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Take a few trips with us as we travel on the Mexican Riveria (March 2000) and to the Carribean (March 1998).
MAGIC MOMENTSOur magic moments began 10 years ago when I married Lynn. Since this past February 24th was a major anniversary, I had decided to do something for both of us so that we could celebrate. I had decided that we would take a 10-day cruise. The destination was the Mexican Riviera. PREPARATIONOnce again, we used the services of CruisesInc for the arrangements. Again, Mike was very helpful in securing these arrangements. We were to sail on March 5, 2000 from Los Angeles, and, because of unpredictable weather, we opted to travel the day before and use their CruisePlus overnight package in Los Angeles. I, of course, worked a fair amount of overtime to finance the trip, and about 2 weeks prior to sailing, we received our final documents including airline tickets, hotel vouchers and other necessary documents for our trip. DAY 1 – Saturday, March 5THWe arose early as we did not get much sleep the night before. Our flight was scheduled to depart Cleveland at 9:40 a.m. on TWA with a change in St. Louis, arriving in Los Angeles at 1:45 p.m. Our daughter, Debbie, took us to the airport and dropped us off. We checked our luggage curbside and we were finally on vacation. Lynn had taken the previous day (Friday the 3rd) off so that she could pack and have most everything completed for Saturday. We also contacted our former choir director and his wife and part of our plans by flying out the day before would be to see them as they now have a church in the Los Angeles area. We arrived in Los Angeles as per the advertised at 1:45 p.m., claimed our luggage (we had lots) and then proceeded to the shuttle to the rental car office to pick up our rental car. Our plan was to pick up the car at Los Angeles, and drop the car off in San Pedro where the cruise pier is, the next day. We had a small problem as Enterprise could not seem to locate our reservation. The problem was eventually corrected and we drove around the block to our hotel for the evening, the Westin Airport. We were assigned room 1065 and the room window had a view of the entire runway of LAX as well as railroad tracks below with trains running on it. I was in 7th heaven as I could watch all the activity below. Los Angeles was cold that day-probably only in the upper 50’s and some of the mountain areas were predicting a possibility of snow that evening. We then decided to take the evening tour of the city, which conveniently departed directly from our hotel. It was a cold evening and we visited major sites such as Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Chinese Theatre, downtown, and Universal CityWalk for a dinner stop. We then returned to our hotel around 10:30 p.m. and retired for the evening. The next day was to be adventurous for both of us. DAY 2 – Sunday, March 5thToday we had planned on travelling to La Crescenta to visit our former Choir Director, Jim and his wife Carole at their new church, First Baptist Church of La Crescenta. We had directions from our hotel to take the 405 freeway and various other freeways to get to our destination. Lynn has never driven the freeways, and she is paranoid about getting lost and not knowing where she is going. On top of all that we were in the midst of a downpour that did not let up until later in the day. We finally arrived, after getting a good view of the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, and Carole was waiting for us.
Following the service, Lynn was a little bit nervous whether or not we were going to make it back to the ship prior to sailing time at 5 p.m., so, we did Taco Bell for lunch. Jim & Carole’s daughter, Julie, also joined us and we had some good fellowship together. Unfortunately, the time together was way too short and we felt that we needed to start back at about 1:30 p.m. to allow ourselves time if we encountered any problems along the way, such as Los Angeles traffic. Jim & Carole completely understood, and we then departed La Crescenta with an invitation to return again if we would be in the area. We then ventured on the freeways again, this time the route lead us through downtown Los Angeles, which without traffic took us only about 20 minutes from Jim’s. We found our way to the 110 freeway and arrived at the Sheraton San Pedro to drop off the rental car. This hotel also offers a free shuttle to the pier and they handled our luggage for us. Once we arrived at the pier, one of the porters then took our luggage and it magically appeared later in our Stateroom. The transition from pierside to the ship was very smooth and there was absolutely no line at all and we were onboard within just a few minutes.
I then felt the need to get some soda for the trip. On board, it can cost $1.50 per can, so I tried to find out where I could buy a case of soda. Everyone on board, of course, was telling me that I could order through room service. I finally went off the ship and found a security guard who told me that there is a crew store and that I could get soda there. I went and got a case and brought it back to the ship. I had to take it through the metal detectors, etc. We then went at 4:30 p.m. to the Lifeboat Drill which is required of all passengers to attend. Shortly after that, we went to the top deck to witness the sail away at 5:00 p.m. Lynn was cold so she did not stay out too long.
You usually have appetizer, soup, salad, pasta, entrée, and dessert, along with rolls and butter. Each night on board is themed after a certain country in the dining room. There were some nights where I ordered 2 desserts and one night where I ordered 2 entrees because I could not decide what I wanted. Dinner is then followed by a Broadway style show every evening. The show plays twice to accommodate both early and late dinner seatings. Of course the shows are always good. After that we retired for the evening as it had been a long day. DAY 3 – Monday, March 6thSUNRISE 7:07 a.m. SUNSET 6:40 p.m. Today was to be our first day at sea with numerous activities to keep you busy, or you can do nothing at all. We departed Los Angeles the evening before and were now sailing the coast of Baja California. Today we would pass the group of San Benito Islands and navigate along Baja California Sur southbound to our first port of call-Cabo San Lucas. During the night, the ship’s clocks were pushed ahead 1 hour, so we were now in the Mountain Time Zone. Every evening, a daily activity sheet called "The Princess Patter" is delivered to your stateroom. This outlines everything that is going to happen on board ship the next day. It also will indicate other information such as navigational information and various sales that the on-board shops may be offering at that time. It will also display whether or not dinner that night is formal, semi-formal, or casual. The ship has a myriad of concessions to cater to just about your every need and want. They have everything from an aspirin for your headache, to a wine and caviar bar, if that is your thing. You need not worry about going hungry as you can eat 24 hours a day. The evening show for Sunday March 5th was Ronnie Kane, who was an illusionist.
