Caribbean Princess-4/11/15-4/18-15: "The Last Cruise I'd Ever Take!"

Jimmy-thanks for the review of Le Tropicana in Marigot...I am back there in January on Celebrity Silhouette and have no excursions planned...

Norris,

now hungry

Loving this review!

Thanks! :D

I loved Marigot! Sadly, we were on a bus tour so didn't get to scout around much. However, I got my shot by the Vin En Rose Restaurant, just for the sake that it was for a now deceased French resident of the retirement center where I worked. That was his favorite song. He'd even had a cassette tape of French songs made for me (before CDs). I could just hear his voice in my ear and was happy to silently say, "I made it" with a big smile. Our quest for the stop was to find a Cuban cigar for our next door neighbor that was down another side street. I hope to get close to the marina in January when I'm there again with a friend. I'll have to schedule the trip again for an excursion.Thanks for the photos.

Phillipsburg was all different from the first time we visited there. Way back when, it was all open by the Courthouse and one would turn left to the beach and there was a casino on the corner. (where I waited outside for quite awhile while hubby attempted to get lucky). We walked all the way to the end of the main street, where a church was located. This last time, we walked in from the ship and discovered that if we turned left we ended up at a little restaurant on the corner by the boardwalk! In fact, it was a spot where there was sand around it before the broader sidewalk took over. We must have walked up and down that boardwalk for two hours looking for "something". LOL. We did break down and take a taxi back to town.

I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. Your daughter's hat is "cool". Also, glad that you got to see Bert with an E in full performance mode on formal night. He really needs those "therapy" days. Have you gone into Bert Withdrawal yet? Ha Ha.

Your review, report, travelogue, etc. Is terrific.

Lynne

Thank you so, so much for posting your review of your cruise. It is so fun to read. I really loved your photos of the ships leaving St. Maarten as well as the sunset as you left St. Maarten. Truly, beautiful.:):):)

Day Five, April 15, 2015 (St. Thomas)

After a good night’s sleep (on our comfy, new(ish) pillowtop mattress), we awakened to find that we had docked at Havensight pier in St. Thomas. I could have sworn that my pre-cruise research suggested that we would be pulling in to Crown Bay. Oh well.

Here are some photos of the harbor area taken from our Port side balconey over breakfast.

Our neighbors for the day would be Royal Princess and Norwegian Getaway. Down a ways at Crown Bay would be Carinval’s Splendor and the Allure of the Seas. In all, there would be over 16,000 people storming the beaches today. So our plan for the day was to find relative solitude so as to recapture the feel of the Virgin Islands that we had come to expect and love from previous trips and pretend that we were not part of the Great Serengeti Migration of Cruise Ship Wildebeests. The goal was to get into the water and do several hours of snorkeling before having a nice lunch. In other words, for me and my daughter, that meant “doing nothing”. For my wife, that meant a full day’s agenda.

With the mission clearly established, I did some more exhaustive pre-cruise research to figure out where we could go to find a pretty beach with terrific snorkeling that also had some facilities (and enough civilization so as to assure ourselves of a taxi ride back to the ship). So we crossed Magens Bay off our list. Been there. Done that. Overnighted there on a sailboat on a day when there were no cruise ships in port. It is a truly beautiful place, but as Thomas Wolfe wrote, “You can’t go home again”. Returning there with thousands of other people would only scar my earlier memories. Same was true for Trunk Bay on St. Johns, for the same reasons. One by one I analyzed the available options and eventually settled on Secret Harbor. Secret Harbor is a pretty, half-moon crescent of a beach reported to have excellent snorkeling and a resort built on its shores that welcomed day guests. Or, at least, did not repel them. It would be an easy place to explain to a taxi driver; an easy place from which to get picked back up; and a place where we could have a cheeseburger in paradise for lunch. By all accounts, this appeared to be the perfect solution.

After breakfast, we headed down to the Gala Deck (where, again, nothing gala was happening), and strode off the ship to get our first good view of Royal Princess. A short walk later, we arrived at the congested and bustling area where passengers from the three Havensight ships were meeting to join excursions and pile into Safari Taxis. (Taxis on St. Thomas are more likely than not to be open air vehicles, sort of like modified pick-up trucks with rows of seats in the flatbed of the vehicle, with a metal covering). We approached the dispatcher who asked us where we wanted to go. When I said: “Secret Harbor”, I was half-expecting a look of bewilderment, but I was relieved to have been met with: “Secret Harbor? OK. Please follow this gentleman to his taxi.” So we did. Be warned, however, that because these Safari Taxis hold 10+ people each, the drivers are reticent to depart until they have a full load of passengers. Or at least, close to a full load. Secret Harbor is just south of Red Hook on the eastern end of St. Thomas, so we would likely have to wait for others who were looking for transportation to either Red Hook, (where the ferries take you to St. John), Sapphire Beach, (another popular and beautiful beach on the eastern end of the island), or perhaps Coral World, (a marine tourist center also in the vicinity of Red Hook.) We waited. And waited. No takers. Eventually, two more couples were ushered into our van and away we went. Total wait time was probably 15 minutes or so. One couple was paying the driver for an “Island Tour”. The other couple’s destination remained a mystery to us, at least for now.

