Home - Come hell or high water - or in my case, both!
We woke up Friday morning to some "moderate" waves. After breakfast, we went to the pool to enjoy the waves in the pool, which were quite strong. We got tossed around a bit (but our faces were freezing!) so after about 15 minutes we got out and soaked in the jacuzzi for a few minutes. (Good timing - after we got out they kicked everybody out and closed the pool due to the rough waves.
At 1:00, we went on a backstage tour of the theater to see the dressing room and the way the sets came up and down on the stage. However, the waves were so high so they had to modify she tour again.
By this time, I wasn't feeling very well. We sat up on deck where I was in the air. I sipped some sprite while Grant went up front to watch the waves. Did I mention that by now the waves were considered rough - 12 - 15 feet. The front of the boat kept rising over the top of a wave and crashing down, sending huge waves up sometimes 14 stories tall! People were puking all over the ship and even I was feeling ill.
We decided to head back to the cabin to start packing. However, back in the cabin, you could really feel the waves and I started feeling really ill, so I took a nap.
We ate dinner as Sabitini's which is one of the alternative dining venues. OH MY GOD, talk about a ton of food. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I was feeling better, but it was wonderful We had a ton of little appetizers (like, 15?) before our soup, and then a pasta course, and the main course. Grant had tuna and I had lobster, but I was so full I could barely finish it. Then for dessert, I had flan and Grant had tiramisu. I knew at this point that I should have waited a bit before standing, but I didn't. I got just out of the resteraunt and knew that if I didn't sit down soon I was going to throw up that entire gourmet dinner.
Luckily, I was ok. I sat down out on the promenade deck and let the fresh air do its work.
After a while I felt better, so we went in to watch the farewell show (comedy.) It was good but quite frankly I just wanted the ship to stop moving. Back in our cabin (which, did I mention, was in the front of the ship, so everytime, the bow took a dive off of one of those 15 foot waves, the water would rush up and cover our window under water? Yeah...) All I could really do was lay down. I have NEVER been sea sick before. Yuck.
So Grant did almost all of the packing (I did try to help, but I couldn't really. Even as I sit here today (Saturday - at home) and type this, I feel like my head is swooping.
On Saturday, departure was behind schedule and there was a long line for customs, but we got done at 11:00. All in all, it was a wonderful week with Grant. However, next time, I am going to bring that bonine stuff... just in case. (o:
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Cabo San Lucas
Today, we went to Cabo San Lucas… We didn’t get much time here - on had to be back onboard the ship at 1:30. We booked a whale watching excursion here. We had a quick breakfast and then took the tender over to the pier where we met our tour guide at 10:15.
We took a zodiac and had a blast. Our guide, Miguel, was super cool. You could tell that he had a real love and respect for the animals. After cruising around lands end and the arc, we went out into the Pacific until we were all on our own. We saw a ton of dolphins, which was really cool. We also did see a pair of whales once. Towards the end of the tour, Miguel joined a pack of boats that was following a whale. He said he doesn’t like to do that, because so many boats bother the whales, but I think he felt badly that we hadn’t seen many. I liked that he only did that as a last resort.
After our tour (and a quick stop at a shop to bargain for sunglasses for Grant,) we got back on the tender and went back to the ship. We went up to our favorite spot on the deck and watched the sail away and looked for dolphins and whales - both of which we saw quite a few of.
Tonight was formal night, so we got dressed and had dinner at the Santa Fe restaurant. After dinner, we had a ton of shows - we watched the production show, “Undercover,” (a spy tribute - hmmmm original….) They had one scene that was exceptionally cool - where they singers because a character from clue and described how they could not have killed Mr. Body because…. And then they mixed he story with the song from “Chicago,” “He had it comin’…” Very cool.
After dinner we went over to the Explorer’s Lounge and watched the Newlywed/ Not-So-Newlywed game show, followed by a comedian, Jim McDonald.
We took a zodiac and had a blast. Our guide, Miguel, was super cool. You could tell that he had a real love and respect for the animals. After cruising around lands end and the arc, we went out into the Pacific until we were all on our own. We saw a ton of dolphins, which was really cool. We also did see a pair of whales once. Towards the end of the tour, Miguel joined a pack of boats that was following a whale. He said he doesn’t like to do that, because so many boats bother the whales, but I think he felt badly that we hadn’t seen many. I liked that he only did that as a last resort.
After our tour (and a quick stop at a shop to bargain for sunglasses for Grant,) we got back on the tender and went back to the ship. We went up to our favorite spot on the deck and watched the sail away and looked for dolphins and whales - both of which we saw quite a few of.
