Live from the Royal: June 26th, 2015--British Isles-- Move-over Offer Part 2

[TracieABD]

Tracie,

could you explain why black sheep are protected?

 

I googled that unpronounceable city and the song (or at least a song) is on You Tube. Very cute.

 

The black sheep is protected, because they tend to have poisonous meat. (There is some conjecture regarding the black sheep absorbing the poisons from other sheep). There are only 1 black sheep in 2000 sheep births. They even have little black sheep orphaneges.

[buchananglasgow]

well that's a new one on me, black sheep are poisonous . Never heard that ever. Many small farmers/crofters breed only

black ones because of the colour /price of there wool. They go to slaughter just the same way as white ones. In the north of England in the Lake District they have many types, some with black faces and legs white body's , some all black, some black body's and white legs/faces. There are many breeds in Europe that are black too . Never heard of them being poisonous, or there would be no point in breeding them. They would be killed at birth if that was the case. I fear they have been telling tales to tourists down in Wales.

[buchananglasgow]

this link States on the first line the types of meat you get from a Welsh black bred sheep.

They do eat them,

http://www.britannicrarebreeds.co.uk/breedinfo/sheep_blackwelshmountain.php

And another breed type of blacks.

http://www.britannicrarebreeds.co.uk/breedinfo/sheep_blackwelshmountain.php

Edited July 1, 2015 by buchananglasgow

[buchananglasgow]

we should be down on the promenade at Greenock to watch her sail away on Thursday (tomorrow) night. It should be a dry day for sightseeing in Glasgow for you all.

[wowzz]

I think you have been had 'hook, line and sinker' with the black sheep story. I'm sure your Welsh guides tell everyone the same story and see who fall for it!

[Cosmic Rays]

I think you have been had 'hook, line and sinker' with the black sheep story. I'm sure your Welsh guides tell everyone the same story and see who fall for it!

 

I totally agree - you've been had!!!

[TracieABD]

July 1, 2015

Belfast, Ireland

 

Happy Canada Day to all of my neighbor-friends to the North! Yay!

 

I can't believe it is July already. Wow. June went fast.

 

I really think that I may have a touch of the luck of the Irish, as we have had incredible weather. Today was so sunny that I even got a little tannish. We set off early in the morning to go with our Paddywagon Tour to the Giants Causeway. This tour had both great points and not such great points.

I loved the Causeway. But first let me talk a bit about my shoes. I have these rubber sandal-y kind of shoes, billed as "hiking sandals". They are not fabulously attractive, but may be the best "vacation" shoes I own. I purchased them for a trekking trip in Nepal about 3 years ago. Again, let me explain a little difference, and then you can store it away for a future reference... I love to hike and a hike for me is 3 to 7 miles with some uphill and some down hill. When we booked the trip to Nepal, we said we would like to hike and our TA said, "Trek???". And I will said, "yes". When we headed out of Kathmandu, we were met by our trekking guide and our sherpa who laughed at my hiking sandals. Considering they only knew about 20 English words between them, it was certainly easy to figure out that they had little to no confidence in my hiking sandals, as evidenced by the pointing at my feet and hysterical laughing. Hint: If you are assigned a guide and a sherpa, you are no longer embarking on a little hike. Trek takes on a whole different meaning. Think in terms of a Cambodian death march. The first day we changed altitude by over a mile. Yep, a big long walk up hill for well over a mile. It takes about 9 hours to walk uphill a mile (in the snow with bare feet- ha not. It was in the 90's). The next day was our "easy day"- 27 KM in 12K feet of altitude and blistering sun. Still in the hiking sandals. I never did put on my hiking boots. Didn't need 'em. The hiking sandal is a brilliant invention. By the way, we learned that our little hike was the first leg of the Everest Base Camp (EBC) acclimatization trek. So much for hiking in Nepal... And I know this was a pretty twisty way of talking about my hiking sandals, but here is how it applies to Ireland.

 

When packing for this trip, I had no plans to hike. So I really debated whether or not to bring my hiking sandals. They are a bit heavy (and not very cute). I put them in the suitcase. I took them out. I put them in. I took them out. I put them in and decided to take them out--- and forgot to take them out. Score!

