Crown Princess ABC islands Jan 12 to 20, 2018

[Jimorel]

Hi Jimorel !

Didn't you just get back from a cruise? If so how was it?

Thanks for the compliment on those two Coral pics.

If Princess ever needs an on line ambassador, like Bonnie McLaird on the Azamara board, then I would be "all in!" LOL.

The pics will get better in time- I noticed towards the end of the 1300 or so I took that it took less time to tweak them in Lightroom so I made some progress. I just have to practice and use my brain more.

Did you check out Mike Browne yet? I learn something useful every time I watch his tutorials.

Cheers and I hope to see you in my next review-coming soon (NOT)

Norris

Hi Norris,

Yes I was on the Regal and it ended too soon. I enjoyed the ship enough to want to sail it again. I checked out Mike Browne a little before we sailed and will much more I am sure. I was disappointed in myself for the pics that I took on the cruise, it seems that when ever I go on a trip to someplace new something happens camerawise! This trip it involved a lost camera battery charger. I almost bought a GoPro onboard the Regal, but I really had not heard enough about it to justify buying it.

I have been really busy since we got back from the cruise (a lot of the time I didn't actually accomplish anything though) a large part of it was watching my first grandson who just turned six months and that is more important than anything else. I did write a review that Cruise Critic approved, but hasn't posted yet. I called Poetry In Motion, since I wrote it as poetry, it is probably different than most CC reviews. AND I think that in the coming week I may start a diary of the cruise. I really liked the Regal but my past experience is limited to one other ship. I plan to read some of your past reviews, they are wonderful!!

[Silkroad]

Norris, thanks for another wonderful review. We share a passion for sunrises and sunsets, and I never tire of your photos of sea and sky. We’ll do a similar itinerary in December, on Reflection. We’re on Silhouette in June. It will be fun to return to our two favorite ships. I intend to post short reviews of each cruise (my first attempt at reviews) but have no illusions that they’ll be as fabulous as yours:). I’m not certain I’ll include photos, but if I do, please be kind;). I hope you and Carol have a lovely summer.

 

Cheers,

Michelle

[bones43]

Norris and Carol, not to sound repetitious but I want to thank you for sharing your "Gentleman's Seafaring Journal". I have noted on my calendar your next adventure to Cuba. I will be anxious to see it through your eyes. We have been to Cuba 35 + land trips and love the Cuban hospitality. I am also anxious to check out your perspective on Azamara , a line we have not experienced. As mentioned before our next adventure in 64 days is River cruising from Amsterdam to Budapest with Emerald Waterways. Also want to thank you for the Mike Browne tutorials info that I shared with my grandson who is interested in taking photographs of your caliber.

[Jasperdo]

This year had just too much going on in our lives that we pushed it off a year, despite pining for the Fjords.

Don't forget to take your Parrot Polly with you to the Fjords.

 

And now for something completely different... Your latest review was another joy to read. And the photos are terrific as always. I've already put your Azamara cruise up on my calendar to remind me to go searching for it. I'm especially interested in that one. Cuba has been a destination I've wanted to go to for the longest time. Can't wait to hear about it through your eyes, and lens.

[Bimmer09]

Hi Norris,

Yes I was on the Regal and it ended too soon. I enjoyed the ship enough to want to sail it again. I checked out Mike Browne a little before we sailed and will much more I am sure. I was disappointed in myself for the pics that I took on the cruise, it seems that when ever I go on a trip to someplace new something happens camerawise! This trip it involved a lost camera battery charger. I almost bought a GoPro onboard the Regal, but I really had not heard enough about it to justify buying it.

I have been really busy since we got back from the cruise (a lot of the time I didn't actually accomplish anything though) a large part of it was watching my first grandson who just turned six months and that is more important than anything else. I did write a review that Cruise Critic approved, but hasn't posted yet. I called Poetry In Motion, since I wrote it as poetry, it is probably different than most CC reviews. AND I think that in the coming week I may start a diary of the cruise. I really liked the Regal but my past experience is limited to one other ship. I plan to read some of your past reviews, they are wonderful!!

