Live From - The Caribbean Princess TransAtlantic

[lovevacadays]

05-05-2013 – Back at Sea Again

 

The Azores – In one sentence – Hawaii meets old Europe. The classic European architecture, rock walls and farmer’s fields that have been around for centuries meets tropical flowers, trees and an incredibly fertile soil. We did Tour 100A, the long one. We arrived at the Princess Theater about 8, and got back around 4:15. A real nice sampling of the island. We did a pineapple plantation, which is a set of greenhouses, a small town, the rim of the eastern crater, down to the lake in the crater for lunch, a walk through the botanical garden, a walk around the fumaroles and mud springs, a drive along the northern and southern coasts.

 

Lunch was a vegetable soup, some roast beef with potatoes and veggies, and a slice of local pineapple, with some nice table wine – white or red – as much as you wanted to drink. The local pineapple was the highlight of the meal. Unlike Hawaiian pineapple, which when fresh and ripe is like candy and very, very sweet, this is more tart and acidic and less sweet. Very different, very good.

 

Our tour guide was knowledgeable, energetic, enthusiastic – a real treat. She was definitely very, very proud of her island and wanted to show it off to everyone, and show us off to all the people we would meet. We like tours like this.

 

As according to plan, we got back in time to grab seats at the Hobbit. I thought it would be crowded, but it wasn’t. So it was Pizza and a bucket of MGD for dinner. The pizza was a four cheese, a margherita and a pepperoni. Good princess pizza. The movie, while long, was good as a movie. For those of us who grew up on the Hobbit and the D&D games it spawned, shades of all nighters rolling dice during college, the movie was not as true to the book as the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but forgetting that it was an entertaining and good movie. So good, we will see it again on the next part of the cruise if we have time.

 

The we went to see Caliente, our favorite of the production shows. Good vocals, great dancing, a real treat. The cut to 35 minutes is noticeable as they cut out some of the dancing that rounds out the performance, but overall, we really enjoy this show and wish they would make more like this.

 

So today’s patter highlights – Zumba was at 0900, which we slept through – hey we’re on vacation! (But its back at 430, so we’ll make that one.) The port talk is at 1015 with Le Havre, the craft class is at 1115 with a ‘whimisical Greco’. Something we’re not too sure what it is. Astronomy lecture at 330. The egg drop challenge is at 230, ballroom is the meringue part II. Tonights entertainment is Snow White and Huntsman at MUTS, Dain Cordean, a comedy/magician is the headliner tonight in the theater. Tonight is the hoe down in Fusion, so we will be there line dancing.

 

Well, that is the plan for the day..

 

Process note. We have to turn our passports in to our room steward tonight for immigration purposes. We were surprised they did not collect them when we checked in. A lot of people have been concerned about this, but it is standard operating procedure for some itineraries.

 

Love your description of the Azores. Sounds amazing and a place I would love to visit.:)

[J-D]

...Just do not go to the very limited smoking areas on the ship and you should all be fine. Very easy to do! ...

 

Not really. Quite a few of us walk circuits around the Promenade deck for exercise. I get an opportunity to build up my breath-holding capacity a few times during each circuit when approaching and passing smokers. However, that is easier to deal with than being driven off our balcony countless times by smoke -- thankfully a thing of the past on Princess.

 

John

[Woobstr112G]

05-05-2013 – Back at Sea Again

 

The Azores – In one sentence – Hawaii meets old Europe. The classic European architecture, rock walls and farmer’s fields that have been around for centuries meets tropical flowers, trees and an incredibly fertile soil. We did Tour 100A, the long one. We arrived at the Princess Theater about 8, and got back around 4:15. A real nice sampling of the island. We did a pineapple plantation, which is a set of greenhouses, a small town, the rim of the eastern crater, down to the lake in the crater for lunch, a walk through the botanical garden, a walk around the fumaroles and mud springs, a drive along the northern and southern coasts.

 

Lunch was a vegetable soup, some roast beef with potatoes and veggies, and a slice of local pineapple, with some nice table wine – white or red – as much as you wanted to drink. The local pineapple was the highlight of the meal. Unlike Hawaiian pineapple, which when fresh and ripe is like candy and very, very sweet, this is more tart and acidic and less sweet. Very different, very good.

