St. Thomas

Bernie wakes saying he is feeling good.

Today we are arriving a bit latter than planned.  Our scheduled arrival is for 11:15 now (we were suppose to arrive at 10).  The Allure is also running late too and will be arriving around the same time as us (they were scheduled for 8 am).

I catch up on my blog and Bernie heads up to get a bite to eat.  It is good he is feeling better.

We dock and we are in the Atrium and it is very busy.  The clearance to go ashore happens and the gangways are busy so we just hold back for a bit and it flows rather quickly.

We meet up with Anthony from the Regal at the aft of the Regal and head off to have a drink together. 

Anthony looks great!  We met him many years ago when he served us drinks on the Emerald in Skywalkers.  Over the years we have sailed many times with him and have seen him move up within Princess.  He is now a bartender on the Regal. 

This past year Anthony got married and had a baby boy!  We are so proud of him.

While enjoying our time with Anthony we encounter other familiar friends from the Regal.  Trevor the Steel Pan player (who also had a baby this year).  DJ Shea recognizes us and comes over too.

Lexi Cruise Director from the Regal

Yami - Shorex from the Regal

We head over to the bar with the swings close by and meet up with Yami from Shore Excursion Dept. on the Regal.  And Lexi the Cruise Director sees us and comes out to give us a big hug.  

Sometimes we feel so blessed to have made so many great connections with crew on board.  They mean a lot to us and we are very proud of their accomplishments.  I am just so glad we got to dock with the Regal today.

Back on board, Bernie heads to the Enclave and I require a nap. I crashed for two hours!  Woke up feeling relaxed and refreshed.

We shower and dress and head down to Vines for a drink.  It is nice to start out the night here.  It gives us some time to sit and chat about our day.  We watch others go by and watch what is happening in the Atrium.  Tonight it is the Martini demonstration being hosted by Nathalie.

For dinner we head up to the Horizon Court.  Tonight’s theme is American Buffet.  There is a section for roast turkey, pot roast, some spaghetti with meatballs.  There is another section with burgers, Mexican foods, some amazing soups and a favorite of many a Satay section.  Chicken, pork, and beef Satay. There is so much more too. 

After dinner we sit in Crooners and enjoy a Martini and again we enjoy the music playing in the Atrium. We invite a lovely couple to join us when the room starts to get busy.

At 9:15 we attend the Passenger Feud Game and boy is it busy.  Matt and Nathalie are hosting and they make it so much fun.  Again we did not do so well but we had fun.

At 10:15 we are sat in the Princess Theater and a couple next to me says hi and says they follow my blog.  I love when people let me know they follow. 

Comedian Carlos Oscar is the start tonight.  He won Princess’ Entertainer of the Year.  We have seen him a few times and we are so happy to get the chance to see him again.  His show is entirely new and we laugh so hard.

Tomorrow's Patter has Dylan on the cover.  

It is now midnight and we are watching a movie called The Circle.  So I will say good night.  Thanks for following.

All Aboard the Royal Princess

The ship is at pier 2 and we wake and relax for a bit.  I had a great sleep last night and feel rested.  The weather is beautiful today.

Our plans today is to head to get some breakfast and a coffee at Starbucks somewhere and then drop our bags off at the pier.  We will then drive the car back to the airport and then take the free shuttle to the pier that Alamo offers (note not all car rental agencies offer free shuttle so check).

Well as I write this on board the ship the very first morning at sea I need to back track a bit to fill you all in on the embarkation and the ship.

The morning did proceed just as we had planned.  

Starbucks, gas for the car, and then to Port Everglades.  
We arrived at Pier 2 and the Royal Princess around 12:30 and long queue of cars snaked around the parking lot.  Not sure why this pier seems to be so bad at traffic flow but it does.  We have gotten on in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco and it flows much better than here.  Anyways no big deal after about 20 minutes waiting to get to the bag drop we quickly hand over our bags to the porter and we leave via the Port to the airport to the rental car drop off.  

Remember the airport is very close and after ten minutes we had dropped off the car.

