Live from Caribbean Princess 12/5-12

[ineptinmate]

Day 4 - Bonaire (Part 3)

 

Oh K- Have a heart. Put the boots indoors till you go pick him up. Otherwise they will be icy!!!

 

So C comes home to some cold feet. I do promise to bring his winter coat and gloves at least! He should be quite a picture in his hawaiian shirt and sandles!;)

[Hank1468]

C...

Could you please check the book in your stateroom that lists the alcohol for purchase by bottle (375ml) and list the price for the Crown Royal and Absolut bottles? Also, do they tack on the 15% gratuity? Just want to compare the prices listed on Princess.com... I'd rather not pre-order if I'm not 100% if we want them or not. Thank you!

[rdsqrl]

. . . I have been mainly hanging out talking to the crew and learned a couple of things, first they are not saying that this voyage is not representative of how things usually are aboard.

 

Forgive me, I was a little confused by your double negative here. So the crew is saying this voyage IS representative of how things usually are aboard? In what context? I mean, why wouldn't it be (or not be) representative of the usual cruise?

 

...and the chicken salad did not have apples in it. I will check it out tomorrow and let you know. I am going to have to sample quite a bit of it just to be sure - somebody's gotta do it.

We appreciate the sacrifices you've been willing to make on our behalf. If only in return we had the power to bestow upon you a longer cruise. Savor your remaining days onboard!

[cdamion]

Day 5 - Grenada

 

 

Hypothetically speaking, if I were to buy Cuban cigars, and hypothetically speaking, if I were to bring a bottle of rum aboard, I would hypothetically be typing today's update from Churchill's smoking that Cuban cigar and drinking the rum I brought aboard. Of course I would never think of doing either, so I am typing from somewhere else completely.

 

 

Today I was worn the heck out from food and running around like crazy in the ports to do as much as I can possibly do. So today my body made me rest. We did not arrive to Grenada until noon. So, I slept until 11 today to catch up on rest. I had no plans for today at all. After I got myself together and shook the cobwebs off, I headed down to the International Cafe for lunch. I had a healthy dose of chicken salad (which does not contain apples now) and a ham and cheese croissant. When I was down there, there was a long line of people waiting to disembark. I ate over at the bar next to the cafe, then headed back to my cabin for a while, because my idea of rest and relaxation does not consist of waiting in line.

 

 

A little after 12:30, I headed down to disembark. I found a guy shilling tours for the local taxi company and asked for a tour. I grabbed a 3 hour tour for $20, which was about $30 less than Princess' comparable shore excursion (which, incidentally I went to book at the last minute, but the shore excursion people were gone).

 

 

I was led to the awaiting taxi/van to load up. They packed the van FULL, people were sitting 3 abreast. I wanted to take pictures on the journey, so I asked the driver to sit up front, which he let me do. One note, I am more than used to the winding roads of these small island nations - and I was a little nervous. If you ever take one of the taxi tours, it is probably better for you to not sit in the front. It is probably better to not see how many near misses there are winding through very narrow mountain roads with no guardrails.

 

 

Godwin was our driver and he was pretty cool. After a monster traffic jam of taxis and busses leaving the port, we headed up to a couple of waterfalls, the first we just looked at from the van, the second we walked down to. At the second falls, which again with my Alzheimer-like memory I can't recall the name of right now, we had to park about a 5 minute walk down the road because of a TON of other tours arriving at the same time. This is one of those places where everybody is looking for a buck (well, $2). I conceded to a guy with a monkey so I could pose for a picture. The guy put the monkey on my shoulder and got a friend to take a picture with my camera. The monkey tickled my ear with one hand, while (unbeknownst to me) the little MF'er grabbed my ID and cabin key with the other. Since it wasn't cash or food, he just threw them into the bushes. I had no clue until somebody told me he grabbed the stuff and threw it. I gave the guy his $2 and fished the cards out of the bushes. If nothing else, I can say I got pick-pocketed by a monkey!

 

 

After the falls (and a brief 5 minute downpour of rain) we headed down to a little rum shop where we were shown some of the local spices, including tasting the Cocoa plant (spelling?). We were given a fresh cocoa bean to suck on (which is sweet - as long as you dont bite it). Then we were given a sample of what it tastes like after it is dried for 7 days - baking chocolate. We also sampled a spiced rum, which is something like 180 proof made with roots and leaves (for K's benefit, it was like the jungle juice stuff we had in Honduras).

 

 

Next we headed around different parts of the southern half of the island. There are still a lot of ruined houses from hurricane Ivan from 2004. We got to see where the locals live, where the westerners live, the beach areas, etc. The tour was well worth the $20 price.

