hllwdcruiser

19 hours ago, MissP22 said:

Are there any upset people that have a 10 or 11 AM flight?

We met a couple this morning who live in Washington State. They had a 10:30 AM flight and can’t get out for 2 more days. They asked our advice on things to do in Fort Lauderdale. They were not too happy. 

47 minutes ago, chrysalis said:

We stopped in Grand Turk in the middle of the night to medivac off a crew member....we won't arrive port Everglades until 9am so things will be quite delayed

I only heard the end of the Commodore’s announcement by opening our door this morning as it didn’t come through into our cabin.
🙏 the crew member is okay. 
You continue on the next few voyages don’t  you? Weren’t you going on to the Baltic as well?
 I hope not too many people have early morning flights. I wonder if they are going to send out new disembarkation times. 

We headed to the East Coast and stopped at Sand Dunes for my coveted flying fish sandwich. I was corrected by Steve - it is not a sandwich, but a “cutter”. It is called a cutter because it is served on a bun, the name is derived from the fact that all buns need to be cut. So anything served on a bun is a cutter. A hamburger is a ham cutter, a cheeseburger is a cheese cutter. Or so Steve told us….

The flying fish sandwich was delicious, everything I could have hoped for and more. There were only locals eating here…and us! DH had a local beer, and Steve and I had soft drinks. Those and 3 fish cutters came to $30 US. 

Not 100% sure where this was, but it’s the oldest windmill on the island, used at one time for the power to grind sugarcane 

Our next stop was Cherry Tree Hill. There are no cherry trees but there must have been at one time. Driver Steve assured me that there are plenty of sweet Cherry trees on Barbados. 
As we were driving we came across a family of monkeys. Most scattered into the brush but these two hung around. I captured this screen shot from a video: 

We then went to Farley Hill National Park where concerts are performed and the locals come and have picnics. 
The view was a bit hazy but the park is beautiful. 

Our first stop was North Point, next to the Animal Flower Caves. Breathtaking. 

I only had two requests, show us the real Barbados where the locals live, work and play and find me a place to have a an authentic fried flying fish sandwich. 
We weren’t interested in beaches or the caves and the distilleries were all closed on Sunday. DH does love a good distillery tour. 
Driver Steve drove us through Bridgetown and pointed out all the highlights. 
We did the obligatory tour of the the wealthy neighborhoods and hotels - some of the hotels charge upwards of $10,000 US a night. 
 

Steve and Steve

I’ve been trying to organize my photos of Barbados. We had a wonderful private tour with Steve. His usual fare is $100 pp for a minimum of 4 hours. He is not a government approved taxi but we had no issue walking outside the gate, nobody stopped us and he was able to drive us right through on our return. 
When we first looked at the pier I was a little nervous - it was very long and wrapped around a corner. Oh Lord, how was Steve ever going to make it with his ankle?

No worries - they had shuttle buses to take you straight to the port and shops area. 

3 hours ago, We_like_to_cruise said:

Well, it looks like COVID is still affecting vacation plans.

 

A short while ago, while we were enjoying breakfast in the Estrella dining room, the captain announced our ship has been denied entry to St. Thomas.  We were about an hour out from docking. 

 

He advised us there have been positive COVID cases both among the passengers and the crew.  He said all were asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic.  Actual numbers not divulged.  However, that number was enough for us to be refused entry to the port.

 

The good news is that we are now headed directly to St. Maarten and expect to be there by 3 pm making this now an overnight port. 

 

The cruise has been great so far and we have enjoyed getting back after 2 1/2 years. 

 

As far as mask-wearing, since it is now optional, I would guess that at this point approximately 10 percent of the passengers are doing so.  Every single staff member wears a mask.

 

I will check back later if you have any specific questions.

 

 

That’s what I call making lemonade out of lemons. I think an overnight in St Martin trumps a day in St Thomas any day. Enjoy!

4 hours ago, chrysalis said:

We're told last night that the next sailing would have 2600 pax.

 

The almond croissant and pistachio croissants at breakfast in the IC are outstanding.

That’s a higher number than we were told, but something tells me your source is more reliable than mine. 
Did you hear Marcus in the theatre the other night mention that there will be more than 60 children onboard next week? Spring Break. 

Just now, JF - retired RRT said:

Why would they have an entertainer on the ship (free room & board, maybe $$ compensation?) and only use him for 1 hour or less each day? Makes no sense.

I was thinking the same thing. There was also no singalong and very few people in the lounge. I remember when you couldn’t get a seat in Crooners after dinner on the older ships. 

2 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

Did they test all the passengers once the cruise was under way?  The Princess website states that certain cruises are subject to en-route testing, but it sounds like that is the exception and not the rule.  I ask because if the people who are Covid+ are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, why would they think to self-administer a test to themselves? 

Good question. I wonder if the ones who are asymptomatic are related to those with symptoms. 

1 hour ago, chrysalis said:

The almond croissant are the best ever!

Agree. I had one for breakfast this morning! 

1 hour ago, kamelia said:

Just by way of information, this is from the March 7, 2022 Patter on Sky Princess:

 

It would be hard to quantify the number of people following the recommended mask guidelines, but I’d guess close to 50%. I hope this info helps.

It is definitely different here on the Enchanted. 
There aren’t any references at all to masking or smoking in the Patter. I can take photos and post the platters from this sailing if anyone is interested. Just let me know. 
I wonder if it will change on the next sailing. I hope someone will do a live from and keep us posted. 
 

And lunch:

On 3/5/2022 at 11:12 AM, susancruzs said:

Thanks for your posts!  Can't wait to get back to cruising!  Doing Baltic + TA, 26 days and aside from the itinerary changes, I'm thinking things will be pretty much "normal".