The activities today included a talk on Cabo San Lucas, which was basically where to shop in town and some basic sightseeing guides. One thing that I noticed that there is no shore excursion talks as those are broadcast via your stateroom television. They also had a seminar on slowing down the aging process. I think that about 95% of the ship should have attended this event. We were probably one of the youngest couples on board. Most of the people were 60 or above. Each stateroom had glasses at the bathroom sink that rested in some type of a holder. It was actually for persons to put their teeth in at night along with Efferdent for cleaning and storage. The show this evening was America’s Music, which presented a sampling of music from the 1940’s through today, including Gospel, rock, blues, and some Broadway. The ship has decks 2-14 (no 13th deck) for passenger use. Deck 14 was the Casino and Sun Deck; 12 was the pool, buffet dining area, hamburger grill, and pizzeria; 11 through 9 were rooms; 8 was the balcony level of the International Showlounge as well as several bars; 7 was the Main floor of the Showlounge as well as the Promenade teak deck, library, the Adieggo Lounge and the Palm Court Dining room. Also included on deck 7 were a level of Atrium shops and there were a few of these shops as well on deck 6. On deck 5 was the Pursor’s (your hotel front desk, as well as services similar to a bank) and the tour desk, which handled your shore excursions along with the Expresso coffee bar and rooms. Deck 4 housed rooms, as well as the ship’s medical facilities, which were put to use by one passenger early in our voyage. A woman slipped on the stairs between decks 11 & 12 and broke her ankle. The ship’s doctor put a cast on it, hoping that she could get a walking cast while at port in Acapulco a few days later, but that was not to be. Hence, she was wheelchair bound to the ship for the entire voyage. What a lousy way to spend your vacation. Also on deck 4 were the tenders that would take you ashore if the ship were not able to dock at a harbor. Deck 3 and 2 were crew quarters except on deck 2 were also the Gym and Health Spa and Beauty Salon. After a full first day at sea, we retired for the evening. DAY 4 - Tuesday, March 7thSUNRISE 6:38 a.m. SUNSET 6:28 p.m. During the night, we proceeded on a southerly course and we anchored off Cabo San Lucas at approximately 12 noon. This port would utilize tenders to take us ashore so all of the shore excursions would depart from the International Showlounge. Lynn and I had initially signed up for separate tours: me snorkeling, and Lynn whale watching. Because I had learned that the water temperature was only about 70 degrees, I had opted to cancel my snorkeling and join Lynn on the whale watching instead. After venturing ashore we departed on our adventure, and the whales were plentiful as they can only be seen usually during the months of January through March when they are beginning their yearly migration north toward Alaska. We were not disappointed at all as we were able to witness several spouts as well as some tails in the water.
After our time on the internet, we realized that the last tender departed at 5:30 and it was now 4:55 and we were scrambling on how to get back to the ship. One of the locals put us on a Mexican public transit bus, and because of our language barrier, the driver did not understand the English word "ship." We then started ascending a hill going away from what we thought was the pier, but, alas, we eventually ended up at the right place with plenty of time to spare. Whew!!! Back safely on board, we then departed Cabo, and went in for dinner, after changing into more suitable attire. Dinner that evening was casual, however at dinner, shorts are not allowed in the dining room. The show this evening was stand up comedian Joe De Caprio. I am not normally a fan of comedians, however this guy was pretty good. Following the show, we then returned for the evening or watched television in the comfort of our stateroom. DAY 5 – Wednesday, March 8thSUNRISE 7:18 a.m. SUNSET 7:00 p.m. We lost another hour of sleep last night as the ship’s clocks were set ahead another hour. We were now in the Central Time Zone. After departing Cabo San Lucas, we sailed along the Gulf of California and the Mexican coast. Later we passed abeam of Manzanillo at a distance of about 20 nautical miles and then continued south east toward Acapulco. Today was to be another day at sea. Each day we arose and ate a good breakfast. On the mornings that we were due in port early, we ordered room service which consisted of usually a continental breakfast. On days when we were at sea or in port late, we usually went to the dining room for breakfast. We usually ate lunch at the pizzeria but did visit the dining room on a couple of occasions as well. Dinner each evening was always in the dining room except for one evening in port, which I will get to later.
Following that, was the version of the game show Family Feud. After that, I played Bingo. The dinner this evening was semi formal and the evening show was Bob Ryman, who played strings. Neither Lynn nor I were interested in hearing that, so we opted to go to the movies at the ship’s movie theater instead. Yes, the ship has a movie theater-just like going to the movies at home, except, that they don’t serve fresh hot buttered popcorn. That would be the next innovative idea for Princess. The movie title this evening was Runaway Bride - a very good film. Another day was behind us as we settle in for a good night’s sleep as tomorrow would be busy day touring AcaPULco. DAY 6 – Thursday, March 9thSUNRISE 6:52 a.m. SUNSET 6:49 p.m. Today we approached the Acapulco Pilot Station at approximately 6 a.m. Once the Harbor Pilot takes over, we entered beautiful Acapulco Bay, and alongside the berth at around 8:00 a.m.
Also included was some shopping at B & B Jewelers, one of Princess’ recommended shops. After doing some damage to my credit card, we then proceeded for our fun in the sun activities, which consisted of a tour of the Acapulco Princess Hotel.