Away from Havensight we went, and several minutes later we found that our taxi driver was pulling in to a shopping center parking lot. At first I thought it was a shortcut around some construction or tangled intersection. (Island roads frequently have some of both.) But it became apparent that he intended to stop in front of the big box store. He had a microphone and speaker for purposes of fulfilling his duties as a “tour guide”, and he announced that this was the island’s K-Mart. OoooKaaaay. Perhaps this was part of the other couple’s “Island Tour” and the driver was either proud of the K-Mart, or was expressing a dry sense of humor by showing us mainlanders that St. Thomas had a K-Mart. Then I began to think that perhaps he needed to pick something up along the way and that we would be making a 5 minute pit stop so that he could cash in on a Blue Light Special. It was all very confusing. Then, he pulled up toward the main entrance and stopped the vehicle, at which point the third couple shoes destination we did not know proceeded to get out of the taxi. This was their intent all along. I have to say that we thought this was just about the weirdest thing we had ever seen until I read Post #33 here. Apparently, going to the St. Thomas K-Mart is a “thing”. Hawaiifrank has apparently done it three times. So maybe Thomas Wolfe was wrong. Perhaps you can go home again. Or at least, to the St. Thomas K-Mart again. So I will no longer smirk or judge. Just know that if the K-Mart is your destination, you should have no trouble finding a Safari Taxi that will take you there!

We were soon back on the road, and we knew that we would be dropped off next, as the “Island Tour” couple was just along for the ride. I sure hope that their tour got better after we were dropped off because all they saw on the way to Secret Harbor was some commercial areas, light industrial areas, a “bridge to nowhere” and some improving views and vegetation as we got closer to our drop off point. I am guessing that they probably went to Drake’s Seat, and some places where they could get great views of Magens Bay and Charlotte Amalie, as well as Bluebeard’s Castle. But that is just a guess. Either way, we were taken to the entrance to the public walkway to the beach at Secret Harbor. All beaches on St. Thomas are public, up to the high tide line at a minimum, and public access must be provided. So even if the resort did not welcome guests in its water, it really had no choice. But fortunately, this wasn’t an issue. As long as cruise ship folks do not pilfer the lounge chairs or hammocks, they are invited to lay out a towel and enjoy the beach. There is also a dive and watersports shop there that will rent you lounge chairs and umbrellas if you wish. But we found a great spot under some palm trees to lay out our towels and put on our gear. Speaking of towels, it became apparent that beach towels serve as sort of the Football Jersey (American or European) of the cruising world. You can immediately discern a person’s allegiance by looking at their towels. “That couple over there is Royal Caribbean.” “There’s a Norwegian family.” “And there are some more Princess supporters.” And truth be told, the blue and white striped towels of Princess are in pretty poor shape as compared to the “uniforms” of the other cruise lines. In all, we spotted between 12-16 other cruise ship folks at Secret Harbor. So it isn’t exactly “Top Secret Harbor”, but it is still pretty much “Very Secret Harbor”.

The water was calm, clear and warm. Snorkeling in either direction from the center of the beach assures one of great viewing. To the right (as you stand on the beach and face the water) brought the best coral formations. There are no restrictions on where you can go beyond your own bravery and stamina. The rocks and coral are very close to the shoreline, so you do not have to wander very far to find great underwater scenery. When we had snorkeled the entire length of the “right side”, we swam all the way across the bay to explore the “left side”. It was a full and exhausting morning of fun in the water. Sorry about the lack of pictures, but never having been to Secret Harbor before, I was unsure of the safety of the place and did not want to leave my camera equipment on shore while we snorkeled for a couple of hours. Now, having been there, I think I would feel safe taking my camera bag but leaving it in a beach bag or covered by a towel so as not to advertise its presence. The place is safe by all accounts and the residents staying there all appeared to be happy families having fun at the beach. Having worked up an appetite, we opted to dry off and head to the more casual of the two eateries at the resort.

To be continued.

A really interesting and well written review - thank you!!

Actually, going to Kmart was a necessity the first time because we needed some supplies for my wife's 89 yr old father who was on the cruise with us. The 2nd time he was also with us and it's hard to go to the beach with a wheelchair. The last time the rainy weather was not suitable for the beach so we hit Kmart (and Burger King) out of habbit.

