Dawn Princess 6/26/08 LIVE-Pam and Rex's Great Adventure

[pamwinn]

I know some of you like reading this stuff. If you don't, click that little

squiggly X thing. I think it is going to be really long. PS Don't look for typo's or you will find them.

 

Cruise Prelude

 

June 23, 2008 Atlanta to San Francisco

 

We got up at 6AM and thought we were in good shape for the trip. Typically, we are still packing but this time we had more lead in time after work and were able to accomplish the packing much earlier than usual. We had our typical problems trying to decide what not to take but all in all, things went well.

 

At 7:30 the car service called and asked if we were ready. Rex was in the shower and I told the guy that we were expecting him at 8:30. He said, "Oops. They told me 8:00 and I can wait until 8:00 in your driveway." This caused the frantic rush that I was trying so hard to avoid this time. I get so excited about these trips that one day I probably won't survive it. I did throw-up in the shower (a childhood Christmas eve tradition) but other than that, I was containing my excitement fairly well....until the call. I started screaming for Rex and running around trying to secure the dogs, put up the coffee cups, gather the other odds and ends, and lock our suitcases to get out the door...the clock was ticking. Rex never gets excited (or at least it doesn't show) so he was moving slowly as if we had all the time in the world. He took the suitcases out behind me as I was trying to stall the driver. When we started backing out I looked into the back and could only see 3 suitcases. "Did you bring all the luggage? I

can only see 3 suitcases? Rex said he did but the driver stopped the van and got out. I followed him to the back and my large suitcase was missing. "Rex, my suitcase is not in here." He said, "I brought all the suitcases." I said, "One is missing." Rex walked back in the house to get my suitcase. It was sitting in the foyer, inside the front door, where the other three had been. There is no rational explanation for how that could happen, that is how all of our trips begin so I will leave it at that. The driver then asked about tickets etc, before proceeding to the airport.

 

We arrived at the airport two and a half hours prior to take-off and proceeded to our usual airport hangout, the Budweiser Brew House. It was 9AM and time for a Bloody Mary....or two. We enjoyed our drinks and time passed quickly. When I did the online check-in, I was offered the opportunity to upgrade to first class for $100 and I took it. Five hours is a long time to be wedged in a tiny seat touching knees and shoulders with a stranger who's been eating garlic and is coughing and blowing his nose non-stop.

 

We broke tradition and did not consume any adult beverages on the plane (even though they were offered free) as I believed that is what makes my ankles swell up on flights. I drank only water and arrived sans swollen ankles so I guess my theory was correct. We did not encounter any more mishaps and arrived safely in San Francisco.

 

We took the super shuttle to our hotel, the Intercontinental San Francisco. There were 5 others in the shuttle but our hotel was the first stop. We like to stay in 4 or 5 star hotels for 2 star prices and once again priceline came through. The ISF is a very nice hotel and to make things better, it is brand new so everything is in perfect condition. That helps a lot when your spouse is an obsessive-compulsive germaphobe. We were upgraded to a nice room on the 30th (of 33) floor with a scenic view of downtown and a little bit of the bay. We had club privileges that include breakfast, free booze, afternoon tea service, free booze, evening appetizers, and free booze. The free booze was all high-end, fancy pants stuff. We were impressed.

 

We are pretty much out of shape for walking a city like San Francisco but we gave it a go just the same. The first evening after all the free booze in the clubroom, we took a walk in the area around the hotel. We walked around for a couple of hours and found an Italian restaurant (Pazzaio) that I knew about...Zagot recommended. We had Antipasti and Pizza. We walked that off on the trip back to the hotel. We were very tired and a little cautious about walking around after dark so we called it a night.

 

June 24th Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf, My aching feet.

 

I woke up at 2AM and that was pretty much it for me. I tried to go back to sleep and manage to doze off and on until about 5AM. That's 8AM at home so actually fairly late for us to be getting out of bed. We had breakfast in the clubroom and then walked to a streetcar stop a couple of blocks away. We rode past Pier 33 intentionally as we wanted to see the sea lions at Pier 39. They took up residence there after the earthquake of 1990. We strolled around the Pier and window-shopped then settled in to watch the sea lions bark and frolic for a half hour or so. We took pictures of each other with Alcatraz in the background...typical day in touristville though too chilly for Hawaiian shirts. Then we walked back to Pier 33 to catch the Alcatraz Tour Boat.