Lynn lounged on a chaise lounge and I spent time under one of the waterfalls in this bath water-like pool. After about 2 hours, it was time to leave and head back towards the ship. If you go to Acapulco, we highly recommend that you take this tour. It is well worth the money, and we felt that it was our favorite of the entire voyage. Our evening activities took a different twist this evening. Because we were in Acapulco, it was recommended by John from the tour office that we go to a place for dinner called Senor Frogs. It would cost about $15.00 each way by cab and we were assured that it was worth the trip. This was probably the only disappointment in the trip. Senor Frogs is not much more than a bar. It is very similar to Carlos & Charlies that are known in other areas of Mexico. It was also packed with college kids who were on spring break from the states. We also received quite an "education" as to how our youth of today behave when Mom and Dad are not there. There was a young lady who was celebrating her birthday, and we witnessed her put her head underneath the waiter’s shirt as he danced on top of the table where she was seated. You can imagine what may have happened to some of these kids later on as this was very early in the evening. We found the food to be edible. I could have gotten just as good a steak at Ponderosa for about ½ the price. Following our disappointing dinner, we then ventured back to the ship. Our cabbie who took us out to the restaurant waited for us so that we would not have to call for a return cab. The show this evening was the Mexican Ballet Folklorico. It did not peak either of our interests, so we called it a night and went to bed. Our ship sailed from AcaPULco at 11:00 p.m. DAY 7 – Friday, March 10thSUNRISE 6:56 a.m. SUNSET 7:00 p.m.
We ventured out about 45 minutes to our selected spot, and were issued the necessary snorkeling equipment and instruction. We then began snorkeling and did so for about 1 hour, observing coral reefs and several species of fish. After snorkeling in Australia, the Bahamas and the Caribbean, I found the snorkeling here to be disappointing. The water was not the crystal clear blue aqua that is known throughout the Caribbean. This was just plain Pacific Ocean water, with lots of foam from tide and dirt being washed in. After completing our snorkeling, we then had a continental breakfast on board the sailboat. One funny incident of this excursion was the fact that we had a Conservative Baptist minister on board this snorkeling trip. We had met them the day before on the Acapulco tour. Well, two of the ship’s crew got ahold of him and started pouring tequila down his throat. We then noticed him drinking some later on, however, I thought that the 2nd time was not necessarily against his will. We teased him a little, and told him that we will vouch for him if his wife should ask any questions, as she had taken a separate tour. After our tour, we walked around the city a little bit, and we were not impressed. Very small, and not much there. If you were going to take a tour, there was a tour to Ixtapa, about 4 miles away that probably would have been more to the liking of some people. After walking around a little bit, we then headed back to the ship in time for a late lunch. After lunch, later in the afternoon, I went to the afternoon Bingo session, and was lucky enough to win the Fill Up game. Unfortunately, I did not get it in 50 numbers, but it was still enough to give me $350.00 tax free cash. That basically took care of some of the damage that we had done on this trip so far. Dinner was semi formal, and after that came the show C’Est Magnifique, a short musical love story based in France. Afterwards, I enjoyed a pizza from the pizzeria and then went to bed. DAY 8 – Saturday, March 11thSUNRISE 7:13 a.m. SUNSET 7:10 p.m. During the night, we sailed north along the Mexican coast and entered the Bahia Banderas area of Mexico where we found Puerto Vallerta and docked around 9 a.m.
We departed the pier around 9:30 a.m. for about a 45-minute ride out to the snorkeling point. Upon arrival, one of the crew went in to check the water and determined that it was not good for snorkeling at this spot, because of murkiness of the water and because of the strong Pacific currents. It was then decided to go to another area another ½ hour away, and similar conditions were encountered there. The crew however, turned this into a positive, and opened the bar for all complimentary unlimited drinks and beverages as well as snacks and the boat was turned into a whale watching and party boat for the remainder of the trip. We felt, that even though we could not snorkel, they did their best to make it up to us. For that reason, I put this on our recommended list for shore excursions. We got back at pierside at about 2:30 p.m. and had time to still do some shopping and also go to one of several internet cafes in town. It was here that we did our most significant damage and my bank was very happy to accept my credit card purchases. One note on credit card purchase in foreign lands. They are good in the sense that you have a better record of what was spent, however, most financial institutions, mine included, will charge you at least 3% on your bill to do the exchange into American funds. So, whatever U.S. dollar amount shows on your credit card receipt from the merchant, add at least 3% to that balance because your actual bill will be different. We went to this one shop, Del Sol, where they sell apparel, that when out in the sunlight, will change the color to reflect different colors depending on the angle of sunlight. We also spent some time at the internet café, e-mailing some of those we know. I e-mailed who I thought was my boss because someone with the same name had signed the church guest book where he attends, and it turned out that it was not him, as it was someone completely different as I discovered when I returned home and found an e-mail asking me who I was. After a day of shopping and snorkeling, we were back onboard our home-away-from-home. The show was the Shanxi Acrobats, from Japan, who were very good. After that, it was nite nite…ZZZZZZZ DAY 9 – Sunday, March 12thSUNRISE 6:17 a.m. SUNSET 6:14 p.m. Last night, we gained an extra hour of sleep as clocks on board were moved back one hour, changing from Central Time Zone to Mountain. Today would be our final port at sea-Mazatlan. Here we signed up for the all day Sierra Madre tour. This tour skips all the resort areas and goes out into the country to see real life of how the Mexicans live and work.
Following this, we ventured to a small town to see the main square, visit the local church, and have a drink at the bar with a few minutes for souvenir shopping. We then continued to a little carpentry shop where wood carved chairs, as well as other craft and nick nacks are still hand-made. We made a couple of cash purchases here, including a multi colored swan for a nightstand decoration that matches our bedroom décor.
