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The "No Promises" Live From- Star Princess- January 30, 2013. 'Round the Horn

TracieABD

By TracieABD,
in Princess Cruises

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TracieABD "Live from...." Rare

TracieABD

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February 1, 2013

Hi All-

Sea Day! Sea Day! Sea Day!

The day has been lovely as we are bumping along the Southern point of the Atlantic. It is slightly bumpy, but I have seen evidence of the steam carpet cleaners, so obviously some folks are not weathering the motion. From reports from the cruise, it may get much bumpier as we near the horn. In the past (note the optimism here), I have been prone to sea-sickness. Somewhere on a really rough cruise, I found my sea legs and have been ok since. This cruise is a test of the endurance of my sea legs. Just in case, I am taking my ginger capsules and wearing the highly fashionable and psychologically suggestive Sea Bands. More on that in the days to follow...

I love sea days. I have played trivia twice and lost twice. I lost at the Sudoku challenge this morning, too. I guess I am a big ole loser, but it just feels like fun, so no matter. My trivia team this morning was super competitive- ugh. My afternoon team was super silly- yay! I could care less about winning, I just want to have fun. For both rounds though, the same team won. They really seem to know each other, so I suspect they may be ringers. They take it very seriously. They are almost as much fun to watch as it is to play.

I also took up residence in the Thermal Suite for a bit this morning. Ahhh..... Very quiet and I got a good read in.

OK. About the food. (we all know "food is subjective"). It has been a little hit and miss. We always eat in the MDR and we love, love, love our wait staff, but the food is good (as an average). I had Chicken Korma for lunch and it seriously lacked curry and the sauce was tan. Yep. There I said it.The Chicken Korma had tan sauce. Maybe they ran out of curry in the kitchen. They did have 10 different condiments, so that was nice. The eggs this morning are a different story. I ordered soft boiled and they came back with clear whites. Not safe. Hmmm....

There seem a large number of Canadians and British on board. Not as many Americans. Lots and lots of folk who speak Spanish. The most crowded areas seem to be the Lido Deck around the pools and the Horizon Court. I have been on the lookout for chair hogs and it seems you can always find a deck chair. Surprising.

Tonight is formal night. We are playing by the rules and will dress up. Actually, I really like formal night, because dressing up is fun. And it feels special. If I get to it, I will try to do a quick tux count. I will also be on the lookout for jeans and shorts in the MDR.

We were suppose to have Timothy Green movie in the Princess Theater, but the sound system is on the blink. That was sort of disappointing. They did say that they will repeat so I will be on the lookout.

Tonight's entertainment is Destination Anywhere. Nope. Not gonna do it. Can't make me. I think I am going to check out the Psychological Magic--- Whatever that is. More on that later. It is also the first round of Princess Pop Star. Wouldn't miss that for the world.

Gotta get gussied up now.

More later,

TL

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TracieABD "Live from...." Rare

TracieABD

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Hi All-

Today was Puerto Madryn. I was on a tour with members of our CC Roll Call to Punta Tombo to see the penguins. Lots and lots of penguins. So many penguins. And not an ugly one in the batch. I swear they are the most photogenic creatures EVER! I took lots and lots of pictures of lots and lots of penguins. The weather was perfect, about 70 and windy enough to keep it cool. Super fun day and very memorable. (Thank you, Thuy, for putting this together!)

I had an interesting experience last night. I was down in the Thermal Suite. I was reading (on my iPad) and I fell asleep. When I woke, it was 10:33 and the spa had closed. Luckily, someone left the lights on and my cruise card on the desk. Very weird. When I went back tonight, I shared my little adventure spa desk lady, she just giggled and offered no explaination. See? that's weird.

There were two "dramas" on board today. One was serious and the other was most definately not (but was most certainly amusing!).

We had a medical evacuation in Puerto Madryn today. We think it was a woman that my mom was chatting with on our trip to Punto Tombo. When they returned to the boat, the woman fell on the gangway when boarding the ship. According to my mom, she fell hard. She was quickly surrounded by security and they moved her. We looked for her daughter, but could not find her. We hope that whomever was evacuated, that they are on the mend and all is well.

The second bit of drama occurred at trivia this afternoon. The same (super competative) team-- I think I will call the Smarty-Pants--was there. I was on a random team. When we were going over the answers, one of my team members (not me, I swear!) said something to the Smarty Pants about the number of cruises they have been on- insinuating they may have a leg up. One of the women from the Smarty Pants whipped around in her chair and just railed. Well, sparks flew between the two women. It was a Star Princess Trivia Smackdown!!! ...definately not listed in the patter, but one of the most interesting moments of the day. I am hoping to find a goofy team to play with, just to keep it fun. Oh- and the Smarty Pants won a water bottle. It will go nicely with their plastic passport wallets and lanyards.

Lastly, for the night. Last night was formal night. All men wore some type of jacket, most had a tie. About 20% had on tuxes. No jeans, no visible short sleeves, no shorts. Actually, as a whole, the men looked a bit better than some of the women. Just saying...

Must watch Frankenweenie now. More tomorrow.

TL

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rdsqrl

rdsqrl

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"Must watch Frankenweenie" is not a phrase I ever thought I'd read. Glad you're having such a good time. Now I really do wish I were there, to provide you with a goofy trivia buddy.

 

Have fun tomorrow, and do take an alarm clock to the Thermal Suite with you!

