Sea Day – Most Travelled Luncheon, Sanctuary and Pure Relaxation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Appetizers

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

Or

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

Main Course

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

Or

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

Or

Fennel Three ways, served with shaved Carrots and Radish Salad

Dessert

Raspberry filled Crème Brulee, Dark Chocolate Truffle and Vanilla Shortbread

Gourmandize

Coffee and Tea

The meal was amazing!  The company even better!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Disembarking the Royal in Civitavecchia

Streets are narrow here in Lucca - one van is parked and the other can not get by

It was particularly hard for me to get off the ship.  Maybe because we were only on for a short time, but today I am on the verge of tears whenever I say goodbye to someone else.

We wake and we are showered and completely packed and out of the cabin just before 8.  Breakfast in the dining room this morning where we say goodbye to Felippe, and Silvio.  Both will be here in Jan so that is some comfort.

After breakfast we go to say goodbye to Michael.  And that is hard too!  

Disembarking was a breeze.  Here in Italy the ship gets cleared easily, they don’t require a zero count so in transit can go out and bing back in easily.   But sadly we are getting off.

We get our bags and get in the line for the free shuttle to the port gate.  The line is long but it moves fast.  The couple in front of us in the bus was not having a good day.  From what we heard (and those around us)  he had lost quite a bit at the casino on board.  They are mad taxis can't come right to the ship.  They aren't sure how to get to the train station.  We did not say anything -- there is no way I want to listen to them all the way to the train.

Once at the port gate we walk to the train station where we board the train to Pisa and then on to Lucca.  Easy!  But there is a shuttle bus for 2E from the port gate to the train station if you need it.  Also numerous shuttles, taxis, shared rides to Rome city, or airport at the port gate.  

We board our train to Pisa which is just under 3 hours.  We upgraded to first class train (nothing fancy but extra room and more room to store our bags between the seats).  

on train to Lucca they had this great up to date screen which showed speed of train, exactly where you were, next stop and connections at that next station.

Our train is late by 12 minutes and we only have 20 minutes between trains in Pisa but it runs very efficiently and when we get off in Pisa we just have to move one platform and catch the train to Lucca.  We also knew that if we missed that train there was another about 20 minutes later.  But we managed to get on the train with around 4 minutes to spare.

The ride to Lucca is short and when we get off we have to get orientated.  I pull out the paper map and try and figure it out, but street signs are not as easy to find in Europe so out comes the map app (make sure you download your map so you can view it off line) and we can quickly locate where we are and we are off in the direction of our Airbnb.

When we arrive at 1500 there is no one there so I open the Airbnb app and easily click on the contact host option and I am connected with Giorgia.  She arrives ten minutes later.

Note we have used Airbnb three times now and each time we have had to contact the host someway either by phone or email to let us in.  So having some free wifi or data plan and even phone plan in the country is necessary.  

When she arrives she apologizes thinking when I sent the message about when we would arrive at 1500 via the train she thought our train arrived at 1500 not that we would be at the door at 1500.  

She takes us up to the apartment which is located on the ground floor which is really the first floor in North America.

The place is HUGE - certainly bigger than our apartment at home.  Very nicely decorated.  Two bedroom, two bathrooms and very reasonably priced.  The kitchen has all modern appliances and omg there is a huge bathtub with rain shower.  The other bathroom has another one of those space ship beam me up showers.  

There is even a washer AND dryer!  

It is so nice to have this space and to make it feel like home.

We head out to wander the streets of Lucca, which are maze like.   We have a simple meal that starts with calpraise salad then we each have a bowl of bean soup and we share a plate of eggplant lasagna and of course a half litre of house red wine.  Total was 27 E.

We wander around some more and enjoy the ambiance.  Not many cars come into the walled city, most travel on foot and on bicycle.  

Roads are large boulders and the buildings ouze history.  If you look up you see the older ladies watching the sights of the streets below.

We need a few groceries for breakfasts and we locate a grocer using the map app.  Now these grocery stores are nothing like you would find at home.  These are small stores that carry most of what you would need.  But of course there are numerous stores for your baked goods (which we locate and buy some foccacia for tomorrow), wine, meats, cheese, pasta and well you name it.  

Back at the apartment we figure out the washer then dryer and we relax for a few hours.

Later on in the early evening we head out for our evening stroll walking arm in arm along the streets of Lucca.  Ahh life is good and I feel like I am in a movie - Under the Tuscan Sun, maybe?  

