Valentine's Day Ride....

To celebrate Valentine’s Day 2014, Cath & I had lunch in OKC at a favorite restaurant that features ‘tapas’ plates. Tapas are a wide variety of Spanish influenced unique appetizers.  Lots of interest…  Had an excellently paired wine that was Malbec-like… can’t remember the name now… But being intentional meant making the journey interesting and special.  Loving trains like I do, we snagged a ride on the Eastern Flyer for the day…. quality ride… nice people.  Love seeing small town America, family farms trying to make a go of it, and wooded plains with creek ravens begging to be explored.....  Special day all around…..

Ahoy matey, playing 'pirates of the caribbean' for a week, and a blessed week, at that!

On a hot day last September, while we were doing yard work, I gathered the mail from the box and leisurely browsed through it as I walked back toward the house.  Among all of it was a postcard from Princess Cruises, offering half price fares, on balconies, no less, if you BOOK NOW for sailings in January 2014.  Well, on such a day, it seemed like a good time for a 'lemonade break' so I waved this postcard across the gaze of my co-laborer, upon which he stopped the lawn mower, mid-step.  Yes.  Mid-step.  Because there had to be a catch, right?  Half price balconies?  In the Caribbean? In January?  But while we enjoyed our lemonade we determined there was no catch.  So we finished our yard work that day, smiles on our faces, pondering sugar sand beaches during a time when Tulsa could be having an ice storm.  And the planning is always so much fun......

Fast forward four months.......

So I'm writing this blog 'after the fact' unlike previous entries when we've traveled and posted daily or every other day.  We just decided not to pay the $11/day on board for internet access....don't know when we'd have found time anyway.

 Saturday, January 18

We flew to Houston on Friday, January 17 just to insure that, had Tulsa had inclement weather on the 18th, we wouldn't have been prevented from reaching the embarkation point and time.  After a night at the Holiday Inn Express near the Houston Hobby we were shuttled back to Hobby Airport at around 11am where we joined about 80 others in boarding a Princess Coach for the 30 minute trip to the Bayport Harbor and the Princess Cruise Ship Terminal.  Check-in was smooth and we visited with a nice couple from the Minneapolis area, Denny and Susan, during the two hour wait for boarding the Caribbean Princess.  A couple of days prior to our departure, we'd received an email from Princess Cruises indicating that on the voyage of the Caribbean Princess that was just ending the Saturday morning before we'd be embarking that afternoon, they'd had an outbreak of the Norovirus (gastrointestinal).  So our embarkation time would be delayed 2-3 hours so they could conduct extensive disinfecting procedures and so that personnel from the CDC could come aboard to give them the 'go ahead' to sail.  So we were, indeed, delayed a few hours, but we were expecting that so it was not a problem.  We actually felt that we'd be better off for the precautions they were taking.

 It was a couple of degrees colder in Houston than it was in Tulsa during our boarding time, so we were in an enclosed gangplank structure, taking in all the sites, looking forward to settling into our stateroom on the Riviera deck and hoping our luggage, from which we'd long since been separated, had found its way into one of the many carts being loaded as we boarded.

As soon as we were on board, and had found our stateroom, we set off on a scavenger hunt, designed by Princess to acquaint passengers with areas/services on the ship of which we might want to avail ourselves.....and of course, there was an incentive: get your map stamped, turn it in and you'd be eligible for some wonderful prize.  Well, we didn't win the wonderful prize (can't even remember what it was), but we had a blast exploring this soon-to-be-floating-city and even clocked 39 flights of stairs on our Fitbits, deciding to leave the elevators for some other time.

The ship was carrying 3,100 passengers and 1,500 crew and, even though we’ve cruised once before (Alaska, 2004) the word ‘giddy’ was the only way I could think to describe my feelings.  Some things looked and felt familiar, but there were so many places to go, see, and things to do and I’m so glad that Rob’s orienteering skills are ‘top-notch’ because mine so aren’t!  I wanted to remember every minute and not take a bit of this adventure for granted!

So we settled in our stateroom, Riviera 607, and got to know our ‘home’ for the next week.  Cozy but plenty of room to ‘just be us’ and unpack and get all our stuff situated.

After the requisite ‘emergency drill’ we deposited our life vest back in our stateroom and headed to the Horizon Court (just one deck above us) for dinner.  As part of the ‘extra precautions’ the staff is taking, they’re handling all the serving utensils at the buffet and serving your coffee, water, etc. at your table, so that’s different from last time, but not unwelcome, at all.  It made the buffet area a bit more crowded, but we can get used to that, for the help it will provide.  After dinner we continued our exploration and stopped off to enjoy some live music in the Atrium.



 

 

Then we changed into the warmer clothes we'd brought and secured a couple of deck chairs, some after dinner beverages and some WARMED blankets (thank you, deck stewards!) and watched 'Despicable Me 2' under the stars! 

Then we adjourned to the Crooner’s Piano Bar and were thoroughly entertained by Seth, the piano-man, who played and sang anyone’s requests for the next two hours, encouraged us to sing along, and was a hilarious entertainer, to boot!  He ‘packed the place’, so we’ll know to get there early if we want a repeat of that fun time later this week.

