An Atlantic Repositioning

    We are headed out for our second cruise of 2018, the first being the trans Pacific Tokyo Japan to Alaska cruise last spring. That cruise had a lot of sea days on one of the oldest ships in the Princess fleet. By contrast we are sailing on the Regal Princess, the second of the “new” ships in the Princess fleet although it is now 6 years old. We were on the old Regal through the Panama Canal back on our second cruise many years ago. In contrast to the Pacific crossing, this will be a trans-Atlantic repositioning. We like the Regal because of the redesigned buffet area, the large open piazza where zumba and line dancing are held, the crab shack and Alfredo's pizza restaurant. We did receive a very nice upgrade to a Deluxe Balcony on Deck 8. The itinerary is similar to the last crossing we did on the Regal 4 years ago. We decided on this repositioning because of the ship, the ports and the September dates. It is the ship that has one of my photos framed on deck 8. I am looking forward to seeing the print of the Great Wall of China again.

   After driving to Toronto, we fly Air Canada directly to Copenhagen 2 days before the cruise to spend some time revisiting the city. We wanted to be well rested before the cruise begins! One of the things we hope to do in Copenhagen is a bike tour of the city. As the maps shows, after sailing from Copenhagen, we stop in Arhus the second largest city in Denmark. In Norway we are returning to Kristiansand. I found a nice little harbour tour for that port. On to Glasgow where we may take a ship tour and then down to the Dublin. There we have booked a tour of the old city jail rated as a top attraction. We have had 2 wonderful hosted visits in Dublin previously so we plan to wander. The final stop in the British Isles will be in southern Ireland at Cobh. We booked a tour to Spike Island which at one time was a prison located in the middle of the harbour. After 5 days of crossing the Atlantic we will arrive in Halifax where we hope to meet up with some friends from Florida. Another day at sea and we will arrive in New York and the short trip back to Toronto. We are looking forward to 14 days of fun.

After this trip we will have 347 days on Princess (still stuck in a rut?) but now that we attained Elite status we can hardly pass up the perks - free laundry, mini bar and wine tasting ! Anyone that has cruised will appreciate what a luxury it is to have free laundry!It means that you do not need to pack as many clothes. However we still will not be even close to have enough days to be invited to the private Captain's Party held for the most traveled passengers.

        We have not yet booked a ship tour. After doing the research and having been to some of these places before we are content to explore on our own. That may change.

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 of people interested in our travels. 

   

A Long Flight And Home

   We are finally home after a day of recuperating in Toronto. We were off the ship by 8:30 Saturday morning after easily going through U.S. customs on the ship. It was easiest immigration inspection after all the stuff in Japan. About 3 hours later we finally arrived at the airport. Fortunately we had a 4 pm flight. The ship had sent the luggage directly to the airport which saved time and lugging effort. We were the first Princess ship into Whittier. There are 5 princess ships in Alaska. Air Canada only has 1 flight a day and I think this must have been their first of the season since there seemed to be doing on the job training. It took a bit of time to check in. We were TSA pre cleared for the full flight.

3 hours and 1 time change later we were in Vancouver ready to go through Canadian customs. Since we had a quick turn around we got in a “fast track line”. There were dedicated kiosks and we went to the front of the line, bypassing the 200 people waiting. 

   The Canadian kiosk now takes a photo as well as scanning the passport. I think there is an computer comparison of the 2 photos. You make a declaration (no paper work to fill out) have it checked as you go out. Back through security and we were ready for the 2 hour time change and 4 hour flight to Toronto. At 6:30 am, Chris pulled up just as we came out of the terminal. We had a 3 hour sleep and then a relaxing day in Toronto on Sunday. We came back to Windsor today.

   After almost 3 weeks away we are glad to be home. We found the crossing long because it was cold and windy outside and we were basically confined in the ship. However it won't be long before we head off again. So many places to see in this world. Cheers

The Last Leg

    We are on the last leg of the trans Pacific crossing getting close to Alaska. We were steaming along at 20 knots but I suspect he could be there before the 5 am docking. We are not scheduled to go through immigration and head to the airport until around 8:30.

