We are up early around 5am and getting ourselves ready for the trip home. Our Yellow Cab is suppose to pick us up around 6am in the hotel lobby. As we check out of the Embassy Suites, I receive a text message a cab will be arriving within 5 minutes.
I have to make a mental note for the next cruise. Let the cab know how many pieces of luggage we have as in three large suitcases. Two fit comfortably in the trunk, the smallest of the three have to ride in the front seat with the cab driver. The same happened to us when we left home to get to the airport. I'm so spoiled with Princess and their limos and buses and the extra room.
It's a quiet ride to the airport. As we leave the Port Everglades area, I can see two cruise ships in port. Sigh!
We arrive at the Ft Lauderdale airport in no time. I give the driver the transfer paper and a nice tip only to get a snarky remark "you should have told me you had a transfer". I almost asked him if we still wanted his tip. Really? I did tell the cab's reservationist last night I had a transfer slip from Princess. The cab driver gave me a log slip to sign. No worries. Lesson learned for next time.
We head over to the JetBlue counter to find a long line. No worries as we arrive well before our 9am flight in anticipation of a crowd. Within 10 minutes, we were at the counter. My luggage was 46lbs and the rest were under 45lbs. Whew! Why is it my luggage is always the heaviest? Maybe it's the shoes. My toiletries. Oh yeah, the extra clothes I mistakenly packed. Another lesson learned.
We grab some hot breakfast at one of the restaurant counters near our gate. It's still early and we manage to find a long table with outlets. I immediately plug in my gadgets to get a quick recharge while we eat.
Our flight back home was on time and we land at the airport a bit before 12noon. We did not have to wait too long for the shuttle to pick us up at the airport and we arrived home around 1pm. Not too shabby.
Once home, Hubby drops all the suitcases in the living room. For the next few evenings, I will be busy with unpacking and sorting piles of clothes for the laundry. Sigh! Hmmmm...I wonder how long before PCD (post cruise depression) sets in....
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Saturday (01/17): After Cruise Activities
After of lunch break at Tokyo Sushi, we head back to the Embassy Suites to get our Kindle and iPad and head over to the pool. It's a bright sunny day in Ft Lauderdale and we don't want to waste such a beautiful day indoors.
The pool area is busy as in every lounge chair is being used. Chair hogs exist here on land as well as on the ships. I guess folks are practicing for when they get on the ship tomorrow. Hubby and I walk away from the pool are and manage to find two lounge chairs together. I don't bother to ask if they are being used or not as I find out that several people are using two lounges: one in the sun and one in the shade. Really? How can you be in two places at once?
Hubby and I are enjoying ourselves. We even try to take in a nap. It's hard out here because it's getting quite hot in the sun. You think we would be used to the warm weather after the cruise. It's quite different to be in the water and having fun in the 80 degree weather than sitting in a lounge chair and well...baking.
We decide that a nap in our room is more suitable. So, Hubby naps while I am busy packing our luggage for the flight home tomorrow morning. Better to take care of this now then to worry about it later tonight. I also spend some time reviewing some pictures I have taken.
It's around 3:30pm and Hubby is awake. I suggest we walk over to the drawbridge (Port Everglades) and watch the sail-away. I also wanted to be outside enjoying the beautiful warm weather. Oh yeah, and to take more pictures. Our walk over to the Port Everglades takes about 15 minutes. Did I mention it's a lovely day to be outside?
There are five (5) ships in port including the Ruby Princess we disembarked this morning. There are many folks here on the 17th Street Causeway drawbridge watching the yachts, boats, water taxis and various other water devices below us go in and out from under the bridge. Oh I forgot to mention that we are standing in a pedestrian area away from the traffic on the bridge. A safe area for us.
We've seen some crazy activities here. One car literally stopped on the bridge (which is a no-no) and the passenger got out and took a couple of pictures. A voice over the loudspeaker told them there's no stopping on the bridge allowed and to get back in their car and basically...move it! The guy jumped back in the car quickly and they moved on. Many of us standing on the bridge were just shaking our heads.
At one point we got to see the drawbridge open. A small boat with a large sail was passing through.
There were so many boats and yachts coming and going.
Sometime after 4pm, there was movement in Port Everglades
The following pictures will give you an idea of how large these ships are:
Next up is the Ruby Princess leaving Port Everglades:
Goodbye Ruby! We had a wonderful two weeks cruising around the Caribbean with you! Sigh!
After watching the ships leave Ft Lauderdale, our hunger pains begin. We decide to have an early dinner at Gilbert's and head back towards the hotel. Did I mention it's a beautiful warm day in Ft Lauderdale?
After dinner we head back to the Embassy Suites so I can take care of some loose ends for our travel home. Once in the room, I notice my FitBit is missing. I check all my pockets and it's no where to be found. I call Gilbert's and chat with the owner. She has it in her hands and is wondering what this cute little gadget is. Hubby and I head back over and I engage in a really nice conversation with the owner on the FitBit capabilities and uses. Wow, you wouldn't think I was an introvert!
Back in our hotel room, I call the Yellow Cab number that Princess provided us and setup a pickup time for tomorrow (Sunday) morning. In our disembarkation envelope we received when we left the terminal, was a transfer slip for the Yellow Cab service. All we had to do was call and make a reservation. Easy!
I have to do very little rearranging between the three suitcases. I just hope the two bottles of olive oil don't get smashed and leak all over the clothes.
Life is good!
The pool area is busy as in every lounge chair is being used. Chair hogs exist here on land as well as on the ships. I guess folks are practicing for when they get on the ship tomorrow. Hubby and I walk away from the pool are and manage to find two lounge chairs together. I don't bother to ask if they are being used or not as I find out that several people are using two lounges: one in the sun and one in the shade. Really? How can you be in two places at once?