Nighty-nite!

 

Sunday, January 19.....We woke this morning, after a restful night on gently rocking seas (bearing east southeast), to partly cloudy skies.  The humidity out on the balcony felt delicious and healthy after our dry Tulsa winter! 

I went and got coffee for us (so glad we brought our Eddie Bauer travel mugs!) so we could enjoy that while we leisurely got ready for our day.  We enjoyed such a good variety of things for breakfast: smoked salmon with thinly sliced red onion and lemon slices, eggs, bacon, everything we could possibly want in the way of fruit, and some pastry we didn’t need, but enjoyed, nevertheless.  The attentive stewards never let our coffee cups or OJ glasses get empty.  We picked up some good ‘port shopping tips’ at a seminar, but the focus there quickly turned to all the diamond bargains to be had, so since that was of no interest to us (yeah, I know diamonds are supposed to be a girl’s best friend, but I’m so NOT ‘that girl’), we left early so we could make it to an 11:00 ‘Detox for Health’ seminar and the education we gained was ‘worth its weight in gold’ (and diamonds!)  We even scheduled a visit with the trainer later today to talk about a personal detox plan for both of us.

 Just sitting out on the balcony with coffee and reading and talking this afternoon has been such a joy.  The clouds were three or four different shades of gray with some blue peeking through every now and then and, because all we can see is endless ocean, the blue-gray horizon line and then ‘big sky country’ layered cloud displays, it’s just so easy to drink in that vista.  Soon the palette of gray gave way to clear, blue skies and fleecy clouds!



There’s lovely ‘art’ for sale in the gallery through which we pass on the Deck 5 level of the Atrium, but I can’t imagine any ‘art’ better than our view from our balcony!  Author! Author!

After a casual early dinner at the Horizon Court ---this is ‘formal night’—we put on our very smart casual (with ‘bling’) attire and fit right in.  We enjoyed drinks and quite a few ‘spins’ on the dance floor at the Explorer’s Lounge, then had a great cozy, ringside, loveseat for the hilarious Marriage Match Game.  Three couples, one married 2 ½ years, one married 18 years and one married 53 years were asked a variety of questions and the ‘his’/’her’ responses were compared.  So funny!  Later in the week we were on the elevator with the 53 year married couple and chatted with them about how famous they’d become.

 

Following the game there was more dancing and then we returned to Crooner's and Seth Gibson....this will have been one of our favorite memories.....a Michael buble kind of voice...so funny and talkented and, by this second night, they were having to line the perimeter of Crooner’s with folding chairs, and still it was SRO, to accommodate his growing fan base!

Monday, January 20 dawned warm and sunny and we ported in Cozumel at 7 am.  After breakfast we took a 40 minute tender ride to Playa del Carmen and then an hour long coach ride, narrated by 'Martin' our guide for the day, to the Tulum Mayan Ruins.

 

 

 

Along the way, we stopped at a place where we got to see a great display of a huge working loom.  Really gives a greater appreciation of the handiwork that goes into some of the native pieces.

Martin gave a us a tour of the Mayan Ruins at Tulum and then we took a steep climb down to a beautiful, but crowded, beach for about an hour, before boarding the coach back to the ship.  As interesting as the ruins were, I think we were more fascinated by the 2 1/2 foot iguana that was sauntering among the sunbathers on the beach!

Tuesday, January 21 we woke to partly cloudy becoming mostly sunny skies, as we were pulling into the port of Roatan, Honduras.    I went and brought coffee back to the stateroom as Rob took his first HOT shower since being onboard (the kid-proof  hot water safety mechanism in the shower had even these 'kids' fooled for a while).    I sat there on the balcony around 8 am just loving the humidity!  We were just off shore, enjoying views of lush green hills and coffee plantations, and I was hearing, in my 'imagination's ear', the haunting panpipes from the movie 'Clear and Present Danger'.  In our reading, prior to the cruise, we'd read that this area of Honduras has the highest murder rate in the world, so we figured that since we didn't have an excursion booked, it would probably be a good day to hang out on the ship.  But we would have missed one sweet beach experience.  Princess Cruises (and possibly other lines) have created a little 'shopping village'--a combination of local merchants plus high-end goods dealers AND a wonderful private beach, restaurant pier, nature trail, water sport rental area in a place called Mahogany Bay for those who don't go on excursions.    So that's where we spent our day.  Margaritas on beach chairs in thick sugar sand, gazing at turquoise water and just about dozing off.

He thinks it's a shoe......I think it's a drink holder

View of Mahogany Bay commercial are from our stateroom balcony

As we pulled up to the dock in Roatan, we wondered if another cruise ship had succumbed to an unhappy fate;)

View of Mahogany Bay private beach/nature trails from our stateroom balcony

Nature trail at Mahogany Bay on the way back to the ship


Once back on board we exchanged beach wear for gym wear to make good on our promise to ourselves to get to the gym at least one more time than we did on our 2004 Alaskan cruise (which was ONCE).  After all, when you're used to a big ole TV screen on your treadmill or elliptical at the 'Y' at home, who wouldn't want to be getting your cardio while looking out over the bow of the ship at the beautiful Caribbean?  So we went to the gym and took care of that cardio while looking around two big ole TV screens!  Oh well!  
 
