Day 8--Debarkation

Day 8—Debarkation

Although the seas were somewhat calm, there was some rolling and pitching during the night.  Although I enjoyed being rocked to sleep, I had to get up and stop the wooden hangars from banging together, so I pushed them all to one side and wrapped a towel around them.  Since the ship needed to increase speed to arrive in Los Angeles on time, the Sapphire was running without the stabilizers (the Staff Captain had told me that previously).

I had set my alarm this morning just be sure that I woke up on time since we had to be out of the room by 8:00 in the morning.  We also had a time change during the night and moved the clock back an hour.  So instead of waking up at 5:30 like usual, I ended up waking up at 4:30—well before my alarm woke me up.  I took a shower, got dressed, and had coffee out on the Lido deck.  It was definitely much colder than it had been, but I wanted to watch the sunrise one last time over the ocean and watch our approach into Los Angeles.

As I sat there, I thought I should send a thank you note to the Staff Captain for dinner, but had no idea how to mail a letter to a ship.  I decided to use the personal stationery I had received as a gift from the printing plant during the Ultimate Ships Tour to write a thank you note.  I thanked him for both the tour and the dinner and said I had enjoyed our conversations.

The dining room started serving breakfast at 6:30, so after I finished writing the thank you note and finished my final packing, I went downstairs to have breakfast.  I stopped by Passenger Services and asked if they could deliver my letter to the Staff Captain and they assured me they would see that he got it.  I figured it wouldn’t be delivered for a while, but at least he would get it (instead of trying to mail it to Princess headquarters and hope they actually delivered it to the ship).  After breakfast, it was time to get my luggage out of my room, so I went back upstairs.  Arnold, my cabin steward was in the hallway, so I thanked him for taking good care of me then went into my room.  I checked to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything and got my carry-on luggage and was just leaving my room when the Staff Captain came down the hallway.

He said he was looking for me and had a few minutes before he had to be back on the bridge and was glad he caught me upstairs.  We stood in the hallway and talked.  I told him he did a good job docking the ship and he smiled and said that’s good since that means he’ll get paid at the end of the month.  He thanked me for the note and I said I was surprised he had received it so soon.  But he said the crew has strict instructions to always deliver any messages for the Captain or for himself immediately.  We kept getting interrupted by passengers who stopped to ask him questions or to talk to him.  One lady stopped and looked at him and when he asked if he could help her, she said she was just looking at his uniform and that he looked good, then turned and left.  He looked at me and grinned, and said it was always like this with passengers, that they always wanted to speak to him, asked questions, or he ended up directing them where to go, so he normally tries to avoid being in the passenger areas.  (I imagine that could be tiring day after day, year after year.)

During a brief lull in the trail of passengers vacating their rooms, he told me that he would very much like to come to Las Vegas, but that it would be difficult since the ship is only in port for a day and although he can leave the ship, he isn’t allowed to travel.  I asked what will happen in January when the Sapphire goes into dry dock for the month and he said that unfortunately, one of the senior officers must remain with the ship and supervise the work of the contractors the entire time, and he is the officer that must stay.  I said that I understood that he had responsibilities to the ship and hoped that someday he would be able to visit.  He then asked me to please keep in contact with him and I said that would be up to him since I had no contact information for him, but that he had my business card.  He thanked me again for the pleasure of my company at dinner, told me he had to get back to the bridge, gave me a very brief hug and the traditional Italian cheek-to-cheek touching, and wished me a pleasant journey.  He then went back down the hall to the bridge and I took the elevator to Deck 7 and the Explorers Lounge where I waited to disembark.

Disembarkation, clearing customs, getting my luggage, getting on the bus and arriving at LAX all went smoothly.  The flight back home was uneventful. 

Princess Cruise Line’s motto is “Escape Completely” and in a way that’s exactly what I did.  But the cruise was now over and it was now time to get back to reality, back to work, and back to the day-to-day routine.

Since I don’t have unlimited vacation time or unlimited funds, I won’t be going on a cruise again for a while.  But this second cruise definitely did NOT cure me of my cruising addiction.   I know I’ll be checking the cruise schedules and sometime next year, I’ll go again.  I have no idea when, where, or what ship, but I do know this has not been my last cruise.

Day 7--At Sea

Day 7—At Sea

Today was the most enjoyable of all the days on the cruise and I can’t wait to tell you all about it!  

Last night, the ship was actually rocking a bit more than any other time on the cruise—I loved it!  The ship really wasn’t moving that much (especially compared to my Circle Hawaii cruise), but there were folks who don’t think the ship should move at all.  I found that I really like the rolling and pitching and feeling the ship move (although I wouldn’t want to go through a really bad storm).  Guess I only want the ship to move the “right” amount—enough to feel like I’m on a ship, but not so much that things start falling over.