 

I am sure it isn't a good thing to lose a battery charger on a cruise-after two days your photography grinds to a halt. Although shops in port might sell the cameras to tourists the accessories might not be stocked-is that what you found ashore? I carry a couple of batteries but only one charger per camera and they are not interchangeable. I feel your pain!

I don't use my GoPro much but it gets used when my handheld camcorder can't be easily-like riding a Segway, doing underwater shots, on a dogsled or leaving it in the rain in the garden to video birds at the feeder. It's a back-up "capture everything" device during sail aways as I am working 3 other cameras and sipping "champagne" but the super-wide angle isn't worth using in the reviews (to me). I work it with an app on my phone for things like the bird watching. Mine has no zoom, just start/stop recording.

My time on the Regal was very enjoyable. See my review if you haven't already.

I will drop a link to my Cuba review in this review 9 months from now and hope you see it and follow along. I am excited to try Azamara and of course to see Cuba!

I will check to see your poetic review.

Thanks for being a part of this!

Norris

[JF - retired RRT]

I will drop a link to my Cuba review in this review 9 months from now

Norris,

could you start a new thread with the link to your Cuba review, rather than putting a post here?

Most of us will have stopped following this thread after 9 months of no new posts.;)

Thanks

[Bimmer09]

Norris, thanks for another wonderful review. We share a passion for sunrises and sunsets, and I never tire of your photos of sea and sky. We’ll do a similar itinerary in December, on Reflection. We’re on Silhouette in June. It will be fun to return to our two favorite ships. I intend to post short reviews of each cruise (my first attempt at reviews) but have no illusions that they’ll be as fabulous as yours:). I’m not certain I’ll include photos, but if I do, please be kind;). I hope you and Carol have a lovely summer.

 

Cheers,

Michelle

 

Michelle- thank you for reading along!

We share a love of those two X ships-they may be the only two S Class ships we sail (maybe) because of the Lawn Club Grill instead of the hot glass show and we like the Alcoves too.

Our Silhouette cruise for this September I have pushed back exactly one year as it was too close to our June trip to San Francisco for the opera which is an expensive trip as we have to pay for 3 square meals a day/car rental and parking/opera tickets etc. Costs as much as a cruise in a suite. The cruise is now Sept 1 2019, almost 8 months after our Azamara Cuba trip.

So 2019 will feature two new itineraries for us. I forecast a record year for taking photos of some serious eye candy.

I have just been showing Carol videos from an X cruise to the Norwegian Fjords and she is very excited 17 months out. Carol has a very busy life in business and once we book a cruise it becomes extreme back burner for her (not for me, of course!) but she loved what she saw this morning.

Yes the passion for sunrises and sunsets will never die in me, even though I have seen so many thousands. Having a camera that I itch to use means I will capture every one I can while on holiday.

Do write reviews, short or long and use photos to tell the story. I read every photo review I find on CC-even if it is a cruise line I have no longing to sail (MSC, Costa, NCL,Carnival to name a few). Knowledge is power and a reason I can avoid some lines that are not my cup of tea.

 

Where are you going in June on the Silly?

Norris

Edited April 1, 2018 by Bimmer09
text

[Walt fan]

Thank you for another magnificent review Norris. I will put Cuba and January on my calendar for another amazing review. It will be so interesting to see what all is happening there. Then Norway! I understand about San Fran and moving the Fjords cruise. San Francisco is utterly amazing but really pricey. Hotels and food and such. Your Truluck's meal and San Fran thoughts are making me really hungry for oysters and crab cakes.

 

Hope you and Carol have a beautiful Easter day. Enjoy. Give Little Snowy a pat from me.

[Bimmer09]

Norris and Carol, not to sound repetitious but I want to thank you for sharing your "Gentleman's Seafaring Journal". I have noted on my calendar your next adventure to Cuba. I will be anxious to see it through your eyes. We have been to Cuba 35 + land trips and love the Cuban hospitality. I am also anxious to check out your perspective on Azamara , a line we have not experienced. As mentioned before our next adventure in 64 days is River cruising from Amsterdam to Budapest with Emerald Waterways. Also want to thank you for the Mike Browne tutorials info that I shared with my grandson who is interested in taking photographs of your caliber.

