Live from the Sky Princess- January 28, 2023 Our Big Old “Do-Over” Cruise

[PescadoAmarillo]

Tracie-Lynn, how have I missed this for three days?  (Oh, maybe because I was getting someone out the door for his own cruise). I already wished you Happy Birthday on FB but here is another one because you’re worth celebrating twice!

 

Thank you so much for thinking of me with your chicken Korma. Still haven’t quite recovered from being ripped away from that last March. So rude! I ordered some last summer while on vacation and it just wasn’t the same. 
 

Glad to hear you’re finally feeling better, and happy to report that, ten months after I got sick, I can finally say the same. You will do great on the Camino (watch Homemade Wanderlust’s YouTube videos of her experience doing it). I am in training myself, for Antarctica, mostly by getting the mail in single digit temps. 😆

 

Cruise on!

[MustangGT]

Happy Birthday, Tracie!  Back when that big birthday hit for me, I refused to say “Sixty” so I said I was 50-10.  Now I am 50-21!  Works for me! 🤣😂

[Astro Flyer]

Another fun Tracie-Lynn adventure…thanks for taking us along.
 

Happy Birthday…you’re younger than my baby sister. ☺️

Happy to learn that you’re recovering from Covid.

 

[nini]

5 hours ago, TracieABD said:

January 30, 2023

Cozumel, Mexico

 

Riding on the Struggle Bus

 

Hi friends-

 

This morning was glorious. We slept well, woke up relatively early, coffee went off without a hitch, and we love our seats in the Sanctuary. Perfect!

 

I decided to head into the port at Cozumel. It is always nice to go for a little walk. I wanted to look for a specific battery- for our little battery candles (helpful hint: these help to provide a little light in an otherwise dark cabin). I wanted to leave the port area and walk out a bit… I did not find the battery- but I had a great walk. One thing I love about Cozumel, while the hawkers are there- they will take no for an answer on the first round.

Jon came in to meet me at Los Cinco Soles/ Pancho’s BackYard for little nosh and shop.

 

I had the taquitos and Jon had shrimp tacos- and the coffee flan! Oh the coffee flan! The weather was lovely and the food was great. Pancho’s is probably a bit more spendy than your typical fare- (more like American pricing)- but worth it. It is one of my fav places. Jon really liked it too (he is a Pancho’s F’urchin!)

 

We bought a tchotchke at the adjacent store. We found a really fun green pig that would have been amazing on our back porch- but it was big- too big to haul home. Maybe next time…

 

On the way back to the ship, I developed a migraine- and that was it for me for the afternoon.  Dark, cold cabin and sleep. It took me a few hours to resolve it.

 

Jon helped me get settled and returned to the Sanctuary. There was Afternoon Tea to tend to… At one point I woke up and found the tea and scones he brought down for me- but I just had to pass.

 

I hated missing the day in the Sanctuary- and to add to it- I lost a contact lens in the shower- fortunately I scrounged around and found another one. Whew.

 

I fussed with an email/ internet/ app issue for a bit. I am so grateful that Jon is super calm and helpful in these situations. I was struggling and he was just handling stuff- and me.

 

We went to dinner- fruit, salad, and leek quiche for me… fruit, crab dip, and stroganoff for Jon. The stroganoff was really good, but was more of a “deconstructed roulanden”- It was delicious, but a bit heavy for me.

 

We could not get seats to the production show at 7:30- even though were were there 15 minutes early- and we took this as a sign to return the room. I did a little yoga and Jon is watching a show. It will be an early night for us.

 

I am going to cut it here and pack it in early.

 

Anyone need a seat on the bus?

 

Thanks for following along!

More later-

Tracie-LynN

 

Geeez... You had me at Coffee Flan!

 

[voljeep]

14 hours ago, TracieABD said:

 

Jon came in to meet me at Los Cinco Soles/ Pancho’s BackYard for little nosh and shop.

