At Sea To Bermuda

           We finally got out of Lauderdale at 3:30 this morning. For whatever reason we missed our sailing time by more than a few hours. I think that they were changing one of the radar domes and I suspect that was the reason for the delay. Either that of the captain can't tell time! In any case we got up late this morning to the sounds of the sea!

     All the stairs (108) to the lobby was starting to take a bit of a toll so we decided to skip Zumba for today and just have a slow pace to the day. Judy did a slow walk on the deck while I went to hear about the General Motors story at the cars lecture. One thing that I did not know was the large number of car companies that were formed around 1910. Slowly they became the big 3. He has photos of all the different autos from back then which are very interesting.

|     Morning tea followed and then we listened to the port talk on Bermuda. Having been before we had a good idea of what there is to do there. We plan on just taking the ferry to Hamilton and wandering around. We both went to the science lecture.

Chocolate Again

It was on disaster movies and how they abuse science in awful and hilarious ways. It was quite light hearted . We did catch the last part of the line dancing class. It was jammed and she was actually doing something more interesting than the standard Princess dances (electric slide – agh!) The rest of the after noon was spent by the pool enjoying the nice weather and listening to the live music.

     Tonight was the first of the 4 formal nights. Of course that meant the champagne waterfall and greetings by the captain. He has a heavy accent and does not seem to be comfortable in public. Although the ship seems to be really crowded now there did not seem to be many people at the waterfall . There was a show going on at the same time. Princess use to serve mixed drinks and wine but now it is only champagne. 

Chocolate Dessert

Dinner was good again. Our table is down to just to the 4 of us. If someone was scheduled to have dinner with us they did not show up the last 2 nights. We skipped the show as it was a full show with the singer from last night. Since this is a time advance night we decided to turn in early.

Finally Lauderdale

    Well we finally reached Lauderdale late this afternoon. We have been steaming along since we left Houston but we were along side later than expected. All we could think about is all those people (1000+) who arrived this morning and expected to eat in the buffet by noon. Hot dog sellers would have a field day.

   We have fallen into a routine with the morning Zumba. All the stairs and and the Zumba is starting to take a toll on the knees. We did not have to do stairs in Florida and now it is 86 stairs from the Atrium to Aloha deck! Zumba was easier today which I was thankful for. After that Judy decided to go for a swim but when I caught up to her 2 hours later she was stretched out on a deck chair reading. The pools are not heated and a bit on the cool side.

Finally Lauderdale

   I took in the lectures. The car one was of particular interest as it focused on the early days of the Ford Motor Company. The lecturer has a number of old cars and he showed a clip of an early Ford (1914?) and way it was put together including factory extras (shock absorbers, a proper horn, special door handles, etc.) He also showed a clip of what the early assembly lines looked like including some of the locations that are still around today (River Rouge, Highland Park). Workers were paid $3 a day and after 3 years got a raise to $5 if they had a family and did not drink or smoke. Social workers visited the family to see if the wife was happy! The improvements to the production line were many. Car costs were $850 . It took 12 hours of work to build one. The cost came down to $350. Ford even offered rebated in 1914! I found it very interesting.

Going Ashore

    The earthquake lecture was on why we have earthquakes away from mountain building. It was ok but having taught physical geography, it was not as interesting and the Ford lecture. We did go to the line dance class but it was more of the same old Princess dances but at least we moved around a bit. After lunch we just relaxed waiting to get to alongside which meant a short nap.

Caribbean Princess

    Finally around 3:30 we were along side the Princess dock. It seems that everyone wanted to get ashore. We seem to have that this is the cruise from nowhere to nowhere. With all the delays I think everyone just wanted to go ashore. The terminal was full of people (about 1000) waiting to board. They all seem to be waiting there for hours! We headed (along with the rest of the ship) to Walgreen's to stock up on everything. We did get another bottle of wine and some snacks. Then we did a short walk before heading back.

