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BeckyThane
Habitual Cruiser 2500+
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Posted: Mon Aug 25th, 2008 10:36 pm | 1st Post |
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I hadn’t intended to write a review of this cruise, but after talking with Mom over everything this morning I thought some of this might be helpful to others. So, here goes… it’s more of a blog/diary than a review. I’ll post in parts as the whole thing is six pages long. 
CARIBBEAN PRINCESS 8/15 - 8/24/08
Thursday evening, 8/14: We received an e-mail from Princess, then an e-mail from my TA, then a phone call from my TA telling us that the CB’s arrival in Brooklyn tomorrow would be delayed due to “operational matters.“ So, embarkation was delayed until 2:30. Since we already had our car booked and wanted to be one of the first onboard (more on that later), we stuck to our original plans.
Friday, 8/15 - EMBARKATION DAY: Got up bright and early so we could leave at 7 and get the boys to the kennel at opening (7:30). Arrived back home shortly after 8, and the car service picked us up at 8:30. We got to the pier a little after 10 and after checking bags and a quick smoke were the first through registration. Embarkation began ~12:30 -- as I had figured, much earlier than the announced delayed embarkation at 2:30. We were in the first group called aboard. Went straight to our cabin to drop the carry-ons and (the real reason for being aboard early) to call DINE to make reservations for the Ultimate Balcony Dinner on the 17th, our anniversary. Princess ships only do two of these each evening, and we wanted to make sure to get it on our anniversary.
After talking over all the details with room service we headed up to the Lido deck for some of that famous yummy Princess pizza. It was shortly time for the Muster Drill, then time to head for the aft Terrace Pool for sail-away cocktails with our roll call group. Good turnout -- probably about 15-20 people at various times. Shortly after passing under the V-N Bridge we headed to the buffet for the cold seafood buffet. Crab legs, shrimp and lobster claws galore! We ate our fill, vowing to come back after a couple of hours’ play to have some more, but were still too stuffed to ever go back. It was an early night in for us. Took a nice soak in the soaking tub with some bubbles I brought from home. Noticed a strange wet spot on the carpet next to the cabin door when I was done…
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BeckyThane
Habitual Cruiser 2500+
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Posted: Tue Aug 26th, 2008 02:42 am | 2nd Post |
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Saturday, 8/16 - AT SEA: Hubby woke first, and when he returned from the loo asked, “Why is the carpet damp?” Remembering the spot from last night I said, “Probably a problem with A/C condensation between the walls.” The carpet was damp more than half-way into the cabin. Stuck my head out into the hallway only to be met by a supervisor asking if he could help. Showed him the problem and explained I’d taken a tub bath the night before. “Oh,” he says, “Please don’t use the tub.” He explained that sometimes what happens is that the drain pipe shears off from ship movement -- he’d obviously seen this before -- and said they would fix it but didn’t give a time frame. As we’d pre-booked the Deluxe Renewal of Vows package and were scheduled to renew our vows that night, the first formal night, my first thought was, “HOW WILL I DO MY HAIR?!?” I called the salon, threw myself on their mercy, and they worked me in for a 3:30 wash & blow-dry style.
Headed out to find some breakfast at the buffet. When we returned an hour or so later the cabin steward was in our room. I explained what happened and asked when they would be fixing it. (I had images of having to be out of our cabin most of the next day with workers tearing apart the shower and working with blow torches while we were in port.) He said it was already fixed! Incredulously I asked how; he just shrugged and said, “Already fixed.” I asked if they’d been able to access and fix the problem from the hallway access hatch, to which he replied Yes. Just a little while later, while we were out again, they sent someone to vacuum up the water, and voila! all fixed.
As for the renewal of vows package, we received only information that morning in our cruise mail box about when & where the ceremony would be, but no information about any of the other amenities. I decided to head to the Passenger Services Desk to follow-up. Not a whole lot of help there. Went into the casino for one of many unfruitful sessions; slots were VERY tight. Funny Russian guy at the Wheel of Fortune machine next to me hit $1K. Grazed at the buffet for lunch.