We check out some streets that lead to interesting spots.  We feel very safe here.  There are tourists here but nothing like many of the other cities we have visited like Rome, Venice, Florence or Barcelona.  Mainly locals and a few tourists.  

Of course what stroll would be complete without a stop for some gelato.  It is all in Italian and I don't know what the flavours are so I ask what her favorites are and I take that.  Ended up being hazelnut and marscapone.

The square we are in is called Piazza Amfiteatro - the old Roman amphitheater.  It use to be in this square (it actually sat 10,000) but was gradually cannibalized for its stones.  Now there are homes all around and on the main level stores, bars, restaurants and tourist shops.  The main floor here is actually nine feet above the original arena floor.  

We wander out and then Bernie comments "some wine would be nice" well low and behold a little wine bar (but also sells beer and cocktails) is there just calling our name.  We love these types of places.  Small, only a few chairs, most people stand, or take their drinks outside and enjoy their drinks.  The bar also provides little nibbles - like olives, bread, spreads, and other items, nothing big just to nibble on.

We each get a glass of red wine that is made locally and sip and enjoy the ambiance.

But we are beat, it has been a long day and we are looking forward to a few relaxing days here and the idea of sleeping in.  So we are back at the apartment early and I catch up on the blog.

I can hear the tv in the bedroom - but there are no Enlish channels so I can only hear Italian but he is watching it.  Hard to separate a man from his tv I guess.  He tells me later he was watching Pawn Stars in Italian!  Go figure.

Well good night everyone, thanks for following.

Boarding Royal Princess

Today we boarded the Royal Princess for an 11 Night Mediterranean Cruise.  Follow along.

After such a late night yesterday we are shocked when we wake up and it is 10:30!  Wow.  I know we are still adjusting to the time change so I guess our body needed it.  I hear of people who come to Europe from Vancouver for just a week, how do they do it?  9 hours time change - heck I am just getting use to the time now and this is day 5.

We are out of the apartment by noon and are able to easily flag down a taxi.  One thing I should add is that it has been very easy to get taxis whenever we have needed them in Barcelona. 

The taxi ride to the pier was not that long but getting over to the right berth did take a bit longer.  In total the price was around 15 E – note there is an extra 3.50E fee to go to the port and an extra fee of one Euro per bag (all this is disclosed on the window outlining fares).  I should also add that a set price of 39E for transport to or from the port to the airport is stated in the taxi as well as a large sign at the pier.

When we met at the pier a porter comes by and offers to take our bags but we decline because really all we had to do was move them about 25 feet and hand them to the guy collecting the bags.

As soon as you enter the Barcelona check in you go thru security screening.  They are very efficient and it moves very fast with efficient queues with roped off lines.  Boy Fort Lauderdale could learn some things from this place.

We had a bottle of wine in our carry on but nothing was said about it, nor did they have a table to go to disclose the wine bottle. 

We then have to take the escalator upstairs where we are given our health forms and then directed to the check in line.  Which again is well set up and moving very fast.  As soon as we are given our cruise cards we proceeded right on board. Note there was a bit of a bottleneck here as the area was narrow and for some reason groups of people were here, but I am not sure why they were all standing around here.

In total it took us about 15 minutes from taxi to walking on board.  Very impressed.

Once on board we breathe in and we feel that all is right with the world – we are home!

We drop off our bags in our cabin and then head down to the International Café (from now it will be referred to as the IC).

I am happy to announce that they did have the soy milk for my lattes here as promised.

We take a seat in Vines at the window – our usual table and relax.  A short while later Michael comes by and we are just so happy to see him again.  We catch up with him for quite a long time and also we see Ben and a few others.  We really missed our Princess Family!

Around 3 pm we both agree that an Alfredo’s Piazza is in order as this is our go to place on board for embarkation day. And it is very quiet in there as many on board are not aware of it – yet!  We order the Capricosa minus the ham and it is delicious.

It is worth commenting that we don’t set sail until 7 pm and because of this embarkation is fluid and spread out.  Muster drill is at 1645 and we attend ours in the Princess Theater.  I sit beside a nice couple from Ontario.

But again since we don’t set sail till later we are kind of lost as to what to do.  Our bags have not arrived yet – guess they got pushed to the back.  

We do meet some lovely people on board from Prince George and we chat with them for quite a while.  Then we also run into Renee and Brian (the couple we ran into at Sagrada Familia).