One nice thing about Alamo/National Car Rental is they have a shuttle for free from the airport to the pier but we are here at a prime time and there are a lot of ships in port so the queue for the shuttle is long.  But since we dropped our bags off first we ask the driver if there is space for us just before he leaves and he says yes because we have no bags.  YEAH!  Everyone on the bus is either going on Oasis or Navigator, we are the only Royal Princess passengers and he states we will be the last stop as we are the furthest away – no problem.  We chat with the driver on the way and he fills us in on how busy it is and how his job is.  We share that we too drive bus but at least we don’t have to schlep suitcases, but then again we don’t get tips – hmmm there may be an idea there for my cruise fund.

Once at the pier (around 1:30) the line isn’t too long for security.  We declare to the wine table that we are bringing on two bottles.  The guys take note that we have brought our wine allotment and we are directed to the line for check in – oh and we filled in our health forms here too.   

My reflection on the check in is that it is simple but the lines for it are kind of a mess.  They have two reps to check you in at each station and once you have seen them you have to turn around and weave yourself back thru the bunch of people waiting behind you.  Again this is messy and I am not sure why it is done like this as it is not like this at other piers.  Normally the queue is a single one and someone directs you to a specific agent then once you have seen them you walk freely to the area to board.  The staff here were very nice and helpful and have so much patience certainly something I may not have if I did their job.

Well this is really minor but something you observe and critic if you write a blog or cruise a lot I guess.  But truly Princess needs to work on the flow for pier 2.

Okay we are on board!  We head to our cabin on Emerald deck, which is E515 – midship.  Because it is midship and only one deck above the Promenade we do notice that we are missing the midship stairway.  We are forced to take the elevator down one flight or go forward or aft to walk down.  Again we will survive but it is something to take note when booking a cabin.

We have a Deluxe Obstructed View Balcony.  This cabin has a small couch in it in the place where there is normally a desk with drawers.  So we have the couch and on the other side is a fridge with a small desk with only one drawer.  

only one desk with one drawer above the fridge - really  missed those added drawers and small shelves in regular cabins

on the Regal the upper shelf has duck work so you don't have as deep a shelf or another top shelf in closet like other ships

Oh we are missing those drawers and small shelves that are in a normal balcony cabin.  Also for this cabin there is some enclosed duct work that makes the closet top shelf shorter and also runs thru the shelf/closet near the washroom taking away the top shelf.  I will post pictures later in the blog to show you cause it is hard to describe.

We head down to Alfredos for a pizza – of course Bernie’s suggestion as he LOVES Alfredos.  And guess who was on board!  Corporate Executive Chef Alfredo!  Bernie sees him and Alfredo comes over and we both get big hugs from him.  
He was just on the Island with us!  He fills us in on what he has been up to…. Which is a lot of different ships.  So that is cool we are in Alfredos and we see the man it was named after.  

I will add our pizzas were fabulous and of course I had the litre of Sangria – great deal.  

Muster Drill is just about to happen (3:15) so we head back to the cabin to get our life jackets and see our bags have arrived.  That was very fast.  So we do some unpacking until the general emergency signal sounds.  Our Muster Station is Concerto Dining room and we are able to go down the center stair case that is normally closed and for crew only. If only we had access to it all the time.

Back after Muster Drill and we finish our unpacking.  Now you know we are not heavy packers.  In fact we only brought a 25” suitcase each and a small roller carry on each.  But we are having some issues with where to put things.  Mainly things like the electronics, cables, paperwork, hair products – the stuff I usually keep in those drawers by the phone.  We will certainly manage but take note if you get a Deluxe Balcony there is a bit less storage.  

We are only in this cabin for this leg.  Next leg we move to a mini suite.

So where was I --- oh yeah --- sail away.  We head up to the open deck where we spot Anthony behind the bar there.  It has been a while since we have seen Anthony.  We keep in touch via Facebook and this is his last sailing before going home.  He has been on since just after we got off last year!  
We are very proud of Anthony he got promoted to Bartender this contract and I can say the drink he made for us was very good.

