance class but once the bingo got underway I had to flee because I was mobbed and I knew they needed the table a lot more than I did.

There is a speedy Sudoku happening in Wheelhouse but when I head there it is so busy, and not by those playing the game but with people reading, playing cards, chatting etc.  So I just decide to leave.

I wander through the Bijoux sale too, just to say I did, but it is the same old same old and I do not buy anything.

Bernie is napping so I am leaving the cabin to him.  I head up to the top deck and sit at the Mix bar and chat with Rocky the bartender that we first met on the Crown back in 2015.  He still makes the best Cosmos.  He introduced me to a couple at the bar and we chatted for awhile about our love of cruising.

I want to touch base a bit on the Medallion.  This is now our 7th cruise with Medallion.  Last summer it was here on the Caribbean but it was just being rolled out.  Then early this year on the Royal it was rolled out and was in full operation by the time we disembarked in May.  But I was quite excited to see how it was now with the new App and having been in operation on here for over a year.

Right now I am very disappointed in the entire system.  f  And trust me it is with a very heavy heart that I am saying this.  But so far it seems worse than it every has been.

Tonight is a formal night, but we are not dressing up.  But we do head down to Vines to enjoy the Captain's speech.  Oh we did run into the Captain a few times today and he remembered us from last year and we were able to catch up with him.  Juan and Victor, he says hi.

Wheelhouse is a great spot for a drink and the music is nice too.  We meet up with Luis here after his shift and then decide to head to Planks for supper.

Planks is a barbecue joint and the cost is $12 per person.  Wonderful meal and well worth it.  They also have some unique drinks here too so make sure you check it out.

I do not think the waiter was very happy that we showed up fifteen minutes before they were scheduled to close at 9:00.  But the service was quite good.



By the time we are finished dinner it is 10 pm and we see that David Moore the Crooners player is doing a show in Explorers.  OMG we have not seen him since forever.  Boy has he been with Princess a long time.  I think the first time we ever met him was on the Dawn Princess around 20 years ago!  He made us laugh then and he still makes us laugh now.  He will normally be performing in Crooners nightly.

It was a lovely day, and very relaxing and trust me we will need it as we have a lot of port days in a row now.

Last Day of the Cruise

It is only 2 pm and I figure I should write something about today while I can because normally once the evening starts and I get to travelling tomorrow and then settled back at home I often put off writing.

I do promise I will do a final summary of the entire voyage and my thoughts once I get settled back at home.

Quick funny from last night.  While leaving the Captain Circle Party we had two separate couples ask where the Palm dining room was.  You know the one that is aft on deck six that you can only access from deck seven aft and go down one deck.

We helped direct them as this is a common question and can be confusing as to why they can not travel on deck 6 midship to the aft (well mainly because there is a dining room and galley there and they will make you work if you go thru them).  

Now this is night 6 and I am just curious "where have they been eating all cruise and how did they get there".  Just my cruise observations.

But for today.

Last night when we got our Princess Patter we noted that there was no picture and small blurb of the Most Travelled Passenger.  

They are doing a new format so I am not sure if this is a permanent thing of just a one off as this is the first week with the new format.  However I will say I miss seeing who the most travelled is.  Although I do know it is Steve C with around 1,500 days (but could be off a bit as it is not printed).

We wake at 7 am and I say I really want to dine in the dining room for breakfast today.  So we throw on some clothes and make ourselves presentable as best we can.  

I am going to miss having breakfast prepared for me each day.  That is the hardest meal for me to get motivated and made.  But I will say at least at home my breakfast is usually oatmeal with almond milk and fruit.  I can admit that on board the breakfast has been substantially larger and usually consists of eggs.

On the way back to the cabin I grab a latte and throw back on my pjs and crawl into bed where I proceed to shop on Wafair.com for two bed frames.  Have I told you how much I love this high speed wifi.  I place the order and the frames are scheduled to arrive at the new house on Friday!  