 

As luck would have it, I even wore them on our Paddywagon tour to the Giants Causeway, not knowing that I would have the opportunity to hike. The choice of my footwear was very fortuitous choice indeed.

When we reached the causeway, we were informed there were a number of ways to see the rocks:

The Green Trail- You can pay one GBP each way to take a bus down to the rocks.

The Blue Trail- You can walk down the road that the bus uses. It is down a hill to the rocks, and in the words of Blood, Sweat and Tears (dating myself)- what goes up must come down (or the reverse of this).

The Red Trail- You walk along one of the crags, then down 162 stairs. You walk on a trail to the right, to see the ocean, then double back, walk farther down a trail to the rocks. Then you can either walk back up the stairs or you can walk back up the road on the Blue Trail

The Yellow Trail- This is the trail not mentioned by our guide. When you hike on the upper part of the Red Trail, once you reach the stairs, you can opt to continue onward on the Yellow Trail. This will take you on a fairly rigorous hike for an indeterminate period time. I decided to continue on the Yellow Trail. I hiked across 4 crags (about 2 miles out). I ran into a very nice German couple who said it was another 4 to 5 km to the end of the trail. I did not have the time to complete the hike. I hiked out another 1/2 mile and turned back. Once I reached the stairs for the Red Trail, I set off downward, completed the Red Trail, then walked back up the road, completing the Blue Trail. All told, I hiked just shy of 7 miles in 2 hours. Once I reached the Causeway Visitor Center, I found some provisions. I purchased a cup of amazing carrot and coriander soup that came with Irish soda bread, a bag of crisps and a water for about 10 pounds (yes, a bit dear, but I was hungry). The soup was some of the best I have ever had. I loved the hike. The scenery was breathtaking. I am only sad that I did not have more time.

 

Some tips about the Causeway- If you plan to hike a bit, prepare accordingly: bring water and a power bar; wear appropriate footwear; make sure your camera has a full battery and an empty SD card; tell someone you are going out the yellow trail. I did not have any provisions, and I feel this may have limited me a bit. However (and this folks, is where I close the loop) I did have my fabulous hiking sandals. My feet were happy, comfy, protected, and productive! Yay! (Oh, and one of the best things about my hiking sandals is the fact that I can deconstruct them, wash them in the shower, and they dry overnight! Winning!!!)

 

We loaded the bus and headed down to Belfast. We were given an hour to walk around (because there just was not enough walk in our day already). We wandered aimlessly and then headed back to ship.

 

This is the part I did not love about our Paddywagon tour of Belfast and the Causeways... Our guide. Between the constant (and I mean constant) commentary, the off-key singing, and the repetitious political ramblings, I was rapidly losing patience with the rattling on. With that said, I, too, am grateful that the Catholics and Protestants are finding ways to live together in peace (I lived in Europe during much of the violence that occurred in Northern Ireland). I really am, but the guide could express this once, twice or even thrice and let it go, it became a soapbox platform for him and we were his captive audience. It was obvious he was quite passionate about this, but as a Dubliner who had never lived in Belfast, the voracity of his emotion did not seem quite appropriate. Remember, this is just my opinion. Others may have loved the commentary and completely agreed with the redundancy. I found it exhausting (much more so than my hike). Nuf' sed. Therefore, I would not recommend John from Paddywagon in Belfast. I think if I had a Mulligan, I would just rent a car and hike a whole lot longer at the Causeway. But that is just me. One opinion. Take it or leave it.

 

When we returned to the ship, I needed a shower. Really, really needed a shower. So I waded in with my wonderful hiking sandals. And readied for dinner.

 

We were four for dinner, and I think this confused our waitstaff. We kept exchanging dishes, which is not unusual, as we will eat off one another's plates anyways. And the big bonus with Steve is he will finish anything we three ladies cannot consume. I had the garlic cream soup (pretty good), salad (fine), spaghetti carbonara (excellent), the cassolet with polenta (loved the polenta and the cassolet was delicious, but a bit dense). I had the the frozen praline dessert which was refreshing.

 

I returned to the cabin and promptly fell asleep at 8:30. I guess I was pretty tired. (And I slept until 6:30.) Ok. I was really, really tired. Super-de-duper tired. Exhausted. Susan was the only one who made it to see the cheesy magician. Her description of the act was hilarious. I hated that I missed it.