We meet up with Barbara and George and low and behold Bill and Sue are with them.  Originally they were only going to do the last cruise and head home after that but they decided late last year to also do a back to back with their friends.  Alice finds us and we all have a great sail away dancing to the sounds of the Atomic Party Band.  

We see Lisa Ball the Cruise Director up there dancing away too and hosting the event.  Very impressive – she is always out and about and a real “hands on” Cruise Director.  We saw Lisa earlier and had our hellos then.  This is her last sailing before vacation too.  Just glad we got to sail with her again.

We stop in to see Dylan and deliver a box of chocolates for him and his staff.  Again it has been a year since we saw Dylan and we are happy he is still here.  We hope to spend some time with him and his partner, who is also on board.
Bernie is back in the cabin resting and will get ready and meet up with me later.  I walk thru Club 6 and see Dave and Cindy so I stop in for a drink.  Happy to report that the Royal is allowing you to order any of the featured drinks for the Platinum Elite Lounge.  Well I guess I should get a drink then.  Now if you are counting (and I should have been) the drink count is adding up.

I get showered and dressed and meet up with Bernie in Vines before heading for dinner (oh another glass of wine in Vines – still I should have been counting). We see Ronnie is back on board and serving us.

We head for dinner around 7:30 and have no problem getting a table for two.  We had hoped to see Maître D’ Hotel Federico but sadly he was busy.  I will try and catch up with him today (meaning first sea day).  I am hoping to coordinate a Wine Maker’s Dinner for the last day of this cruise for Bernie’s BIG birthday.  We did see his wife Monica.

I know someone on my Facebook page asked me to put up the menus here is a link to many of the menus we had on this trip.

I really wanted to try one of the new Curtis Stone items that I have heard so much about.  I had the pork tenderloin and I was very impressed.  It was very moist.  I loved the mash potatoes it was served with and the apple chutney. But the dish is very bland looking and really lacked colourful veggies. 

Bernie had the Mahi Mahi with the plantains and he too loved it!  Both were very good and would definitely order them again but I can see how some may not like them cause of the unique flavors but give them a try.

We did buy the Silver Wine Card for 12 bottles and ordered a bottle for tonight – so add a glass of wine to the number of drinks.  To learn more about the wine package check out my blog on the subject.

We met up with our friend Sanja for a short while and caught up with her and what she has been up to.  We are just so blessed, our Princess family means the world to us.

Off to bed and boy am I feeling no pain, but trust me when I wake up at 3:30 I feel the pain of a headache.  I need some aspirin and some water!  Oh I have a hangover!  Why oh why do I do this?

Ships officers:  Captain Bob Oliver, Staff Captain Gennaro Arma, Chief Engineer Fabio Braccelli, Hotel General Manager Micahel Prasse, Cruise Director Lisa Ball, Senior Doctor Dylan Bleton, Food & Beverage Director Ferdinando Vinelli, Customer Services Director Antonio Romano, Staff Engineer Gaetano Guida, Executive Housekeeper Vitor Silva, Executive Chef David McDonald, Maitre d’Hotel Federico Arcos Cantos.

Tuesday – Day at Sea

Ahhhhhh – yup that is the first thing I say when I wake.  Even though I love visiting amazing ports, there is nothing better than those forced relaxation days that sea days bring. 

As I lay in bed sipping my latte and reading a magazine I can feel the stress of work easing away.  There is nothing I have to be at, there is no reason to dress and head out, heck I am not even hungry.

We spend the entire morning doing really nothing noticeable.  We read, we enjoy a coffee, we watch tv.

 

I wanted to tell you about a great new show we ran into on the tv.  One of the channels shows Jan Swartz introducing a show called “Destinations In Depth” which is a show where they team up with experts from The University of California Los Angeles.  They discuss history, architecture, culture, food and a huge variety of places.  We watch a few and really enjoyed them.

We need to get dressed though.  Today is the Most Travelled Luncheon.  Today’s lunch is being held in Sabatinis.  We are sat at a table with two other couples (six passengers in total) with our table host Antonio Martins Pimpao the Executive Housekeeper.  We recognize him as we sailed with him on the Diamond.  He tells us he is from Portugal and he joined Princess 35 years ago.  He is hoping to retire in the coming years.