 

Our tour guide was knowledgeable, energetic, enthusiastic – a real treat. She was definitely very, very proud of her island and wanted to show it off to everyone, and show us off to all the people we would meet. We like tours like this.

 

Glad you enjoyed the Azores. I never tire docking there. Great place.....:):):)

Bob

[ccrain]

05-06-2013 – At Sea

 

The seas are roughening a bit this morning. We noticed that overnight. Nothing drastic, a little more motion on the Aloha deck, a little more clanging of hangers in the closet. The highlight of cinco de mayo yesterday was the Mexican buffet lunch. It was really, really good. We just pigged out. Fresh Guac, fresh jalapenos, fresh salsa, adobo chicken (which was fantastic), various Mexican dishes, an onion and cheese quesadilla, really, really tasty and good. So good we just didn’t go to dinner until late when Judy had a bowl of soup before bed at the IC.

 

We did not do the 0900 Zumba yesterday, but we did do the 430PM one. The highlight of the night was the country western hoe down. Line dances, the bang-bang game, which they need to update or change a bit. We also went to see the comedian Dain Cordean. He is a British comedian-magician, so my first thought was ‘well this will be hard to understand’, but it actually turned out really well. (Some British comedians delivery in an accent that puts the punch lines way over my head.) Even though everyone one of this tricks and everyone of his jokes we have heard before, it was enjoyable and funny. He had a different enough delivery style to make it fresh and new and funny.

 

We lost another hour last night. One more to go before Le Havre, but now we are essentially in the right time zone for England and Ireland. I have mixed feelings about this. When we fly to Europe, one or two days, we are good to go, but this hour after hour day after day is like Chinese water torture.

 

Our wake show luck continues. We’ve been drawn 4 times since we left Florida, although they are drawing 8-12 entries every day. They are giving the new game, Vault, vouchers. Its hard to describe. We’ve been giving Paul, our gambling expert, the vouchers, to play.

 

So this morning is Zumba. Overboard with Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn is on at MUTS at 10. A $60 texas holdem tournament starts at 11. Folding cards is on at the Arts and Crafts. Argo is on at the indoor movies this afternoon. Tonights highlight is ‘Born to Be Wild’ a new production show we haven’t seen before and will be there. Three shows, 7, 815 and 10PM.

 

Well, that’s it from the sea for now…

[ccrain]

On the second leg of this trip we will be redoing some ports on our own. Dublin is one of them. I've used two sites to plan our walking around tours, TripAdvisor and Tripomatic. Tripadvisors has pretty thorough reviews of various sites, but Tripomatic can actually map a walking tour. Tripadvisor also had a downloadable tablet app for Dublin and several other cities on our tours.

 

Between the two of them, we get a lot of information...

[alan9945]

I have a question with regards to anytime dining? If there is no table available do they issue pagers? Thanks.

[CruiseKing]

I have a question with regards to anytime dining? If there is no table available do they issue pagers? Thanks.

Every cruise I've been on where anytime is offered that is the procedure.

[Julia’s Journey’s]

Not really. Quite a few of us walk circuits around the Promenade deck for exercise. I get an opportunity to build up my breath-holding capacity a few times during each circuit when approaching and passing smokers. However, that is easier to deal with than being driven off our balcony countless times by smoke -- thankfully a thing of the past on Princess.

 

John

 

Had to laugh at the being driven off the balcony comment, we did the transpacific and had smokers on both sides of our balcony - for 30 days we couldn't use it or leave our door open as the smoke would come in our cabin. That was the last balcony we have booked and those smokers have saved us a fortune and not sure we will go back to a balcony even though they stopped the smoking issue. More cruising for us or maybe not with our oldest heading to college:D

[spyro1952]

Going on BI on June 5 and reading your posts with great interest. Thanks for taking the time to make them. If you have an opportunity, could you post some of the hints for Dublin that you heard? We plan to DYI Dublin. Thanks!

