Up the Gangplank - live from the Caribbean Princess (5th-22nd Sept)

[StLouisCruisers]

Thanks for the update. I'm enjoying your style of writing and am very sad the ship couldn't make it to Lerwick. We were on the Caribbean Princess TA last September and had a nice visit there. We went on a tour to the Jarlshof ruins. Very picturesque! Enjoy your sea days and the upcoming stops in Iceland.:)

[bronxgirl25]

Just found out about your "Live" and caught up. Loving it and the way you write. Thanks for doing it! Have fun!!!

[Geoffa30]

Loving all your posts and your sense of humour. Enjoy the rest of your trip.

[FlorenceItaly]

Enjoying your live report. Thanks so much. Happy sailing!

[triviaplayer7425]

Hi there,

 

Just found your live and I am enjoying it. I am boarding on September 22nd in New York, and I was wondering if you could give me the names of the cruise staff that runs the activities and games. I like to bring little gifts to the staff members that I know and I would appreciate any information you can give me. Have a good trip.

 

Thanks,

 

Joyce

[The CRuIseLLS]

 

 

11/9 - Cruise Day 007 - At Sea

 

Morning everyone

 

I'm going to start today off with a warning........

 

Never, ever, ever, ever order Huevos Rancheros in the MDR for breakfast - it's just all kinds of urggghhhhhh - if I'd been served it in the UK, I'd have taken it home to use as putty for the windows. Dreadful stuff.

 

After we'd eaten (or not eaten) breakfast, I decided we needed to wash some clothes.

Everyone else had had the same idea.

The laundromat was packed out but within a minute of walking in, someone's wash finished & I got a machine - yayyyy, lucky me :D. While the wash was on I did some ironing. I also jumped out of my skin at one point.

 

And it was because of LAUNDROMAT-GATE

There was a disagreement between a couple of guys over a dryer then the guy who'd felt wronged bashed the top of one washing machine very aggressively & stormed out. He wife came in a few minutes later saying she'd heard all about and started the 'disagreement' all over again.

 

 

We went to the morning quiz (equal 3rd) then had our first every MDR lunch. Terry didn't feel like much cos he'd had a big brekky but I was starving so 5 spice chicken wings followed by a fabulous pasta and meatball dish certainly helped fill the gap. I must say though that unless there was a not to be missed menu, I don't think I'd go to the MDR for lunch again.......takes too much time out of your day but it was a nice 'one-off'.

 

The past couple of days have been really rough with the ship tossing and rolling all over the place. Yesterday, the captain warned everyone to hold on to rails when we were moving throughout the ships, the pools were emptied and most of the hot tubs were netted over & couldn't be used.

It's been fun - we both felt like we were walking through jelly (jell-o) and finding yourself going in a different direction to what you intended has been a hoot.

We've never seen or experienced weather like it so we took advantage & spent a lot of yesteray afternoon walking around on deck - it was amazing at times. Some of the bigger swells turned into huge white-caps and if they caught the sun just right, it produced a rainbow. Sadly, too quick to take a pic but the memory is there......you've gotta love nature.

 

We went to the HC for a very early dinner then spent the rest of the evening in the Explorers lounge. We took part in a trivia quiz (we were awful) then we sat with L and C to watch Xcite (the resident 'pop' group) and also teamed up with them to play the Majority Rules Quiz. We weren't brilliant at that either but it's such fun to play.......ask a general question about anything at all and the most popular answer is the winner. I hope they do another one before the end of the cruise

Xcite came back on stage for their final set of the evening but by then we were ready for bed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To visit our Up The Gangplank blog, please click HERE

[The CRuIseLLS]

Hi there,

 

Just found your live and I am enjoying it. I am boarding on September 22nd in New York, and I was wondering if you could give me the names of the cruise staff that runs the activities and games. I like to bring little gifts to the staff members that I know and I would appreciate any information you can give me. Have a good trip.

 

Thanks,

 

Joyce

 

Thanks Joyce and I'll get the info as soon as I can for you :)

[ar1950]

............................

I'm going to start today off with a warning........

 

Never, ever, ever, ever order Huevos Rancheros in the MDR for breakfast - it's just all kinds of urggghhhhhh - if I'd been served it in the UK, I'd have taken it home to use as putty for the windows. Dreadful stuff.