The tour advertised the lunch as a buffet, but it was actually a sit down meal. It was then about a 1-hour drive back to the main area of Mazatlan and a stop was made at the "Gold Zone" for some last minute shopping. We stopped at the shell place to see if we could locate any good seashells for decorative purposes. We did not see anything to our liking, so we then reboarded our tour bus, and ventured back to the ship. At the pier was what we know as a flea market. We bought a couple of hand-made rugs at $13 each. Such a deal. Dinner this evening was casual. Tonight’s show was another performance by Ronnie Kane, the illusionist with a different performance-just as good as the first one and then bedtime followed. DAY 10 - Monday, March 13thSUNRISE 6:35 a.m. SUNSET 6:41 p.m. Last night, we gained an hour of sleep as the clocks were advanced forward one more time, putting us back on Pacific Standard Time. Today would be one of the last 2 days aboard our "home". Today would also be the last nice day weather wise to get out and enjoy the sunny skies and warm temperatures. While the weather was nice while in port, we found that while out at sea, it was at times windy and a bit chilly. Neither of us packed any type of warm clothing as we figured that we would not need it. In the morning we went to the culinary demonstration where they cooked several different meals, including shrimp alfredo, and cherries jubilee. All this was accomplished with a an "extra measure" of humor from Mark, our cruise director, who was trying to ascertain how virgin olive oil became virgin and how it lost its virginity. Following this was a Galley Tour. We visited the dishwashing, pastries, soups, salad prep, meat prep, and dessert areas. We also learned about the mammoth amounts of food it takes to prepare meals for about 2100 guests 3 times a day. It’s quite an undertaking. I then played Bingo in the morning and afternoon sessions, hoping to win the "big one." I also spent a little time (and money) in the casino. In the afternoon, Lynn and I went to watch the ship’s version of the Newlywed Game. I think that they should have named this game the Newlywed and nearly dead game. Tonight was formal night. Because we were previous cruisers on Princess, we were invited to the Captain’s Circle cocktail party prior to dinner. This we felt was something that we could have missed and not missed anything. The show tonight was Pirates, which we had seen on our previous cruise 2 years ago, but went to see it again. I liked it better the 2nd time. Upon returning to our room, we found all of the necessary documents and instructions that we would need for disembarkation on Wednesday morning. This was the first and sad realization that our Magic Moments at sea would be soon drawing to a close. DAY 11 – Tuesday March 14thSUNRISE 5:55 a.m. SUNSET 5:54 p.m. Our final day at sea. The air outside was chilly and we were saddened inside because you have got to spend the last week and a half with the most special person in your life. Today is the last day that you can spend in total dedication to each other, without having to lift a finger for anything, except for making a decision on what to eat, wear, or what to do as far as activities are concerned. Lynn went to the Grandma’s bragging party and told about the story of Amanda attempting to pull her stockings off her. Lynn also received a gold medal for being the youngest Grandma there. I will say this much, she certainly is the prettiest. I played Bingo in the afternoon for the last time. I had one number left for the fill up and the number he called was N 34. A young lady from California won the $2800.00 cash for the fill up. I needed I 28 and that would have been the next number called. So close, yet, so far away. I did, however go up and congratulate her on her winnings. Everyone else could care less - they lost. So did I, but you have to go in with the idea that you are not going to win. You have to go with the idea of having fun, and, if you win, that’s a bonus. Tonight was casual dining, which was an excellent idea since we needed to pack beforehand. We then had our final dinner, and presented our gratuities to our dining room staff, Victor, our waiter, and Tybor, our assistant waiter, both who did an outstanding job at taking care of us. The final show for the evening was Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance, and of course, a tear jerking finale. We headed back to our room following and saw all of the suitcases out in the hallways - a sure sign that the end was very imminent. On the last night of the cruise, before 10 p.m., you put all of the suitcases out that you want taken off the ship for you. You leave a set of clothes for the morning as well as incidentals and carry those with you as carry-on. We began our last night of sweet dreams on a sweet vacation. Tomorrow, reality would hit us with a vengeance. DAY 13 – Wednesday March 15thNOTE: THE SUN DID NOT RISE TODAY, I COULD NOT SEE IT THROUGH THE TEARS. We arose at 7 a.m., got ready and went down to the dining room for breakfast. Our last good meal for the day. I noticed that the service in the dining room was not up to it’s usual high standard. Everyone was at different stations, and there was some disorganization. We did, however have a good breakfast. After breakfast, we returned to our room, collected our belongings and then ventured to Deck 5 to await permission to disembark the ship. We disembarked shortly after 9 a.m., found our luggage, cleared customs, as a porter assisted us through customs and to a waiting bus to return us to LAX for our return flight home - a non-stop on Continental Airlines which would depart LAX at 12:40 p.m. and put us back into Cleveland at 8:09 p.m. on Eastern time. Our flight was in an oversell situation, and I had volunteered to be a passenger for that. If my seat were needed, I would be given a $300.00 flight voucher and be flown home on the next flight. As it turned out, I was able to board my original flight, and because of a seating snafu, caused by one of the flight attendants, my wife and I were not able to sit together until about an hour into the flight. My wife was also reprimanded by the flight attendant for not being on time for the flight. This along with the original seating issues, were part of a long letter to Continental Airlines Customer Relations Department in Houston. We arrived back in Cleveland per the advertised at 8:09 p.m. where Debbie and Amanda met us. We then went out to dinner at Dennys (quite a step down from what we had been enjoying the previous days). It was still good to see familiar faces and we arrived home at about 11 p.m. after dinner. SOME FINAL THOUGHTS AND REVIEWSMy impression of Regal Princess