 

I had the taquitos and Jon had shrimp tacos- and the coffee flan! Oh the coffee flan! The weather was lovely and the food was great. Pancho’s is probably a bit more spendy than your typical fare- (more like American pricing)- but worth it. It is one of my fav places. Jon really liked it too

we 'always' stop by Pancho's Backyard ... my wife parks me there at an outside table with shade.  I'll have a couple of 'fishbowl' "local beers" (XX) - that I may have in the fridge at home😉 and she will continue

/ finish browsing the shops, then meet me for a 'fishbowl' mojito and maybe some apps, maybe not.

 

she did have her feet nibbled there once.

[TracieABD]

 

January 31, 2023

Roatan, Honduras

 

Dinner Grits

 

Hi friends-

 

(Preamble- forgive me- for not getting this posted yesterday- some days, I just don’t have it all together!)

 

We woke up after another great night’s sleep. I am sleeping better on this ship than I have in so long. We went to breakfast in the MDR. I had the Tropical Fruit Boat- which was diced fruit on a full slice of pineapple. It was actually more of a Tropical Fruit Raft… just saying.

 

I decided to give the yoga class a spin. It was just me and the instructor. I did not get his name, but it was a decent class- lots of vinyasa so I knew I was getting a work out.

 

The weather was pretty cloudy with intermittent sun. Thunderstorms were predicted for the midday, but ya’all know about the weather… so of course we ignored the forecast and headed up to the Sanctuary. Within an hour or so of settling in, here it comes- the wind, the rain, the thunder and lightening. Yep. We totally bet on the wrong horse. We were the last holdouts… leaving us to get soaked while making a run for the elevator.

 

The afternoon was relaxed. Jon hung out in the International Cafe… I might have napped. I love these cruises. Because we have been to these ports multiple times, we feel no obligation to get off the ship. For us, the ship IS the destination. Also, the Carnival Vista was docked next to us… and there seemed to be a lot of people. Very, very people-y.

 

We were scheduled to depart at 7pm with a 6:30 All Aboard. At 5 pm, we decided to get off the ship to take a lap on the chairlift. The chairlift takes you to the beach and to the water sports area. It costs $14 per adult for an all day pass. If you are adverse to paying for a pass, there are excellent walkways to the beach area, as well. We had seen the long, long lines all day- but by 5 pm, most of the people-y people had returned to their respective ships. We headed out. The chairlift is fun and we timed it right around sunset. While we did not see the sun sink into the sea- it was close. We stayed on for a round trip (approximately 25 min) and then went back to the ship to get ready for dinner.

 

It was Italian Night! And we were hungry. We had forgotten to eat lunch- not sure how that happened- so many, many courses were ordered and consumed. We both had the prosciutto and melon, minestrone soup, and mista salad. I had the veal scallopini and Jon ordered the chicken Florentine. The veal was excellent and plentiful. The chicken to spinach ratio was off- and it made the chicken too “spinach-y”. I also ordered a side of polenta. And it was the best darn polenta I have ever had.

Now, excuse me while I digress a bit (seriously, this blog is just one massive digression- what’s one more?) I have lived in the deepish  South for over 30 years. But according to Southern standards- I will never be a true Southerner- the saying goes “just cuz you put chickens in the oven, don’t make ‘em biscuits” (I just know you said that in your head with a Southern accent)- But having been in the deepish South for over 3 full decades- I do know a bit about grits. I personally love them- but I am in the  butter/ salt/ and pepper camp- Never the sugar and butter camp. Never.

 

So back to my point about the polenta… grits are made of ground corn. Polenta is made of ground corn. Therefore- I officially declare polenta to be “dinner grits”. Dinner grits- its a thing- Let’s start a trend! Nuf said about that- (actually way more than needed)

 

After our massive dinner- we rolled on back to bed. We decided to pass up on the ventriloquist and return to semi-binge watching The Resident. I am sad to report, we have not watch a single episode of the Love Boat. Sleep soon followed and that ends our 3 day!

 

Anyone want to split an order of Dinner Grits?

 

Thanks for following along-

More later-

Tracie-Lynn

 

 

 

[TracieABD]

On 1/30/2023 at 9:39 PM, Astro Flyer said:

Another fun Tracie-Lynn adventure…thanks for taking us along.
 