 

I really enjoyed the tour of Alcatraz and a lot more so than Rex. He (germs) would not wear the communal headphones for the tour so I think he missed a lot as ex-prisoners and ex-guards who explain what you are seeing narrate the audio tour and they guide you through the prison. The narration included escape stories, both successful and not. I took notice of the connection on the player I was wearing around my neck so if any future germaphobes take this tour, bring your own head phones, they will work. You need to hear the audio. I read that you have to pay extra for the audio tour but that was not the case. I was wearing an Eddie Bauer waterproof/ windproof jacket and sometimes I was hot but when I took it off, I was cold. It's hot in the sun and cold in the shade and the wind can give you an earache. Still, it beats hot in the sun, hot in the shade and I could adapt.

 

After Alcatraz we did a full-blown foot tour of all that Fisherman's Wharf has to offer. I had the obligatory chowder in a sourdough bowl. We caught the cable car at the Fisherman's Wharf turnaround and conveniently enough the Powell street turnaround is about 2 blocks from our hotel. That was nice as my toe is bleeding, I think my Achilles tendon is damaged on both feet, my legs hurt all the way up the front and down the back which means pretty much everywhere. Westfield San Francisco is a City Mall that is across the street from the cable car turnaround so we walked through rather than around the gargantuan building. We exited through Bloomingdale's but were held up briefly when Rex spotted the Al Clad cookware. He's addicted to the stuff. We have a very valuable and

ridiculous collection of cookware and cutlery...much more that two people with declining (though still hardy) appetites need.

 

One thing, I do not find San Francisco to be as clean as Atlanta though a San Franciscan might say the opposite.

 

We exited the Mall and returned to the hotel. By the time we showered, it was 6:30 PM and I was aching. Neither of us was hungry so we dropped in the Club for a drink and appetizers then, after a long, busy, and very entertaining day we called it a night.

 

June 25th A Coincidence

 

Rex and I are celebrating 25 years of wedded bliss. We will be on the ship on the actual day and hear there will be many people celebrating our July 4th anniversary along with us. I'd like to thank you all in advance for helping us celebrate our loss of independence. We do appreciate it.

 

We strolled back to the Westfield Mall to meet up with some friends of ours who have been in California celebrating their 25th anniversary. They toured wine country (actually toured twice) and Yosemite and came to San Francisco for a couple of days. We spent a few hours chatting with them over some atypical (for GA) mall food. In fact, we live in such a food ignorant area that I can state with certainty there is no restaurant within 30 miles of my house that can hold a candle to the Mall food here. Sad, weird, and true (yes I know that is a sentence fragment).

 

After bidding farewell to Bob and Beverly we went shopping for the little odds and ends that we needed for the cruise. I made the mistake of looking in the lighted magnifying mirror in the hotel bathroom. It magnifies your face like a thousand times or something. At home, there is a counter between me and the mirror and I don't wear my glasses when I look in it. I am very, very nearsighted and had no clue how relentlessly time marches on. He left some nasty footprints on my face. Nevertheless, I lightened the inventory at the corner Walgreen's quite bit. I am pretty sure I have now scrubbed my face raw but hopefully I won't have an allergic reaction to any of this stuff. Mom, why didn't you tell me that hair would start growing on the bridge of my nose....big, thick, black hairs. I know I saw a weird hairy man once with hair there but no one else, ever...except me. Can you have your nose waxed? It really hurts to pluck them!

 

After returning to the hotel and cleaning up for dinner, it was back to the clubroom for a couple of drinks and appetizers before getting back on the street in search of dinner. The appetizers were colossal shrimp, tuna tar tar, and crab claws nicely trimmed to expose all the juicy crabmeat. There were other appetizers that looked like beautiful flowers and were delicious. I don't even know what they were...ate it anyway because those opportunities don't present themselves back home...fancy smancy is all I can say...we skipped dinner. Rex had a couple of Tangaray Martini'swhich I passed on so needless to say...he is asleep. In all fairness, it is almost midnight at home, but it is daylight here!