Many people complain about the buffet on this ship. A little explanation: It’s set up for stations, just like on the newer Norwegian ships, but far too small to work effectively. VERY crowded in the serving area. It gets even worse when people queue up. On the flip side, there’s plenty of seating, unlike on the newer NCL ships. Would be nice to see the cruise lines finally come up with a happy medium on these problems. As for the food, always a very nice selection of lots of different sorts of things.
Next up was our roll call meet-n-greet. Very different than the ones I’d attended before. The HD, James Deering, was there and spent over an hour talking and answering questions. We had probably ~20 people show up, half as many as said would come, and only about ¼ of our roll call. He spoke about the CB’s upcoming January drydock, the features that would be added and areas moved. (The CB is obviously showing her age, but they’re doing a good job of keeping her up until drydock. While we were aboard they changed all the dining room carpets, but it was an invisible process as all the work was done at night.) They’re well aware that the theatre is waaaay too small for that many passengers and had recently done a test showing of Sarge’s show simultaneously up on MUTS. We were disappointed to hear they didn’t plan to continue that. I said that no matter how much I like Sarge, I refuse to go to the theatre 30-45 minutes ahead just to save a seat. Mr. Deering must have heard me, as Sarge’s next two shows were simulcast on MUTS with very good turnout. He also told us we were the first group (even before his staff!) to learn about a new behind-the-scenes tour that was going to be tested for the first time on our sailing. Depending on how well it works on the CB it will be rolled out to the fleet. We also talked about the addition of the Ruby to the Princess fleet. I asked if there was any chance Princess would start year-around sailing from NYC; he basically said, “No way.” He used to work for NCL on that route, and said that too many passengers spent four days sick from the rough seas during the winter. Oh, well -- it was worth a shot. People also asked if there was any chance that Princess would replace that sludge they call “coffee” with real brewed coffee. Answer: No. The concentrate costs ½ as much as beans; it’s estimated that it would take 2 tons of coffee/month. An interesting side note: Fuel expense for our 9-day sailing was estimated at $1 million.
Up to the salon next for my 3:30 appointment. I paid as much for a shampoo & blow-dry as I do for my cut at home, but it was worth it. She did a really nice job. The ladies told me to be sure to stop by when I was all dressed for the ceremony; I think they were more excited than I was! LOL
Hubby and I started getting ready for the ceremony at ~4:30. He didn’t want to see my dress, so I shooed him out and we agreed to meet at the chapel for the 6:15 service. Slight problem: I have to have help with the zipper and hooks in the back of my dress. I again stick my head out in the hallway, hoping to find some helpful looking auntie-type to ask for help. Instead I find our cabin steward just outside our door. Embarrassingly, I asked if I could have his help for a few minutes? (I figured he’s seen faaaaar worse in his time aboard ship…) He happily complied, even offering to escort me to the chapel since I didn’t have an escort. <g>
Up to the chapel, with a quick stop at the salon to twirl for the ladies. “It’s all about the hair,” I tell them. I met hubby at the chapel where we were met by the coordinators. They had presented him with a lovely white rose boutonniere, which of course he couldn’t wear on his Army blues, and I was presented with a bouquet of white orchids and carnations. We went over a few details with the coordinators, and after a brief wait were soon walking down the aisle to meet with the Commodore. (The current captain of the CB is Giuseppe Romano, the most senior Captain in Princess’ fleet.) It was a lovely service, with Commodore Romano delivering his words with utmost sincerity -- who better to talk about love than an Italian? <G> In addition to candid shots taken during the ceremony we posed for several photos after then enjoyed a champagne toast. We later received a certificate signed by the Commodore along with a copy of the vows. Nicely done; I’m going to hang on to those and probably use them later in my professional life!
Next it was off to dinner in one of the Anytime dining rooms as this was the dining option we had elected. No problem, no wait. If we’d wanted a table only for two we’d have waited, tho. Most of the time we had most agreeable tablemates in Anytime. Don’t remember exactly what the dinner was, some sort of shellfish, I think. Could be a good reason I don’t remember… We ran into one of our tablemates from dinner that night several days later, and he wanted to know how I’d fared the next day; he was concerned about the drinks I was mixing that night. <g> Told him I didn’t remember what I drank, but certainly didn’t have a hang-over the next morning! LOL
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KerCar
Frequent Cruiser
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Posted: Tue Aug 26th, 2008 03:37 am | 3rd Post |
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Welcome back, Becky I really enjoyed part 1 and look forward to the rest!