Tonight was formal night, so we got dressed and had dinner at the Santa Fe restaurant. After dinner, we had a ton of shows - we watched the production show, “Undercover,” (a spy tribute - hmmmm original….) They had one scene that was exceptionally cool - where they singers because a character from clue and described how they could not have killed Mr. Body because…. And then they mixed he story with the song from “Chicago,” “He had it comin’…” Very cool.
After dinner we went over to the Explorer’s Lounge and watched the Newlywed/ Not-So-Newlywed game show, followed by a comedian, Jim McDonald.
Wednesday
Wednesday already…?
So today, our ship docked in Mazatlan. The down town is a few miles away and the taxi costs $10 each way, so we opted to stay on the ship and take advantage of no one being there…
We went to the spa pool this time and played around with the current thing that pushes water out so that you have a current to swim against. While we were in there, a couple came by and said, “look at those two lovebirds… you must be newly weds…” I laughed and said, “ a year and a half!” and they smiled and said, “that’s still newlywed…congratulations!” (o:
After a soak in the spa we went up to our favorite spot above the pool deck and read for a while and enjoyed those yummy virgin strawberry daiquiris.
We watched the sail away from the front of the ship, waving to all of the people that had gathered to watch our ship leave. The sun set just after we got into open water.
We had dinner in the Pacific Moon dining room with a table right in front of the window… getting there early really seems to make a huge difference because no one is too busy so they can bend over backwards. Our waiter, Arnold, and assistant waiter Joel, were very cool. I had pineapple, chilled apple soup, salad, and Alaskan king crab legs. Arnold brought a plate with a bunch of big crab legs, and both he and Joel approached me several times about whether I wanted seconds!!! I had plenty though and reluctantly declined.
Grant had frog legs (which I tasted - yes they really do taste like chicken…. But they really do look like frogs legs….sigh), lentil soup, salad, and chicken a la Kiev. For dessert, Grant ordered a sundae and I had the princess dream love boat (like a thick mousse or flourless chocolate cake - delicious….) Our waiter also brought us a third dessert, a berry crumble with ice cream “just in case,” for us to share. That was really good, as well.
After dinner, we went for a stroll around the promenade before watching the impressionist performer in the Princess Theatre. Poor guy had throat issues… I don’t think he was feeling well, and he ended up cutting his show like 20 minutes short and had to cancel his second performance.
Tonight, however, there was a second show in the Explorer’s Club that was a comedian juggler what we were planning to see at his 10:30 performance They moved his second performance to the bigger Princess theatre so more people could see it. As it turned out, this guy was hilarious! He was from Vietnam originally, but had been in America for 10 years and had been a citizen for he last 5 months. He had a thick accent but he was hilarious and a really good juggler. It was cool because his show was really only a 40 minute thing, but he was able to use all of his material and stretch it out to an hour… and honestly, he was one of the better performers of seen!
We are going to bed “early” tonight, because we have to get up at (hold your shock) 9:00 for our whale watching excursion in Cabo.
So today, our ship docked in Mazatlan. The down town is a few miles away and the taxi costs $10 each way, so we opted to stay on the ship and take advantage of no one being there…
We went to the spa pool this time and played around with the current thing that pushes water out so that you have a current to swim against. While we were in there, a couple came by and said, “look at those two lovebirds… you must be newly weds…” I laughed and said, “ a year and a half!” and they smiled and said, “that’s still newlywed…congratulations!” (o:
After a soak in the spa we went up to our favorite spot above the pool deck and read for a while and enjoyed those yummy virgin strawberry daiquiris.
We watched the sail away from the front of the ship, waving to all of the people that had gathered to watch our ship leave. The sun set just after we got into open water.
We had dinner in the Pacific Moon dining room with a table right in front of the window… getting there early really seems to make a huge difference because no one is too busy so they can bend over backwards. Our waiter, Arnold, and assistant waiter Joel, were very cool. I had pineapple, chilled apple soup, salad, and Alaskan king crab legs. Arnold brought a plate with a bunch of big crab legs, and both he and Joel approached me several times about whether I wanted seconds!!! I had plenty though and reluctantly declined.
Grant had frog legs (which I tasted - yes they really do taste like chicken…. But they really do look like frogs legs….sigh), lentil soup, salad, and chicken a la Kiev. For dessert, Grant ordered a sundae and I had the princess dream love boat (like a thick mousse or flourless chocolate cake - delicious….) Our waiter also brought us a third dessert, a berry crumble with ice cream “just in case,” for us to share. That was really good, as well.
After dinner, we went for a stroll around the promenade before watching the impressionist performer in the Princess Theatre. Poor guy had throat issues… I don’t think he was feeling well, and he ended up cutting his show like 20 minutes short and had to cancel his second performance.
