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

[MDSue]

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!

 

Hi, You're welcome The formal nights were the second night (Monday) and fifth night (Friday). You will have a wonderful time!

[MDSue]

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

 

Hi Dana, I'm sorry that you've been sick. I'm happy you liked my fish story. Hope you are better soon!

[MDSue]

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 :) )

 

You have no idea how bad I feel for those who suddenly had their cruise cancelled. I'm glad you were able to schedule another cruise. I hope you get a chance to try this ship and itinerary soon.

 

Susan

[snorkelgirlca]

Thank you Sue for the daily postings. Each evening I look forward to your installment. My Husband and I are on the 4/15 sailing. Your tips are priceless

 

marsha

[itzmered]

Where did you get the idea there was a seafood buffet? :confused:

 

We were on the CB in December and they had the Seafood Buffet the 1st night.

 

Great review so far Sue! We loved the CB

[JWJs]

Thanks Sue for all of the reports and pictures! Loved the one of your little fish friend. Hope he found lots of other people friends to hang out with.:)

[itzmered]

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!

 

I carried a T21 with 24-105 lens with me for 2 weeks on the CB in December. Best investment I can suggest to you is buy the Rapid Strap. It makes carrying your camera around so much easier. I am a female and my neck would ache by the time we got back after a long day on shore. Not anymore since I got the Rapid Strap. I took about 3000 pics while on the CB ;)

[fishin' musician]

Susan, if you are using a wireless deivice, you may want to try one of the Princess computers. I've found the connection and speed to be much improved from when I was on this ship last June.

[DeloreanGirl]

I carried a T21 with 24-105 lens with me for 2 weeks on the CB in December. Best investment I can suggest to you is buy the Rapid Strap. It makes carrying your camera around so much easier. I am a female and my neck would ache by the time we got back after a long day on shore. Not anymore since I got the Rapid Strap. I took about 3000 pics while on the CB ;)

 

Thanks! I've been eyeing this strap for weeks and finally picked it up on Amazon. Glad to hear you liked it.

[WhereIBelong]

Susan,

 

How are the beds? DW and I are sailing on the CP May 14 and I'm wondering if they have replaced the old mattresses with the new pillow top mattresses on that ship?

[Pia1913]

Susan,

 

How are the beds? DW and I are sailing on the CP May 14 and I'm wondering if they have replaced the old mattresses with the new pillow top mattresses on that ship?

 

I know you mean the Caribbean, but CP is the Sea Princess. Caribbean is CB. Just for future reference. ;)

[Karencruiser43]

My husband and I were on the Caribbean Princess March 11th sailing and as disappointing as it was that we didnt get to go to the islands I had been looking forward to for so long, we had a wonderful cruise and thankful to Princess for our refund and voucher for a future cruise. I am disappointed though that Princess is not doing the same 7 day cruise to St Maarten, St. Lucia, Grenada, Bonaire and Aruba next year, but is now doing a 10 day cruise to those islands instead which makes it more expensive. Happy for everybody who is now able to enjoy this wonderful ship this week. Have a great time and enjoy Caribbean Princess.

[rjrice1]

Thank you so much MDSue for all your hard work and $$ for posting daily. It is so much appreciated from all of us on the April 15th cruise. You make it so more exciting for us. Look so forward to your daily posts. Again many thanks and look forwarding to another post.

Cathy

[Sacredheart2011]

Susan,

 

How are the beds? DW and I are sailing on the CP May 14 and I'm wondering if they have replaced the old mattresses with the new pillow top mattresses on that ship?

 

I don't think it is advertised, but when we booked our upcoming cruise through Princess, we were offerred a egg crate foam topping for the bed and went for it. But after a long day full of excursions I'm sure I'll be able to sleep on anything. You can call Princess and request it if they have any left.

 

Thanks to Susan for the day by day review of her cruise. I look forward to it each day. Can you tell me what day they are serving lobster or surf and turf on the menu??

