2nd And Third Sea Day

The seas have been very nice.  Today we even saw a lot of whales. These are mainly pilot whales. Saw them all over, all day.  Scan the horizon and watch for spray from the blow holes.

It really has been uneventful.  We wake up, have breakfast, once in dining room next day in buffet.  

Finding a spot to sit inside during the day is hard.  The weather is cold with the wind and that means everyone is inside.  

Lots of activities happening, games, cards, movies, lectures (including mine) and then some meals.

I am presenting my lecture about Cape Breton today.  I really wanted to make it special, have those attending to understand, feel how hard it is in Cape Breton for the fishermen, the coal miners etc.  But I also make sure to share some great music too.  It was very well attended, I would guess 70% in the Princess Theatre.

In the afternoon the Captain comes on the PA and you always know that something is up.  There is a bad weather system further north.  If we continue we will have to really slow down and it will be very rough and we would be very delayed into Nuuk.  It has been decided that due to the weather the port is being cancelled.  

Yes this is disappointing.  However our Captain and his team are professionals and their first priority is the ship and those on her.  

I immediately head to the cabin and call the Entertainment Director to see if I can be of any help with a lecture for the unexpected sea day instead of Nuuk.  Madison agrees and decides to have me present my 9/11 the day the world came to Gander Newfoundland at 2pm in Explorers in a few days time.  Princess Theater is not available as they are getting ready for Bravo tonight.  

Dinner tonight is in the Palm Dining room.  We have enjoyed dining here.  It seems quieter than the other 2, and we haven't had a problem getting a table.   Food has been outstanding all over the ship.  I think I can only recall one fish dish that was dry all others have been very good.

We are up at Skywalkers dancing and drinking.  Oh my, not use to drinking this much, and although I am nowhere near drunk, I do have a good buzz and I end up just leaving my last drink there.  Thankfully we danced a lot too.   

I crash but wake up and take an aspirin just in case.  But I have a great sleep in.  

Two Sea Days – Thursday and Friday

So lovely to have two sea days at the end of the cruise.  This lets us really relax and for those heading home the chance to unwind before returning to work.

We have a relatively quiet day. 

I did partake in the Speedy Sudoku where over 40 people participated. What was different this time was they had two puzzles for us to do.  The first three to finish win a prize.  I am excited to report that I finished first!  Yeah – I won a notebook.

We also went to the morning trivia and we did respectfully for just playing as a team of two.

Bernie is up on the sun deck for the afternoon to get some rays of sun.  It is a bit too hot for me.  Of course there are a lot of chair hogs but there are also a lot people picking up their towels and returning them to the laundry bin too.  Work in progress I guess.

There is a large Apparel Blowout Sale in the Island Dining room and I did stop in for a minute but there is not that much I am interested in. But it is busy and lots of people are buying things. 

British Pub Lunch is happening in the Crown Grill.  I had a nice meal in the WorldFresh marketplace. 

Tonight is our last formal night.  You can see that a lot of passengers are opting to enjoy the sun decks and pool well into the evening and are skipping formal night altogether. I am actually guessing but I would say that a third (Bernie says higher) did not do formal night. 

There is a lot of things that lead to this.  First it is the second formal night so many are opting out.  Second there are almost 600 passengers under 18 and that means that many families are enjoying the time together by the pool or doing family events and most are dining at the buffet which is busy.  Third there has been a shift away from formal attire industry wide we have been told.  For whatever the reason it is key to enjoy whatever you like on your vacation.

For us we are in shorts and t-shirt and we go to the Outrigger Bar and order drinks then sit watching the wake.  The early evening is perfect to be out here.  Still warm, but a light breeze.  I so do miss this aft pool/deck on the Royal.  We sit and reflect on the past week and cruise.

Tonight is the Captain Circle Party. We had an invite to the 7:30 party and I actually think there was only party this voyage.  Wow that means there are not a lot of Platinum/Elite Passengers on board. Big difference from the Royal 10 day Caribbean that has five parties a cruise.  We opt to skip the party tonight.  We just don’t feel like dressing up and the dress code is formal and after the Most Travelled Party the night prior we are going to relax tonight.

And relax is just what we do.  We have a wonderful night with friends we haven’t seen in awhile and catching up.  It is an early evening and we end it by watching a movie called Finding Your Feet.

But there are a lot of things happening.  Including Abba Music Trivia, Production Show Bravo, Disney Trivia, The Marriage Match Game, and then the fun Formal Gala Party.

The second sea day I awake to the sounds of people running around the Lido deck.  A downfall of this cabin is that the Lido deck is right above us.  Normally we do not hear much but if someone is running we hear that.  We are in F303 and it is a wonderful cabin. I especially love the window views.

The last sea day sees people lining up at the Purser’s desk with inquiries about disembarkation. A station has been set up to the right of the desk for those wishing to change their disembarkation allocation.

