Caribbean Princess Sea Day, August 31

Hubby and I are people watchers (and listeners). Here are just a few of the comments we've heard over the past two days:

"This is bull sh**. Even hotels have free wi-fi."

"There is no way I'm paying thirteen dollars a day for him to clean my room twice a day."

"The food is terrible on this ship."

"I hate this itinerary. It's too hot."

"Carnival is better than Princess."

"I can't wait to get off this boat."

These comments clearly demonstrate how crucial it is to make sure you've researched the cruise line, ship, and itinerary before booking a cruise. Not all cruise lines are a good fit for all people. And not all people are a good fit for a cruise.

Like our neighbors this cruise. They have already refused to pay the gratuities, they smoke on their balcony (yes, we reported it), leave their dirty dishes in the hallway, and throw their dirty towels outside our cabin. And these aren't kids doing this - these are two middle-aged ladies. Come on, people.

We've traveled enough to know nothing is ever perfect and also know a trip is what you make of it. If you look for problems you will find them; if you look for the good you'll find it. We choose to look for the good.

Another pretty sunrise

Not much else going on for us today. I went to the crafting session, hubby has been out and about visiting with crew, and I did some writing. We're on for another leg of the journey so no packing tonight for us. Our cabin doesn't ever get messy, but after two weeks on the ship we wound up with a junk drawer. You know, like a junk drawer at home. A camera battery charger, directions for my tape recorder, a butter knife and a napkin, pillow chocolates, some straws, a sugar packet, a few loose dollar bills, an encouraging word money pocket, a pen, fingernail polish, crackers, sunglasses, and the drops for the snorkel mask were all thrown in there together. Oh yeah, and a pair of socks and undies. All nice and neat now!

Medallion™ Update:
I've combined my updates to make the progression of the roll-out more clear. 
August 18-25 updates can be found here.
August 25-Sept 1 updates can found here. I added a picture today of the progress of the area near the photo gallery. Sure is looking pretty.
Sept 1-8 updates can be found here.

Encouraging Word Money Pocket Drop Off:
Left in the buffet seating at lunch.

Tomorrow we're back in Ft. Lauderdale for turnaround. We are hoping the third time's the charm in our attempt to get to 5 O'Clock Charlie's.

As usual, if you have any questions or comments, please click on the envelope icon at the top right of this screen.

Caribbean Princess in Belize

Hello from Belize on a beautiful morning.

There are three ships anchored here today, our Princess ship and two Carnival ships.

Belize is another tender port. Usually in Belize I'm doing some snorkel excursion (which are always good ones) but this trip I'm trying to make plans around what hubby can do. And he can't snorkel and doesn't want to sit on a snorkel boat in the heat. It's a hot one out today. We've been wandering the ship and taking photos for some Cruise Ship Saturday videos and I filmed one Tuesday Tutorial. At some point today I was hoping to interview a crew member for the new book but that may need to wait until turnaround day. It's a pretty packed day without even going ashore! We've been to Belize several times before and will be back again in November so we're not too worried that we're missing anything by not going ashore on this trip.

One thing we ran across on the ship today was some new seating and menu. It's a place called the Wake View bar - which really is just a seating area - with a limited appetizer menu.

Not sure we'll partake in their offerings, but pretty funny that after a week and a half on the ship we finally found this place.

On to the buffet itself...I visited with the supervisor the other day. I hardly ever complain but this thing of not being served drinks until forever is getting old. It's unfortunate because the food in the buffet here is amazing. Probably the best of the fleet right now. It's the service that just plain sucks. Like I said, as an experiment I've been timing how long it takes for someone to offer drinks at dinner.

The time has ranged from six minutes to 20 minutes. Two nights ago it was 15 minutes. Ugh.

But last night, after having talked with the supervisor, I didn't even need to start the timer. Drinks came right away and I noticed the crew members working in the buffet were hustling. I hope it's a permanent change, not a temporary one.

It's worth mentioning again - the food is so darn good on this ship. Just last night there was chicken scallopini and meatball sliders and a lightly breaded shrimp-scallop-calamari dish. All were amazingly tasty.

Medallion™ Update:
I've combined my updates to make the progression of the roll-out more clear. 
August 18-25 updates can be found here.
August 25-Sept 1 updates can found here. 
Sept 1-8 updates can be found here.

