Disembarkation - Vancouver and Recap of the Cruise

We are docked in Vancouver.  It is time to head home.  We decided to do self disembarkation as we only had one suitcase and we are just catching transit to head home.

We were assigned the first time of 7 am and the meeting lounge is Explorer's Lounge, but we are going to head to the Elite Lounge.

We head back to the lounge around 6:50 and right at 7 we are cleared to head ashore.  We are ushered out a door to the promenade and right to the gangway.

Cause we had already cleared Canadian Customs the day prior in Victoria we didn't have to do anything at all here. We just walked straight thru the terminal and out of the building right to the skytrain station and to the Canada Line towards the airport.  Our car was parked close to the airport and we were in it at 7:40 and home by 8:20!

I am now going to reflect on the cruise.

We originally booked this voyage as an inexpensive get away and to see so many crew that we knew.

We were not disappointed.  It was relaxing and fun and we loved seeing so many friends on board as well as in port. 


Ship in General:

• we had been concerned that the ship was going into dry dock after this voyage and was worried that we would notice work being done.  I am happy to report we noticed nothing to show that it was going into dry dock.  There were workers on board but they were mainly working on things below deck
• the ship is great condition and even though yes there are signs of wear and tear (many will be refurbished during dry dock, ie carpets, upholstery, etc) the ship is still beautiful
• MUTS was a pain to watch cause so many bulbs (or panels) were burnt out (but again this is being dealt with in dry dock)
• I love the public spaces on this ship.  The huge promenade deck, the big Skywalkers Lounge (great for sail aways), Vines and of course Explorer's Lounge (that was really missed on the Royal).  The aft pool with the views from there are another plus about this ship.  Oh and I can't forget Adagios and Sabatinis location for a quiet intimate evening, or quiet place to read during the day.

Cabin:

• We booked the lowest inside guarantee and were assigned the highest outside guarantee.  We loved the cabin location on Plaza deck so close to the main atrium.  It was very very quiet with little traffic.  
• Biggest down fall in this cabin is the docking lines (sorry don't know technical word) are right below and the winches deploying and bring up the lines make a lot of noise that actually makes the cabin vibrate.  This noise is heard upon arriving and departing for around an hour each time.  
• Everything in the cabin worked great.  Take note the cabin only has one larger night stand as the room is a little less wider than the standard cabin, but it is longer.  This really didn't affect us too much.  
• Our steward Qi was very very good.  Considering this was only her second voyage serving passengers she did an amazing job - even better than some stewards have been doing it for much longer.  She is a great asset to Princess.
• I am not sure why but Princess falls short in the bed department.  I would say that 50% of the time we get a sagging/hard bed that has seen better days.  Then the linen on Princess ships seems to really be low end.  I would love to see their bedding be more like we would find in a four star hotel, or what we have found on other cruise lines.  It is not uncommon to find holes, tears and thread bear linens.  Oh and don't get me started with the moldy shower curtains that need replacing more often.

Dining/Food:

• We normally do Anytime dining but this voyage we wanted to be served by Mark so we had to go to Traditional dining as this is where he was.  After dining with him three nights (note two nights were open seating cause we were in port and two nights we dined at a specialty restaurant) we know Traditional dining is not for us.  Way too noisy, service is long cause everyone gets served at the same time.  I much prefer the flow and staggered dining that Anytime brings.  Also was so disappointed in other passengers who felt that the time of 8 for dinner meant anytime after 8 and would show up when it suited them, which threw off the service of the entire table and the waiter had to deal with it.  Note we only had a table for two but found we would often wait long periods while our waiter had to deal with these late comers.
• Food in general we found to be only fair and certainly not the standard we are use to.  For us we found the food often overly salty (but this is a personal thing) but it was definately saltier than what we have found on other ships in the fleet.  Sometimes it was so salty we couldn't finish it.  We did encounter this once before and ironically it was the same ship on another voyage.  Often food was warm and not hot (staff quickly remedied this).  Twice in the Crown Grill our courses were not hot and had to be returned.
• Dishes were not presented the way they are on other ships.  For example the beet and spinach salad with heirloom tomatoes and goat cheese in Crown Grill.  Very very different than what we have had on other ships.
• Selection was amazing and never had an issue with finding something we like.  We especially like the 50th Anniversary items.
• We really enjoyed the lunches in the Horizon Court.  I find our experience on the Crown that they have one of the best salad bars.