 

Tomorrow is ship day followed by a sea day so my feet will get the needed rest before we are off like teenagers again.

 

June 26 Embarcation

We are checking out of the hotel in a couple of hours and I'll let you know how we like the ship soon.

[mii]

Thanks for the review so far. Very enjoyable reading about your adventures. Keep it coming.

 

Marilyn

[JWJs]

Hello. Great review so far. Looking forward to reading more as the days go by. All-Clad. Wonderful. Love any store that has lots of All-Clad. Vintage collection! That's awesome. Happy Anniversary. Nice way to celebrate. Hope your feet stop aching soon. Hot tub? That always works for me. Will you be posting pictures of your cruise? Have a fabulous cruise as I know you will.

[partybarbie]

Loved reading about your adventures in San Francisco. I must now stay at the Intercontinental:D .

[ggprincess2004]

You sold me on the Intercontinental in SF. Have a wonderful cruise, and keep writing if you can, chuckling quietly to myself right now - will probably giggle at odd times this evening as I remember your post.:)

[nna]

you do pay for the audio tour--you can get a ticket for the rock without it at a lower cost--they don't advertise this.

 

also, as someone who used to work there, we say there were no successful escapes from the rock--all died or did not make it off. the one guy who made it to the golden gate bridge was recaptured and happy for it--he almost died of hypothermia....

 

sorry all the smoke is covering the views...

[melika091900]

you can barely see the ship at

www.webmarin.com

 

 

too much smoke in the bay area !!!!

[karenem]

Ick! I can't believe we're actually breathing that. No wonder my head hurts.

 

Thanks for the review! I'm all ears (or actually, eyes) to hear more because my family will be on the July 6 sailing. Have fun and write lots!

[ShelbysMom]

I can see out my window that the ship is pulling away right now.

 

Have a great trip!

[rdsqrl]

I really enjoyed reading the first part of your review -- can't wait for the rest!!

[Amy G]

I cant wait to read more, but I hope it is not as stressful as your first morning! I was stressed out just reading about being rushed and the suitcase! :)

[A&R Mom]

We just got off the Dawn this morning! Had a great time. Hope you do too!

[sailinglisa]

I'm going on the Dawn in September, and I am looking forward to your reports from the ship!

[dforeigner]

Great so far, thanks.

[pungo3]

Wow, thanks for writing. This is great! Hope we hear more soon.

[Chacooe]

This is a great post, I do have to agree with you about San Francisco being dirty. As a former resident, it has been that way for years and it is so sad, because San Francisco is in itself a beautiful town.

 

To the former employee of Alcatraz, 3 definately made it off the island, never to be heard of again (which I think they survived), but the fact they they were never caught, makes that an official escape. You never brought them back. All the others were either caught or killed, but not the last three.

[pamwinn]

June 26, 2008 Embarkation

After breakfast Rex took a walk to Whole Foods (I love that store) and purchased six bottles of California wine that is not available in our part of the country. For those wondering, we were able to openly carry that onboard. No sneaking or devious packaging was necessary.

I intended to stay at the hotel until 1PM or so to miss the crowds but around 11AM I couldn’t take it anymore so we called the bellboy to pick up our luggage. Taxis were waiting out front and we were quickly on our way to the cruise port. Fate smiled on us and everything happened like clockwork with no wait at all. We were in our cabin by 11:45.

We tend to choose new, megaships so this is an experience for us. This ship is about 30% smaller than the ships we typically choose and much older. It is obvious when looking around that the ship is not brand new. That being said, I find the Dawn to be well maintained. This just happened to be an ship inspection day so the crew was busy and had been since the crack of dawn, making sure everything was in tiptop shape.

