From Toronto To The Golden Princess

If has been a bit of mad dash since yesterday. Before we left we managed a line dance class where we knew some things and plenty that we could not remember very well. Then it we a 4 hour drive to Toronto where we stayed before boarding the flight to Los Angeles early this morning. The drive was difficult. Darkness and a steady rain/snow mix made for a a tiring drive.

Waiting In Toronto

The Toronto airport experience was actually quite pleasant. Check in was quick- we were among the first there. The U.S. Customs was a breeze. They now have automated check in where you make your declarations on a touch screen. It checks your passport and then spits out your declaration. We took that to the agent and were finished within about 10 minutes.

The direct flight to LA. was 5 hr 38 minutes. The day was bright and sunny. The plane had a bit of leg room for a change. In typical Air Canada fashion it was classed as a domestic flight. That means that we had 1 drink of juice/coffee, etc. And that was it except for the occasional glass of water.

   We arrived around 10:30 and picked up our luggage. The plane was only half full so that was quick . Out the exit the Princess rep was waiting for us and directed us to our luggage. We were among the first to arrive and very soon after the bus to the port arrived. They had just started boarding as we arrived. We were on the Golden shortly. We had been upgraded to a lower deck and bigger balcony (deluxe?)cabin. This is the first time in many cruises that we are in the front part of the ship. It is a long walk to the buffet for a snack.

    The first thing we did was head for the food. After the long flight and early rising we needed to eat, something of a regular routine on the first day. We knew where it was. After a walk around the ship we waited for our luggage to arrive. That was stored quickly just in time for the safety demo followed by the going away party held in the rain and in the dark. The band was typically loud but we could do some of our line dance steps. They danced the electric slide but we managed Move Like Jagger, a cha and even Little Rumba.

Leaving In The Rain!

    They have the cocktails and Hors d'oeuvers on deck 17 (Skywalkers) for elite passengers and we did stop by there for some guacamole and tortilla chip. We meet a nice couple there and found out that they are booked for Machu Picho. Then more wandering until dinner at 8. The dinning room was “empty” which seems to be typical of first nights. Our table of 8 only had the 4 of us at it. The other couple is from LA. They travelled about 30 minutes to the port! Later we came across the couple that we met in the bar at Skywalkers. They still had not gone to dinner. We found them at another bar. Love those New Zealanders!

We did go to the welcome show but we both fell asleep. By the time we were back to our cabin, we had been up for about 21 hours straight. No wonder sleep came quickly!

Leaving For LA

  South America – Here we go again! We arrived back in Canada long enough to pack and be ready to go to Los Angeles to board the Golden Princess for our cruise to Santiago Chile. We fly from Toronto to LA tomorrow. The cruise starts on Wednesday 3 December.

Golden Princess

We were on the Golden last January when we sailed from Santiago around the southern cape and then to Buonos Aires. This will be the second leg of sailing around South America! We picked this cruise because of the 2 day stop in Lima Peru and the chance to go to Machu Pichu. That will surely be the highlight of this trip. We will be offloaded for 3 days to do this “excursion”. It is a limited excursions but we were able to get space on it. Soon after we booked, the web site said wait listed only! More about that in the future.

Our Sailing December 2014

  The Golden has the International Cafe - the little food bar in the atrium - which is where we like to gather for small meals . For some reason we did not pack as in the past. Our suitcases seem to be half empty. Perhaps it is because we are going to a warm area. Crossing the equator will be something we have not done by ship in the past. Packing for a land portion of this cruise sea trip was different.  As the maps show we start in LA. The complete itinerary is shown on the right. As you can see we have plenty of sea days with very few ports.

Day by Day

     After this trip we will be around 270 days plus on Princess (stuck in a rut?) but now that we attained Elite status we can hardly pass up the perks.  The mini bar and free laundry are just a few of the things that go along with the staying with one line. It will be interesting to see if this cruise is filled with Elite members as some of our cruises have been in the past.

        We have booked 2 shore excursions. The Machu Pichu is the big one but we have booked one to an active volcano in Costa Rica. The other stops, including Cabo will simply be a walk around.

       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. It is always nice to read the comments        

Honfleur A Fishing Village Near Le Havre

Honfleur Harbour

      The last day of this cruise. We fly back to Toronto tomorrow afternoon! Many of the tours today headed for Paris or Normandy. Both promised to be long day (over 10 hours) and having been to both places we opted for a “local” tour to the town of Honfleur. It is across the mouth of the Seine River from Le Havre where we are currently docked. It was a great choice of a tour. Le Havre is an old city but it was completely destroyed in WW2 by the allies. It was being used by the Germans at that time. In fact it was bombed so many times that the Allies could not use it as during the invasion in 1944.