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ADM7
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Posted: Tue Aug 26th, 2008 03:43 am | 4th Post |
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Ditto!!! Can't wait for the next installment!
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mrdawson
Funnel Deck Cruiser
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Posted: Tue Aug 26th, 2008 03:53 am | 5th Post |
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Sounds great so far Becky!!
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BeckyThane
Habitual Cruiser 2500+
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Posted: Tue Aug 26th, 2008 01:53 pm | 6th Post |
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Sunday, 8/17 - West End, BERMUDA: Arrived at Bermuda on time, 8 AM. Light breakfast, as our first order of the day was to head to Snorkel Park for some wallowing in the water. We’d brought pool floats from home which were much admired by others at the park. I’d not read glowing reviews about Snorkel Park, but I found nothing to complain about. It’s an interesting setting, with the old fort’s wall forming one side of the bay in which it’s situated. People seemed to be enjoying it immensely. We packed it in when I started to notice I was turning red, got cleaned up and headed to the Frog & Onion Pub for beer flights. 6 ounces each of their six brews. Yummy! The first porter I ever really liked, too. Got to watch some of the Olympics since it was not shown onboard. (The HD, James Deering, explained that even to broadcast the Super Bowl cost them $40K PER SHIP; the cost of broadcasting the Olympics is prohibitive.) Next up was the Arts Center, then the glass-blowing factory. Interesting to watch the craftspeople at work, but HOT AS HADES. And just like everything else in Bermuda, very expensive. Time to head back to the ship for our 4 PM departure.
Dinner that night was our Ultimate Balcony Dinner. Our servers arrived at 7 p.m. with the table setup, three ~gorgeous~ red roses in a vase, and our cocktails -- a Cosmo for me and gin/rocks for hubby. They were quickly followed by a ship’s photographer. We posed for shots in the cabin then went out to the (windy!) balcony. Given that wind-blown is not one of my better looks, we opted for an 8x10” of one of the inside shots (included in the dinner price). Dinner was a crab quiche appetizer, canapés, romaine salad vinaigrette with goat cheese and walnuts, surf & turf (the largest lobster tail I’ve ever seen!), and a trio of tri-colored chocolate mousse which served as a nest for a dark chocolate cup filled with berries, followed by a plate of petit fours, all accompanied by a half-bottle of champagne. Dinner was served impeccably course-by-course as the sun set on the horizon. A lovely experience!
Monday, 8/18 - AT SEA: Up and going (relatively) early today as hubby and I were scheduled for 30-minute back massages (part of our vow renewal package) in the spa. That afternoon I had a pedicure. We then enjoyed our welcome aboard bottle of Moet with a plate of chocolate-covered strawberries, then went up to the Lido for pizza; after that, a nap. We got up shortly before dinner time, intending to head to the buffet then catch Sarge’s show on MUTS at 8:30. I wondered what was wrong with me that I wasn’t feeling hungry; I thought I must be getting seasick. After picking through my dinner it occurred to me that we’d been grazing all afternoon… NO WONDER I wasn’t hungry. LOL We enjoyed the show under the stars, with Sarge making a few call-outs to the slugs on up on the Lido deck, those who couldn’t be bothered to leave their loungers and the buffet and get dressed to go to the theatre. All true, at least for us! (she says with pride)
Last edited on Tue Aug 26th, 2008 01:54 pm by BeckyThane
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BeckyThane
Habitual Cruiser 2500+
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Posted: Tue Aug 26th, 2008 11:52 pm | 7th Post |
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Tuesday, 8/19 - SAN JUAN: We enjoyed our balcony breakfast this morning. (Again, part of the vow renewal package). Enough food for THREE meals for each of us. Not as much ceremony as the dinner; the server simply brought in three trays and set them down. Started with a half-cantaloupe filled with berries, followed by a lox plate, then quiche lorraine and bacon. There was also a HUGE plate of pastries, which we saved for the next morning. We made mimosas with our half-bottle of champagne.
