Princess @Sea (Southern & Western Caribbean)

This was the first time (another first) that I actually carried my iPhone around the ship.  Normally it sat in the cabin safe until we got back to Fort Lauderdale or when I used it in a US port of call like St Thomas.  Not this time.  I wanted to see how much information I could see with using the Princess @Sea.  I left my iPhone in Airplane Mode and turned on the WiFi and connected to the Caribbean-Princess SSID.  From there, I had access to the ship’s Intranet using my iPhone’s Safari web browser using the URL:  caribbean.princess.com.  Once I connected to the site, I saved it as a shortcut on my iPhone and it created an icon called Princess @Sea.  

Here’s a snapshot of our Southern Caribbean itinerary (first week):  

Here’s our Western Caribbean itinerary (second week):

I can tap on any of the ports of call listed and get additional port information like the weather, arrival/departure times, dress code for the evening, and a PDF soft copy of the port guide that’s delivered with the Princess Patter in our cabin mailbox:

 

 

 

 

I can also see upcoming events for the day:   

Besides the Princess events, I could add my own personal event like reminders to fill out an FCC form for future cruises or get change from the Passenger Service Desk (PSD).  

There’s a Messenger feature that allows me to send messages to other people I know on the ship.  I initially had to setup a contact list and know the person’s ID.  Once the contact is setup, I can send messages.  There is no notification, but I can check to see if I received a new message.

I also had access to our onboard account information and could check the latest charges to our cabin.  

I can also access the “Internet” which is additional $ and check my emails.  Once I was done with the Internet, I just typed “logout.com” in the browser.

The following are some screenshots I captured with my iPad.

Communications and Stateroom Services: 

Activities and Entertainment:

Safety, Security and Environment:

Shipboard Services and Shopping:

 

Entertainment and Bars:

 

Food and Dining:

Gifts and Memories:

Other Services onboard:

Pools, Sports & Spa:

Day 10: Oh What a Day at Sea!

I do not remember when this bad weather started.  All I know is I woke up around 4am after the Caribbean Princess hit a huge swell and well the ship landed in the water with a huge shudder.  Our cabin was creaking quite a bit.  The hangers in our closet were quiet, because I remembered to squish them all together with clothes hanging on either side.  So no jingle and jangle.  Just creak and more creak.

Hubby opens our balcony curtains just slightly and mentions to me that he sees lightning.  Sleepy-eyed I grab a GoPro and my iPhone (because I have it conveniently nearby) and try to document the adverse weather we are going through.  Hubby was not kidding about the lightning and failed to mention about the thunder which made me jump when I first heard it nearby.  Wow…free entertainment on the ship.  This is another first for us experiencing the “thunder and lightning” on a ship.

We were lying in bed and you could feel the ship swaying to and fro and side to side.  Sleep hits us with a vengeance and then we wake up when the ship hits a swell.  We go through this several times and eventually wake up around 8am.  Extremely tired.  We grab a quick breakfast at the buffet and head down to IC for some coffee.  Fellow passengers are out and about.  Like us, many are walking around trying to keep our balance and not run into each other.

Back in our cabin, safe and sound, we are camping here for the rest of the day.  By 11am, the Captain is talking to us in our cabin (you know it’s a must hear announcement) and talks about the adverse weather condition we are experiencing.  No kidding!  We are sailing around 17 knots with winds of 45 knots across the upper decks.  The seas are “rough” (translation: 8-12 foot swells).  We will be going through this for the next 10 hours.  He is telling us to hold onto railings and be careful when opening and closing the exterior doors.  Yes, the heavy doors will slam shut quickly.  I have first hand experience with this 3 years ago on the Caribbean Princess when we were in the Gulf in bad weather.  I was coming inside from the Promenade deck and the door almost slammed into my DSLR.  Lesson learned…take pictures from the safety of our balcony.

The Captain continues with his talk and tells us he will be back with an update later today and enjoy your day on the Caribbean Princess.

