Crown Princess ABC islands Jan 12 to 20, 2018

[Bimmer09]

THROUGH A BUS WINDOW

I took pictures through the bus window as we reached the outskirts of Willemstad.

This isn't one of them-it's a forgotten one from the Art garden but I know many people find iguanas as irresistibly cute as ostriches.

 

Carol was still beaming from her encounter with the ostriches and I must say I enjoyed the visit with them even though my first reaction wasn't ostrich-friendly. It was a worthwhile excursion all the way. Now I just have to stop her ordering one from Amazon.

Here are some of the things the bus drove past on the way back to the Crown Princess;

 

A cemetery

 

 

Self explanatory



 

 

Strip mall



 

 



 

 

another cemetery



 

 

More...

[Bimmer09]

 

 

 

 

Christmas decorations still up, this one in a traffic roundabout (circle)

 

 



 

 

More...

[A Pisces]

I never would have thought to go to an ostrich farm, but they were so neat looking, and entertaining!

We are some of those iguana people, so we also appreciated that photo. ;)

 

Just wanted to let you know that this is the first thread I go to in the morning, and the last one I check before bed. It is very entertaining to me!

[Duffysmom]

Norris nobody does it better, the photography, your LOL humor and upbeat attitude.

I look forward to your reviews.

[Bimmer09]

Christmas doves I imagine

 

 

 

 

We are dropped off at the dock gates around noon and as we have a booked table at a local restaurant at 1p.m we don't intend to return to the ship. We tip our guide Nell and her driver Kenneth and begin the walk along by the sea that will lead us to Rif Fort, a cool shopping and dining center and make our way from there along the river with its Floating Bridge, to lunch. It's hot so we may make a few shady bench stops along the way.

This is a shop we see as we commence a' walkin'

 

 

and the horse we rode in on

[Bimmer09]

WHAT A BEAUTY!

 

 



 

 

We are directed away from the sea toward Rif Fort



 

 



 

 

Shooting a cannon with a Canon



 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

I never would have thought to go to an ostrich farm, but they were so neat looking, and entertaining!

We are some of those iguana people, so we also appreciated that photo. ;)

 

Just wanted to let you know that this is the first thread I go to in the morning, and the last one I check before bed. It is very entertaining to me!

 

Thank you Kathy! It's so nice to hear that you are enjoying the review as it will be our last Princess for 18 months or more as we have no more P cruises booked.

There will be more iguana shots when we return to the ship later. Better ones.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Norris nobody does it better, the photography, your LOL humor and upbeat attitude.

I look forward to your reviews.

 

Thank you Duffysmom! I'm very glad that you enjoy this so much.

Lots more to come from this wonderful cruise!

Thanks for the very kind compliments.

Norris

[lola2013]

Thank you Kathy! It's so nice to hear that you are enjoying the review as it will be our last Princess for 18 months or more as we have no more P cruises booked.

There will be more iguana shots when we return to the ship later. Better ones.

Norris

 

Slightly off topic Norris...any chance you'll be attending the Celebrity event in Arlington Heights next week? I know you sail on both lines so perhaps you got an invite!

Susan

[MisterMet]

Then I hope you'll like the OSTRICH VIDEO

 

 

 

ujwFlBaJZZA

 

 

 

Norris

 

 

 

Perfect!

 

Trip

 

 

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[Bimmer09]

Slightly off topic Norris...any chance you'll be attending the Celebrity event in Arlington Heights next week? I know you sail on both lines so perhaps you got an invite!

Susan

 

 

Hi, Susan. I checked my email and I only have the too good to miss cruise offers from Celebrity (and Princess and Oceania and Azamara and Seabourn and Cunard)

When is it? I am off Feb 14 but have a dental appointment and getting an oil change (on the car, not myself)

Norris, now curious

[Bimmer09]

Perfect!

Trip

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Trip, glad you liked the ostrich video!

I feel for them. All day in the same paddock. Being ostriches. Not tigers.

We both thought they looked prehistoric. They have a long history and yet not one of them has ever done anything un-ostrichy, like writing a Broadway play or learning the bongos.

I am writing about a fun day in one of my favorite ports in the Caribbean and can't wait to show my next batch of photos. I'm happy to see you are still tuning in!

Coming up in the early a.m!

Norris

[perfect match]

Definitely enjoyed the ostrich video! One guy seemed like he kept coming back and checking to be sure you were still filming him!