We were schedule to arrive at 2 but got there early. I don’t know exactly when, as hubby and I were thoroughly ensconced in the spa at 11 receiving our massages and wraps. The last thing I saw out the window was El Morro at about 11:30 or noon.
After our spa treatments we disembarked and walked around OSJ a bit, looking at various street vendors. We wandered into our selected restaurant -- had researched them at home -- Restaurante Raices at about 2 for a late lunch. YUMMY sangria. Hubby didn’t enjoy the local beer much as it was very pale; I have to agree that it was only a slight taste away from water. I had the mofongo con camarones creole-style, which wasn’t very zippy. The waiter asked if I’d like to try some of the house hot sauce, and I readily consented. Apparently the bartender was watching over my shoulder as I poured on the sauce, as I suddenly heard a very loud, “AI, CHIHUAHUA!” Guess he didn’t know he was dealing with a Texan… the mofongo was now nicely spiced. <g> Hubby had another house specialty, some kind of skirt steak with the house mashed potatoes. Yummy, too.
After lunch we wandered around a bit looking for shops featuring local crafts. Went to the information kiosk for the first of many free rum tastings that day. (Hubby feels like I free-tasted my way through OSJ…) Not much luck buying, but we did find several nice shops to browse in. Also browsed the Coach and Dooney & Bourke outlets. Finals stops were SJ’s only microbrew for more beer flights (not as good as the brews in Bermuda), and the Don Q shop for tasting; bought a cute little Don Quixote and Sancho figurine there, looks kinda like an icon. I‘ll sprinkle that in with my other icons as sort of an inside joke -- several of my friends call me “Don Quixote.” Oh, and then all the tastings at the pier Duty Free shops, too <hic>, before boarding again for the evening.
After a VERY hot day in OSJ I went for a dip in the Terrace Pool -- always by far the coolest on the ship. We then caught the last 30 minutes or so of “Enchanted” while soaking in one of the MUTS hot tubs. I don’t remember the rest of the evening… wonder if there’s a reason for that?
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BarbCT605
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Posted: Wed Aug 27th, 2008 12:36 am | 8th Post |
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This is great, Becky! It's fun "traveling" with you. The UBD was definitely worth it -- glad you got there early to book it.
Happy Birthday & Anniversary!
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Next up: 10-day Caribbean on NCL Gem 1/4/09
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hstrybuf
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Posted: Wed Aug 27th, 2008 03:52 am | 9th Post |
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| This is good stuff Becky! I'm looking forward to reading more!
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"In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
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BeckyThane
Habitual Cruiser 2500+
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Posted: Wed Aug 27th, 2008 02:19 pm | 10th Post |
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Wednesday, 8/20 - ST. THOMAS: Another on-time arrival. We disembarked shortly before the first of the Pirates! Harbor Tour boats departed the dock at 9 AM and headed to Havensight. The first boat took us to downtown, a 15-minute or so ride, where we transferred to another boat to Yacht Grande Haven (~10-15 minutes). While on that ride we passed a mother and baby dolphin only about 15’ from the boat! The pirates quickly dropped out of character. LOL We were all ogling at the dolphins.
Yacht Haven Grande is a new development just around the bay from Havensight. Mostly high-end shops that most of us see at home. One unique offering was a pet boutique where hubby got his fill of schmoozing with the resident pooches. We brought home some locally-made biscuits for the boys.
Upon disembarking the pirate boat we headed straight for Dazzlers jewelry shop at Havensight. I’d e-mailed the owner a couple of months ago telling him exactly what I was looking for. He greeted us immediately upon entering the shop, offering cold water and a seat where he brought what we were looking for. A brief negotiation later and we were on our way with some lovely new baubles. He’s working up an estimate to custom-make another piece that we’ll pick up when we return on the Norwegian Gem in January.