I did discover the neatest watermelon slicer there last time and bought. It's like an apple slicer that cuts an apple into 5 or 6 wedges with one pass, except it's large enough to cut a watermellon like that. Too cool. Well, maybe not everyone thinks it's THAT cool, but I like it.

Next time I'm going to Megan's Beach or maybe to Secret Harbor after your great build-up. Thanks.

Here's a picture of the slicer. That's a Bic lighter for scale at the bottom. Sorry to be so off topic, I'll be quiet now.

Love the photos.

Here's a picture of the slicer. That's a Bic lighter for scale at the bottom. Sorry to be so off topic, I'll be quiet now.

 

[ATTACH]348051[/ATTACH]

You never know what you'll find when traveling. One of our favorite things to do when away from home is to browse in local supermarkets. We find the coolest stuff.

I also apologize for getting off topic.

To the OP, I'm enjoying your review! We are recently off the Regal/eastern carib itinerary, and the CB/western carib itinerary. We also stray off the beaten paths ourselves.

Here's a picture of the slicer. That's a Bic lighter for scale at the bottom. Sorry to be so off topic, I'll be quiet now.

 

[ATTACH]348051[/ATTACH]

COOL. Almost as cool as this review. Thanks to both.

I love reading your commentary on your cruise.

I am glad you discovered the magic spot of St Martin...Marigot.

We have done multiple cruises that stopped in St Martin.

First time the America's Cup race... loved it.

Next time...Just walked around Philipsburg.

Third time. Took the ships excursion bus tour which had the short stop in Marigot. Loved the vibe of the market and the town.

Next time and thereafter we get off the ship, find a taxi and head to Marigot. We have found a hole in the wall type resaurant along the waterfront and enjoy a good meal. Afterwards we do some shopping then head back to downtown Philipsburg, to buy my wife a tea shirt at a particular shop that supports the local pet rescue mission.

Loved BOTH of your trip reviews!!!

Going to Alaska soon.

Your daughter is truly a treasure.

Not sure if anyone answered the topic of Oblio that your daughter mentioned when she was watching the pointed glacier field? The Point- Loved that movie! Harry Nilsson did the songs/lyrics. Great message in that movie.Well ahead of its time-1971!!! I was in high school then!

We were at Secret Cove with you. We proudly had our Princess towels with us. The water was beautiful. We were able to get some good pictures there. We have a waterproof camera now, so I no longer have to leave it unattended. We wouldn't hesitate to go back there again, if we don't dock at Crown Bay. We were also thrown off by the change...we had hoped to go to Honeymoon Beach on Water Island.

We were at Secret Cove with you. We proudly had our Princess towels with us. The water was beautiful. We were able to get some good pictures there. We have a waterproof camera now, so I no longer have to leave it unattended. We wouldn't hesitate to go back there again, if we don't dock at Crown Bay. We were also thrown off by the change...we had hoped to go to Honeymoon Beach on Water Island.

Very cool!! Feel free to post some photos here if you want.

Loved BOTH of your trip reviews!!!

Going to Alaska soon.

Your daughter is truly a treasure.

Not sure if anyone answered the topic of Oblio that your daughter mentioned when she was watching the pointed glacier field? The Point- Loved that movie! Harry Nilsson did the songs/lyrics. Great message in that movie.Well ahead of its time-1971!!! I was in high school then!

Thanks, and you are correct on all accounts! And did you know that there were 4 narrated versions of "The Point"? The first version, (which I saw), was narrated by Dustin Hoffman. The second airing was re-recorded and narrated by Alan Barzman. The third airing (which I also saw), was narrated by Alan Thicke. And the home video/DVD release (which I own) was narrated by Ringo Starr. Confusing, isn't it? Anyway, thanks for the kind words, especially about my daughter. She is a joy to travel with.

Now, back to the topic at hand as I go back to detailing our day.

Day Five (Continued)

It was now time for lunch. We opted to stay on site for three very good reasons. First, the Secret Harbor restaurants were right there, on the water, about a 15 seconds walk from our towels. Second, without a car, there wasn’t really any other place to go. And third, and to my way of thinking, most importantly, if the fine people at Secret Harbor were going to let us use their lovely beach for the day, the least we could do was throw them some business. So after drying off we headed to the “Cruzan Beach Club at Sunset Grille” which is the full and official name of the less “formal” of the two eateries at Secret Harbor. It would be difficult to call either one “formal”, and if I pressed the point, there would no doubt be a five page thread blossoming here where people could argue about what sort of formal attire is requested there, whether that request is merely a suggestion, whether the dress code is enforced, and whether it is a show of either class or respect to honor the code. Nope. Not going to go there. Suffice it to say that the Cruzan Beach Club is about as informal as it gets, and washing the sand off of one’s feet at the shower provided at the restaurant entrance is about the only requirement for admission. That, and not feeding the iguanas. The Sunset Grille, being the more “upscale” venue, is only open for dinner. And, apparently, wedding parties, as there was one of those in there the day we were there. I do not know if this is the Sunset Grille that Don Henley sings about, but I suspect that it is not, since we did not see “the working girls go by”, (assuming, of course, that by “working girls” he means what I think he means.)