 

Wow, sounds like they really did a number on that breakfast selection. We have had the Huevos Rancheros for breakfast a few times in the past two years. Seems it would be hard to mess up a couple of eggs over easy, some salsa, some refried beans and a tortilla. Although, I will admit that Princess' version of refried beans leaves something to be desired.

 

.....................................

And it was because of LAUNDROMAT-GATE

There was a disagreement between a couple of guys over a dryer then the guy who'd felt wronged bashed the top of one washing machine very aggressively & stormed out. He wife came in a few minutes later saying she'd heard all about and started the 'disagreement' all over again.

..........................

 

Wow again. Some unplanned "entertainment" in the laundry room. Probably would have been better to have missed that. :eek:

[jimbri]

Looking forward to the rest of your review. Love the photos on your blog.

[chelsea922]

Loving your Live From! Keep it coming!

 

I have a couple of questions about the ship. Does your cabin have a flat screen T.V.? What is your opinion of the ship? Like, Love Neutral?

 

Have a great trip!:)

[The CRuIseLLS]

 

 

12/9 - Cruise Day 008 - Akureyri, Iceland

 

And so, after sailing through much calmer (but not completely calm) seas, we arrived in Iceland. Apart from flying over Greenland a few times at 35,000 feet, we've never been so far north in our lives......that thought was a bit of an adventure in itself.

 

Around 9:30, we rang Terry's sister to wish her a happy birthday, went for brekky and then waited in the Princess theatre for our coach number to be called so we could begin our "Best of Akureyri" (pronounced like Tipperary) tour.

 

After nearly an hour & a half's drive through pouring rain and very low clouds (sometimes we could barely see the edge of the road), we arrived at Namaskard to see - and smell - the hot sulphur springs. I was amazed at the sound the vents made - like a pressure cooker on steroids. It was great to experience but the stench of the sulphur stayed on our coats for ages afterwards.

 

Another couple of stops to see strange lava rock formations and craters created by lava flowing over wet ground got us to Lake Myvatn and lunch at a local hotel. It was very nice but the guy at our table who went to get a second helping of salmon from the platter on our table with the fork he'd been using to eat with sort of put me off getting another portion as well.

 

(During our time here, one of the passengers either fell or collapsed just as we got into the hotel foyer - an ambulance was called for him and he was taken to hospital. I'm still trying to find out if he made it back to the ship.....he seemed more shaken than injured so hopefully he did get back on board.)

 

Our final stop was Godafoss Waterfall - not big in the scheme of things......it wouldn't give Niagara Falls a run for its money but it was lovely and it was probably the prettiest scenery we saw all day - the rest of the landscape WAS beautiful but it wasn't pretty (if that makes sense).

 

We arrived back on the ship and checked out the menu in the MDR. We liked what we saw so got ready and were seated by 7:50.

It was good & not so good!!

Our merlot arrived looking like it had been mixed with washing up liquid, there were huge bubbles all around the inside of the glass.....it also tasted like it had actually washed some dirty dishes so, needless to say, we had it replaced. The food was lovely, however, the service was so-o-o-o slow that both Terry & I AND the couple on the next table thought our waiters had gone strike - there's always a silver lining though.... we got a chance to have a chat with more lovely people :D

 

During dinner the ship started to rock and roll again.....the captain had warned us earlier that we were going to hit some rough seas and had given us the standard safety instructions (hold on to rails, be careful on deck etc).

The captain wasn't wrong, it started during dinner, carried on when we were in the Explorers Lounge and then hit its peak during our final stop in Crooners.

Around 11pm, the ship rolled, made a huge banging noise and then everything started to shake - it was that bad, even one of the waiters looked totally shocked......his startled face was a picture.

Within a few seconds all the staff were in the bar, the cling film (plastic food wrap) was out, the glasses were covered, bottles were moved to a safe place and the bar was closed.

 

Terry & I started for home but got waylaid in the casino - not for too long though. One 25c spin netted us a $35 win so we cashed out and shimmied & shook our way back to the cabin.

 

A good day was had by all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To visit our Up The Gangplank blog, please click HERE

[The CRuIseLLS]

Hi there,

 

Just found your live and I am enjoying it. I am boarding on September 22nd in New York, and I was wondering if you could give me the names of the cruise staff that runs the activities and games. I like to bring little gifts to the staff members that I know and I would appreciate any information you can give me. Have a good trip.