We explored the ship, found Al (he who will be our bartender of choice), attended the muster drill, and then went as high and forward as we could get to experience sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a beautiful sail away. Fair warning: Sail away was very windy and frigid. I was out with only my Cruise Critic T-Shirt and really didn’t know if I was going to make it. I would have missed the Bridge had I tried to get back to my cabin for a Jacket. Rex always finds some elderly ladies to flirt with and make their day and he was true to form during sail away…”Let me move that collar so I can see your pretty face”. They adored him by the end of sail away and he feels like a hero so who am I to complain. I think it’s sweet actually. The seas are moderate (eight feet or so) and we do not have our sea legs yet. We both love the rocking and rolling and tend to choose ship locations that will experience the most movement. Our one experience with a midship cabin was lacking a little of the excitement for us.

After sail away, we returned to our cabin. Our luggage was waiting for us so we stowed our stuff. I know that we over pack but most people do. I think in these cabins, if you are not anal retentive (we are) you will have a very messy cabin. We have a place for everything…paperwork, electronics (we bring everything), medication and supplies (lots of alka seltzer)….you get the picture. No space remains undesignated or unused. Rex purchased a beautiful flower arrangement to add to the romance.

We enjoyed our dinner at La Scala though it took longer than we expected (I think due to the health inspection earlier), explored a little more, and then retired to our cabin to watch the sea.

Below is a list of Officers for those who are interested:

• Captain Marco Fortezze

• Staff Captain Paola Ravera

• Chief Technical Office Giovanni Salvemini

• Staff Electro-Technical Officer Carrado Allegretta

• Environmental Officer Davor Pelicaric

• Senior Doctor Kate Bunyan

• Passenger Services Director Osvaldo Tinacci

• First Purser Administration Terri Cybuliak

• Cruise Director Frank Castiglione

• Accommodation Services Manager Melanie Trinidad

• First Purser Food and Beverage Boukje Bijlsma

• Executive Chef Ulrich Mertsch

• Maitre d’Hotel Luigi Moretti

Pronounce all those names if you can.

June 27th 2008 Sea day This is the life

This is formal night. I sent my wrinkled clothes out for laundering thinking if they return in satisfactory condition, I may dress up but not making any promises.

Early rising is the name of the game. Room service delivered our pot of coffee and 8 tomato juices (snicker) and we enjoyed the early morning on the balcony. We have a female cabin attendant this time. That is a first for us. I prefer males, just because I prefer males…always have. But she is very sweet and probably does a more thorough job of cleaning (I watched) than the males.

We were visited by restaurant service so we could choose our menu for the Balcony dinner we have reserved for July 4th. We choose surf and turf and Rex being true to form, asked for extra lobster. They acquiesced. I will describe it in detail after the fact.

We had a late breakfast and I was surprised how crowded the Horizon court was. It seemed even more crowded than the horizon courts on the megaships. We may opt for the dining room tomorrow. It is windy and cold outside even though the sun is shining brightly and the sky is clear. The sea is a lovely dark blue green topped by frothing whitecaps. When the caps break a mist rises and for just one second, a rainbow forms. It’s a beautiful, relaxing sight that we spent 3 hours watching. If I had a past life, surely I lived it as a sailor exploring the seas. I am so addicted to this.

I can see three wireless networks from my cabin which is about as far from the internet café and atrium as you can get. One is for passengers, one for crew, and one for the system administrator. I knew I should have brought my thumbdrive with the password cracker on it. 8^)

Before the cruise, I contacted Princess and arranged for two cruise critic meetings with an unhosted bar in Jammers. Today was the first meeting. Eleven people from our roll call showed up and we had a good time meeting each other and chatting. We will met again after we have completed Ketchikan, Juneau and Haines to share stories and pictures. I had a really good Margarita with 24K tequila….nice flavor and well made.

We are portside so returned to the cabin with the warm western sun streaming onto the balcony making it very pleasant to whale watch with the el cheapo Walgreen binoculars we purchased in San Francisco. One compact vivitar was $3.99. No, I did not put the decimal in the wrong place. The more expensive of the two cost us $9.99. We did manage to leave some necessities (our binoculars) at home. I’ll give these new ones to my brother for Xmas…hahahahaha.