The Ultimate Ship’s Tour was absolutely fantastic and one of the highlights of the cruise.  Although a bit expensive, I wouldn’t hesitate to do this again.  The 12 people selected to go on the tour met outside the Princess Theater at 8:00 in the morning.  We were met by the assistant cruise director who would be our guide.  One of the security personnel on board also escorted our group since we would be going into areas where passengers were not normally allowed.  A photographer accompanied the group and took group photos at each stop.  We started out seeing the Princess Theater backstage, met a couple of the dancers and saw the costumes. 

The next stop was the forward mooring room (where they keep the huge anchor).  We were met by the Staff Captain, who told us a little about the ship, the different anchors used, the weight of the anchors, the fuel consumption used, storage capabilities of the ship, and a bunch of other facts.  The Staff Captain is a senior officer who is second in command under the Captain, and obviously very knowledgeable about the ship’s operations.  I asked a question about how concerned were they with weight and balance considerations and did they switch fuel tanks back and forth to maintain even horizontal distribution, and about vertical weight distribution.  He said that yes, they did switch between the fuel tanks and in the event of heavy seas or a storm, they could empty all the swimming pools, if necessary, at the touch of a button to reduce the weight at the top of ship to keep it from keeling over. 

We then walked through the crew living areas, passed several crew quarters (although we obviously didn’t go into anyone’s room), passed by the crew mess, and on to the kitchen area.  The head chef had refreshments prepared for us (which of course were wonderful), and told us about the food preparation on board the Sapphire.  He said everything on board is prepared fresh.  The ship had its own bakery where all the bread is prepared.  Nothing is brought on board frozen or pre-prepared.  We met several of the cooks, saw the food storage areas (you wouldn’t believe the size of the refrigerators and freezers—all were walk-in types that were larger than my house and there were several of them with separate storage areas for the vegetables, meat, and dairy!).

After leaving the kitchen areas, we went to the medical center where we were given a tour of the medical center by the ship’s doctor.  The ship had two doctors, three nurses, and other medical personnel.  The medical center had a waiting room, several exam rooms, it’s own x-ray room, laboratory for blood and urine tests which they can do on site, rooms for those passengers who needed to be admitted, and even an ICU.  The doctor said they could even do surgery on board if necessary and had a qualified anesthetist.  He then explained that they prefer to evacuate serious trauma cases if possible, but that they were prepared to handle almost any contingency.

The engine control room was our next stop.  The officer there explained all the computer screens and showed how they controlled everything from the engines to the desalinization plant to the wastewater treatment plant.  The ship has four diesel electric and one back-up gas turbine.  These turbines provide all electricity for propulsion, air-conditioning, the ovens, and of course lighting and other electrical needs.  The various electrical needs of the ship have to be balanced.  When the kitchen ovens are going full blast (early in the mornings when the bakery is running at its peak), the ship sacrifices some propulsion which of course affects speed, or air conditioning.  If the ship needs to increase speed, then the air conditioning usage must be lowered, or oven electrical usage lowered.  All water on board comes from the ship’s desalinization plant which converts sea water to potable water and even supplies the water for the ship’s swimming pools.  The Sapphire Princess doesn’t dump anything into the ocean and has its own wastewater treatment plant that treats both gray water (from the sinks and showers, etc.) and black water (from the toilets).  We were shown all the different screens on the computers where they monitor all the various functions on the ship.  The officer then told us that although the bridge may be in command, they were the ones in control (but that we shouldn’t tell the captain that) .

We then toured the laundry facilities—they had huge machines that folded towels, folded sheets, and folded table cloths.  The printing room was next where the various advertisements were printed along with the daily Princess Patter (which was like the ship’s “newspaper” delivered each evening and listed the next day’s activities and events).  The photo shop followed where all the photographs were printed.

The final stop was the bridge which was located forward on Deck 14 (just down the hall from my room).  The bridge is of course in a very controlled access area (like the cockpit of an aircraft).  Before entering, we were told not to touch anything, and not to disturb or distract the officers who are on duty.  The first thing you notice on entering is the view—it was absolutely incredible!  The Staff Captain was on the bridge and provided the briefing.  He explained that the bridge is manned 24/7 by four member of the ship’s company:  the Senior Officer of the Watch who has overall responsibility, the Second Officer of the Watch, and two Able Seamen.  The two officers make up the navigation and conning team, and the seamen maintain continuous lookout.  During port approaches or in high traffic, the Captain, Staff Captain, and additional officers man the bridge as well. 

The Staff Captain explained the various screens on the bridge including the radios, navigation system, and radar system.  The Captain then joined us and we all met him.  Of course everyone wanted to talk with the Captain, but I was more interested in the ship’s operations, so I asked The Staff Captain more questions about the radar system and navigation and how they change headings and whether they have complete control or are vectored (like aircraft are controlled by air traffic controllers).  He said, “Come here, and I’ll show you” (in his Italian accent) and walked me over closer to the consoles.  He told me they are in complete control, how they plotted a course and inlaid the course, and how once the course is laid, how they change headings at the various waypoints—he started to explain what waypoints were when I told him I already knew.  He then said that when they reached a waypoint they had to confirm the course change.  And I said I was surprised that the navigation system didn’t just assume the course change and executed without confirmation.  He admitted that some systems do that, but that on the Sapphire they maintain complete control with the system requesting confirmation prior to any heading change. 