 

Thanks,

 

Joyce

 

Joyce

 

Here's the list of the entertainment staff

 

I couldn't get surnames but I've given you a brief description where I can. Hope it helps

 

Krissi - English, long blonde hair

Monique - Brazilian, dark curly hair

Paul - English,

Catalina - Argentinean, long dark hair with a full fringe (bangs)

Carla - sorry, no more info

Andrew - Canadian - deputy entertainment director (he's very good)

Kaylee - New Zealand very tall, long curly hair

Billy (Hygate?) is the CD

 

Sue :)

[The CRuIseLLS]

Loving your Live From! Keep it coming!

 

I have a couple of questions about the ship. Does your cabin have a flat screen T.V.? What is your opinion of the ship? Like, Love Neutral?

 

Have a great trip!:)

 

Hi, yes we do have a flat screen.

 

I'm mostly liking the ship - there are a few little niggles but nothing that would stop me sailing on her again.

 

I'll do a final round up of our thoughts on the ship at the end of the cruise :)

Edited September 13, 2016 by The CRuIseLLS

[geoherb]

I'm enjoying your posts. I hope the seas are smoother.

[The CRuIseLLS]

[/color]

 

Wow, sounds like they really did a number on that breakfast selection. We have had the [/color][/size][/font]Huevos Rancheros for breakfast a few times in the past two years. Seems it would be hard to mess up a couple of eggs over easy, some salsa, some refried beans and a tortilla. Although, I will admit that Princess' version of refried beans leaves something to be desired.

 

 

Wow again. Some unplanned "entertainment" in the laundry room. Probably would have been better to have missed that. :eek:

 

Ha ha, yep....the brekky was all kinds of yuk and laundrygate was something I'd have preferred to miss :)

[triviaplayer7425]

Hi Sue,

 

Thank you so much! I think I have sailed with Paul and Catalin before but it has been a while. One note : if they do a "Crew Talent Night" be sue to check if Billy Hygate still does his Tevja from Fiddler on the Roof...it was one of the best renditions I have seen. He usually comes out last and does not have his name announced. The Captain's Circle Rep or Future Cruises should be able to tell you unless you see Billy himself. I hope the rest of your cruise has calm seas.

 

Thanks again,

 

Joyce

[trbarton]

 

 

12/9 - Cruise Day 008 - Akureyri, Iceland

 

And so, after sailing through much calmer (but not completely calm) seas, we arrived in Iceland. Apart from flying over Greenland a few times at 35,000 feet, we've never been so far north in our lives......that thought was a bit of an adventure in itself.

 

Around 9:30, we rang Terry's sister to wish her a happy birthday, went for brekky and then waited in the Princess theatre for our coach number to be called so we could begin our "Best of Akureyri" (pronounced like Tipperary) tour.

 

After nearly an hour & a half's drive through pouring rain and very low clouds (sometimes we could barely see the edge of the road), we arrived at Namaskard to see - and smell - the hot sulphur springs. I was amazed at the sound the vents made - like a pressure cooker on steroids. It was great to experience but the stench of the sulphur stayed on our coats for ages afterwards.

 

Another couple of stops to see strange lava rock formations and craters created by lava flowing over wet ground got us to Lake Myvatn and lunch at a local hotel. It was very nice but the guy at our table who went to get a second helping of salmon from the platter on our table with the fork he'd been using to eat with sort of put me off getting another portion as well.

 

(During our time here, one of the passengers either fell or collapsed just as we got into the hotel foyer - an ambulance was called for him and he was taken to hospital. I'm still trying to find out if he made it back to the ship.....he seemed more shaken than injured so hopefully he did get back on board.)

 

Our final stop was Godafoss Waterfall - not big in the scheme of things......it wouldn't give Niagara Falls a run for its money but it was lovely and it was probably the prettiest scenery we saw all day - the rest of the landscape WAS beautiful but it wasn't pretty (if that makes sense).

 

We arrived back on the ship and checked out the menu in the MDR. We liked what we saw so got ready and were seated by 7:50.

It was good & not so good!!