Not wanting to appear boorish, we honored and respected the code of the Cruzan Beach Club, which is to say, we washed off our feet and refrained from feeding the iguanas. We sat ourselves down at a waterside table under an umbrella and were greeted warmly by our beach bum/waiter. And I say that in the most endearing and envious way possible. The menu is exactly what you would expect, and exactly what you would want. Wings, Fish Tacos, Build Your Own Burgers (with a seemingly endless option of toppings), Basket of Fries, Salads, Pulled Pork, Blackened Fish. You get the idea, I hope. The food was all very good, especially the fries. They were really, really good. The food, along with a couple of cold beers (for the adults) was further gilding an already golden day. Afterwards, we still had some time to relax, so my wife laid along the water line allowing the ripples disguised as waves to wash over her and bury her legs in the sand while my daughter and I walked the length of the beach from end to end looking for iguanas and exploring the terrestrial area that we had previously snorkeled. To us, walking along the beach is “doing nothing”. We did spy a very large iguana in a tree who seemed to enjoy looking at us as much as we enjoyed looking at him/her. Although I must confess that we cannot do with our eyes what s/he could do with his/hers.

When we got back to the spot where my wife was doing her version of “nothing”, her legs had been completely buried in fine sand. We joked that if she had stayed on the ship and gone to the Lotus Spa, she probably would have paid $150 for a very similar treatment, and she would not have been allowed to brag about having done “nothing” for the day. We checked the time, and knowing that “all aboard” was at 3:30, we decided to call it a day, wash off the sand, and find a cab back to the dock. Finding a cab was easy, as there seemed to be a fairly steady stream of people being dropped off at the restaurant. I didn’t eavesdrop, but it appeared that an organized “Island Tour” excursion was using the Cruzan Beach Club as its lunch spot, so that brought in several Safari Cabs between 1:00-2:00. We approached a driver and asked if he could call for a taxi to take us back to Havensight, and he told us that there was already a taxi there ready to take us. And that proved to be partially true. We walked out to the parking lot and over to the taxi that he directed us to, and took our seats. The driver there told us that as soon as the people he was waiting on were on board, we would depart. You see, the departure process from the resort follows the procedure as the process to the resort. The driver does not want to leave with a 75% empty taxi. So we waited in the taxi for 15 minutes and no one showed up. The driver made one last attempt to coax people out of the bar/restaurant to no avail, so he agreed to allow us to get under way with no other passengers, and no pick-ups at K-Mart. So in about 18 minutes we were back at Havensight. We asked to be dropped off at the Mall there so that we could pick up a few souvenirs. (We try to get a Christmas ornament from just about every place we visit.) The Havensight Mall is a miniature version of the shopping district in Charlotte Amalie, so you can get your tanzanite and rum there, if you haven’t already gotten the same in town.

Since we had a big bag of snorkel equipment with us which would likely served as a bull in a china shop had we taken it in the stores, my wife waited outside the shopping area on a park bench while my daughter and I did the shopping. We were successful, and returned on about 20 minutes. While my wife waited outside the stores, she had an insightful conversation with a couple who was sailing on Royal Princess and had been for what was not the end of a B2B. The pair had little good to say about their cruise. My wife does not spend any time on this Board, so she is not up to speed on the pros and cons of that ship, but she learned about them that day. And to tell you the truth, I am glad that she got her information from a source other than me. I would say that I am “reluctant at best” to book a cruise on the new builds, at least as long as we travel as a family. But I think I could be persuaded. After listening to “Mr. Negative” as he called him, my wife has concluded that there is no way that she would want to sail on the new ships. It was she who pointed out to me that virtually every chair of every balcony on Royal was aimed sideways as there was not enough room on the tiny balconies to face them out to sea. It was she who pointed out to me that there was very little public space at the aft of the ship and no Promenade. And on and on. Apparently she learned in 20 minutes what people have been quarreling about here for two years. I am not one to say “never”, but that couple did a serious job of brainwashing on my wife.

Be that as it may…we were soon back on the ship where we dropped off our snorkel gear in our room and headed up to the pool area, since we already had our swim suits on. We spend the rest of the afternoon up there listening to Fresh Power (without a “d”) soaking in some more sun. After that, it was time to shower and get ready for dinner. Tonight—The Crown Grill!