Encouraging Word Money Pocket Drop Off:
We did several today. The crew member who found one a couple days back found another one today, the You are amazing one. Her name is Grace and she said she knew it was meant for her, like Amazing Grace. Really amazing.

We then dropped some in the Piazza and found that one of the girls that helps hubby in the morning found one in the sugar container when she was cleaning tables the other day. Her cabin mate was working and we were all talking about the encouraging notes on them. I told the cabin mate to pick one out of my hand (she couldn't see the saying so it was like a pick a card, any card kind of trick). And she chose the the Never Give Up one. The two girls had a laugh and an oh my gosh and an I can't believe it. And why? Because in their cabin they have a poster. A poster that says Never Give Up. How awesome is that?

Tomorrow we're off to Cozumel.

As usual, if you have any questions or comments, please click on the envelope icon at the top right of this screen.

Caribbean Princess in Roatan

Hello from Roatan, Honduras!

Roatan is an island off the coast of mainland Honduras. Both Carnival and Princess Cruise lines use Mahogany Bay in Roatan; other cruise lines use Coxen Hole in Roatan. Mahogany Bay is so much better than Coxen Hole, especially for beach lovers. The private beach is right there! While we love Roatan and we love the West End - snorkeling is absolutely amazing there - we chose to take the freebie Mahogany Bay beach day instead. While you could rent clamshell loungers or cabanas or snorkeling equipment or kayaks or a slew of other things, we stick with the free loungers.

To get there you can take a $14 flying chair (think chairlift) or walk on over to the beach.

It's a bit of a jaunt to the beach. Hubby had to do some walking today anyway. He called today his redemption day. Several years back he tripped and fell on the cobblestones on our way back from the beach in Mahogany Bay. He was wearing shorts at the time and hit the ground hard. Even kind of skidded a bit. He tore up his knee and lower leg terribly. He wound up having to go to the medical center onboard to have them pick out all the gravel that had embedded itself in his leg. They had him going back to see them day after day for treatment and bandage changes. It took months and months for his leg to heal. He still has big scars from that fall. So he was going to make sure he walked over those same cobblestones today without a fall.

And he did. Good job to my hubby!

The beach was packed with the two ships in port. We know from having been there before that the farther you walk down the beach the less crowded it gets. So that's what we did.

See the yellow loungers? There are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of them. Skip them.

Then come the blue loungers. Skip them.

Then the path curves past the cabanas and it looks like it's the end. But it's not. Keep going.

Once you round that curve you come to the end. At the Hideaway bar and restaurant.

At the Hideaway take a right. And find a beach that looks like this.

Or if you like crowds go back to those yellow loungers and find a beach crammed with people like this. No thank you.

We like the less crowded area. A server from the Hideaway delivers drinks.

Here's the menu.

It was a good great non-fall day, the umpteenth perfect day of our umpteenth cruise.

Medallion™ Update:
I've combined my updates to make the progression of the roll-out more clear. 
August 18-25 updates can be found here.
August 25-Sept 1 updates can found here. 
Sept 1-8 updates can be found here.

Encouraging Word Money Pocket Drop Off:
At the restroom on the way to the beach.

Tomorrow we're off to Belize.

Caribbean Princess, Grand Cayman

Hello from Grand Cayman!

Grand Cayman is a tender port. In some ports the ship may not be able to dock at the pier. The channel may not be deep enough for the ship or the piers could be full with other ships. The ship instead anchors offshore. Passengers are then shuttled back and forth from ship to shore in tenders. The boats used to tender are typically the ship’s lifeboats and in some cases, local boats. Here is a view from Carnival's tendering today. Ours was similar.

Tendering can be a bit of a hassle but in Grand Cayman it is totally worth it.

After having been to Grand Cayman several times we've finally whittled it down. While there are many activities I would recommend for a first-timer, for us Grand Cayman now only means three things:

1. Snorkeling

The walk to the Paradise Seaside Grill is an easy one. The tender drops off at the buildings to the left and we just need to walk to the building on the right.

Look for the blue and green restaurant with the green roof (that's Paradise) and the snorkeling entrance is under the Marine Park Entrance sign. 