 

Well, that should do it. Glasgow tomorrow!

 

Thanks for traveling along!

Tracie-Lynn :) :)

[Woobstr112G]

July 1, 2015

Belfast, Ireland

 

Happy Canada Day to all of my neighbor-friends to the North! Yay!

 

I can't believe it is July already. Wow. June went fast.

 

I really think that I may have a touch of the luck of the Irish, as we have had incredible weather. Today was so sunny that I even got a little tannish. We set off early in the morning to go with our Paddywagon Tour to the Giants Causeway. This tour had both great points and not such great points.

I loved the Causeway. But first let me talk a bit about my shoes. I have these rubber sandal-y kind of shoes, billed as "hiking sandals". They are not fabulously attractive, but may be the best "vacation" shoes I own. I purchased them for a trekking trip in Nepal about 3 years ago. Again, let me explain a little difference, and then you can store it away for a future reference... I love to hike and a hike for me is 3 to 7 miles with some uphill and some down hill. When we booked the trip to Nepal, we said we would like to hike and our TA said, "Trek???". And I will said, "yes". When we headed out of Kathmandu, we were met by our trekking guide and our sherpa who laughed at my hiking sandals. Considering they only knew about 20 English words between them, it was certainly easy to figure out that they had little to no confidence in my hiking sandals, as evidenced by the pointing at my feet and hysterical laughing. Hint: If you are assigned a guide and a sherpa, you are no longer embarking on a little hike. Trek takes on a whole different meaning. Think in terms of a Cambodian death march. The first day we changed altitude by over a mile. Yep, a big long walk up hill for well over a mile. It takes about 9 hours to walk uphill a mile (in the snow with bare feet- ha not. It was in the 90's). The next day was our "easy day"- 27 KM in 12K feet of altitude and blistering sun. Still in the hiking sandals. I never did put on my hiking boots. Didn't need 'em. The hiking sandal is a brilliant invention. By the way, we learned that our little hike was the first leg of the Everest Base Camp (EBC) acclimatization trek. So much for hiking in Nepal... And I know this was a pretty twisty way of talking about my hiking sandals, but here is how it applies to Ireland.

 

When packing for this trip, I had no plans to hike. So I really debated whether or not to bring my hiking sandals. They are a bit heavy (and not very cute). I put them in the suitcase. I took them out. I put them in. I took them out. I put them in and decided to take them out--- and forgot to take them out. Score!

 

As luck would have it, I even wore them on our Paddywagon tour to the Giants Causeway, not knowing that I would have the opportunity to hike. The choice of my footwear was very fortuitous choice indeed.

When we reached the causeway, we were informed there were a number of ways to see the rocks:

The Green Trail- You can pay one GBP each way to take a bus down to the rocks.

The Blue Trail- You can walk down the road that the bus uses. It is down a hill to the rocks, and in the words of Blood, Sweat and Tears (dating myself)- what goes up must come down (or the reverse of this).

The Red Trail- You walk along one of the crags, then down 162 stairs. You walk on a trail to the right, to see the ocean, then double back, walk farther down a trail to the rocks. Then you can either walk back up the stairs or you can walk back up the road on the Blue Trail

The Yellow Trail- This is the trail not mentioned by our guide. When you hike on the upper part of the Red Trail, once you reach the stairs, you can opt to continue onward on the Yellow Trail. This will take you on a fairly rigorous hike for an indeterminate period time. I decided to continue on the Yellow Trail. I hiked across 4 crags (about 2 miles out). I ran into a very nice German couple who said it was another 4 to 5 km to the end of the trail. I did not have the time to complete the hike. I hiked out another 1/2 mile and turned back. Once I reached the stairs for the Red Trail, I set off downward, completed the Red Trail, then walked back up the road, completing the Blue Trail. All told, I hiked just shy of 7 miles in 2 hours. Once I reached the Causeway Visitor Center, I found some provisions. I purchased a cup of amazing carrot and coriander soup that came with Irish soda bread, a bag of crisps and a water for about 10 pounds (yes, a bit dear, but I was hungry). The soup was some of the best I have ever had. I loved the hike. The scenery was breathtaking. I am only sad that I did not have more time.