(To be continued)

Day Five (Continued)

Three people sharing one bath/shower means taking turns. And taking turns means that there is some natural “down time”. And “down time” when a teenage girl is getting ready for dinner usually means time enough for mom and dad to have a few glasses of wine on the balcony and enjoy another Caribbean sunset. So in addition to getting ready for dinner, we had plenty of time to enjoy the view from our balcony as we sailed off back in the direction of Florida. The Port side cabin meant a western view, and that meant another chance to say goodnight to the sun. Here are a few of the photos that I took that night before dinner.

I don’t remember how many times my wife or I read “Goodnight Moon” to our daughter, but it is always nice to have a “Goodnight Sun” moment to share.

Sunset was officially at 6:37 that night, so after that final shot, it was time to head to the Crown Grill for our 7:00 reservation. We showed up on time, but the only table that they had available for us was one at the right/front of the restaurant up against the railing that barely separates the restaurant from the hallway that leads to the Excursion Desk. The sounds of the steel drums could be heard from the Piazza as could the conversations of the passengers lingering over the excursion area. It simply wasn’t what I had in mind when I made the reservation. My daughter whispered to me: “Dad; this is a table that you give to walk-ins, not to people who make a reservation.” And you know what? She was absolutely right. So I asked the maître’d if we could wait for a more quiet table to open up and he said that he would see what he could do. Then, behind us walked in a couple who did not have a reservation. They were shown to the table by the railing. Ten minutes later we were seated at a lovely booth toward the back of the restaurant, fully immersed in the décor and atmosphere of the Crown Grill.

Which brings me to….

When one imagines what would adorn the walls of a restaurant called the Crown Grill, one might think: Piccadilly Circus; Buckingham Palace; The Tower of London; Big Ben, (the one in London, not the one in Pittsburgh); Trafalgar Square and so on. But no. The walls here are awash with Times Square; The Brooklyn Bridge; Radio City Music Hall; Greenwich Village row houses; The Chrysler Building; The Empire State Building; and so on. And the plates on which they serve the meals are rimmed with an homage to the Old Glory with Stars and Stripes waving back at you. We talked about the décor, calling out all of the things that we recognized when my daughter finally said: “This restaurant is called the Crown Grill, right? Don’t the folks at Princess know that we fought a war in 1776 to gain our independence and another in 1812 to preserve it? This place looks like it should be called the Presidential Grill, or the Congressional Grill.” Food for thought next time you dine at the Crown Grill!

As I mentioned earlier in this Journal/Review, we tried to pair the magnitude and style of our dinners with our lunches such that big lunches would be offset by less gluttonous dinners, and casual lunches would be offset by “go for broke” dinners. So not quite knowing what our beach lunch would be like, I figured that this would be a good evening to book one of our three Specialty Dinners. In the past, we have favored Sabatini’s over the Crown Grill, and for that reason, we booked Sabatini’s twice and the Crown Grill once. But I must say that while we thoroughly enjoyed both visits to Sabatini’s, our meal at the Crown Grill proved to be the winner this time around. The service was terrific, including the offer to have our wine decanted. And the food lived up to much of the high praise that I have read here yet always seemed to miss out on. Finally, I had a meal at the Crown Grill that matched what others had touted. We had soups, salads and Rib-Eyes that were all excellent. And I asked if I could make my entrée a “surf and turf” by adding a lobster tail. Not only was the answer “yes”, but after the steaks came out, our server brought out a platter of five lobster tails with clarified butter. She didn’t want anyone to be left out of the fun. Needless to say, the steaks and lobster tails pretty much did us all in. But we just had to try one order of the Molten Dutch Chocolate

Fudge Obsession to split among us. And if we weren’t groaning before that dish, we certainly were afterwards. While the interior designer may have gotten their signals crossed on New York’s allegiance to the Crown, the kitchen certainly had its ducks in a row. All in all, it was an excellent meal.

It was close to 9:00 when we finished dinner. My daughter then took off to be with her friends and my wife and I went the Piazza where there was a Mardi Gras celebration, which we found rather odd, since it wasn’t’ Tuesday. But we were feeling rather “fat” from dinner. So I guess there is always that. We then walked over to the Wheelhouse to grab a drink there since that is a venue that we had not yet visited. It turned out to be a fairly early evening, but for the lack of things to do.

Next up…Sea Day Number 2.

Still enjoying your excellent review and photos. Just wanted to add my vote for Marigot on St. Martin. Great cafes on the water serving crepes, and the market is one of the best in the Caribbean.