The Platinum/Elite Lounge is in Club 6 and we are impressed to see the staff have a page they show us with the new drink features.  We really enjoy the new drinks in the lounge and have definitely found our new favorites.  Oh and Marc the bar staff is still here, he was wonderful in Vines when we were on in April and he certainly is taking care of us here.  

Norma and Allan along with Roy and Sandra make the cocktail hour extra special.  So nice to see our cruise friends again.  It is like no time has passed at all.

We decide to head to the cabin and unpack finally and get settled.  It is now almost 8 pm and we head up to the Horizon Court for a quick bite to eat.  Tonight they are featuring ramen noodle bowls as their theme, but of course they still have a large selection of other things to enjoy too.

I have no problem getting vegetarian items, in fact my pate was full and there were still things I wish I could of eaten.  The artichoke bisque soup was so yummy and they had really good stuffed peppers along with an Asian noodle stir fry with vegetables. 

After dinner we know we are fading and a quick stop into the boutiques on board to see if they have flip flops – Bernie forgot his at home.  Oh this is a good time to mention that even with our detailed preparation we did forget three things on this trip.  Nothing serious and we will survive without flip flops but they are a staple on Bernie’s feet while on board to get around during the day.  The shops did not have any men’s flip flops so looks like he will be out of luck unless we can find something ashore.  Note they will get men’s flip flops once they arrive in the Caribbean.


We are in the cabin by 9 pm and soon thereafter in bed.  I am even too tired to write this blog so that is why I am actually writing it the next day.

Grenada and the Sanctuary with Crown Grill

We pull into Grenada a little later today so there is no rush to get up and get going and we find ourselves relaxing in the cabin for quite a long time.

When we finally get moving we head to the International Cafe for tea and coffee and we are shocked at how many are dressed and ready to get off the ship and are queuing up.  

Wow the ship is decorated for Easter! 

It is only 10:30 am and we don't dock until noon and it takes a bit of time to get clearance. But people are anxious, but I would rather spend my time not in a line. One beautiful thing about arriving in Grenada is it is considered the spice island and they say you can smell the spice as you come in.

We are docked with another ship and as we look across we get the lovely sight of laundry on a clothes line - kind of tacky.

So we done our bathing suits and head up to the Sanctuary to enjoy the sail in. The upper decks are quiet and the sail into port is stunning.

But today we are going to hang out at the Sanctuary.  As we melt into the thick cushioned chairs we both agree if we were any more relaxed they would have to throw dirt on us.

We enjoy lunch up there in the Sancturay ($3 fee per person for delivery). It is quiet, not crowded and well worth it. 

Sure there are many times we manage just fine sitting out on the open deck but we also enjoy the Sanctuary too.  For a nominal fee it is worth it for us.

Bernie leaves around 3 and our friend Vida comes up to join me and we enjoy afternoon tea up there together. So civilized.

Back in the cabin to shower and dress for drinks and dinner.

We are in the Wheelhouse Bar for pre dinner drinks and it is very busy in here.  The Liberty String Quartet is playing and they are very enjoyable.

Tonight the buffet is featuring German buffet which would definately be where we would be going but we have reservations at the Crown Grill with Dylan and Ben, and Michael and his family.

It is so lovely to enjoy a dinner all together and I have especially enjoyed getting to know Michael's kids much better.

Service was outstanding and we were not an easy table.  She (the server) had to serve champagne first, water, red and white wine and mocktails for the kids but she handled it like a pro. 

Tonight I changed course starting with the lobster/crab cake, then the spinach salad, then I had the prawn dish served with a fried rice.  Dessert of course was the chocolate molten dessert.

Franklin goofing around acting like a wine snob

We were all stuffed after our meal and such great company.

I think Bernie was asleep within ten minutes of putting his head down.

Lots happening tonight though: Night Sky Lounge, The Movie Jackie in Vista Lounge, Master Illusionist Hawley Magic in Princess Theater, Who Sang What, Where in the World Am I game show, Hot Latin Nights Disco Deck Party and more.

First Sea Day Evening

After a so called nap we both agree we need to shower and dress for dinner.

First stop is Vines where the guys (Mar, Artha and Jun) are so helpful with picking out a bottle of wine and I get my first Bramble of the cruise (not to be my last). 

We are enjoying ourselves and dancing in our seats becaue the Martini demo is happening in the Atrium. This is the first time we have seen them do the martini demo in the evening. But it sure makes sense since those all around the Atrium can see the demo and then order one of the martinis being made.

Silvio the Maitre D' walks by and we surprise him with being on board. He lives with his familiy not far from us in Vancouver.  It is always nice to run into long time crew that we haven't seen in a while.