 

Sure, I'll try and post after I get back from dublin Wed evening. I am taking a Princess shuttle from the dock to the center of town and then doing the HOHO bus. :)

[ShakaRamFan]

On the second leg of this trip we will be redoing some ports on our own. Dublin is one of them. I've used two sites to plan our walking around tours, TripAdvisor and Tripomatic. Tripadvisors has pretty thorough reviews of various sites, but Tripomatic can actually map a walking tour. Tripadvisor also had a downloadable tablet app for Dublin and several other cities on our tours.

 

Between the two of them, we get a lot of information...

 

Thanks CCRain. I will check out Tripomatic. Haven't used that before and didn't realize TripAdvisor had maps for walking tours. Looking forward to your blogs of the BI ports.

[Sea&SkiCruiser]

Yesterday (Sunday) was a relaxing day at sea. Fred attended the 9:00 a.m. interdenominational church service that was conducted by deputy CD Chris in the theater. We didn't feel like eating breakfast after having the UBD the evening before so we just grabbed a danish and coffee at the international cafe. I made my usual contribution at 11:30 bingo and then at the afternoon blackjack tournament. I've also been attending the almost daily raffle drawings in Facets. The give a ways have been very nice. Yesterday it was a sapphire earring and pendent set. Dinner was casual night and we had the seafood stew which was tasty. Our waiter, Peter from India, was a delight as always. Service in the dining room has been exceptional. We attended Dain Cordean show and thought he was funny.

 

Today we woke to a slight rock which has become progressively more pronounced throughout the day and we are really rocking tonight. It was not a good day for reading on the balcony or lounging around the pool. This morning after a quick bite and coffee at the IC, we went to the 10:15 specialty cooking demonstration in the theater starring Executive Chef Guido Jendryztko and Maitre D'Hotel Mario Propato. Fred and I agree, it's one of the funniest and most entertaining shows we have seen so far. Mario is a hoot. The show also featured performances by members of the dinning room staff. We didn't know until dinner that our waiter Peter played a bit part as one of the "twins." Then it was salad for lunch at HC, slot tournament donation, raffle at Facets, and a bingo donation. Food at dinner was okay, nothing exciting to choose from. We went to the 8:15 Born to be Wild show featuring the Princess dancers & singers which was excellent. Fred remarked that he thought it was the troupes best performance.

 

So far we've been "blessed" with three of the wake show vault vouchers. We gave the vault a shot yesterday and I'm definitely convinced that it's rigged.

 

Tomorrow is our last sea day. We almost don't want them to end.

[Woobstr112G]

Thanks to all those cruising for taking us along with you. When 'm not cruising, I love to follow Live Froms.....:):):)

 

Bob

[ccrain]

I have a question with regards to anytime dining? If there is no table available do they issue pagers? Thanks.

 

But I have not seen them used..

[ccrain]

05-07-2013 - Last Day At Sea

 

Foggy, but not too rough. Yesterday was a bit rougher, not enough to put Judy down, but enough to make her a bit queasy. Bands, generic Dramamine, ginger, ginger ale and bitters, all ease her symptoms, but do not get rid of it completely. Weather is much colder. Not much chance of warmer days now. Chilly on the deck, and with the wind, downright cold.

 

Morning coffee, and updating this thread, in the IC has become a ritual. This morning I was awake at 0500 and tried to sleep, but could not – the fog horn was sounding, so I bundled up everything and came down letting Judy sleep late if she wants. This morning it is a Caramel Latte, large, in a paper cup, just to keep it warmer. The girls, Beatrice and Elizabeth keep up well supplied.

 

So yesterday was Zumba at 0930 – after coffee of course. Since we won the morning show drawing, Paul and Judy tried the new vault game. No luck. It’s a lot harder than it looks, but then it should be, otherwise it wouldn’t be gambling. (You basically try to line up a mechanical key on a push rod with a keyhole in a machine. If the key goes into the keyhole, you get the prize. There is an IPAD, an IPOD, 1,000 in cash, $500 in cash, etc.) Crafting class was card folding.