We were the youngest by far at this luncheon.  When we see Francesco at the door, we laugh and say maybe we should be sitting at the children’s table, and he laughs and points to a table outside. 

The meal was, well how can I describe it but by saying amazing!  Bernie chose more of a seafood theme where I went for the beef.  Bernie started with a Trio of Crustace, Marinated Tiger Prawns, Lobster, Scallops with an Exotic Salad and a Citrus and Basil Emulsion, entrée was Seared Sea Bass Grenobleoise with Mediterranean Vegetables and Baby Potatoes.  For me I started with the Mushroom Risotto, a delicate Risotto with assortment of mushrooms and Parmesan Cheese.  For my entrée a Combination of Beef and Veal Medallions served with Gratin Potatoes, Roasted Root Vegetables and Red Peppercorn Sauces.  Dessert is a light White Chocolate Parfait served with Strawberry and Blueberry Coulis.

We had the choice of red or white wine.  And I finished my meal with a lovely cappuccino. 

Oh I almost forgot to tell you how lovely it was to see Ricardo serving us.  He is the guy who served us in the Crown Grill.  What a great guy.

We leave the luncheon and head back to the cabin to change out of our Smart Casual clothes into shorts/t-shirts. 

We wander around for a bit.  We run into Laura and chat with Anthony too.  We sign up for the Stamasich table tomorrow which is a wine tasting at Vines.  We wander thru the stores but in the end we head back to the cabin for an afternoon nap.

Lots happened today and here is just a few of the things that happened:  Zumba, Veterans Get Together, trivia, onboard outlet sale, Movie The Princess Bride on Muts, Culinary Demonstration and Galley Tour, table tennis, line dancing, pub lunch, swing and jive lessons, bar wars, art auction, 60 second frenzy game, Afternoon movie in Princess Theater – Chef, horse racing, tap dancing class, On Deck for the Cure, Muts: Mamma Mia, Maitre D’ Wine Club, and Navigation at Sea.

Evening - April 1 – 2014

We are not hungry tonight and neither of us feels like dressing for the dining room.  We still have three bottles on our wine card so we get a bottle of wine from the card from the dining room and we take it to vines.  Note you can’t use your wine card in Vines or any bar, silly I think.  You bought the card you should be able to use it anywhere. 

But we do take the bottle and sit in Vines.  Anthony is happy to get us some glasses and some sushi/tapas.  I had the tapas and sadly they were not good, except for the chicken brochette was good.  The asparagus wrapped in salmon was not to my liking but may be to others.  The Bruchetta was so salty I couldn’t even eat it same for the crab stuffed mushroom. 

I just head over to the International Café and grab a Cuban Sandwich and some orzo pasta salad and that hit the spot.

A bottle of wine later and we are wandering about the ship.  The Ole Pub Night is happening in Explorers and since we missed it last time we grab some seats up front but way to the side.  Even twenty minutes early it was hard to find seats.

It was a fun night and really enjoyed the show but it probably is not something I would come back to see over and over like I would many of the Production shows.  Oh and Bernie and I were brought up on stage to take part in the pub games, and well we did not do very well.  But we did get a Princess magnetic clip each. 

We did enjoy the sing a long and the jokes they told and the songs they performed.  It is a nice change and addition.

It is just after 10 and we crawl up the stairs to the cabin and what do we see but our luggage tags and disembarkation information in our mail slot.  Oh well reality sucks but we are ready for it.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - April 2, 2014

Up early – WHY!  Maybe my body is telling me it is time to get ready for going back to work and very early shifts?  But I read for a bit and wake slowly.  Bernie has gone to get the coffees and we sip and read for quite a while.

Yesterday was the first time I took out my IPhone and looked at my upcoming work schedule for next week.  So last night I was thinking about work and returning to reality.  This morning it is the same – what do we need to do on Sunday to get ready for our work week?  What routes am I doing?  What days off do I have next week? 