was mixed. We loved our stateroom and found it quite adequate for our needs. We even had sufficient space for storage of all our clothing and suitcases. My biggest complaint about the ship was the fact that the Showlounge was not big enough to accommodate all who wanted to view the show. I found it very crowded and not easy to move through. We found that if we did not get there at least 45 minutes early, that we would end up climbing all over people to get to seats. Also, they always had the good pool tied up for water volleyball or something like that. The other pool that remained available was not heated and the water was frigid. I would recommend that Princess heat both pools. Also, the whirlpools were very small. You could accommodate 2 persons comfortably. More than that, you were cramped. Also while the ship was rocking, the stateroom creaked to the point that it sounded as if things were falling above you. The only night this was really bad was the first night. My other complaint would rest with the air/sea department. They did not secure our reservations until 2 weeks prior to departure, and even then we were not seated together on the return flight. The next cruise I take, I will do my own air reservations and notify the cruise line at least 30 days prior of departure of my air arrangements. That way, they will have the necessary transfers available. The cruise staff was excellent and treated us great. I found the attitude of the staff better than on the Dawn Princess. The dining room and pizzeria service were great. The Café Del Sol left a lot to be desired as far as the friendliness of the wait staff and the service, or lack of service that we received. I would choose Princess again, however, I would like to travel with a little bit of a younger crowd. We felt somewhat out of place. I don’t necessarily want to travel with party animals either, but would like to travel with people more in our age and income bracket. I would also like to travel on one of the big ships. I have my eye on either the Grand Princess or Royal Caribbean’s Voyaguer of the Seas, possibly for next year for a 7-day cruise. I also think that I prefer the Caribbean rather than the Pacific. My only exception to this would be the South Pacific Polynesian Islands, which would be the subject of a distant future cruise. Princess gives us good value for the money and the shore excursions could not have been better. They are a little pricey, but worth it. Most importantly, it’s not the cruise. It’s who you are with, and I cannot think of a better person to be with than Lynn, the love of my life. As long as we are together, that makes all of our time in life MAGIC MOMENTS. As the Cruise Director Mark would say, Chaoi for now, and drive carefully.
Come along with us on ourSouthern Caribbean cruiseI would like to take this time and invite you all to go on a cruise with us. No, not a real cruise, but a "virtual" one. We spent 7 days in the Southern Caribbean and had a wonderful time. Come along vicariously with us as we travel:Preplanning: I actually booked this Cruise through the Internet and used a company called Cruises, Inc. Their website can be accessed through Cruises, Inc.. You will find a wealth of information about cruising in general and telephone numbers to call. I got a representative named Mike Praete and his direct telephone number is 800-260-7245. He was very helpful in assisting us on planning our vacation. Lynn wanted to go to Aruba and I mentioned this to Mike. He immediately searched and found a ship that would include that port of call. We had decided upon Princess Cruise Lines, "DAWN PRINCESS", following Mike's recommendation. We put our deposit down back in September and I began to work a fair amount of overtime to pay for it. We ordered brochures, and videos to learn all that we could about our upcoming adventure. We were scheduled to sail on Saturday March 7th from San Juan, PR. The end of December came and I made my final payment to Cruises Inc. and everything was set. About 2 weeks prior to sailing, we got our "Air Arrangements" from our Agent. The cruise line had put us on the last available flight from Cleveland to San Juan that day. If we had missed a connection, or had any type of weather problem, we would have missed our ship. We then decided to have our travel agent fly us down the day before and we took their overnight package so that we would not have any problems. We had to pay a little extra for this package but as you will see it was well worth it. Lynn was getting pretty excited about a month before. She was happily packing, and buying some new outfits for the trip. As we had 2 "formal" nights on board, I decided to rent a "tux" for the occasion (conveniently provided through the cruise line, and directly delivered to my stateroom). OUR TRIP BEGINSFRIDAY, MARCH 6th , 1998 We arise at 415AM and get ready and get the last minute items ready to go. We decided to take a taxi to the airport because we felt that it would be cheaper than driving. We arrived at the airport at 530AM for a 655AM flight on United over to Chicago, and then transfer to our flight to San Juan. I am the worrier of the family and was aware that we only had approximately 29 minutes between flights in Chicago. I was concerned because United had no other flights that day, and also, would our luggage make it even if we did because of the short time. I used to be a travel agent and know what the airlines do and don't do. Our flights were uneventful, with breakfast and entertainment at a $5.00 per headset charge. We arrived in San Juan at approximately 2:11PM Atlantic Standard Time (same as Daylight Savings Time in the east, except it's year round in the Caribbean). The Princess representatives were there to meet us, and upon claiming our luggage, we then proceeded (after a short delay) to transportation to our hotel for the evening-the Wyndham. This particular hotel is right across the street from the pier. You can literally step out of your room and onto the ship. There were 3 ships in port that evening-Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and NCL, I believe. The hotel assigned us a suite on the 3rd floor with a balcony with a nice view of the pier area. This hotel is in Old San Juan and also has a casino. After checking in and getting settled, Lynn and I went out to explore the town. We caught one of these free trolley buses that takes you all around the old part of the city. Because of the lateness of the afternoon, it was difficult to be able to get into some of the sights, so we got off the trolley and walked and browsed around the city. We were also getting hungry and there were places such as McDonald, Pizza Hut, Ponderosa, and some other American