Well, I know for a fact that the weather will get worse before it gets better.  Before the Captain made his announcement, my stomach was starting to feel queasy.  I did not say anything to Hubby.  I kept myself busy with blogging, reviewing the hundreds of pictures taken, watching “chick flicks” on TV, and tidying up the cabin a bit.  My queasiness left after awhile and my hunger pains began.  That’s when I looked at Hubby and noticed he was a bit out of sorts.  I made two trips down to IC and brought back to our cabin, ginger ale and tuna fish sandwich.  Hubby was not interested in the sandwich.  Really?  He did take the ginger ale.  So I ate his sandwich.

By mid-afternoon, I am cranking out the blog posts in a chatty sort of way.  Hubby is lying down on our couch and watching the rough swells go by.  The weather is getting worse.  I decide to take a break from sitting and swaying and head down to mid-ship deck 5 to see how the ship is moving.  Trust me when I say I had a hard time walking down the stairs from deck 9 (our cabin) to deck 5 (Plaza).  I know I do not like touching the banister (other people's germs), but I had to…to avoid slamming against the stairwell wall.  For that matter…slamming into other people on the stairs.  By the time I get down to deck 5, I am laughing and giggling.  You’ve heard me say, that I enjoy the ship’s rocking and rolling.  I am enjoying this ride!

Mid-ship is no better than forward or aft.  Deck 5 (the lowest we can go without being in the crew’s quarters or medical center) is no better than our cabin deck.  In summary, there is no place to go in the ship where you will not feel the motion.  There were still people milling around.  Like me, I suppose they were feeling claustrophobic in their cabins and hoping things were better on deck.  I make my way up to Deck 7 (Promenade) to chat with Carmen (South Africa) in the Effy jewelry shop.  She and another lady are manning the shop.  Usually there are four of them, but the other two were turning blue and had to go back to their cabins below.  I can not imagine that decks 4 or 3 are any better.  

Where is everyone?

I make my way over to the Photography Shop and see only two Princess photographers manning their venue.  I ask a technical question and get an answer for our GoPro Hero5.  The young lady was talking so fast and I assume she was not feeling too well herself.  I leave her alone with her misery.  I had mine earlier and did not want to participate again.

As I make my way around the ship, I was expecting to see “up-chuck bags” placed around the ship.  Not that i need one, but I remember reading a friend’s blog as she described traveling across the Trans-Atlantic.  I guess crossing the Atlantic into the Caribbean Sea does not count.

Hubby and I are feeling the worst part of the ship’s movement by now.  (Remember I mention go through the worst before it gets better?)  The swells are huge and I’m guessing 15 feet.  The ship would hit the swell and for 5 seconds you could feel the “float in air” motion, and then the huge shudder when the ship lands in the water.  This motion and feeling goes on every few minutes.  We are half way through the 10 hours.

The Cruise Director makes an announcement.  The Caribbean Princess dancers have postponed their show tonight and reschedule for tomorrow night.  Interesting.  Tonight is formal night.  No high heals tonight.  Since we’ve started our B2B (back to back) adventure, this is our third try to get dressed up and actually participate in formals.  What do we do?  Nothing.  We are in t-shirts and shorts and flip-flops.  I make a mental note to not bring formalwear next year.  That’s 20lbs (clothes and shoes) of wasted space in our luggage that could be used to bring back Tortuga rum cakes (vanilla, coconut, chocolate, lime, chocolate chip).  I know I’m forgetting other favors.  This is what happens when you are in cruise mode…forgetting things.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention something.  See?  During my mid-afternoon (walk like a drunk without the alcohol) trips around the ship, I noticed the Captain was having a busy day.  He had three (3) weddings he officiated!  Yes, he was busy marrying young couples off the ship.  The first one I came across in the Piazza.  Naturally, I stood on Deck 7 and took a shot while the couple was on the atrium stairs.  The bride was wearing a full and flowing white gown.  It was more of a “street photography” moment.  Then I noticed the Princess Photographer stood in the same spot I was just at and started taking pictures.  I wonder….

I was walking by Crooners Lounge and saw another bride chatting with her attendants.   This bride was wearing a light colored non-traditional gown.

The next bride I saw was walking down the hallway on deck 9 (Dolphin) near our cabin.  She was wearing a gorgeous slim fitting gown covered in embroidered lace.  Really beautiful.

