LIVE from the Majestic Princess March 12-26 2022

[jwattle]

[jwattle]

[LACruiser88]

@jwattle  We have to upgrade our formal wear to hang with you guys!  Looking sharp!

[c-boy]

4 hours ago, LACruiser88 said:

@jwattle  We have to upgrade our formal wear to hang with you guys!  Looking sharp!

The real issue was making sure it fit after 18+ months of non use 😄

[c-boy]

I gotta say the city by the bay is hoppin'. On this bright clam warm day, people everywhere, laughing,smiling ( you can see it in their eye's even when they're wearing masks)   great to back and alive. Good times people ... good times 😄

[Lucky TGO]

On 3/11/2022 at 10:12 AM, jwattle said:

Today's the day! We're boarding the jet, leaving the bougee  behind and Tom and Jo take to the sea! 

A little about us: We're late fifties, fun loving and have been chomping at the bit to get back to a ship. We had a cruise scheduled for April 2020; everyone knows how that turned out. That had been in the works for three (count them with me) THREE years! It was a glorious 28 day B2B. When it was canceled,  because COVID would last a few weeks, I  booked another (similar to the first for November 2020)...and a back up (on the Discovery (January 2022, around the Horn)...and a back up to the back up (a sedate Cali Coastal / Mexican Riviera,  in case the world fell apart for March 2022).

Can anyone guess which cruise (s) we actually got to enjoy? Yep! The last one.  That brings us to where we are,  finally feeling the pre- cruise excitement (it's the day before, MAYBE it won't be canceled!!). 

We came to Sonoma to spend a couple of days with family pre-cruise and while here had to stock the medicine chest (code word for wine case) at the old estate.  A  look at the drive: 

 

We passed our Covid tests yesterday,  packed everything in the steamer trunks (kidding), and board the jet soon. Hope to take you along for the ride! 

 

Hi Tom & Jo,

I hope you have a great time on the cruise.!! I’ll be following along.

Love Ya both 🥰

Your pal The Captain of The Rowboat,

Tony

 

[jwattle]

Time at vines... don't judge 

[jwattle]

59 minutes ago, Lucky TGO said:

Hi Tom & Jo,

I hope you have a great time on the cruise.!! I’ll be following along.

Love Ya both 🥰

Your pal The Captain of The Rowboat,

Tony

 

We wish you were here Tony,  we thought we saw the rowboat 🚣‍♂️ 

[jwattle]

[jwattle]

[jwattle]

[c-boy]

The last evening wine and dine was a lengthy event. As you see we stated at vines where we met some of our fabulous table mates from the wine makers dinner. After partaking in some fine vintages, we proceeded to the dining room and ordered a cabernet blend for myself and a chardonnay for my lovely wife.

   For an first serving a wonderful sliced baguette straddled with pate wrapped in bacon and topped with arugula and endive olive oil seasoned and toasted sesame seed. Subtle balance of flavors and pleasing to the palate. Jo was enamored with her choice, the  chilled banana rum strawberry soup. 

 

   For the main we selected rib eye for my wife and the chef's speciale for myself.  service was prompt and  cheerful .  Jo's steak although I thought it to be thin she was satisfied as it was cooked to her liking. My dish was a rendition of an old Mexican pollo de alguna manera. Looked interesting .... generous portion .... rice is plain .... I'll give it a try.  Hmmmm  not much flavor for all the color and aroma. Two bites in I decided to add my Mrs dash......  Noooooo  I left her in the cabin!  Wait what's this under the rise , awww a pepper.  Excuse me Hani, what's the pepper ?  "Mr. Tom it is a roasted habarero"   Wonderful, I've eating those before. Perhaps it's meant to be partaking in small pieces with the chicken and rice. Sliced a very small potion of habanero added chicken and a little rice to the utensil and Mmmmmm 🙂.  sip some wine ..... repeat process.  small piece of pollo, small portion rice sliced habanerooooooo  🙄

 

         Holy shyt !  everything was burning!  my tongue went numb, my lips were tingling, my eye's were watering. I was gasping for air like a fish outta water. Speaking of which did no good to ease the effect. I sure wasn't gonna chug a fine wine to put out the fire in my throat. I started looking around the room for a gentleman who ordered the same dish, to warn him  but I couldn't see through the tears in my eye's. 