We received a letter yesterday for everyone who is “in transit” they are holding an in transit meeting to discuss everything about staying on board and what to expect.  It is not mandatory to attend but it could be very helpful for those that have never done a back to back.

The sun is shining and the decks are busy.  I watch a movie in the cabin while Bernie is out enjoying the sun. The pools are busy, lots of people soaking up the rays before heading home tomorrow.

I forgot to mention the most travelled this voyage are Mr Bruce Goldenberg and Joann Kelly with 1571 days. 

This afternoon saw Shark Week festivities in the Atrium.  Lots of tables set up all over with button making, jewelry making, face painting, pictures with a green screen where they add a shark background later, two remote control sharks swam (aka flew) in the Atrium, shark cookies, and a shark mascot you could take pictures with.  It was fun to watch everyone enjoying themselves, and I love those shark cookies!

The snowball bingo is at $2,295 and must go today!  We don’t play but it was a packed room.

We got our cruise cards for the next sailing.  We noticed we are in a different cabin than the one we booked.  We check with the Purser staff and we were upgraded from an inside cabin to an ocean view on Emerald deck midship. That is nice but we had the same cabin for the 2^nd and 3^rd leg.  I actually just recently moved our 3^rd cruise cabin when I saw the cabin came available that we had for the 2^nd leg.

The front desk was willing to move us back to the cabin as it was still available but Bernie really wants to move to the ocean view so we will move to the Emerald Deck cabin.  Oh and we are in another Emerald deck ocean view cabin for the 3^rd leg.  Moving is not that big a deal as we only have one bag each.

Was chatting with a nice lady who has two daughters on the cruise who were taking part in the Shark Week events in the Atrium.  I laughed when she said to the girls “I will supervise you from the bar here”.  How many places can you say that!

Well it is late afternoon and we are not sure what we will be doing tonight. I would like to head back up to Skywalkers for the Elite lounge.  Will probably do dinner in the dining room. 

Week one is coming to an end.  It has been an amazing cruise.  Have really enjoyed it and look forward to the next two. 

Thanks for following.

Two Sea Days – Sanctuary – Formal Night and So Much More

I know I have not written much in the two days we are at sea. Sorry.  Part is I think “what can I write that is interesting” and then the other reason is I have just been relaxing and no real time to write and post.  Wow first world problems I know.  But many of my followers have been asking and I have run into a lot of fans (and now considered new friends) who tell me they enjoy reading whatever I write. 

So I will indulge you, for those that are interested.

One thing that is great is this new Dinning Options flyer we get each day that shows where and what  you can get and when. Then on the back is “don’t miss items”. I now know this is on a testing basis for this ship only for a few sailing to see about the feedback.  Here are the two from the 2^nd Sea Day and the St. Thomas Day.

Both days were spent in the Sanctuary.  Both days were very windy in the Retreat area.  In fact the first day after we left Nassau it got very windy.  It was windy in the Sanctuary but not as bad as the Retreat Pool.  When we left the Sanctuary the entire Retreat Pool was empty. 

while we were in Nassau

While we were in Nassau, can you spot Roy and Sandra

The Captain came on mid day to inform us all that the winds are high and will delay our arrival into St. Thomas.  Same thing happened last sailing. Our arrival is now scheduled to arrive at around 11:15am.  They have not extended our departure time (like last voyage).  Shore Excursions have been adjusted to reflect our arrival.

The ship is moving.  You definitely feel it!  But it is not horrible.  Nothing on tables is moving around like we have seen in the past.

On the second sea day we wake to very high winds! In fact I was not sure if the forward deck would even be open because of it.  So I dress and head up early to check things out.  The Retreat Pool is open but no lounge chairs have been put out (they are still tied down).  It is crazy windy.  In fact it is very very hard to just get to the Sanctuary.  I learned quickly to walk right next to the glassed in wall with railing to make it.

Irena (the manager there) lets us know the Sanctuary is in fact open.  I can see that again the winds are not as bad there. 

We both layer the sunscreen on and bathing suits and head up stairs to the Sanctuary.  We have it booked for the entire day.

When we arrive Todd and Sue are in the first cabana and have it for the whole day.  They invite us to join them.  So we leave our lounge chairs covered and join them in their cabana.  Each cabana can accommodate four people but if you have four people they each have to have a lounge chair.  So if you book it and you have four people the other two also have to pay for two lounge chairs.  Which we had so we had good intentions to enjoy our lounge chairs but we never left the cabana.

Each cabana comes with a drink package.  It was very difficult to get more exact details of what is included and the cost - I asked, but it is just not available.  But here are the pictures of the sheet that describes what you get for alcohol. 

We got two bottles of wine (as they had it for the full day).

We drank those two bottles and I ordered another bottle. 

Then we had a bottle of Prosecco.  Needless to say we were all feeling good. 

The afternoon got very very hot and being sheltered from the wind in the Cabana made it enjoyable.