I found your wife's comments about the Royal especially interesting. We have nothing against the ship and will definitely sail on it in the future...where there is nothing else to choose from. And I owe it one debt of thanks: we would never have known how much we enjoyed the shorter, "beach" cruises in the Caribbean if the Royal hadn't taken over the 10-night itineraries and encouraged us to look elsewhere.

Still following along and enjoying every minute; been to St. Thomas twice (ferry to St. John to snorkel at the more remote spots) and St. Maarten twice, but did private excursions in St. Maarten so never had the chance to see the "real" city; I have something to look forward to if we happen that way again; I am so glad my lurking for Princess reviews sent me this way; I so enjoy my sons traveling with my husband and I, that will soon be coming to a close as oldest son will be married some time next year, and younger son won't want to go without big brother; it will be so strange not to have them around; it really makes my heart happy to see how much you and your wife enjoy your daughter on your travels; job well done Dad

Cannot wait to see what happens in Nassau - we have been once and honestly could have stayed on the ship and napped and had a better time - but to each its own - if it weren't for the excitement of my youngest son losing his RC card and trying to get back on the ship we would have had to chalk it up to a ho hum day - that was quite a doozy to get him back on the ship; one of those stories you look back on with a lot of amusement

Thanks again for taking the time to post!

Okay so I want to go on your next cruise!!! Where and when might that be???

I'm guessing a high school graduation cruise? Or land trip?

I only saw the original TV version so I guess it was Dustin Hoffman. Did not know about the other 3 versions-way cool!

Tell your daughter good luck with her college search. I am certain she will "match" into a wonderful school that will appreciate her!!!

Please let us know where she ends up? I assume she is a junior this year?

Hardest year of high school if that is the case.

Okay so I want to go on your next cruise!!! Where and when might that be???

I'm guessing a high school graduation cruise? Or land trip?

I only saw the original TV version so I guess it was Dustin Hoffman. Did not know about the other 3 versions-way cool!

 

Tell your daughter good luck with her college search. I am certain she will "match" into a wonderful school that will appreciate her!!!

Please let us know where she ends up? I assume she is a junior this year?

Hardest year of high school if that is the case.

Thanks for that! Yes, this is junior year. And the hardest part of it at that. SATs, ACTs, AP exams, Finals, SAT subject tests. Man, do I not envy her. Still not sure about the next cruise. We are debating the "where" and "when".

Day Six, April 16, 2015 (Sea Day)

The second Sea Day is typically used by us as a Packing Day. At least up until lunch. However, whereas the first Sea Day brought us “apparent wind” that approached the levels of a tropical storm, today, according to the Captain, would be much more mild. Speaking of the Captain, when he spoke as the Voice of God from the PA system in the morning, it appeared that John Foster had been hitting his Italian Rosetta Stone lessons a bit too hard. The mystery was solved, however, on the last day when our Log of the Cruise was delivered to our cabin. The Captain was identified as “Captain Giorgio Pomata”. So apparently Grand Illusionist Alex Ramon is as good as advertised, and I sorely regret that I did not get to see his show. Somewhere around St. Thomas, he must have performed a Grand Illusion, (in the manner of both Jean Renoir and Styx), transforming John Foster into Giorgio Pomata. Perhaps on a future cruise, if the Princess Pop Choir gathers to sing “Come Sail Away”, another Grand Illusion will come to pass and John Foster will reappear. I digress.

Because the weather was supposed to be better this day, we vowed to really, really “do nothing” and capture the true spirit of what my daughter wanted to do originally when she first presented her proposal for a “relaxing, sun worshipping vacation”. But first, breakfast on the balcony, a good bit of packing, and then…wait for it….PUB LUNCH!! Yes, the Patter that we received the night before revealed that Pub Lunch would be served in the Crown Grill starting at 11:30. So a “British-Style Pub Lunch” featuring “traditional pub fare and beers” would be served in a restaurant given a classic British-Style name…with unmistakable American décor. Go figure!

Cutting to the chase, we had our breakfast, did our packing, and around noon headed to the Fiesta Deck, (where we have yet to see a “Fiesta”, but have seen British-Style Pub Lunches). By the time we arrived, the restaurant was pretty much filled. Not having made a reservation, (since reservations were not taken), we were prepared to accept the first available table irrespective of location. It took about 15-20 minutes for a table to open up, but once it did, we enjoyed, as we always had, Fish and Chips, Bangers and Mash, Shepard’s Pie, mushy peas and the like, in true British fashion…while seated below photos of Radio City Music Hall and the Chrysler Building. The food was as good as we remembered.