    The evening started with a stop at Skywalkers, the 17^th deck club where there is a gathering for Elite passengers. Supper was a welcome aboard dinner again – prime rib. That was followed by a welcome aboard show.   

     Although it is almost midnight, we are still tied up in Florida! Seems we missed the sailing time by about a minimum of 2 hours!

From The Gulf Of Mexico

 The weather was beautiful today with temperatures in the high 70's. The wind was near gale force with moderate waves but our direction of travel made for very little motion. We did have a time change last night (back to Eastern time). This morning when I went down to get my morning joe there were very few people around. We continue to try to make up for the lost travel time. We are in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico steaming along at 20 knots – almost unheard of for cruise ships. We are over half way there and still on track to be in Lauderdale by 3:00 tomorrow afternoon , only about 6 hours later than our scheduled time.

   

Gulf of Mexico Sunsise

The morning was spent with of course Zumba class. There was a different instructor this morning and we both thought that it was harder than yesterday. After class Judy went to the pool and I headed to the lecture of the development of the Ford Motor company. It was on the development of the early models but did not get as far as the Model T and the assembly line. The science lecture followed on How Do Scientists Know. It followed the development of the continental drift theory from early origins and indications to modern day research. I found it interesting but Judy left and went on deck to read. A light lunch and tea followed in the Artrium.

   The afternoon seem to be a bit light on activities. More spa presentations and things like that. However there was another Zumba class in mid afternoon which did provide some more exercise. With a long cruise and many sea days like this, we need to keep moving. The class itself was by a different instructor and was about the same as other classes. However that doesn't mean that I am getting any better. Can t seem to coordinate arms and legs and by the time I do the routine changes. However the

exercise is needed if we continue to eat this way although we are trying to be sensible!

The rest of the day was spent on the balcony enjoying a glass of wine and a drink.

We did go to the production show Bravo. Everyone thinks it the best show running that Princess has to offer. It was better than some of the other productions and featured the soprano from the show last night. I think we have seen this show before. The theatre was packed.

     Dinner was good as usual. We are at the late sitting and the place is “empty”. I think that only half the tables have anyone sitting. Our waiter has the one table and has 2 assistants with him. They are tripping over each other but it means that dinner moves along at a nice pace. It was a special chocolate dessert night. 

Special Dessert

We found out today that our gratuities have been pre-paid. We discovered this quite by accident. People on this trip have received all kinds of perks! We have plenty of cruise credits but the pre paid tips was something that we had never had before. One person we talked to was given the drink package free. When we talked to him early in the afternoon, he was already having a really good time.

Fort Lauderdale tomorrow.

Finally At Sea

    We are finally on our way to Florida. Actually we did not sail until nearly 3 pm. First it was the high winds. Then the fog rolled in then the thunderstorms. The port was closed by the authorities. There was nothing moving. We were the first in line to leave when the captain received permission to go. With nearly 950 miles to Lauderdale he will not be there until 3 in the afternoon. People are getting off there as well. I expect the 1000 or so people getting on will not be happy. We are still scheduled to leave there at 10pm. We did

Finally Leaving

find out that the delay in sailing was caused by bad weather in Denver. It was the same system that brought the storms here and to the Dallas area. We did learn that this the last Princes ship to sail out of Houston. Princess is not returning here next year. The fog and delays happen all the time. All the shop and casino have been closed and they ship was limited in the bars that they could keep open. Fewer shoppers, slotters and drinkers cuts into the profit margin.

     Although we have been alongside the ship activities have gone on. Most of the activities take place in the morning and early afternoon. Zumba class was at 9:30. It was not too hard but I can't believe that I can't do some of the bends! We then caught the last part of a lecture on the early automobile. This one concentrated on the development of the car in Europe going back 200 years. Interesting but the presenter needs a few pointers on presentation. We stayed for the enrichment lecture on Earthquake Mythology fact,fancy, fiction and old wives tales. A bit too much in depth but I assume he was laying the groundwork for other talks. It was mentioned there would be 14 more! Lunch and tea in the Atrium followed.

