LIVE from the Caribbean Princess 9-4 to 9-11

[goldesq]

Had some issues with my Blackberry connecting so this review is 2 days behind. I will try and catch up!

 

Embarkation Day

 

I had signed my mom up for the Bon Voyage Experience. I arrived with my mom and dad at the Brooklyn Pier at about 10:45 AM. My mom was given a Bon Voyage sticker to place on her shirt to identify her. I proceeded with her to the Preferred Boarding Line and the three of us checked in in under 5 minutes. They did require picture identification, a credit card and the pre-filled boarding pass for her to check in, just like my dad and I.

 

At about 11:20, about 60 of us were met by the Future Cruise Consultant and boarded the ship (after taking the boarding photo of course and being given Bon Voyage stickers for my dad and I). We boarded near the casino and the FCC gave a 5 minute speech about what we could do that day with our Bon Voyage guests. He also invited us all on a guided tour if we so choose. I gave my mom my own tour since I have already been on the CB most recently about 8 weeks ago.

 

At 12, I went with my parents to the dining room and we had lunch. Lunch was served from 12 to 130 and anyone could have lunch there even if they were not part of the Bon Voyage Experience. Those who did have the Bon Voyage Experience sat on one side of the dining room though. If I remember correctly, my mom had some type of steak, my dad had the chicken caccitore which came with linguine (odd I thought) and I had spinach and riccotta ravioli (really good). The apps that we had were shrimp/ avocado combo and chickpea vegetable soup (that was excellent). We all were offered wine free of charge (I think this had to do with each of us having the Bon Voyage sticker on our clothing, which was required to board the ship early; maybe the waitstaff did not know this). We each had dessert (parents had the apple tartine and I had espresso ice cream). It was an excellent meal as usual.

 

I showed my mom the rest of the ship, the room, picked up her photo and by 230 PM, she was gone. She did admit she had a great time which shocked me since she swore she would not even step foot on a cruise ship!

 

For the first time, I tried my luck at both the Scavenger Hunt and the Spa Raffle. Didn't win prizes at either.

 

The weather was gorgeous at sailaway so it was great for picture taking. Even though we left Brooklyn's pier at about 545PM, we hit the Verazzano Bridge by 620PM.

 

I headed down to dinner at The Island Dining Room at about 715PM and had about a 20 minute wait for dinner for a table for 2. I always have the same meal on the first night because I know its so good (prime rib). I went to sleep early knowing we would hit Newport very early the next day (at 7 AM-YIKES).

 

To those curious, the CD is Dan Styne. The Captain is Pickford. The comedien is Phil Tag (he is leaving the ship at Bar Harbor). The juggler is Etienne. The piano player in Crooners is Martin Kaye. The Band is Exotique.

[goldesq]

Newport RI

 

We arrived in Newport quite early but since I was going to go to the mansions on my own, I didn't get on the first batch of early tnders. I had a leisurly breakfast in a VERY busy Horizon Court at about 9 AM and headed to pick up a tender ticket in the dining room. We waited about 30 minutes for our number to be called and took a rather breezy and slightly bumpy 20 minutes (yes, 20) tender ride into Newport. We hit the Visitor Center about a block away but since I pre-purchased Mansion tickets online while waiting for the tender, we went straight to the bus, B67 that was located behind the Visitor Center.

 

Since it was Labor Day, traffic was so congested that it took almost 45 minutes to get to the Breakers. We did the self-guided audio tour of the Breakers and after about an hour or so we finished. It is NOT to be missed! I did purchase a combo ticket for the Breakers plus one other mansion but I didn't want to cut it too close to our boarding time of 330PM so we waited on the long line for the bus going back.

 

The first bus filled so we couldn't get on. The next bus drove straight past about 20 of us because it had already been filled before it got to us. By then it was 2 so I called a cab (Cozy Cab). After 25 minutes, they never came (apparently, the traffic gt worse as the day went on) and we were lucky enough to flag down an emptyy cab whose passengers he was to pick up didn't show.

 

Although the line for the tenders back on the ship was long, the wait was 5 minutes but the ride again was 20 minutes. I sat on the top of the tender going back so I go some excellent photos of the Harbor and CB.