 

 

After the tour, I wandered through the very hilly (San Francisco-like hills) town of St. George's where the ship docks. After only a couple of block walking (straight up the hill) I was in an area of absolutely no tourists whatsoever. I wandered around a bit taking pictures of the architecture. Again, several churches and building still standing damaged from Hurricane Ivan. You will eventually see the pictures. Then I headed down the back side of the hill to the old port, where people were staring at me because I was very clearly not a local. I really enjoyed the journey. I eventually made my way back to the ship after losing about 20 pounds from the walk.

 

 

Grenada is a place I would like to come back to visit on a land-based vacation. Grand Anse beach seemed very nice. It was pretty crowded, but nice. I wanted to head back, but had plenty of sun over the last couple of days and frankly, needed a break from it.

 

 

After back on board, I had my first swim on the ship in the Lotus Pool before relaxing for a little bit in the stateroom, and heading up to Skywalkers for sail away. Next, I returned some money I won in the casino the night before and headed to dinner. It was chef's night with several courses. I had a quail and venison pate thing, a good salad, sorbet, orange roughy, and the special desert. All of it was quite good.

 

 

After dinner, I headed to the theater for the Caribbean Caliente show. I didn't really enjoy it that much. It was ok, but with the unique situation of this particular sailing, for me it was a bit odd to see the ship's entertainers pretending to be Latin and Caribbean in the various numbers when we have such a huge percentage of both on board. As an example, after the show, I headed to the Wheelhouse lounge where several of the people from Dominica were dancing to a band playing Caribbean music, including songs that I haven't heard since I was in Trinidad for Carnival over a decade ago. Next I headed to Skywalkers where they were playing Latin music for the Puerto Ricans on board. Both groups were dancing to the music, and their dancing was much more enjoyable than the choreographed “pretend” Caribbean dancing in the show.

 

 

Let me pause here for a moment. I mentioned before that another Cruise Critic person told me there was trouble at the comedy show due to some of the Puerto Rican teens that required the show to be cut short. Well, today I spoke to somebody else that was at the show and asked them about it. The people I spoke to today said that there were maybe 3 teens that walked in and out of the show a couple of times, which the comedian made fun of. They in no way viewed it as a disruption at all. Again, as an example of having two people have incredibly different views of the cruise. Here are two people I spoke to independently about the same show. One said the show was ruined, the other said it was really nothing and if anything gave the comedian some more material. I was not there, so I can not give a first hand account.

 

 

As I have said before, I have not been impacted too much by the crowd. I do not hang out on the Lido deck. I do not hang out in Horizon court. This ship has so many different places to go, it is not hard to find quiet spots without really trying too hard.

 

 

Some of the crew have confirmed that there were some ridiculously cheap deals for the locals in Puerto Rico. My personal view is that with them aboard, as well as the people from Dominica, as well as Canada, England, Germany, etc. This particular voyage has a very international feel to it - which to me is a good thing.

 

 

I do want to note that I really appreciate the bartenders that I have befriended in my chosen venues on board. They have been very friendly and are good, hard-working people.

 

 

Hypothetically, I am going to finish the Cuban cigar I hypothetically bought in Aruba and finish the rum I hypothetically brought aboard (which I will never do again because I am going to end up leaving most of it behind).

 

 

Tomorrow is Dominica. I have arranged for a tour with Reyno tours. 6 other people I have met are going to be coming along for the tour too. Hopefully it will continue the excellent experience I am having.

 

 

Until tomorrow...

 

(for those that have asked questions, I will get to them - I am trying to same internet time).

 

-c

[CrusinAgain]

Thanks for testing that chicken salad and finding no big apple chunks. We did not enjoy it on the Crown Princess this last cruise but always loved it on the Caribbean Princess. Enjoy Dominica.

[u2cruiser]

cdamion, do you think 'the little MF' was trained to pickpocket or was it being mischievous? Could that nearby bush be monkey man's bank?

 

Thanks for a lovely cyber day in Grenada, yet another island I haven't visited.

 

Did you enjoy afternoon tea the day before?

[kendon]

Your review is terrific! Enjoy Dominica!

[hmh60]

Where are you, cdamion?

[CrusinAgain]

cdamion, do you think 'the little MF' was trained to pickpocket or was it being mischievous? Could that nearby bush be monkey man's bank?

 

Thanks for a lovely cyber day in Grenada, yet another island I haven't visited.

 

Did you enjoy afternoon tea the day before?