Hubby and I are enjoying ourselves. We even try to take in a nap. It's hard out here because it's getting quite hot in the sun. You think we would be used to the warm weather after the cruise. It's quite different to be in the water and having fun in the 80 degree weather than sitting in a lounge chair and well...baking.
We decide that a nap in our room is more suitable. So, Hubby naps while I am busy packing our luggage for the flight home tomorrow morning. Better to take care of this now then to worry about it later tonight. I also spend some time reviewing some pictures I have taken.
It's around 3:30pm and Hubby is awake. I suggest we walk over to the drawbridge (Port Everglades) and watch the sail-away. I also wanted to be outside enjoying the beautiful warm weather. Oh yeah, and to take more pictures. Our walk over to the Port Everglades takes about 15 minutes. Did I mention it's a lovely day to be outside?
There are five (5) ships in port including the Ruby Princess we disembarked this morning. There are many folks here on the 17th Street Causeway drawbridge watching the yachts, boats, water taxis and various other water devices below us go in and out from under the bridge. Oh I forgot to mention that we are standing in a pedestrian area away from the traffic on the bridge. A safe area for us.
We've seen some crazy activities here. One car literally stopped on the bridge (which is a no-no) and the passenger got out and took a couple of pictures. A voice over the loudspeaker told them there's no stopping on the bridge allowed and to get back in their car and basically...move it! The guy jumped back in the car quickly and they moved on. Many of us standing on the bridge were just shaking our heads.
At one point we got to see the drawbridge open. A small boat with a large sail was passing through.
There were so many boats and yachts coming and going.
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| Yes...Life is Good! |
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| This looks to be a girl's night out.... |
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| Boat traffic...rush hour? |
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| Water Taxi |
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| A towing boat? |
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| The Bonus Plan |
Sometime after 4pm, there was movement in Port Everglades
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| RCCL Oasis of the Seas moving away from the dock |
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| Oasis backing up and swinging out |
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| Oasis heading out towards the channel |
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| With the Oasis heading out to the channel, the Ruby, on the right, is getting ready to leave the dock |
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| Now, that's a lot of people on the upper deck |
The following pictures will give you an idea of how large these ships are:
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| Oasis passing one of the condominiums located near the channel |
Next up is the Ruby Princess leaving Port Everglades:
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| Ruby Princess on the right leaving. Caribbean Princess in the middle |
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| The Broward County Sheriff and US Coast Guard do a great job with keeping the little boats out of the way |
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| Not as tall as the Oasis, but still a big ship (Ruby) |
Goodbye Ruby! We had a wonderful two weeks cruising around the Caribbean with you! Sigh!
After watching the ships leave Ft Lauderdale, our hunger pains begin. We decide to have an early dinner at Gilbert's and head back towards the hotel. Did I mention it's a beautiful warm day in Ft Lauderdale?
After dinner we head back to the Embassy Suites so I can take care of some loose ends for our travel home. Once in the room, I notice my FitBit is missing. I check all my pockets and it's no where to be found. I call Gilbert's and chat with the owner. She has it in her hands and is wondering what this cute little gadget is. Hubby and I head back over and I engage in a really nice conversation with the owner on the FitBit capabilities and uses. Wow, you wouldn't think I was an introvert!
Back in our hotel room, I call the Yellow Cab number that Princess provided us and setup a pickup time for tomorrow (Sunday) morning. In our disembarkation envelope we received when we left the terminal, was a transfer slip for the Yellow Cab service. All we had to do was call and make a reservation. Easy!
I have to do very little rearranging between the three suitcases. I just hope the two bottles of olive oil don't get smashed and leak all over the clothes.
Life is good!
Saturday (01/17): Disembarkation Day
Ft Lauderdale: Disembarkation
Temperature: Warm
Cruise Life: We wake up around 5:30am to get an early start and to avoid the mad rush at the breakfast buffet. We also planned for a quick nap/rest before we leave our room.
We run up the stairs to Lido deck #15 for one last time. While we were walking around, the crew was starting their daily tasks of setting up and arranging the deck chairs for the new cruisers on the next leg of their cruise. No chair hogs this morning. It was really quiet up here. Kind of sad.
As we were eating our last breakfast on this beautiful ship, we were thankful for the many wonderful opportunities we've had during the last two weeks of our adventure. We met many wonderful fellow cruisers, members of the ship's crew (officers, reps, waiters, bartenders, photographers, cabin stewards, security personnel, tender operators), tour guides, and shop owners in port.
After breakfast, we head down to our cabin to freshen up, rest, and then do a final pack of our backpacks and tote bag. Hubby makes a final run through our cabin and makes sure nothing is left behind.
At 8am, we leave our cabin for the final time. I take a walk in the forward cabins, looking for Benjamin. I call out his name in the quiet hallway, kind of eerie as I hear no response. I found him a couple of cabin doors down, stripping a cabin clean. He meets me in the hallway and I give him "Pokey" a small beanie-boo turtle with huge green eyes. I also hand him a gift envelope to show our appreciation for the last two weeks. Benjamin is kind and very thankful for receiving Pokey. He tells me he would give it to his youngest daughter. He gives me a hug. He is so tickled to receive such a nice gift and the envelope seems less important. That touched my heart.
We make our way down to deck #5 and found a seat inside Vines. I drop Hubby off and make my way over to the International Cafe for our last coffee. I use up my coffee card with the last punch and the bartender says "it must be time to go". Yes, it is.