Next up -- quite literally! -- was Paradise Point. A 20-minute wait to board as there were two other ships in port (Carnival something-or-other and RCI something-of the Seas). Hot, hot, HOT. Hubby downed his first Bushwhacker a little too fast and that, combined with the heat, got to him. We picked at our lunches -- yummy, but we just weren’t up to it -- and had one more Bushwhacker before returning to the dock for our return to Crown Harbor. Time for another dip in the cool Terrace Pool while hubby relaxed in the cabin. Then, time for another nap. We ordered room service dinner (club sandwiches) then headed to MUTS to watch “Iron Man.”
I got a whale of a sunburn on my chest and upper back, around my neck and a bit on my face that day. I’d underestimated how much sun I’d get in our little walks from place to place. So, a visit to the cosmetic shop for some Elizabeth Arden burn ointment was in order, followed by a stop at the sundry shop for lidocaine-laced aloe gel.
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BAMA X 2
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Posted: Wed Aug 27th, 2008 02:40 pm | 11th Post |
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Two questions:
How was the Honeymoon renewal?
How did Ceaser enjoy his cruise?
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BeckyThane
Habitual Cruiser 2500+
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Posted: Wed Aug 27th, 2008 02:48 pm | 12th Post |
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BAMA X 2 wrote: Two questions:
How was the Honeymoon renewal?
How did Ceaser enjoy his cruise?
- Ladies don't kiss and tell.
- Al and Caesar obviously came home with a new understanding about what's Al's and what's Caesar's. (Al to Caesar: What's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine.) Living in close quarters (the same kennel) for 10 days must have forced this new understanding. Thankfully, no one had any gaping wounds or dangling limbs as a result of this new understanding.
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Seahorse123
Habitual Cruiser 2500+
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Posted: Wed Aug 27th, 2008 02:52 pm | 13th Post |
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| Great review Becky I do love Princess. That seafood buffet is amazing, glad to see that they still have it. Did you go to that little area for lunch off of the buffet in the back by the aft pool? (I forget the name) they had awesome themed lunches every day.
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Ann
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BAMA X 2
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Posted: Wed Aug 27th, 2008 03:31 pm | 14th Post |
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BeckyThane wrote: BAMA X 2 wrote: Two questions:
How was the Honeymoon renewal?
How did Ceaser enjoy his cruise?
- Ladies don't kiss and tell.
- Al and Caesar obviously came home with a new understanding about what's Al's and what's Caesar's. (Al to Caesar: What's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine.) Living in close quarters (the same kennel) for 10 days must have forced this new understanding. Thankfully, no one had any gaping wounds or dangling limbs as a result of this new understanding.
1) So how was the honeymoon renewal?
2) When you mentioned MUTS I though Ceaser was on board!
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BeckyThane
Habitual Cruiser 2500+
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Posted: Wed Aug 27th, 2008 03:33 pm | 15th Post |
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BAMA X 2 wrote: BeckyThane wrote: BAMA X 2 wrote: Two questions:
How was the Honeymoon renewal?
How did Ceaser enjoy his cruise?
- Ladies don't kiss and tell.
- Al and Caesar obviously came home with a new understanding about what's Al's and what's Caesar's. (Al to Caesar: What's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine.) Living in close quarters (the same kennel) for 10 days must have forced this new understanding. Thankfully, no one had any gaping wounds or dangling limbs as a result of this new understanding.
1) So how was the honeymoon renewal?
2) When you mentioned MUTS I though Ceaser was on board!
 - If I'd had my boys on board I've have had no reasons to come home! :bunny:
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BeckyThane
Habitual Cruiser 2500+
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Posted: Wed Aug 27th, 2008 03:34 pm | 16th Post |
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Seahorse123 wrote: Great review Becky I do love Princess. That seafood buffet is amazing, glad to see that they still have it. Did you go to that little area for lunch off of the buffet in the back by the aft pool? (I forget the name) they had awesome themed lunches every day.
Most of the time that we ate at the buffet we ended up seated in the Caribe Cafe -- the only place that had seats! We ate at the Caribe Cafe twice; once for lunch and once for dinner. Lunch was sushi. <YUM>
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BAMA X 2
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Posted: Wed Aug 27th, 2008 03:35 pm | 17th Post |
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BeckyThane wrote: BAMA X 2 wrote: BeckyThane wrote: BAMA X 2 wrote: Two questions:
How was the Honeymoon renewal?