JJ then told us that this was the end of the tour and we all shook hands with the Captain, I shook hands with The Staff Captain and thanked him for spending time with us.  The tour lasted 4 hours and was the most incredible experience—I’d definitely do it again if I could and enjoyed it much more than any of the excursions!

After the Ultimate’s Ship Tour, I went aft to the Horizon Court (Lido buffet) for the Oriental buffet.  The place was busy with all the Japanese tour groups finally getting sushi, but the line moved quickly and the food was good.

After lunch, relaxed on deck with my Kindle.  Although the weather was getting colder and there was a breeze blowing, there were still people getting in the pool (how they could stand it I’ll never know, but I guess that some of the people think that anything above 60 is warm).

I finally decided I’d better go back to my room to pack since our luggage with the exception of our handcarry bags needed to be outside the cabin by 10:00 pm that evening for disembarkation the next morning.  I also needed to get ready for the final dinner in the dining room.  When I got to my room, there were two envelopes in my “mailbox” (a slot outside the cabin where advertisements were placed along with any messages or other “mail”).  The first was a preprinted, typed note from the Captain saying he enjoyed meeting everyone on the Ultimate Ships Tour and hoped we enjoyed the tour as well as the cruise.  It ended with him saying he hoped we would come back and cruise with Princess again. 

The second letter was a handwritten note from the Staff Captain.  He said it was a pleasure to meet me this morning on the Ultimate Ship’s Tour and that he hoped I had enjoyed it.  He then said that if it wasn’t too late and if it was OK, he would like to invite me to dine with him along with possibly another couple at 2000 (8:00 pm for my civilian friends) in the Savoy Dining Room.  He asked if I could let him know and gave me his office phone number as well as his pager number.  I called his office and since there was no answer, called his pager.  He returned my call within 2 minutes and when I answered he thanked me for calling and asked if I would be able to join him for dinner.  I told him I would be honored to have dinner with him and he gallantly said it would be his pleasure and looked forward to seeing me again.  He said he would meet me just outside the dining room at 8:00 and we hung up.

I was excited and looked forward to dinner with the Staff Captain.  I know that on a cruise the Captain occasionally has dinner with passengers and assumed that the Staff Captain also occasionally does the same as part of the “social” duties on board.  Usually the passengers invited are ones who have sailed with the cruise line repeatedly, or those who have booked a suite and paid quite a lot.  Since this was my first Princess cruise and I had an inside cabin, I was surprised to be invited.

I finished packing and since this was a last minute invitation, and I hadn’t told my waiter or tablemates that I wouldn’t be there for dinner, I decided to go to the International Dining Room to at least give them the courtesy of letting them know.  When I got there, I told both Ryan and Riza (my waiter and assistant waiter) that I wouldn’t be staying for dinner.  Ryan and Riza asked if anything was wrong and I said no, but that I had an invitation to have dinner with the Staff Captain.  I apologized for not letting them know earlier, but that I had just received the invitation that afternoon.  I hugged them both and thanked them.  I then told my tablemates I wouldn’t be joining them, explained why, and said I had enjoyed having dinner with them.

I finished the last of my packing, then put my suitcase outside my cabin with the appropriate disembarkation tag on it—I was in the “Orange 6” group and was scheduled to meet in the Explorers Lounge and disembark at 9:50 then next morning.  I got ready for dinner and headed for the Savoy Dining Room.

When I got there, the Staff Captain was standing right outside (still in uniform).  He greeted me with a handshake and said that unfortunately, the other couple would not be joining us and if it would be OK, it would just be the two of us.  I said of course that would be fine.  He said we had a very nice table and the maître de led us to a table along the window so we could look out over the sea. 

The Staff Captain asked if I liked red wine and ordered a very good bottle (I know nothing about wine and I have no idea what kind it was, but I do know it was very good).  We both had sparkling water and both ordered an appetizer, salad, and the New York strip steak.  I asked if he frequently dined with passengers and he said no, very rarely.  When he had first become Staff Captain, he made it a point to do so once on every cruise, but that as he had been with Princess for some time, he has come to guard the little personal free time he has.  He said that he had very much enjoyed our conversation during the ships tour that morning, and then went on to say that while it is important to have good food and good wine at dinner, it is the company of the dinner guests that make the evening enjoyable (which I agreed with).

