October 22, 2016- Live from the Royal Princess- Our teeny, tiny cruise to Mexico

[socaljo]

Have fun Tracie-Lynn! Thanks for posting!

I've been checking your blog this week, hoping to see good news about your cruising plans... :(

Last year, your blog entertained me regularly while counting down for our Spring '16 PC cruise! I was looking forward to it during this year's countdown, such a shame for you both.

 

Thanks TracieLynn for taking up the slack for a week! :p Didn't mean to detract...just wanted PescadoAmarillo to know they were missed! :D

 

Happy Sailing and back to our originally scheduled LIVE! :D

[dmwnc1959]

With the late start for embarkation do we know what time she'll be pulling away from the pier? Sunset today in Fort Lauderdale is at 6:45pm. Here are the links for the Live Cams for all of us wanting to watch Sail Away...

 

Harbor overview

http://www.ftlauderdalewebcam.com

 

Ship channel

http://www.portevergladeswebcam.com

 

Have a truly wonderful time, Tracie!

 

:D

[Marylandteachergirl]

We will head to the port in a few hours. See you onboard!!!

[sunsetbeachgal]

Have a great trip, following this thread! Someone posted a photo of the Royal berthed in Port Everglades today. I may be in the minority but I like the new paint job!

[aliciam]

Have a great trip! We are sailing on Thursday so look forward to following your cruise!

[floridalover5623]

Let us know what the top three cruisers had in days aboard.

Thanks

[Mom33]

We would be on this super priced getaway for Floridians too, but health issues need to be taken care of. Have a great time and I look forward to your reports.

Hopefully we can take a quick getaway after the holidays. It's a long way to our June cruise. :D

[dmwnc1959]

The official Port Everglades ship schedule web site has a 'confirmed' departure time for Royal Princess as 5pm. Stay tuned....

 

:D

[Astro Flyer]

Sawgrass Mills Mall is a great place to spend a couple of hours. You probably will need to purchase an extra suitcase to hold all the goodies you will be buying.

 

Sandi

My wife's solution was shipping her purchases home from the USPS facility inside the Sawgrass Mills Mall...apparently she's not the first shopper with full luggage to shop there :p

 

Our cruise was from FLL to Copenhagen & our luggage was already at the maximum weight limit upon boarding the ship.

Edited October 22, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[CineGraphic]

Just watched her sail away.....enjoy your cruise!

[McWeeOne]

Edited to remove... didn't realize it was an issue... apologies

Edited October 22, 2016 by McWeeOne
Problem with pics

[ar1950]

Took some screens hots of the sail away... have a wonderful voyage :)

 

Hmm......I wonder how long before this post is removed. Copyright rules anyone?

 

Edit: I see the poster did it themselves.

Edited October 22, 2016 by ar1950

[dmwnc1959]

I hope we get to see some of those pictures taken by the camera crew aboard the helicopter that's been buzzing around her. According to the pilot's station radio they want the ship to do some 'zig zags and they'll be shooting pictures until sunset'.

 

:D

[Island wannabe]

I hope we get to see some of those pictures taken by the camera crew aboard the helicopter that's been buzzing around her. According to the pilot's station radio they want the ship to do some 'zig zags and they'll be shooting pictures until sunset'.

 

:D

 

We were watching/listening to that too and laughed at the zig/zag request!!

[dmwnc1959]

Hmm......I wonder how long before this post is removed. Copyright rules anyone?

 

 

Not at all. I've posted screenshots from these webcam sites for years, always giving credit to the site itself. The owners don't seem to mind as long as long as their site is credited in some fashion. The screenshots that were posted clearly show the originating website.

 

:cool:

[McWeeOne]

I removed them anyways... I had no idea it would be an issue... just thought they were Pretty! Whoops, my Bad!

[ar1950]

Not at all. I've posted screenshots from these webcam sites for years, always giving credit to the site itself. The owners don't seem to mind as long as long as their site is credited in some fashion. The screenshots that were posted clearly show the originating website.

 

:cool:

 

My concern is/was the dire warning when you log on to the site. I know some people have said that they contacted the site and got permission before posting screen grabs. They also mentioned that they were told that they could not post videos.

[ar1950]

I removed them anyways... I had no idea it would be an issue... just thought they were Pretty! Whoops, my Bad!

 

They were nice. If Dave is correct I guess you could put them back up??

[dmwnc1959]

My concern is/was the dire warning when you log on to the site. I know some people have said that they contacted the site and got permission before posting screen grabs. They also mentioned that they were told that they could not post videos.

 

 

When that web cam site first went into operation that warning wasn't there, and people were basically posting imagery 'grabbed' from it without giving proper credit, therefore making it appear as if it were there own images. Then the warning appeared.

 

As I had mentioned, I have been posting screengrabs from there for years, but I always gave credit to the website. When I post screengrabs from there now, I credit the images courtesy of the website and post the direct link. The owners have been more than generous in their copyright when more traffic is directed to them as a result of this. And it has been more than greatly appreciated by all of us.