The view for the non-snorkelers (like hubby) is nice.

But for the snorkelers the view is even better. Apologies, my underwater camera hasn't been replaced yet but I did get a photo of the huge tarpon in the area. They look scary to snorkel with - some are more than five feet long - but they are harmless.

There are plenty of fish around, a set of cement steps with a railing, and a ladder as well.

You don't have to eat at the restaurant to use the snorkeling area. We always do, though. Here's their menu.

2. Cigar Shopping

While I wouldn't put this on my list, for hubby it's an absolute must. He watches me snorkel, drinks, and eats. And chews on a cigar. He stops at a cigar bar on the way to the restaurant and spends his day chewing on that nasty, gross thing. It's about his only vice and he only partakes when we travel. However, he never smokes it. Whew.

Today his favorite cigar shop was closed for renovations. See the green sign on the door? It won't be open again until September 17.

We did eventually find another shop for him.

3. Cayman Punch

I can't get back onto the tender and head back to the ship without stopping at the Green Parrot Bar & Grill. They make a mean Cayman Punch. Mostly rum and a little bit of punch. We sit there and wait for the line for the tender to go down before we get into it. It can be a long line!

Why not sit and wait with a nice, tasty drink in your hand...

and wait for a new tender to arrive. We won't be getting in line until this one pushes off from the dock.

Medallion™ Update:
I've combined my updates to make the progression of the roll-out more clear. 
August 18-25 updates can be found here.
August 25-Sept 1 updates can found here. 
Sept 1-8 updates can be found here.

Encouraging Word Money Pocket Drop Off:
Left in the sugar container at the Paradise restaurant.

Tomorrow we're off to Roatan and hubby is planning on some redemption. Stay tuned.

Caribbean Princess Sea Day, August 26

We've spent enough years dressing up for work that now when we're traveling we dress casually. Which means most of our meals are in casual dining areas on the ship. The buffet on the Caribbean Princess has had a makeover and is now called the World Fresh Marketplace. We can always find something tasty there. Hubby loves the ramen noodle station at lunch (offered most days) and the salad offerings at both lunch and dinner. They've really stepped up their game in the variety of foods available.

Pasta bar

But where they haven't stepped up their game is in the service department. As a little experiment I've been timing how long it takes a server to come over to offer us drinks. The times have ranged from six minutes to a whopping 20 minutes. Today I got lucky and for the first time in these two cruises someone offered drinks right away. She delivered them and we never saw her again the rest of the meal, and no refill from anyone else, either. At least we got something right away so I guess we just have to be happy with baby steps.

But they need more than baby steps in the handwashing/hand sanitizing department. People walk right by the sinks and dispensers and right into the buffet. The sinks aren't exactly welcoming. Water all over and paper towels overflowing. And no one around monitoring the situation. No wonder people don't stop and clean their hands.

Then there are the people inside the buffet. Today there was a gal in front of me who placed french fries on her plate, picked some up and ate them, licked her fingers and then grabbed the tongs for the fried mushrooms. Seriously? Even if I wanted fried mushrooms I wouldn't have touched those tongs after her. But just think of all the other people I don't see who are doing the same thing. Makes a person not want to eat in the buffet. But without those fancy clothes (and with tonight being formal night) there aren't a lot of options.

Today we found a new option, though. In all our cruises we've never taken advantage of one of the perks Princess offers their Elite passengers, afternoon tea delivered to your cabin. We ordered for two, but what they brought was enough for more than two for sure.

Oh, my.

Medallion™ Update:
I've combined my updates to make the progression of the roll-out more clear. 
August 18-25 updates can be found here.
August 25-Sept 1 updates can found here. 
Sept 1-8 updates can be found here.

A side note about the staff at the Passenger Services desk: they need medals for patience. They have to deal with so many passengers wanting so many different things, and some of those passengers are pretty darn demanding. I don't know how the staff can keep plugging along after some of the treatment they receive.

Encouraging Word Money Pocket Drop:
We left two today. One in the dining room at breakfast and one in the sugar container at our afternoon tea.

Tomorrow we will be in one of my favorite ports for nearby snorkeling and drinks at the dock. Grand Cayman.

Another beautiful sunset

As usual, if you have any questions or comments, please click on the envelope icon at the top right of this screen.