LIVE fron the APRIL 1st CARIBBEAN PRINCESS- PICS and REVIEW

[TOMYNIK]

Good morning all, We are pulling into St. Thomas right on time at around 6:45 a.m.. Departure from San Juan was flawless last night. I sat out on the back deck by the adult pool to get a bird’s eye view of the Carnival Victory depart. I missed the Adventure depart- they must have left while we were doing the lifeboat drill at 8 p.m.

The CB was pulled in bow forward, so we had to back out of the port. There is something fascinating about watching a 950 ft ship back up down a long narrow channel. We didn’t start moving forward until we reached the tip of Old San Juan where El Morro fort is located. That was quite a beautiful sight, all lit up at night.

Will try and upload a few pics. As soon as the ship finishes docking, We’ll be off for a day in St. Thomas. So far, the weather is sunny and nice. Looking like a great beach day.

See you tonite!

Susan

Hi Dave- I keep losing Internet connection so I’m having a hard time replying individually. Thanks for the picture compliments. I’m a novice, hobbiest photographer. I have two cameras. The main one I’m using is my new Sony TX10 digital. It is waterproof so I got it for snorkeling, but it takes great out of water pics, too. I also have a Canon T2i DSLR, but it’s too heavy to carry around for everyday use. Some of my close-up shots are with the Canon, especially of the ships in port. Most of my pics have been taken with the Sony, so far.

I will try to post more tonite depending on the connection. I seem to get kicked offline when I try to post messages

 

Hi Sue,

 

Fantastic news that the ship is up & running - I have two friends on board & it's their first cruise.....I bet it was a mighty relief for all when you set sail:D

 

It's been great to read your running commentary of the ship's progress...I'm sure your fellow passengers were very appreciative of your efforts to keep them in the loop!

 

We've been to the Caribbean on the Sea Princess ourselves & had a brilliant time....hope you all have a fantastic trip :cool:

[DeloreanGirl]

I also have a Canon T2i DSLR, but it’s too heavy to carry around for everyday use.

 

I'm bringing my T2i on the next cruise so I'm curious how your shots came out.

 

So thrilled that your itinerary is untouched and you're in St. Thomas!

[swimgirl1]

Great news!! Thank you for the updates- have a wonderful cruise.

[iv18-Diane]

Great News!! I have customers on her this week, and they deserve a Cruise with no stress involved.

 

Have a Great Cruise!!

 

Diane G

[familyplanner]

Loving all the updates and loving that you are sailing without problems. Looking forward to being on CB next week.:p

[MDSue]

I have died and gone to heaven!

There is something about the Caribbean that brings out the best in me! I love white sandy beaches and turquoise waters. I’m not much of a shopper at home (my husband might disagree!), but I usually deposit a few vacation dollars in the local jewelry store on the islands. Someone needs to boost the economy and it might as well be me. Today, I bought a tiny blue diamond from a nice salesperson named Shobha at one of the jewelry stores where the ship docks in Crown Bay.

A true blue diamond is ridiculously expensive, so I’m sure this one was heat-treated, but that’s okay because it was in my budget (almost).

I woke up in time to watch the ship pull into port right before 7 a.m. We ordered room service breakfast the night before and after some yogurt, Danish and fruit, we left the ship around 8 a.m to head to Sapphire Beach. Traffic was horrendous, but within about 30 minutes we had two chairs in the shade. Shortly afterwards, hoards of other beachgoers arrived. It never felt crowded though, and if you walk a short ways down from the entrance, there are considerably less people. The beach was beautiful, and the snorkeling was nice. I stayed by a small reef close to shore because my snorkel gear was not working well. I spent about an hour trying out my new camera in the water. The day was almost perfect- the only downside was a cranky toddler parked right next to use who whined for the entire time we were there. I love children, but this one was a bit much and after about 4 hours, I was ready to head back into town.

We shopped a little in Charlotte Amalie, but it’s hard to window shop because of the constant pressure from salespeople. I do love some of the arts, crafts, and local paintings located in the Palm Passage alleyway- but I don’t need any more Caribbean paintings so I didn’t buy anything this year.

When we returned to our stateroom, I was delighted to see 2 Princess bathrobes waiting for us. I know Carnival always has robes, but not on the other ships we’ve sailed. It felt so good to shower of the swaet and sand and wrap up in my robe to relax. I suspect I’m going to park myself in our room until it is time for dinner- tonight is formal night – I think.

Sadly, I’ve used half of my Internet minutes already which means I’m going to have to limit my posts to one or two a day for the rest of the trip unless I get lucky and win the 500 Internet minute raffle. I’ll try to check in every day, but may not be able to reply to individual posts until I get home. I promise to post plenty of pictures next week, but have to settle for just one favorite shot for today.

Tomorrow we head to Tortola and plan on another beach day. Will keep you posted!

Susan

[MDSue]

Lovely place to spend the day- nice beach, and good snorkelling, I had to walk down a little to get this shot

 

[MDSue]

I'm bringing my T2i on the next cruise so I'm curious how your shots came out.