This really was beginning to appear to be a date, which made me nervous, but then I decided since it could never go anywhere (after all, he was at sea and I lived in the desert) I could relax and simply enjoy the conversation and company.  I learned that he was younger than me by a few years, his parents still lived in northern Italy where he had grown up, had a younger sister who lived in the United Kingdom, and an older brother who was a Captain on another ship.  He had moved to Nuremburg, Germany a few years ago since he said he appreciated the efficiency of the German government and that the Italian bureaucracy drove him crazy, that he appreciated things in Germany like the timeliness of the trains and the orderly way people drove.  I told him about my life and having been to Italy many times when we lived in Germany.  We talked about all the different countries we had been to and lived in and how we both loved to travel.  I also teased him about being a very detailed, meticulous person; he was surprised and asked how I would know that; I told him it was obvious since he moved to a country he thought was operated more efficiently, and that he had chosen a career that was very structured and very orderly.  (Seems we had quite a bit in common despite the differences in nationality.)

We both ordered cappuccino after dinner and I said I had missed having cappuccino in the morning as I did whenever I was in Italy.  He asked if I had been to Italy on vacation or on business and I said both on vacation around the country and on business to Aviano Air Base, which he was familiar with.

We also talked a lot about the ship’s operations and I compared it to aircraft operations.  He said when he was young, he was in the Italian Navy and had wanted to be a naval aviator as he was passionate about both the sea and about aircraft, but that it hadn’t worked out.  He said he enjoyed his career and looked forward to every day at sea, but that he was still passionate about aircraft and read all he could about it.  I then gave him my business card and told him that if he ever found himself in Las Vegas that he should let me know and that I would be happy to arrange a tour of the base.  He thanked me and said he would consider it a serious invitation and I said I hoped so since it was a sincere invitation and I hoped to be able to reciprocate since I had so much enjoyed myself on the Ultimate Ships Tour, but that I wouldn’t charge him anything for the tour of the base .  He laughed and said that unfortunately, Las Vegas does not have a port and it would be difficult for him to go there, but since aircraft is one of his passions, he hoped to be able to visit some day.

The three hours we spent at dinner seemed to go by very quickly, but at a little before 11:00 pm, he apologized and said that he would have to excuse himself since he was required to have 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep before resuming his duties the next morning since he was responsible for docking the ship in Los Angeles.  As we walked out of the dining room, he asked when I was scheduled to disembark and I said was scheduled to disembark from the Explorers Lounge at 9:50.  He shook my hand, thanked me for joining him for dinner, and said that if his duties allowed, he would try to find me the next morning before I left, but that he couldn’t be sure and hoped I would not be upset if he was not able to see me.  I thanked him for the dinner, told him how much I had enjoyed his company, and that I understood duties and responsibilities.

Was this a date?  I don’t think so; it felt more like a very nice dinner with someone easy to talk to.  The Staff Captain behaved professionally, and was a perfect gentlemen. 

Unfortunately, tomorrow morning is disembarkation and time to return home.

Day 6--Cabo San Lucas

Day 6—Cabo San Lucas

We stayed anchored in Cabo San Lucas overnight and were scheduled to leave at 2:00 in the afternoon.  I was scheduled to take the tender at 8:00 am for an excursion on a coastal cruise on a catamaran.  This was the best excursion of the cruise. 

The catamaran coastal cruise lasted 2 hours.  We went around El Arcos, which was a naturally formed arch at the tip of Baja California.  Passing by, we saw sea lions lazing around on a rock in the Sea of Cortez, a couple of whales (mamma and her calf), and the largest school of dolphins I’ve ever seen.  Unfortunately the pictures I tried to take didn’t come out since by the time I clicked the camera when the dolphins jumped out of the water, the pictured just showed the water.  I did manage to figure out the video feature on my camera and took several seconds of video showing the dolphins jumping and the whales arching at the surface.  During the cruise, we went around the arch into the Pacific Ocean side of Baja California where the waves were much rougher than on the Sea of Cortez side, although relatively calm for the ocean.  If I ever go back on the Mexican Riviera cruise, I would do this excursion again.

While I was on the catamaran cruise, two other cruise ships had arrived at Cabo San Lucas—Holland America’s Oosterdam and Disney’s Wonder.  Both ships had anchored and while our catamaran was on its way to port, I could see the Sapphire Princess in the background further out with the Oosterdam and Wonder on each side.  I must say that the Sapphire really is a beautiful ship!

The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing with my Kindle and watching the horizon as we left Cabo San Lucas. 

This was the second formal night in the dining room and the four “Walmart” ladies didn’t show up.  The couple from Massachusetts was there.  I asked my waiter about the bottle of Champagne I had sent from Sabatini’s the night before and he came back and said they didn’t have it.  I told him to check with the maître de, Daniel.  He sent someone over there who, when he came back, then put Champagne glasses on the table.  I said he must have found the bottle of Champagne and he said that the maître de had told him that he had personally kept it chilled for the beautiful lady.  After dinner, I made it a point to stop by Sabatini’s to thank Daniel and he gallantly kissed my hand and said it is a pleasure to take care of a beautiful woman.  Cruising always makes me feel special (even if the crew are taught to make passengers feel good, it’s still a nice feeling). 