Happy Birthday…you’re younger than my baby sister. ☺️

Happy to learn that you’re recovering from Covid.

 

Hey Frank! 
I hope all is well!  Assuming you are in Maui making us all jealous!

 

 

[TracieABD]

On 1/30/2023 at 9:06 PM, PescadoAmarillo said:

Tracie-Lynn, how have I missed this for three days?  (Oh, maybe because I was getting someone out the door for his own cruise). I already wished you Happy Birthday on FB but here is another one because you’re worth celebrating twice!

 

Thank you so much for thinking of me with your chicken Korma. Still haven’t quite recovered from being ripped away from that last March. So rude! I ordered some last summer while on vacation and it just wasn’t the same. 
 

Glad to hear you’re finally feeling better, and happy to report that, ten months after I got sick, I can finally say the same. You will do great on the Camino (watch Homemade Wanderlust’s YouTube videos of her experience doing it). I am in training myself, for Antarctica, mostly by getting the mail in single digit temps. 😆

 

Cruise on!

Hey J!  
Antarctica!!! That is exciting!!!  I know it must be cold… Stay warm and well, my friend!

[TracieABD]

On 1/30/2023 at 12:30 PM, Host CJSKIDS said:

I don't know how I missed this but Bon Voyage abs have a wonderful cruise!  And Happy Birthday!!  
 

our great friends Kathy and Bernie are on this sailing along with their family. This is their re do after having Covid ok their last sailing. 

Hi Carolyn!

I hope they are having an amazing redo just like us!!!

[TracieABD]

Night 5 Menu

[TracieABD]

Apologies… I forgot to screenshot the night 4 menus.  Bad blogger.  Bad blogger.  ☹️

[LouChamp]

Aloha. Loving your posts, pictures and sense of humor.  Thank you so much. You are a refreshing soul! All the best.

[princess76021]

3 hours ago, TracieABD said:

Apologies… I forgot to screenshot the night 4 menus.  Bad blogger.  Bad blogger.  ☹️

No apologies necessary  I'm enjoying the cruize!!!

Hugs

[CruisinChris]

Tracie - do you happen to know if sabatini’s has the new menu yet?  I’m curious.  Thx in advance

[TracieABD]

Night 5 Menus:

 

[Coral]

Tracie - loving the live blog!

 

I did Santiago de Compostela via cruise ship in November - we docked in La Coruna. So much easier than the 90 or 500 mile hike 🙂 I do have to say I did get tired after touring the city all day. Beautiful place. Glad I could relax riding the bus back to the ship!!!!!!

 

Glad you survived COVID and got back on a ship! Hoping this is a good birthday trip.

[Astro Flyer]

12 hours ago, TracieABD said:

Hey Frank! 
I hope all is well!  Assuming you are in Maui making us all jealous!

 

 

We’re returning next week 😎🏝️🌈🌅🌞

 

I noticed that Mama’s Meat Lasagna has replaced Fettuccine Alfredo as the always available nightly pasta. I enjoy lasagna…hopefully it’s Molto Bene! 😋 Wonder if this is a fleetwide change or just for your cruise.

 

Edited February 2, 2023 by Astro Flyer

[TracieABD]

 

February 1, 2023

Belize City, Belize

 

Hi friends-

 

Another slow post… after another great night of sleep.

 

I got up and made it to yoga. This time the class was with Melissa and was much more “yoga-y”. AND there were actually four of us! For as introverted as I can be, I do like to practice yoga in a group- even on a cruise ship. However (helpful hint here), entering a closed yoga studio to ask your wife what time she will be finished- and then persist on having a conversation with said wife for about 3 minutes-bad form. Oh- the cluelessness.

 

We have been going to the International Cafe for breakfast. I am astounded at the changes- and maybe it is just on this ship- but WOW! There used to be just pastries and maybe an eggy sammich for breakfast. Not today, my little health nuts, not today! Every morning in the IC, the offerings include- avocado toast, beet toast, salmon toast, chia pudding, multiple yogurt parfaits, eggy sammich, ham and cheese sammich, egg burritos, cottage cheese with fruit, egg bites, monkey bread, cut fruit, whole fruit, and then the usual suspects in the form of pastries. I am loving this so much. It is the healthiest I have seen on any ship- any where.

