Friday, May 28, 2010
First full day at sea
We slept in this morning mostly because the rocking of the ship and the comfort of egg crate bed made everything peaceful. After getting ready we headed up for breakfast. It seems everyone had the same idea. The one thing we did not like is the setup of the Horizon Buffet for breakfast. They put the toaster in the middle of the action so it was very crowded. The sun is shining today but it is VERY windy and cool. Lots of people are in their swimsuits soaking up the sun but no one in the pools. It is amazing how many people are around the ship. I keep forgetting how big the ship is compared to Disney. After we ate some fruit, French toast, and bacon we headed down to the Piazza for some fancy coffee drinks at the International Café. We stopped for a bit to talk with some of our Cruise Critic friends and then headed to see what all the fuss was about at the Shopping Talk. The theater was packed and tons of information. I hope that maybe I can get this beautiful blue diamond ring they featured. I think that would make an awesome anniversary gift, don’t you??
One of the things we heard about when researching this cruise was the pub lunch. It is only featured on sea days and it was being held today at the Crown Grill. About 1:00pm we headed there. We sat next to a nice couple from NJ and enjoyed the best fish and chips Chris has ever eaten.
One thing I can say so far is that the food on this ship is not only in more abundance than Disney but the quality is fantastic. Of course even though we were full we had to check out the buffets to see what else was offered. While walking through Caribe Café buffet, Chris spotted the fried shrimp so we had to eat again. Needless to say we will not go hungry here. The other side of the buffet, Horizon court even had different items.
Tonight is formal night. They are offering 10 different locations to get your pictures taken and the captain will make his speech and there is a champagne waterfall toast. We will be dressing up tonight but I am hoping I can convince Chris to skip the next formal night. I am really enjoying the anytime dining option. The buffets are really nice and we haven’t even seen the two dining rooms yet. That’s all for now… off to walk off some of this food in preparation of dinner.
One of the things we heard about when researching this cruise was the pub lunch. It is only featured on sea days and it was being held today at the Crown Grill. About 1:00pm we headed there. We sat next to a nice couple from NJ and enjoyed the best fish and chips Chris has ever eaten.
One thing I can say so far is that the food on this ship is not only in more abundance than Disney but the quality is fantastic. Of course even though we were full we had to check out the buffets to see what else was offered. While walking through Caribe Café buffet, Chris spotted the fried shrimp so we had to eat again. Needless to say we will not go hungry here. The other side of the buffet, Horizon court even had different items.Tonight is formal night. They are offering 10 different locations to get your pictures taken and the captain will make his speech and there is a champagne waterfall toast. We will be dressing up tonight but I am hoping I can convince Chris to skip the next formal night. I am really enjoying the anytime dining option. The buffets are really nice and we haven’t even seen the two dining rooms yet. That’s all for now… off to walk off some of this food in preparation of dinner.
After the required 4:30pm muster drill, we headed to the deck for the sailaway party. We had our first cocktails and then went to Outrigger’s Bar to meet our Cruise critic friends. It was fun. They are a great bunch and I look forward to meeting them throughout the ship. We started sailing away from NYC and it got COLD! We soon headed inside to get ready for dinner.
Our first night was great. We had a wonderful dinner at the Crown Grill. This is one of the two specialty restaurants on board. I had filet mingion and Chris had a veal chop. Because it was our anniversary they brought us a chocolate cake and sang a happy anniversary. One thing I will mention is my appetizer was scallops which were good and something else I tried but did not know what it was. I made the mistake of asking the waiter. He replied it was “goose liver”. That explains why I did not like it.
After dinner we headed out to the night life. This was short lived because we were exhausted. We did see my new favorite band Exotique. They are fantastic. We also breezed through the casino without stopping and are anxiously awaiting the no smoking night tonight. We went to the welcome aboard show and the best part of that was the cruise director, Dan Styne. He is hysterical and not what I am used to for cruise directors. He is on the TV every morning on a funny news show he created. When we got back to our room we had our chocolate on the pillow and our Princess Patter with all of tomorrow’s activities. All in all great first day!
Our first night was great. We had a wonderful dinner at the Crown Grill. This is one of the two specialty restaurants on board. I had filet mingion and Chris had a veal chop. Because it was our anniversary they brought us a chocolate cake and sang a happy anniversary. One thing I will mention is my appetizer was scallops which were good and something else I tried but did not know what it was. I made the mistake of asking the waiter. He replied it was “goose liver”. That explains why I did not like it.