Our merlot arrived looking like it had been mixed with washing up liquid, there were huge bubbles all around the inside of the glass.....it also tasted like it had actually washed some dirty dishes so, needless to say, we had it replaced. The food was lovely, however, the service was so-o-o-o slow that both Terry & I AND the couple on the next table thought our waiters had gone strike - there's always a silver lining though.... we got a chance to have a chat with more lovely people :D

 

During dinner the ship started to rock and roll again.....the captain had warned us earlier that we were going to hit some rough seas and had given us the standard safety instructions (hold on to rails, be careful on deck etc).

The captain wasn't wrong, it started during dinner, carried on when we were in the Explorers Lounge and then hit its peak during our final stop in Crooners.

Around 11pm, the ship rolled, made a huge banging noise and then everything started to shake - it was that bad, even one of the waiters looked totally shocked......his startled face was a picture.

Within a few seconds all the staff were in the bar, the cling film (plastic food wrap) was out, the glasses were covered, bottles were moved to a safe place and the bar was closed.

 

Terry & I started for home but got waylaid in the casino - not for too long though. One 25c spin netted us a $35 win so we cashed out and shimmied & shook our way back to the cabin.

 

A good day was had by all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To visit our Up The Gangplank blog, please click HERE

 

 

Hello from your friends, Tom & Tammy from the Panama Canal cruise on the Island. I remember that cruise like it was yesterday & all the work you did. We will be on the Carribean Princess in January 2018 for a circle Carribean cruise, 14 days. It's our first on the Carribean Princess so it will be interesting to hear your thoughts about the ship anything you liked or didn't like. Glad to read your posts. Have a great cruise.

 

Tom😀

[OhioDogLover]

Enjoying your posts and blog. Have a wonderful time. Belated Happy Birthday to Terry.

 

Ohiodoglover

[The CRuIseLLS]

Hello from your friends, Tom & Tammy from the Panama Canal cruise on the Island. I remember that cruise like it was yesterday & all the work you did. We will be on the Carribean Princess in January 2018 for a circle Carribean cruise, 14 days. It's our first on the Carribean Princess so it will be interesting to hear your thoughts about the ship anything you liked or didn't like. Glad to read your posts. Have a great cruise.

 

Tom

 

Hi Tom,

 

Lovely to hear from you - I'll do a roll up of all my thoughts at the end of the cruise. So far, I'd definitely recommend it.....:D

 

Best wishes.....Sue :)

 

(btw, I seem to remember you doing quite a bit of work on that cruise too :D)

Edited September 15, 2016 by The CRuIseLLS

[The CRuIseLLS]

 

Good morning everyone - two day's worth of reporting here.......we had a very early start (and a late night) yesterday so I haven't had time to write anything up until now but, better late than never......here we go

 

13/9 - Cruise Day 009 - Isafjordur, Iceland

 

We woke up to a fantastic view - after the bleakness of yesterday's landscape, I can say without doubt that Isafjordur is both beautiful and pretty. The sunshine & lovely blue skies helped but I think that even without that, it would still have looked lovely. The mountains surrounding the town reminded me a bit of the Hawaiian coastline (not that I've ever been to Hawaii, I'm just going by pics I've seen), they made for a wonderful backdrop.

When I'm eventually able to post pics, you'll see what I mean.

 

Isafjordur is a tender port so to avoid the rush for tender tickets, we took our time getting ready and sauntered down to the Island dining room around 10:30 to get in line. It worked out well, within minutes we started to board and were back on dry land around 11.

It was our very first tender experience and, apart from hitting a bit of the wake left by an earlier tender & bouncing around for a few seconds, it was a very smooth ride.

 

As with every other port we've visited (apart from Rotterdam), there were no 'locals' dressed in national costume for us to have our picture taken with so we bypassed the ship's photographers and made our way to the tourist office, got ourselves a map and had a very long walk around town.

 

I couldn't get over how quiet it was - even the sounds from cars & trucks seemed muted. I don't know if the surrounding mountains soaked the noise up but, honestly, I've been in little English hamlets with not more than a pub, church & post office that have sounded louder than Isafjordur. It was odd.

Another strange thing was that it wasn't 'touristy', not in the least. The shops weren't doing a hard-sell & we didn't see any no "end of season" sales.