 

So thrilled that your itinerary is untouched and you're in St. Thomas!

 

So far, I've been using mostly my smaller point and shoot because it's bilky to carry around my DSLR and lens. I signed up for a photography tour in Barbados and I'm hoping to get some decent shots there. I love taking pictures, but between work and taking classes full-time at night, I don't have time to really learn the ropes of good photography. I keep trying though!

[fishin' musician]

Susan, and upcoming cruisers, after posting this a.m., I discovered several freebie wifis in the local shops from my balcony. The signal has been much better than Princess' satelite wifi.

[TXDrifter]

I'm bringing my T2i on the next cruise so I'm curious how your shots came out.

 

So thrilled that your itinerary is untouched and you're in St. Thomas!

 

Emily - I'm taking my T2i on the May3 and May 14 sailings. :) It's a great camera. Here is a shot I took of my wife and her Madagascar friends from our last cruise earlier this year. Other photos are at:

 

MDSue - Thanks so much for your commentary and photos. We are getting more and more excited about our upcoming adventures on the Caribbean Princess. You are probably already doing this but you can save a lot of internet time by composing your posts on your laptop prior to logging in and then just copy and paste your narrative in Cruise Critic after you make the connection.

 

Thanks again and safe travels,

 

Phil

 

Lemurs - Nosy Komba, Madagascar

[cruiselvr1]

My DW and I were thinking about taking this cruise. We checked how the weather is in the atlantic, that time of year. We decided on Hawaii instead.

[fishin' musician]

My DW and I were thinking about taking this cruise. We checked how the weather is in the atlantic, that time of year. We decided on Hawaii instead.

 

So far it has been like cruising on glass. This morning we are steaming into Tortola and there is nary a ripple.

[MDSue]

Day 3 Tortola

Good morning everyone, We are sitting on our balcony, eating breakfast, and watching the ship slowly pull into Roadtown, Tortola. Today is another beautiful, sunny morning- a bit on the cool side, but I’m sure it will warm up some as the days goes by. We are scheduled to dock at around 8 a.m..

Last night, we watched the ship depart St. Thomas from my favorite spot on the aft railing at the back of the 15th floor. The adult’s only pool is there and it is rarely crowded.

For the ladies:

After departure, we made our first foray into the ship’s shops.

Last year, I bought my first piece of Marahlago Larimar jewelry. Larimar is a Caribbean stone that is pale blue in color. I didn’t realize until last night that Marah Lago is the actual designer and creator of the jewelry. This year, I wanted to buy a matching bracelet to go with the necklace I already own. I found the perfect piece in the shop onboard. As I was telling the salesperson that I had to have that piece, Marah Lago herself came over to be introduced. She is on the ship all week to promote her jewelry. Every night at 7:30 p.m. the store is raffling off another piece. You can buy Larimar at many of the local shops, but the Marah Lago pieces are much nicer than any others I’ve seen. I’m happy to say I now own two pieces of her jewelry (and I’m officially forbidden to do any more jewelry shopping this trip- two pieces in one day! (I really am not a jewelry person; I usually stick to one piece worth a few hundred dollars each trip.

Back to Tortola:

As we were pulling into port just now, a catamaran thought it might be a wise idea to try and dock his ship in front of us while we were still headed towards the dock. He pulled within feet of the bow of the ship when the harbor patrol came between him and us. We basically heard the patrol boat tell the 3 men on the catamaran to “Get the **** out of here”. The catamarans turned around and made a quick exit; but not before being almost run over by a ship 50 times his size.

We are looking forward to another beautiful, sunny day on the island.

See you soon.

Susan

[MDSue]

Pulling into port:

 

 

 

Catamaran being told to "get out"

 

 

 

 

 

Will check in soon!

[AMAC86]

It's funny to see these little boats try to play chicken with these megaships. I recall a similar scenario watching Oasis of the Seas pulling out of Nassau.

[brentlym]

So glad to see the CB back in biz! I was on the week right before the propulsion issues started, and you'd never have known there was a problem. It was the best experience ever. Love Princess and the CB!! I'm forever hooked! :D

[Murphy26]

Love reading your daily live from... Glad to see the ship got off without problems. We board the CB on April 29th for the repositioning cruise. 4 days won't be long enough. Happy sailing!

[MDSue]

Hi Everyone,

It wasn’t hard to figure out what to do today because we visited Tortola 2 years ago and took a taxi over to Cane Garden Bay beach. That is basically the only option you have unless you want to pay significantly more than the $8 per person for an open-air taxi ride. We absolutely fell in love with the beach so we headed straight there after departing the ship. The weather was sunny and beautiful again today and the beach did not disappoint us again. Tortola is quickly becoming one of my favorite islands because the beaches are to die for.