 

I take it with your 35 land trips to Cuba that is is worth a visit (or 35)?

That makes the 3 days there (3 ports) all the more appealing. What year did you first go there and how has it changed since the US relaxed restrictions under President Obama?

I know more about Azamara now than I knew about Princess before going on the Coral in 2011 and am expecting to like it.

I took a look at your Emerald cruise down the Danube and that visits some wonderful cities and towns along the way. Looks great! We have driven along the Danube from Melk to Vienna and saw a lovely river cruiser in Durstein. A river cruise will have to wait until we have more sailing time to spend.

I was watching some Mike Browne videos this morning and certainly stand by my recommendation of him. I hope your grandson enjoys him!

Thanks for being part of this review-I hope to "see" you in January!

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Don't forget to take your Parrot Polly with you to the Fjords.

 

And now for something completely different... Your latest review was another joy to read. And the photos are terrific as always. I've already put your Azamara cruise up on my calendar to remind me to go searching for it. I'm especially interested in that one. Cuba has been a destination I've wanted to go to for the longest time. Can't wait to hear about it through your eyes, and lens.

 

John, I am also especially interested in the Cuba one! It promises a lot of NEW experiences in the Caribbean-an island I have had to sail on by- about 50 times in my life. We both got interested in Cuba when we started visiting Michigan (in 1998) where we have just returned from. Carol had bought the Buena Vista Social Club CD as she was a Ry Cooder fan and it was part of our night-time driving music going over there. Over the following years we saw the musicians that made it perform in Chicago and saw any Cuban band that came to our city.

We don't have any illusions about it being Nirvana in Cuba-hardly that-but so interesting to see it in person and meet people who have led very different lives from us only 90 miles from Key West. The "caught in a time warp" appeals to my eye-a faded glory of what was a vibrant culture when Americans were free to go there and live it up. The cars! I was born in the 1950's in Northern Ireland and British cars then and for years after looked like crap (and drove like it) and here are these stylish, exuberant designs from America in all the colors of the rainbow. We'll ride in one!

If the food ashore isn't up to snuff well, we can eat back on the ship. I will lay down my Guinness for a week and have some rum. I may even buy one cigar!

Gambee had a good photo review recently on the NCL board that whetted my appetite for taking pictures there. He thought Havana was a wonderful city-the most beautiful in the Caribbean where they don't have many places that could call themselves a city (P. Rico I guess is a nice one-at least I like it).

Anyway, we booked our cruise and just have to live our lives in the meantime. Another treat in store is sailing from Miami again-we both love that sailaway and will stay in South Beach at the Ritz Carlton again.

So really the cruise will be many of our favorite things wrapped up in one neat package. A bucket list cruise fulfilled and 8 months later Norway on my favorite ship, with a couple of days in London where my feet and tires trod the streets for many years. Gordon Ramsay here we come.

I haven't seen any long photo/video reviews on the Azamara board as yet and I will put mine on the Celebrity Board as "Celebrity cruiser sails Azamara to Cuba" so that more people will see it. I get a bigger audience on X, than on Princess, for whatever reason and I want to show Cuba to as many people as possible. Should be on CC starting January 25th 2019.

Thanks for following along on this GSJ (LOL!)

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Norris,

could you start a new thread with the link to your Cuba review, rather than putting a post here?

Most of us will have stopped following this thread after 9 months of no new posts.;)

Thanks

 

Yes, I can certainly do that. From experience that post will have just one day on the front page of CC and then be lost, to sink like Leonardo di Caprio in the most moving scene in Titanic. Even this review I have just written wasn't seen by some folks until I was 6 weeks into it. I hope that not just the people who happen to tune into the Princess board on January 25 will see the link so -a message to everyone reading- comment something that day and the next to help more people see the link.