 

Lunch was the sushi station with cooked and smoked bits of tuna and shrimp or imitation crab meat in rolls or nigiri. Lots of pickled ginger, but deck 15 was a bit much rock and roll for Judy so we retired to the cabin to watch movies. The Love Boat plays almost constantly on various channels. It’s interesting to see past stars in their prime, and to know now what was going on back then behind the scenes. All of the port talks have been completed and are now playing continuously on the TV. Puts me right to sleep every time I hit that channel.

 

We did try and hang around the Piazza for a while, but it was busy, busy. The service is so prompt on this ship it can get quite hilarious at times. First of all, the rules must state somewhere that any plate on the table just must be removed immediately. Judy ordered a hot water with lemon wedges in a paper cup, and when it came, it didn’t come with a plate to place the used wedges on. So I dutifully went and got one, and then had to promptly defend it while 3 attempts were made to remove it from the table since it was obviously not being used as of yet. It actually got quite hilarious. The same thing happens in the HC as well. So we always have something to either give the service staff when they come to the table – an empty plate, cup, glass, napkin; or a request for water, coffee, lemonade – something, anything to make them happy. The joke that I turned around and my wife was gone is actually almost true on this ship.

 

Dinner, as is now our norm, was light in the IC on Deck 5. As low and as centered as we could get. We still have not made it to the dining room for dinner – only lunch. Dinner was very simple, a cup of absolutely delicious garlic soup and a cheese plate, followed by a piece of almond tart and pistachio mousse – with a cup of brewed decaf. That’s it. It was light and perfect. No need to roll me down the hallway for sure.

 

After dinner, we went to the early showing of “Born to Be Wild” starring a full sized pink Cadillac in the center of the stage. A really good show, new and one we hadn’t seen before. The dancing was high energy, the choreography much better/modern/contemporary, and the use of the computerized back screen fresh and entertaining with video tied to the movements of the pink Cadillac. We will definitely make an attempt to see it on the next leg.

 

Nat was hosting a canned dance music set in Club Fusion, so we did that for a while, then went back to the wheelhouse to dance to their Jazz set hour. Then they did a rock and roll hour. Some really good dancing and music to top off the evening. Judy was still a little weak from the movement, which had quieted by then, so we went off to the room to come down off the dance high and catch some ZZZZ’s.

 

Tonight is the last formal night, once we arrive at Dublin on Wednesday, we have port after port after port with Dublin, Cobh, Falmouth, Le Harve and then Southampton. It will be a very busy week for sure. BTW, any special menu items for lunch or dinner at Café Caribe are listed on the back page along with the opening times. We have a pub lunch today, and a Madras Curry buffet in the Café Caribe tonight. MUTS is Jack Reacher, with Tom Cruise, Nat is doing a canned ballroom set at 8PM in Fusion, S-Sounds is doing a couple of sets in the Piazza before turning up at Explorer’s at 915. CJS is at the wheelhouse all night. (Their rock and roll hour last night was really good.)

 

There is a variety show in the theater, a combination of Bobby Pavillo (a Nashville artist) and Dain Cordean. The Marriage game show is on at 915. We might play in that one. Music and dancing all night in the various lounges and since we don’t go ashore until after 0900 in the morning, we can sleep a bit later.

 

So e’ya all later…

[pinkfloyd4]

Hi ccrain,

Here in the UK we've had a mini heatwave ,temps in the 70's.

Really enjoying your live on the TA,we are on the next cruise.

Thanks for the info about the films and artist's ,Your a "star"

Dave

[CruzinNoony]

In between cruises I live vicariously through "live froms" and I am enjoying yours very much! Bob and I sailed with you and Judy last April from Singapore to Vancouver. Meredith:)

[Camelia-]

I love that about Princess..it makes the whole experience so much nicer and I really and truly missed this when I was just on the Celebrity Equinox. It was a far different process..most of the time waiters would walked right by you and your dirty plates without picking them up. I had to call them at least a couple of times for service and it was almost traumatizing to have to do that after being spoiled on Princess..!

 

Thanks for allowing us to accompany you on your cruise..love every minute of it!

 

Camelia

[nanatink]

Sure, I'll try and post after I get back from dublin Wed evening. I am taking a Princess shuttle from the dock to the center of town and then doing the HOHO bus. :)

 

If you would be so kind to report how much the Princess shuttle costs?