 

Thanks,

(Another) Susan :)

[MDSue]

Greetings everyone. Sorry no pics; still having Internet access problems. As long as I’m not trying to upload pictures, the service has been pretty fast but I get kicked offline often when pictures are involved. I did get 30 minutes back, but got kicked off again in the middle of downloading pictures. Even worse,picture-wise- after a morning of snorkeling, my new Sony underwater camera decided it didn’t like the water so much after all and bit the dust. The camera was my Christmas present this year, so I’ve only had it a few months. This was my first trip using it underwater. It survived St. Thomas and Antigua, but when I saw bubbles coming out of the camera today while snorkeling and I figured it was going to be trouble. It still took a few more pics, but now the screen is blank. I talked to one of the photography salespersons onboard and he could see water inside the battery compartment. I bought it from a well-known online dealer and I’m hoping to get my money back when I get home. This is my second “underwater” camera that did not survive the water. Last year, I bought a Fuji underwater camera and the battery latch came open mid-snorkel and immediately toasted the camera. That camera came from my favorite electronics retailer located in the Caribbean. Fortunately, they refunded my money after I emailed them and mailed it back.

My sister has an Olympus brand waterproof camera that has served her well for years, so maybe I’ll try them next.

All is not lost, though, because I still have my Canon DSLR. Luckily, I have no more use for an underwater camera his trip, but I like having a smaller camera for everyday use. I forgot to bring the battery charger for my Canon, but I’m hoping I have enough battery life for my photography tour in Barbados tomorrow.

We had a nice ship-sponsored tour of Champagne Reef today. I have to say that I’m not always crazy about ship tours because they are much more crowded than private tours. There were about 50 people on this tour. We sat in the front of the boat going out to the reef and I couldn’t hear the guide, partially because others talked over him. Once in the water, I still couldn’t hear the guide talk because there were too many people around. I found I was frequently getting caught up in dozens of flippers and bodies which made me want to stay further back from the group. It would have been better if they split the people into smaller groups. The reef was okay; I saw some neat fish and the hot springs were really cool. You can see bubbles coming up through the sand here and there. I thought I snapped lots of pictures, but only three came out and I didn’t get any of the bubbles. That must have been when my camera started to malfunction. My sister said she never saw the bubbles coming out of the vents, mainly because she couldn’t hear the guide say where to go.

One other slight issue was these little pieces of drifting “seaweed” type stuff (they told me the name and I forgot). It was sparse, but if you swim into it, it stings you (and then dies according to the guide). I immediately got stung when I jumped in the water, but it was pretty mild. I made sure I stayed away from it after that. A few others on the tour got stung also and the guide poured vinegar over the stings for anyone who asked. The boat had a small outside shower to rinse off which was nice. The stinging was mild and already gone; no lasting effects.

The Princess camera crew came along for the tour and he caught me getting back onto the boat after the tour. I’m sure I didn’t look my finest as I was dragging myself out of the water. I’m almost afraid to see the video.

After we finished snorkeling at the area, the tour guide took us along a cruise of the coastline to the town of Soufriere. Soufriere is a small little village along the water with a neat looking 17th century church and other colorful buildings. I enjoyed this part of the tour.

After returning from our tour, we dropped our snorkel gear back off on the ship, changed into dry clothes, and went back out to check out the local vendors. We spent an hour or two buying trinkets before heading back to the ship. It was nice to eat lunch back onboard the ship today and take a quick nap before departure.

The weather, of course, was perfect- sunny and warm. Dominica is different from most Caribbean ports; lush and green with lots of waterfalls, hot springs, and rustic roads (in other words, bumpy and narrow). This is an island that you really want to do a tour on because there is little to do in the port. The interior is worth seeing despite the bumpy roads.

Tomorrow is our last port day before heading back to San Juan. We hope to make the best of it. I’m looking forward to our photography tour and then a little more shopping in port. There is a nice pottery shop in the port.