Crew:

• This is really where this ship shines.  The crew on board are so friendly, kind and helpful.  They seem happy and it shows when they serve us and other passengers.  I love that they treat everyone with kindness and respect.  It doesn't matter if this is your first cruise or your 100th. We even noticed crew serving upset passengers with kindness that I know I as a person who works with the public would have a hard time doing.  But they do it, time and time again.
• The bar staff were a highlight this voyage for us.  We got to know many and rekindled friendships with a few others.  They were outgoing, friendly and full of tips and advice and recommendations.  I tried many of their recommendations and they always checked to see if I liked it and I am happy to say yes I did.
• We always connect with a shoppie and this time it was Henishia in the perfume shop.  What a dear and so kind and so very helpful.  But because of her I spent way more than I normally would in that shop.
• The Captain Circle Host Fleur was so lovely and helpful and patient.  Another great asset to the company in my opinion.

Itinerary:

• At first when we booked this itinerary we were like - ah who cares where it goes we just need to get away.  But after we completed the trip we were - wow I loved this itinerary and would love to do it again.  We especially liked the overnight in San Francisco and the full day in Victoria.
• We could of skipped Catalina, not because we don't want to go to Catalina, but a half day there with last tender at 1 pm meant it was hard to get off and really enjoy the island.  
• I think Princess should offer one way cruises LA to Vancouver 7 days and then 7 day return. This would meet the Jones Act and it would be a great way for people to see this side of the world.

Embarkation and Disembarkation:

• Both events were some of the smoothest and easiest embarkation and disembarkations we have every experienced.  
• Note that the port authorities in San Francisco really need to get their act together to make it a more fluid operation.  Read my blog about our visits to San Francisco here.  

Third Night - San Francisco

Once we are back in the cabin we take a short nap before dinner and when we wake we dress for dinner in the dining room.  

I meet up with Bernie in Crooners for a pre dinner drink and passengers come and go.  The Motor City show is just letting out and second show is just about to begin.  It is Rock and Roll night too in the Vista Lounge.  

Dinner for us is 8 pm in Botticelli Dining room and when we arrive both Mark and Giovanni are waiting for us.  It has only been two nights but we have missed them both.  

Their sections and those around them are full, but ironically many of the sections elsewhere are empty again.  We notice many waiters and assistant waiters from other sections are helping Mark and Giovanni out serving water, pouring wines, clearing plates, getting them dishes, etc. This is impressive and it is noted by us and trust me we know this doesn’t always happen.

The table beside us is celebrating an anniversary and Mark serenades them for the occasion.  Everyone loves him and we see why.  

Dinner tonight is the Chef’s dinner and we have to say that it was not the best.  I start with the shrimp cocktail and the shrimp are mushy, they have been sitting in liquid for too long I am guessing.  

Then I have the fettuccini Alfredo in the Parmesan bowl.  I notice the parmesan bowl has tons of chopped chives in it and it really adds to the flavor and I enjoy that but the Alfredo sauce is really runny and not very flavourful and after two bites I just leave it.  

For my entrée I had the scallops and the sauce is very very good but the scallops are smaller than normal, but I do think that is an issue beyond Princess’ control.  The sliced potato served with the dish is raw, not sure what happened there.  But I see some French fries on another table and ask if I can get some and Giovanni rushes off and returns with a plate of fries.  

We decide to enjoy the rest of our wine with some cheese and savor the evening.  We chat with many of the waiters/assistant waiters and head waiters who come by. So many familiar faces and such a great group.  

As many of you know we are not Traditional Dining types. We don’t like to be set to a schedule when on board and like to go more with the flow.  Dinner here is just not our thing.  We found we were constantly watching our watch checking the time to ensure we weren’t late (too much like work).  

Our table was lovely but found with everyone showing up at the same time the waiters were slammed and run off their feet at first.  We noticed sadly people showing up very very late, one woman who was a solo diner showed up at 8:30 and another table didn’t show up until 8:40. 

Dinner always took at minimum 2 hours and the noise levels were out of this world.  We felt often that we couldn't even carry on a conversation.  Because everyone arrives at the same time and are eating around the same time that conversation levels rose and fell depending on food courses.  
So in the end we know that we are better suited to Anytime dining where we can be less set on a time and it feels more like a restaurant at home where people are dining at various times and conversation (although can also get noisy) varies more.  

This is our last night at Mark’s table because tomorrow we are at the Crown Grill, then next night we are at Sabatinis then we are in Victoria for dinner.  We are going to see Mark and Giovanni and a few others in Victoria for lunch, where we will take them to a Filipino restaurant.

We don’t get out of the dining room until 10:30 and wander along the Promenade.  It is rather quiet.  I think  many people are tired and have gone to bed early.  We wander back in the perfume shop to talk with Henishia, and buy a few more items.  She arranges to delete our old bill and then ring everything up on a new bill so we get the added discount cause we are spending more.  Great service and we are very happy.