How did Ceaser enjoy his cruise?
- Ladies don't kiss and tell.
- Al and Caesar obviously came home with a new understanding about what's Al's and what's Caesar's. (Al to Caesar: What's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine.) Living in close quarters (the same kennel) for 10 days must have forced this new understanding. Thankfully, no one had any gaping wounds or dangling limbs as a result of this new understanding.
1) So how was the honeymoon renewal?
2) When you mentioned MUTS I though Ceaser was on board!
-
- If I'd had my boys on board I've have had no reasons to come home! :bunny:
I think that answers both questions, thank you!
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Seahorse123
Habitual Cruiser 2500+
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Posted: Wed Aug 27th, 2008 04:08 pm | 18th Post |
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BeckyThane wrote: Seahorse123 wrote: Great review Becky I do love Princess. That seafood buffet is amazing, glad to see that they still have it. Did you go to that little area for lunch off of the buffet in the back by the aft pool? (I forget the name) they had awesome themed lunches every day.
Most of the time that we ate at the buffet we ended up seated in the Caribe Cafe -- the only place that had seats! We ate at the Caribe Cafe twice; once for lunch and once for dinner. Lunch was sushi. <YUM>
That sushi display was amazing! We ate there when they had the lamb dinner I believe. You had to go up to see what the theme was for lunch and dinner.
We do like the service.....food........entertainment....layout of that class of Princess ships. We were on the Crown last year.
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Ann
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Sandy Toes
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Posted: Wed Aug 27th, 2008 07:51 pm | 19th Post |
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Welcome back Becky! I'm loving this review! Thanks for posting it so that we can all enjoy it.  Sounds like everything was just wonderful! We are seriously considering this cruise next summer. How did you like the itinerary and did you find the heat acceptable? That is one of my biggest worries.
Bama....behave!
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BeckyThane
Habitual Cruiser 2500+
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Posted: Wed Aug 27th, 2008 08:03 pm | 20th Post |
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Sandy Toes wrote: We are seriously considering this cruise next summer. How did you like the itinerary and did you find the heat acceptable? That is one of my biggest worries.
Hmmmm... both are highly subjective. We mainly go to be on the ship, so itinerary is not so important to us. Take this cruise if you like sea days; if you don't, you might want to consider alternative itineraries. We didn't have big plans in port, so we'd high-tail it back to the ship if the heat got to be too much. Apparently this is common as even the comedian made a joke out of it in one show. The aft pool was PACKED after a couple of ports.
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BeckyThane
Habitual Cruiser 2500+
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Posted: Wed Aug 27th, 2008 08:05 pm | 21st Post |
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Thursday, 8/21 - GRAND TURK: A short stop at Grand Turk -- only 1-6 PM. We had a hearty breakfast in the dining room since we’d be snorkeling in the afternoon. We met our tour at 1:45 on the pier, then went to a small boat that took our group to two sites. We’d done this excursion in 2006, but went to two new sites this time around, one of them by Rabbit (or was it Round?) Cay. This site was nearly entirely circled by reef. The first site featured a large “pet” barracuda, the second site several rays. We also saw a cuttlefish that seemed thoroughly agitated by our presence. It’s hard to go wrong snorkeling at Grand Turk, so many lovely places and things to see! We’d schlepped our own gear from home, and I’m always thankful for that. My fins are far more efficient than the standard gear they provide, and the self-bailing snorkel is always a plus when snorkeling in other than calm seas.
That night was crab dinner in the dining room. Such large portions! We shared a table with the two ladies who were aboard as bridge instructors, and they were quite interested to learn about NCL and see if they could get aboard as instructors.
Friday, 8/22 - AT SEA: A lazy day doing a whole lot of nothing.
We were invited to a bridge tour that afternoon (again, part of the vow renewal package). Very interesting! The tour was conducted by the Third Officer of the Watch, but the Commodore came through and spent quite a bit of time. I took very few pictures on this cruise, but 90% of them were from this tour. Gorgeous view.