 

We thought we'd stop off at a local bar or restaurant and have some lunch but, apart from a couple of bakeries, we couldn't find anywhere to eat......no bars or restaurants. How weird is that?

We made our way back to the tourist info centre and were lucky enough to stand behind a lady who was asking if there was anywhere to eat or drink in town! She was told that the only fish restaurant in town was closed due to a family bereavement but apparently, there was another restaurant right next door to where we were all standing. Well, in a month of Sunday's you wouldn't have guessed.....there wasn't a sign to be seen on the building - no self promotion whatsoever (we actually wondered if the locals even knew it was there :D).

We paid it a visit and had a lovely pub lunch of burger, waffle fries and Gull beer. It was really tasty.

We sat watching the world go by for a while then around mid afternoon, we decided to go back to the ship.

 

We were both shattered so had a couple of hours snoozing then got ourselves ready for dinner. We weren't in a hurry to do anything particular so said we'd share (table for 6 or less please) and ended up sitting with a lady we know from Crooners, her hubby and another couple. They were all great company and apart from my rib-eye being particularly fatty, the meal was great too.

 

With a very early start in Reykjavik, we watched Xcite's mid evening show then made our way to bed around 10 ish but not before asking passenger services for a call if the Northern Lights made an appearance.

At 1:00am, we got the call. The lights were starboard/aft.

We had a look see and there they were.....not very bright and not very colourful but bright enough & colourful enough for us to see.....just. Sadly, they weren't colourful enough for the camera so we've got no pics but at least we did see them and it's another item we've been able to tick off our bucket list.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14/9 - Cruise Day 010 - Reykjavik, Iceland

 

 

The excitement at seeing the northern lights in the early hours of Wednesday morning didn't stop us from falling asleep again as soon as our heads hit the pillows and it was a good job too......we had a very early wake up call so that we could get to the Princess Theatre for 7:40 - the meeting point for our "Best of the Golden Circle" excursion which was due to start at 8:00am

 

We saw some amazing sights from geo-thermal power stations to geysers and quite a few waterfalls (with Gullfoss being the largest and, by far, the best we've seen in Iceland).

The most interesting part of the trip for me was seeing the tectonic plates that separate Europe & North America and the strangest part of the trip was sitting down to lunch at 11am!!!!!!

I don't know who made up the time-table but I reckon they need to rethink that part of it - eating so early made dinner time back on the ship seem like centuries away :D.

 

It was bitterly cold by the time we returned to the CB and it was absolutely f-f-f-freezing standing on the dock in the sleety rain waiting to re-board. As soon as we set foot in the Piazza we went straight to Vines for a glass of wine and some tapas and then went to check on the dinner menu to see if we'd need to get ready for the MDR. Nothing appealed so we stayed in our scruff & went to get pizza and a burger and, as it was too cold to sit outside, we ate it all in the HC then went to Crooners for a chat.

 

After hearing some really bad reviews about the hypnotist's act, we decided to give his 9:00pm show a miss and went to the late trivia quiz instead. We teamed up with another 2 couples and won.......yayyyyy, we came first.......wooooooohooooooooo...........go us.

We won a bottle of champagne but decided that just one couple should have the honours and, by popular vote, it was awarded to Marianne & Don (mainly because they were also celebrating Marianne getting to the final of the ship's singing competition "The Voice of the Ocean").

 

A re-visit to Crooners for a couple more drinks and then to bed.

 

 

 

 

 

To visit our Up The Gangplank blog, please click HERE

[Britter16]

Who are the bartenders at Crooners, it's our favorite bar on Princess ships.

[The CRuIseLLS]

Who are the bartenders at Crooners, it's our favorite bar on Princess ships.

 

Ours too..........it's Kelvin & Don on the CB - both a great laugh :)

[The CRuIseLLS]

 

 

15/9 - Cruise Day 011 - Transatlantic Journey Day 1 of 5

 

Early on Wednesday evening the captain had announced that due to high winds we would be starting our transatlantic journey around 4 hours later than planned.

Waking at 6:00am yesterday to find that we still hadn't left Reykjavik was a bit of a shock.

It turns out the winds had gotten even worse throughout the night (gusting up to 50 knots) which meant it was too dangerous to turn the ship around and leave port.