It's Azamara and it's Cuba so the more people that read it the better-call it a Public Service announcement (LOL!)

Anyway, consider it done JF!

Norris

[FLCruise7]

Norris - Just finished reading the whole thread & it brought back some great memories! We were on the Crown the sailing right before yours (5 day voyage) - I recognized John from the Tradewinds bar as that's also one of my "go-to" spots. I have to admit, I spent more time inside at the Speakeasy than out on deck - chairs were pretty comfy! We did the ABC cruise on the Crown last November & the port pictures brought back great memories as well. Managed to do the Crown again in March for 8 days. Yes, we believe in lots of cruising since we retired.

 

I recall in one of your posts you mentioned doing a Transatlantic trip (but only on Cunard). We did it on the Royal a few years ago & loved it so much that we're doing it again this year on the Regal.

 

I've got to pull back up your Regal review from your Canada trip -- I think I started reading it a while back & then couldn't find it again!! We cruised to Canada on a Holland cruise a couple of years back - wanted to see all the pictures. We've been on the Regal, but still fun to see it through the camera eye.

 

Loved all the pictures - we're like Carol - we sleep in & never get to see the sunrises so seeing all of your pictures was great.

 

Lots of comments here, but that's 'cause I waited to finish the whole review first! I look forward to viewing more of your reviews - thanks for taking the time to put all of this on CC for everyone to enjoy.

[Bimmer09]

Thank you for another magnificent review Norris. I will put Cuba and January on my calendar for another amazing review. It will be so interesting to see what all is happening there. Then Norway! I understand about San Fran and moving the Fjords cruise. San Francisco is utterly amazing but really pricey. Hotels and food and such. Your Truluck's meal and San Fran thoughts are making me really hungry for oysters and crab cakes.

 

Hope you and Carol have a beautiful Easter day. Enjoy. Give Little Snowy a pat from me.

 

Indeed we had a nice quiet Easter in Michigan and came home to pat Snowy for you before dark.

San Francisco never disappoints. We went there twice in 2015. This is an Opera trip (Wagner) so most of our nights are in the War Memorial Theater. Days are for exploring with nap-time built in. We take drives out of the city to the North and South and always start each day at the Ferry Building. We stay on California Street which is one of the roller coaster ones, close to the TransAmerica building. Carol's brother and his wife live in the Mission District so it is a social visit too. It will be a busy week. We always stop at the same place for lunch when we leave the airport-Sutrows at the Cliff House. I think the area is called Land's End? Know it? First night dinner is always House of Prime Rib on Van Ness. So it's an eating vacation too!

Thanks for being a part of this and for your many kind comments!

See you in Havana....

Norris

[hockeyguru32]

 

 

Three hours later we are brought down to Earth near a foggy Chicago



 

We walk the approximately 3 miles to the Baggage Claim. Bags. Lyft. Fog. Dense.

Within an hour we are home and the only one happy about that is a ball of white fur and a wagging tail. Little Snowy.





Soon after, I began this tale, another in a series. The next one will happen in September at the soonest or January 2019 at the latest- on the Celebrity Board.

Until then....

 

 

Thanks for reading this!

 

 

I can not wait to see the Norway review but in a Norrisway view

[CruiserRob]

Norris once again a great GSJ

Your photography skills and art continue to improve and you raise the bar with every review.

 

Well done

 

Robert

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Jimorel]

Norris, if you like Chinese food, I would like to suggest you check out Gin Mon. It is a shopping center in Belmont, CA., of course it might not work out transportation wise, but the food used to be superb. Unfortunately, I haven't been there in a few years and I feel deprived every time I visit any other Chinese restaurant. The owner came here from China and worked for some airline and started a restaurant as a family business while continuing to work for the airline. It had won a number of local awards when we were last there and I would never be in the area without checking to see if it was still as good. I am sure you can read about it on Trip Advisor and/or Yelp.

What month are you going to San Fran? I do have a yearning to visit there again, but my sister no longer lives out there and we have a few places we want to go first.