[Woobstr112G]

ccrain;

 

Hope you enjoyed the formal night. Enjoy the ports.....:):):)

 

Bob

[ccrain]

In between cruises I live vicariously through "live froms" and I am enjoying yours very much! Bob and I sailed with you and Judy last April from Singapore to Vancouver. Meredith:)

 

That was a great cruise wasn't it. Can't wait to see how the Sapphire is getting to Singapore in 2014. At least its going in the right direction...

[ccrain]

05-08-2013 – Dublin

 

Yesterday’s last Zumba class with Nat went exceedingly well with much sweat dispensed and many endorphins released. Paul joined us while Mom and Elizabeth slept in. The craft class was so popular it filled by 1000, so Judy was not able to join in. We did have lunch in the dining room with penne pasta, with anchovies and capers, being a really good dish. I had the appetizer sized and Judy went main course on it. For the main course I had the perch, which was really, really good – and of course the rolls, oh the freshly baked bread rolls and butter.

 

After that all important power nap – hey turn on the repeat version of the port lectures and its off to dream land, we could not decide what to do for dinner, so we danced with S-Sounds for a while in the Piazza, then went to Vines for a light dinner and back over to the IC for some dessert and coffee. Sushi was good, and the tapa’s were also different and very good as well. A bacon wrapped shrimp, a meatball and a chicken wing were nice and tasty along with the top white wine flight. Dessert in the IC was two kinds of cheesecake, the best being the strawberry cheese cake, a lemon layer cake and a fruit tartet. The fruit tartets are a sure bet every time. A little pudding, a couple of pieces of fresh fruit, a crumbly, semi-sweet pastry shell and you have a light tasty treat.

 

Nat was doing the ballroom canned music in Fusion. Excellent music selection. So much better than their normal canned set. Someone must be reading this log or maybe the note to Neil in the trivia questions helped. Lots of people were dancing – except for the Paso Doble, which no one tried, so he stopped it and went to a Viennese waltz.

 

After dancing we stayed to watch the marriage game show and found out some really interesting things. The top answer was a tie between the changing room at Wal Mart (most unusual place), and the sound a whip (what the parrot would imitate). And yes, you are allowed to let your mind drift into the gutter on this one. The deputy CD, Chris, was pretty much speechless on more than one occasion.

 

So today is Dublin. Our first foray into the Emerald Isle. We are on a long tour, a Dublin city drive, then out to Glendalough. Leaving around 0930 and back after 6PM. Please, please let lunch be authentic! Tomorrow is Cobh (Cork) with another long tour, then Falmouth, then Le Havre with a much longer tour. So updates may be a bit sparse or a bit rambling or a bit short depending on the amount of sleep we get.

 

There is a shuttle to the city center. Not sure how much it costs, but you can charge it to your cruise card. It drops you off on the south side of the river in downtown, so that’s what we are doing on the next time we stop here next week. For those staying on the ship or leaving late/early, there is a bruchtime trivia, wii@sea, the explorer’s lounge movie is Oz the Great and Powerful and an afternoon trivia along with a bunch of unhosted activities.

 

Tonight’s activities include the sailaway at 730PM, dancing in the Piazza and the wheelhouse. Nat is actually holding a ballroom class at 815PM in Explorers. There is a movie trivia in fusion. The show tonight is a Variety show with the Chapman Brothers and a music and dance party in fusion at 915. Don’t know how much of this we will take in given our late tour, but we’ll see.

 

Weather out the window of the Piazza this morning is overcast, fog, a light drizzle, seas are slight and running to the North with us, so the motion is almost non-existent. We dock around 0900 this morning, so we have plenty of time to coffee up before we leave.

 

So now to check email and upload the morning missives…will let you know how Dublin goes!

[ccrain]

05-08-2013 Evening Update

 

We are not dancing, we are not going to any shows, we are going to bed as soon as a fantastic Italian dinner settles. So where to start – the bad news, we are not going to Cobh tonight. Seas are forecast for 20 feet with gale force winds, so we will stay overnight in Dublin and leave tomorrow afternoon at 1300 for Falmouth. Our tours are automatically cancelled in Cobh and credited to our account. Tomorrow morning we plan to get up, go to town around 0830 and eat an Irish breakfast. Not a bad trade in our minds.