 

     By this time our waiter had taken notice and came table side to offer assistance.  Every time I opened my mouth to speak it was like opening the door  to a room with a fire on the other side. My wife and our wonderful waiter were suggesting  milk to quench the flames. All I could think to say was habanro he!!, that was a ghost pepper from he!! .   Jo had ordered the chilled banana, rum, strawberry soup for dessert which acted as a fire suppressant .

[XBGuy]

Wow.  I am really surprised that Princess served a roasted habanero pepper with one of its entrees.  

[Host CJSKIDS]

22 hours ago, jwattle said:

Yesterday was a nice first day to be drowsy,  especially since we got our invite to the Winemakers Dinner! Definitely want to be rested for that, bright eyed and bushy tailed. Also,  it was so foggy we thought we'd committed a party foul and he was taking us back home to Humboldt. The fog Horn was blowing every two minutes to let smaller vessels know "move over,  or be moved!"

So,  the Winemakers Dinner: delightful!! It was formal night,  and Tom turned out in beautiful togs as always. For those who say pictures or it didn't happen, here you go friends: my apologies, I agree dessert before I remembered pictures. Sorry,  not sorry! 😀

Wonderful pictures!  And I see Chris and Brenda there!  I figured with his love of wine they would be dining.  

[jwattle]

1 hour ago, XBGuy said:

Wow.  I am really surprised that Princess served a roasted habanero pepper with one of its entrees.  

That was a personal adventure,  not a Princess thing. We're loving it!

[jwattle]

Made a nice withdrawal from the casino today!

[CalLuvsCrusingToo]

Jackpot! 🤩

[memoak]

On 3/14/2022 at 12:12 PM, jwattle said:

Yesterday was a nice first day to be drowsy,  especially since we got our invite to the Winemakers Dinner! Definitely want to be rested for that, bright eyed and bushy tailed. Also,  it was so foggy we thought we'd committed a party foul and he was taking us back home to Humboldt. The fog Horn was blowing every two minutes to let smaller vessels know "move over,  or be moved!"

So,  the Winemakers Dinner: delightful!! It was formal night,  and Tom turned out in beautiful togs as always. For those who say pictures or it didn't happen, here you go friends: my apologies, I agree dessert before I remembered pictures. Sorry,  not sorry! 😀

Did you book the winemakers dinner through the dine line on embarkation ?  Had our fill of chefs table dinners but have been hoping to do the winemakers dinner on our April coastal 

[firefighter4u]

My wife was wondering if they offered any sweet wines?

[jwattle]

1 hour ago, memoak said:

Did you book the winemakers dinner through the dine line on embarkation ?  Had our fill of chefs table dinners but have been hoping to do the winemakers dinner on our April coastal 

Yes, and hope to again

1 hour ago, firefighter4u said:

My wife was wondering if they offered any sweet wines?

Yes, many Rieslings, Moscatos,  etc on the lists

[jwattle]

Let's play Bingo! After the morning festivities,  Bingo sounds fun. Tom is going to rest,  but on the way to the room someone apparently said "oooo, if it isn't the rich man and his lucky wife". How rude! Oh well,  apparently green is her color,  and I don't mean money...jealous much?

Let's see if Fortuna Luck smiles my way again ! We're just busy having fun!

After Bingo is Chef Table. This sea air is very hard on clothes...I swear they're shrinking!

[c-boy]

3 hours ago, CalLuvsCrusingToo said:

Jackpot! 🤩

seems like everytime Jo saunters out of one of those venues she has $$$ in hand

Edited March 15, 2022 by c-boy

[lbfluffy]

On 3/14/2022 at 12:12 PM, jwattle said:

Yesterday was a nice first day to be drowsy,  especially since we got our invite to the Winemakers Dinner! Definitely want to be rested for that, bright eyed and bushy tailed. Also,  it was so foggy we thought we'd committed a party foul and he was taking us back home to Humboldt. The fog Horn was blowing every two minutes to let smaller vessels know "move over,  or be moved!"

So,  the Winemakers Dinner: delightful!! It was formal night,  and Tom turned out in beautiful togs as always. For those who say pictures or it didn't happen, here you go friends: my apologies, I agree dessert before I remembered pictures. Sorry,  not sorry! 😀

I love Neville. He’s funny.

[Sandyrella]

Thank-you for all of your wonderful pictures and updates!

We'll be on her sister ship, the Discovery Princes, in June.

 

Would you happen to know if they serve Fever Tree tonic on board?

It could make or break a good Gin & Tonic 🤩

 

[KLM3164]

2 hours ago, c-boy said:

seems like everytime Jo saunters out of one of those venues she has $$$ in hand

Better stick with her! 😉