places as well. We decided to opt for one of the local places for dinner, and that was our mistake. The food at this establishment was very good, but did not agree with Lynn and within about 2 hours Lynn was quite sick-looked like her dinner didn't agree with her, so, for the rest of the evening, Lynn was in bed. SATURDAY, MARCH 7th - SAN JUAN We arose, Lynn was feeling better, but, still not herself. She would be okay as long as she wasn't too far away from facilities that she could use if necessary. We took our time getting up and getting going as the ship did not depart until 11PM. We were, however, allowed to board the ship at noon. We then proceeded over, checked in, and got on board. There was also a little store that you could go into to buy incidentals that you may need. I noticed that they had soda, so I got a 12 pack. On the ship, they charge you $1.50/per can plus a 15% gratuity. If each of you gets a soda, you're looking at $3.75. When you check in, they give you a key card for your room. This card also serves as your card for any purchases that you may make on board ship. There is no cash tendered on board. You put everything on your card, and settle at the end of your cruise. You usually give them a credit card number at check in, and if you want it billed to that credit card, they will automatically do it at the end of your cruise upon receipt of your statement that is delivered to your room on morning of checkout. You charge all your shore trips, and drinks if applicable, and any shopping that you may have done onboard, as well as beauty salon, spa, etc. Our cabin was an inside cabin (no porthole) and was small, however it is not designed that you spend a lot of time in your cabin. You have 7 different decks of the ship that are all yours while away, and you don't want to waste away in your cabin. Each stateroom has a fridge, telephone, television, with several cable stations, and pretty good closet space along with a full bathroom with shower. The bed was more comfortable than ours at home. After checking in and getting settled, we went up for some lunch. On this particular ship, there are several dining options that you may choose. We had a choice of a full sit down lunch in the dining room, the pizza parlor, the Lido Grill, or the Horizon Court buffet. We chose the Horizon Court which was on the top deck-14. This restaurant has several buffet lines, and they have all kinds of meats, and salads, as well as fruits and really tasty desserts. We indulged ourselves, and then Lynn went back to the cabin-she still was not feeling very good. I decided to walk around and explore a little. About mid afternoon, I went to the Lido grill and got a hot dog and a hamburger. Why not, all the food was included for the entire week. The only food that you had to pay for were the Ice Cream Sundae bar-that wasn't free, but everything else was. We then took it easy until Dinner time, and then went to one of 2 dining rooms on board. We were assigned in the Florentine. The other dining room was the Venetian-one level above. Our table assignment was waiting for us in our cabin upon boarding. We then proceeded to dinner, and met our tablemates for the next 7 days. They were Venessa and Cheryl, both from the Minneapolis area. Vanessa’s husband didn't wish to travel, so she brought her girlfriend Cheryl with her instead. They were very nice, and we hit it off together right away. The dinners on the ship are hard to imagine. There is first, an appetizer such as shrimp cocktail, or snails, and not one appetizer is repeated throughout the entire cruise. The menu is a different every evening. But they start out with appetizer, then soup, then salad, then the pasta dish, and then your main entree which also included usually potatoes and a vegetable. After all that comes dessert, and you have a choice of about 5-6 different desserts to choose from. One night, Lynn couldn't decide which dessert she wanted so they brought her both. I was just as guilty though. One night they had Beef Wellington and Rock Lobster Tails, so I ordered both. Lynn and I both had very good practice from the verse in Acts where it talks about the "breaking of bread". If you went to the dining room for lunch, it was the same type of menu. With our bellies full and also with new found friends, we then headed back to the room. Lynn still was not feeling good. Shortly after 8PM came the "Emergency Drill". Everyone is assigned a "Muster Station" where you will take your lifejacket (provided in your cabin) and meet at the assigned place. They then give you a demonstration in use of the lifejacket and you have to put it on. They then will instruct you in what to do in case of an emergency. After that, Lynn and I were both kind of tired, so we hit the hay for the night. We didn't even go to the first nights show. Lynn still was not herself from her gastronomical adventure the previous evening in San Juan. At approximately 1130PM, we sailed for Aruba and would arrive there early Monday morning. Sunday was to be a day of relaxation at sea. SUNDAY, MARCH 8th - AT SEA Lynn and I both arose on Sunday morning. We opted to have breakfast in our cabin. Lynn had toast, and I had an omelette with an english muffin along with bacon sausage, OJ and milk. After breakfast, we went to the "non-denominational" church service, presided over by one of the staff Captains. This was definitely a different service. It almost reminded me of a mix between very liberal Methodist, and the Episcopal church. There were several prayers for the "Queen" as well as other leaders. Several of the Baptist hymns such as "Stand up for Jesus" were sung, but somehow, it wasn't the same as our Worship Team and praise service at home. This service was mostly attended by older people. I think that Lynn and I were one of the youngest couples on board the entire ship. Sunday was a relaxing day at sea to do whatever you like. This ship had 3 swimming pools and several hot tubs all around the ship-one of the swimming pools being a wave pool.There is lots of space to get some sun, or Lynn found one of the deck chairs on the teak deck that encompasses the entire ship which you can walk the entire ship. The cruise also, each evening, distributes a daily activities and information sheet called the "Princess Patter" listing everything that is happening around the ship the next day-along with locations and times. You will never be bored on a cruise unless you want to be. We had a wonderful day on Sunday the 8th of March and we were looking forward to a day in Aruba on Monday. Lynn was still not feeling the greatest but she was almost back to normal by Sunday night. We turned in rather early as Monday was going to be our first Port of Call.