 

How is the International Cafe?  Things pretty much normal, or don't you go there?  It is my go to place for breakfast/lunch.  I don't usually do buffets, not my thing.  I've been onboard 30 days, no buffet.  

 

Thanks again, and enjoy!

I went down yesterday and took photos in the IC at breakfast and lunch time. 
I hope these give you an idea:

Breakfast:

On 3/6/2022 at 3:53 PM, satxdiver said:

On the prior cruise they were insisting we wear masks while boarding and disembarking at ports of call.  This before the "emancipation" day last Tuesday.  On that cruise most were observing the elevator rules although many times we were on the elevator alone.  Your cruise has a bit more than 100 over what we had onboard.  

 

When I went to the IC before the pandemic I only ordered the sandwiches and never tried the praised chicken salad or any other so I forgot that it once was there but you reminded me.  How is the piano player in Crooners?  The one we did listen to got off in St Thomas and there was not anyone playing the piano until towards the end of our cruise.  By that time we had migrated to listen to the band Static.  We believe we had heard them before back in 2019.  The female singer indicated she was leaving the ship soon.  Incidentally the three female violin players which were very good are from Ukraine and we met a couple cocktail servers who also were Ukrainian.  So very sad what is happening to their home and family.  

 

When we were in St Thomas, we were the only ship at the WICO dock and the taxis were waiting right outside the gate to the shops so easy walk.  Several times we ordered food and drinks from the app and one time we were on the Lido deck when I ordered a hot dog thinking it would come from the Lido grill.  I learned that all food orders come from the galley below!

We had early dining and were given the same table and waiters every night like the older TD.  The Amfli DR was never even half full with waiters standing around so we never had to wait to get in with no more than 2 or 3 couples in front of us.  We had a table for 2.  Sounds like if we had waited until after 6 PM things would have been more hectic.  

 

Love following your posts about the current cruise. 

Thanks for all your info!

The Amalfi dining room is much improved, no lines, no waiting and speedy service. I guess they just needed to get the kinks out those first few days. 
Funny you should ask about the Crooners singer. First of all, he’s only even given an hour to play, usually between 8:45 and 9:45. Tonight he was actually only given 45 minutes. This is the first time we made it to the show because it is so easy to miss. His name is Daniel Oliver and he has a beautiful voice. 
He was playing along with his computer which added other instrumentals and even back up singers. I found that a little bit odd. And when we walked behind him, well, he had his own little Karaoke thing going:

On the Enchanted this week they’ve been at 7 PM and 9 PM

On 3/6/2022 at 5:59 PM, suzyed said:

OOOH!  What is the second drink?  Dirty Martini?  And what is a Flamingo...aside from a bird of course! LOL

 

I just saw a Patter that had a little box that showed that smoking is now allowed in Churchill's and in certain areas of the casino

What ship was that Patter from? It is definitely not permitted on the Enchanted. I wonder if they are trying different rules for different ships to see how things go. 
 

Below is a description of the flamingo. It’s sweet and light. 
 

On 3/6/2022 at 8:56 PM, Buckeye10640 said:

Not sure how much longer you are on the ship but might the medical team have a walking boot they can give you?  I used one once when I sprained my ankle badly on vacation, and my daughter used one when she had a hairline fracture. You can still elevate and ice it,  but the boot would help with necessary walking.  

20 hours ago, julia said:

I too, am sorry to hear of this injury (and the circumstance of the slippery floor... I've seen way too many on cruises, and it's scary!)

Per the above quote...  did medical offer anything to help walking? A loaner cane or crutches perhaps?  What is one to do?

They did offer him crutches but he refused because he knew he wouldn’t use them. Stubborn is his middle name. It’s all I can do to make him lie with his foot iced and elevated. They did give him a compression sock. 
He’s actually feeling a little better today. I agree though, a boot would have probably helped a lot. 

On 3/6/2022 at 3:50 PM, chrysalis said:

An odd dish last night.... shrimp and scallops on top of mashed potatoes.

 

Hit the buffet today for lunch for the first time....was very good.

 

Some night will try the dinner buffet.

Steve ordered that dish and actually enjoyed it, but I agree, they have had some odd combinations on the menus. Last night they had Brie and corn cakes for an appetizer. 
The buffet has been very consistent although we usually only have breakfast and sometimes lunch there. 

On 3/6/2022 at 8:38 PM, c-boy said:

splendid , will you join me for a cohiba and cognac after dinner 😉

Not cohibas, but Steve is disappointed that he hasn’t had a chance to smoke these onboard. They’ll come home with us. 

I’m having a really hard time getting on CC yesterday and today. I’m not sure if it’s the internet on the ship or the site. 
Walked through the casino tonight and spoke to the Manager. There is still no smoking on the Enchanted. I don’t know what the future will hold but that’s how it stands for now. 
I took this photo just outside of Churchill’s before coming up to our cabin tonight:

Believe me or don’t. Makes no difference to me.
I have to confess, I’m confused as to why any of you would actually think I am making any of this up. What exactly would be my motivation?

Please advise. 

Steve’s ankle was so painful after dinner that it was all he could do to get back up to the cabin to elevate and ice it. We will definitely have to make an appointment with an orthopedist once we are home. 

I never realized how much walking we do on a ship now that he really can’t walk at all. 
We are both trying to stay positive in spite of his injury and realize every day how lucky we are to be on this cruise. Especially with everything that is going on in the world.

We did have some really good news today,  we received a message that all medical charges were taken off our bill. One less thing to worry about!  🎉🎉🎉