We are back in the cabin at 11 pm and we are both looking forward to a good night’s sleep.  The Captain has warned us all that there will be a lot of movement throughout the night and he didn’t disappoint.  The ship was a rocking all night long.  

Just back from muster drill.  Our meeting spot was the Casino and it did not take very long but is very important to attend.  There were a few who did not attend and they will be meeting later for a “special” muster drill.  

We stop in to see our friend Claudio the Hotel General Manager.  So nice to see him again.  We haven’t seen him since last September and he is just back from his vacation too.  

We visit with him for a half hour or so catching up with him.   
Francesco the Food and Beverage Director pops in too and we get to see him too.  Oh what a great day.

Since it is raining and it is very windy the sail away party is being moved to the Atrium.  We take a seat in Vines and order a bottle of wine.  Allan is behind the bar and he looks at us and says you look familiar, yes he does and we realize he was on the Caribbean with us when we did a b2b to Canada New England.  

We get some sushi to go with our wine and listen to the band The Emperor Penguins Party Band.  They are really good.  They play a lot of current tunes and it is hard to stay still in our seat.

The ship is really moving, in fact they have closed access to the Promenade deck for safety reasons.  

Tonight we got the brochure Princess thru the years to celebrate their 50 years.  And the Princess bag with the 50 years logo too.  

We change for dinner and head back out.  Up to Skywalkers for a drink.  The Platinum/Elite lounge is up there starting at 5 pm and it is BUSY.  We take a seat at the bar and the drink of the day is the Breeza Marina but the waiters say we can have any of the drinks that they feature.  That is great cause that was not the case on the Royal this past January.  
We decide to get Cosmos then.  

We notice the Bartender David from England and I say “hey weren’t you on the Diamond about two years ago” yup that is the same David.  

Bernie grabs some finger food and there was a lovely flatbread that the goat cheese was served on.  Yummy. 

Time to head to Crooners to say hi to Red.  Red is a bartender (oh this is beginning to be a trend where we recognize a lot of bartenders).  Red was on board for the South America and then we really got to know him last Sept.  We sneak up and see him and he is shocked we are on board.  Big hugs!

We have a table reserved for us in Botticelli at second seating with Mark.  We arrive and we are led to his station.  
Oh my it is so nice to see him again, big big hugs and kisses.  
We meet his assistant Gio also from the Phillipines.  

Federico Cantos is the Maitre d’hotel and we get to see him again and we certainly recognize quite a few head waiters too.

We have a lovely dinner.  I had the spring rolls and then the artichoke bisque (which is new and very tasty), for my entrée I had the tri tip and Bernie had the ricotta/leek tart.

We had some parmesan cheese to finish off our wine and then some sorbet.  

A few days ago we headed into the city to get some treats for Mark from the Filipino store.  A bag full of snack foods for him to either share or keep to himself.

What a wonderful dinner!   So happy to be back on board.

After dinner we wander around, there is the welcome aboard show but we are not interested.  We wander into the perfume shop where Henishia helps us.  She is so helpful by picking out lotions for me and then complimentary perfumes too.  

I buy some lotions and a perfume and take advantage of their extra 10% off the first two days, plus our elite extra 10% off too.  Henishia even reminds us that if we want to buy more stuff later in the voyage just bring back the receipt and she will make sure we get the discount.  

We also notice some more 50th Anniversary items in the stores.  Here are just some items for sale for the 50th anniversary, check out my Facebook photo album for more.

We decide to head up to do some dancing in Skywalkers after hearing that DJ Alex is here.  He is from Ottawa and he is surprised to see us.  The place has about 75 people and many are dancing and we get a drink (two for one is happening from 11 to midnight) and chat with a group of women who are travelling together celebrating. 

It appears that many on board are celebrating.  There are a few families, but very few kids, or at least what we have seen so far.  Lots of younger people.  I am sure the 7 day itinerary is more conducive to younger people too.  

Here is a list of the officers:  Captain Justin Lawes, Staff Captain Tony Ruggero, Chief Engineer Vincenzo Alfi, Hotel General Manager Claudio Mazzoni, Cruise Director Kelvin Joy, Senior Doctor Mark Mason, Food and Beverage Director Francesco Grasso, Customer Services Director Stefano Ambrosino, Human Resourses Manager Elizabeth Kirkpatrick, Executive Housekeeper Antonio Pimpao, Executive Chef Manilo Cuzzolin, Maitre D’Hotel Federico Arcos Cantos.