 

Some tips about the Causeway- If you plan to hike a bit, prepare accordingly: bring water and a power bar; wear appropriate footwear; make sure your camera has a full battery and an empty SD card; tell someone you are going out the yellow trail. I did not have any provisions, and I feel this may have limited me a bit. However (and this folks, is where I close the loop) I did have my fabulous hiking sandals. My feet were happy, comfy, protected, and productive! Yay! (Oh, and one of the best things about my hiking sandals is the fact that I can deconstruct them, wash them in the shower, and they dry overnight! Winning!!!)

 

We loaded the bus and headed down to Belfast. We were given an hour to walk around (because there just was not enough walk in our day already). We wandered aimlessly and then headed back to ship.

 

This is the part I did not love about our Paddywagon tour of Belfast and the Causeways... Our guide. Between the constant (and I mean constant) commentary, the off-key singing, and the repetitious political ramblings, I was rapidly losing patience with the rattling on. With that said, I, too, am grateful that the Catholics and Protestants are finding ways to live together in peace (I lived in Europe during much of the violence that occurred in Northern Ireland). I really am, but the guide could express this once, twice or even thrice and let it go, it became a soapbox platform for him and we were his captive audience. It was obvious he was quite passionate about this, but as a Dubliner who had never lived in Belfast, the voracity of his emotion did not seem quite appropriate. Remember, this is just my opinion. Others may have loved the commentary and completely agreed with the redundancy. I found it exhausting (much more so than my hike). Nuf' sed. Therefore, I would not recommend John from Paddywagon in Belfast. I think if I had a Mulligan, I would just rent a car and hike a whole lot longer at the Causeway. But that is just me. One opinion. Take it or leave it.

 

When we returned to the ship, I needed a shower. Really, really needed a shower. So I waded in with my wonderful hiking sandals. And readied for dinner.

 

We were four for dinner, and I think this confused our waitstaff. We kept exchanging dishes, which is not unusual, as we will eat off one another's plates anyways. And the big bonus with Steve is he will finish anything we three ladies cannot consume. I had the garlic cream soup (pretty good), salad (fine), spaghetti carbonara (excellent), the cassolet with polenta (loved the polenta and the cassolet was delicious, but a bit dense). I had the the frozen praline dessert which was refreshing.

 

I returned to the cabin and promptly fell asleep at 8:30. I guess I was pretty tired. (And I slept until 6:30.) Ok. I was really, really tired. Super-de-duper tired. Exhausted. Susan was the only one who made it to see the cheesy magician. Her description of the act was hilarious. I hated that I missed it.

 

Well, that should do it. Glasgow tomorrow!

 

Thanks for traveling along!

Tracie-Lynn :) :)

 

Great day in Belfast.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Colo Cruiser]

Haha, tannish. :D

[High C's]

I have these rubber sandal-y kind of shoes, billed as "hiking sandals". They are not fabulously attractive, but may be the best "vacation" shoes I own.

 

I HAVE to know - what is the brand of shoes??? :D

[TracieABD]

OK, picky people :rolleyes:--- I got a little clarification from our Welch guide. The black sheep is not necessarily protected, however, they are treated with caution, as they are fairly rare. There is only one truly black sheep born in 2000. Most of the sheep who are born with darker wool will lighten as adults. Also, a bit of more about the taste of black sheep. Our guide explained they may taste a bit gamey, and that people do not tend to favor the taste.

 

I think I got this confused because there is a black sheep orphanage in North Wales AND this is where Beatrix Potter raised a breed of protected sheep that starts with an H. Mix that in with a pretty heavy accent, and I am surprised that I got as much as I did.

 

Whew.

[TracieABD]

I HAVE to know - what is the brand of shoes??? :D

 

Jambu. They rock!

[TracieABD]

July 2, 2015

Greenock/ Glasgow

 

It was cloudy in Scotland. We left the port to be met by our guide from Busy Bus Tours. This was our second tour with this company. We really enjoyed the first and had high hopes for the second tour, as well. We were one of the first to arrive to the bus. The six or so couples in front of us in line left the front seat open for my mother. Such nice, nice people. Well behaved and raised right. If any of our bus mates happen to chance upon this blog, I just want to thank you.