We found two chairs and an umbrella and parked ourselves there for the day. Shortly afterwards, I went in the water for a dip and it was there that:

I was adopted by a fish

There were plenty of medium sized silvery fish swimming around and lots of terns and pelicans fishing in the waters as I swam. I soon noticed a small yellow fish that was swimming close by me and went everywhere I went. He seemed to think the skirt of my bathing suit made an excellent place to hide from the hungry birds. He stayed with me the entire time I was in the water. I got kind of attached to the little guy and didn’t want to get out of the water and let him lose his protection. I beckoned my sister to bring out my camera so I could take his picture. When my sister went in the water, I passed my little yellow fish off to her. He stayed by her until she came out later on.

Today, we met a nice couple from Canada, also on the CB, who sat in the chairs next to ours on the beach. After yesterday’s crying child beach day- today was considerably more peaceful. There were children on the beach as well, but they were considerably happier than the day before. After sharing stories with our new friends on the beach, we decided we’d all share a cab to Valley Church Beach tomorrow in Antigua.

After a glorious day on the beach, we grabbed a cab back to port. We walked to the local craft booths and bought a few more trinkets before returning to the ship.

I bought a few souvenirs from one of the booths at the beach and saw my same friend “One Love” still selling t-shirts and trinkets. He’s a quintessential Caribbean character with a quick smile and friendly handshake. He makes coming to the island more fun.

We don’t typically attend too many shows on the ship, but the Cruise Director said there was a brand new production starting this week. The couple from Canada says they watched it last night and enjoyed it.

Till tomorrow- Thanks for following and all your nice comments.

Susan

[MDSue]

view of Roadtown and Caribbean Princess in port

 

 

my little fish friend

 

 

I really wanted to post a pic of Cane Garden Beach, but the uploading is really slow, so I'll have to have them for another day

 

Susan

Edited April 3, 2012 by MDSue

[lovevacadays]

Thanks for your continued posts. Boy, that catamaran was surely taking it's chances!

[luvseaside]

Susan, would you mind letting us know which nights are formal nights on the CB? We're cruising in a couple of weeks and I wasn't quite sure from what I've read thus far. I assume its Monday and Friday night? Thanks in advance and have a wonderful remainder of your cruise!

Edited April 4, 2012 by luvseaside

[cibaygirls]

Susan thanks for taking the time out of your schedule and internet minutes to post. I have been home sick from work for over a week and I can't tell you how much your fish adoption story made me smile....and then to see the little guy in a picture. Best medicine i have had all week:D.

 

I am so happy to hear that the CB is treating you well.

 

Dana

[Carolyn R]

Love, love Valley Church Beach. Say hello to Elvis! The coconut shrimp is amazing.

[Worn out mailman]

Sue, I'm really jealous. My girlfriend and I were supposed to have sailed on CB on March 18, the first voyage that was cancelled. We did end up on a cruise which we enjoyed alot, but I planned for months for CB and the same itinerary that you're sailing. Anyway, keep having fun, and thanks for posting (and making me jealous :) )

Edited April 4, 2012 by Worn out mailman

[MDSue]

Good evening everyone!

I tried to post this afternoon and was booted off the Internet for the umpteenth time, so I gave up. I’m used to slow service, but I’ve lost a ton of minutes by losing my connection mid-post. Tonight, I talked to the Internet manager and he promised to help me in the morning and add more minutes- I was about to give up on daily live posts!

Today was another perfect day in paradise. We walked off the ship soon after if docked and headed straight for Valley Church Beach. We went to the taxi stand and told the dispatcher where we wanted to go and she put us in a group of others waiting. Within a few minutes we had enough passengers to fill a taxi and for $8 each way, we headed to the beach. If you’ve never been to an Antiguan beach, they are unlike any other beach I’ve seen; a milky turquoise color that is unbelievably beautiful. Valley Church beach was worth the wait (on our last visit to Antigua, I was to sunburned to visit a beach so I’ve been waiting for years).

We spent most of the day at the beach and then headed back to port to shop in the vendors market to do a little souvenir shopping and then back to the ship.

Our tablemates have raved about almost every show, so while I cannot attest personally, I’ve heard only good reports. My sister and I are mostly port people, and after long, hot days onshore, we are usually too exhausted to enjoy the entertainment.

Tonight, we broke our normal routine and decided to watch our tablemates join a spontaneous flash mob on the pool deck. They took line dance classes earlier this week onboard where they were told about the party. All I can say is the Princess staff knows how to throw a party! The ultimate deck party was a blast. The dance floor was full, the entertainers were energetic, happy, and fun.

I highly recommend the Ultimate Deck Party and if you want to join the flash mob, make sure you sign up for the line dancing class.

Tomorrow, we are snorkeling at Champagne reef in Dominica. We did an all day tour last year of Dominica, so a short excursion is enough for me this time.

Hopefully, I’ll get some of my minutes back tomorrow.

Will have to save most of my pictures till next week!

Goodnight! Will check in tomorrow.

Susan

Edited April 5, 2012 by MDSue