 

I was also wondering about that one. Had it not been for the folks who told him he would have had no idea where he lost it. I bet the little "MF" was trained to do that. I certainly would not have expected for that to happen.

[vickie_bernie]

first i want to say what a joy it is reading your day to day experience on board. And the fact you are sharing your solo experience after having to sadly cancel your fiance's ticket.

 

 

C...

Could you please check the book in your stateroom that lists the alcohol for purchase by bottle (375ml) and list the price for the Crown Royal and Absolut bottles? Also, do they tack on the 15% gratuity? Just want to compare the prices listed on Princess.com... I'd rather not pre-order if I'm not 100% if we want them or not. Thank you!

 

In October the prices for the acohol was the same price listed on their website, and sorry I can't remember if there was a 15% gratuity or not.

[Minoushka]

In Dominica do not miss Champagne REEF ..WEAR SHOES THose rocks are WICked

Go to SCREWS SPA OH WHAT A BLESSING!!!

I loved the hot water in the pools Cannot wait to go back

Bonaire sounds WONDERFUL!!!

 

Please check on Penny machines

 

Thanks

 

Michele

[doublelel]

Was on the Caribbean Princess in September and had a great time!

[Hank1468]

The weather sounds pretty nasty in Chicago for Saturday & Sunday... Best wishes getting home safe and timely!!

[CrusinAgain]

Looks like we are going to have to wait until he gets home to hear the rest about his cruise. The last night is always hard to have to pack.

[ineptinmate]

The weather sounds pretty nasty in Chicago for Saturday & Sunday... Best wishes getting home safe and timely!!

 

 

It seems it will be a "balmy" 13 degrees, with the wind a minus 15. C is spending tomorrow night in San Juan ( because I always hated rushing from transport to transport) and will be heading home early Monday morning. I just had my daughter salt the two flights of stairs we have to get to our apartment. It really is going to get wicked tonight and tomorrow.

Thanks for the wishes. I'm wishing the same.

K- :)

[ineptinmate]

Looks like we are going to have to wait until he gets home to hear the rest about his cruise. The last night is always hard to have to pack.

 

Or maybe he's hanging at the bar with his favorite bartender, drinking those $2.99 Cruzan rum and cokes? If he does write tonight if might be hard to follow. I will make him finish up the trip, if he hasn't already, when he gets home.

Thank you to everyone that followed the thread.

K-

[CrusinAgain]

Or maybe he's hanging at the bar with his favorite bartender, drinking those $2.99 Cruzan rum and cokes? If he does write tonight if might be hard to follow. I will make him finish up the trip, if he hasn't already, when he gets home.

Thank you to everyone that followed the thread.

K-

 

So hopefully he will have internet in his hotel room after he leaves the ship. Since its 2 am his time and he has to get up early and vacate his room we will have to wait for the ending. Thanks K for sharing your fiancee with us. I wish you both the best and hope that you and C are able to go soon on a cruise. I hope he continued to like Princess.

[treesah]

Thanks for sharing your story with us. Loved the monkey caper. I'm particularly anxious to hear the end of the story since we'll be on the CB in 4 weeks. Happy holidays to both of you.

[Tyskie]

Thanks for sharing your trip with us. Anxious to hear the end of the story.

 

Loved hearing of your travels......................get home safe. Love the CB, can't wait till we're on her again in October.............seems so far away !

[mikechass]

Thanks very much for taking the time to post on this thread.

I have really enjoyed your stories.

Best wishes to you and yours over the holidays.

Chass

[CrusinAgain]

I was so hoping that C had free internet in San Juan today but with no updates from him I guess he didn't so the wait continues. Hope Chicago's weather isn't as bad tomorrow as it was today. Looking forward for his review of his last few days aboard the CB.

[cdamion]

sorry for the lack of posts, I had a problem with the laptop that I think I have resolved. I lost out on 40 minutes of internet time I didn't use on the ship and free internet most of the day today.

 

updates shortly, as long as the computer holds up...

[cdamion]

Day 6 - Dominica

 

 

This morning I woke up in time to see us pull into Dominica as the sun rose. I have been keeping the curtains open, so that the light wakes me up, which is a stark contrast to home.

 

 

Today is the one independent tour that I booked ahead of time through Reyno Tours. I originally booked the tour for just K and I, but since she is not here, it was just me. At least it was until the start of the cruise. In the days since, it has turned from a party of 1 to a party of 7, thanks to a couple cruise critic people, as well as some others I met on the tour of Bonaire. So, I embarked on this trip knowing nobody and not knowing what to expect and thinking I would be by myself the entire time. Now I am part of a group of 7 heading out to tour Dominica. Kinda cool.