Back at Vines, I am burning through my Internet minutes and posting pictures here on my blog. Once I go through my minutes, I login to Hubby's account and continue using his minutes. It turns out that purchasing the additional 100 minutes ($25) on my account at the beginning of the cruise was a bargain compared to the $69 they normally charge. I knew I would use up the 250 minutes within 7 days.
As we get closer to 10am, we pack up at Vines and head over to the Michelangelo dining room where our group Brown 4 is meeting. At the entrance to the dining room, I see Angela (future cruise sales) is hosting our group. We laugh as our paths cross again on the ship. Twenty minutes later, we are called to disembark. We follow our group out on the starboard side gangway and get scanned for the last time. Our cruise has officially ended.
We work our way through the terminal and find our three pieces of luggage grouped together in the Brown 4 area. Easy peasy. We haul our luggage along with our passports and customs form to a much smaller line. At this point, I notice there are several longer lines for non-US cruisers. I heard that the folks in Customs/Immigration were finger printing all non-US cruisers. Wow! Now, that's going to take some time.
From the time we left the Michelangelo dining room, pick up our luggage, and get through Customs, took a total of 15 minutes. I find a Princess rep outside the terminal who then directs us the Princess Transfer area. I hand over my transfer tickets and Hubby and I sit on a bench to wait. We wait and wait. After an hour or so, we are getting antsy.
Almost two hours later, we are grouped together with fellow cruisers who are heading to the Ft Lauderdale airport. Our last stop will be the Embassy Suites Ft Lauderdale.
We arrive 40 minutes later and manage to get a room. At this point, we are extremely happy and thankful to drop our luggage and bags in our room. It's lunchtime and we are still on a cruise schedule.
We head over to Tokyo Sushi to dine on some sashimi. BTW, Hubby and I highly recommend this restaurant.
Life is good!
Temperature: Warm
Cruise Life: We wake up around 5:30am to get an early start and to avoid the mad rush at the breakfast buffet. We also planned for a quick nap/rest before we leave our room.
We run up the stairs to Lido deck #15 for one last time. While we were walking around, the crew was starting their daily tasks of setting up and arranging the deck chairs for the new cruisers on the next leg of their cruise. No chair hogs this morning. It was really quiet up here. Kind of sad.
As we were eating our last breakfast on this beautiful ship, we were thankful for the many wonderful opportunities we've had during the last two weeks of our adventure. We met many wonderful fellow cruisers, members of the ship's crew (officers, reps, waiters, bartenders, photographers, cabin stewards, security personnel, tender operators), tour guides, and shop owners in port.
After breakfast, we head down to our cabin to freshen up, rest, and then do a final pack of our backpacks and tote bag. Hubby makes a final run through our cabin and makes sure nothing is left behind.
At 8am, we leave our cabin for the final time. I take a walk in the forward cabins, looking for Benjamin. I call out his name in the quiet hallway, kind of eerie as I hear no response. I found him a couple of cabin doors down, stripping a cabin clean. He meets me in the hallway and I give him "Pokey" a small beanie-boo turtle with huge green eyes. I also hand him a gift envelope to show our appreciation for the last two weeks. Benjamin is kind and very thankful for receiving Pokey. He tells me he would give it to his youngest daughter. He gives me a hug. He is so tickled to receive such a nice gift and the envelope seems less important. That touched my heart.
We make our way down to deck #5 and found a seat inside Vines. I drop Hubby off and make my way over to the International Cafe for our last coffee. I use up my coffee card with the last punch and the bartender says "it must be time to go". Yes, it is.
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| Coffee from the International Cafe bar area |
Back at Vines, I am burning through my Internet minutes and posting pictures here on my blog. Once I go through my minutes, I login to Hubby's account and continue using his minutes. It turns out that purchasing the additional 100 minutes ($25) on my account at the beginning of the cruise was a bargain compared to the $69 they normally charge. I knew I would use up the 250 minutes within 7 days.
As we get closer to 10am, we pack up at Vines and head over to the Michelangelo dining room where our group Brown 4 is meeting. At the entrance to the dining room, I see Angela (future cruise sales) is hosting our group. We laugh as our paths cross again on the ship. Twenty minutes later, we are called to disembark. We follow our group out on the starboard side gangway and get scanned for the last time. Our cruise has officially ended.
We work our way through the terminal and find our three pieces of luggage grouped together in the Brown 4 area. Easy peasy. We haul our luggage along with our passports and customs form to a much smaller line. At this point, I notice there are several longer lines for non-US cruisers. I heard that the folks in Customs/Immigration were finger printing all non-US cruisers. Wow! Now, that's going to take some time.
From the time we left the Michelangelo dining room, pick up our luggage, and get through Customs, took a total of 15 minutes. I find a Princess rep outside the terminal who then directs us the Princess Transfer area. I hand over my transfer tickets and Hubby and I sit on a bench to wait. We wait and wait. After an hour or so, we are getting antsy.
Almost two hours later, we are grouped together with fellow cruisers who are heading to the Ft Lauderdale airport. Our last stop will be the Embassy Suites Ft Lauderdale.
We arrive 40 minutes later and manage to get a room. At this point, we are extremely happy and thankful to drop our luggage and bags in our room. It's lunchtime and we are still on a cruise schedule.
We head over to Tokyo Sushi to dine on some sashimi. BTW, Hubby and I highly recommend this restaurant.
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| Simple salad with ginger dressing...Yum! |
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| Yellowfin Tuna! |
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| More tuna! |
Life is good!