Bernie has received the gift of that cold that everyone seems to have.  It is rampant all over North America and it is spreading on board too with new people coming on with new germs.  I am sure even if we would have been at home we would of gotten it too.  I am just working hard to not get it too.

So after a full day Bernie crashes in the cabin and he wakes around 6:30 pm to tell me he is not up to getting dressed and heading out.  I agree he needs to rest so he takes some cold meds. and sleeps.

Me I shower and head out for the evening. 

I arrive in the Atrium just in time to witness the Senior Officers get introduced.  I then meet up with Dylan and we go for a drink in Vines. 

After the drink we head up to the Ocean Terrace to have sushi.  It was very good! 

Dylan heads back to his cabin as he has early hours tomorrow and I then run into Sue and Todd in Vines.    We all head to the 10:15 showing of Encore.

This time we sit on the right side, second row.  Sadly the woman next to me has drips of water falling on her.  I recall this exact spot had the exact same problem two years ago.  I really wonder if it has even been fixed since then? Sure it could be an ongoing issue and I have been told it is condensation but something should be done so passengers don't have water dripping on them.  Or close off that seat permanently. 

Thankfully the woman in that seat is taking it with stride and is laughing about it.  I offer her the napkin from drink.

So don’t sit in the second row, second seat in from the aisle on the starboard side.

The show was still AMAZING.  It is a singing show.  There is some dancing but not like other shows in the past.  Instead it focuses on the stunning voices of the singers and guest Soprano with touches of dancing.

The Princess Orchestra is a big focus too. They do a few instrumental numbers that are quite powerful.

After the show I wander around a bit by myself and spend a bit of money in casino – correction donate some money in the casino. 

I walk back to the cabin via Club 6 where the dance floor is hoping.  I dance a quick song with Nathalie from the cruise staff.  Then I am back in the cabin around midnight!

What a fun night!

Our two days at sea

Well we really did not do anything memorable, or at least I doubt it is all that exciting for most of you to read.

Both days started out with breakfast.  Have to say I love the fresh squeezed orange juice, which is $2.75 a glass but so darn yummy.  Note you get free orange juice but the fresh squeezed is a nominal fee and it is a big glass.  We are loving the breakfasts each morning.  The food is excellent, hot and presented beautifully.

We attend the Wake Show taping in Princess Live.  We get to meet the new Deputy Cruise Director Kelly from Australia.  She is lovely and very knowledgeable and it is hard to believe she just flew to Florida and then joined the Royal the next day.  It is seamless here performance and she shines.

Lisa of course is professional and makes everyone so comfortable.  I love how she asks all the guests about their first contract and how it they felt.  It gives us as passengers a glimpse into their lives as crew.

The meet and greet is at 10 am in Club 6, I thought it was 11 and showed up late but there were still some people there.  It was lovely to see Louise and Brian again.  We sailed with them a while ago.  Brian just retired and this is his trip to celebrate a well deserved vacation. 

Our afternoon is mixed with reading, sitting on the deck getting some sun, watching a movie and later in the afternoon we invite our neighbours over for a drink.  We met them the first day and they are lovely.  They haven’t cruised in a while but they are so excited to be on board.  Lynette and Dan feel like old friends now.  It is so enjoyable to see the cruising experience thru their eyes and why we still love to cruise.

They did share a funny story that I have to share here (I did ask them if it was okay to repeat it here).  At dinner they were sat beside a couple.  The woman did not seem to like a single thing that was brought to her.  And I mean everything, every course!  She made a face after each bite and of course the waiter notices this and makes every attempt to remedy the situation.  The Head Waiter comes over and is concerned about accommodating her.  The Head Waiter asks “what he can do for her”.  The husband pipes up and says “trust me there is nothing you can do!  She is the problem, not you”.  Oh my, I break out in hysterics when Lynette tells me this.  But then she said the husband later says to the waiter “I may need a new cabin now”. 

It is key to remember there are just some people you can never satisfy and obviously this woman is one of these people.  I think she would of found the ice to be too cold too.

Okay back to our day.  We want to head back to our table tonight.  We arrive just prior to 8 pm and we are happy to see our wait staff again.  But the whole area is noticeable busier.  Our waiter is busy but he still shines - Dragaisa is excellent.  We have a new Head Waiter now - Jorge who we remember from the Star and the Crown. 

Tonight we start with the chicharones (I am sorry can’t recall the spelling) they are sort of like chicken nuggets (but 100% better) with this spicy/sweet dipping sauce.  I have the corn and sweet potato chowder as my second.  For my entrée I get the Pad Thai.  I normally would of gotten the surf and turf but we have had beef two nights in a row so we both want something different.  I love the Pad Thai and again it doesn’t disappoint.

But as the dinner progresses we discuss the idea of giving up our dining reservation.  You see we have this table every night at 8 pm.  The Concerto dining room is great and is used for traditional early seating at 5:30 and then it is used for those that want standing reservations.  So there is a definite feel of traditional late seating too. 