 

:D

Edited October 22, 2016 by dmwnc1959

[BLJBLJ]

Have a GREAT trip. Your trip will help me get thru the next 21 days as I am going to Mexico too but the other side. 10 days from San Francisco. My Mom's 80th Birthday cruise got a little better last month as we got an upsell to a full suite. Can't wait.... I read many of your blogs and I plan on taking lots of photo's of us together cause you never know when it's the last. Thanks for taking the time to take us along. Brenda

[soccergang]

Tracie, I always enjoy your "live from" posts. They will have to hold me until next month for our cruise to the "Mexican Riviera". (we got a better deal on air and cruise from LAX than FLL. Enjoy your voyage!!

[TracieABD]

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Sail Away Day

 

Hi Friends-

 

Well, that was a whole lot of hoodoo for nothing...

 

Let me start back about a week ago- (and forgive me- as I mentioned this earlier), we received a few notifications that boarding would not start until 3 pm and not to come to the terminal any earlier. And I began to panic a bit- as this was not part of "the plan". I mentioned it Bradley and he said he would figure it out. I was not sure what that meant, but after almost 32 years together, I have learned to trust this. A few days before the cruise- he did what a perfect husband does- rented a car for the day. I thought we might end up at Sawgrass Mills- but that was not to be...

 

Now, fast forward to last night and this morning- I did not sleep well last night. I never sleep well the night before I travel. And ya'all know, I am not really a total traveling novice. Still, I typically lay awake and worry a lot. (I think this stems from the days I traveled with my mom. There were always so many moving parts to seeing the world with her- and every one was worth it.) So, I am up and at 'em at about 4 am- after maybe 90 minutes of sleep- then it is on to the airport. I actually love CLT. I really do- but this morning was just chock full of the entitled. I typically just move aside and let them go first- not worth the aggravation. But I also have to confess- I was a bit of a "special snowflake" this morning too. ...and it goes like this...

 

This is a 5 day cruise- so only carry-ons. I have a brand spankin' new rolling garment bag (which I love, love, love) and my Travel-On "under the seat bag". They stack neatly and I can get so much stuff in them- especially if I use compression sleeves and other packing devices. I also have a tiny little backpack that holds an iPad, a wallet, a passport, and some gum. Normally, I do not deploy said backpack until I get there- where ever "there" is. This morning, I decided to just put my day things in the back pack. Well, there you go- that would be 3 items that I am carrying on the plane. And I got called out for it by a semi-hostile gate agent- who was insisting I check the garment bag. I told him that I would just put the back pack in the Travel-On and then I would be down to 2 bags- then his rather cranky gate agent friend told me that there was no way I could get that little backpack into the Travel-On. So, there I was, not yet fully caffeinated- pre dawn- under slept and over tired- and I retorted, "Watch me". And she did. She watched me rearrange that bag to fit the contents of the backpack. And then I rolled up the backpack and stuffed it in there, too. And just to be the snarky pants that I can be, I exclaimed, "See? Two!". I punctuated this by holding up two finger (on one hand, friends. I am not that kind of girl) just in case she needed a little visual support. At which she let me board the plane- probably more out of a want to be rid of me more than anything else.

 

As it turned out- our seats were in the bulkhead- so all of the items (all TWO of them, had to go in overhead). The flight was fast and uneventful- we were wheels up about 15 minutes early- as you could not have fit one more living being on that vessel and have it remain in the air. We landed at FLL almost 40 minutes early- We off loaded our carry-ons and worked our way to the Rental Center shuttle. We rented a little Jeep Compass- and we're off.

 

Bradley did his research and selected a really highly rated breakfast place in Fort Lauderdale. I think it was called O.B.'s and it was really popular. We waited about 15 minutes for a table. When they brought the menu- there was a note attached that said "We do not accept any gratuities. We take care of our employees so you don't have to". I am not sure this really worked in our favour- as the service was a slow. Not just slow- moving at the speed of a two toed sloth trapped in Jello-slow. There was absolutely no sense of urgency. But the food was delicious. That was the best bread I have ever had. This is a warning though- a basic breakfast for two with coffees was just shy of $50 US. (And you know know that I don't normally price drop, but I know there are friends here that would want to know this.) However, true to their word- this was no place to leave a tip on the receipt.

 

After breakfast, we headed to the Galleria Mall, but stayed for a very short amount of time- as we did not see any stores that we do not have in Charlotte. I think both of us hit our cranky max- and we decided to return the car early and just head to the port. It was only about 12:30- but we decided that we would just line up and "sit it out". We dropped the car- and grabbed a taxi- and were to the port at about 12:45. We were left by our super cheery cabbie at Terminal 2 (that is what the big sign said!)- and were then directed by port staff to cross the road to Terminal 4 for Check In. Fortunately, Terminal 4 was just across the street- so we trotted our luggage and our tired selves in that direction. Preferred Boarding was fast. Really fast. Once we had our cruise cards- we were directed back to Terminal 2. There was a long line of passengers being guided back to Terminal 2- and they just sort of "cut us in the line"- and boy, were the couple in back of us mad. I debated on whether or not I should explain, but once we returned to T2- we were sorted into the Preferred line for Security. Once we cleared Security, we were escorted to the Elite Lounge. I had enough time to find seats, drop my luggage (TWO bags) and go find the Ladies Room. By the time I got back, everybody was lining up to leave the Lounge-- WUT?!?! We were boarding at 1 pm- yep- you read that correctly- 1 pm! At the risk of being redundant- So much for all of the hoodod...