 

 

The dock in Dominica is right downtown, so there is no need for cabs if you just want to wander around town shopping. I did that later in the afternoon, after the tour with Reyno tours.

 

 

Once we docked, we got of the ship as soon as possible (at Reyno's request) and headed to meet him. As I waited at the dock I noticed that several of the people from Dominica were getting off of the ship with suitcases. I figured they were just getting off the ship so they wouldn't have to fly back in two days.

 

 

After getting most of the group together, we headed over to meet Reyno for the tour. While he was trying to figure out how to get everybody out on the tour (besides the 7 of us, there was another group of 4 who booked with him). The other Cruise Critic person said something to him about us being on Cruise Critic and he said “I am well aware of that.” While he did not take us on our tour, he wanted to make sure that we were all comfortable and happy so we would give him a good review.

 

 

The tour was very good, we headed up to Ti Tou Gorge, a pair of waterfalls, Wotten Woven hot springs, the Botanical Garden, Mourne Bruce, and ended up at Champagne Reef for a snorkel. It lasted about 4 hours or so. It gave a good taste of the Island. Do not come to Dominica looking for beaches, it is completely about rainforest, waterfalls, hot springs, and hiking. Champagne Reef is nice, not the best, but I am really spoiled when it comes to snorkeling now. It is definitely in better shape than many other reefs that are more visited.

 

 

After the tour, I ran in to drop off my stuff and headed out to walk around Roseau, the town where the ship docks. It looks like the towns of the Caribbean islands I have been to that don't see a lot of tourists. It has a certain interesting character and architecture that likely reflects that of the different countries that ruled it a couple hundred years ago. It is not beautified for the tourists. I can't really explain. The pictures will have to explain when I can get them posted. After only a few blocks away from the ship, there were absolutely no tourists. The streets were busy with locals shopping. It is the least commercial island I have seen in quite some time.

 

 

Once back on board the ship, I went through my now daily ritual of stopping by the International Cafe for a sandwich and the chicken salad. I decided to eat it down on the Piazza instead of heading up to the balcony. Afterwards, for sail-away, I headed outside onto the promenade deck to watch sail-away and the sunset. There I ran into one of the women from Dominica and talked to her. As it turns out there are a group of 48 women from Dominica on board, along with some of their relatives. Many of them moved back to the island after living overseas in England for a while. They like to travel to different places and picked this cruise this time. She was basically giving me a tour of the island as we passed by, explaining where the new housing developments are, pointing out the mountains, valleys, etc. I have met a few of these people on the cruise and they are uniformly very proud of their island. She explained that for tonight's formal night they are all going to dress in their island's traditional clothing. (which as I later saw, they all did). I asked her about leaving with the suitcases and she said they all went home to water their plants and switch their clothes. Very very nice woman.

 

 

It was the 2nd formal night (lobster and prawn night). While it was not on the menu, our waiter let us know that they had escargot as an appetizer, so I had that, a shrimp, crab, scallop appetizer, salad, and the lobster and prawns, and then some more lobster. All of the food was very good. One thing that did bug me was that right when the main course was delivered, they decided to do the deal where we thank the waiters, assistants, chefs, etc. I just wanted to eat my food when it was delivered nice and hot, not take 10 minutes listening to somebody sing, applauding, etc., etc. They really should have waited until between the main course and dessert to do this. To me it detracted from the atmosphere of the formal dinner (it did not, however, detract from the flavor of the food). All of it was very good.

 

 

After dinner I went and entered the slot tournament. I was in 3rd place until the last few people played. I bounced down to 2nd to last qualifying position, and then was eliminated because both of the last two people (of the dozens that played during the 4+ hour span) beat my score and knocked me out. In the future, I will wait until the end. Oh well. After that I bounced from venue to venue checking out the different offerings. I skipped the comedian.

 

 

It has been a fun week, sad to see the cruise ending so soon, but happy to be seeing K In a couple of days.

[cdamion]

Day 7 - St. Thomas

 

 

Once again I slept with the curtains open to be awakened by the sunrise. It did awaken me, but I went back to sleep. I was not eager to see St. Thomas again. It is not the kind of place I like for a single day. Behind us the Emerald Princess was berthed and I could see the tip of the smoke stack from the Queen Mary 2. Originally I thought I would just stay on board for this port, but changed my mind around 10:30 or 11 and headed out. I walked into town and burned myself to a crisp. I think it was about a 1 - 2 mile walk in the heat. I grabbed a cab and headed over to Crown Bay where the Queen Mary 2 was docked (we were at Havensight). The Queen Mary is an attractive, elegent looking ocean liner.