Well, tomorrow is a sea day and unfortunately our last full day on the cruise.  I’m looking forward to the Ultimate Ships Tour, but definitely not looking forward to having to pack.

Day 5--Cabo San Lucas

Day 5—Cabo San Lucas

I am soooooo stuffed!  Had dinner in Sabatinis and it was incredible.  But before I describe the dinner, first let me tell you what I did all day.

Had a leisurely morning and ate breakfast in the dining room with two other couples.  The dining room breakfast is so much better than the buffet.  Ever since the first morning’s breakfast in the buffet, I haven’t eaten there at all.  Unfortunately, I was not impressed with the buffet at all.  Not sure how lunch and dinner in the buffet are since I haven’t tried it, but for breakfast, I definitely prefer the dining room, which is much more like a restaurant with a menu so you can order your eggs or whatever, just the way you want it. 

(After the cruise, I’ll need to make some comments comparing Princess with Holland America—there are things I liked about both lines and things I wish were done differently on both lines.  I’m writing all this as much to help me remember the cruise as well as to share with my friends and family, so it makes sense to also compare how things were done on the two different cruise lines.)

After breakfast, I sat around the Lido deck and read.  Talked to several folks I had met over the past few days as they wandered by.  Had pizza for lunch since I knew I wasn’t going to have dinner until 8:00 pm when I had reservations at Sabatinis.

I went down to the Princess Theater at 1:45 to meet my tour group.  Cabo is a tender port, that is we had to take a boat to shore.  After everyone had checked in, our group was led down to Deck 4 where we caught the tenders to shore.  From there, we boarded our bus for the sightseeing tour. We went to a glass blowing factory, a resort restaurant with incredible views of the Sea of Cortez, the city of San Juan where we had some free time shopping, and a cactus garden.  The tour was OK, but again, not the best excursion I’ve taken. 

We were late getting back, but that wasn’t a problem since the ship was staying overnight in Cabo San Lucas.  By the time I took the tender back to the ship, I had to go straight to my room to dress for dinner.  Just made it to Sabatinis on time.

The maître de was wonderful as well as my waiter.  They were definitely more attentive to me than they were to the table next to me.  It might be because I was dining alone and some people think that is a little strange (and maybe feel a little sorry for me since they always seem surprised when they ask if I’m alone and I say yes).  The menu was not the typical “Americanized” Italian menu, but more like a menu in Italy.  I knew I wanted the calamari friti and decided to order the veal chop as a main course, but couldn’t decide if I wanted pasta, soup, or salad for the second course.  Turns out I didn’t get a choice, since my waiter informed me that I was only to order the main course and that I would be served everything on the menu!

The first course was cold appetizers which was prosciutto with melon, roasted red peppers, portoccini mushrooms, spinach with parmesan, and eggplant.  The second course was hot appetizers which included breaded zucchini, calamari friti, ricotta flan, and crab cake.  I decided to skip the third course which was the soup and salad course and went right to the pasta course which was a potato and ricotta ravioli in an oil and herb sauce along with another pasta which was egg noodles with asparagus and tomato in a beef gravy-type sauce.  Finally, came the veal chop which was in a marsala sauce with mushrooms, and garlic and herb mashed potatoes, and baby carrots.  I didn’t eat the carrots, only had a small amount of the potatoes, but the veal chop had such a wonderful flavor that I ate almost all of it.  Both whenever a course was served and as soon as I had finished a course, both the waiter and maître de would ask how I enjoyed it.  After eating the main course, I was handed a menu for dessert—there was no way I could eat another bite and I told the waiter that all I wanted was a cappuccino.  The maître de then came over and said I had to try at least one small dessert and he hurried off to get it for me.  The waiter brought my cappuccino, then the maître de served me a small dessert.  It was in a small espresso cup with whipped cream and a chocolate stick.  I wasn’t sure what it was, but decided to make the maître de happy by tasting it as he stood by.  It turned out to be coffee crème brulee and it was excellent.  Unfortunately, I was only able to take a couple of bites since I was so full.  The dinner at Sabatinis was one of the best Italian dinners I had ever had and the service was superb.  (And you might notice there wasn’t a single red sauce, or cream sauce, or spaghetti noodle served.) 

After dinner, I pretty much waddled to my room since it was well after 10:30 pm by the time I had finished all those courses (if I had been travelling with someone, I would have asked that they roll me to my room!).  Tomorrow’s excursion starts at 8:15, but knowing me, I’ll be up by 5:30.