 

We boarded the ship- lugged that luggage (maybe that is why they call it lugg-age--- hmmmm) up 7 flights of stair- oh! And did I mention that would be 7 flights of stairs AT THE CENTER OF THE SHIP!!!! Dropped the bags and headed right for the Sanctuary- We were third in line- and were able to reserve two fine loungers in the front of the ship-- a little sun... A little shade... A lot of comfort. YAY!!!

 

This is an Aside: For those of you who have never cruised along with us- Bradley and I do not take the elevators. We walk those stairs. We feel it mitigates the ninety-six gajillion calories we consume each day in the form of deliciousness. So with this commitment that we have made- to never set foot in an elevator- it means that we carry our luggage up and down those stairs as well. The only exception was when we had my mother- we had to take the elevators to push her chair on and off.

 

Back to our regularly scheduled Live From:

 

We then trucked it down to Deck 6 for antipasto in Alfredo's. I am not quite sure if there was a MDR open for lunch today- we did not even check. After our humongous breakfast at 10:30- we knew that lunch would be a mere snack. I had the vegetable and Bradley had the meat- I thought mine was pretty great- but it seemed to missing a couple of veggies- like eggplant, and peppers. Bradley claimed that the mozzarella cheese tasted a bit off- but I thought it was just fine.

 

After lunch- we trucked it back up to our cabin on Deck 11. We are in a mid-aft mini- and I must say, I adore the changes in this room compared to the Grand class ships. The bathroom is so much more modern. And that curtain that separates the living area from the bedroom! it really is like having two rooms. In the past, I have been in PH and OS cabins- but I would feel very, very comfy booking a Royal class mini for a very long cruise (ummmm.... That is just me dreaming of retirement again).

 

I set about unpacking us. It is so much faster to unpack a 5 day cruise vs. a 12 day cruise- but you probably already knew that. We had just enough time to squeeze in an hour in the Sanctuary before we had to grab our life jackets (e.g.- blocks of cheese) and head to muster drill at 4:15p. OK- this is a completely new one for me- Our muster station is Calypso Cove and the Art Gallery- which means---- anyone? Anyone? No Chairs! Holy Footstool, Bat-Friends- This made for a very cranky group of muster buddies. I just sat on my block of cheese- but since Bradley's hip replacement, he just does not get on the floor anymore. So he stood. Like a champ. And drank a beer. And people watched. I will confess- we were the first ones out of there- as we had showers to grab and dinners to eat.

 

I cut in line and got the first shower- heck- it takes me longer anyway. And Bradley followed. Once we were spiffied up a bit, we made our way to the Allegro dinning (I kid, I kid!) dining room. This is the traditional dining room- we have early seating. We were seated at a cozy corner table for two at the extreme aft- with a window!!!! Best dining seat EVER! We ate dinner as Miami faded in the distance- how vacation is that??? The only weird thing was being followed by a helicopter for the entire meal. Not sure what that was about... Maybe they were hungry- or maybe they are subbing for the tug pilot. Very strange but pretty entertaining!

 

I had the chicken broth with tortellini, a salad, and the ricotta leek tart(s)- this is one of my absolute favorite Princess meals. And this was the best it has ever been. I am not sure if I was super hungry, or if it was perfectly prepared, or what- but that meal just tasted like vacation! Richard had the butterfly shrimp, the red snapper mojito (which he declared one of the best things he has ever tasted), and Curtis Stone Seafood Stew. Now I am well aware that there has been a lot of chatter about the CS dishes, but that man did not even leave the shiny on his plate. My guess is he really enjoyed it! And to round it all out- I had the flourless chocolate cake- BIG yum! And Bradley had the Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Soufflé- which he likes to pronounce "sue-fel"- maybe just to drive me a little nuts.

 

It is now the late, late hour of 7:30 pm and we are fed and tired and headed to bed. I am hoping we both sleep through the night. We sure could use the rest.

 

I think I will end it here-

 

More tomorrow or at 3 am- if I am wide awake!

 

Tracie-Lynn :)

[PescadoAmarillo]

Love it, every single word. Especially 'cranky max'. This is a concept with which I have some very recent experience (like, after waiting an hour for luggage 17 hours into an 18 hour travel day). Somehow it warms my heart to hear the same from other couples.

 

Have fun!

[tomatospice]

Thanks for taking the time to update. We're not sailing until next summer and I love living vicariously through your posts. Your sense of humor makes my day ;)

[cdngrl]

bummer about the gate agent. i hope from here on you get to keep your "snarky pants" packed. (i secretly look forward to what you say though)!