With lunch over and our initial chore of pre-packing completed, it was time to head for the pool area to get down and dirty with the task of doing nothing. My daughter took her leave of us to do nothing with her friends who had also wanted to spend the afternoon prone on lounge chairs. So my wife and I consulted the Patter and concluded that the Calypso Pool area would be a bit more sedate than the Neptune Pool area, the latter hosting an ice carving competition, and something called “Bar Wars”, described as a “battle of the sexes cocktail demonstration”. Don’t get me wrong. Lengthy threads have discussed the “boring pool area atmosphere” on Princess cruises with people longing for more activities and music. Well, on this cruise, that was never an issue. In fact, our cruise coming right on the heels of such a contentious thread made me chuckle because the pool areas were awash (pun intended) in activities and music. Anyone who could call the pool areas on this cruise “boring” must be looking for something far more akin to Mardi Gras. But frankly, if that is what you are looking for, you should have been in the Piazza the night before. All that said, we were looking to catch up on our pile of newspapers that we could not get to during Hurricane Seaday a few days earlier. By golly, we were not going to take these piles home. So the Calypso pool area would provide us a “battle-of-the-sexes-free-zone” for the afternoon.

The only thing separating us from complete success was the ever-present impact of Chair Hogs. When one gets to a pool area at 1:30, one’s chances of securing lounge chairs is reduced to the approximate odds of winning Powerball. And so it was with us. But I figured that by 1:30, many of the empty chairs would have been abandoned by people who went to lunch and if true, the prospects of them returning within the 30 minute “grace period” was slim. So we found one lounger in the shade that was next to a round table with four chairs. The table had some empty drink cups on it that the servers were more than willing to clear away, and the lounge chair had a “Team Princess” towel on it, but no other personal items. I folded up the towel and replaced it with one of my own, and proceeded to stake my claim while my wife sat on one of the chairs at the table. (She generally prefers to sit upright as opposed to lying down when she reads). The original “owner” of that lounger never reappeared. So Chair Hogs can be a “Now You See Me, Now You Don’t” phenomenon.

Speaking of which….the only downside to selecting the Calypso Pool area was the presence of MUTS. That can indeed spoil the “silence” one wants when relaxing, but if you think that you are really going to experience silence on a ship with 3,200 people on it, think again, so I wasn’t about to let MUTS interfere with my reading, and I didn’t. Then, at 3:00, a movie started. And what was it? Well, in honor of the missing Chair Hogs, it was…“Now You See Me”. (See what I did there?) A pretty good film that I had seen before, but since I had finally finished with my pile of papers, I decided to sit back and enjoy something I had never done before, which was to watch a full-length feature on “Movies Under The Sun”. And it wasn’t bad. But I am still wrestling with the idea of whether watching a movie while lying around a pool area counts as “doing nothing”. Had I violated the code of nothingness? Not sure.

There is an old saying in the world of wine and cocktails that “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere!” Well, it really was 5:00 on the ship, and this was a Formal Night. So it was time to go back to the cabin to enjoy the last of the Rosé that we had purchased in St. Maarten and wait for our daughter to return to begin her two hour process of getting dolled up for the evening. She was extra excited to wear the dress that she had purchased, (or to be more clear, that I purchased) in Marigot. Not a formal ball gown by any stretch. But a dress that was befitting of the climate, both literal and metaphorical, of the ship. The next two hours were spent shaving, showering, primping, blow-drying, all with a fair dose of balcony sitting with wine and another great Caribbean sunset. I pretty much left my camera behind today, so no photos to share other than those of that evening’s sunset. While it is always nice to see the sun kiss the water, a cloudy sky can make for some pretty dramatic scenery as well. So I leave you with these.

Details of Formal Night Dinner and evening activities will be continued in another post.

Day Six (Continued)

We didn’t make a reservation or dinner this evening, as it became apparent that our preferred time of 7:00 was never offered, and 7:30 was the best we would be able to do. But we were hoping for something slightly earlier than 7:30 so that we could enjoy more of the “Enchanting Evening”. So we made our way down to the Coral Dining Room just after 7:00 and encountered the first legitimate wait that we have ever had for Anytime Dining. The line didn’t stretch back very far, and indeed, our place in line was exactly next to the framed menu that is posted outside of the Dining Room. Still, the line didn't seem to be moving very much. We chose the Coral Dining Room because it seemed to be a bit more elegant and, well, “formal” than the Island Dining Room, but I was willing to chalk that up to my own grand illusion. Willing to call an audible, I thought I would check out the wait at the dining room one deck down. My wife and daughter held our place on Deck 6 as I hustled down to Deck 5 to find that people seemed to be getting seated right away there. So I hustled back up the stairs and signaled the girls to join me. By the time we got back to the entrance at the Island Dining Room, the line had grown to just about the same as it was above. Dumb luck. The people in front of us were now getting issued UFO’s that light up to signal that your draft number had been drawn. Ugh! Was I going to get one of those confounded devices for the first time in my life? When we got to the podium we were asked the size of our party. “Three” said I. The hostess’ reply? “Ah. No wait for a party of three.” And we were immediately taken to a four-top. My streak of never getting a UFO remains intact.