Tonight, however, there was a second show in the Explorer’s Club that was a comedian juggler what we were planning to see at his 10:30 performance They moved his second performance to the bigger Princess theatre so more people could see it. As it turned out, this guy was hilarious! He was from Vietnam originally, but had been in America for 10 years and had been a citizen for he last 5 months. He had a thick accent but he was hilarious and a really good juggler. It was cool because his show was really only a 40 minute thing, but he was able to use all of his material and stretch it out to an hour… and honestly, he was one of the better performers of seen!
We are going to bed “early” tonight, because we have to get up at (hold your shock) 9:00 for our whale watching excursion in Cabo.
Puerto Vallerta
Puerto Vallarta
Wow - what a beautiful place. Our boat got to dock right on the pier - and it was so pretty today! Hot and humid, too, but luckily the skies were pretty cloudy so it didn’t feel too sunny.
After a quick trip to the buffet, we walked to the Krystal resort and I got my very first massage. $40 bucks for 70 minutes of heaven. OH. MY. GOD. Yeah. Very cool. What was really neat was that the massage was in a little cabana on the beach, just past the sand, where I could hear the waves crashing. So neat. Perla, the girl who did my massage, was amazing,
Grant hung out at the resort on the beach, meanwhile, and met me after my massage. We spent some time at the beach. The water was 79 degrees - pleasantly cool.
After the beach, we walked back to the terminal and then across a scary street to go to… Wal-Mart! Yup, Grant needed some flip flops, and I, well, wanted to see a Mexican Wal-Mart. It was funny to shop in pesos. We spent 110 pesos on a pair of flip flops, two sodas, and one of those kinder candies from Europe with the little prize inside.
Did I mention that I got a massage…???
By this point, we were hot, sticky, and tired, so we risked our lives crossing that scary street again and went back to the ship. We showered and took some pics from the promenade deck.
We had dinner in the Savoy, with the same waiter as our first night. It was Italian night. I had baked eggplant, pasta, salad with sun dried tomato vinaigrette, and pot roast. For dessert, I had a peach stuffed with almond soufflé… so delicious. Grant had prosciutto, a salad, sword fish, and tiramisu for dessert.
After dinner, we saw the illusionist show, which was pretty good. My favorite trick was when he tossed an invisible deck of cards out to someone in the audience. The kid pretended to shuffle the invisible deck and then pick an invisible card, look at the invisible card, and remember what it was. Then he put the card back in the deck and tossed it to the magician. The magician “caught” the invisible deck in an empty paper bag, within which a card deck appeared. He fanned out the cards and one card was facing backwards in the deck. He asked the kid what card he had “picked” from the invisible deck, and the kid said the 6 of hearts, so the magician turns around the backwards card and it’s the 6 of hearts. Wha???? So COOL.
After the show, we headed up to the pool deck to observe the drunks at the tropical party and partake in the tropical buffet. Don’t ask how many chocolate covered strawberries I ate.
Did I mention that I had my very first massage????
Wow - what a beautiful place. Our boat got to dock right on the pier - and it was so pretty today! Hot and humid, too, but luckily the skies were pretty cloudy so it didn’t feel too sunny.
After a quick trip to the buffet, we walked to the Krystal resort and I got my very first massage. $40 bucks for 70 minutes of heaven. OH. MY. GOD. Yeah. Very cool. What was really neat was that the massage was in a little cabana on the beach, just past the sand, where I could hear the waves crashing. So neat. Perla, the girl who did my massage, was amazing,
Grant hung out at the resort on the beach, meanwhile, and met me after my massage. We spent some time at the beach. The water was 79 degrees - pleasantly cool.
After the beach, we walked back to the terminal and then across a scary street to go to… Wal-Mart! Yup, Grant needed some flip flops, and I, well, wanted to see a Mexican Wal-Mart. It was funny to shop in pesos. We spent 110 pesos on a pair of flip flops, two sodas, and one of those kinder candies from Europe with the little prize inside.
Did I mention that I got a massage…???
By this point, we were hot, sticky, and tired, so we risked our lives crossing that scary street again and went back to the ship. We showered and took some pics from the promenade deck.
We had dinner in the Savoy, with the same waiter as our first night. It was Italian night. I had baked eggplant, pasta, salad with sun dried tomato vinaigrette, and pot roast. For dessert, I had a peach stuffed with almond soufflé… so delicious. Grant had prosciutto, a salad, sword fish, and tiramisu for dessert.