 

So today, we took tour 150A, the tour through Dublin and then down to Glendalough. GREAT tour. Nice bus, great driver, guide, lunch, weather and the sights. Could not ask for any more than that. We even got in about an hour late and enjoyed it.

 

The tour started with a drive in and around the city center, up and down the streets, across the various bridges and then over to Christchuch Cathedral. It was a great once over of the city and it showed how close things are together. We should have no trouble getting around in the morning or next week when we return. The Cathedral was impressive, with gothic architecture, an incredible crypt, very interesting stained glass windows and a lot of history. We wandered around the upstairs for a while as the guide gave us the highlights. We could have spent a couple of hours in the upstairs, but the crypt was the highlight. More like a grotto, complete with coffee shop and pub. The largest crypt in Ireland or England.

 

We then drove south on the Motorway after fighting through Dublin traffic for almost an hour. Once out of town, the weather, which had been misty, rainy, overcast and dreary, started to break into blue sky and some sunshine. We stopped at the Weavers, a wool hand weaving factory and did a little tour for about 30 minutes. It’s a real shame that natural wool, which is incredible soft, durable, warm, and a renewable resource, has been superseded by the artificial fabrics. Their artistry and attention to detail on the fabrics they create is incredible.

 

Lunch was served at a 400 year old hotel out in the forests, across from a golf course and a beautiful river. (I’ll have to get the name from the photos.) A great vegetable soup to start with, Turkey, ham stuffing, mashed potatoes, whole potatoes, vegetables, a cheesecake dessert, accompanied by a glass of Guinness was the menu and was one of the best lunches we’ve ever had on an excursion. By this time the sun was shining and the sky was blue. A little wind, but a beautiful day.

 

We then traveled over backcountry roads to Glendalough, valley of two lakes, and the Monastic ruins of St Kelvin. The ruins date back to the 10th to 12th century and consist of a perfectly preserved 100 foot tower, a roofless church/cathedral, a smaller completely intact, church and tower, both with a stone roof, and a cemetery dating back to the 1400’s. Essentially a small village complete with stone fences/walls, all with a great view up the valley towards the twin lakes. In the blue sky, absolutely breathtaking views of the surrounding forests and hills, that were only enhanced by first the thunderheads blowing up overhead, then the rain and hail shrouding the upper valley as it stormed towards us. Within minutes we had gone from blue sky to a deluge of rain and hail, and then just as quickly, it passed and the sun came out and the land basically glistened and glowed and smelled of freshly washed trees and grasses. The rainbow that came next was just topping on the cake!

 

Ireland at its best.

 

We were supposed to get back at 615PM, but did not make it back until 715. No one complained that’s for sure. But we were hungry, so Paul, Elizabeth, Judy and I went to the Coral dining room for Italian Night, our favorite night and had the most fantastic dinner on the cruise so far. Even, dare I say, better than Sabatini’s. The head waiter brought us a non-standard cheese plate that included prosciutto ham and cantaloupe. For me it was lemoncello night, 3 of them to be exact and one for Judy with a Vodka mixer to cut the sweet. I, of course, had the eggplant parmesan, two of them. Judy and Elizabeth had the pasta fagiole soup. Judy had a salad and her fettuccini alfredo in a parmesan crisp bowl. Elizabeth had spaghetti and meatballs. Main courses for Paul, Elizabeth and I was the veal scaloppini. Service was fantastic, the food was excellent and the conversation was great. What more can you ask for in a meal?

 

So that’s it…we are done for night…the food has settled…the crew is heading out for a night on the town and we are settling down for good night’s sleep…

 

Night all!

[TLC535]

Sounds like a wonderful day & evening...Thanks for sharing :D

[Woobstr112G]

I'll agree with the previous poster. Sounds like one great day on the cruise. I bet those picc's of the lunch site are fantastic.....:):):)

 

Bob

[phabric]

I have enjoyed reading your review.

 

We will be on the 12 British Isles cruise August 16.