        Honfleur is only a few miles away over the 'new' bridge but we took the long way around so that the tour guide could give some of the background to the development and significance of the old port. It was the main port at the mouth of the Seine until it silted in.   In fact Champlain left from Honfleur on his sailing to Canada.

     

Typical Normandy Street

It was a quaint Norman fishing village. Today it is the destination of tourist from France as well as cruise ships. The town is filled with shops, cafes, eateries, etc. The buildings are very old. It was not bombed in WW2 as it had no strategic significance. So unlike Le Havre which was completely rebuilt after the war, the village remained intact.

Old Guard House and Residence

Walking around the town does not take long. In some respects it reminded us of Rouen with the type of construction. The main street along the Yieux Basin looked very much like Canal street in Copenhagen with the many cafes and people strolling along. The only difference is that the basin today is filled with yachts. Gone are the trading ships that were so important to its development.

In Front Of Yieux Basin

      The guide took us a quick tour around the village, stopping at the old salt storage buildings, town square , the Yieux Basin, St Catherine's Church as well as the old streets. The church is interesting. It was constructed completely of wood by the local shipbuilders.  Limestone was too expensive for this small community so they simple used their skills. It was added to twice. It also has a bell tower separate across the street from the church. Being made of wood, if the church caught fire, at least they would not have to rebuilt the entire structure. Wandering around we found a bake shop where Judy had a chocolate eclair and I had a crusty apple turnover. The rest of the time we simply enjoyed the town.

Really Old Butcher's Shop

      We were back at the ship by 1 pm and could have gone into town. Instead we did all the things that we had missed do to the schedule. Lunch was pizza and beer, followed by a swim and hot tub, followed by afternoon tea and then the dreaded packing which went quite well. We will be spending the evening with dinner followed by the International Crew Show. Packing is finished and we fly out tomorrow afternoon.

    Photos shows the views around Honfleur! Cheers!

Last Day At Sea

    Today was the last of the 2 sea days for this cruise. It has been hard to get into a rhythm for the cruise first with the late arrival and departures of the first few days and with the port every day routine. Here we are on the second last day of the cruise and it is only the second sea day.    They have had a hard time fitting in bingo and had 2 sessions today! We did manage to go to to zumba for the last time, the 6^th of this cruise. It is a good way to start the day but with the time advance last night, we have only been able to fit in a quick breakfast. Despite that we both have been eating way to much as you would expect on a cruise like this. We made an effort to walk on the deck today and go see the pools. It was a foggy cool day but a few people managed to get the little sun that was available.

At Sea

   We did have lunch in the dining room and then went to the wine tasting. We both thought that it was not very well done and in fact there was a small crowd. Most were either elite or suite passengers who receive the tasting free. Both groups get the tasting as a comp. The rest of the afternoon was spent lazing around. We will need to pack tomorrow but did not have much incentive to even fill a suitcase today.

     Tonight we did see the Irish comedian again. Same show as on the last cruise but he is very entertaining. They have 'phony' baked alaskas' now. They do the parade but they have the pieces cut and ready to go. Somehow it was not the same as before. A show finished the evening.

Edinburgh In The Rain – What Can You Say!

      Today was the last port in the British Isles. We head to France next. We decided before the cruise started to simply go ashore and find our own way. There is a train station 200 steps up from the landing of the tenders. We were off early. Once ashore, a local company offered a bus ride into the city centre and back for about the same cost. Too convenient!. They dropped us at the beginning of Princess street which is the main street of new town. There is a park in a valley that separates old and new town. We followed the street along towards the hill at the end.

Scot's Memorial

On Top Of The Memorial

Edinburgh Castle

     The street is filled with upscale stores and being Saturday they were filled with shoppers. We did venture into one upscale department store called Jenners. They were having Blue Cross sale. We were curious! It is an added sale but the a sales lady said there was not much difference in prices. Across the street is the Walter Scott Monument. Of course we went up to see the views of the city. Unfortunately is was a cloudy, misty foggy day and the views were good but not great. It has 4 levels of viewing with a total of 287 steps in a winding staircase. No lift here. Over 200 feet high, it was completed in 1844. The passageway was very narrow at the top as was the actual viewing area..

Bannerman's Pub

     We continued to the Regent Gardens at the end of the street. They also overlook the city. It has a partially completed Parthenon, a modern day Greek structure. It was never finished due to a lack of funds. We crossed the bridge and walked down the royal mile which leads to the Edinburgh Castle. We diverted from the main street looking for a place for lunch. We asked a policeman for a pub where the locals go. Withing 100 yards we found the Bannermans Bar. It was probably the most interesting pub of all the places we had visited. It is called a “Rock and Whisky” bar whatever that means.Definitely local. There were people in there dressed in their finest, probably going to a wedding which was going on across the street.