After dinner, we saw the illusionist show, which was pretty good. My favorite trick was when he tossed an invisible deck of cards out to someone in the audience. The kid pretended to shuffle the invisible deck and then pick an invisible card, look at the invisible card, and remember what it was. Then he put the card back in the deck and tossed it to the magician. The magician “caught” the invisible deck in an empty paper bag, within which a card deck appeared. He fanned out the cards and one card was facing backwards in the deck. He asked the kid what card he had “picked” from the invisible deck, and the kid said the 6 of hearts, so the magician turns around the backwards card and it’s the 6 of hearts. Wha???? So COOL.
After the show, we headed up to the pool deck to observe the drunks at the tropical party and partake in the tropical buffet. Don’t ask how many chocolate covered strawberries I ate.
Did I mention that I had my very first massage????
Monday, Jan 1
Monday, Jan 1... We started off our day (after sleeping in, of course,) with a trip to the buffet for a light lunch before our spa treatment. They were having a Mexican buffet out on the deck, so that was tasty, and we had a great table by the water.
Next, we went to the Lotus Spa and did our spa treatment - the rasul. The lady that checked us in and got us started was really nice. After she went through everything, she told us we had an hour so “go ahead, relax and enjoy your selves until a quarter till…” (which gave us like an hour and 15 minutes.) She also said that when we were done, we just needed to stop by the reception on the way out to let her know we were done. No big deal, I know, but usually they tell us that they’ll knock after about an hour, and I always get nervous towards the end waiting for the knock. Stupid, I know but still….
What we didn’t like was the actual rasul room on this ship. Actually, the only real complaint is that the shower was too small - not big enough for the two of us, which sort of defeats the purpose of pampering each other, at least for the initial part…
What we did like was that the steps were clearly listed on a paper for us, and the main room didn’t get super hot, even when you let the steam out of the steam room. At the end, we felt relaxed, pampered, and wonderful.
Feeling like that, we just wanted to go and let the relaxing vibe last, so we headed back up to our deck high above the pool and read for a while. We ordered virgin strawberry daiquiris, which I forgot to mention yesterday totally rock on this ship. First of all, they are huge, like at least twice as big as the small ones you get at the shows on Carnival or RC, and significantly bigger then any I’ve gotten on other ships, even out on the pool. Second of all, the rim the glass in sugar. Yum! Plus they’re only $3.50 - which is an excellent price for the size as compared to other ships I’ve been on.
We had dinner at the Santa Fe Dining room, probably my favorite of the three we’ve been to. Our waiter, Kristoff, was from South Africa and really good. We lucked out and got a window seat again (its nice to eat at 5:30 when the restaurant first opens…) and we set next to a really nice couple that was celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary this cruise. They were very nice people and we enjoyed talking to them.
After dinner, we went to the photo gallery - but I was pissed to find out that they charge $25 - for a 5 x 7 if it is a formal night picture. Ok. $20 for an 8 x 10 is ridiculous - No way I’m paying more - and I’ll let them know on the comment card! None of the pictures were very good anyway.
We strolled around the ship before going to the 8:30 comedy show with Kevin Jordan. He was very funny - Grant had seen him before - but don’t sit up front… he brings a flashlight and loves to pick on people. Also, don’t get up to go to the bathroom during the show. TRUST ME!
We capped off the night with a swim in the pool and a soak in the Jacuzzi before heading to the buffet for our 3rd meal of the day… (Taco Bell is right - there should be a name for the “4th meal,” especially for those of us who skip breakfast!)
Tomorrow we will be in Puerto Vallarta!
Next, we went to the Lotus Spa and did our spa treatment - the rasul. The lady that checked us in and got us started was really nice. After she went through everything, she told us we had an hour so “go ahead, relax and enjoy your selves until a quarter till…” (which gave us like an hour and 15 minutes.) She also said that when we were done, we just needed to stop by the reception on the way out to let her know we were done. No big deal, I know, but usually they tell us that they’ll knock after about an hour, and I always get nervous towards the end waiting for the knock. Stupid, I know but still….
What we didn’t like was the actual rasul room on this ship. Actually, the only real complaint is that the shower was too small - not big enough for the two of us, which sort of defeats the purpose of pampering each other, at least for the initial part…
What we did like was that the steps were clearly listed on a paper for us, and the main room didn’t get super hot, even when you let the steam out of the steam room. At the end, we felt relaxed, pampered, and wonderful.
Feeling like that, we just wanted to go and let the relaxing vibe last, so we headed back up to our deck high above the pool and read for a while. We ordered virgin strawberry daiquiris, which I forgot to mention yesterday totally rock on this ship. First of all, they are huge, like at least twice as big as the small ones you get at the shows on Carnival or RC, and significantly bigger then any I’ve gotten on other ships, even out on the pool. Second of all, the rim the glass in sugar. Yum! Plus they’re only $3.50 - which is an excellent price for the size as compared to other ships I’ve been on.