[Bimmer09]

Norris - Just finished reading the whole thread & it brought back some great memories! We were on the Crown the sailing right before yours (5 day voyage) - I recognized John from the Tradewinds bar as that's also one of my "go-to" spots. I have to admit, I spent more time inside at the Speakeasy than out on deck - chairs were pretty comfy! We did the ABC cruise on the Crown last November & the port pictures brought back great memories as well. Managed to do the Crown again in March for 8 days. Yes, we believe in lots of cruising since we retired.

 

I recall in one of your posts you mentioned doing a Transatlantic trip (but only on Cunard). We did it on the Royal a few years ago & loved it so much that we're doing it again this year on the Regal.

 

I've got to pull back up your Regal review from your Canada trip -- I think I started reading it a while back & then couldn't find it again!! We cruised to Canada on a Holland cruise a couple of years back - wanted to see all the pictures. We've been on the Regal, but still fun to see it through the camera eye.

 

Loved all the pictures - we're like Carol - we sleep in & never get to see the sunrises so seeing all of your pictures was great.

 

Lots of comments here, but that's 'cause I waited to finish the whole review first! I look forward to viewing more of your reviews - thanks for taking the time to put all of this on CC for everyone to enjoy.

 

I do love when people I haven't cyber-met come forward to comment, so welcome and thank you! You've already done the Crown ABC and I'm glad you still thought this worth reading all the way through. That's something I haven't done but will some day soon no doubt. I'd be very flattered if you ended up reading all of my reviews but would understand if you don't have the time. We have been on some great cruises on Princess and Celebrity. Yes read the Regal one- I loved that cruise for the ports including New York.

My Transatlantic idea of the Queen Mary II was only because it would maybe be the only time we would sail that line. I have no desire to spend that many days at sea unless the ship is a knockout and new to me and worth photographing. I am also British and curious to see if there is worthy service-never mind white glove-as my memories of British service are not great. Everything was too much trouble as I recall but I was moving in working class circles and not having tea at the Dorchester even though I do extend my pinkie finger when sipping my tea.

Thanks for your comments and for reading this long recollection!

Hope to see you in my Cuba review in January.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

[quote name='hockeyguru32;557248

I can not wait to see the Norway review but in a Norrisway view

 

Thank you for that nice sentiment!

I watched enough youtube videos on Sunday to really whet my appetite and realize I am going to be on deck a lot as the journey to the towns is a winding path through narrow fjords (and back again). Like Glacier Bay only without the glaciers but with pretty towns instead. I brought one of our Rick Steves DVDs back from Michigan to give us a flavor of the ports and walking around etc. It may well be our only visit to Norway so I'll make the best of it. We could save a boatload of money by just watching the videos but then we miss out on the excitement of being on a great ship' date=' eating good food and being entertained after dark. We are not going in summer so the hours of daylight will be reduced but I now have a camera that sees well in dim lighting.[/color']

It won't be like Cuba and that won't be like any of our other Caribbean cruises so that will be refreshing. So two new itineraries and one new cruise line to experience. Oh, and my first time back in London since 1994.

Now we just have to wait until the months go by but we won't be twiddling our thumbs.

I hope to see you in the Cuba review and most definitely in the Norway one.

Cheers and thank you for once again appearing in my GSJ/review/ramble!

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Norris once again a great GSJ

Your photography skills and art continue to improve and you raise the bar with every review.

Well done

Robert

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Robert thank you for following along once again! And thank you for your kind comments.

Hope to see you in Cuba and Norway and beyond (Celebrity Edge maybe?)

Cheers!

Norris

Edited April 3, 2018 by Bimmer09
add text

[Whitla42]

Just like to say thanks for a great journey , it was a pleasure to sail with you ( well it felt like it ) . Please tell me the place where you grew up , I think I know it . Now I have the great pleasure of being able to read your other reviews. If we don't have any clean clothes next week you know it is your fault , as time flies when reading them . Thanks again .