Friday (01/16): Princess Cays
Princess Cays (anchor/tender): 9am-4pm
Temperature: 84 degrees
Princess Patter-Today's activities: Bible Study/Card & Board Games/Singles & Solos Get-together/Knitters & Natters Get-together/ Quiet Room (Skywalker's)/Basketball Shoot-out/Spa Seminar/Morning Trivia/Fun@Sea: Taboo game/Party Bridge Play/Golf Putting Challenge/Darts Competition/Zumba Fitness Dance class/BOGO Happy Hour/Afternoon Tea/Paddle Tennis/Brainbuster Trivia/Jewish Sabbath Service/Caribbean Melodies/Piano Melodies/Comedy Magic/Music & Dancing/Game Show/International Crew Talent & Variety Show
Cruise Life: We had a late start this morning. We didn't leave our cabin until sometime after 9am. We were hoping that most of our fellow cruisers would leave the ship and head over to Princess Cays for some fun in the sun.
We made our way to the Horizon Court buffet to find it quite busy. We heard the announcement that the ship's tenders were ready to take people ashore. Hubby and I decided to stay onboard and enjoy the ship to ourselves. That wasn't the case.
After breakfast we walked around the pool area and decided it was a bit too cool there. We headed back to our cabin thinking we could sit on our balcony while our cabin was being cleaned. Our balcony was a bit chilly/breezy and the sun was shining on the other side of the ship, starboard side. By this time, we were wearing our sweat jackets. Hubby and I watched as the tender boats were making their way to the beach. I heard another announcement for fellow cruisers to allow some time for the tenders to reach ashore.
Around noon time, I had a crazy idea to video the tender boats in the water. I was beginning to see more whitecaps in the water. The tenders were now bobbing around while trying to make their way to the beach as well as coming back towards the ship.
Around 1pm, another announcement was heard. They were not allowing any more passengers to tender ashore. The water was getting rough and the captain was concerned about safety. I can understand as I thought a few tenders were close to toppling over. Safety first....
In the late afternoon, I continue the packing that I left from yesterday. It went a lot faster than anticipated. All three pieces of our luggage were placed in the hallway outside our cabin door before 5pm. Done! Sad, but done!
Sometime during my packing adventure our cabin phone rings. Hubby answers and starts chatting with a Princess rep from the Purser's Desk. Hmmmm...I wonder what's going on. Did we win a free cruise????? Not! The call was to thank me for writing up a nice review on our Cozumel excursion. Besides being chatty, I do enjoy writing and doing reviews. Maybe one day all this will pay off. I do like to share our adventures. The good and the not so good.
We were moping around in our cabin until late evening and decided to catch the last movie of our cruise. Up we went to MUTS. First we find our popcorn.
The MUTS movie tonight: The Giver with Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep. We don't have any problems finding a place to sit. I assume most fellow cruisers are now packing. It's a quiet evening on the ship.
Temperature: 84 degrees
Princess Patter-Today's activities: Bible Study/Card & Board Games/Singles & Solos Get-together/Knitters & Natters Get-together/ Quiet Room (Skywalker's)/Basketball Shoot-out/Spa Seminar/Morning Trivia/Fun@Sea: Taboo game/Party Bridge Play/Golf Putting Challenge/Darts Competition/Zumba Fitness Dance class/BOGO Happy Hour/Afternoon Tea/Paddle Tennis/Brainbuster Trivia/Jewish Sabbath Service/Caribbean Melodies/Piano Melodies/Comedy Magic/Music & Dancing/Game Show/International Crew Talent & Variety Show
Cruise Life: We had a late start this morning. We didn't leave our cabin until sometime after 9am. We were hoping that most of our fellow cruisers would leave the ship and head over to Princess Cays for some fun in the sun.
We made our way to the Horizon Court buffet to find it quite busy. We heard the announcement that the ship's tenders were ready to take people ashore. Hubby and I decided to stay onboard and enjoy the ship to ourselves. That wasn't the case.
After breakfast we walked around the pool area and decided it was a bit too cool there. We headed back to our cabin thinking we could sit on our balcony while our cabin was being cleaned. Our balcony was a bit chilly/breezy and the sun was shining on the other side of the ship, starboard side. By this time, we were wearing our sweat jackets. Hubby and I watched as the tender boats were making their way to the beach. I heard another announcement for fellow cruisers to allow some time for the tenders to reach ashore.
Around noon time, I had a crazy idea to video the tender boats in the water. I was beginning to see more whitecaps in the water. The tenders were now bobbing around while trying to make their way to the beach as well as coming back towards the ship.
Around 1pm, another announcement was heard. They were not allowing any more passengers to tender ashore. The water was getting rough and the captain was concerned about safety. I can understand as I thought a few tenders were close to toppling over. Safety first....
In the late afternoon, I continue the packing that I left from yesterday. It went a lot faster than anticipated. All three pieces of our luggage were placed in the hallway outside our cabin door before 5pm. Done! Sad, but done!
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| Our three pieces of luggage in the hallway waiting to be picked up by the crew and stored in the belly of the ship |
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| Our neighbor's luggage also waiting to be picked up |
Sometime during my packing adventure our cabin phone rings. Hubby answers and starts chatting with a Princess rep from the Purser's Desk. Hmmmm...I wonder what's going on. Did we win a free cruise????? Not! The call was to thank me for writing up a nice review on our Cozumel excursion. Besides being chatty, I do enjoy writing and doing reviews. Maybe one day all this will pay off. I do like to share our adventures. The good and the not so good.
We were moping around in our cabin until late evening and decided to catch the last movie of our cruise. Up we went to MUTS. First we find our popcorn.