We had dinner at the Santa Fe Dining room, probably my favorite of the three we’ve been to. Our waiter, Kristoff, was from South Africa and really good. We lucked out and got a window seat again (its nice to eat at 5:30 when the restaurant first opens…) and we set next to a really nice couple that was celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary this cruise. They were very nice people and we enjoyed talking to them.
After dinner, we went to the photo gallery - but I was pissed to find out that they charge $25 - for a 5 x 7 if it is a formal night picture. Ok. $20 for an 8 x 10 is ridiculous - No way I’m paying more - and I’ll let them know on the comment card! None of the pictures were very good anyway.
We strolled around the ship before going to the 8:30 comedy show with Kevin Jordan. He was very funny - Grant had seen him before - but don’t sit up front… he brings a flashlight and loves to pick on people. Also, don’t get up to go to the bathroom during the show. TRUST ME!
We capped off the night with a swim in the pool and a soak in the Jacuzzi before heading to the buffet for our 3rd meal of the day… (Taco Bell is right - there should be a name for the “4th meal,” especially for those of us who skip breakfast!)
Tomorrow we will be in Puerto Vallarta!
Monday, January 01, 2007
Sun Dec. 31, 2006
So this morning, I woke up before Grant and went out to the library which is on our floor. Our cabin is in a really good location - right next to the art gallery which leads to the lowest level of the atrium, where the library is located. One level up off of our stair case is the casino. Sweet.
So I spent an hour reading and then met up with Grant and had lunch at the grill by the pool. After we ate, we went up to a sun deck that is four levels above the Neptune Pool, but you can easily see the pool there. We read for a while, and then watched Part 1 of the Survival challenge - a cool game that had trivia and then challenges like Survivor.
After that game was over (well, part 1 - part 2 is tomorrow…) we went to the promenade deck, which is way cool - old liner style, where you can hang out on deck chairs and look out - we could see the land from our ship. It was very quiet, with just the sound of rushing water and the occasional passer by.
Tonight was formal night. We had dinner in the Pacific Moon dining room tonight at 5:30. The host liked our last name, and gave us a great table for two by a window. They gave us all New Year’s hats or tiaras. Our waiters, Domingo and Patel, where very nice.
One of the entrees offered was a flaky pus pastry with swiss cheese fondue. Grant and I split that entrée as an appetizer because it sounded so good. (And it was!!!) I also had lentil soup while Grant had fois gras, we both had salads (Grant’s was caser and mine was baby greens with asparagus and artichoke.) My entrée was shrimp in lobster sauce and Grant roasted guinea fowl. For dessert I had a raspberry chocolate soufflé and Grant had a mouse cake… delicious.
After dinner, we went to get seats for the show. Tonight’s show was called “Piano Man,” and featured songs by Barry Manilow, Billy Joel, Elton John, Neil Sedaka, and Liberace. Sound familiar? We saw a show on the Radiance of the Seas called Piano Man starring music from the same guys - but the show was different!!! It was a great show. We were thinking it might be the same show, but it wasn’t. and they did a wonderful job!!!
After dinner, we went to take some formal pictures. I hope some turned out good because I borrowed Katherine’s dress and it looked beautiful!!! (I know because I little girl walked by and said to her mom, “that lady looks really pretty…” and her mom looked at me and smiled. Way cool….)
Speaking of little girls, I forgot to mention - this ship has two main types of people - families with children or old folks. There aren’t a lot of people are age at all - few honeymooners - it is very interesting… most cruises we’re on, there’s a pretty good mix, but here, well, its nuts - yes, technically, a lot of parents are our age, but these are older parents, with older kids - not a whole lot of 20 somethings.
After our photos, we went to the Explorer’s Lounge and watched a hypnotist who was pretty funny, and then made a mad dash to the second level of the atrium where we were lucky enough to snag a small section of balcony where Grant and I could watch all of the action for New Years. The band played live music leading right up to midnight (by the way, we are one hour ahead of LA - on Mountain Time) while balloons bounced, horns squeaked, streamers flew and people screamed. At midnight, we counted down with a thousand other people as hundreds of balloons fell from the net at the top of the atrium, and the live band played “should old acquaintance be forgot…”…and I kissed my husband… way cool.
After the balloon drop, we took a quick cruise around the ship to check out the other hot spots - we definitely picked the best spot to be - and then got our midnight snack (actually our third meal of the day since we had only eaten lunch at 11:30 and dinner at 5:30 - )
Now I am back, typing, and I am going to go post this now!!!
So I spent an hour reading and then met up with Grant and had lunch at the grill by the pool. After we ate, we went up to a sun deck that is four levels above the Neptune Pool, but you can easily see the pool there. We read for a while, and then watched Part 1 of the Survival challenge - a cool game that had trivia and then challenges like Survivor.