We just don’t do traditional well.  We have been feeling a bit confined to a set time and restricted.  Sometimes we want to eat earlier, sometimes later, sometimes we meet up with friends and it goes late and we don’t want to be late for our table.  Also tonight’s meal was just too noisy and busy and we agree that we will give up this table for the rest of the voyage.

Also tonight is the German Buffet upstairs and we missed it last cruise and we are missing it again.  But we won’t miss it next voyage. 

Now we will just show up in the anytime dining room when we are hungry and ask for a table for two and I know they will take very good care of us.

For the second sea day we sleep in a bit and after breakfast we are relaxing down in Vines where we run into Brian and Louise and catch up with them.  We need to plan a dinner together with them. 

Tonight is the first formal night and again we are not doing formal but I did take pictures of the menu for the person who was curious so check out my facebook fan page for the pictures which I will post once I get home.

We are planning to have friends Sanja and Marty over to the cabin tonight for dinner and wine.  We will do room service and relax and have fun.  This is why we love to cruise!

At Sea – November 20, 2015

This is our third day at sea out of six.  Seas have calmed down considerably.  The weather has also improved and gotten warmer and more sun.  Definitely can sit out by the pool more comfortably but windy.

After slowly getting dressed we head up to the Horizon Court for breakfast and sit with Barbara and George.  They are participating in Passenger Talent Show which will be tomorrow and we promise them we will be there to support them.

I wish I could say our days were filled with exciting things that would keep you all on the edge of your seats but nope it was rather boring.  But for us boring is okay.  

We sit in the Atrium and enjoy our latte while chatting with people there.  I do a bit of reading but it is getting busy here and too noisy.  We grab our stuff and head to the open deck where we sit and read for awhile and look out at the ocean – ahhhh.  Can you picture it?  

Around 12 pm we both agree it is time for a hamburger.  We love the hamburgers up on the open deck at the Trident Grill and we have not had a single one yet.  It was good! And a special treat.

Still seeking out a quiet area (wish this ship had a skywalkers) to read.  So we choose to head to Crooners and sit on a lovely couch right by the window.  It is perfect.  

Well it was perfect until this guy sits at the bar right near us and all he does is complain.  Complaining about the passengers, complaining about Princess, complaining about the food.  After sitting there for a half hour listening to him we get up and move to the other end of Crooners.

At 2 pm we go to the Movie Music Trivia with TinTin and we do respectfully with only 3 wrong.  But this cruise is full of strong trivia players and we rarely stand a chance, but it was fun.  TinTin is very good with the passengers.  He has patience and a good sense of humour and doesn’t let things get too far out of hand – but it is time he cut that hair.

The cabin is calling and I sit on the balcony reading and enjoying the view.  Bernie is reading on the bed and I bet he will fall asleep very soon – YUP – he is asleep.  

I quietly leave the cabin around 4 to do some walking.  Even though the Promenade doesn’t go all away around I like that it is easy to walk all around deck 15 (yes you have to climb the stairs at the aft to the sports deck and back down again) and at this hour it is relatively quiet.  One downfall is you have to walk thru the smoking area on the starboard side forward.  But there are not many smoking.

After four laps I head down to Aloha deck and then walk that deck, then down another deck to Baja and around that deck.  I do this for the entire ship until I get to my deck on Emerald.  

Once back in the cabin Bernie is getting ready and I follow him.  Tonight is the Captain Circle Party.  Ours is set for 6:25 in Explorer’s Lounge.  There are three parties tonight and two tomorrow.  We take a seat with Karin and John at a table up front.  We get a round of drinks and trust me they take very very good care of us.  Bernie makes sure to tip Alvin who was very helpful in keeping our drink supply in tack.

Gina and Bernie

Crissy Reid our Captain Circle Host welcomes us and informs us of the top three.  If memory serves me right the numbers for the top three are 1,200, 1,400 and 1,600 for number one!  Wow!  The Captain says a few words – short and sweet – and the party is over!  Only a half hour and we are ushered out!  Okay it was good, but we feel a bit rushed.  It is understandable because there are so many Platinum and Elites but I am feeling that maybe even this party needs to be revamped.

It is 7 and we all decide to go to dinner together.  We arrive at the dining room and our Head Waiter welcomes us and shows us to a lovely table in Boots’ (our waiter) section.  It is Italian night – the sweaters the waiters are wearing are a dead giveaway.

We enjoy the rest of our Mouton Cadet wine and I start with the eggplant ptarmigan.  Then the pasta course.  For dinner I accept the recommendation of Boots and have the roast beef braised in a red wine served with polenta.  It was so good and I could cut the meat with my fork.