I’m not sure how the Princess Photographers took pictures during formal night.  Especially if they are posing folks on the stairs in the Piazza (atrium) or posing cruisers on a stool with a pretty backdrop.  I forgot to buzz or take a walk around the ship in the early evening.  I was thinking of them.

Around 9pm, the weather was taking a noticeable change for the better.  The seas were calming down and so was the wind.  Again, I have no idea how long we endured this adverse weather, but it was at least 18 hours from our 4am wake up shudder.

I will be back to post pictures for this post when I can.  In the meantime, I need to get blogging about our Western Caribbean ports.  Stay tuned!

Day 7 & 8: Sea Days, Laundry, and Other Activities!

(In order to catch up and keep up, I have combined the last two sea days into one post.  I can do this, because we are camped out in our cabin for most of today.  We just hit a 20 foot swell and all the drawers in our cabin flew open.  Also, Hubby poured a glass of wine for me to calm my nerves/stomach (which is made of cast iron I am told).  My wine glass started to slide across the table and I caught it in time before it dumped its contents on my MacBook laptop.  I am not kidding when I say this is a “first" adventure for us in really rough waters and this is our 18th cruise with Princess.  So many first for us on this B2B cruise!  We thought our last Caribbean Princess cruise out of Houston (2014) and the Gulf of Mexico was rough…that was mild compared to what we are going through right now.  D and M, be thankful you are not on this cruise with us.  Hubby really means this!

We are not alone this afternoon.  There are two other ships in the not too far horizon.  A Carnival ship and a Royal Caribbean ship.  Good thing I brought our binoculars with us.  I was watching the Carnival cut through some swells, but they are going at a slower pace.  So our Princess Captain is not alone.  Remember when I mentioned in an earlier post that it will get rougher before getting better?  I think we’re going through the rougher stage now.  )

Back to our Sea Day post.

We left Bonaire around 5pm.  An hour and 25 nautical miles later, the Captain makes an announcement that we will be turning around and heading back to Bonaire.  We have a medical emergency.  A crew member has fallen ill and the doctor onboard has made a decision, they can not do anything more for the crew member and she needs to be hospitalized.  Before the announcement, I noticed we had slowed down.  The Captain slowly turned the ship around on the port side and quickly cruised back to Bonaire.  Two hours later and it’s completely dark outside, we could see the lights of Bonaire.  I walked around the Promenade deck to see if the Captain was going to drop a tender, but there was no activity.

I wandered up to our cabin and stuck my head out of our balcony.  I could see the Pilot boat from Bonaire following us.  I grabbed my camera, because that’s what I do…capture the moment.   I try not to hang over our balcony as I could see the Captain standing on the bridge.  Remember, we can see up to the bridge and they can look down on us.  So watching my P’s & Q’s, because I do have them, I carefully lean over and take a few shots:


This is an incredible feat.  The crew lowers the ship’s tender door on deck 4 while the Pilot boat tries to keep up with the ship.  We eventually slow down to a stop so they can offload the crew member safely.  Do you see how dark it is?  I watch as the Pilot boat speeds away:


By the time the Caribbean Princess starts up and then turns around to head out, I noticed the Pilot boat has reached land.

The next day (day 7: sea day) we learn the female crew member has stabilized and is in improving at the hospital in Bonaire.  I know Princess will take great care of her during her recovery.

We are recovering from our three day port intensive adventures.  Hubby is a bit under the weather and is in nap mode most of the day.  I spend some time in the morning reviewing all the pictures taken and then go out in search of well, more food.  If you notice by now, there are hardly any foodie pictures.  That’s because they are all on my iPhone.  Another camera device that I need to collect pictures from.  Don’t worry.  I will devote a whole blog post to the culinary delight on the this ship.

Tonight (Day 7) is the last formal night for this cruise.  What do we do?  Laundry!  I don’t mind this task as everyone is getting dressed up and we’ll be the only ones in the Laundry room.  

There are two sets of Maytag washer and dryer:

Sink basin:

 

Swipe your cruise card to get tokens.  One token for washer and one for dryer.  Another different token for powder detergent and for fabric softener.  You can get both tokens at this machine (touchscreen):  

The machine containing the powder detergent and fabric softener:  

It’s 40 minutes for the washer and 45-50 minutes for the dryer.