Next I go onto my rewards card and use up some of my miles.  We need a lot of things for the house and so I use my points to buy a lawnmower, heavy duty drill set, and two gift cards to Home Depot (I think those will come in handy).  Again love the high speed wifi.

I even take the time to change our address with a few places.  Why not take on all these administrative tasks while at sea and no time limit.  Saves me from doing it later.

Even though I am hibernating, there is a lot happening on board today.  I took a picture of the Princess Patter for just a taste of what is happening.

I do shower and dress and figure I should come out into the land of the living for lunch.

Lunch is in the dining room and we both are very impressed with lunch.  I had the beef goulash and Bernie had the chicken scallopini.  

After lunch Bernie goes to the front desk to get some change and smaller bills so he can hand out extra tips.  We also always leave our auto tipping in place and tip out extra throughout the week but we also make a point of tipping a bit more to those that really went over and above.

My thought is if you take the auto tipping off you are robbing so many people of the benefit of providing extra service.  Note if you do take the tips off and hand someone like your waiter cash they are obligated to put it into the pool if you removed the auto tips.   This is because no matter how many you tip with cash it never covers all that serve you.  The International Cafe staff, the buffet stewards, the pool attendants, the people who clean the public washrooms.

Note if you don't remove the auto tips they get to keep the cash. 

So keep the auto tips on.  If you can't afford to do this then you should not be travelling.  It is just the cost of travelling.

Of course added tipping is not necessary but it is a nice perk.

Oh that sounded harsh, but I am passionate about this and how hard the crew work and how much they depend on being rewarded by the passengers for extra good service.

Okay back to our regular scheduled blog.

This afternoon is the Shark Week Festivities again.  There are a lot less children on board this sailing so I am curious to see how it goes.  All I want is one of those shark cookies.

Tonight we are heading up to Skywalkers Elite lounge to say goodbye to everyone there.  Then we will make the rounds to say a final good bye to so many.

I am already feeling sad to say good bye.

Oh but I am so excited for the next chapter.

Stay tuned.

Sea Day

After a lovely breakfast we are relaxing in the International Cafe.

So much going on today.

The Patter is packed!  You really can not get bored on this ship.

I start with the Speedy Sudoku challenge which was not as busy today as the first sailing but a good number, maybe 15.  Did not win this time but it was fun.   Winners won a Princess Water Bottle.

Bernie tried to sign up for the Planetarium event for tomorrow but by the time he got there it was full and they were only taking wait list names.  He did not put his name down as it was a long list on the wait list.  So sorry we won't be able to report on this new event.

Bernie tried out the trivia at 11 am and it was very busy he said.  I stopped in to the outlet sail but there was nothing that I was really interested in but there were numerous people buying some very good deals.  Always worth checking out I think.

We sat in Crooners for the longest time chatting with this lovely couple from Florida.  So nice to meet fellow like-minded cruisers.

For lunch we head to the dining room - first time in here this voyage.  I start with the white bean soup and then have the grilled chicken salad.  Both were very good.  

The dining room looks quiet.  Not surprised as many are up on the pool deck getting sun.  Also there is the Pub Lunch being offered in the Crown Grill today.

I run into some friends and since they are staying on for another sailing I get them to come to the cabin and give them most of what is left of our mini bar.  We don't need it and I am sure they will enjoy it.

At 2:15 I attend the Detourist program's event and it was well attended.  Biggest group I have seen.  Kelly and Jase did a great job and I learned some new things about composing stories and hope to use some of these tips in my blog posts.

Bernie wants to go watch the latest Pirates of the Caribbean Movie in the cabin so I head out to explore. 

Have to say I love this tv on demand.  Even after three weeks there are still movies and shows we want to watch.  Lots of options for all different types of interests.  Not to mention with the great wifi we have been able to download Netflix shows to watch off line later.

I meet up with Juan and Victor and we head into the wine tasting.  The $9.50 one is being held and this is the one that Elite passengers get for free.  It is something I rarely do anymore but since I am alone and the guys are going I tag along.  