Tonight the feature entertainer is Alex Crow a Mentalist at 10:15 (he had an earlier show at 8:15).  We take seats near the front but still a bit back in row three.  We are amazed… blown away!  Karin is brought up on stage and asked to write the name and the time of one of her children’s births.  
She gives the paper to Bernie in the audience.  Alex guesses it within five minutes a 58 instead of a 53 and guesses her name!  Well make sure you check out his show if you see his name in the Patter.

When the Cruise Director comes on he asks what is everyone going to do now – we yell party – it is 11 pm.  But we do head to Explorer’s afterwards to dance to Latin Fever but there is maybe ten people here (taking advantage of the Happy Hour).  No one is dancing and the rest of the ship is quiet too.  We stroll back to the cabin.  And we gain another hour tonight – only one more hour to gain before arriving in Florida.

Other activities today:  Enrichment Lecture Pearl Harbor 1941, Zuma, Morning Trivia Super Sports, Walk a Mile, MUTS Mrs Doubtfire, Fussball Tournament, GoPro Seminar, Mission Impossible is playing in the cabin, Caribbean Drum Circle, Mastering the Masters, Ballroom Dance Class Rhumba, Chocolate Martini Demo, Bingo, Medical and Dentist get together, Festivals of the World Arts and Crafts Mardi Gras Mask Making, MUTS Avitar.

Evening Activities: Christmas portraits, Movie on MUTS Love and Mercy, Discovery and Sea Trivia: how is it made, Evening Stateroom Movie Run All Night, Ye Olde Pub Night, and so much more.

Some other items in the Patter you may find interesting:
GoPro Hero4 Silver for $399.99; Lighten Your Smile with teeth whitening for $119; Drink of the Day $8.95 Mucho Mango.

Three Days at Sea

Instead of writing three blogs for each day at sea with basically the same stuff I will just write a summary or events and thoughts and experiences.

First we are sailing late at night past the strait of Gibraltar.  A few passengers that we run into are disappointed that we are not doing this during the day.  

One man actually stated that he wished they would sail by during the day. When we say that that would have been difficult without altering our itinerary and I would of much preferred the time in Barcelona than leaving early just so I can see the strait during daylight.  Somehow people think that the ship can just speed up or spend an extra day at sea so we can see things at the best time.  It just doesn’t work that way.

But we did see the strait of Gibraltar – we passed it around 11 pm and Bernie and I were up on the Sports Deck playing shuffleboard and checking out the city lights on both sides of the two continents. 

The Patter is filled with all kinds of activities during these sea days.  My goal is to try something new each day.

I attempted carpet bowling two days in a row and did well enough to win a magnetic clip – again, attach it to your cabin wall and hand the necessary papers to get them out of the way and easy access to.

We played elevator roulette with cruise staff Tin Tin and had a good laugh.

Chris is now Cruise Director since Dan Appleby left.  He has stepped into the roll very smoothly and he is doing very well.  The first morning show was a little rushed and he talked so fast it was hard to follow but since then he is a natural.  I spot him often around the ship checking out the many events and he is very approachable and helpful. 

One thing we have taken note of is they are no longer listing the theme of the buffet each night in the Patter.  When we ask they say that it is a general theme each night.  This saddened us as we love the Asian, German and Indian buffet themed meals.  But I will add that the food at the Horizon Court is still amazing and we are really enjoying it.  Also the beautiful views out all the windows (because it is at the front of the ship) really add to the atmosphere.

Once again I participated in the Mastermind trivia and well I am officially not smart enough to continue, but I bet the finale will be great.

We participated in Passenger Feud the other night with a lovely couple from Kansas and it was good for a laugh, but really where did you get these people that you supposedly surveyed?

Movies are top run at night and are show the next day in the cabin on channel 21  – and they do show a movie in the Princess Theater in the afternoon too. 

Lots of lectures, shopping events, casino tournaments, trivia, organized exercise, un hosted get together (knitters and knatters, service club, lgbt, singles, etc), wine tastings (Maitre d’, Super Tuscan and Grapevine) happening, dance classes, seminars (photography, art, wrinkle remedies, hair, etc), shuffleboard challenge as well as basketball, ping pong, walking, you name it.

Then the regular demonstrations, martini, fruit carving, etc.

George doing the 60 second frenzie

Tried the 60 second frenzy but didn’t do well – missed the music that they normally play during it.

We are also attending the Most Travelled Luncheon which was held on the 17^th in Sabatinis.  We just made the cut off and are happy to be participating.  We were sat at the table hosted by Duncan the Environmental Officer. 

The meal was outstanding:  Trilogy of the Sea – cold water lobster salad, pancetta wrapped sea scallops, mini tiam of yellow fin tuna tartare.  Then a choice of entrée:  Chilean sea bass poached in court-bouillon or panko crusted lamb chop or melenzane alla Lucullus which was baked eggplant rolls filled with angel hair pasta fresh tomato sauce, sweet basil and mozzarella cheese (this is what I had).  