Day 4--Puerta Vallarta

Day 4—Puerta Vallarta

I enjoyed the early morning quiet hours as usual.  One of my favorite times of day on a cruise is early in the morning before the rest of ship starts waking up.  It’s always so peaceful watching the sunrise with a cup of coffee and seeing day break over the horizon.  As darkness gives way to light, you start to notice the sea all around you.  Sitting back with a morning cup of coffee and watching the water with the sky turning red is incredible. 

The ship docked in Puerto Vallarta at a little before 10:00 am and cleared customs shortly after that.  The Oosterdam (a Holland America ship) was also in port docked next to us.  Getting off the ship was smooth with only a short line to disembark.  Then it was off the meet the bus for the excursion I had signed up for. 

The City and Scenic Coastal Drive excursion was OK.  It wasn’t the best excursion I had been on (not that I’ve been on that many), but did give a good overview of Puerto Vallarta.  The guide was very knowledgeable and talked about the history of Puerto Vallarta while pointing out all the sights as we drove past.  We made several stops for photo opportunities.  I met two sweet ladies on the excursion and stayed with them throughout.  Hildegard and Janine have known each other for over 40 years and since both ladies are widowed, they travel together.  Janine was especially outgoing and we talked quite a bit on the excursion.  She invited me to have dinner with her and Hildegard, but I explained I had early traditional dining and not “Anytime Dining” which is what they had.  (With traditional, you have a set time and set table with the same table mates and wait staff; with anytime dining, you can go to any of the other three dining rooms, the buffet, or the specialty restaurants whenever you want, but won’t have the same table, or the same wait staff and, of course, unless you arrange to have dinner with someone, you won’t be seating with the same folks). 

Got back from the excursion at 4:00 and the ship got under way at 5:00 pm.  I was just in time to get ready for dinner.  It was Italian night and since I love Italian food, I enjoyed it.  Three of the Walmart ladies showed up along with Polly and Pat—almost a full table.  I let all my table mates as well as my wait staff know that I would be on an excursion the next day and not to expect me for dinner (it’s always courteous to let folks know).

After dinner, I made reservations at Sabatini’s which is the Italian Specialty restaurant on board the ship.  The normal cost is $20 to eat there, but since I had complementary dinner with bottle of Champaign from my travel agent, it wouldn’t cost me anything.  The next day’s excursion wouldn’t get back to after 6:00, so I thought it would be the perfect time to go to Sabatini’s since I wouldn’t be back in time for my dining assignment. 

Didn’t go to any of the entertainment that evening and instead sat outside for a while reading my book, then went back to my cabin.  When I got there, there was a letter in my room confirming the Ultimate Ship Tour!  It was scheduled for 8:15 am on Friday and I needed to confirmI would be attending.  I’m really excited I’ll get a chance to see all the places off limits to the passengers.

Day 3--At Sea

Day 3—At Sea

Well, another day, another sunrise.  Yes, I was up early again to watch the sunrise.  Joseph, another early riser was out there having coffee and we talked for a little bit.  He is travelling with his sister since his partner couldn’t get away from work.  We compared cruises and talked about the different cruise lines.  He apparently has cruised quite a bit and recommended Interline.com as a travel agent since he says they have incredible rates.  When I get home and have more internet time, I’ll check them out (although I’m really happy with American Express as my travel agent).

I had breakfast in the dining room this morning and sat with three other folks.  The dining room was much better than the buffet for breakfast.  After breakfast, I sat around and read on my Kindle (I’ve been doing that quite a bit between activities and talking to people).  I did go to the “Welcome to the Captain’s Circle” event for all the first-time Princess cruisers.  They had refreshments there and told us all the benefits of becoming repeat Princess cruisers.  (Seems crazy to have to tell a “cruise junkie” the benefits of booking another cruise, but I guess not all the people who attended are hooked yet like I am.)

I decided to skip lunch today since I had a full breakfast and since I’m at the early seating for dinner.  It has finally started to get warmer.  Most people already thought it was warm since they have been laying out by the pool and actually swimming, but I didn’t think low 70s was all that warm.  I think today was at least in the mid to high 70s in the sun (still cool in the shade), but not quite warm enough for me to put on a swimsuit yet.  (Of course my brother Jesse and his family--who live in Anchorage--probably think 70s is very warm, but those of us in Las Vegas are used to much higher temps.)  Instead I relaxed near the pool and read on my Kindle—but only for a short while.

Went to Bingo where I shared a table to two young Japanese ladies, and no they didn’t speak English and apparently had never played Bingo.  It was a challenge trying to explain that they didn’t need to look at every number on the card to find the one that was called, but only needed to look in the B row if a B was called, the I row if an I was called, etc.  They finally understood by the third game.  After Bingo, they both bowed and said thank you to me.  On my last cruise, I was practicing my German; on this cruise it seem I’m trying to rack my brain for the little Japanese I know.

Met JJ at the afternoon trivia—we were on the same trivia team the first day.  A friend of JJ’s also joined us along with another couple and her mother.  The questions were not easy, but between the six of us, we were able to answer 17 out of 20 questions correctly.  Unfortunately, we didn’t win, since another table answered 19 correctly.  Oh well, maybe next time.