We are sat at a table for three and well we have a lot of fun.  

Just check out the pictures they took!  Note I am sober this is just how I act.

Bernie attending the afternoon tea in the dining room and he really enjoyed it.  However he did find a rather annoying passenger who was quite rude.  She kept raising her voice to get the wait staff's attention.  They when they were not fast enough she place her empty cup in the air.  She did this twice.  Most around her just stared (including the crew) not believing how obnoxious people can be.

Tonight is the Captain Circle Party.  This cruise there are two parties and we have invites for the second party at 7:30.

It is formal night and we are opting to dress smart casual only.  Sadly they have the party on a formal night and state dress is formal but we don't have formal attire.  Don't think it is fair to omit people just because they don't want to dress up.  But I know we will not be the only ones not dressed formally.  

Plus after the party we are meeting up with friends to have a fun dinner together that will be casual.

We also got our luggage tags today.  Sad.  We are yellow 6 which is independent travel arrangements with later flights.  Meeting time in our disembarkation lounge is 9:45. We are not in a rush to get off as our flight is not until 13:40.  

Thanks for following.

Monday – Sea Day

We are up early!  

After a very yummy breakfast we are in the shops checking out the lotions I like.  Normally they have an extra 10% off if you spend over a $100 in the boutiques the first two days.  I did buy some lotion the first day but it was no where near the $100 threshold.  

Today I was just going to buy a few more, but still under the threshold.  Then the women said if I buy one more I would basically get it for free.  I said I thought the sale was over and she said they have extended it.  Wow that is great, so I bought one more and got it for free pretty much because of the extra 10% off and then also my elite 10% discount too.  Great service.

I also bought a very nice purse that I had been eyeing for a while.  Bernie said go for it, it will be your birthday present.  Nice!

A lot of people are out around the pool today.  There are clouds out but it is still very warm around 30c and the humidity is at 85%! And take care cause the sun does get to you so you do need to put on sunscreen.

There were a few intermittent showers but nothing to make you leave your seat.

The pool games were fun to watch and good participation.

We sit in the International Café for a bit and do stop into the Bijoux sale being held in the Island Dining Room on deck 5 all morning.  But we did not buy anything.

We sip our coffee and tea (using up the remaining one of two coffee cards we have left) and people watch.  I do today’s Sudoku which was HARD and notice they are putting in new books into the library – good thing as it was pretty bare, but I guess many people have moved to electronic books.  Hmm maybe Princess should switch to borrowing electronic books from their Princess App.

A lot of staff working on the Ocean Medallion installation. We had staff come and check our tv for Ocean Medallion today – it is all ready they said.  

Note we have had no issue at all with getting into our cabin with the cruise card being placed next to the LCD screen outside our door.  But I do miss the mail slot. Now we have to wait till our steward delivers our mail.  Also we use to use the mail slots to deliver notes and cards to friends.  Another thing is the screens don’t say the names of who is in the cabin and trust me that was helpful when we were either trying to find our cabin or a friend’s cabin. 

A little disappointed that this bath mat is still in use. This is how it looked when I unfolded it to place on the floor this morning.  Yup a large rip.  It should be thrown out.

For lunch we go to the dining room in Club Class.  We are served a plate of chips with guacamole, salsa, sour cream and a chili.  Very good – but afraid if it is put in front of us we do enjoy it.  If it was not there we would not indulge.

Service here is phenomenal – reminds me of how great the service in the general dining room use to be.  Sadly it now seems the servers our so busy that service is lacking and one reason we rarely dine in the dining room anymore.  This goes for both traditional and anytime dining – in our opinion.  I know there have been cut backs to staff in this department.  Heck I remember when there were sommeliers who would get your wine for you each night!  Boy I am dating myself.

The food at lunch was very good and we had some fun with our wait staff as they showed us some tricks and we even got to share some tricks of our own with them.

There is a lot going on all over the ship.  Bingo, 60 second frenzy,  art auction, pool games, casino tournaments, speedy watercolor, movies, numerous lectures and so much more.