For dessert flourless grand marnier orange almond bar – served with macaroons.  The whole meal was amazing and we loved meeting the two other couples at our table too.

After the luncheon we went back to the cabin and basically didn’t leave until around 7 pm.  We watched two movies and read and had a relaxing afternoon – guilt free.

We received our disembarkation request form for a time we want to get off.  Also the form for the EZ check out.  For $20 (plus any applicable baggage fees) each we can have our bags checked straight thru to our final destination.  We did sign up for this and they required a copy of our flight itinerary (not just the booking number) which is new. 

They also have the Princess airport shuttle option available too - $19 for Fort Lauderdale Airport $24 for Miami airport.

My favorite thing is to sit in some of the public areas, sip my coffee and read or do puzzles and of course you end up meeting some very nice, interesting, funny, upset people.  Often you overhear conversations too and I bite my tongue in responding. 

However I do like to share some of the conversations here. 

One couple bickered back and forth outside the coffee bar on where they should sit, what they should do, what drink to have, you name it.  Heck I wanted to decide for them so they would shut up.

One man ordered his coffee from the bar staff at the coffee bar.  He gave them his coffee card and was very upset when he got it back and they punched it for the coffee.  When he screamed at the server she calmly responded “sir you purchased your coffee card on another ship and the procedure is when you buy the card on a different ship you get one punch for coffee or tea.  It is only free on the ship you purchased it on, it states it right on the back”.  Well that was not making him happy, once she left he continued and said “I hate the games Princess plays” to me.  I responded “maybe you need to learn the rules of the game, they are written on the back of the card you purchased”. 

Up in Horizon Court for dinner a couple behind us is discussing a shore excursion with a single woman who is standing beside them.  Now she is angry about an excursion and she is talking so loudly (I am sure to let others hear) to the couple.  It appears the excursion was not as stated and she is not happy with the resolve.  Apparently after discussing it with someone in the Shorex Dept (who was incompetent – her words) she was given a 30% refund.  This did not make her happy.  She proceeded to complain about the next person above that who spoke with her.  Again complaining loudly about how mean this person was.  Now anyone who works with the public knows when you are rude to them chances are you will not get as good a resolve as when you talk to them politely?  Anyways she went on for a good ten minutes – and I think her ranting and raving made her look bad.  Oh and apparently she knows this Jan woman who runs the company and she will have a word with her when she gets home – me smirking.

Normally people are just not informed and this causes a lot of confusion.  Unfortunately the Purser’s desk doesn’t always know either.  The passport to value booklet is free and everyone gets one when you get on board – really the coupons are not necessary to get the deal.  When someone called the front desk to ask why they didn’t get one they were told they don’t offer them anymore.  Obviously this is incorrect because we got one.  The coupons are on display in the shops and other venues are applied if you purchase what it applies to.  Our cabin steward gave us ours. 

Another couple wanted to trade in their mini bar for two coffee cards but was told at the front desk that they no longer do this.  Again they are misinformed or just don’t know.  They still do this and all you have to do is call the room service and they will take care of it. 

Of course the front desk can’t know every department’s issues and what the procedure is but many of these things should be communicated better.

Overall the three days at sea have given us an opportunity to rejuvenate and rest and guiltless sleep ins and reading for hours.

March 23, 2014 – Second Half

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Another great day.

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

At Sea February 16, 2014

Our first full day.  If you have followed any of our previous cruises you know how much we like sea days.  I feel sea days are the forced days of relaxation.  The days you can justify doing nothing or doing a lot.  No guilt is felt when you have a nap in the afternoon, no guilt from reading a book for hours, no guilt from watching a movie from beginning to end, no guilt from chatting and meeting new friends while sipping a coffee. 

For some these days are hard, it is not something they are used to in their day to day life with work, children, sports, home life and trying to fit it all in.   For us we don’t have this problem.  And it becomes very evident the moment I awake around 4 am with the thought…. “where the heck am I”  Thankfully I quickly realized from the slight movement of the ship that I was at sea.  So I quickly rolled over and fell back asleep only to wake up around 8 am.

Bernie heads down to pick up my latte and his tea and when he returns he comments “living on Aloha deck forward is quite a trek to the International Café” so not sure how often I will get latte delivery in the morning.  But I do appreciate this one.  Of course you can get espresso drinks from the bar on Lido deck but I guess out of habit we head to the International Café.

As Bernie reads I pull out the computer and start writing up my blog for the past few days and posting it up to the web and check my facebook fan page.  If you haven’t “liked” my fan page yet make sure to check it out by clicking on the facebook icon at the top of the page.

Bernie is off to visit Barb and Craig and I quickly dress and head down to see them too.  We sit and chat for a bit and are delighted when they give us this large map of South America to put up on our wall to track where we are travelling to.  Our friends Connie and Derrick did this last time and we thought it was a great idea and so glad Barb and Craig did this for us.