    Back to the mile for a stroll just as the rains moved in. We made our way to the castle where there was some type of concert going on. Now we were getting wet! We decided to head back to 

The Mile In The Rain

the bus pick up point. The mini bus ride back was quite enjoyable as the driver gave us a commentary on what we were passing. Sean Connery has a house in the area; and Harry Potter's Hogwarts School was close by although the fog and mist blocked the view. After all the rain it was good to get back to the ship for a little rest.

    We did attend manage to get to Skywakers for some pre dinner drinks and snacks, then headed to the art gallery for some champagne and cheese. We seem to get invited to these things all the time. We think it is because we have won some free art in the past and are now “collectors”. Dinner and a wonderful performance by a singer ended the evening. She was better comedian than a singer. Her voice was so deep that Judy said it scared her. She thinks that she was a male!

 

Invergordon – Gateway to Loch Ness

     After a good sleep we were ready to head to Inverness for a look around the Scottish Highlands. Our first impression was ok where are the highlands. I guess we had a mental picture of Scotland and although there are some low rolling hills, we did not see Highlands as such.

    The port is about 15 miles from Inverness and the only way to get to town was a transfer. They did not have a local train and the local bus takes hours. We opted for and Inverness on your own with the plan to take local transport to Loch Ness. The bus driver that we had did not seem to know where he was going. We drove around a few times before he figured out the drop point which was right next to the Loch River. Go figure. By the time we got into town and figured out the bus schedule, we would have had only a short time at the Loch. All the tours from town had already departed by the time we got there. We decided rather than taking a chance of not making it back to our bus, to just stay in town and do a walking tour.

Inverness Selfie

Along Loch River

The local tourist information office had maps prepared that showed the 25 or so buildings and places of interest within walking distance.

Book Store In Old Church

     We stopped at the local museum for a very nice overview of Scottish history and then went to the Castle of Inverness. It is not that old and is now used as government offices. There are some interesting old buildings in the town and we did visit a number of the old Gothic churches and the chapel cemetery. The most interesting place we visited was the old Gaelic church. It was the first church built for Gaelic worship in 1694, rebuilt in 1702 and in 1792 became the Greyfriars Free Church. It isow a second hand book shop. Stacks and racks of books in an old church. The photo gives a better idea of what it looked like inside. The church is not that big.

Scottish Pub Lunch

      We wandered along the Lock River for a few blocks and then went back to Church Street where we found a nice pub for lunch. We had a nice lunch, a nice cider for Judy and a pint for me. We sat and watched the locals. I'm sure they were watching us as well. The Ruby has only been coming into this port since May. We also had a chance to see some of the British Open. Finally we wandered along the river for a bit and ended at St. Andrew's Cathedral. It was finished in 1869 in the Victorian Gothic style. It was suppose to have spires but they were never added.     We were back on the bus and back to the ship in late afternoon. They had a Scottish music and dance troupe in (very small) for a pre sailing show. Dinner and a show by a Canadian magician ended the evening.

Finally A Day At Sea

     Finally today we had a sea day. We have been on the go for about 12 days since we arrived in Ireland and today was the first sea day that we had. There are only 2 on the entire trip. No such thing as relaxing until today. We did manage to sleep in with no real plan for the day. A small breakfast followed by exercise . We had a nice morning tea (tea and a dessert). We were waiting for the pub lunch to open. On many sea days they serve fish and chip and other English meals in the Wheelhouse lounge. The ship calls they British Pub Days. There is always a lineup but we only waited for about 10 minutes. We joined up with our table mates from Calgary.

Passing At Sunset

Self Portrait

 The first champagne auction of this trip was this afternoon. Princess has changed the way they do the auction. Today they only sold things in “lots” and one went for around $18,000. All items were in the thousands of dollars except for a few token ones. Hard to believe that they would sell that type of art. Gone are the days of the low price paintings. We noticed a few changes on the last cruise but this is not the old days. Everyone got a piece of art when they left – a small glossy print of something.

     We did go to line dancing. Karen did a good job again. We first met her on the Crown Princess on a crossing a few years ago and she seems much more polished now. She confirmed that the Crown was her first contract with Princess. She did what she called an intermediate dance. It was a beginners all the way. However she keeps the class moving so at least it was a chance to move around a bit. She also does the zumba class in the morning.

Formal Night

Dressed abd Ready To Go

   Chocolate covered strawberries arrived and we had a glass of wine, then went to the Captain's party. Of over 3200 people aboard, there are only 162 with “Elite” status. Dinner and a new production show that was a bit off the wall ended the evening. We really enjoyed the day at sea!