Speaking of my brother, we saw his twin on the Alcatraz cruise. It was very weird. We took a lot of pictures. I know his wife wondered why we kept staring at him every time we passed him in the back and forth zigzag line we had to stand in to board the transport vessel. It was truly freaky. I guess everyone really does have a twin. On Alcatraz, I followed him around, probably to the dismay of his wife, until Rex got a picture of us together. He had the same mannerisms, holding his hands, palms facing to the rear, not really swinging his arms when he walks, doing this strange shoulders forward thing, and this particular facial expression my brother often has that dad told him would make the fish bite better. He even had “the butt” which I thought only males in our gene pool have because it is a mutant gene. It was quite unusual and fascinating to Rex and me. I regret not introducing myself to him but the glares I was getting from his wife held me back. Looking at my brother’s “twin” I wondered if he had a sister that he had tormented to no end. Did she occasionally toilet-rinse his toothbrush? Does she love him now?

The laundry just came back….yippee. They ruined two sweaters and ironed my jeans that flat-way again (creased side to side, not front to back)….boo. It’s not that it makes me angry…I just have a mission to try to figure out what it is I need to do to prevent it from happening. Rex is such a good boy he said he’d iron them for me. 8^) Then he pulled my bra out of the bag and said, “Do you think there’s a person who works in the laundry room named Philippe who made a comment about this bra to his colleagues?” I agreed because I know that bras like that are unusual sights for the guys in the laundry room who iron my jeans flat or anyone else for that matter. I imagine the patter went something like, “Carlos, you get in this cup and I’ll get in the other one. Hey everyone look at me and Carlos. We’re boobs!” I know I shouldn’t send that sort of thing to be laundered but I figure they will never know who I am unless the stake out my room to try to see the woman who wears a bra that size. It’s free, and that’s why I do it. Yeah, that’s it.

 

LATER THAT EVENING:

I put on makeup, which was a challenge. My face is very red and chapped from all the scrubbing. Makeup clumped and accumulated on all the flakes and it was very difficult to get an acceptable application (wasn’t really very acceptable). Thank God this ship does not have one of those magnifying-airplane-search-light makeup mirrors. Then, I took my newly laundered $400 (on sale) Liz Claiborne pantsuit out of the closet and noticed that the laundry had flat-ironed those pants also. And, they looked much shorter. I tried them on and yes, they were shortened by at least two inches! I am trying to not get mad but I loved that outfit. It was really nice. Rex said that they are not THAT short and he had once watched a guest on Oprah that said the style in women’s pants was getting shorter and flat-ironed is in. I told him to get the scissors and let me cut a couple of inches off his slacks and that I was certain I could get rid of that irritatingly crisp crease down the front. I knew the cruise had started too smoothly. Okay, let’s find the silver lining. I have an allergic reaction to jewelry that strikes randomly in some areas like wrists, fingers, and neck but is always present in my ears, so I almost never wear earrings. At least I don’t have to suffer shoving earrings through these tight piercings and then endure sore, inflamed ears for the next week. Then I looked at Rex and he was trying on my bra. It fit.

When we ordered the flowers we asked for unopened blooms. When we walked into the room after the cruise critic meet and greet there was a horrible aroma...pig farm. At first, we thought the worse, but it was the lilies that have begun blooming. DON’T ORDER THE LILIES! I have a plant at home that smells like mildew when it blooms then all these little flowers explode all over the floor. Rex propagated it into a dozen or so pots because it requires little maintenance and other than the pig droppings is an attractive plant. Yes, every silver lining does have a cloud.

So, we ordered room service for dinner. Rex wanted to go to the horizon court but I really don’t like wandering around feeling underdressed so room service it was. I am not ever bringing formal wear again. I had already decided that but at the last minute changed my mind and the outfit had been in the closet so long it really needed cleaning and it was too late to do that at home. Lesson learned.

We just realized that tomorrow is another sea day and we will not arrive in Ketchikan until Sunday. I have so much paperwork with me that I can’t keep up with it all. I was happy with the news because my legs now only feel sore from the knees down. I love sea days.