Also what is more tragic is we don’t have another cruise booked before we get off this one.  That hasn’t happened in a long time.  It isn’t that we don’t want to sail again.  It has more to do with this trip took most of our vacation this year.  We still have a few weeks late in the year but are hoping to do a land vacation (famous last words).  Also we will probably book the Royal for next January/February just not sure of the dates.

Both Bernie and I head up to Horizon Court for our breakfast, I refuse to go back to the dining room for breakfast as I much prefer to grab something quick and hot than slow and cold from the dining room.  I enjoy a hot bagel with hazelnut cream cheese and an apple.  Just right!

We are not docking in Puerto Vallarta until noon so we still have a lovely morning to enjoy.  There is a lot of sea life out there today.  Lots of whales, turtles, and tons of dolphins, and as we approach the Bay of Bandaras millions of jelly fish.

I attend the speed Sudoku in Adagio Bar at 10 am.  This is the first time I have been to one as they only hold it on port days when we are normally on shore.  Today I arrive a few minutes early and oh my do you ever feel the vibration up here.  It is horrible.  I know we feel it in our friends cabin A747 but it doesn’t feel this bad.  I have to say this ship you really feel the vibration, more so than the Emerald, and not sure why.  Okay back to Sudoku I suck normally at trivia but I am good at Sudoku and I come in second and win a lanyard.

The ship is crazy – one thing about docking at noon people are chomping at the bit to get off and have converged in the Piazza near the gangways. 

I walk out to the Promenade deck and watch as they set up the gangways and the vendor are setting up.  A Mariachi band is starting to play and the photographers and some locals dressed in full Mexican costume are there to pose with those coming off. 

My favorite thing was watching so many of the crew who were having family come meet them and tour the ship.  The crew were so excited, I see them running all over the pier trying to find their family and once they do meet up the hugs and kisses and tears.  Lovely and I am touched.

The gangways are packed with people when they open them up.  I am glad we decided to gather at 1 to go off and even then it is still quite busy.

Today we decided to go to Bucerias which is a town about 20 minutes by car north of the port.  We offer to our friends Jan/Michael and Barb/Craig to join us.  Since we are docked at pier 3 (new to us as we are normally at 1 but a Carnival ship is there and a Holland ship is at pier 2) we see we have a very short walk to the main street.  There is now a brand new mall right there too!  We cross the street so we can catch the buses going north.  Right away a bus comes by and we flag it down.  Cost was just around $1.50 US each.

We get off right near the town center of Bucerias and wander around looking at the vendors and the shops and giving the others a chance to see the town.

Our restaurant was one that we had found on line and also a friend on board had recommended.  El Burjo is right on the beach and offers us the opportunity to enjoy a great meal on the beach and to go swimming too. 

A bucket of beer, a few margaritas, chips, salsa and some amazing dishes and lots of laughs.  Oh and the vendors constantly floating thru with their items for sale.  I did buy a pair of earrings and we did enjoy a Mariachi band but that is all we paid to the vendors. 

We stayed here for about two hours and it was a great time, and I am glad the other two couples liked it too.

We all agreed to a walk so we cross the little foot bridge, also known as the kissing bridge and started walking South along the road we use to take to get to the hotel we once stayed at.  We didn’t walk for too long, maybe a half hour before heading up to the main street and catching the bus back to town.  Just look for the bus that has the Walmart on it’s windshield.

When we arrived back at the port the others went inside the gate but we decided to do a bit more walking and walked to Sorianas, which is a large grocery type store.  I wanted to pick up some more Maja soap that we can’t get in Canada any more.

We then head towards a small ice cream place we use to go to but it is no longer there.  So we enter the port at the gate near the Carnival Ship and walk back to our ship.  The HAL ship has already left.

All aboard is 7:30 and at 8 we are off, sadly…. As this is our last port of the trip.  Two sea days and then Los Angeles.

Sea Day – March 26, 2014

Jasper tries on some bling from the Silent Auction

I love sea days and after two days in port the crowds seem to be ready.  I am writing this on the 28 so I am racking my brain to try and remember what we did each day and night.

Most of our days are spent relaxing in the cabin first thing.  The weather is warm again and we love sitting out on the balcony and enjoy our coffees and look out at the ocean.