 

After a good nap, I had dinner (formal night) and listened to Phil Tag's 1015 show. He is good but the jokes were the same as his show 2 months ag. Still, he is funny. The crowd at Crooners was huge but his 'act' wasn't my thing. He has a great voice though. Wish he would just sing and not perform a live 'show'.

 

Went to sleep early again because I had a huge day planned for Boston.

[Alessandrina]

Thanks for your "live from"....

Enjoy!

Cheers.

[OnVacation11]

Thanks for taking the time to post... we will be following you in 3 weeks !

[rianvi]

Thank you for taking the time to post your review while on ship. Can't wait for our cruise in ten days.

:)

[Jennygirl]

can't wait to hear about your Boston adventure.

:)

[cruzinchris]

Thanks for the "live" thread. DH and I will be on the 9/25 sailing. I hope Exotique will still be onboard for our cruise as they have been among our favorites on Princess.

 

Bon Voyage!

Chris

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the live.

[Woobstr112G]

Thanks for taking the time to do your "Live From." Sounds like the cruise is starting off great.....:):):)

 

Bob

[goldesq]

Boston

 

Boston was amazing. The ship allowed pax off at 940AM rather than 10. However since I wanted to go to the Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum when it opened at 11, I didn't rush off. I did finally head out at about 1015 and got a cab to the Museum. It was a 15 minute ride across town. I highly recommend talking to the very informative 'port lecturer guy' (not the Princess tour people that sell the tours) at the the tour desk before 1030 on the morning you leave so you can get a map and some advice. He answered all the questions I had.

 

After the cab ride (about 25 dollars and the cabs were right outside the terminal), I toured the museum for 2 hrs. I have been to many museums in the world, and this museum is EASILY in the top 5. It really is one of my favorites and I always go to this museum when in Boston. The cost is 12 dollars and 4 dollars for the audio head sets which provides the tour. The head set is a must!

 

After the museum we walked 2 short blocks and took the train in-bound to Quincy Markey (Haymarket stop-about 10 minutes and 2 dollars a person). It was about 3 short blocks to Quincy Market, Fanieul Hall and the other Markets. I walked through the markets and picked one of the many food stands to have a combo meal of chowder and a lobster roll (about 18 dollars for both). I did some shopping in the Market area. I suggest heading to the Historical Society shop in one of the markets but all the gifts in this area are quite touristy.

 

After some shopping, I headed to the other end of Quincy Market across from the Long Wharf Marriott and caught a cab back to the cruise terminal for 10 dollars.

The cruiseline or the City of Boston (not exactly sure who) offers a 10 dollar per person one way or 15 dollar person RT shuttle to Quincy Market. By about 330 or so, I was back on the ship.

 

The dining room theme was Italian night. I recommend the Veal Scallopine. YUM. The tiramisu was also excellent! Not sure if I mentioned that the night before I had the fettucine alfredo for the first time. It was so very good! I am glad I took other cruise critic members advice. The pasta is homemade and it was served in a parmasean cheese bowl, which I ate! It was so good!

 

I went to listen to Phil Tag again bc I wasn't much interested in the shows (saw them all several time) and although most of his jokes were repeats from the night before, there were some good ones that were new.

 

I headed to bed early since I wanted to wake up early to call Olleys Trolleys to make a reservation (forgot to do it during the day) for the. Acadia Tour at 10 AM.

[LollyMoz]

Enjoying your "live" reports...thanks for the food recommendations. The fettucini alfredo sounds amazing. I'll have to put that on the "must try" list. :)

[rianvi]

Thank you for posting live. Can't wait until we are in Boston.

:)

[Woobstr112G]

Glad you had a great time in Boston.....:):):)

 

Bob

[dtagirl]

Sounds like you are having a great time. Are you posting all of this from your Blackberry??? It would take me forever to type all of it!:p

Can't wait to hear the rest!

[cruissett]

Sounds like your having a fantastic time! Eating up every word since We're sailing on her next month. Can yo tell me if they have the Special of $2.99 for drinks at night??

 

Thanks

[F5Loar]

Are the taxi prices and bus prices you are giving per person or for a group of people?

[Coolmama_1]

Thanks for the live post. Looking forward to hearing more.