Two of my favorite cruise things happened later in the evening. As the sun finally began to set, the fog rolled in. Then the fog horns began. I just love that sound. Even better when the fog horn is in the front of the ship and our cabin is aft. It is such a soothing sound. The second thing came a little later. A special invitation arrived and it stated:

As one of the most traveled members of the Princess Captain’s Circle onboard, it is my pleasure to invite you to a special Luncheon with myself and the Senior Officers.

I love the luncheons with the Captain. We have only been so lucky once before. Several times we have received invitations to the most traveled cocktail parties but the luncheons are something special and I am very pleased. Who cares that my dressy outfit is dust? The dress for the luncheon is elegantly casual. Do flood pants qualify?

We haven’t heard whether we made the cut for the Chef’s Table so I am taking that to me no. I guess there is a weight limit for that.

June 28th, 2008 More Fog

It looks like we are in for a foggy day. The seas are much calmer but visibility is almost nil. We don’t have any specific plans for the day other than checking out the Internet connection so I can post this and attending the wine tasting (the one that is free for elites). I like attending those but I haven’t become a refined wine connoisseur as a result. We still use the single-digit double-digit rule. That’s single-digit price and double-digit alcohol content. That seems to work well for us though I am not sure how the snoots would feel about it.

After breakfast, we attended the lecture on Whales given by the onboard naturalist, Alan Cortash. It was interesting to hear about them. I didn’t know that all whales are dolphins. He says our best chance of seeing whales from the ship on this cruise is the area around Juneau and around Victoria. I am on constant lookout for them.

When we returned to the cabin the phone rang and we were told our Chef’s table reservation is for tomorrow evening after Ketchikan. We made the cut after all.

Later in the morning we attended another cruise critic meeting. This time it was announced in the Patter. The cruise director arranged it. He was not aware of the meetings we planned through Princess. A few people who were not at the first CC meeting came to this one so the group if fairly large. We are all having a great time.

Headline for cruise critics reading this blog:

I just found out that as of today (when they get it working) wi-fi will be available ship wide and elite members get the same free minutes using their laptops on wi-fi as they do in the internet café.

We had dinner in the Horizon court. The line of starving people outside the dining room , pushing and shoving like they haven’t eaten in a week is more than we wanted to endure. Besides, the two hour dinners take…two hours. We will have that experience tomorrow.

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks much for the live from. :)

 

A line for the buffet at dinner, that does not sound good.

[llachance]

say hello to my friends Elaine and Jim....we sailed this cruise last year and I am jealous I couldn't this year. I have looked at the web cam and seen your yucky weather...hope for better the rest of the week.

[shining gem]

Hope you don't mind me keeping up with your tour! We are hopping on the Dawn next year to sail from Southampton back to Sydney. Just trying to find out a bit about the ship.

If Frankie is in charge of the entertainment, I am sure you will have a good time. I hope he stays aboard till next year as we have had some fun times with him in the past.

Keep up the good work with your posts, they are very enjoyable! Meg

[kobecat]

We are doing the Dawn 24 September SF to Sydney and reading your fabulous reports is making us impatient. Great news about wifi and being able to use your laptop for the free minutes. Does anyone know how many free minutes you get for a 31 day cruise? This is our first cruise with the free minutes - yeah!

 

Beryl

[Coral]

I just wanted to say that I really appreciate your review!

[sailinsal]

You are so factual and so fun to read; I love to hear all the tidbits of every little thing. Every minute on the ship to me is Paradise and so much to enjoy and talk about;;;; I am with you in spirit sailing...............we did Alaska from San Fran 3 years ago so it is great reliving the exact cruise. It is great to hear others enjoy the rocking and rolling and movement on the ship like we do, too,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,following along...............sailinsal

[luvtahiti]

Pam,

 

We are greatly enjoying your day to day on the Dawn. I was very interested to note that you can get the WiFi signal in your cabin. You said midship. May I ask what deck you are on? We are sailing on the Dawn in Sept - SF to Sydney and have a midship on Baja. Not having to take my laptop down to the library or atrium to get a signal would be really nice.

 

Thanks for the postings and we hope you continue having a wonderful trip.:)

[Julia’s Journey’s]

Enjoying your live from..........thanks:)