We run into Sherri and Ken and catch up with them in the coffee bar, it has been awhile since we have seen them.  Amazing you can be on the same ship and not see each other. 

Cabin is still taking quite a long time to get cleaned in the morning.  We were gone for four hours and when we came back it was still not cleaned so we went off again.  This steward Ronalda does his job but he is not great.  I finally had to ask for some items that should be standard.  Soap, beach towels, clean the mirror (not sure what was smeared all over it when he cleaned it last time).  Sadly this steward is worse than the last one.  But still sure beats the heck out of cleaning it myself.

We end up having lunch in the dining room with Barb and Craig.  I had the Mediterranean Panini again LOVE IT.  Oh and for dessert they have a banana split and we all indulge in one.  It is just the right size and much smaller than the volcano.

Lots going on around the ship.  Hole in One Challenge, Zumba, lecture about Puntarenas with Julio, Horse Racing, Scrabble get together, Bar Wars, Enrichment Lecture about the Mystery of the Pyramids with Jeffrey Wolff, Move The Place Beyond the Pines, Soccer 3 on 3, Tango class, Carpet Bowls, Muts is showing Overboard then Billy Joel Concert then Frozen, Afternoon Tea, Trivia.

I have Afternoon Tea and really enjoyed it today – I had only one small sandwich and one scone and they were less salty this time.  It is lovely that Princess still does Afternoon Tea, it is a civilized break in the afternoon.

Barb and Craig invite to their balcony for drinks.  They have the last aft cabin on the Starboard Side that is large and you can see right down the side of the ship.  It is not very private, everyone can look up and down and see you and the walls that surround you are all metal and can be quite noisy when the sounds bounce off it.  Another downfall is that if you want to see to the right you can’t really do it cause of the wall.  The positives are that it is large, you can easily accommodate four, you have a stunning view down the ship.  We have also noticed quite a bit of vibration when we are back there.

We see quite few pods of dolphins – large numbers and they are playing in the surf.  Many jump up and right out of the water.  Sadly I didn’t have my camera but I loved watching them. 

Back in the cabin we are kind of lazy (why I don’t know we have done nothing all day).  The remains of the sunset have drawn us outside.  We sit and enjoy the skies for about 45 minutes and really take it all in.  This moment of Relaxation is Brought to You By Princess Cruises.

We decide to head down to the dining room for dinner, it is always lovely to see Mark and Lorelei. 

Just as we are leaving we run into Johan who was looking for us and we sit in Vines and enjoy a bottle of wine.  Anthony is there and he serves us.  We haven’t been in Vines much this leg.  The first two legs we were here more.  We catch up with him and he comments that Mark Cornish’s show was excellent and we agree to go see him for the 10:15 show.

Mark Cornish is one of the cruise staff.  We have sailed with him before and he has an amazing talent of not only being a great cruise staff but he has an amazing voice too.  He is quite comical too and has many of us singing along and laughing.

Stanley Falkland Islands Part Deux

So while sitting in the International Café sitting with friends we talk about seeing so many penguins from the window here the last time.  Of course people overhear us and many keep saying “did you see penguins?”  I can’t help myself, I head back to the cabin and get a Falkland brochure that I have from last time and cut out two small pictures of penguins.  I then proceed back to the IC to tape them to the window and then the joke starts.  See the penguins!  Many people pose with the penguins in the window and I mean many.  Heck the photographers should have been there taking shots they could of sold a ton of them.  The pic stayed up all day and night too.

Thais sees penguins too

Zoran excited to see penguins

We decide to head ashore around 11 and we head to Da Vinci (the priority boarding lounge) and Cameron the CC host is there checking people in.  We are given the next tender ticket but there is a medical evacuation on a tender in front of us so we have to wait for the next tender – I hope they are okay.

Anthony

When we get to the tender it is cold but we head up on top and bear the elements for the ride in.  It is windy and that wind is cold but other than that it is rather nice. 