 

 

I headed back to town, got a bite to eat and took the ferry over to St. John. Oh my, I had forgotten how much I like Cruz Bay on St. John. Such a sleepy little town. I headed to our favorite store on St. John and stocked up on spices we liked when we were here on a land based vacation. I then went and stood in the warm, clear water up to my knees (didn't bring bathing suit, towel or anything). After that I headed up to a restaurant on the little beach by the ferry dock and had my all-time favorite drink, the Painkiller (or 3). It was kind of sad to be over here because K and I spent a nice vacation here a couple of years ago and walked these same streets together.

 

 

After a while I decided to head back to the ship via Redhook just so I would not cut it close to sail-away time. The ferry left just a few minutes late and we got to Redhook. I helped some others on the ship get to the right terminal. When we docked there were several coast guard officers around a guy laying face down and cuffed. Couldn't tell what was going on. Once we got into the taxi, the driver had me sit up front (a common theme on the islands where they pack the taxis full. Since I am solo, I keep getting seated in the front, which I prefer - except, sometimes in Grenada and Dominica, I wish I hadnt seen some of the near misses.

 

 

Anyway, I struck up a conversation with the taxi driver. He said the guy on the dock tried to commit suicide by taking some drugs and jumping overboard (a ferry?) because he was on vacation here with his wife and she apparently brought a boyfriend back to their room. The driver insisted it was true.

 

 

A short while later I was back on board the ship. I made my now customary stop at International Cafe to get a sandwich and the chicken salad. Every time I get it people comment on it as I bring it back to my room - and most of them think you have to pay for the sandwiches and pastries.

 

 

I brought the sandwiche to the outside bar at the back of the ship overlooking the aft pool so I could say goodbye to one of my favorite 3 bartenders on board. He was the first bartender I got a drink from when I got on board, and he remembered my name from the very first time. He chatted with me as I hung out at that bar and I told him about my situation and traveling solo. I left him a cash tip (they don't have to share those) and said my goodbyes.

Next, I decided to take a swim for the second time this cruise. I didn't feel like swimming in the aft pool, so I headed to the main pools. Both were packed with kids going absolutely crazy. I jumped in for a second, then left because I figured sooner or later one of the kids would dive straight into me and I'd be the one injured, so I headed back to the room to start packing (which really sucks, as you know).

 

 

A little after five I headed up to Skywalkers, my favorite venue on board, so I could relax in the quiet space, and see another favorite bartender. I overheard somebody say that she is confident now that she has sailed solo, so I mentioned I overheard her and said 'hi'. We chatted for a while about the pros and cons of going solo. She is actually here on cruise critic, but my stupid memory is not allowing me to remember her screen name on here. I did tell her I was doing a “live” (which by now is not so live, due to computer issues). Maybe she will give me a shout out on here. I left a tip for my favorite bartender up here, before heading back to the room to finish packing stuff before dinner.

 

 

Dinner was I think called 'homestyle'. I was not real excited about any of the entrees. I did finally have the fettuccini alfredo (appetizer) - and it is as good as every one says. I had the mussels for my entree, which I would never order if I was paying. I really enjoyed them! Very tasty. The waiters did their “famous” Baked Alaska Parade, and I had that for dessert. It was good too. There were no real home runs for food this cruise, it was all good, just not outstanding.

 

 

After dinner I headed over to the casino to cash out my account and I bumped into some of the people from the roll call at Crooners and sat with them for a while. My first time spending any time at Crooners all cruise long. The bartender seemed friendly enough. After we chatted for a while I went in to cash out my card and headed to Wheelhouse to see the third bartender I really liked. She is actually married to the bartender at the outside aft bar. I had a couple of drinks there while the women from Dominica and others danced to the sounds of Unison (easily the best band I've heard at see). Oddly, tonight there was no 3rd production show. Instead the singers and some dancers were drinking in the corner of Wheelhouse.

 

 

I headed back up to Skywalkers for a little while as it was the last bar open. There were a handful of people there and the DJ was playing Latin music for the crowd. Finally, all too soon, the night ended. I headed back to the cabin and out onto the balcony to relax for the last time. As usual, it ended too quick.

 

 

next up, the epilogue...

[CrusinAgain]

Glad to see you back C and it looks like you love that ship as much as we do. You really made the best of the times at each of the ports. I am surprised you did so much. You have had one action packed cruise. We have never tried traditional dining on Princess and had no idea about the Baked Alaska parade and the applauding the dining staff etc. as they don't do either in Anytime Dining. The next cruise on Princess will be traditional dining. Looking forward for your next post.