Until tomorrow.

Susan

I will try and answe questions tomorrow as the Internet has not been kind tonight- this is my fourth attempt to post so far

[MDSue]

I don't think it is advertised, but when we booked our upcoming cruise through Princess, we were offerred a egg crate foam topping for the bed and went for it. But after a long day full of excursions I'm sure I'll be able to sleep on anything. You can call Princess and request it if they have any left.

 

Thanks to Susan for the day by day review of her cruise. I look forward to it each day. Can you tell me what day they are serving lobster or surf and turf on the menu??

 

Thanks,

(Another) Susan :)

 

Hi Susan, Lobster night is tomorrow- our seond formal night (Friday).

 

I'm not sure about the beds- they seem more comfortable than lst year, but not as plush as I'd like (but I'm pretty picky). I have been sleeping good without an egg crate

[snorkelgirlca]

"There is a nice pottery shop in the port.

"

On my list of places to visitr on april 20 when we go to barbados is the earthworks pottery shop Is this the same place? I am interested in your impressions of it

marsha

[Tyskie]

We had a nice ship-sponsored tour of Champagne Reef today. I have to say that I’m not always crazy about ship tours because they are much more crowded than private tours. There were about 50 people on this tour. The Princess camera crew came along for the tour and he caught me getting back onto the boat after the tour. I’m sure I didn’t look my finest as I was dragging myself out of the water. I’m almost afraid to see the video.

 

Really enjoying your posts. We usually don't do ship sponsored tours except for snorkeling. I do, my DH doesn't and of course doesn't want me to snorkel by myself. We had the Princess camera crew on our tour to Nevis (great excursion, btw)...................we were in so many pictures and he "interviewed" us, we just had to buy the video ! lol :D

 

Looking forward to hearing about your photography tour and YES, the pottery store.

[jjgarv2]

for taking the time to post during your cruise!

 

Any idea what movies they are playing on MUTS?

[WhereIBelong]

Thank you, Susan. Your posts about each island are really helpful and make me want to visit these ports.

 

Hope you enjoyed your last day!

[MDSue]

Greetings from Barbados! We had another glorious sunny day. Our photography tour was more than wonderful. We got to see the opposite side of the island where most of the ship tourists don’t go. Our guide was an experienced, published photographer who grew up in Barbados. The picture taking opportunities and scenery were unmatched.

I’m praying to the Internet gods that I can post some pictures today. I just logged onto a public network in Barbados from my balcony. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

[MDSue]

for taking the time to post during your cruise!

 

Any idea what movies they are playing on MUTS?

 

The moivie last night was called "Iron Heart?" I think. It was the movie about the Queen of England starring Meryl Streep. Our tablemates were going to see it. I'm not sure what played on the other nights, but if I can find out. I'll post soon.

Susan

[Woobstr112G]

Greetings from Barbados! We had another glorious sunny day. Our photography tour was more than wonderful. We got to see the opposite side of the island where most of the ship tourists don’t go. Our guide was an experienced, published photographer who grew up in Barbados. The picture taking opportunities and scenery were unmatched.

I’m praying to the Internet gods that I can post some pictures today. I just logged onto a public network in Barbados from my balcony. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

 

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you regarding being able to post the pictures. Glad you had a great day in Barbados.....:):):)

 

Bob

[mnbruce]

Greetings from Barbados! We had another glorious sunny day. Our photography tour was more than wonderful. We got to see the opposite side of the island where most of the ship tourists don’t go. Our guide was an experienced, published photographer who grew up in Barbados. The picture taking opportunities and scenery were unmatched.

I’m praying to the Internet gods that I can post some pictures today. I just logged onto a public network in Barbados from my balcony. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

 

Did you go with Ronnie the photographer to Bathsheba?

Edited April 6, 2012 by mnbruce

[MDSue]

Did you go with Ronnie the photographer to Bathsheba?

Yes, and he was fabulous!