After the tour we went to afternoon tea. I was amazed that hubby had never done tea. I have to confess, Carnival does afternoon tea better than Princess. I especially liked the string trio on the Carnival Victory, along with the more-traditional tea finger sandwiches. Tea on Princess was noisy, the music lacking (someone playing an electric keyboard), and the food a little heavy. A British couple we sat with at dinner even said that Princess’ tea wasn’t a “proper” afternoon tea. <g>
That evening was the second formal night, so hubby and I again dressed to the nines and went to pose for pics on a couple of different backgrounds. We wanted a few nice full-length shots and we got them. Then it was time for the Captain’s Circle party (nice, and not crowded as they had two sessions). The Captain’s Circle hostess was quite amazed when she introduced us to the Commodore and we were greeted like old friends. LOL
Dinner was lobster tail and tiger prawns. The lobster was good, but the prawns were ~excellent.~ Just when we thought we’d get through a Princess cruise without incident (we had a fake man-overboard on our cruise on the KP in 8/2006), a call went out for fire response teams during dinner. Shortly thereafter the Commodore came over the PA to announce that there had been a small fire in Emerald 220, mostly smoke, and that it was all cleared up. Never heard another thing about it, but I think I overheard a man saying it was due to an unattended candle. Will people never learn?!? <sheesh>
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Texas SECEDE!
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jimswims
Frequent Cruiser
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Posted: Wed Aug 27th, 2008 08:54 pm | 22nd Post |
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| Sounds like you had a great time Becky. Thank you for posting the review. Happy Anniversary.
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Jim
8/7/09 NCL Spirit, Boston to Bermuda
Previous cruises NCL: 6; RCCL: 4; Carnival: 2; Cunard:1.
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BeckyThane
Habitual Cruiser 2500+
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Posted: Thu Aug 28th, 2008 01:23 pm | 23rd Post |
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Saturday, 8/23 - AT SEA: A lazy day doing a whole lot of nothing, again.
I got up that morning and headed out to take care of last-minute arrangements -- a trip to the Purser’s Desk to put some cash on our account and get a pre-bill, to the photo gallery to view and purchase pics, and a few other little errands. Did a little packing. Headed up to the buffet for sushi lunch, then back to the cabin for more packing. A little more doing nothing. Then, out for dinner. This was the only night of our three in the main restaurants that we ran into any snags. We turned up at 7 and waited for a shared table for ~20-25 minutes. Our waiters seemed out of synch as we waited some time for our first course; some members of our table received their first course, followed by the rest about ten minutes later. Same thing for the second course, but at least entrees were received nearly simultaneously. We skipped out on dessert. For some reason most of the desserts on most nights didn’t appeal to us. The only ones I really liked were the soufflés. The lady at our table the night before tried the Love Boat Dream; it looked nothing like I’d seen two years ago, and she said it wasn’t tasty. I’d heard that they’d recently changed the recipe, and that it can even vary from ship to ship. Back to the cabin to finish packing and put the bags out for pick-up shortly before midnight.
Sunday, 8/24 - DISEMBARKATION DAY: We’d placed a wake-up call for 7, even though we knew we’d be in port by then. I woke up at 6:15 and looked out to see that we were already opposite Bayonne, having already passed under the V-N Bridge. We docked at ~7, and disembarkation began shortly after. Our group wasn’t scheduled to be off until 10:15, so we headed down to the restaurant for a leisurely final breakfast. We then went and hung out at our disembarkation lounge (Club Fusion) until called at 10:15. A quick pass through to pick up our bags, quickly through customs/immigration, and we were in our limo headed home at 10:45. Our driver wanted us to bring him a Cuban (“We’re not going to jail for you”), but was pleased with the hand-rolled stogie we brought from San Juan. We were home at noon, unpacked by 12:45, and on the road to pick up the boys by 1. A quick stop for lunch, and we were reunited with our furry, four-legged kids at 2, they being freshly bathed, groomed and huggable. Home by 3 and into bed and asleep by 3:30 for the now-traditional post-cruise nap. FOUR HOURS later I was awakened by a phone call; I probably would have slept through the night if given the option. I tell you what: The first cruise ship that features Tempur-pedic beds, I’M THERE. I don’t sleep well away from home.