 

I'm wondering how that ostrich you seem to think Carol will be ordering from Amazon will like living in Chicago. :confused: ;p

[lola2013]

Hi, Susan. I checked my email and I only have the too good to miss cruise offers from Celebrity (and Princess and Oceania and Azamara and Seabourn and Cunard)

When is it? I am off Feb 14 but have a dental appointment and getting an oil change (on the car, not myself)

Norris, now curious

 

Good morning,

Tuesday, 2/13, 6pm...I got the invite from my TA. If you'd like, I can contact her and see if they can accommodate two more Celebrity devotees. It's at Cooper's Hawk; I'm pretty sure there's wine involved!!!

How about the Travel Show in Rosemont this weekend? We always pick up a lot of good cruise info there.

Susan

[terrysko2000]

Norris, thank you for your awesome review! We are sailing the Crown in two weeks so I am enjoying your great pics etc. thanks again! Terry

[Bimmer09]

We are walking through Rif Fort

 

 



 

We don't stop to window-shop. We already have all the windows we need at home.

We leave the confines of the Fort and are in the open again.

 

Now we get a nice cooling breeze from the waters of Saint Anna Bay which divides the city

[SquishTheWhale]

Squish, I don't count Phantom of the Opera as an opera as it isn't remotely but it does have the word Opera in it, I'll give it that.

The phrase highlighted in your quote in red instantly tells me that you are my kind of whale.

I went to my first opera in 1993 on a whim and out of curiosity after loving the Three Tenors at Caracalla , the ancient Roman Baths on DVD and La Boheme by Puccini blew me away. 25 years and a very rich life later I am still smitten. I love pop music too and some 70's Jazz-rock fusion and lots of classical music. I go from listening to Debussy piano music to Led Zeppelin in a heartbeat. I'll give any food a go or any activity that looks like fun-scuba,segway,skiing etc.

I took a job on a cruise ship in 1985 not knowing anything about cruising and I didn't stop for a second to think about it. It was my luckiest day ever.

Nothing beats a try...

Norris

 

Oh how fun! What did you do on the cruise ship? I did consider it myself but I ended up as cabin crew instead for a few years. I've just caught up with your review and as usual such beautiful pictures, especially of the tigers.

 

The stargazing looks brilliant- I will definitely look out for that. We always love learning something new and our usual stargazing attempts involve naming everything as Orion so I think we need to work on that.

 

On the same note, Carol I love your idea of having a guide to read for the Opera show. It would certainly help me understand what I am watching!

[Bimmer09]

(3 pics stitched together)

This is the hideous eyesore that greets your eyes after leaving Riff Fort. We try to avert our gaze but it keeps drawing us back. I will go out on a limb-in this case my left leg-and say it is my favorite sight in the Caribbean. The view from Paradise Point in St.Thomas would come in second. If there is a white sand beach somewhere with Guinness trees then that would likely be third.

We will cross the Queen Emma pontoon bridge later-seen at extreme left.

For now we are heading towards that big ship in the distance



 

That street market isn't a pushy one, like say in Ocho Rios, where they will use a shepherd's crook to drag you into their stalls. Low-key which is what we like.

There's a bench near the pontoon bridge where we sit and look at the still-standing Christmas decorations from 3 weeks ago.



 

 



 

 

[Bimmer09]

lol not sure if you've had a chance to read my review yet, but I posted something about Ocho Rios that you just nailed spot on :')

 

Crystal, I have been reading your excellent, fun, review and I have been to Ocho Rios 45 times. Your group being hijacked and driven to some shanty shack stores so the driver could get a kick-back instead of going where the group asked to go-to the port area shops- didn't surprise me at all.

Tourism is a big part of their economy but can only dwindle the more tourists experience their pushiness and desperation to make a buck. Who needs to stop at a port where you can't walk outside the gates (like you can in these ABC islands) lest you be molested? We are cruising to relax, not be on the defensive. It's a pity as Jamaica is so naturally beautiful.

I am a very light-hearted guy and can banter with anyone but even I got tired of being grabbed by the arm and ushered into a shop to see baskets. I would laugh at the absurdity of it all- I am used to shopping in places where they respect your person and let the merchandise speak for itself. Eventually it dimmed my good humor to the point where I had Eddie, a taxi driver, pick me up at the ship each week and drive me to a resort, the Sans Souci, where no one bothered me.

PS everyone, read Crystal's latest photo-heavy review of Carnival Vista! Knowledge is power.

To that end I read just about every photo review on CC to see what the Princess competition offers.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Queen Emma Bridge

 

It's so cool-a bridge with an outboard motor that swings open to let big cargo and cruise ships sail through. We'll go across later.

The big backside (nautical term for ass) of the Monarch, formerly the Monarch of the Seas



 

She is berthed right next to the restaurant we are booked in for lunch at 1 p.m

 

We are 15 minutes early. This eating lunch ashore thing is my idea simply because (a) we are in a foreign port and (b) I love eating locally. When in Rome...you won't find me eating in a McDonalds even though I like the occasional Big Mac. I go on vacation abroad to experience what's outside America, even if I eat a dish, such as a hamburger, that is considered American.