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| For some reason, this is the best popcorn I've had on any ship! |
The MUTS movie tonight: The Giver with Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep. We don't have any problems finding a place to sit. I assume most fellow cruisers are now packing. It's a quiet evening on the ship.
Friday, January 16, 2015
Thursday (01/15): @Sea
@Sea
Temperature: 68 degrees
Formal Night
Princess Patter-Today's Activities: Bible Study/Card & Board Games/Internet Technology Workshop/Zumba Fitness/Mahjong Players/Book Review club/Onboard Outlet sale/Basketball Shootout/Culinary Demonstration/Morning Trivia/L'occitane Event/Chinese Herbs Seminar/Golf Putting/Susan G Koman-On Deck for the Cure (5k walk)/Secrets to a Flatter Stomach/Jackpot Bingo/Ping Pong Challenge/Poolside Music Trivia/British-style Pub Lunch/Arts & Crafts: Flower Making/Ice Carving demonstration/Quiet Room (Skywalker's)/Bridge Players/Veterans Get-together/Top Deck Tunes/Ballroom beginners class/Princess Pop Choir rehearsal/Texas Hold'em/Art Auction/Carpet Bowls/Effy Jewelry event/Slot Tournament/Bar Wars/Steel Drums rehearsal/Champagne Ring Toss/Singles & Solos Get-together/BOGO Happy Hour/Princess Pop Choir Concert/Princess Grapevine Wine Tasting/Afternoon Tea/Steel Drum Performance/Formal Portraits/Casino Non-smoking Night/Piano melodies/Caribbean Tunes/Production Show: Once Upon a Dream/Music & Dancing/Ballroom Dance Favorites/Acrobatix performers/"Who Sang What" music trivia/Princess Pop Star Finale/Marriage Match Game Show/Gala Party & Balloon Drop...whew!
Cruise Life: We are in need of a Sea day. We sleep in and don't leave our cabin until after 9am. Wow! We can hear the winds howling a bit from our balcony. Continuation from last night. It's sunny with white puffy clouds. Today's high is around 79 degrees. I plan on enjoying another sunny day as much as possible.
Well, the sunny day was short lived. After a late breakfast, the clouds rolled in. In the upper deck (Lido) where the pools are located, many fellow cruisers were wrapped in their towels. We head down to our cabin and take advantage of our balcony. Too bad the sun is not out. We are wearing our sweat jackets. That's how windy and cold it is.
I leave Hubby to run some errands around the ship. I head to the purser's desk to pick up a gratuity envelope and a recognition/comment card for our Cozumel excursion. I walk over to the next desk to pick up additional cruise disembarkation tags, Brown 4. I take a side trip and go into one of the boutiques to look at the Princess 50th anniversary specials they are having and find a cute v-neck t-shirt with a nice 50th anniversary logo on the sleeve for myself. I had over to photo gallery and look over the pictures that were taken at each port. I find a funny one that Hubby and I posed for in Roatan with two "pirates". One of the pirates and I are doing the "Aaaaargh!" pose. Too funny! I find Gigi manning the register and make my purchase. I also show her the stingray video that Hubby took and then I find we are in the midst of a small crowd who wants to see what's on my iPhone.
Oh before I forget. I don't recall if I mentioned our cabin steward in previous posts. Benjamin is from the Philippines and has been working on his 2nd contract on the Ruby. Before that, he was on the Diamond Princess for awhile. His current contract is for 8 months and he will be leaving the ship in May to go back home for about 2 months. After that, he will get another contract with another Princess ship. He's been married for 22 years has four kids and two dogs. I asked him how he communicates with his family. He says Facebook and Skype. He also has International SIM card so he can call home. Hubby says Benjamin is an introvert which explains why he stays behind the scenes. Except today, when he became chatty with me. I tend to do that with people...they just start talking to me. :)
It's been cold everywhere on the ship. With not much else to do, I decide to start packing. I figure if I can get 70% of the packing done today, that will leave me with more time to enjoy the ship tomorrow (our last full day onboard). I manage to get two largest suit cases packed with the majority of the clothes we will no longer wear. I pack our cold weather clothes on top.
Once I'm done with the initial packing, I slide the two big suitcases back underneath the bed. Done! Yes, I can't seem to sit still. Tonight is the last formal night. Hubby and I decided to nix it tonight and just go casual with t-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops. We head up to deck #15 (Lido) in search of dinner. We stop at the Grille and find they have BBQ chicken wings. Yum! Then we head over to MUTS (Movies Under the Stars) to watch a new movie showing on this cruise: The Maze Finder. We grab several bags of popcorn and find two lounge chairs on deck #16. Thirty minutes into the movie, the waiters come out with slide of pizza. We pass on that and wait for the "cookie guy". He arrives a few minutes later and offers us the last two peanut butter cookies. Yea mon! Life is good!
Ship are rocking a bit, but it appears to be smooth sailing to the Bahamas. Until tomorrow....