There are two iron stations:  

Including warnings:  

We decide to go up to deck 15 and watch a movie “Keeping Up With the Joneses”.  I keep an eye on the time.  I leave Hubby at MUTS (Movies Under the Stars) and go down to our laundry room to move the clothes from the washer to the dryer.  I head back up to deck 15 and stop in the Buffet to pick up some desserts and carry them over to MUTS.  This really works out well as the Buffet and our laundry room are located at the back of the ship but on different decks.  I don’t mind as this helps me maintain the minimum of 10,000 steps a day routine.  Burn baby burn!

I pick up the dried clothes and drop them off in our cabin.  I run back to deck 15 and stop by Scoops (ice cream place) and pick up two packages of popped corn.  I get back in time to see the end of the movie with Hubby.   I’ve learned to multi-task while on the ship and still spend quality time with Hubby.

Yes, the sea days are a blur.  We can do a lot or do nothing.

(I need to stop here and leave the cabin for a bit.  I’m getting claustrophobic and need to stop looking out the balcony and see all this wave action.  I’ll be back)

On the last day and last sea day of our cruise we continue with our R&R part of the cruise.  We have a few things scheduled.  I meet up with D and M for the Culinary Demo show in the Princess Theater.  An hour later we are on a tour of one of the ship’s galley.  In one area they are working on today’s desserts for the dining room.

Hubby and I meet up with D and M later in the afternoon for BOGO.  D and M will be leaving the ship tomorrow and was working on their packing skills for a few hours.  We invited them to the PEL or Platinum and Elite Lounge drink specials and pre-dinner hors d’oeuvres.  

Mango margarita (BOGO$):  

We had another appointment to attend and was late getting to the Voice of the Ocean in the Princess Theater and it was packed.  Instead we went to Explorer’s Lounge to catch the “simulcast” of the show.  OMG.  We were definitely spoiled by the singers (fellow cruisers) on the Regal Princess last year.  Still it was a fun show and Samantha, who I wanted to win, won by 52% of the votes.

The last show for our evening was the International Crew Show.  This is a unique show as the Caribbean Princess is the only Princess ship to host this special event.  We were not disappointed.  The crew did a great job entertaining us with their songs and dance numbers.  Really talented crew members onboard this ship.

While waiting for the International Crew Show to start, we entertain ourselves with balloons:  

We had smooth sailing the last two sea days in contrast to the first two sea days earlier in the week.  We had a great time sailing on my second favorite ship and visiting the southern most Caribbean islands.  We are resting up for our next adventure.  Hint…Western Caribbean!

(I will be back to add additional pictures when time allows).  Thank you for your patience!

Day 3: @Sea (Part 2)

I asked Hubby what’s the average size of the swells today and he said 12 feet.  There you have it.  I was walking around deck 5 and could hear the stabilizers working to keep the ship steady.  Try to.  It’s now early afternoon and the movement has not let up.  I heard the Captain mention the winds are around 35 knots across the open deck.  

Here’s Hubby being lulled to sleep:

Earlier this morning we ventured out and about looking for a place to sit outside.  We walked across the Lido deck 15 from forward to aft and ended up near the aft pool and Outriggers Bar area.  Now I know why a table for two was vacant.  It was windy up there.  The aft pool was my entertainment.  There were three ladies in the small pool sloshing around in the water from one side to the next.  The water in the pool was going side to side and eventually just sloshed up and out of the pool and onto the deck getting everything in its path wet.  Can you tell?  Doesn’t take much to entertain me.  So, where’s the picture?  I didn’t have the heart to intrude on folks and didn’t want to appear paparazzi-like.  You’ll have to make do with my descriptions.  

I dropped Hubby off in the cabin after lunch and was on a mission to find a bar and get some wine glasses.  It took a whole day for room service to pick up our complementary bar setup in exchange for a bottle of wine.  No, they did not provide the wine glasses.  I should have been more specific with them.  When you order meals from room service, I have learned need to be specific with the order:  add salt and pepper, add mayo, add tomatoes, add a packet of sugar, add this and that.  If you don’t you will for example, when ordering a chicken sandwich, will just get the chicken stuck between two pieces of bread.   Sorry, I digressed.