After that game was over (well, part 1 - part 2 is tomorrow…) we went to the promenade deck, which is way cool - old liner style, where you can hang out on deck chairs and look out - we could see the land from our ship. It was very quiet, with just the sound of rushing water and the occasional passer by.
Tonight was formal night. We had dinner in the Pacific Moon dining room tonight at 5:30. The host liked our last name, and gave us a great table for two by a window. They gave us all New Year’s hats or tiaras. Our waiters, Domingo and Patel, where very nice.
One of the entrees offered was a flaky pus pastry with swiss cheese fondue. Grant and I split that entrée as an appetizer because it sounded so good. (And it was!!!) I also had lentil soup while Grant had fois gras, we both had salads (Grant’s was caser and mine was baby greens with asparagus and artichoke.) My entrée was shrimp in lobster sauce and Grant roasted guinea fowl. For dessert I had a raspberry chocolate soufflé and Grant had a mouse cake… delicious.
After dinner, we went to get seats for the show. Tonight’s show was called “Piano Man,” and featured songs by Barry Manilow, Billy Joel, Elton John, Neil Sedaka, and Liberace. Sound familiar? We saw a show on the Radiance of the Seas called Piano Man starring music from the same guys - but the show was different!!! It was a great show. We were thinking it might be the same show, but it wasn’t. and they did a wonderful job!!!
After dinner, we went to take some formal pictures. I hope some turned out good because I borrowed Katherine’s dress and it looked beautiful!!! (I know because I little girl walked by and said to her mom, “that lady looks really pretty…” and her mom looked at me and smiled. Way cool….)
Speaking of little girls, I forgot to mention - this ship has two main types of people - families with children or old folks. There aren’t a lot of people are age at all - few honeymooners - it is very interesting… most cruises we’re on, there’s a pretty good mix, but here, well, its nuts - yes, technically, a lot of parents are our age, but these are older parents, with older kids - not a whole lot of 20 somethings.
After our photos, we went to the Explorer’s Lounge and watched a hypnotist who was pretty funny, and then made a mad dash to the second level of the atrium where we were lucky enough to snag a small section of balcony where Grant and I could watch all of the action for New Years. The band played live music leading right up to midnight (by the way, we are one hour ahead of LA - on Mountain Time) while balloons bounced, horns squeaked, streamers flew and people screamed. At midnight, we counted down with a thousand other people as hundreds of balloons fell from the net at the top of the atrium, and the live band played “should old acquaintance be forgot…”…and I kissed my husband… way cool.
After the balloon drop, we took a quick cruise around the ship to check out the other hot spots - we definitely picked the best spot to be - and then got our midnight snack (actually our third meal of the day since we had only eaten lunch at 11:30 and dinner at 5:30 - )
Now I am back, typing, and I am going to go post this now!!!
Saturday Dec. 30 - Diamond Princess
Hola! Happy New Year from aboard the Diamond Princess!
First off, if you want to see where we are, you can go to the Princess website and click on “ships”. Find the Diamond Princess, click on it, and then click on “bridge cam.” Or I think you can just Google “Diamond Princess Bridge Cam.”
Grant and I got onboard at around 1:30 - it took us about 45 minutes to embark. We went straight to our cabin at the very front of the ship, P200. We met our cabin steward, Fortunato, who showed us our cabin features.
First let me say that I compare things - its just something I do… so since this is my first Princess cruise, I just naturally compare it to other cruises I’ve been on - Grant does as well. So part of this blog will have comparisons that Grant and I discussed… and if we say we prefer something about another cruise line, it doesn’t mean this one isn’t great!!!!
We have an ocean view cabin on this trip. (We had booked an obstructed view - which cost the same as an inside, but we booked guarantee and got upgraded to a regular ocean view if we wanted it - but the cabin would be at the very front of the ship where we would feel the motion of the ship the most. Of course, Grant was thrilled by that, so here we are!
The layout of the stateroom is different from both Carnival and Royal Caribbean. RC still has my favorite layout - however, I have only had balconies on RC and on both Carnival and now Princess, I’ve only had windows or inside.
In any case, when you first walk in, there is a “hallway” immediately to your left that leads to a nice long closet on one side (the length of the “hall,” and the bathroom on the other. Of course, the bathroom is teeny tiny! If, when you walk in the door, you keep going straight, you continue into the main part of the room. The desk is on your left, and the bed takes up most of the room. There is a desk chair, another sitting chair, and a small table, and that’s it! The room is decorated beautifully, with lots of wood and mirrors to make the room look much bigger. Grant and I agree that the furnishing and style of this cabin is our favorite so far…
Next, we headed up to the buffet to grab some lunch. The buffet (as is well documented online,) is very small and very poorly laid out. There are about 10 - 12 buffet counters squeezed into this tiny area about the size of two Sizzler’s salad bars put together. The food offered takes half of the counters, thus the area is divided into two sides, each with 6 counters offering the same food. Its is narrow, hard to get around, and laid out very weird, with the desserts first, for example. However, the food was good!