Temperature: 68 degrees
Formal Night
Princess Patter-Today's Activities: Bible Study/Card & Board Games/Internet Technology Workshop/Zumba Fitness/Mahjong Players/Book Review club/Onboard Outlet sale/Basketball Shootout/Culinary Demonstration/Morning Trivia/L'occitane Event/Chinese Herbs Seminar/Golf Putting/Susan G Koman-On Deck for the Cure (5k walk)/Secrets to a Flatter Stomach/Jackpot Bingo/Ping Pong Challenge/Poolside Music Trivia/British-style Pub Lunch/Arts & Crafts: Flower Making/Ice Carving demonstration/Quiet Room (Skywalker's)/Bridge Players/Veterans Get-together/Top Deck Tunes/Ballroom beginners class/Princess Pop Choir rehearsal/Texas Hold'em/Art Auction/Carpet Bowls/Effy Jewelry event/Slot Tournament/Bar Wars/Steel Drums rehearsal/Champagne Ring Toss/Singles & Solos Get-together/BOGO Happy Hour/Princess Pop Choir Concert/Princess Grapevine Wine Tasting/Afternoon Tea/Steel Drum Performance/Formal Portraits/Casino Non-smoking Night/Piano melodies/Caribbean Tunes/Production Show: Once Upon a Dream/Music & Dancing/Ballroom Dance Favorites/Acrobatix performers/"Who Sang What" music trivia/Princess Pop Star Finale/Marriage Match Game Show/Gala Party & Balloon Drop...whew!
Cruise Life: We are in need of a Sea day. We sleep in and don't leave our cabin until after 9am. Wow! We can hear the winds howling a bit from our balcony. Continuation from last night. It's sunny with white puffy clouds. Today's high is around 79 degrees. I plan on enjoying another sunny day as much as possible.
Well, the sunny day was short lived. After a late breakfast, the clouds rolled in. In the upper deck (Lido) where the pools are located, many fellow cruisers were wrapped in their towels. We head down to our cabin and take advantage of our balcony. Too bad the sun is not out. We are wearing our sweat jackets. That's how windy and cold it is.
I leave Hubby to run some errands around the ship. I head to the purser's desk to pick up a gratuity envelope and a recognition/comment card for our Cozumel excursion. I walk over to the next desk to pick up additional cruise disembarkation tags, Brown 4. I take a side trip and go into one of the boutiques to look at the Princess 50th anniversary specials they are having and find a cute v-neck t-shirt with a nice 50th anniversary logo on the sleeve for myself. I had over to photo gallery and look over the pictures that were taken at each port. I find a funny one that Hubby and I posed for in Roatan with two "pirates". One of the pirates and I are doing the "Aaaaargh!" pose. Too funny! I find Gigi manning the register and make my purchase. I also show her the stingray video that Hubby took and then I find we are in the midst of a small crowd who wants to see what's on my iPhone.
Oh before I forget. I don't recall if I mentioned our cabin steward in previous posts. Benjamin is from the Philippines and has been working on his 2nd contract on the Ruby. Before that, he was on the Diamond Princess for awhile. His current contract is for 8 months and he will be leaving the ship in May to go back home for about 2 months. After that, he will get another contract with another Princess ship. He's been married for 22 years has four kids and two dogs. I asked him how he communicates with his family. He says Facebook and Skype. He also has International SIM card so he can call home. Hubby says Benjamin is an introvert which explains why he stays behind the scenes. Except today, when he became chatty with me. I tend to do that with people...they just start talking to me. :)
It's been cold everywhere on the ship. With not much else to do, I decide to start packing. I figure if I can get 70% of the packing done today, that will leave me with more time to enjoy the ship tomorrow (our last full day onboard). I manage to get two largest suit cases packed with the majority of the clothes we will no longer wear. I pack our cold weather clothes on top.
Once I'm done with the initial packing, I slide the two big suitcases back underneath the bed. Done! Yes, I can't seem to sit still. Tonight is the last formal night. Hubby and I decided to nix it tonight and just go casual with t-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops. We head up to deck #15 (Lido) in search of dinner. We stop at the Grille and find they have BBQ chicken wings. Yum! Then we head over to MUTS (Movies Under the Stars) to watch a new movie showing on this cruise: The Maze Finder. We grab several bags of popcorn and find two lounge chairs on deck #16. Thirty minutes into the movie, the waiters come out with slide of pizza. We pass on that and wait for the "cookie guy". He arrives a few minutes later and offers us the last two peanut butter cookies. Yea mon! Life is good!
Ship are rocking a bit, but it appears to be smooth sailing to the Bahamas. Until tomorrow....
 |
| One of many sunsets on this cruise |
Wednesday (01/14): Cozumel
Cozumel (Puerta Maya): 7am-5pm
Temperature: 75 degrees
Princess Patter-Today's Activities: Bible Study/Singles & Solos Get-together/Backgammon Lovers/Knitters & Natters Get-together/Cards & Board Games/Quiet Room (Skywalker's)/Ping Pong Competition/Morning Trivia/Game-Scattergories Challenge/Party Bridge/Carpet Bowl/Golf Chipping challenge/BOGO Happy Hour/Water Volleyball/Afternoon Tea/Zumba Gold & Fitness/Sailaway with DJ Jokers Wild/Brainbuster Trivia/Spa Seminar: Fine Lines and Wrinkles Gone/Spa Seminar: Increase Your Metabolism/Mini Makeover/Rum Tasting event/Piano Melodies/50's & 60's Music/Acrobatix performance/The Blank Game show/Cabaret Show - Ric Steel/"Who Sang What?" 50's & 60's Music Trivia/Texas Hold'em/Jackpot Bingo/Rock & Roll Night/Princess Pop Star/Jeopardized game show/Dance the Night Away
Cruise Life: This morning we woke up to an early 5:50am alarm. Only we slept a bit more because our body still needed to rest. We had plans to get off the ship once it docked and go window shopping before meeting with our excursion group at 7:50am. We dock at the Puerta Maya pier at 7am.
As we walked off the ship and onto the pier, we were hit with the warmth of the sun. Wow! What a difference from yesterday's rain showers. Hubby and I were both happy and knew we were in for a treat today. Our excursion for today: Palancar Reef (two snorkeling sites) and then to Playa Mia beach for a bit of relaxation.