MONDAY, MARCH 9th - ARUBA We arose early and ate breakfast in the Horizon Court on the 14th Deck. We did not really like any of the tours that the ship was offering, so, we decided to go on our own. There was an all day tour of Aruba that also included lunch and snorkeling at the private island of this tour company. Since this tour did not leave from the ship, we needed to get to the tour office to locate the tour. Upon disembarkation, we were trying to find our way around to get to this tour. We had mentioned to one of the bus drivers of the other tours that were sitting at the dock, and he directed us to one of the local hotels where that particular tour would be leaving from. We literally almost ran to the hotel (a couple of blocks away) as we were told that this tour left at 8AM and we did not disembark the ship until 745. We found the hotel and no sign of any tour bus. We were told that the tour office did not open until 8:30. We then decided to wait and it happened that in a couple minutes time which seemed like a couple of hours, the tour bus driver came up into the lobby looking for us. The driver at the pier had called him and told him to look for us-that was pretty nice. We then got on our tour and after stopping at one of the hotels whose tour desk was open (and paying for our tour) we then continued on our island tour. We even got to climb some rock formations and there was one point where we had to slide down part of this formation in the seated position. It was fun to see Lynn climbing those formations-she did a good job. We also went to a lighthouse and to one of the famous churches in the area. After a morning of sightseeing, we went over to the private island for lunch and snorkeling. We were disappointed in the island. It was very rocky and the water at the snorkeling area was so shallow that one could not snorkel very well. After the island experience, we then went back to the ship (after having done some shopping) and got ready for dinner. As I mentioned the food on this cruise was great. We caught up with our tablemates for dinner and compared notes on the day’s activities. They had gone independently on their own tour as well. After dinner, was the evening show, which except for the first night, we went to every evening. After the show, we then retired for the evening. We were somewhat disappointed in what we saw of Aruba. It probably would have been better had we just taken a cab to the beach. TUESDAY, MARCH 10th - CARACAS, VENEZUELA Up early, we again decided to have breakfast in the Horizon Court. We then had booked one of the shore tours to Caracas, Venezuela which included a tour of the city and a stop at the Glass Factory and Simon Bolivart's Home. This city is a very poor area in some respects. At different points of the city there was what were called "Rancheros" that were built one on top of the other, and with not any type of a road to get to them. These were built by squatters in the area and were everywhere. We also included a tour of Bolivar's home while there. After the tour, we then went to the Glass Factory, where you could shop and visit the factory. Lynn did some shopping and unfortunately when we arrived home, some of the pieces that we had purchased had been broken in transit. Upon arrival back at the ship in the early afternoon, we opted for lunch-this time at the pizza parlor. Their pizza was something that you could die for. It had to be the best pizza we have ever eaten-and it was free. The only things that we paid for was drinks (sodas, etc). We then had an afternoon of leisure. Lynn took advantage and had an appointment at the spa for one of these aroma massages, which she loved.. I spent some time swimming and exploring. Again, that evening, we had dinner and enjoyed the evening show, after which I visited the pizzeria again and had another pizza. This became a nightly ritual for me after the show for the remainder of the cruise. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11th - GRENADA Early morning awaits us as we spend the morning at sea. We were not scheduled to arrive at our next port-Grenada-until noon, so, we had the morning to relax. I slept a little late and Lynn occupied her favorite deck chair on the teak Promanade Deck which was Deck 7. We had breakfast in the main dining room this time, and I opted for the omelette, hash browns, sausage, bacon, and biscuits. Lynn wanted to have something like a danish-well, they brought her an entire plate of rolls to try. This was at about 830AM and lunch was only 3-1/2 hours away. After breakfast, we went to the Vista Lounge, where they had a galley demonstration (very humorous) of how they prepared some of the desserts on board. They also included some of the recipes. We then took a galley tour-kind of disappointed. We really didn't get to see much except just to take a walk through. We did get some interesting statistics on how much food that they prepare in a given day-thousands of points. You figure they have to have the capability of feeding 2,500+ people 3 times a day, and they can't leave hungry, so you can imagine the magnitude. Five loaves and two fishes would hardly cut it, unless Jesus himself was there in the flesh. There were lots of loaves and lots of fishes though-as well as just about anything else you could want. Well, we arrived in Grenada-the Spice Island-and upon disembarking, we took a "water taxi" about a 5 minute ride over to one of the beaches. This had to be one of the nicest beaches I had ever been on. It was a clear sunny day. Upon our arrival on the island, we were bombarded with the market people trying to sell us their wares. One woman had kept bugging us to buy her spices. Another woman interfered and wanted us to buy, and they argued somewhat over who was going to sell to us. Once we had made a purchase, they left us alone. We also had rented two deck chairs for the afternoon. You could spend a fortune in nickel and dime items on that island. We had approximately 2 hours and then the boat would come back for us. These water taxis are just small motorized boats that seat about 10 people and you negotiate the price of the ride with the skipper. They charge $2.00 per person each way, and all they do is shuttle back and forth. There are also numerous watersports on that island-snorkeling, very slippery banana boats that you can ride, as well as inner tubes that they tow on the back of a speedboat that you sit in and ride as well. I just waded in the ocean and enjoyed the scenery. Lynn and I took a brief walk, and then she sat in the lounge chair for the remainder of our time there -- getting some sun. After our time on the beach, we returned to the city, and walked around a bit before we reboarded our ship. We then spent the balance of the day at leisure. I decided to hit the pizza parlor for an afternoon snack-they got to know me down there. That will be one thing that I will insist on on our next cruise-that they have a pizza parlor. Of course, dinner that evening, as well as every evening, is a real event. Our stop in Grenada was only for a 1/2 day, so at approximately 6PM we then continued on to our next port-Dominica (not to be confused with the Dominican Republic). This is a completely different island. THURSDAY, MARCH 12th - DOMINICA Well, Thursday brings us to another island in the Caribbean-this is the island of Dominica-a lush tropical island known for it's vegetation and rainforest. We decided to take the 1/2 day tour of the island, which included Trafalgar