[goldesq]

Bar Harbor

 

Today was another wonderful day. I completely forgot to make tour reservations for Bar Harbor and really wanted to see Acadia so I called Ollys Trolleys Reservation number from the ship at about 730AM. I was surprised to find out that the 10AM tour was booked but luckily a 1030AM tour was added. There are 2 types of tours offered, a 1 hour and a 2 and a 1/2 hour tour. I HIGHLY recommend the 2 and a 1/2 hour tour (about 30 dollars) as there is no way to see everything in an hour!

 

Although I did have a tour reservation, I had to wait in a rather long line at the trolley store's gift shop at the pier to pick up my tickets. Others in the same line were buying tickets (which made little sense as they should have a line for people w/ advance reservations but that was my only complaint) . Also, when I got on line at 945AM, the 1030 tour was already sold out. I highly recommend pre-purchasing tickets. BTW, when I picked up the tickets, I got moved to the 10 AM tour which was very nice! Of course, they asked me first about switching times.

 

My guide, Santos, was quite personable and spoke just enough but not too much. I really learned an incredible amount about Acadia and Bar Harbor. Acadia is just absolutely gorgeous and should not be missed. It was nice to do a tour that wasn't on a huge coach-like bus. We made about 3 stops on the tour and it was just enough. We were dropped off at 1230 at the pier and walked to The Lobster Shack down the street for a lobster roll (about 14 dollars). It was very good!

 

I spent about 3 hours walking around Bar Harbor shopping. It's a cute town and luckily, the shops are just right at the pier. Most shops have the usual t-shirts, mugs, fudge, etc. There are even two pretty good pet stores in town with some decent home stores as well.

 

Be sure to go on some side streets as I found 2 not to miss shops that were not on the main street. The 2 shops were a Maine Crafts Cooperative Store with locally made/ Maine artistian crafts for sale at very reasonable prices. They have a great selection of bird decoys, absolutely gorgeous photography, paintings, ceramics, woo vases, embroided notecards, photo magnets, glass items, chimes, lamps, etc.

 

I also recommend a small antiques store on one of the side streets. There is a good selection of jewelry, porcelain items, glassware, a small selection of art and varied other items. Some of the items are over-priced but some items are fairly priced. Certainly no bargains. Without asking, I was offered a discount of about 5 or 10 off because I bought 2 items. If you need addresses for either, let me know. I am sure anyone in town would know either store.

 

I was exhausted when I headed back to the ship and napped until dinner. I was looking forward to dinner this evening as my favorite item on the menu (red snapper with thai hot and sour sauce) was available that evening! So good.

 

It did lightly rain while I was shopping but it didn't hinder anyone. The tiny town had tons of tourists and was quite busy despite the weather. Be ready for some crowds, cruise passengers and others!

 

Tomorrow is St. John and I have a 830AM (yikes) Coastal Photography Tour of the Bay of Fundy so going to bed early again. I found out the tour is sold out so I am glad I reserved online prior to the cruise. I am really looking forward to this tour as I really love photography.

 

Tonight, I did sit outside on my balcony for a bit. The fog was so dense and white (you could not see out over the balcony at all). The fog horn for the ship was blowing every 2 minutes or so and it was quite erie.

[goldesq]

St John

 

Today was my photography tour in St. John. I booked this tour through Princess and thought it was just average. I truly liked my Bar Harbor/ Ollys Trolley Tour a lot better! I am not sure if that had to do with the fact that I wasn't thrilled with my tour guide today, that I didn't love St John that much, that is was gray and drizzling all day or that Ollys Trolly Tour just was just that much better!

 

Either way, St John was a decent stop and the tour only had 22 people so it wasn't that bad. The tour started promptly at 830AM and luckily there was no tender! The small bus was perfect for our group. We stopped at 5 locations rather than 4 which was nice. We stopped at Reversing Falls twice (once when the water was traveling up and once while traveling down). It was nice but I was not awestruck as I thought I might be. We then headed to a waterfall, a small fishing village/location and a beach. All just average photo ops. Everything was grey and gloomy and reminded me of Iceland (not a great thing).

 

As for the photo tips offered by the expert, there weren't many. The expert tried to be helpful by suggesting how to frame the shots at some locations or offering to check what we shot and then offer suggestions but mainly he recommended to all of us to "zoom in more".