We checked in with our tour guide and in exchange for our excursion tickets, we were given bracelets. We signed a waiver and was told we had 20 minutes to walk around the plaza before we leave. Hubby and I checked out some shops. They were opened at 7am sharp unlike some other ports we've been to (e.g. Havensight in St Thomas opened at 9am). We said "good morning" to many of the shop owners. A few handed me their business cards with a discount % marked on them. I guess they know who the real shopper is. Of all the islands we've visited, I think Cozumel has the best sterling silver pieces. They are made well, stamped with 925, and some have hallmarks that identify the designers. I should add...that's what I look for to make sure the piece is genuine. Yes, there are places that sell junk. Those places are avoided.
Our tour guide, Carlos, is efficient. We talk about the weather and he mentions that during yesterday's excursion the water was a bit rough. He said today was going to be calm. He gathers us at 8am and escorts us to a small pier where our catamaran, Aqua Dream 2, is waiting for us. There's only 27 of us going snorkeling. A nice size group as we are all able to spread out on the catamaran and have our own space. Sweet!
It takes an hour to reach Palancar Reef. As we approach the reef, Ricardo who is our snorkel guide, demonstrates the snorkel gear and goes over water safety guidelines. We drop some buoys in the water and we're ready to jump into the water. Well, I use the ladder instead. I don't dawdle as I'm one of the first five into the water.
We're all suppose to be following Ricardo who has a floating flag tied to him. I'm not a real follower and I don't like to be crowded (image of being snorkeled/run over) so I snorkel outside of the group just like Hubby who is actually following behind me. Carlos is also in the water and snorkels behind the group. He's also the one that keeps Hubby and I on track whenever we drift further away from the group. "Follow the flag!" "You're going the wrong way!" "You need to keep up with the group!" I know Carlos is having a good time with us...because we have real underwater cameras and we're not going to miss those Kodak moments. He even shows us a turtle that swims by.
We spend an hour in the water. We snorkel along the Columbia Reef which is in shallow water. It's still deep to me. Then we swim over to the beginnings of the Palancar Reef. This area is quite deep and by this time, I can't really take any good pictures unless I dive...which I'm not about to. I signal to Hubby that I'm swimming back to the catamaran.
Back on board, I rinse off with fresh water from a hose and clean my mask and camera. A couple approaches me and asks about my camera and my experience. Sweet! I do love chatting about cameras and gadgets. I give them some pointers and find they are Nikon users. Sweet! Yes, I know I'm using a Canon point and shoot camera inside a Canon underwater housing. So, Canon does a great job in this area. I did recommend a GoPro to them. I also mention that I do not like using a waterproof camera (like the Olympus Tough or the Panasonic cameras) unless it can be placed into a waterproof case with rubber seals all around the case. I've had a bad experience with water leakage that destroyed my Olympus camera. The refresh on those types of cameras is at best two years. Hubby and I still have the Canon and it's waterproof case for over 5 years and it's still going strong. Enough said. I digress....
With everyone back onboard the Aqua Dream 2, we set sail to Playa Mia beach for a 20 minute boat ride.
We dock at a small pier and head over to building where we are given snacks: sandwich, salad, fried plantains. We have 1-1/2 hours here. There's a water slide park with an infinity pool, wading pool, water toys, and hammocks. Hubby finds a lounge while I head over to the hammocks. Now this is the life! I've always wanted a hammock. There's something about laying in one on the beach with the sun shining, cool breeze, and listening to the small waves crashing onto the beach. Are you getting the picture?
The beach time went buy quickly. Hubby and I did not want our adventure to end. We were given the "all aboard" signal and joined our fellow cruisers who were also sad to leave. We wave a goodbye as we set sail back to where our ship is docked. I told Carlos and Ricardo that we'll be back next year.
Back at Puerta Maya, we head to the silver shops I'm familiar with. Hubby wanders around and knows to leave me alone with the owners/sales person. He watches me from afar and knows when I look at him with a smile...we have a deal or I need his confirmation. It's funny when I walk away from a deal, how much more the price goes down.
We head over to Panchos Backyard for 2nd lunch. My favorite is their guacamole and chips. Hubby orders chicken nachos. We are sitting outdoors with a view of our Ruby Princess in front of us. Life is good!
Tonight's movies at MUTS: Guardians of the Galaxy! Yes, this is one of my favorite movies. I love the soundtrack and with the music blaring from MUTS...just awesome!
Temperature: 75 degrees
Princess Patter-Today's Activities: Bible Study/Singles & Solos Get-together/Backgammon Lovers/Knitters & Natters Get-together/Cards & Board Games/Quiet Room (Skywalker's)/Ping Pong Competition/Morning Trivia/Game-Scattergories Challenge/Party Bridge/Carpet Bowl/Golf Chipping challenge/BOGO Happy Hour/Water Volleyball/Afternoon Tea/Zumba Gold & Fitness/Sailaway with DJ Jokers Wild/Brainbuster Trivia/Spa Seminar: Fine Lines and Wrinkles Gone/Spa Seminar: Increase Your Metabolism/Mini Makeover/Rum Tasting event/Piano Melodies/50's & 60's Music/Acrobatix performance/The Blank Game show/Cabaret Show - Ric Steel/"Who Sang What?" 50's & 60's Music Trivia/Texas Hold'em/Jackpot Bingo/Rock & Roll Night/Princess Pop Star/Jeopardized game show/Dance the Night Away
Cruise Life: This morning we woke up to an early 5:50am alarm. Only we slept a bit more because our body still needed to rest. We had plans to get off the ship once it docked and go window shopping before meeting with our excursion group at 7:50am. We dock at the Puerta Maya pier at 7am.