Falls, and also the Emerald Pool as well as a commanding view of the city. This city has very narrow roads and we traveled in small 12 passenger vans. I myself prefer a motorcoach, but, they just would not work in that environment-too small of an area. We made our way to Trafalgar Falls, and had to go down a somewhat steep rocky path to get to it. It's a fairly high waterfall, but, also very narrow. We then continued our drive to a top of the hill to get a good photograph of the city. Our visit also included a visit to a Botanical Garden-not much to see there. We then went to where the Emerald Pool is. The reason itr's called that is because some of the colors from the fern hanging from the bushes drips into the water as well, and gives it that emerald color. After seeing that, it was just about noon and about time to head back to the ship. After lunch in the dining room, we then ventured out into the streets to explore and of course Lynn wanted to do a little shopping. After spending part of our time (and some money) we headed back on board and made use of some of the activities on board-swimming (for Lynn, taking an afternoon nap). Another fine evening. Dinner - the final formal night of the cruise. I was donned in my rental Tuxedo, and Lynn in one of her cocktail dresses for the evening. We had another formal picture taken as we did not like the way the first one turned out the first night. This one came out a lot better. Also after dinner, we visited the gift shop on board and I purchased a polo shirt with the Princess Logo as a memory of the trip as well as purchasing a video memory of the trip that shows the different ports of call visited. We then went to the evening show, and of course afterwards I went to my favorite hangout for a late evening snack. I never did try the calzones-I just stuck with the pizza. I then went back to the cabin (Lynn was already asleep) and retired for the evening FRIDAY, MARCH 13th - ST. THOMAS Our last full day out begins, and we arose early and we had arrived in St. Thomas. I think that for this trip, St. Thomas was our favorite of all of our destinations. We disembarked and rode in these open canopy type vehicles that took you into the main area of town for shopping. We had done some significant damage here financially because this is where you can buy things very reasonably-perfumes, etc. Ask Lynn about that stuff. I don't know what the prices are here let alone there. After spending some time shopping, we then took the Gondola up to the top of the city where you get a commanding view of the harbor of Charlote Amillie and there were several cruise ships in at the same time as us. We then headed back to the ship, ate lunch-pizza, and then got ready for our afternoon trip to St. John Island and some snorkeling. Our 2 tablemates-Vanessa and Cheryl-joined us on this tour, and we left the dock and began about a 45 minute ride out to St. Johns where we donned snorkeling gear and jumped into the water. The one girl-Cheryl-had never been snorkeling, so Lynn and I went with her. After a few minutes, Lynn and Cheryl went back in and I stayed in the water until it was time to go back in. The crystal blue waters as well as the colorful coral formations made for a nice afternoon. My only complaint is that it was somewhat overcast. Once back on board our vessel, we enjoyed complimentary rum punches on the trip back to St. Thomas-just had one though as I'm not a real big fan on drinking. I had never tried it, so I decided to. Kind of a bitter drink-not a lot of sweetness to it. Upon arrival back at the pier, it was time to reboard the ship and begin the final passage to San Juan and begin our homeward trek. We arrived back on ship from our snorkeling adventure and enjoyed our last dinner on board. One of the nice things that they did the last evening is that they darkened the room and they paraded around the room with a flaming dessert-Baked Alaska-which is kind of a pastry and custard combination-served warm. Lynn has a picture of it on disk as well as a formal picture of us. We enjoyed a fine meal and evening show, and of course after that, I hit-for one last time-the pizza parlor. I actually shed a few tears at this prospect, for it was really enjoyable and the reality of our vacation coming to an end was sinking in. After that, I decided to try my luck at the casino. I got brave and started playing the $1 slot-A disclaimer here-I do not endorse gambling for the purpose of getting rich or for even large amounts of money. I had decided before I went in that I would only spend $20 and then quit. If I lost the $20-then oh well. In any case I had played and had started with about $9 in the machine and then hit for $100. At that point I walked away-collected my winnings and left. I then went back to the cabin and went to bed. SATURDAY, MARCH 14th - SAN JUAN The end of the cruise is upon us. At approximately 530AM we were along side our point where we first boarded 7 days previous. We got up and went down to the lounge where airline representatives were waiting to check us in for our afternoon flights home. Princess had pre-arranged with those carriers who were their preferred carriers to have passengers check in for their flight while still on board ship. We were given luggage claim checks and boarding passes. The previous evening, we left the bulk of our luggage outside our stateroom (customary on the last evening) so that it would be taken off the ship for us and waiting for us in the baggage claim area. You are given color coded tags-depending on what you are doing during-a tour or a later departure. They call you to disembark by baggage tag color. You then disembark, and claim your bags-say hello to the customs inspector, and then step outside the building. At that point, there are airline reps waiting there to check your luggage for you on your respective flights home. From this point, you do not see your luggage until you arrive home at your destination city. It is taken care of for you. We then embarked on our tour buses and went to the El Yulon Rain forest. Once there, we walked along-again-some very steep paths. These tours are not for those who may be physically challenged. You have to be somewhat careful. During this trip we had a fair amount of physical activity. We also saw a lot of trees, and some of the ecology of the area. We then had lunch at a local restaurant-food was fair-nothing to write home about. Afterwards, we then proceeded to the airport for our return flight home. By this time it was about 3PM. We decided to try to find Vanessa and Cheryl as they were flying United around 4PM.Their gate was across from ours, and we found them and got to chat a little and say another goodbye to them. Our flight didn't depart until 625PM so we had a little bit of a wait. We walked around a little, and then we were finally allowed to board. It was of course, a crowded flight, and we also saw the folks coming in for the next cruise as well. After a 4-1/2 hour flight to Cincinnati and then a short flight to Cleveland we were in our house at about 1AM Sunday the 15th. Needless to say, we played hookey from church on Sunday as we still wanted to not quite get back into the regular routine yet. We had a wonderful time together, and it is so nice to take a vacation with the one that you love. I'm already planning for our next adventure. You know, let's see, if I work overtime every night and Saturday from now until September....
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