I take this time to wander around the ship and take a lot of pictures of things I know my followers would be interested in.  Make sure to check out my Facebook page “CruisingPrincess Cruiseline with Vickie” for a detailed photo album of the Caribbean Princess after we get home – as internet minutes are precious and takes too long to upload all of the pictures I have.

Around 3 pm we are back in the cabin and Bernie is watching the movie Black Panther and I am writing up this blog and then I am going to read. 

Tonight is a formal night and the Captain’s Welcome Aboard Event.

Sea Day – Most Travelled Luncheon, Sanctuary and Pure Relaxation

Oh I had such a good sleep.  The winds have died down and the movement of the ship is minimal.  I personally like a bit of rocking to rock me to sleep.

Since today is the Most Travelled Luncheon I always take that as a sign to sleep in and I do. I did not wake until 9 am!

We start to watch the movie “Wonder”.  I had been trying to watch it for the last two cruises but the first cruise it only came on the television very late in the cruise.  It did not air last cruise at all.  Maybe because of Superbowl.  So when it showed up this morning I knew I better watch it fast.

Only got to watch half of it before I needed to get dressed for lunch.  Will watch the rest later, maybe tomorrow.  Oh I love the On Demand feature on the Royal.

Lots happening on board.  The Caribbean Marketplace and Flair is happening in the Atrium when we come down.  Click here to see and read more about the Caribbean Marketplace. .

Lunch is at Sabatinis and it is for the top 40 Most Travelled Passengers on board.  If you are travelling solo you get to invite a companion.  So normally there could be more than 40. 

We arrive and have our picture taken with Captain Nick Nash.  I would post it but really want to scan it in to get a better image so that will have to wait until we get home.  

Today we are at Michael Prasse’s – Hotel General Manager’s table.  Margaret (his Mom) and (his niece) Jennifer are also at the table along with a lovely couple from Texas (sorry forgot their name). 

The menu is as follows and I have included pictures of the items.

Appetizers

Seared Tuna Loin, Shrimp Mojito, King Crab and Salmon Cake, Cilantro Lime Sauce

Or

Tian of Spiced Wild Berries, Mascarpone Cream, Candied Orange Zest, Fresh Mint

Main Course

Pan Seared Sea Bass Fillet, Sundried Tomato Couscous, Turned Vegetables, Spring Peas coulis, and Zinfandel beurre-blanc

Or

Rack of Lamb, Beef Fillet Mignon & Port Tenderloin with Creamed Potatoes, Grilled Vegetables,  Mushroom Sauce 

Or

Fennel Three ways, served with shaved Carrots and Radish Salad

Dessert

Raspberry filled Crème Brulee, Dark Chocolate Truffle and Vanilla Shortbread

Gourmandize

Coffee and Tea

The meal was amazing!  The company even better!

After lunch we donned swimsuits and sunscreen and went up to the Sanctuary.  We had booked three days for this cruise and this is the first time we get to enjoy it.  First booking day it was closed due to high winds, second booking it rained and finally today it is beautiful.

Irena the Supervisor greets us and takes us to our lounge chairs.  We get them turned around so we can be in the sun.

Ari comes around and gets us cold water.  Good thing as it is very hot.  You need flip flops to walk on the deck or else you will burn your feet.

What a relaxing day!  I know the Sanctuary is not for everyone.  Sure you can get a lounge chair on the deck somewhere for free but for a nominal fee of $40 for a full day or $20 for a half day it is well worth it for us.  It is quiet, we are not crowded next to each other and the beds are so nice and you don’t get a sore butt after an hour. 

Then the staff are just the icing on the cake.  They take care of all our needs and we now consider them friends.

Love that the Royal is showing the medal standings – updated two times a day.

At 4:30 pm we head back to the cabin to prepare for an exciting evening.

Check out my next blog for the Formal night, Gala Dinner and then the Premier of The Secret Silk