 

After completing the tour, I wish I took a shorter tour without the photography expert. Maybe on another tour (there was one scheduled later in the day), the expert would be 'better' (not sure if that is the right word). Maybe I just expected too much. The expert shoots for a local newspaper and his portfolio had many dated wedding photos. I was disappointed as I expected the expert to be a nature photographer. He also spent an inordinate amount of time showing us his personal and work/newspaper photos and telling us the stories surrounding the photos. That time could have been spent giving us tips on how to shoot nature photography.

After the tour ended at 12, I spent about 15 minutes looking at the items for sale under the tent by the pier. There were about 20 vendors selling syrup, fudge, jewelry, t-shirts, soap, nuts and souvenirs with moose and flags of Canada on them. To see the town, my dad said the walk was about 10-20 minutes. (He took a short trolley tour that just included the Reversing Falls and left him downtown by some Market).

 

I took a LONG nap when I got back and hit the dining room for Formal Night (lobster night). I am not a fan of how they prepare their lobster tail (always too rubbery) so I had the fettucini again. There was a new comediene tonight (Daryl) and he was excellent.

 

I must say that the Explorers Lounger does not fill up at any of the shows like it does on Caribbean cruises. On Caribbean cruises, you have to show up a half hour before a show in the Explorers Lounge or else you have to stand. If you arrive 10 minutes before a show, especially the 1015PM show, you will get a seat.

 

Another comment...the art auctioneer, Kelly, is terrible. She is annoying, does not know much about art, cannot pronounce the names of the pieces she is selling, and must say "Ladies and Gentleman" about 100 times during a 60 minute auction. I suggest making a drinking game out of the repeating "Ladies and Gentleman" phrase!

 

Tomorrow, Halifax!

[goldesq]

To answer the questions posted:

 

There have not been 2.99 drink specials on CB for well over 2 months. They did not have them on my cruise in June.

 

So far, all taxis have been metered so the prices were for the whole cab.

[mowb07]

Thanks for the Live review! Sounds like you're having a good time so far! Can't wait to hear about your day in Halifax!

[Woobstr112G]

Bar Harbor

 

Today was another wonderful day. I completely forgot to make tour reservations for Bar Harbor and really wanted to see Acadia so I called Ollys Trolleys Reservation number from the ship at about 730AM. I was surprised to find out that the 10AM tour was booked but luckily a 1030AM tour was added. There are 2 types of tours offered, a 1 hour and a 2 and a 1/2 hour tour. I HIGHLY recommend the 2 and a 1/2 hour tour (about 30 dollars) as there is no way to see everything in an hour!

 

Although I did have a tour reservation, I had to wait in a rather long line at the trolley store's gift shop at the pier to pick up my tickets. Others in the same line were buying tickets (which made little sense as they should have a line for people w/ advance reservations but that was my only complaint) . Also, when I got on line at 945AM, the 1030 tour was already sold out. I highly recommend pre-purchasing tickets. BTW, when I picked up the tickets, I got moved to the 10 AM tour which was very nice! Of course, they asked me first about switching times.

 

My guide, Santos, was quite personable and spoke just enough but not too much. I really learned an incredible amount about Acadia and Bar Harbor. Acadia is just absolutely gorgeous and should not be missed. It was nice to do a tour that wasn't on a huge coach-like bus. We made about 3 stops on the tour and it was just enough. We were dropped off at 1230 at the pier and walked to The Lobster Shack down the street for a lobster roll (about 14 dollars). It was very good!

 

I spent about 3 hours walking around Bar Harbor shopping. It's a cute town and luckily, the shops are just right at the pier. Most shops have the usual t-shirts, mugs, fudge, etc. There are even two pretty good pet stores in town with some decent home stores as well.

 

Be sure to go on some side streets as I found 2 not to miss shops that were not on the main street. The 2 shops were a Maine Crafts Cooperative Store with locally made/ Maine artistian crafts for sale at very reasonable prices. They have a great selection of bird decoys, absolutely gorgeous photography, paintings, ceramics, woo vases, embroided notecards, photo magnets, glass items, chimes, lamps, etc.

 

I also recommend a small antiques store on one of the side streets. There is a good selection of jewelry, porcelain items, glassware, a small selection of art and varied other items. Some of the items are over-priced but some items are fairly priced. Certainly no bargains. Without asking, I was offered a discount of about 5 or 10 off because I bought 2 items. If you need addresses for either, let me know. I am sure anyone in town would know either store.