Then we dressed for dinner in the Island Dining Room and dined with 3 other couples who were nice enough folks....but we were reminded, once again, why we love a 'table for two.'  Afterwards, we made sure we were on hand for an amazing martini demonstration, almost acrobatic in nature, that even including juggling of fragile and OPEN bottles!  Those guys had the crowd cheering!  And when they opened it up to audience participation, challenging volunteers to 'shake it' like the masters did....who should volunteer but my 'Mr.' who's all about making memories with me....and THAT, he did!  So proud of him!  We had such a great time and his 'volunteer spirit' earned us two signature martinis!

On Wednesday, January 22 we anchored just off the coast of Belize and woke to sunny skies.  After breakfast (come to me, smoked salmon with capers and purple onion!) we boarded a tender for the 15 smooth ride to Belize City.  We were greeted, on the pier, by touristy shops, and browed those for a bit, before exiting, past armed guards, into Belize City.  We got directions to the Bank of Belize, where we'd hope to exchange any of several bags of international coins that Rob has had for years.  Didn't have any luck on that but enjoyed a nice walk in the city, picked up a cute dress for Cora (thus completing our 'grandkid souvenir shopping') from a market vendor, and got plenty of practice with our 'just say no' skills with the plethora of  cart drivers, offering to take us on 'the best tour ever.'

 

Once we headed back toward the pier, we stopped at a fun eatery for nachos and fruity drinks and a last view of the area before boarding the tender for the smooth ride back to the' mother ship'.

 

Our favorite place to 'lay out' turned out to be Deck 17~Sports/Sun Deck and we went there often...it was always a great place to snag some loungers on a port day after we'd returned and before the sun began to set.

 

Thursday, January 23 turned out to be our last sunny day and it was a great one.  After breakfast we did a brisk 2 mile walk on the Promenade Deck (the view was SO much better than on the machines in the gym!).  We found a sunny spot where we could read aloud to one another up near the putting green on Deck 18.  Later in the day we watched the 'Mr. Sexy Legs' Contest by the pool, had a slice of pizza and then enjoyed our much-anticipated couple's massage in the Lotus Spa.
 
That night we 'smart-casualed' it again (that's how we're gonna 'roll' on 'formal nights from now on) and enjoyed a cozy corner table at Vines Tapas Wine Bar for dinner.  On the way there we aw them readying the traditional 'last night at sea balloon drop' in the three story atrium.

After dinner we took several more spins on the dance floor and finished the night off with Seth, at the piano Bar, who by now was so legendary, that we had to show up 45 minutes before his set began to even have a hope of getting a folding chair on the perimeter.  Our forethought paid off, though, and we got great cozy seats in the corner.  Such a good night!








Friday, January 24 dawned with very cloudy skies, light rain, and 'moderate seas' (4-8 ft. waves) that were causing us to actually hold onto hand rails on the way to breakfast.  After breakfast we attempted an outdoor Promenade Deck walk, but by now the falling temps and increasing rain caused us to cut our walk from the normal three laps to one.  And even so, we were holding onto one another and/or the railing the whole time.  It was such an amazing change from the day before!  We were so thankful that we're not prone to seasickness, but we're sure that, for those who were, this was not going to be a good day.

We spent a portion of the day visiting some favorite spots, staying out of the increasingly turbulent weather, and enjoying 'the ride'.  At one point, when we headed down to get some mid-afternoon coffee, we were stopped by a loud and energetic crowd, gathered at one of the banks of four elevators.   Like good teachers, who have to come up with innovative 'inside recess' games when their students are confined, the cruise staff responded by setting up a betting game among any interested passengers who might gather there, as to which elevator might open next!  The elevators were each 'named'.  Bets were taken. We couldn't figure out how they were doing the pay-outs, but it was hilarious!  Enthusiasm was high and the stunned looks on the faces of the people on the elevators, when the doors opened was priceless!

The Skywalkers Lounge was a 'happening' night spot where the 'happening' didn't start happening till after our bedtime so we never made it all the way up there for that, but it proved to be a perfect place for our read-aloud time on this cold, windy, rainy last day at sea.

Before dinner we packed our bags which had to be outside our door by 6pm that night.

After dinner we made sure to join the crowds listening to good music once again in the Piano Bar and then dancing to hits of the 60's and 70's in the Explorer Lounge.

Saturday, January 25.....and alarm clock was in order that morning and when it woke us we were already docked in Houston.  Sunny.  Cold.  Yep.  It's January, alright.  We were even cautioned to stay under the overhang, after leaving the ship on the way to bus that was to take us to the airport, since 'sheets of ice' had been sliding off.  Good to know. 



 
Thankful for adventures......thankful for home.