Once we get ashore it is crowded at the pier, lots of people are coming back and there is a long queue.  We head up the street and decide to walk to the left and we get a lovely view at the top of the hill.  We walk along streets and see beautiful gardens and homes and little store, but many are not open (hardware store, furniture) guess they have odd hours in such a small place. 

We head to Shorty’s Diner, yup that is the name.  We enter and it is filled with locals, nothing special but normal diner food and we order.  I get fried fish that comes with fries and baked beans, Bernie got a barbecue chicken.  Neither dish was that good, Bernie hardly ate any of his and mine was just too much fried food, so well I guess I won’t give it my Stanley recommendation.

As soon as we leave the skies open up and it pours, we thankfully have our wind/rain jackets but it is coming down and we laugh and say “reminds us of home”.

As we get back into the port area the crowds have invaded the town.  We walk around a bit and head to the West Store – their grocery/clothing/coffee shop/liquor store – we don’t really need anything so we are back out on the street.  All the stores are so busy and we are tired and need to find a quiet place.

We find the pink café and we enter and grab a coffee and a cupcake (darn those cupcakes were good) and enjoy some relaxation.  Now I see they have wifi but find out they charge for it here, in fact it seems all the establishments charge for their wifi.  At the pink café they charge 5 pound or $8 US for a certain period but I can’t recall the period. This seems to be standard here I later find out.

We get in the queue to get back to the ship and be prepared it is exposed the elements.  We did have to wait about 20 minutes for the ride back but we once get back on and head upstairs to the open deck.  The ride back is around a half hour. 

In the end I think I would of rather have just stayed on board for the day.

As soon as we get on board the ship we head back to the cabin and we crawl into bed and we are asleep quickly.  So little sleep last night and getting up so darn early made a two hour nap necessary but we are probably going to have a late night tonight.

We dress for dinner in Da Vinci at our regular table.  Mark and Loralei are there waiting for us. We tease Mark cause he is shocked to hear I am a transit bus driver in Vancouver, he looks right at me and says “don’t you find it hard driving a big bus” and of course I laugh and say how come you are not looking at Bernie and saying that cause he drives too.  He says well it isn’t a normal female job…. Bernie is laughing cause he knows Mark is just digging a hole.  I tease Mark more saying you know a woman can do anything a man can.  It is just as easy for me as it is for Bernie to drive a bus.  By the end of the dinner I have forgiven him.

For dinner I had the crab cake, the Thai soup (which I LOVE and had two servings), heck I could have had a huge bowl of that for dinner itself.  For my entrée I had the cowboy steak and it was way overcooked but tasty and then mango sorbet for dessert.

We thought about going to the Majority Rules game but we are don’t feel like waiting around for it to start and we walk around a bit and then head back to the cabin around 10:30.

 

Oh I forgot to mention that the Captain came on earlier in the night to tell us the approximate time for heading around the horn tomorrow.  He also commented that the winds are high and they will be coming right at us during the night and tomorrow so be prepared.

We notice the ship moving a lot more as we turn in for the night.  Lots of creaks and bumps thru the night for sure.  The seas are not bad but boy the wind is really strong.

Montevideo Uruguay Day Two March 8, 2014

First Happy International Women’s Day!  Second wow what a great way to wake up and open the drapes and look out and see the beautiful Montevideo.

the market located just outside the port

Mate Cup 

We are not in any big rush this morning and Bernie heads upstairs for some oatmeal (still on red alert so staff are still serving everything).  I shower and head up there and run into Bernie who is chatting with Jimmy. 

Today we are just going to go at our own speed and walk around and see some of the sights and have a nice meal, and that is exactly what we did.

Getting around Montevideo is easy and easy to walk to the city squares and sights.  The tourist bureau had tourist maps that they handed out on the pier and it has a detailed walking tour you can take.  Make note though that the streets are uneven and the sidewalks are even worse.  Watch out for dog souvenirs and broken steps, sidewalks, and crumbling bricks.  If you are uneasy on your feet you can get around but be doubly careful.

There is a tourist bus you can buy tickets for just across the street from the pier too, sorry didn’t get the cost but it is a double decker bus that is open above.