Dinner tonight is in the Horizon Court as the theme is Mongolian Stir Fry and we enjoy that so around 8 pm we head up and enjoy a great stir fry where you pick out the veggies you want then you select what type of protein and whether you want rice or noodles and then they cook it up and deliver it to you.

It was very good and just the right amount too.

We are sitting with Michael and his family and we chat for a long time and since there is nothing we are scheduled to do we really just enjoy the company and the friendship.

Lots happening tonight including: Who Sang What Motown, Production Show Sweet Soul Music, Movie Poster Trivia, 50s and 60s Music Trivia, Tempo Quartet is playing in the Piazza, The Yes No Game Show, Movies Under the Stars is showing Arrival, and Voice of the Ocean round 1.

They are doing Buy one get one for a $1 two times each day - Crooners 3-4 and then Club 6 10-11 (which is earlier than last Fall when it was at 11-12).

Life is good - isn't it.

More Sea Days as we Cross the Atlantic

Today I heard the funniest thing at breakfast.  It is day 3 of 6 sea days of the crossing.  I heard a man complain "too many sea days - he should go faster".  I smile and think to myself "did you not know it was six days? Do you really expect the Captain to put the pedal (or joy stick) to the metal and boot it across... oh people would be sick then."

I am really enjoying the buffet themes.  We have had Korean Pho, German, Asian, Indian, Brazilian and still lots of other options if you are not into the theme.

Also great movies are being shown - in fact there are so many great movies I know I will get off and still have wished I could of watched others.

There are so many Platinum and Elites that there are FIVE parties - yup!  They will do the parties over two nights with three one night and two another night.  

There is so much to do that I can't do most of it. But really if you are bored it is because you are too picky.

There are still quite a few contractors on board. They are tying up loose ends. We see them working hard all over the ship.  The work is not invasive and does not intrude in any of the public areas that I have noticed.

The mid ship stairs have officially opened. They opened a few days ago but just getting around to mentioning it. No ceremony, no ribbon cutting just an announcement.  With all the hoopla that so many people made about the fact this ship had no mid ship staircase for public use you would think that they would be in high use. Nope! I use them as much as I can, in fact the night they opened I made a point of climbing them from five to 16 just because I could.

They are lovely and I am glad they are there.

Today is the Most Travelled Luncheon at noon in Sabatinis. It always surprises me how many people we recognize. Cruising truly is a small world.

As we enter we are greeted by Barbara the Captain Circle Host. Then we pose for a picture with Captain Street and we insist that Leanne (his wife) join us. It has been nice getting to know her this voyage.

Today we are sat with four other people at the Hotel General Manager's Table - Michael Prasse. There is a single man from Colorado, a couple from Georgia and a single woman from Florida. 

This woman did not shut up (oh that is not very Canadian of me) but she just did not stop talking. She kept interrupting others. She complained a lot too. Now you may have issues that you may need resolving but this is day 10 of the cruise and it is the Most Travelled Luncheon and not the place to complain about your cabin steward or the food.

But it was a great lunch and we did enjoy getting to know the other people at our table. We purposely asked question directly to other people at the table when this woman was talking so we could change the subject and involve others. She eventually go the hint.

What really shocked me is after a few minutes at the table the woman in question looked at us and said "now how did you two end up at this table". Really! I bit my tongue (see more Canadian of me) and said "just like you did". 

But truly it was a lovely lunch. We love sitting with Michael and he is such a gracious host. He is so good with people, he somehow can turn someone who is complaining into someone who is happy.

The menu was 

Chilled Blue Crab Margarita (Avocado and Mango infused with Tequila, Lime topped with Micro Leaf Salad, Crisp Lotus Chip)

or

Turkish Orange and Grapefruit Carpaccio Salad (Mascarpone Flavored with Honey and Chopped Pistachio Nuts, Drizzled with Clove Syrup)

Entre

Grilled Yellow Fin Tuna "Nicoise Style" (Warm Grilled Salad of Tomatoes, Green Beans, Olives, Red Onions, Fennel and Egg, Dressed with Lemon and Segesta Olive Oil Emulsion, Aged Balsamic)

or

Herb and Pepper Crusted Beef Fillet (Truffle and Morel Ragout Garlic Potato Gratin with Baby Vegetable, Melange Infused with Burgundy and Madeira Jus)

or

Caramelized Red Onion and Goat Cheese Tart (Dressed Mesculan Salad with Yellow Pepper Salsa

Dessert

Trio of Chocolate (Chocolate Mousse, Brownie Parfait, and Chocolate Caramel Shortbread)

February 7, 2016 - Princess Cays - Nope

I wake to the Captain again - really Captain Oliver - this is getting a little personal with you in my cabin all the time.  Well on the speaker that is.