As we walked off the ship and onto the pier, we were hit with the warmth of the sun. Wow! What a difference from yesterday's rain showers. Hubby and I were both happy and knew we were in for a treat today. Our excursion for today: Palancar Reef (two snorkeling sites) and then to Playa Mia beach for a bit of relaxation.
 |
| They're building another pier in Puerta Maya |
 |
| Shopping area in Puerta Maya |
 |
| The Ruby Princess |
We checked in with our tour guide and in exchange for our excursion tickets, we were given bracelets. We signed a waiver and was told we had 20 minutes to walk around the plaza before we leave. Hubby and I checked out some shops. They were opened at 7am sharp unlike some other ports we've been to (e.g. Havensight in St Thomas opened at 9am). We said "good morning" to many of the shop owners. A few handed me their business cards with a discount % marked on them. I guess they know who the real shopper is. Of all the islands we've visited, I think Cozumel has the best sterling silver pieces. They are made well, stamped with 925, and some have hallmarks that identify the designers. I should add...that's what I look for to make sure the piece is genuine. Yes, there are places that sell junk. Those places are avoided.
Our tour guide, Carlos, is efficient. We talk about the weather and he mentions that during yesterday's excursion the water was a bit rough. He said today was going to be calm. He gathers us at 8am and escorts us to a small pier where our catamaran, Aqua Dream 2, is waiting for us. There's only 27 of us going snorkeling. A nice size group as we are all able to spread out on the catamaran and have our own space. Sweet!
 |
| Aqua Dream 2 catamaran and Ruby (background) |
 |
| We speed pass Playa Mia where we'll be after our snorkeling tour |
It takes an hour to reach Palancar Reef. As we approach the reef, Ricardo who is our snorkel guide, demonstrates the snorkel gear and goes over water safety guidelines. We drop some buoys in the water and we're ready to jump into the water. Well, I use the ladder instead. I don't dawdle as I'm one of the first five into the water.
We're all suppose to be following Ricardo who has a floating flag tied to him. I'm not a real follower and I don't like to be crowded (image of being snorkeled/run over) so I snorkel outside of the group just like Hubby who is actually following behind me. Carlos is also in the water and snorkels behind the group. He's also the one that keeps Hubby and I on track whenever we drift further away from the group. "Follow the flag!" "You're going the wrong way!" "You need to keep up with the group!" I know Carlos is having a good time with us...because we have real underwater cameras and we're not going to miss those Kodak moments. He even shows us a turtle that swims by.
 |
| Hubby...one big fish |
 |
| Our catamaran...Aqua Dream 2 |
 |
| Just watching the fish swim by.... |
 |
| Beautiful coral |
We spend an hour in the water. We snorkel along the Columbia Reef which is in shallow water. It's still deep to me. Then we swim over to the beginnings of the Palancar Reef. This area is quite deep and by this time, I can't really take any good pictures unless I dive...which I'm not about to. I signal to Hubby that I'm swimming back to the catamaran.
Back on board, I rinse off with fresh water from a hose and clean my mask and camera. A couple approaches me and asks about my camera and my experience. Sweet! I do love chatting about cameras and gadgets. I give them some pointers and find they are Nikon users. Sweet! Yes, I know I'm using a Canon point and shoot camera inside a Canon underwater housing. So, Canon does a great job in this area. I did recommend a GoPro to them. I also mention that I do not like using a waterproof camera (like the Olympus Tough or the Panasonic cameras) unless it can be placed into a waterproof case with rubber seals all around the case. I've had a bad experience with water leakage that destroyed my Olympus camera. The refresh on those types of cameras is at best two years. Hubby and I still have the Canon and it's waterproof case for over 5 years and it's still going strong. Enough said. I digress....
With everyone back onboard the Aqua Dream 2, we set sail to Playa Mia beach for a 20 minute boat ride.
We dock at a small pier and head over to building where we are given snacks: sandwich, salad, fried plantains. We have 1-1/2 hours here. There's a water slide park with an infinity pool, wading pool, water toys, and hammocks. Hubby finds a lounge while I head over to the hammocks. Now this is the life! I've always wanted a hammock. There's something about laying in one on the beach with the sun shining, cool breeze, and listening to the small waves crashing onto the beach. Are you getting the picture?
 |
| Having some fun! Now, that's an iguana! |
 |
| Playa Mia beach time! |
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| We'll have to try this...next year! |
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| Playa Mia beach and those gorgeous puffy white clouds! |
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| It was a beautiful warm and sunny day in Coz! |
The beach time went buy quickly. Hubby and I did not want our adventure to end. We were given the "all aboard" signal and joined our fellow cruisers who were also sad to leave. We wave a goodbye as we set sail back to where our ship is docked. I told Carlos and Ricardo that we'll be back next year.
 |
| Heading back to Puerta Maya and the Ruby |
Back at Puerta Maya, we head to the silver shops I'm familiar with. Hubby wanders around and knows to leave me alone with the owners/sales person. He watches me from afar and knows when I look at him with a smile...we have a deal or I need his confirmation. It's funny when I walk away from a deal, how much more the price goes down.
We head over to Panchos Backyard for 2nd lunch. My favorite is their guacamole and chips. Hubby orders chicken nachos. We are sitting outdoors with a view of our Ruby Princess in front of us. Life is good!
 |
| Heading back to the ship. Ruby on the left and Costa on the right |
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| Another pier being built in Puerta Maya |
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| Pilot picked up from the Ruby |
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| Another ship sailing into another sunset |
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| Life is good! |
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