The four “Walmart” ladies didn’t show up for dinner and I thought I might be the only one at our table for 9, but one of the couples that hadn’t shown up previously did arrive—Polly and Pat.  Pat had a bad back and shoulder and apparently had injured himself carrying luggage.  He had seen the ships doctor who had prescribed a muscle relaxer/pain reliever which had pretty much knocked him out, so they hadn’t made it to the first two dinners.  This was their first cruise, and unfortunately it didn’t get off to a good start.  He had been in the Navy before retiring as a radar operator and had spent a lot of time at sea, but never on a ship where he didn’t have to work, and where he had his own room and room service, so even though he was in pain the first few days, he said it’s been the best cruise he’d ever taken .  Dinner was good and the featured dessert was Cherries Jubilee which was made at the table, so once again we were able to watch and smell it beforehand (so of course, I had to have some).  (I’ve been able to confirm that the sea air does in fact shrink your clothes, since once again, my jeans seem to be getting a little tighter.)

Didn’t go to a show or do anything other than hang out and talk to people out on the Lido deck after dinner.  Tomorrow we arrive in Puerto Vallarta.

Day 2--At Sea

Day 2—At Sea

Slept great the night before.  Even though I was on Deck 14 all the way forward, I could barely feel the ship move; it was just enough to gently rock me to sleep.  As usual, I woke up a little after 5:00 am.  Since I’m on the Lido Deck, the Lido Buffet (and morning coffee), was just a short stroll away.  Drank my coffee out by the Neptune Pool on the Lido Deck and watched the sun rise—beautiful, and well worth getting out of bed to see.

Spent some time exploring the ship and tried to take the stairs most of the time (hoping to counteract all the food I know I’ll eat on board).  Went all the way forward on Deck 16 and all the way aft on Deck 18—yup, this ship is BIG compared to my first cruise.  I had breakfast in the buffet—it was just OK, nothing to rave about, and was a much smaller buffet than on the Zaandam (and definitely doesn’t come close to the buffets in Las Vegas—but I wouldn’t expect it to).  Two Japanese ladies were looking for a place to sit, so I invited them to join me.  They spoke very little English and I certainly don’t speak Japanese, somehow we did manage to communicate.  They were sisters, or rather sisters-in-law, were travelling together with a tour group.  They were both single (the brother of one and husband of the other had died—not sure how long ago).

I joined in on the trivia game and met a few other folks (JJ who is traveling with his wife, and Patrick and Chris, a married couple who are from Los Angeles)—even though we were only able to answer 11 of the 20 questions correctly, we still came in second.  Also went to the Journaling/Scrapbooking class.

I had heard so many great things about the pizza on board Princess Cruises from CruiseCritic.com that I thought I’d try it for lunch.  It was good pizza, but still it was pizza.  So while it was good pizza and something I’d order at home or for lunch at work, I’m not sure why so many folks would rave about it.  Don’t get me wrong, I definitely ate the entire large piece and enjoyed it, and might even have it again for lunch some day.

At 12:30, I met the CruiseCritic bunch in Skywalkers (all the way aft on Deck 18).  There were quite a few of us there and the executive chef, hotel manager, and assistant cruise director were all there to welcome us and spent some time socializing with us.  It was nice to meet some of the ships senior management (unfortunately the captain wasn’t able to join us).  I did meet all the people I had been “talking” to on line for the past two months, which is always fun.

Even though dinner was at 5:30, I decided to go to the afternoon tea to see how it compared to Holland America.  It was very good and the scones were wonderful.  There was a Canadian couple and another lady at my table along with a Japanese couple.  The Japanese couple didn’t speak English and didn’t join in the conversation, so I said good afternoon to them and told them my name in Japanese.  The man just nodded to me, but the Japanese lady smiled and introduced herself and her husband in Japanese, then started talking more.  I apologized for my very bad Japanese, but was able to at least make them feel welcome to the table instead of feeling left out.

It was formal night, so after tea, I went to my room to get dressed for dinner.  The four women from Walmart were there, but the other folks at our table still hadn’t shown up.  The “Walmart ladies” said they had to start getting ready for the formal night at 3:00 in the afternoon since all four were sharing one bathroom.  I can’t imagine four people in one small cabin.  Heck, I’ve gotten used to having the cabin for myself, there is no way I’d share with another person, let alone three other people—and I’m not in my cabin that much.  But they all seem to get along and were having fun on the cruise.  I’ve only been on one cruise, and this is my first on Princess, so I felt like the “old, experienced” cruiser. 

My table steward, Ryan, and assistant table steward, Riza, were both very good.  Riza now knew I wanted cappuccino after dinner and had it ready for me without my asking.  I did have to present my coffee card since Princess charges for specialty coffees.  The chef made bananas foster for dessert right at the front of the room, which was next to our table, so we were able to watch the whole process.  Even though I don’t usually have dessert, I decided I had to have some—it was wonderful! 