My man is not having any luck with time pieces this voyage, in fact I swear he is jinxed.  First in Florida he noticed his Tissot watch seemed to be dead, when I commented that it could be the battery he said “yeah maybe the battery icon has been flashing for awhile”.  Then his everyday watch seemed to stop periodically and he says “hmmm I think this battery is dead too”.  He does have one more watch and thankfully it is a Citzen Eco Drive watch that doesn’t require a battery.  Then one day he set the alarm on our travel alarm only for it not to go off when it should.  And then tonight all of a sudden it went off, looks like he set it for pm not am.  So we are giggling about time and considering our jobs require us to be on such a tight schedule and on board the last thing we are following is time it may be a sign.  So Bernie is going to need a watch battery and this isn’t easy to always find and when we walk past the shops and they have a table set up with watches Bernie picks out a Swatch watch for a decent price and I do too (hey sounds only fair).  For the first two days of the cruise if you spend $100 you get an extra 10% off and with our elite 10% discount I am able to rationalize to Bernie.  “May as well buy a new watch a battery is going to cost you around $12 anyhow.”

Zumba is happening and with Lisa Ball the Cruise Director leading it today (Mark will be alternating with her as there are two certified instructors on board).  Did you know that Princess is the only cruise line to be able the true Zumba.  They have the license and they have Zumba trained and certified instructors on board.  We arrive around 12:10 and the class starts in five minutes and Club Fusion is packed, I mean PACKED.  Not just the dance floor but all the areas are filled.  The tables have been pushed to the sides and the chairs crammed under the tables to make as much room as possible.  Bernie and I take position to the right on a upper level and follow along the best we could but it was very difficult to see Lisa especially her footing but we just moved the best we could.  I think a lot of people did not know what to expect cause many had dropped out after a song or two and then there were a few that came in part way while passing by.  I did have a giggle when I saw a woman show up in her bathing suit and flip flops and try to make the steps, but hey at least she was trying. 

We needed to shower and Ronnie had finished our room so we were able to get in and clean up from a great work out. 

I am hungry now and Horizon Court is offering an Orient Buffet so I grab some sushi and then walk back to Horizon Court to grab some salad.  The salad bar is lacking compared to other ships we have been on.  I see only one station with salad fixings where normally there are two.  Missing was sprouts, nuts, cheeses, beets, beans etc etc.  But I still managed to get a big plate full of salad to go along with my sushi. 

Lots is happening around the ship today.  There are port lectures, shopping talks, gem stone seminars, health seminars, photography class, and pool games and of course trivia.  But we are laying low and relaxing by enjoying our balcony.  We have a starboard cabin so we have afternoon sun.  Although this is lovely it can be very hot so I made sure to lather on the sunscreen.  Also it is key to keep the drapes closed during the afternoon as the direct sun will warm up the room no matter how low the air conditioner is set to.  Also make sure to keep the balcony door closed too.

At 3 pm our Cruise Critic group had their meet and greet.  We had been chatting on line for a long time and we were looking forward to putting a face to a name.  This group is huge, the entire Skywalkers is full.  Princess provided a mic and bar staff to take orders.  Lisa the Cruise Director came as well as Antonio the Customer Services Director and the groups coordinator Nina.  Even though we have been involved in many roll calls this group was very different and the meet and greet was so large it was really hard to mix and mingle.  I tried to meet some of the people and thankfully many people came up and introduced themselves to me.  It is always hard cause I try to remember people but I am so bad with names and I don’t do well in large groups and much prefer to sit and chat in smaller groups and get to know people.  So I am looking forward to meeting many of the people throughout the cruise.  

Tonight is formal night and the Gold/Ruby Captain Circle Party is happening at 4:30 tonight.  I am sitting down in the international café chatting with Beatrice when a couple from Britain joins me at the table and we have a wonderful time getting to know each other.  The woman is in a wheel chair and she commented that yesterday at embarkation there was no one there to assist any of the physically disabled.  Her husband had to help her the entire way where normally the staff are there to assist.  I did witness this and I am glad to get first had knowledge that this happened.  It is sad and I hope Princess does look into what went wrong with this.

Time to head up and get ready for formal night and of course the Captains Welcome Aboard Champagne Waterfall.

So when we head down to the Atrium around 7 pm the place is packed.  Now normally we try to stay away from this even cause of the crowds but we wanted to see Claudio the Hotel General Manager and when I started to walk towards him I know he was recognizing me and then it came back to him Vancouver, bus drivers and of course the Olympic mitts and shirt we gave him.  He told us he still has that shirt and was just looking at it the other day and he used the mitts this past season skiing.  We are excited to hear he married his girlfriend (last time we say him he was talking about possibly proposing) and he now has two children!  We are so excited for him and so happy he is on board and look forward to seeing him for the next 48 days!  Oh and we surprised him with a new pair of Canadian mitts from this year’s Olympics.