I’m walking around Promenade deck 7 and come across the photo shop.  I stop to chat with Kirsty from South Africa.  We talk about the cameras they carry (limited supply of Nikon and Fuji and Panasonic) including GoPros.  I mention to Kirsty my experience with the the Fuji Instax printer as well as the Polaroid portable printer.  We are comparing notes.  Then our discussion switches to the upcoming Caribbean Princess dry dock in March.  I already knew one was planned and asked her many questions.  Will the CP get the Sea Witch logo on it’s hull?  “Yes!"  Where will the ship go into dry dock?  “Bahamas".  Will you be on the ship when it goes through maintenance?  "Yes…most of the employees who have continued contracts will stay on and help with the cleaning.  We get to dress in casual clothes (no uniforms).  The whole ship shuts down and so no AC”.  Will the ship be outfitted for the new Medallion technology?  “Yes!  Right now we have some Italian contractors who came onboard when you did and will be wiring the ship in preparation for next year’s Medallion use”.  Kirsty is two months into her six month contract.  We had a wonderful time chatting and I’m sure I’ll see her around the ship again.

I continue with my mission and end up at the Club Fusion bar at the back of the ship still on deck 7.  The bartender smiled as he provided me with two empty wine glasses.   Mission accomplished!

I’m back in our cabin and Hubby is taking a nap.  I may end up doing the same.  

Here’s some foodie pics from my iPhone:

Yesterday’s breakfast of champions:

Yesterday’s lunch:

Last night’s dessert (rhubarb on the left and coconut and passion fruit on the right):

This morning’s breakfast (part of the main four food groups):

And of course today’s lunch.  I did give Steve one of my peanut butter cookies (my fave):  

Tonight we have reservations at the specialty restaurant, Sabatinis.  We’ll probably get dressed up for this special dinner since we missed formal last night.  Then we will be attending Mardi Gras in the Piazza.  My brother, D, got invited to play the snare drums.  I will definitely have my camera with me and maybe the GoPro working by then….

We Have Arrived!

Our adventure started around 3:45am this morning.  We left the Hyatt with sleepy eyes and arrived at the airport in time to be #3 at the counter line.  We breezed through security (TSA-pre) or at least one of us did.  I got stopped because the zipper of my down vest or maybe yet, it was my jewelry that set off the bleeping alarm.  Hubby just smiled as he passed by me.  No worries I just smiled and walked through again.  

We boarded our flight and took off around 5:50am.  Two hour or so later...we arrived at our destination in the beautiful and warm Fort Lauderdale.  

 

There's something about traveling in the early morning hours.  Besides being sleepy-heads, it's just peaceful.  

We grabbed a taxi and made it to the Hilton before 9am.  Daniel, at the front desk, noted that I had already checked in and selected a room (yesterday) and that room was not available yet.  No worries.  He said he would text me when it's ready.  We were free to roam around the hotel, but we decided to roam over to Joe's Cafe for some breakfast.  

 

Hubby and I have walked by Joe's so many times before, but never had the need to stop in to eat.  Since breakfast is not included with our Hilton room (like the Embassy Suites we stayed at several times) what the heck let's give it a try.  It's now our favorite breakfast place because of this:

 

Hubby has this thing for Eggs Florentine.  I can't remember if it started while we were cruising or was it at the Dunes restaurant in OC.  At home when I ask him what he wants for breakfast, he says EF.  I reply that it will so many months until we're on a ship and you can have it then.  So now, Joe's Cafe has made our list.  

On our way back to the Hilton, we stop by Lauderdale Diver shop to say hello.  I also add another accessory to our growing GoPro family.  I love visiting this dive shop as they have a nice selection of snorkel gear.  A nice teal (Caribbean) blue snorkel caught my eye.  I restrain myself as we still have to take a trip to FLL beach in search of a bikini...we'll see.  Caribbean blue....

It's around 12 noon and I'm ignoring Hubby's teasing remark..."is it lunch yet?!"  Really?  I'm just enjoying our view for now.  

 

Be back with more....