He announces that the high winds hitting the shore will mean we are not able to safely tender ashore today so the port has been cancelled.

Oh well - we are disappointed but we know they don’t make these decisions lightly.  I am further impressed when I head down to the Atrium and see so many of the officers out around the ship in the public areas answering questions people may have about the missed stop.

People seem to be understanding.  It is very windy out there.  Last sailing in Princess Cays it was windy too and I didn’t even go in the water.  Bernie commented the snorkeling was impacted by it too.  So today with even higher winds we totally understand.  Also we get a credit of $18.57 each for the port charges. 

A new Patter is put up on the intranet system very quickly and a new one sheet updated Patter is sent to all the cabins. It still blows me away at how quickly the ship can get things organized for a day at sea all of a sudden.  Including lunch in the dining room.

At 9:30 we meet up with Michael and Meg/Neil for breakfast at Sabatinis.  Oh this just is teasing me!  I love this but it is only available to those in a full suite or someone celebrating a big milestone cruise (75, 100, 125 etc). 

After breakfast I head to the Enclave to enjoy my last day here.  It is still relatively quiet, but I do notice a lot of people allow their friends to come in with them.  They just sneak them in.  In our ten days on board three different people have bragged to us about how they just have their friend come in with them. 

I love this Enclave and Bernie REALLY loves it.  I think this is something that will be a possibility for future voyages for us.

Today is also Super Bowl.  There are a lot of events happening focusing on the big game.  They are showing the game up on MUTS, in Vista Lounge, in the Casino and I believe also in Club 6.  They are having trivia, tail gate food, contests, etc.  But neither of us watch American Football so we are not interested.

The weather all day has been windy, intermittent showers and many are complaining that the ship should show the game in the cabins. But most are not aware that the ship has to pay for the rights to air the game in certain areas.  Public venues and in your cabin are two different costs.  But in the end I believe most were happy with the viewing of the game.

We did have to deal with one issue on our bill today.  Three nights ago we ordered a bottle of wine using our Wine Package.  The bottle was $45 and our package had one bottle left of the Silver package.  What normally happens is they charge us the $45 and then they credit the $29 for the package a few hours later.  But this time no credit appeared even after three days.  We discussed the issue with Natalya Vityuk and she promised to investigate.  This is the same evening we had the charge for the strawberry daiquiri that we never ordered and she dealt with.

Later in the day Natalya touched based with us to say that there was no paper receipt (normally they have me sign a paper with Silver Wine Package written on it).  But I don’t remember ever signing the paper receipt this time.  The Bar Manager usually goes by that receipt to process the credits.  But they are able to see that we still had one bottle left of the package and processed the credit.

I love the Wine Package option and it certainly has gotten easier in the past few years.  But I really wish they would update and make it more technical.  Maybe something added to your card electronically that you can pull up on your account that shows your wine package when you view your account.

Then you could see what bottles you ordered, where, when and the cost, and maybe even the savings you earned because you had the package. 

I arranged to meet up with Katherine and Andrea for Afternoon Tea.  Katherine has followed my blog and now my page and it is lovely to get to know them in person. 

Back in the cabin I watch the cooking demo with Federico (Maitre D’) and David (Executive Chef), boy those two are hilarious.  I love that I can watch the cooking shows on the on demand tv in the cabin.

Dinner is in the dining room where we reflect on the trip and say good bye to many.  Jandri has been such a joy.  We do hope to sail with her again.

Tonight is Voice of the Ocean and we want to see it only because Michael is one of the judges again.  Meg and Neil are there and well I would like to say we enjoyed it but have to say most of the singers were, well…. Hard to sit thru.  But I have to commend them, they certainly were better than I could do but it was like a bad Karaoke.  The last two sailings had much better singers.  But I am glad at who one as he was quite good.

We say goodbye to Michael after the show and promise to keep in touch and to hopefully get to sail with him again.  I am happy to report that the Royal Princess is my most favorite ship.  The crew are amazing, wonderful, kind, friendly, hard working and well almost any other adjective to mean superb.  I love the venues on board, the cabins, the food, the entertainment and can’t wait to sail her again.

Back in the cabin we pack up the last bit of items and put our final bags out.  We gain an hour tonight.