We also ran into Laura from the Purser’s staff and we remember her from the Caribbean.  It is always a joy to see familiar faces again and she informs us that Michael Glass the Food and Beverage Manager will be joining the Crown soon too and can’t wait to see him too.  Like Bernie and I always saw, we don’t have children and our families are so far away but when we come on board a Princess ship it is like being with family again and when the crew are as happy to see us as we are of them we are glad we could put a little bit of happiness in their day too.

As Bernie and I stand around watching the activities a lovely couple from Florida approaches and the husband says “are you Vickie” and he introduces himself and his wife Ricardo and Betty and he translates for his wife as she only speaks Spanish but understands English very well.  She wants to thank me for my web page and my Youtube channel and all the informative videos she has watched.  She even watched our video about the kids from Huatulco.  We are touched and moved by their lovely comments.  When they leave I turn to Bernie and say “now that is the reason I do the web page, the facebook page and the videos cause if it can make somebodies cruise a bit better then I am happy”.  So thank you to all that follow along.

The officers are all introduced at Captain Foster comes out to say a few words.  We sailed with Captain Foster a few years ago on the Golden to Alaska.  Captain Foster comes from Liverpool and well lets say this “don’t bring up Manchester United around him”.  He informs us that he just got on board after Captain Yeomans retired after 45 years.  He goes on to explain that Captain Yeomans provided Captain Foster with some advice on navigation for the South American voyage.  Captain Foster then folds out a napkin with a roughly drawn map of South America on it and what looks like some lines around it.  Captain Foster states that the advice given was to help navigate was to always keep the land to the right.  Too funny!  And he doesn’t stop there he keeps us laughing for a good ten minutes.  I swear Captain Foster you should be one of the comedians later on in the voyage.  I am so glad to have him on board leading us around the horn, it is sure to be a fun trip.

Dinner tonight is with Barb and Craig in the Michelangelo Dining room.  We asked for a table of four around 7:45 and we were sat right away but it is busy in there and our poor waiter seemed to have gotten slammed with a bunch of tables all at once. 

We brought a bottle of champagne and wine for which we had paid the corkage when we boarded and had the stickers showing this on them so there was no issue.  I had the French onion soup to start (which was so so, much prefer the one in the Crown Grill), Caesar Salad (too much dressing, have to remember to ask for it on the side next time) and for my entrée I had the Baramundi and it was so good, the sauce it came with was yummy I wanted to lick the plate, but I refrained, it is formal night after all.  For dessert I opted for the cheesecake and passed on the cheese plate this time.  The cheesecake was great as usual.  Service was lacking but did improve once the dining room died down a bit.  It certainly is not the fault of the waiter it has more to do with getting so many tables at once and trying to juggle the crowds that all come in right after the Captain’s speech.

We don’t really feel like doing anything after dinner.  Both of us are tired and this could be because we didn’t have a nap or hey it could be because we polished off a bottle of champagne and a bottle of wine among the four of us.

Daily comments about the day that I noticed:

Staff are amazing, so friendly and helpful and boy are they patient.  Since I deal with the public day in and day out I know I would of cracked a long time ago dealing with some of the passengers on board – I just don’t have that kind of patience, but boy does Princess every go far and above when hiring the right kind of people.

Ronnie our steward is very attentive and kind.  He is one of those stewards that is in quiet and in the background and before you can turn around he has made your bed!  We needed our shower drain snaked cause it was not draining very well.  We left him a note and within a few hours it was taken care of.  The little things too are really appreciated, like the extra glasses he has left for us, the big comfy pillows and of course the top sheet.

Our bed is so comfy too, and I can comment that Princess seems to be getting better with buying mattresses that seem to hold up better.  The last few voyages have shown a great improvement in beds and bedding. 

The Sanctuary price seems to have gone up.  I noticed yesterday in the Patter it said $20 for a half day and $40 for a full day. We use to love visiting the Sanctuary and usually visit a few times a cruise but not the last few times we have been rather disappointed in the service so we are reluctant to go back.  And with the price increase we may opt out totally or save it for when it is absolutely necessary.

Being the first full sea day the open decks were busy but there was lots of places to sit or lounge especially if you didn’t want to sit right by the pool.  But I am concerned that many people are not protecting themselves with lots of sunscreen as there were numerous people at night with sun burns. 

Wake Show is a little scaled back compared to what we normally see but Lisa does a great job and gets to the point about what is going on that day and asks a question of the day, sadly the prize seems to be the casino vault coupons which really for us is a sad prize.  Hoping that it improves.

The library is well stocked and I was surprised to see that the library now works on the honour system, you just sign out the books and return them later.  But since a cruise staff often would have to sit there for a few hours in the past just waiting for someone to check something out I guess it wouldn’t be a good use of their time.

They are offering the Crab Shack in a few days time.  I am wanting to try it so we may sign up for this one or at least the next one.