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catsforkids

catsforkids

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Hi All-

The second bit of drama occurred at trivia this afternoon. The same (super competative) team-- I think I will call the Smarty-Pants--was there. I was on a random team. When we were going over the answers, one of my team members (not me, I swear!) said something to the Smarty Pants about the number of cruises they have been on- insinuating they may have a leg up. One of the women from the Smarty Pants whipped around in her chair and just railed. Well, sparks flew between the two women. It was a Star Princess Trivia Smackdown!!! ...definately not listed in the patter, but one of the most interesting moments of the day. I am hoping to find a goofy team to play with, just to keep it fun. Oh- and the Smarty Pants won a water bottle. It will go nicely with their plastic passport wallets and lanyards.

WOW! What entertainment! Adults behaving like idiots.

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Mulege

Mulege

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Nice review. The other review from the Grand is boring with no real information. They just tell us what movies are playing and who the entertainers are. Plus they spend a lot of their time in the cabin watching movies. Look forward to more.

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gsar65

gsar65

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Looked at the bridge cam on the Star today. Seas look a little choppy, maybe waves a couple of feet high with few white caps. that can't be too bad. The port cam at the Falklands showed very calm water and sunny skies. hope that bodes well for tomorrow when you are there.

Enjoying your blog about your cruise. It is unfortunate that some people are more respectful to each other. I'm sure we have all seen some juvenile behavior on vacations and not just from juveniles.

 

Are you doing a Patric Watts tour in the Falklands?

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bigjer

bigjer

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Nice review. The other review from the Grand is boring with no real information. They just tell us what movies are playing and who the entertainers are. Plus they spend a lot of their time in the cabin watching movies. Look forward to more.

 

Amen. I thought it was just me😊.

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Cruisin' Chick

Cruisin' Chick

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"Must watch Frankenweenie" is not a phrase I ever thought I'd read. Glad you're having such a good time. Now I really do wish I were there, to provide you with a goofy trivia buddy.

 

Have fun tomorrow, and do take an alarm clock to the Thermal Suite with you!

 

Nice review. The other review from the Grand is boring with no real information. They just tell us what movies are playing and who the entertainers are. Plus they spend a lot of their time in the cabin watching movies. Look forward to more.

 

If watching movies is relaxing to you, why not? Often, I don't get to go to the movie theater (and it's costly, too). While on a cruise, I can kick back on a deck chair outside or stretch out on the bed, while sipping whatever drink I have (well, for me, a mountain dew, but wine works for many:)) and catching up on movies.

 

My daughter was ecstatic when she found out Frankenweenie was being shown on our cruise. But she also saw some of the shows and did a lot of hanging out with other teens outside of the cabin. Same with us. Watching some movies was just one thing we did to relax. But to me, hanging out in the casino or playing bingo isn't my idea of fun. Different strokes and all that.

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jlf1

jlf1

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Nice review. The other review from the Grand is boring with no real information. They just tell us what movies are playing and who the entertainers are. Plus they spend a lot of their time in the cabin watching movies. Look forward to more.

 

A Live From report is just that. What the individual travellers are doing. At least they use their minutes to report. No need to comment on whether it it is boring to you. Just don't continue reading. Time to chill out.

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TracieABD "Live from...." Rare

TracieABD

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Hi All-

Sorry I missed a day-- the would be the "No Promises"of part of the title. We had a sea day yesterday. I played trivia twice, lost both times, but the Smarty Pants lost also... there was a bit of arguing about a couple of the answers, but I applaud the Cruise Director's staff who do not bow in the face of pressure or intimidation. The team that won were gracious and humble. Maybe there is a lesson to be learned there.

Last night was also the Super Bowl. I am not a football fan, but if there is a party, you will know where to find me-- in the Vista Lounge with all of the other Yanks on board. It was packed. I have to commend the staff of the Star. They really did a great job of making this an important event. They had snacks and a buffet and the big screens. I even made it through a whole quarter (is that a contridiction--- whole quarter???). I would love to know what the alcohol sales were, because there were lots of buckets of beer.

Today is an "unscheduled sea day". We did not make it into Stanley. We were able to get a bit close to the Falklands, but the captain did not feel as if we could tender safely, so no penguins for us (said in the same accent as The Soup **** on Seinfeld). Once again, I have to commend the ship's staff for scrambling together a schedule of activities that includes 4 rounds of trivia. I have already played two (and lost--- are you sensing a trend?). The Smarty Pants lost the first and won the second- I think.

Today was also the finals for the Egg Drop. I missed it. I am certain that this is a bucket list item for me. No, I have no technical expertise. No, I am not an engineer. No, I have no useful knowlege of physics or farming. Yet, I want to be on a team so badly, it hurts. The only thing I have to offer is my unbridled enthusiasm and a cheery attitude. Do you think that is enough?

Lunch in the MDR was packed today. There was actually a line. I don't think I have ever seen that before. I think that it is a good sign that people are not sick, in spite of the fact that the boat was at quite a list (slant) for most of the morning. I have found a new activity... I have on slick bottomed shoes and I can actually slide down some of the halls! Super fun!

I think I must take a nap, operating under the assumption that being well rested will give me a leg up in my next two rounds of trivia (NOT). A girl can dream of earning a lanyard of her own...

More later,

TL

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Raamo

Raamo

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That's too bad about Falklands, at least there are other options for Penguins on the cruise (when we were on board the Star we were at Puerto Madryn near the end of the cruise (since we ended at BA) and skipped the Penguins there.

 

Which Penguins were you planning to see at Falklands? The main ones there which you can't see other places are the King's, but that's a hike and a half.

 

Here's what awaits at the end of that trek: (I called these two Laurel and Hardy :))

5373884630_a9f24819f5_o.jpg

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