Bernie and grab a few items and we head ashore and start walking towards the Constitution Square and we find the same vendor from two years ago and buy some scarves for souvenirs for us and family. 

Our standard coffee at a local coffee shop is in order and we find a quiet spot that faces the theater and we enjoy our cappuchinos and juice.  Prices in the restaurants are similar to what we would find at home in Vancouver and we were able to use up our Brazilian Reals here too.  Oh the exchange rate for the Montevideo Peso is 22 to $1 US dollar currently.

We cross the street and check out the Theater and we see there are tours but the one we see is in another language.  We later find out they do offer tours in English and they were free (mind you that may be because it is Saturday, so not sure if it is free every day).

We wander around some more checking out the Independence Square and we spot the changing of the guards and lots of tourist wandering around as well.  We feel very safe and comfortable as well.

Bernie had spotted a barber shop along the pedestrian mall and so I grabbed a seat on a bench and people watched as Bernie got his hair cut.  Anthony from Vines noticed me there and we sat and chatted and got to know each other better.  What a lovely guy, and ladies – he is single!

Anthony decides to walk with us back to the ship and we show him the stall with the scarves and he buys some too for his family at home, gee we should be getting a commission I think.  As we get closer to the port Anthony meets up with friends and we say goodbye.

I wanted to buy this grapefruit soda beverage that I had tried yesterday while at the ranch, so we stop in  a small grocery store very close to the pier (just up from the market) and we get a few bottles and can’t wait to try it with Vodka on the balcony.

I will add here that even though we haven’t brought on more wine others have and it seems to be hit or miss with whether there is someone there at the gangway to check and pay corkage to.  Friends did check their wine and paid corkage on their bottles and had stickers placed on the bottles.  We still have lots of wine in the cabin and quite a few bottles left on the wine card too.

Today I really want to get a meal at the big market building, that use to be the old port building and is now filled with restaurants and little shops.  This building is located just across the street from the port and you can’t miss the great wood burning smells coming from it.

We pull up a seat at the bar of one of the many restaurants.  There are lots of places that have tables too but we want to be up close and see the action.  It is hard sitting on the stools and it is warm, and we end up smelling of smoke but the experience is priceless.

We can see everything being made and it all looks so good but we decide to order a large beer for Bernie, and red wine for me.  Oh my the entire bottle of wine is delivered to me and I wonder how am I going to drink all that!  The price is reasonable though and it works out to be around $15 for the bottle. 

For our entrée we order some sausage, cheese, peppers and fries and we will share. 

As we wait we see Beatriz from the International Coffee Bar at the other side and we insist she joins us.  We get another glass and we toast to another great day.  She orders some pork and we share all the food amongst each of us.  I have no problem finishing the bottle of wine with Beatriz’s help so we get another bottle.  At one point Carlos comes by and we pour him a glass too.

What a fun meal and I am a little drunk but boy was that an experience and I highly recommend it to everyone who visits Montevideo.

Walking back to the ship we stop at a small vendor that is selling jewelry and we buy three pairs of earring for a great price – I believe it was $20 for the three pairs (but don’t quote me as well I had a lot to drink).

Arrival back to the ship is around 3:45 and we grab a coffee and head back to the cabin and coordinate a gathering with our friends for sailaway.  But thankfully we have a short time to get in a quick nap of about 30 minutes.

Jan and Michael along with Barb and Craig join us on the balcony for sail away.  A lot of people are out on their decks and it is a party atmosphere.  Once again we go thru a few bottles and munch on some cheese and dried fruit from the International Café.

For dinner tonight we are heading to the Horizon Court, the theme is South American Buffet but it really was not a good representation but the food was still quite good.  We haven’t dined in the dining room for three nights now and I am a little worried how our first dinner there will be after such a bad time the last few visits.  We have a new table assignment so tomorrow we will check it out.

After dinner we go to Explorer’s to try our luck at the Yes/No game show hosted by Dan.  I managed to last the three minutes (prize was a bottle of champagne, but I didn’t want it) and there were quite a few other people who trumped Dan too. 

We are tired and we are back in the cabin around 11:15 pm and so ready for two sea days.