 

Our guide was charming and interesting. His name is Frank and our driver is Frankie. This made for easy remembering. Our first stop was Loch Lomand in the Village of Luss. This is such a charming little town. The stone houses are beautiful and the beach was very inviting. The only downside was the midges (a little like a mosquito, but small). Our guide, Frank, claims he is a veritable pub crawl for midges. Ha. We had just a little under an hour to spend there. Another helpful hint: If you get to the town, have 30 p ready for the bathroom, which is very, very clean.

 

Our next stop was just a quick bathroom break at the Green Wellie factory gift store. We did not have a lot of time for shopping, just a quick break. Next we moved on to the Kenchie Castle (I think- I don't want to use the internet minutes to Google it, but if someone who is land based feels the desire, please do so). This castle was built in the 1643, and has gone to ruin. There is a story that one of the turrets was struck by lightening with such force that the turret was blasted off and landed spire-down in the courtyard. It does appear that this would be so, as there is an intact, but upside down turret-y looking think in the courtyard. We also had great access to this castle and all of its parts. We could go upstairs way upstairs and down into the kitchen One of the reason is for this is this particular castle is NOT a known tourist attraction. Also, only one single bus with one very skilled bus driver can pull into the car park at a time, and only about 10 cars, sans bus, can park at any one time. This made for a very uncrowded experience. I think our tour guide made a very wise choice as this was the highlight of the tour. Just a word of advice if you are lucky enough to find this little gem, wear comfortable shoes as it is about a half mile hike to the castle.

 

We proceeded on to the Castle Argyle which is still a functional castle (re-built in the Chateau fashion in the 1800's). It was lovely from the outside, though I opted to shop with my mom instead of seeing the castle. We had about an hour and a half here. You could also opt to walk by the lake, which was lovely. By this time in the day the sun was out! Bonus! (more of that luck). We made one last stop at a "Rest and Be Thankful" (this is what they call their rest stops), to take photos in a glen (valley). It was beautiful and reminded me of my childhood visits to southern Germany.

 

On the ride back, we listened to songs and played games and asked a million questions to our guide. Overall, this was our absolute best tour. Loved the tour. Loved the guide Frank. Love, love, loved the driver Frankie! I would highly recommend this company, Busy Bus, and its operators-- as these have been our two best tours on this trip.

 

When we returned to ship, my BB and SIL went to their Wine Tasters Dinner. My mom and I went to the MDR for our dinner. If I have not mentioned this, we have the best table. We are actually not in the MDR proper (the big room), but in a smaller room off to the side. There are 4 tables for 4 and one 8 top in the center. We have one of the window tables. Our waitstaff, Apollo and Dan have been terrific and attentive, and even saved the day for me last night with their wonderful ability to remember stuff. I am super grateful for their constant attention to detail. Amazing team, and hopefully Dan will get his sleeves soon...

 

For dinner (because, I know that y'all like this stuff- me, too!) I had the Swiss air-cured beef (very yummy with olive oil), the salad (great), gazpacho (best ever! though I could eat my weight in gazpacho), and the beef stroganoff. My mom had the bean soup, and the pork chop. They cut and boned the chop for her at the table, which I thought was a very nice touch. We had the Norman Love white chocolate cheesecake for dessert: delicious. They also brought us a order of bananas Foster to share, but then remembered I do not imbibe, so my mom was our official taster. She said it was lovely, but the Norman Love dessert was far better.

 

After dinner, we promptly went to bed. And so ends another wonderful day of our vacation!

 

More tomorrow!

 

Thank you so much for traveling along!

Tracie-Lynn :) :)

[TracieABD]

July 3, 2015

Sea Day! Sea Day! Sea Day! (said in my best "monster truck voice")

 

Hello!

Did I mention today is a Sea Day! So stinkin' excited! This is such a port intensive cruise. We have gone six consecutive days in ports, so I am pretty darn glad for a day on this gorgeous ship. My suspicion is that I am not alone in this feeling, as there are so many people out this morning. I do have to say, the Royal still does not feel crowded. I think the utilization of space was very wise in the planning. In spite of the lack of center staircase (can we pleeeeeeease be over this now???), I find the ship to be very negotiable, even with my mom and her "wheelie" (rolling walker).