We needed a bit of sea legs today but not many! The outside temperature picked up a bit but we expect 32F tomorrow in Whittier.

    Today was sleep in day (not by choice) but we did manage the meditation session and the zumba. Lots of people there today. We did a full hour which was a nice way to spend part of the morning as there was not a lot of things going on that we were interested in. After a light breakfast we joined our “Oriental” dance friends for some line dancing. They had just taken a break and were taking a group picture which I quickly volunteered to do. So one camera ok but then a cell phone came out then another then another! I was never invited into the picture but took lots using my group photo skills – eyes shut, open on 3 etc. The phone cameras did a nice job as there was plenty of natural light. While there we advanced another hour to the clock. No wonder people we talk to tell tales about not getting to sleep (Judy) and then not getting up in the morning (Judy!).

   We did get to sit in the International Cafe at a table which we occupied for a few hours with a friend from the ship. Tea and lunch was followed by a ship conducted line dance session. We did Poker Face and a few other familiar songs. We did find a very nice watch for Judy using some of our on board credits. We (I) am calling it an Anniversary gift. Packing filled the rest of the afternoon (then a piece of pizza and a beer.) Judy still has not located her Tilly. We think someone took hers and left a look alike! We will need to replace that sometime.

   Tonight they had a Voice of the Ocean show and it was quite good. Some passengers have a lot of talent. funny. We did not stay until the end because we wanted to go to dinner at the appointed time. The International Crew Show ended the evening. It was a bit different than others we have seen.

     In general Princess has changed a number of things in the activities area. Gone are some of the routines that we have seen many times in the past. Because the ship was full and the weather cold, most venues were packed. The crossing is always a bit long but we had plenty of time to relax. Now we head back home.

Bouncing Again At Sea

Rocking At Sea

   After a bit of a respite the bouncing has returned with the associated creeking and groaning that goes along with it. The interior of the ship remains crowded with the cold temperatures that prevent people from being outside on the upper decks. Everyone seems to be just going about their business.

   We managed breakfast in the dining room again today. We are among the first to arrive and sat at the same table and although it is open seating, we see the same people.

We did make it to the meditation session and the zumba. It is the one thing that is not so crowded that you can't find a spot. Since the ship is rocking, I think the Joel toned it down a bit.

   We did attend the lecture on the Alaska gold rush. The presentation was very well done. Having been to Skagway much of what was highlighted was mildly familiar to us.

We did join the Oriental dancers for some line dancing. Again the dances were simple (Ice Cream Freeze was one) but at least we had a chance to move. Her last dance was a song in Chinese. The instructor does use English while we are there but sometimes she switches to Chinese. She reminds us of the instructor on some of the videos we use! While there we advanced another hour to the clock. One more tomorrow! We did see some light snow falling. There was also the big “sale” today and we did find a few things to buy.

Balloon Drop

Formal Nifgr

   We did get to sit in the International Cafe at a table which we occupied for a few hours with some friends from the ship. Tea, lunch, good conversation and the pop choir presentation helped pass the time. The balloons for the party tonight in the net above the atrium kept popping. I guess they filled them too much air early in the day and as the area warmed they popped!

   Tonight was our last formal night with the Captain giving all the statistics about this trip. Unlike a lot of other captains, he loves the mike! He gave numbers on bottles of wine, cases of beer, eggs and even toilet paper! Dinner was excellent (I skipped the lobster) and another show with the “Dolly Parton” singer ended the evening. We got out just in time to watch the balloon drop and then all the popping as they were being broken! Judy managed to stay far above the pit!

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Another Day At Sea

    The bouncing seemed to have stop sometime overnight and the sailing is relatively smooth again! The creeking and groaning ended and it seems that there are more people just wandering around. It has been impossible to get a table in the Atrium as people move in and just sit there for hours all day. I guess that is what happens when there is a relatively light schedule. When there is an activity you need to get there early or you do not get a seat.