 

I was exhausted when I headed back to the ship and napped until dinner. I was looking forward to dinner this evening as my favorite item on the menu (red snapper with thai hot and sour sauce) was available that evening! So good.

 

It did lightly rain while I was shopping but it didn't hinder anyone. The tiny town had tons of tourists and was quite busy despite the weather. Be ready for some crowds, cruise passengers and others!

 

Tomorrow is St. John and I have a 830AM (yikes) Coastal Photography Tour of the Bay of Fundy so going to bed early again. I found out the tour is sold out so I am glad I reserved online prior to the cruise. I am really looking forward to this tour as I really love photography.

 

Tonight, I did sit outside on my balcony for a bit. The fog was so dense and white (you could not see out over the balcony at all). The fog horn for the ship was blowing every 2 minutes or so and it was quite erie.

 

St John

 

Today was my photography tour in St. John. I booked this tour through Princess and thought it was just average. I truly liked my Bar Harbor/ Ollys Trolley Tour a lot better! I am not sure if that had to do with the fact that I wasn't thrilled with my tour guide today, that I didn't love St John that much, that is was gray and drizzling all day or that Ollys Trolly Tour just was just that much better!

 

Either way, St John was a decent stop and the tour only had 22 people so it wasn't that bad. The tour started promptly at 830AM and luckily there was no tender! The small bus was perfect for our group. We stopped at 5 locations rather than 4 which was nice. We stopped at Reversing Falls twice (once when the water was traveling up and once while traveling down). It was nice but I was not awestruck as I thought I might be. We then headed to a waterfall, a small fishing village/location and a beach. All just average photo ops. Everything was grey and gloomy and reminded me of Iceland (not a great thing).

 

As for the photo tips offered by the expert, there weren't many. The expert tried to be helpful by suggesting how to frame the shots at some locations or offering to check what we shot and then offer suggestions but mainly he recommended to all of us to "zoom in more".

 

After completing the tour, I wish I took a shorter tour without the photography expert. Maybe on another tour (there was one scheduled later in the day), the expert would be 'better' (not sure if that is the right word). Maybe I just expected too much. The expert shoots for a local newspaper and his portfolio had many dated wedding photos. I was disappointed as I expected the expert to be a nature photographer. He also spent an inordinate amount of time showing us his personal and work/newspaper photos and telling us the stories surrounding the photos. That time could have been spent giving us tips on how to shoot nature photography.

After the tour ended at 12, I spent about 15 minutes looking at the items for sale under the tent by the pier. There were about 20 vendors selling syrup, fudge, jewelry, t-shirts, soap, nuts and souvenirs with moose and flags of Canada on them. To see the town, my dad said the walk was about 10-20 minutes. (He took a short trolley tour that just included the Reversing Falls and left him downtown by some Market).

 

I took a LONG nap when I got back and hit the dining room for Formal Night (lobster night). I am not a fan of how they prepare their lobster tail (always too rubbery) so I had the fettucini again. There was a new comediene tonight (Daryl) and he was excellent.

 

I must say that the Explorers Lounger does not fill up at any of the shows like it does on Caribbean cruises. On Caribbean cruises, you have to show up a half hour before a show in the Explorers Lounge or else you have to stand. If you arrive 10 minutes before a show, especially the 1015PM show, you will get a seat.

 

Another comment...the art auctioneer, Kelly, is terrible. She is annoying, does not know much about art, cannot pronounce the names of the pieces she is selling, and must say "Ladies and Gentleman" about 100 times during a 60 minute auction. I suggest making a drinking game out of the repeating "Ladies and Gentleman" phrase!

 

Tomorrow, Halifax!

 

Sounds like a great time in both Bar Harbor and St. John.....:):):)

 

Bob

[RRFPresident]

Glad to hear that I didn't miss much by choosing the Reversing Falls trolley (which sounds like what your Dad took) over the Photography Tour for our trip last month. I decided it wasn't worth getting up extra early two days in a row after our limo ride in Bar Harbor the morning before.

[mybichon]

Just off the CB on 9/4/10. There were $2.99 drink specials after 8pm. You just have to ask for them because no one mentioned them otherwise. I got a pina colada and I know there was also Long Island iced tea, as well as others.

[rianvi]

Thank you for your live posts. Will keep the drinking game in mind;)

 

About the $2.99 drink specials after 8pm., are they offered in specific locations?

 

Anna:)