 

After stuffing ourselves with healthy deliciousness at the IC, we headed up to the Sanctuary. Because Belize City is a 30 minute tender ride each way, lots of people stayed on board and the Sanctuary was packed. However, there was a Christmas miracle… every single person was quiet and respectful. We spent the day chasing shade- the sun was bright and hot! So bright. So hot. We stayed through tea and then moved down to our cabin.

 

I decided to do a load of drip dry, which initially was a study in frustration as I had to visit 8- count ‘em- EIGHT laundry rooms before I could find a working token machine. Not sure if you are getting on in the next couple of days- but Deck 10 Starboard was the only working machine I could find.

 

As for the Elite laundry perk- another WOW! Load 1 came back in less than 24 hours. Load 2 in less than 48 hours. This is a metaphor for this cruise- everything is just better than I remember. Food, service, ship condition, etc… I know this is a top down deal- and the captain seems to be really “on it”. The crew seems to be really happy.

 

We ate dinner again in the MDR. I had the chilled carrot and ginger soup and the TBGCS!!! (IYKYK)- If you don’t- It is the most delicious dish EVER! Twice-baked Goat Cheese Soufflé! Yum! For the first time I have seen, it was offered as a main and not an appetizer- but the portion size was the exact same- Personally, as a TBGCS aficionado and life-long fan- I think that if you offer it as a main, it should be twice the size! Then it could be DSTBGCS…We might need to start a movement- a protest- We could make signs and get matching t-shirts and everything!!! Double the size! Double the fun! Who’s with me here???

 

Back to our regularly scheduled blog—-

 

We attended the production show in the Princess theater. It is their guest singer Ross Hunter- who has a rather impressive “West End” pedigree. He was actually really talented- albeit a bit cheesy. The crowd loved him. Jon and I are a tad bit more jaded (sorry, it’s just facts)- and at one point we both lost it during the performance. We are like the co-worker you can never sit next to- once one of us gets the giggles- it is game on. Thank goodness for really loud amplification and masks- otherwise we would have needed to leave the theater.

 

Back to the room. Back to a few episodes of the Resident. Back to bed. Back to sleep. Another day in the can!

 

Anyone want to join my cause for DSTBGCS? Come on! It’ll be fun!

 

Thanks for following along!

More later-

Tracie-Lynn

[TracieABD]

15 hours ago, Coral said:

Tracie - loving the live blog!

 

I did Santiago de Compostela via cruise ship in November - we docked in La Coruna. So much easier than the 90 or 500 mile hike 🙂 I do have to say I did get tired after touring the city all day. Beautiful place. Glad I could relax riding the bus back to the ship!!!!!!

 

Glad you survived COVID and got back on a ship! Hoping this is a good birthday trip.

Hey T!

 

I would love to hear your thoughts on Santiago! Thank you for all of the good wishes! 

[TracieABD]

10 hours ago, Astro Flyer said:

We’re returning next week 😎🏝️🌈🌅🌞

 

I noticed that Mama’s Meat Lasagna has replaced Fettuccine Alfredo as the always available nightly pasta. I enjoy lasagna…hopefully it’s Molto Bene! 😋 Wonder if this is a fleetwide change or just for your cruise.

 

Hey Frank- 

I will try to remember to order the lasagne tonight… and will report back forthwith.  In truth, the MDR menu seems to be reduces- the every night offerings are gone on many nights… not sure if you can still order them- as on off-menu deal.

It is our last night in the MDR- so this is my big chance!

[TracieABD]

36 minutes ago, TracieABD said:

Hey T!

 

I would love to hear your thoughts on Santiago! Thank you for all of the good wishes! 

 

[TracieABD]

Night 6 Menu

 

 

Edited February 2, 2023 by TracieABD

[TracieABD]

Night. 7 Menu:

[MsSoCalCruiser]

Thank you for posting and I am loving your review. I’m happy to hear that you are over Covid. 

[OhioDogLover]

Thank you for writing this.  It is fun.  

 

Ohiodoglover