 

 

There's no one at the host stand. Nor at the bar...



 

I could see a waitress out on the terrace where we had asked to dine on our online reservation a few weeks ago. There was a table empty-hopefully ours. No host though to seat us.

Maybe 3 minutes passed and then out of nowhere a voice-"can I help you?" Where did he come from? Was there one of those secret revolving bookcases like in the horror movies?

He was a gentleman with a physical affliction but such a warm individual I felt for him even more. A perfect host I should say and he led us out to that empty table with it's stellar view and gave us menus.



He took our drinks order-as you know from the Crown Princess, Carol's order doesn't seem to matter (It's a man's , man's, man's world-but it wouldn't be nothing without a woman or a girl) so his focus was on the Gentleman's beer

 

 

More....

[Bimmer09]

It clouded over and a Tropical rainstorm "the like of which the world has never seen" let loose with a furious deluge. So strong were the raindrops they had no trouble bouncing off the wooden parapet before us and onto our table. Quick as a flash the host leapt forward like a tiger, er, um , ostrich, to move our table out of the splash zone!

 

 

People just arrived on the free Ferry stayed put in the ferry terminal. The ferry operates when the bridge swings open as it just had to let a cargo ship through.

 

A menu was brought forth (or fifth- I lost count)



 

The rain lasted maybe 10 minutes and then the ferry ran again. We were thankful that we had arrived before the downpour.

Now, reasonably dry, we could relax and await our food.

[jlf1]

Norris,

 

Still here.......awaiting more food shots (pardon me.....photographs)

 

Judy

[KYBOB]

Norris

 

Late to the seafarers journal, we where on the Crown in 2009, and went to the Ostrich Farm had our picture taken feeding them, thought it was touristy at the time but has become one of our favorite photos along with us standing at the front of the original Crown Princess in 1994 holding a life preserver as we go through the Gatun locks. As usual great photos. I have almost the same shots you do of the ship at dock. Are you using some of Cole’s Lightroom persets?

[Bimmer09]

I ordered a burger and fries

 

 

delivered by a young blond lady as the host had done his job.

 

Carol had the fish catch of the day-tuna, with some kind of fritter



 

Carol reminded me just today that the menu had said that the chef goes down to the boats each morning and talks to the fishermen bringing in the catch. What he talks about isn't detailed. Carol gave me a bite of her tuna. It was tuna but a wee bit fishy on the nose. Remember what the great chef Emeril Lagasse says-if it smells like fish go for the chicken!

Here's my plate after the meal

 

Great fries, hot and crispy. The waitress asked me "didn't you like your burger?". I said "I

was expecting a hand formed patty of fresh ground sirloin whereas this was one of those frozen patties made of compressed scraps of mystery meat that comes from purveyors like Sisco"



Carol says she saw the waitress telling her colleagues about my critique.

I review restaurants on TripAdvisor and they shall have one. I didn't ask for it to be taken off the bill as I ate two bites and devoured all the fries and the bill was only $47.

I cook a mean burger in the summertime on my trusty old Weber grill and there is some love that goes into forming and seasoning the patty. 85% lean is best if you want a juicy burger- "juicy" requires some fat in the meat. This was a hockey-puck with no air in it due to compression at high psi in a gleaming stainless-steal factory somewhere. Scrapings from the cattle's skull and hooves were no doubt the ingredients.



Oh, well. We have a fantastic restaurant or two onboard the Crown.



I paid the bill and gave a 20% tip to the waitress and we strolled out back to their outdoor patio which looks like a great place to dine (don't order a burger!)

 

 

[MisterMet]

Trip, glad you liked the ostrich video!

 

I feel for them. All day in the same paddock. Being ostriches. Not tigers.

 

We both thought they looked prehistoric. They have a long history and yet not one of them has ever done anything un-ostrichy, like writing a Broadway play or learning the bongos.

 

 

 

I am writing about a fun day in one of my favorite ports in the Caribbean and can't wait to show my next batch of photos. I'm happy to see you are still tuning in!

 

 

 

Coming up in the early a.m!

 

Norris

 

 

 

Norris,

 

I sympathize with the ostriches. I too have a long, nearly prehistoric history, and the only thing I’ve accomplished is saving people from bad golf swings! Lol! I tried learning the guitar, but it gave me such tendinitis. I’ll have to make my mark soon before time runs out.

 

Looking forward to seeing more of these ports. It looks like climate and topography of Curacao is quite different than other Caribbean Islands. Would that be a correct observation?

 

Just like Maxwell House, your reviews are good to the last drop! I’m here to the end my friend.

 

Trip

 

 

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