 

I had a long breakfast in Sabatini's after 12, yes, 12 hours of sleep. I think this would be a clear indicator that I was tired, you think?!?! I had my special coffee (thank you, Milos, for getting it correct every morning!) and fruit. Followed by 1 Belgian waffle (that was not awful--- ha) and 2 slices of bacon. I took this time to catch up on my blog and just enjoy the morning.

 

When I returned to the room, I used the time to do a bit of reorganizing. This is always a fun activity for my mom and me, as we normally end up laughing at the stuff we brought that we will never use (e.g. 5 pairs of white pants for my mom and 8 pairs of shoes for me-- ok. I might actually use all those shoes, but not at once. That would just be silly!)

 

My mom has headed off to shop and I am enjoying a nice long lunch. Salad and goulash soup (I love that I just wrote this with the German spelling, and I was auto-corrected. OK- iOS- you win!).

I also stopped at the Captain's Circle desk, which has been a madhouse this cruise. What I know for today... Only 58% of the passengers on this voyage are returning. Which, after a utilization of simple math, means that 42% are first timers (otherwise known as Blue Cards). I am hoping to receive the actual breakout of stats for Elite, Platinum, Ruby, Gold, and Blue. The hostess has my information, and will try to get this for me to share with you. As far as the MTP and the MTP lunch, this info will have to wait for the big announcement on Monday. I am pretty sure that I will not be invited... but I am working on it-- one cruise at a time! ;)

 

In other big news, we, very suddenly, have a new Captain! We were sailing with Nick Nash- who has now been moved to the Caribbean Princess (boarded in Helsinki). Our new Captain is Bob Oliver. I wonder if there is a story behind the abrupt change. A mystery! ... and the plot thickens.... dum.dum.dum...

 

Well, I think that is it for now. I will post more later!

 

Thanks for joining me for lunch!

 

Tracie-Lynn :) :)

[dickinson]

I think Bob Oliver was out for a 2 month vacation. He was our captain on the TA and for the BI cruise on May 9 that followed we had Nick Nash. We were told it was vacation time for Bob Oliver. On a previous thread on CC recently that showed the captains of all the ships several people mentioned that Bob Oliver would go back on the Royal on July 2 soooo to us it was not unexpected but to you on the ship…yes. Apparently they don't announce these things because when we did the b2b we had no idea we would have a new captain nor a new doctor until the first formal night when they were announcing the ships officers (probably was in the patter but we did not notice).

 

Hope you are enjoying your cruise as much as we did!

[cruiznLYNN]

Thanks for doing another Live review. Really enjoy traveling along with you and your sense of humor!

-Lynn

[FritzG]

Thanks for continuing to post such clear and detailed reports. We're getting even more excited for our August trip--and I didn't think that was possible.

 

A quick question--with the late departure from several ports have they changed the traditional dining room to anytime dining for any of the ports? We've had that happen in other ports such as Rome and Florence in the past. We love watching sail away from our balcony or a lounge, but we hate missing first sitting, too.

Also, what time is first sitting in the main traditional dining room?

Thanks!

Edited July 3, 2015 by FritzG

[TracieABD]

Thanks for continuing to post such clear and detailed reports. We're getting even more excited for our August trip--and I didn't think that was possible.

 

A quick question--with the late departure from several ports have they changed the traditional dining room to anytime dining for any of the ports? We've had that happen in other ports such as Rome and Florence in the past. We love watching sail away from our balcony or a lounge, but we hate missing first sitting, too.

Also, what time is first sitting in the main traditional dining room?

Thanks!

 

So far, we have made it back for our dinner time, which is 6 pm. That is the earliest seating on this ship. We were told that we could switch to anytime, but it has not been an issue for us.:)

[jones721]

Any idea what movies they have been showing on Movies Under the Stars?

Thanks,

Tracey

[buchananglasgow]

was the carbines castle Kilchurn castle ?

http://www.loch-awe.com/history/kilchurn-castle/

[Colo Cruiser]

I think Bob Oliver was out for a 2 month vacation. He was our captain on the TA and for the BI cruise on May 9 that followed we had Nick Nash. We were told it was vacation time for Bob Oliver. On a previous thread on CC recently that showed the captains of all the ships several people mentioned that Bob Oliver would go back on the Royal on July 2 soooo to us it was not unexpected but to you on the ship…yes. Apparently they don't announce these things because when we did the b2b we had no idea we would have a new captain nor a new doctor until the first formal night when they were announcing the ships officers (probably was in the patter but we did not notice).