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Texas SECEDE!
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BeckyThane
Habitual Cruiser 2500+
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Posted: Thu Aug 28th, 2008 04:03 pm | 24th Post |
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A few notes about the ship:
- The ship is well-designed so that one never feels crowded. I’ve already discussed the problems with the theatre being too small, and how that’s being dealt with for the more popular shows. Lots of smaller venues with entertainers every evening. We didn’t attend any of the shipboard activities, and only viewed one show simulcast on MUTS. No input there.
- The aft Terrace Pool area was only crowded after really hot port days. It’s too bad that Princess considered the aft location of Skywalker’s -- thereby casting that area into shade most of the day -- to be a failing and changed it to midship on later Grand class ships. This was the first time I could enjoy a shipboard pool area without fear of being fried to a crisp.
- Chair hogs -- as bad as reported. I asked a Deck Attendant about why they don’t police this, and he just shrugged his shoulders. When we were on the Crown a couple of years ago they managed it very well. After 30 minutes unattended, belongings were moved to a table where they could be reclaimed. Why can’t they do this on the CB?
- The ship is showing signs of age, but is being well maintained until drydock. Maintenance workers were always in evidence.
- The coffee card is a nice touch. I often enjoyed specialty coffees at the coffee bar with hubby opting for the free unlimited brewed coffee. I think there were a couple of times my card wasn’t punched in the dining room. Cards with unused punches are good on future cruises. The sludge Princess calls “coffee” which is served everywhere else is mostly palatable when laced with copious amounts of cream and sugar.
- We came off this voyage with two more FCCs. I like Princess’ FCC program far more than NCL’s. It’s good that FCCs are good for four years, and can even be refunded if unused at the end of that time. NCL’s FCCs are only good for one year. NCL does offer more cash back under their FCC program, tho.
- Points go to Norwegian for desserts. Most nights we couldn’t find anything that appealed.
- We felt that Princess’ dining room food was superior in quality to Norwegian. I’m a big lover of shellfish, but by the final night had gone into shellfish overload -- quite a feat! -- and opted for prime rib instead. However, we agree with many other posters: the Caribbean menu is to be avoided. Nothing appealing. We ordered off the “always available” menu that night.
- The selection of duty free liquor is extremely limited compared to NCL. If there’s something other than the standard Bacardi and Cruzans you want, make sure you buy it in port. I also find that if you carry it back on the ship wrapped in your wet beach towel, they won’t put that through the scanner; you can carry it through and hope you don’t set off the detector with your metal bottle cap. <wink>
- Princess’ photographers are still the best we’ve seen at sea.
- The slots were ~extremely~ tight. It remains to be seen if the number of points I racked up will count for anything, but I don’t think so. Points to Norwegian for a better casino program. No charge for debiting your cruise account to play slots, tho.
- The spa. What can you say? It’s another Steiner spa. Seen one, seen ‘em all. Treatments are all the same, too. Same hard sell on products, too, during our massage/wrap session, but hardly at all during other massages and the pedicure. Running track directly over treatment rooms, so the occasional “Thud, thud, THUD” was heard during treatments.
- Gym -- no experience there. HD Deering said that in the drydock the Sanctuary will be installed on the current Sports Deck and running track, so no more running track. Runners will be expected to use the treadmills in the gym, which didn’t open until 8 AM because of cabins below.
- Only one experience with the internet. It’s slow. But what do you expect from a ship at sea using satellite service?
- Currently no cell tower onboard, so no cell service at sea. She’ll get a cell tower in the January drydock.
- Shops -- good variety. Same sort of stuff you see on most other ships.
- It’s nice to be able to go straight to your cabin upon embarkation, but points to NCL’s Freestyle disembarkation. MUCH nicer to be able to stay in your cabin until you have to leave.
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Texas SECEDE!
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nhrich
Charter Member
| Joined: | Thu Jun 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Windham, NH |
| Posts: | 4959 |
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Posted: Thu Aug 28th, 2008 04:13 pm | 25th Post |
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| Great review Becky! Thanks!
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Rich, ACC
Carefree Vacations
http://www.carefree-vacations.net
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