 

With nothing much else to do (the shops couldn't open, neither could the casino and even some of the morning's entertainment had to be scrapped because the ship wasn't in international waters) we got ready, went for a late breakfast and then I spent a very uneventful half hour in the laundromat doing some ironing. Unfortunately, not long after that, I started to feeling a bit poorly.

 

It was my own fault, I'd completely forgotten to take my cyclizine tablet and only remembered just as we got underway (which was late morning), consequently, by the time we hit some choppy waters, the meds hadn't had time to kick in and I ended up in bed for most of the afternoon feeling very sorry for myself..... woe is me :)

 

I felt better around 4pm so we were able to think about what we wanted to do for the evening and, as it was the 2nd formal night of the cruise, we went to see what culinary delights awaited us.

Terry wasn't very delighted....he didn't like the sound of anything but did say he'd have the "always on the menu" Country Chicken if I'd like to go. I wasn't that bothered and it seemed unfair to have him dress up to the nines for a bit of roast chicken & veg so we decided to have something later on from the HC.

 

Back in our room, I felt a little tired (I'd not long taken my 2nd cyclizine & that's one of the side effects) so I lay down for a nap. Terry said he'd wake me at 7.

 

Ha!, don't trust a Terry as far as you can throw one is my advice........he fell asleep too & we both ended up staying in bed for the rest of the night.

(To be fair, I think we must have needed the R & R......neither of us stirred until 7 this morning)

 

So yesterday in a nutshell...........

 

We were well over 16 hours late leaving Reykjavik

I felt sick

Terry & I slept a lot

 

All in all, a bit of a none day really

 

 

 

 

To visit our Up The Gangplank blog, please click HERE

[easyboy]

Enjoying your review.

[The CRuIseLLS]

 

16/9 - Cruise Day 012 - Transatlantic Journey Day 2 of 5

 

After our none day on Thursday, the 2nd day of the TA crossing seemed none in a different way.....non-stop.

 

We got up around 9, took our time getting ready (ok, so not very none stop so far but it does improve) and we then went for breakfast. The ship was rolling all over the place again (lower decks closed off & usual warnings from the captain had been issued) so, even though I'd remembered to take my tabs, I wasn't up to eating much. I managed half a bacon sarny (sandwich) while Terry - who was up to eating loads - ploughed through a full cooked breakfast :) then - to work off those and all the other 000s of calories we've managed to consume - we went for a walk on deck.

Well it was more of a "let's bend into the wind to avoid both our glasses being blown off our heads and being blown off our feet" than a walk but we enjoyed it and I'm sure we gave a few people a bit of a giggle as we staggered around.

 

Just before 1pm, we made our way to Skywalkers to meet the gang from the roll call.

Today was Cabin Crawl Day (fanfare music again please!) & we were going to have a nose around every type of cabin.... from an inside to the very grand Grand Suite.

 

Margie had organised it all and she did a fab job, not only with the route but with us rowdy lot too :D.

We were split into 3 groups with those showing their cabins going in the first group, staying put when they got to their own room and then joining group 3 to see the remaining cabins along with all the other 'hosts'.

Well, it was a real eye-opener.

 

Although I couldn't stay in an inside (not seeing daylight would drive me nuts - sorry, the bridge cam just isn't the same), I was really surprised at how roomy they are. The bathroom is exactly the same size as ours (think broom cupboard) and I couldn't have been more wrong about thinking that passengers could probably sit at the end of their bed & use the desk.......they would definitely have to have super duper long arms to do so........there's more room between the bottom of the bed & desk in those rooms that there is between our the bottom of our bed & the facing wall. Eye-opener!

 

If we could get a 'not too obstructed view' like the one we saw during the crawl, then I would probably go for it if we ever chose to do a similar cruise to this again.... the obstruction consisted of just 2 steps and a few railings - hardly any obstruction at all - the room was bright and certainly big enough for two. Totally ideal for this type of itinerary.

Another eye-opener......I mean, let's face it, the weather we've had just doesn't fit go very well with a balcony and apart from Terry's birthday dinner, it's not like we've been able to sit out on ours every evening and watch the sun go down!.

 

For warmer climes (and deeper pockets than we have) we'd go for the mini suite - not too big but the extra room you get from the open plan lounge area (ok, so it's a settee and a table lol) does make a difference.....we got upgraded to a mini on our first cruise and loved sitting there with our room service goodies just watching tv and chilling.