Rain

    After lunch we went to the Mardi Gras dance class. They are having a Mardi Gras Festival tonight (during dinner) in the Atrium. After watching the sail away, we dropped in on the line dance class but could not engage the Electric Slide and other similar dances. Then it was relax time for the res afternoon.

    The evening Princess theater show featured Jennifer Fair. The soprano put on a great show although the soprano has ab edge to it that gets to you after awhile, especially since she was alone. Dinner featured Italian night. The specially prepared pasta was loaded with garlic. It was very tasty. Finally we did drop in to the Mardi Gras event but it resembled all the other dance in the atrium events that we have seen before.

   We are steaming along quite fast. Houston did receive over a foot of rain while we were in port and there is lightening around again now.

Windsor |To Houston Sunday April 17, 2016

    Our transportation arrived promptly |Saturday night and we were on our way to Detroit via our good friends John and Yvonne. It probably a good decision to overnight in Detroit. The crossing was very slow and although there wee only about 6 cars in front of us, it still took 35 minutes to see the customs officer. Actually he was very pleasant and we were on our way to the Olive Garden in short order. After a leisurely meal we were dropped at the Hilton hotel near Metro airport.

    We were up early and had the Delta boarding passes quickly. However security was another thing. The lines were long considering it was before 7 am. We could see that the stories about over 3 hours but not having enough security check in personal were true. Everyone in line had to go through the body x-ray. Judy even needed to have a pat down! I needed a pat down.

    The flight to Houston was 3 hours of nice weather. We were glad that we had a non stop. |The other option was a stop in Dallas. The weather there was terrible with severe thunderstorms and a possible tornado! Just our luck. The last time we stayed

On The Bus

overnight in Detroit before a Princess cruise we never made our flight to China because of thunderstorms in Chicago. It only took a little over 90 minutes from the time we landed to the time we were at the ship. Getting aboard was slick as well. |With the preferred boarding we could bypass the hundreds of people who were waiting for their boarding number to be called. The first order of business was lunch in the dining room.

   At lunch we sat with people who were on our last cruise

Boarding

but we had not met on that cruise. Tea followed in the Atrium We did buy a new all you can drink coffee and tea card. It is for specialty drinks but we use it for unlimited tea. Luggage was in our room by the time we got back. Clothes were put away before the emergency drill. A short nap was followed by the sail away party. The sailing was delayed because 68 people were not aboard yet. I can onlly thin they stopped in Dallas. It was a cloudy windy gray day in Houston for a party on the open decks.

Fire Drill

Tea Time

   The ship boarded about 1800 people. We did learn that some are aboard for a 3 day cruise to Lauderdale. Apparently we will pick up another 1200 people there. However even though the ship holds 3000 it did seem to be full this afternoon. We attended the early show with a comedian. He did about 50 minutes and had some good lines. Dinner followed at 8 pm. We are at a table for 8 although tonight there we only the 6 of us. One couple is from Texas and the other from Chicago. We hope that the other spot is occupied. 

   During dinner the captain announced that the ship now has all passengers aboard but we would not be leaving until early morning. The ship is not allowed to sail when there are high winds. We tried to walk on deck after dinner but the winds were still quite strong. So we may still be here in the morning!

April 2016 Houston to England Pre Cruise

Europe here we come again. After the wonderful time in Florida this past winter, we are headed back to the Princess cruise line. We are looking forward to this trip not only for the 21 day crossing but some places that we have not visited before. This will be our first cruise on the Caribbean Princess although it is similar is design to the Ruby Crown and Diamond which we have sailed on in the past. It does have the little food bar in the atrium which is where we like to gather for daily tea and mall meals .