After dinner we headed out to the night life. This was short lived because we were exhausted. We did see my new favorite band Exotique. They are fantastic. We also breezed through the casino without stopping and are anxiously awaiting the no smoking night tonight. We went to the welcome aboard show and the best part of that was the cruise director, Dan Styne. He is hysterical and not what I am used to for cruise directors. He is on the TV every morning on a funny news show he created. When we got back to our room we had our chocolate on the pillow and our Princess Patter with all of tomorrow’s activities. All in all great first day!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
On our way...
We made it on board the Caribbean Princess! So far all I can say is AWESOME! We left this morning at 8am and headed to pick up Kate and Glen in Cromwell, our new Cruise Critic board friends. They, like us have not been on a Princess Cruise. After a bit of traffic we arrived onboard the ship at 12 noon, which we soon found out was the perfect time. We breezed right through the terminal and check in. Actually it was almost too fast, no time to take it all in. Our room was ready which is a HUGE plus above the Disney cruise line. We have an awesome balcony. Chris already said he will be spending a lot of time out there. We then headed out to explore the ship. First stop was the purser’s desk to make reservations for the Ultimate ship tour. Although expensive we heard great things about this. We got a reservation and the tour will take place on our last full day. Then we found our way to the buffet. This buffet is great. Not only does the entire buffet have glass windows but they actually get your drink for you. The food choices were ok. Chris loved the fried scallops.
We spent the next two hours exploring the ship. I actually feel like I am getting jipped on the Disney cruise. That cruise costs as much if not more for less days and I would say there is only about a third of the stuff there is on this ship. So many bars, food choices, pools, etc. Most bars are not open while in port but I am really looking forward to the evening activities. We stopped by the pizza counter and got a few slices and once again AWESOME! The MUTS area is great and you cannot hear the movies from other areas. The Sanctuary is nice but I still don’t think it is worth paying for.
The only thing that would make today better would be if the sun would come out. Very cloudy here. At least it is not raining. We have met our room steward who asked to be called Ronnie and all of our luggage was at the room by 3pm. We also bought our soda card and landyards. So far all I can say is WOW! I am so looking forward to the cruise getting underway. This ship is very exciting and I am glad our itinerary calls for 4 days at sea. This is our plan for the week:
Friday- at sea; Saturday-Bermuda (fingers crossed); Sunday-at sea; Monday –San Juan, PR; Tuesday-St Thomas; Wednesday – Grand Turk; Thursdy & Friday- at sea
Keep watching for updates!
We spent the next two hours exploring the ship. I actually feel like I am getting jipped on the Disney cruise. That cruise costs as much if not more for less days and I would say there is only about a third of the stuff there is on this ship. So many bars, food choices, pools, etc. Most bars are not open while in port but I am really looking forward to the evening activities. We stopped by the pizza counter and got a few slices and once again AWESOME! The MUTS area is great and you cannot hear the movies from other areas. The Sanctuary is nice but I still don’t think it is worth paying for.
The only thing that would make today better would be if the sun would come out. Very cloudy here. At least it is not raining. We have met our room steward who asked to be called Ronnie and all of our luggage was at the room by 3pm. We also bought our soda card and landyards. So far all I can say is WOW! I am so looking forward to the cruise getting underway. This ship is very exciting and I am glad our itinerary calls for 4 days at sea. This is our plan for the week:
Friday- at sea; Saturday-Bermuda (fingers crossed); Sunday-at sea; Monday –San Juan, PR; Tuesday-St Thomas; Wednesday – Grand Turk; Thursdy & Friday- at sea
Keep watching for updates!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
New vacation, new look
Two days and counting until our next vacation so I decided to change it up a bit. On Thursday May 27th we will not only be celebrating our 15yr anniversary but we will be going on vacation somewhere other than Disney. I know... you can't believe it. But it is true. We will be taking a 9-day cruise on Princess Cruise Line to the Caribbean from NYC. As you can see by the name we did think of Disney when planning...(Princess). We are doing our last minute cleaning so all will be well for grandpa Jimmy who will be staying with the four legged children for the week. Then one more day of work and home to pack. Keep watching for updates along the way.
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