After lunch, we toured the ship. We had eaten at the very back, where there are a series of pools that sort of terrace. There is a pool on one deck, and then if you go up to the next level there is another pool, (surrounded by the kids club), and then the next level up has two Jacuzzis. These are all cool because they overlook the back of the ship. The next level up has the SkyWalker’s night club, which over looks the pools and the back of the ship from 15 stories above sea level!
The neat thing about the Princess ship, is it has a ton of the same kinds of areas, just smaller versions… for example, it has two main pool areas - one can be covered with a retractable roof when it is cool, two smaller pools (that I described above on the back end of the ship) and then a small adults only pool with two Jacuzzis that is next to the spa. This pool has a current that you can swim against.
It has three show areas - the main theater, Club Fusion where they do karaoke, and then another big lounge with a stage. The ship is really designed differently with s many different areas for passengers to be.
The casino (which happened to be our muster station area) is themed to be like Africa, with African map carpet and lots of trees that give it a very New York- New York (hotel/casino in Vegas) type feel. Its very cool - one of my favorite cruise line casinos.
Our bags got to our rooms quickly - in fact, two of our three bags were in our room when we first got there! So after the drill, we went back to our room to unpack, and then ran up to the front deck to watch the sun set over Catalina and the rest of our sail away.
We are doing the Anytime dining, which works much like going to a restaurant. We made reservations this evening at 6:00 in the Savoy dining room. HUGE advantage here - we get to sit by ourselves, just the two of us, whenever we want. Also, we can visit any of four dining rooms, which means we can eat in different locations throughout the cruise! The only disadvantage here is not having the same wait staff throughout the week to get to know your preferences, which can be awesome if you have a good team. But this is really a good way to go - especially if it’s just Grant and I.
Oh, don’t worry, here comes everyone’s favorite part:
For dinner, Grant had the salmon appetizer, the spring rolls, cream of mushroom soup, and a fresh water fish entrée.
I had the spring rolls and the mushroom soup, and my entrée was a delicious pastry puff filled with crab and lobster…ahhh
For dessert, we both had a rich chocolate flourless torte, with a espresso crème filling. Have mercy.
After dinner, we went to the theater to reserve seats (the theater only holds about 800 people, about 1/3 of the passengers.) The welcome aboard show was pretty typical a couple songs with the orchestra, dancers, and singers, and then a comedian (who wasn’t listed on our guide - the originally; scheduled comedian must not have made it to the ship…)
Next, we went to Club Fusion to watch Karaoke. Two cool things about Club Fusion: 1) There are some slots in the back, so we could chill in the back, watch karaoke, and play video poker. 2) There is a staircase next to the stage that leads to a cute, small little bar lounge - it feels secret and hidden - like the Adventurer’s Club at Disney World’s Pleasure Island. Very cool.
There were two pretty good chicks, one younger gal who sang the shoop shoop song with a lot of enthusiasm, and a pregnant chick who had a beautiful voice, but kept choosing sleepier ballads, great to listen to, but a little old after awhile. (No I did not sing!!!! I was spoiled with Rock-a-Roki!)
At 11:15, we went to the back of the ship and hung out in the Jacuzzi for about 45 minutes. Now we are back in our room, watching “The Sound of Music!” Good night!
OH!!! One more thing!!! The Christmas decorations are still up, which is way cool - we were not sure if they’d have taken them down yet how cool to see a cruise ship decorated for Christmas!
First off, if you want to see where we are, you can go to the Princess website and click on “ships”. Find the Diamond Princess, click on it, and then click on “bridge cam.” Or I think you can just Google “Diamond Princess Bridge Cam.”
Grant and I got onboard at around 1:30 - it took us about 45 minutes to embark. We went straight to our cabin at the very front of the ship, P200. We met our cabin steward, Fortunato, who showed us our cabin features.
First let me say that I compare things - its just something I do… so since this is my first Princess cruise, I just naturally compare it to other cruises I’ve been on - Grant does as well. So part of this blog will have comparisons that Grant and I discussed… and if we say we prefer something about another cruise line, it doesn’t mean this one isn’t great!!!!
We have an ocean view cabin on this trip. (We had booked an obstructed view - which cost the same as an inside, but we booked guarantee and got upgraded to a regular ocean view if we wanted it - but the cabin would be at the very front of the ship where we would feel the motion of the ship the most. Of course, Grant was thrilled by that, so here we are!