As the map shows, we will board in Houston and then head to Fort Lauderdale. We decided to try leaving from Houston as a change of pace. We have been there on a previous crossing. We are wondering if the ship will be “empty” for the short run to Florida. We have only booked one ship tour. After doing the research and having been to some of these places before we are content to explore on our own. After Florida we stop in Bermuda, a place we visited years ago. Then the long crossing to the home of the Beatles – Liverpool. We have been once before but there is plenty for us to do there. A stop in Wales (new for us) before the port at Hamburg Germany. This was one of the reasons for this trip as we get a change to go to Berlin. We have never been before. The tour from the ship last about 13 hours! Finally we stop in Havre (Normandy). We have been to Normandy a few time but we have never visited the city.

As you can see from the itinerary, this cruise has plenty of sea days and we are looking forward to the crossing as a chance to just “be” after the very active winter.

This is the first time we will fly both ways from Detroit. We leave early Sunday morning so we will spend the night in Detroit near the airport. Then it will be off to Houston non stop on Delta. Our return will be on co-share Delta/Virgin Air non stop from London to Detroit which will shorten the return travel time. No waiting in Washington for a few hours! The 2 bags are almost packed and we are ready to go. After this trip we will have over 300 days on Princess ships (stuck in a rut?) but now that we attained Elite status we can hardly pass up the perks.  It is the free laundry! Anyone that has cruised will appreciate what a luxury this is. It means that you do not need to pack as many clothes. The mini bar, free internet (basically) and wine tasting are also nice.

        At the bottom of each post is a small icon that looks like an envelop. If you open it, you should be able to send us an email directly to my gmail address from the post. If you have a gmail account I think that you can leave a message on the blog. One of the perks on this cruise as mentioned is the “free” internet minutes that we are allotted. So we will continue to get emails as long as the service holds up. It is always nice to read the comments of people interested in our travels. More Later!

Post # 19 Back To Canada September 26, 2015

    The joys of leaving the a cruise! We have been away for 3 weeks and we were ready to go. With the cold that has been hanging on, we were ready for a change. We did have an

New York From The Cruise Terminal

groups were to leave. We said our final goodbyes to Bill and Eli, got our luggage quickly (love those luggage straps!) and made our way through immigration without much trouble. The agent was actually pleasant! Out to the departure bus. With the hoards of people going to Newark airport, there was a scramble to get on the buses. We missed the first one. By now it was nearing 9:30 and the flight left at noon. However one of the longshoremen said that we had plenty of time. I felt relieved.

     We arrived at the airport by 10:30. Nobody was in line anywhere. Porter offered an earlier flight at 11. I did not think we had enough time. However security was empty and we were ready to leave about 10 minutes after arriving. The agents were very pleasant and joking. I did not opt for the pat down! We were in Toronto by noon; passed Canadian customs quickly and relaxed in the comfort of soft chairs. The an hour into Windsor and it was over. Our ride was waiting.

     The jury is still out on the Regal Princess. In many ways it is really an improvement

Prominade Deck!

over the older ships. The food was probably consistently the best we have had on the ships. The room steward was the best we have ever had (she arranged the shoes each night) and the staff we met were very friendly as always . Atrium is large and spectacular. It truly is the centre of the life on the ship. Gone are the smaller venues for dancing. Princess Live is a small studio like setting for talks, demos, trivia, etc. With all the expanded shops you feel like you are in a shopping mall. In some cases we needed to walk through them. The lack of a central staircase meant that we needed to be at one end of the ship or the other to use them. Fortunately our cabin was close to the forward one. They need another staircase and the new ship being built will have one. That ship will stay in the Far East. With the ship being all balconies a true promenade deck does not exist which forces you to walk inside. Everywhere you looked the hard sell for spa treatments, jewelry sales, photos, etc. was on.

We have not even thought about another cruise at this time. Winter is here and thoughts of warm weather occupy us now. Thanks to all who left remarks on the blog site. They were appreciated. Until we travel again we are silent!