[Walt fan]

Land's End - I don't think we ever made it there in all 3 short visits. I believe it is by the Golden Gate Park. We usually stay in the Marina District. We had a terrific walking tour once. If you want an amazing meal in a small setting try Alamo Square Seafood Grill. Amazing service and food. Enjoy!

[hockeyguru32]

Thank you for that nice sentiment!

I watched enough youtube videos on Sunday to really whet my appetite and realize I am going to be on deck a lot as the journey to the towns is a winding path through narrow fjords (and back again). Like Glacier Bay only without the glaciers but with pretty towns instead. I brought one of our Rick Steves DVDs back from Michigan to give us a flavor of the ports and walking around etc. It may well be our only visit to Norway so I'll make the best of it. We could save a boatload of money by just watching the videos but then we miss out on the excitement of being on a great ship, eating good food and being entertained after dark. We are not going in summer so the hours of daylight will be reduced but I now have a camera that sees well in dim lighting.

It won't be like Cuba and that won't be like any of our other Caribbean cruises so that will be refreshing. So two new itineraries and one new cruise line to experience. Oh, and my first time back in London since 1994.

Now we just have to wait until the months go by but we won't be twiddling our thumbs.

I hope to see you in the Cuba review and most definitely in the Norway one.

Cheers and thank you for once again appearing in my GSJ/review/ramble!

Norris

 

You can always count on me to follow along and make a couple comments on any review you do (I have read all your Drivin' by Norris blogs as well) and with Carol's help you two make a great team. The feeling I get by reading your reviews feels I am actually with you both on the cruise and I like that feeling.

Speaking of feelings in 10 days I got a feeling.........

[Bimmer09]

Just like to say thanks for a great journey , it was a pleasure to sail with you ( well it felt like it ) . Please tell me the place where you grew up , I think I know it . Now I have the great pleasure of being able to read your other reviews. If we don't have any clean clothes next week you know it is your fault , as time flies when reading them . Thanks again .

 

A new name to me. Welcome and thanks for reading this.

I grew up here. Portavogie, a busy (then) fishing harbor on the beautiful Ards peninsula on the East Coast of Northern Ireland. I lived in the house at extreme left and the upper window between the two chimneys was my window onto the Irish sea from age 5 to 15.

 

 

An aerial shot

 

These are modern shots-it wasn't so spread out with houses in the 1960s. I spent a lot of time at the harbor and on the beaches.

I googled these photos. I hope they ring a bell for you!

Thanks again and thanks in advance if you read some or all of my many cruise reviews!

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Land's End - I don't think we ever made it there in all 3 short visits. I believe it is by the Golden Gate Park. We usually stay in the Marina District. We had a terrific walking tour once. If you want an amazing meal in a small setting try Alamo Square Seafood Grill. Amazing service and food. Enjoy!

 

Yes, it is just West of that wonderful park, where we also like to spend time.

 

And aptly named

 

 

We always have our first SF meal here-at the Cliff House



 

 

Where this is one of the views



 

There is a walking path through the nearby wooded headland and if you follow it you come around a bend where the Golden Gate Bridge is up ahead in the distance. Great photos if you have a zoom lens.

Thanks for the restaurant recommendation. We have been to San Francisco so many times but there are always nooks and crannies to explore and many good places to eat.



We stay in the Financial District a block South of Chinatown and a short tram ride to the Ferry Building where I greet each morning. I usually just walk. I get my coffee at Peet's and sit on a bench by the water, taking photos and watching the ferries come in. Carol joins me later.

We often take a ferry to Sausalito to get lunch, or drive to Monterey.

 

Thanks for being a part of this latest ramble. Hope to see you in the next!

Norris

[Whitla42]

I thought it was the Vogie never seen it from above . It has a lovely seafood restaurant called The Quays . I have only been in it a handful of times but do like it. Have an aunt living in Portaferry and have enjoyed some summers there. Nothing like it in the world as Northern Ireland . Do you still have family here ? Have you been back since you moved .? I must say you had one of the most beautiful views in the world.

I live in Lisburn maybe not as beautiful as Portavogie but I still love it.