After dinner, the captain hosted a “Champagne waterfall” in the atrium.  Champagne glasses were stacked up to form a tree and there was a short staircase rolled up to it.  Champagne was poured into the top glass and when it was full spilled over to the next row of glasses, and so on down to the bottom.  They went through a lot of bottles Champagne—some of the passengers got in line and were able to pour the Champagne.  I didn’t really see the point of standing in line to do this, but watched for a few minutes from Deck 7—the atrium starts at Deck 5 and goes up to Deck 7—so I had a pretty good view.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera with me.  (Come to think of it, I haven’t taken nearly as many pictures as I did on my first cruise.)

I did go by the Wheelhouse Bar and listened to Phoenix Rising.  During the break, I walked up to the guitarist, Jerry, and introduced myself and told him my friend said I should say hello.  We talked for a few minutes, then he went back to work, and I went back to my cabin, to be lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of the ship.

Day 1--Embarkation

Day 1--Embarkation

The vacation begins!  The flight from Las Vegas to Los Angeles was uneventful and all my luggage arrived in Los Angeles.  I, along with several other folks from Las Vegas who were on the same cruise, were met by a Princess representative at baggage claim.  We turned over our luggage to them and were assured they would be delivered to our cabin, then got on the bus. 

I thought the bus was taking us to the port, but since we arrived at 9:30 in the morning and ship was not ready for us to board, the bus took us to a Sheraton hotel.  Princess had contracted with the Sheraton to provide us with pastries and coffee in the Mezzanine.  Tables were set up and we were provided our health forms to fill out.  We were then taken to a meeting room where Princess employees check us in.  I was given an orange card showing that I was already checked in along with a green card showing which bus I was on going to the port.  Spent time talking with the folks at my table while we waited for the bus.  All of them had been several Princess cruises, and one couple had been on over 100! 

My bus left the Sheraton at 11:30 and it was a 40 minute drive to the port.  When we got to the port, we were directed to a table to pick up our room keys and didn’t have to go through the check-in process at the port.  We were then directed straight to security and onto the ship.  The whole embarkation process at the port took only 10 minutes.

The rooms were ready so I went straight to my room to drop off my carry on.  I spent the afternoon exploring the ship and signing up for the “Ship’s Ultimate Tour.”  Only 12 people are allowed on this tour and Princess draws names of those who signed up to see would be allowed to go.  I’ll find out in a few days if I’m selected—sure hope so since it sounds interesting.  It is a behind-the-scenes look at the ship operations.

The Sapphire Princess is a much larger ship than the Zaandam and it appeared to be much newer.  My room was on the Lido Deck, Deck 14 (the Zaandam only had 10 decks, and half the number of passengers).  It was a good thing I didn’t have to be anywhere in particular since most of the afternoon I was pretty much “lost” and constantly consulted the deck plans to see where I was.

The ship left Los Angeles at 4:00.  Either the waters were calm or the ship is really stable since even all the way forward on Deck 14, I could hardly feel the ship move—just a very gentle, almost imperceptible slow rocking.

At 5:00, I got dressed for dinner and went to the International Dining Room to meet my tablemates.  I had Traditional early seating, which means I had a set time (5:30 pm) and set table for dinner each night.  I was seated at a table for 8 and only 4 other people showed up.  Those four were single women travelling together.  They were all sharing a room and all worked for Walmart.  Not sure how they all fit in the cabin since the cabins are all pretty small.  Plenty of room for me, but how four women fit is beyond imagination.

I ordered a bottle of red wine and had a glass with dinner.  The dining room caps the wine, puts your room number on it and will save it for you until it’s gone.  The bottle will probably last me the entire cruise since I’ll only have one glass at dinner.

The food was good.  I had the tortellini and spinach soup, then the prime rib with baked potato and grilled tomato.  After dinner, I had my usual cappuccino.  On Holland America, cappuccino in the dining room was free.  On Princess you have to pay for it.  Luckily, I knew this ahead of time and purchased a “coffee card” for $29.00 which will allow me to have the specialty coffees.

After dinner, I wandered over to the Princess Theater for the welcome aboard show.  Unfortunately, it was so packed that there was standing room only.  Since I didn’t really care about the show, I didn’t stay.  I did go to the Wheelhouse Bar where Phoenix Rising was playing.  A friend of mine knows the guitar player, Jerry, in Phoenix Rising and said I should introduce myself and tell him hello.  The music was pretty good and I recognized every song they played (which tells you what era music they were playing—definitely not Rap or current hits).  It had been a long day, so at 9:30 I headed back to my room.  Didn’t get a chance to say hello to Jerry since the band was playing the entire time I was there—but I’ll make a point of doing that at some point on the cruise.