     We were up a bit late today. I think that is what happens with all the time changes. We did make it to the meditation session before zumba. I think we are getting the hang of it but it seems to be a slow process. There was a new leader at zumba today and it was more real zumba than the routines (gold) that we have been doing. Too much jumping and things like that. I don't think it was as good a workout for me as the in the past. After that there was a lecture on the sea horse. He mentioned he is doing the lectures for free so I assume that he gets his passage as payment.

   We went up to the 17^th deck lounge and found some line dancers! The leader and dancers were all Oriental and they do this “class” for 2 hours every day. We jumped right in. The only trouble is that all the dances are really old. We have not done “New York New York” for about 10 years. All the songs were like that. However they did invite us back. They are there every day for 2 hours. While we were there we added another hour to the clock.

    After a quick lunch, we played musical bingo. You have a bingo card with songs from various years and themes – Party, Grammy Winners,etc. Then they play about 30 seconds of a song and if it is on your card you mark it off on your “card”. Well who can tell the songs. They did give the name of the song a few songs later. It was a real scramble but it was an interesting concept. We took my computer and went back to Skywalkers to do a little line dancing. It was a good way to pass the time.

    As usual an afternoon rest and the usual night. Pizza and beer hit the spot. The '50' & “60's Party was on but we had dinner at that time. Our table mates bought a bottle of champagne to help celebrate our anniversary. The staff sang the song and delivered the special little cake. Just what we needed! We went to a production show which we think we have seen before but it may have been updated. Formal night tomorrow.   You may have noticed that the date says it is 10 May but that is because my computer remains on Ontario time.  Tomorrow is Thursday for us, the second last day of the cruise.

Lazy Day At Sea

   We bouncing along all last night and today and the ship has continued to creek and groan all day. However although the waves are still moderate it does not seem to be as rough as yesterday although some crashes did cause a huge amount of white water to be tossed aside. Still we are going on at around 20 knots. The captain did announce that this is what we need to expect the next few days. It seems that we will finally cross the International Date Line a little later tonight. The weather is overcast with some sunny patches but it is too cold to walk outside. Last night around 1am there was an announcement in the cabins to muster an emergency party to deck 4 machinery section 5. A little later the Captain announced that all was well and we were coming back up to speed. Around noon there was an medical emergency called to the Horizon court buffet.

This morning we did make it to breakfast before zumba. With all the advances in time, it seems that fewer people are up and about. That was certainly true in the dining room and at zumba. The class had about half the numbers as earlier.

At The Captain's Party

    We did make it to a talk on whales and then the Alaska naturalist Sue talk on animals of Alaska. Today was the second time we have had breakfast with her. That took us to the time change but we managed to get to the dining room for lunch before the crowds. A bit of the art auction, more shopping for Judy and tea filled the rest of the afternoon.

     Tonight we had the Captain's Circle party. Of course trying to get a drink is always a bit of a fight but we managed. We found out at the party that there was a problem with the heating system and that is why the ship has been cold all the time. They think that they have it fixed. Dinner was good (shrimp) and then a musical showtime finished the day. The piano man put on a good show.

Our Second Monday

   We have been bouncing along the Pacific since later last night. The rocking and rolling has been causing the ship to creek and groan all day. We will be crossing the Date Line a little later tonight. We are almost there.

   We had our usual routine again with meditation and zumba. We missed most of the meditation because we did not get up early enough. Breakfast was on the run from the International Plaza. Zumba was a bit easier because the ship was rocking. After that we attended 2 lectures. The first was about sea monsters (real) and more about living in Alaska.

    We had another time changes today. The lecture let out at the noon becoming 1 pm and we needed to grab a bite and run again to the after noon movie “The Post”. We enjoyed it. After that we retired for a real nap – the first one that I have taken on this cruise. We woke up hungry. A comic routine with a juggler and a show on the stars followed. We tried to do star glazing earlier but the clouds and the cold stopped us. With the outside temperature at 1 C we have not ventured out very much. The ship seems cold from people going out on deck.

   Dinner tonight was filet and was probably the best meal we have had on the ship. The list of activities tomorrow is very thin but perhaps that has to do with the sea condition.