The layout of the stateroom is different from both Carnival and Royal Caribbean. RC still has my favorite layout - however, I have only had balconies on RC and on both Carnival and now Princess, I’ve only had windows or inside.
In any case, when you first walk in, there is a “hallway” immediately to your left that leads to a nice long closet on one side (the length of the “hall,” and the bathroom on the other. Of course, the bathroom is teeny tiny! If, when you walk in the door, you keep going straight, you continue into the main part of the room. The desk is on your left, and the bed takes up most of the room. There is a desk chair, another sitting chair, and a small table, and that’s it! The room is decorated beautifully, with lots of wood and mirrors to make the room look much bigger. Grant and I agree that the furnishing and style of this cabin is our favorite so far…
Next, we headed up to the buffet to grab some lunch. The buffet (as is well documented online,) is very small and very poorly laid out. There are about 10 - 12 buffet counters squeezed into this tiny area about the size of two Sizzler’s salad bars put together. The food offered takes half of the counters, thus the area is divided into two sides, each with 6 counters offering the same food. Its is narrow, hard to get around, and laid out very weird, with the desserts first, for example. However, the food was good!
After lunch, we toured the ship. We had eaten at the very back, where there are a series of pools that sort of terrace. There is a pool on one deck, and then if you go up to the next level there is another pool, (surrounded by the kids club), and then the next level up has two Jacuzzis. These are all cool because they overlook the back of the ship. The next level up has the SkyWalker’s night club, which over looks the pools and the back of the ship from 15 stories above sea level!
The neat thing about the Princess ship, is it has a ton of the same kinds of areas, just smaller versions… for example, it has two main pool areas - one can be covered with a retractable roof when it is cool, two smaller pools (that I described above on the back end of the ship) and then a small adults only pool with two Jacuzzis that is next to the spa. This pool has a current that you can swim against.
It has three show areas - the main theater, Club Fusion where they do karaoke, and then another big lounge with a stage. The ship is really designed differently with s many different areas for passengers to be.
The casino (which happened to be our muster station area) is themed to be like Africa, with African map carpet and lots of trees that give it a very New York- New York (hotel/casino in Vegas) type feel. Its very cool - one of my favorite cruise line casinos.
Our bags got to our rooms quickly - in fact, two of our three bags were in our room when we first got there! So after the drill, we went back to our room to unpack, and then ran up to the front deck to watch the sun set over Catalina and the rest of our sail away.
We are doing the Anytime dining, which works much like going to a restaurant. We made reservations this evening at 6:00 in the Savoy dining room. HUGE advantage here - we get to sit by ourselves, just the two of us, whenever we want. Also, we can visit any of four dining rooms, which means we can eat in different locations throughout the cruise! The only disadvantage here is not having the same wait staff throughout the week to get to know your preferences, which can be awesome if you have a good team. But this is really a good way to go - especially if it’s just Grant and I.
Oh, don’t worry, here comes everyone’s favorite part:
For dinner, Grant had the salmon appetizer, the spring rolls, cream of mushroom soup, and a fresh water fish entrée.
I had the spring rolls and the mushroom soup, and my entrée was a delicious pastry puff filled with crab and lobster…ahhh
For dessert, we both had a rich chocolate flourless torte, with a espresso crème filling. Have mercy.
After dinner, we went to the theater to reserve seats (the theater only holds about 800 people, about 1/3 of the passengers.) The welcome aboard show was pretty typical a couple songs with the orchestra, dancers, and singers, and then a comedian (who wasn’t listed on our guide - the originally; scheduled comedian must not have made it to the ship…)
Next, we went to Club Fusion to watch Karaoke. Two cool things about Club Fusion: 1) There are some slots in the back, so we could chill in the back, watch karaoke, and play video poker. 2) There is a staircase next to the stage that leads to a cute, small little bar lounge - it feels secret and hidden - like the Adventurer’s Club at Disney World’s Pleasure Island. Very cool.
There were two pretty good chicks, one younger gal who sang the shoop shoop song with a lot of enthusiasm, and a pregnant chick who had a beautiful voice, but kept choosing sleepier ballads, great to listen to, but a little old after awhile. (No I did not sing!!!! I was spoiled with Rock-a-Roki!)
At 11:15, we went to the back of the ship and hung out in the Jacuzzi for about 45 minutes. Now we are back in our room, watching “The Sound of Music!” Good night!
OH!!! One more thing!!! The Christmas decorations are still up, which is way cool - we were not sure if they’d have taken them down yet how cool to see a cruise ship decorated for Christmas!
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