 

Hope you are enjoying your cruise as much as we did!

 

Yes the Captains movements were already scheduled. ;)

[Boston Accent]

Your writing is terrific and is causing quite a bit of excited anticipation for our August cruise. I have a question - is the inside temperature of the ship geared for summer temps or cold weather temps. Not sure if I'll freeze at dinner in a summer dress. Thanks for sharing all the ports!

 

Pam

[dickinson]

Your writing is terrific and is causing quite a bit of excited anticipation for our August cruise. I have a question - is the inside temperature of the ship geared for summer temps or cold weather temps. Not sure if I'll freeze at dinner in a summer dress. Thanks for sharing all the ports!

 

Pam

 

When I did the TA on her the end of April and then the first BI cruise I felt the ship was not as cold as I expected. I did not freeze and did not need a sweater . I would bring something with just in case as we are all different.

[Woobstr112G]

July 3, 2015

Sea Day! Sea Day! Sea Day! (said in my best "monster truck voice")

 

Hello!

Did I mention today is a Sea Day! So stinkin' excited! This is such a port intensive cruise. We have gone six consecutive days in ports, so I am pretty darn glad for a day on this gorgeous ship. My suspicion is that I am not alone in this feeling, as there are so many people out this morning. I do have to say, the Royal still does not feel crowded. I think the utilization of space was very wise in the planning. In spite of the lack of center staircase (can we pleeeeeeease be over this now???), I find the ship to be very negotiable, even with my mom and her "wheelie" (rolling walker).

 

I had a long breakfast in Sabatini's after 12, yes, 12 hours of sleep. I think this would be a clear indicator that I was tired, you think?!?! I had my special coffee (thank you, Milos, for getting it correct every morning!) and fruit. Followed by 1 Belgian waffle (that was not awful--- ha) and 2 slices of bacon. I took this time to catch up on my blog and just enjoy the morning.

 

When I returned to the room, I used the time to do a bit of reorganizing. This is always a fun activity for my mom and me, as we normally end up laughing at the stuff we brought that we will never use (e.g. 5 pairs of white pants for my mom and 8 pairs of shoes for me-- ok. I might actually use all those shoes, but not at once. That would just be silly!)

 

My mom has headed off to shop and I am enjoying a nice long lunch. Salad and goulash soup (I love that I just wrote this with the German spelling, and I was auto-corrected. OK- iOS- you win!).

I also stopped at the Captain's Circle desk, which has been a madhouse this cruise. What I know for today... Only 58% of the passengers on this voyage are returning. Which, after a utilization of simple math, means that 42% are first timers (otherwise known as Blue Cards). I am hoping to receive the actual breakout of stats for Elite, Platinum, Ruby, Gold, and Blue. The hostess has my information, and will try to get this for me to share with you. As far as the MTP and the MTP lunch, this info will have to wait for the big announcement on Monday. I am pretty sure that I will not be invited... but I am working on it-- one cruise at a time! ;)

 

In other big news, we, very suddenly, have a new Captain! We were sailing with Nick Nash- who has now been moved to the Caribbean Princess (boarded in Helsinki). Our new Captain is Bob Oliver. I wonder if there is a story behind the abrupt change. A mystery! ... and the plot thickens.... dum.dum.dum...

 

Well, I think that is it for now. I will post more later!

 

Thanks for joining me for lunch!

 

Tracie-Lynn :) :)

 

Gotta love those sea days on a port intensive cruise. Sounds like you had a good one. On a side note, do you by chance remember the names of the breakfast servers in Sabatinis?....:):):)

 

Bob

Edited July 3, 2015 by Woobstr112G

[caribill]

As far as the MTP and the MTP lunch, this info will have to wait for the big announcement on Monday. I am pretty sure that I will not be invited... but I am working on it-- one cruise at a time! ;)

 

I have never had a problem finding the MTP event cutoff number from the CC person very early in the cruise.