This Formal Night Dinner proved to be much better than the “Princess Anniversary Menu” that had had earlier. The customary Escargot was ordered, as was a salad and the Ravioli as starters. I had the Beef Wellington and my daughter had the Caribbean Specialty of the evening: “La Bandera, National Dish of the Dominican Republic.” Did I mention that she is going to the Dominican Republic to work with Haitian refugees this summer? Well, she figured that she would get a taste of that island here and now as it is unlikely that she will eat this well when she gets to the island in August. She enjoyed her dish very much, and it allowed for some fine dinner conversation as we talked about her upcoming trip. My wife fell upon the only clunker of the evening, and I must say that it was a stinker of epic proportions. She was contemplating the Pheasant, but my daughter cautioned her that pheasant, if not prepared well, is impenetrably dry. Heeding the warning, and not wanting to order yet another lobster dish, my wife settled on the “Available Everyday Tri Tip”, medium rare. What arrived was “Should Never Be Available Tri Tip” cooked about 7 minutes past what would charitably call well done. Honestly, it befuddles me how neither the kitchen staff nor the service staff could have missed the fact that what was on the plate was a rainbow of colors, assuming that the rainbow had only grey, black, ash and brown as options. We begged her to turn it back and order something else, but she refused and said that she would be fine nibbling off of our plates and having a nice dessert. I applaud her gentility, but I really wish that she had gotten a replacement entrée. When her plate was cleared by our table captain, the obvious question was asked, since the meal was hardly touched. When the toughness and overdone-ness of the meat was pointed out to the table captain, she quickly agreed that the dish appeared to be a complete failure and again offered up a substitute. So the staff gets credit for wanting to make things right.

After dinner my daughter changed out of her Formal Night attire and went to join her friends for “movie night” at Remix. My wife and I went to the balloon drop (which was proceeded by a performance by Rocco of La Paire.) It really isn’t fair looking at that guy immediately after walking out of a dining room stuffed to the gills. You instantly regret every dietary choice you have made over the past, oh….ten years. After the balloon drop we decided to do something that we had yet to do on a cruise, and that is head up to Skywalkers for “All Request Express” with the DJ followed by “Party Hits” with the DJ. Honestly, it is impossible to discern where “All Requests” ended and “Party Hits” began. But it was a fun night that walked us headlong into a “two-for-one” Happy Hour. When 11:00 rolled in, we were just finishing up our latest round of drinks. Spying this opportunity, a server descended upon us to tell us about Happy Hour and the two-for-one special. Having sipped wine on the balcony, shared a bottle at dinner, and then had a Guinness in the bar, I thought that I was pretty much done for the night. But the sales pitch was too much to resist, and we figured that we would be hanging out in the club for at least another hour. Maybe 90 minutes. So when the server said: “Two-for-one. What do you think?”, I replied: “What the heck, I’ll have two more.”-----So he brought me four! Isn’t it great when something gets so lost in translation. Only, my Lost In Translation moments never seem to involve Scarlett Johansson…dammit! When I said that I would take two more, I meant one + one. So now, here I am, signing for two + two. I could have corrected the error, but I quickly calculated that the following evening we would be going back to Crooners to see Bert (with an e)’s farewell performance. I’d just bring by two “free” pints with me and I’d be all set for the evening. So the evening ended with me nursing two more pints, listening and dancing to Requested (or Unrequested) Party Hits. Pretty good people watching too!

Next up: Nassau

When one imagines what would adorn the walls of a restaurant called the Crown Grill, one might think: Piccadilly Circus; Buckingham Palace; The Tower of London; Big Ben, (the one in London, not the one in Pittsburgh); Trafalgar Square and so on. But no. The walls here are awash with Times Square; The Brooklyn Bridge; Radio City Music Hall; Greenwich Village row houses; The Chrysler Building; The Empire State Building; and so on. And the plates on which they serve the meals are rimmed with an homage to the Old Glory with Stars and Stripes waving back at you. We talked about the décor, calling out all of the things that we recognized when my daughter finally said: “This restaurant is called the Crown Grill, right? Don’t the folks at Princess know that we fought a war in 1776 to gain our independence and another in 1812 to preserve it? This place looks like it should be called the Presidential Grill, or the Congressional Grill.” Food for thought next time you dine at the Crown Grill!

Just in case this is not all due to your great sense of humor, please realize that the Crown Grill was not named after the British monarchy.

The first Princess ship with this steak restaurant was the Crown Princess, so the steakhouse was called the Crown Grill.

The name has been kept for all the subsequent implementations of this restaurants on other Princess ships.