The other suites we saw were absolutely lovely but, apart from needing a lottery win to pay for them, were just a bit too big for us. The only things they have that we don't (apart from a comfy seating area or 2) are a walk in shower and a bath.......ahhhhhh, a bath (looks dreamily into the distance....remembering)

 

The remainder of the afternoon was spent in Vines (isn't that place just marvellous) watching the world go by as we sat drinking a couple of glasses of wine and eating some wonderful tapas (Terry) scrummy cheeseboard (me). I really love that you get such tasty, freshly prepared, delish goodies with every glass of wine you order (I still have to try the sushi - that's next on my list).

After Crooners, Vines is our fave bar on the CB :D

 

We had an early dinner (smoked salmon & crawfish followed by braised rib of beef & veggie trimmings) which was OK but different to what we're used to at home so it didn't get top marks (it's a palate/taste thing not a bad cooking thing) and then we went to the early trivia session.

After playing (and succeeding) at being total dunces, we went to watch the stage show "Born to be Wild" in the Princess Theatre (it wasn't good, 'nuf said). Following the show we took part in the very first, but hopefully soon to be repeated, "Name that Tune" in Crooners.

The resident pianist played a few notes on the piano and we all guessed the song........from the Downtown Abbey theme tune to Alfie (Cilla's version not Cher's ha ha), it was a great success and Paul from the entertainment gang said he was going to get another session sorted before the end of the cruise - hope he manages it, it was brill.

 

By 10:30 we were shattered so it was a "goodnight" to everyone in the bar and off to bed again.

 

I forgot to mention earlier.......we were one of the 'crawl hosts' and although we've taken the cards down, all the birthday banners and pictures still festoon our room - everyone who came to see the cabin wished Terry a happy birthday........isn't that lovely.

 

 

 

17/9 - Cruise Day 013 - Transatlantic Journey Day 3 of 5

 

Not a good day - once again we had terribly rough seas and more safety announcements from the captain and, once again (despite taking my tablets), I didn't feel too well.

 

The thought of breakfast wasn't very appealing but later on, I did manage to finish about a 1/3rd of my fish 'n chips lunch in the Crown Grill (for info, Terry ate all his :D) and then, with decks closed off and it being far too cold & windy to stay outside for longer than a nano second, we sat in the Explorers lounge for the rest of the afternoon.

I didn't feel like joining in much - the ship was still rolling around a lot - but it was fun watching everyone else do their thing.....people were learning how to jive, there was a battle of the sexes slapstick gameshow (who knew that there's a whole load of people out there who just can't blow up balloons.... it was hilarious) and then we had afternoon trivia.

 

In between all that Terry kept popping up to our room to make sure that all the electrical stuff we haven't used since we left home (e.g. kindles) were charged up and working. Best to be safe than sorry......US security may decide to check it out - I wouldn't want to lose something because we'd forgotten to sort the batteries out!

He had no probs with anything..... until it came to his phone.

As soon as he plugged it in, a whole load of chinese symbols came up on the screen along with the words "Back to Factory Settings", then it promptly shut itself off.

We're hoping it's because it couldn't find a connection out here in the mid Atlantic and that by the time we dock in Boston and can get a decent mobile phone reception, it'll sort itself out......if not, guess what we think we'll be looking to buy as soon as we get home!

 

We were meeting L and C again for dinner so were ready and in Crooners by 6:20.

They are such a lovely, funny and fun to be with couple and, up until I started to feel really poorly again, we had a great 2½ hours together.

I didn't eat much at all but everyone else enjoyed their meals - I was just thankful that I managed to wait until Terry was on his last mouthful of yummy choccy dessert before I started on a gazillion apologies and cut the night short.

L and C couldn't have been more understanding and so, around 9pm, with me still saying sorry, we all said goodnight, Terry (who, I might add, was also very understanding) & I left the restaurant and in no time at all, were back in our room after a very shaky lift journey (even the elevators rock and roll in bad weather).

 

Now, correct me if I'm wrong but I'm starting to think that little ol' moi and transatlantic cruises in September during terrible sea conditions are not a good match............:eek:

 

 

 

 

 

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