November 7 - Home, Lemons and Lemonade

We had an uneventful trip home. The flights were on time and our wonderful neighbor picked us up at the airport. Today I went across the street and collected our mail from our other great neighbors, Sandra and Don, who take care of things when we’re gone. How wonderful to have such great folks to rely on!

Now for a summary of our cruise. We have been on many voyages and each has been great. I think a large part of the trip has to do with the expectations you have before you go. We always expect to have a wonderful time and always have had one. I’ve read comments from some of our fellow passengers and their experience was different. On this Ruby Princess cruise we encountered nothing but crew members who were cheerful, hard-working and eager to help. The food was better than what we remembered from the last cruise or two. The weather was mostly cooperative. We don’t mind days on the ship when we feel some motion. I guess we are fortunate that we don’t suffer from motion sickness. We have actually been on some cruises where we were disappointed because we felt as though we were in a hotel on land not a ship. On this cruise there were bouncy days which we enjoyed.

We don’t go to many shows or activities but from the daily patter there appeared to be many things to fill one’s time. The ports that we visited were incredible. In each place there are many new things to visit even if you’ve been there before. Sadly, Princess has dropped Lisbon from the transatlantic next year. That’s a shame because it is a wonderful city.

One of the best parts of this cruise were our fellow cruisers. We had a lot of friends who were also sailing and the time we spent with them is, as they say, priceless! I find the friendships that we’ve made cruising to be one of the most wonderful things about the whole experience. On this trip we sailed with people we first met in 2005 and it’s like sailing with family.

Cruising is great!

November 5 - The last sea and Cruise Day

Well, this is it – the last day! The wind has kicked up again and we have some chop again. We go for our last breakfast in Sabatinis. I shall miss the mimosas and the apple turnovers. After breakfast we met our trivia team and played the final morning game. We won!! It’s funny, but the last time we did this cruise we played together and we won the last morning as well. Prizes were a fridge magnet and a lanyard! It’s not the prizes that count. It’s the fun of winning plus the companionship with Bill and Irene and Bob and Flora.

After trivia we did a packing marathon. It’s easier to pack for the trip home but we acquired a few things along the way so we have an additional bag. We were in a hurry to finish because we had invited the Gang of Eight for a leftovers party. We had all accumulated wine, cheese, crackers and cookies and other goodies which needed to be consumed. We managed to do a good job with what was left! When you have good friends and a great ambience, every wine tastes great!

Tonight we went for our last dinner at Sabatinis again. We love the venue and decided it was the place to be. There has been discussion on the Cruise Boards about the new menu at the restaurant. We love it. Add to that the fact that we have had special things prepared for us and we are happy campers!

This has been a lovely cruise. The weather has been mainly cooperative except for our day in Cannes. The service has been exceptional. The food has been good and the company has been outstanding. But now we’re ready to be home.

November 4 - Still at sea

Our first sign of life since the Azores
The trike garage!

Today was a little warmer and more sunny. It was also almost absolutely calm this morning. From our balcony first thing this morning we saw the becalmed sailboat in the photo. This was our first sign of other life since we left the Azores. It’s always amazing that we traverse this ocean without seeing other ships. Since the nice weather continued we decided to try the Sanctuary this afternoon. The Sanctuary is all the way forward on deck 17. It’s shaded and has the most comfortable loungers. It’s easy to fall asleep up there. We both read for awhile and then played a game of Scrabble.

In the late afternoon we went up to Skywalkers, the lounge perched all the way up and aft. The view from there is spectacular. As we looked out the windows we noticed the kids deck below us and saw the “trike garage.” There aren’t many kids on this cruise but the trikes were lined up and parked in anticipation of the Caribbean and holiday cruise season coming up.

November 3 - The last formal night

Hard to see, but this is a really long ship!

A sea day again. The chop has subsided and the ship isn’t moving as much. Tonight is the last formal night and I decided to get my hair done. Somehow I can never get my hair to do what these stylists can do.

Tonight we went to Sabatinis with what I have dubbed the “Gang of Eight,” two of our fellow Virginia couples and our honorary Virginians from the Chicago area. We had a great dinner and managed to be the last people to leave the restaurant.

I should mention something more about this place Sabatinis. It’s one of the alternative restaurants up on Deck 16. I think it is the most beautiful restaurant I have seen on a ship at sea. There are windows looking out to both sides of the ship and to a little terrace with fountains. It is a truly wonderful venue, but that’s not what makes it so special. What really does the trick is the staff. Marius from Romania is the Head Waiter and he does an exceptional job. He has been at Sabatinis for 4 cruises that we’ve done and he takes exceptional care of us. The team that works with him does a great job as well. I don’t know what I shall do when I’m home and not pampered like this.

November 2 - In the Atlantic

Our balcony - a nice place to spend a lazy afternoon!

Another sea day and not much happening. We are in our routine. We have breakfast in Sabatinis starting with Mimosas (I will miss those at home!). We play trivia with our friends. Our scores are improving but we haven’t won yet. We play Scrabble for awhile. We spend the afternoons reading, checking e-mails and lazing on the balcony. We’ve had some chop in addition to the rollers so the ship has been doing some bouncing around. We don’t think it’s too bad but there are people who are subject to sea-sickness who are feeling it.

Tonight we went to the Crown Grill for dinner. That’s the steakhouse on board. We have eaten there twice already, one time excellent, the other not as good. Tonight everything was absolutely superb. Our food was cooked to perfection and the chef came out to talk to us. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

November 1 - Another Sea Day

The long rollers are still with us. When we first woke up it was more cloudy than not, but the skies began to clear and became partly sunny. We’ve settled into our sea days routine of a leisurely breakfast followed by trivia with our team of Virginians and Scots. We haven’t won yet, but we have fun nonetheless. Today’s winning team received fridge magnets. We weren’t really heartbroken that we didn’t get them.

At noon we went to the traditional dining room for our group’s luncheon. 205 people had signed up but only 125 came. It was too bad because the staff had set tables for that many people. Nevertheless it was a pretty good turnout and we had a lovely time chatting with old and new friends.

Since there’s not a lot to talk about in terms of things going on, I shall tell you more about our ship. It’s more than 900 feet long and weighs (in gross tonnage) 113,561 tons. It carries approximately 3400 passengers and a crew of close to 1500. There are three main dining rooms, a buffet restaurant and two alternative dining venues. There are numerous lounges, a theater, a library and even a wedding chapel. There is no lack of activity most any time of the day or night. People who worry about being bored with multiple sea days needn’t do so. The problem isn’t finding something to do, it’s deciding which things to choose since you can’t possibly do them all.

October 31 - Halloween at Sea

We sailed yesterday evening from the Azores around sunset. It was our last port before the cruise ends in Ft. Lauderdale. As we headed west for six days crossing the Atlantic we could see the lights of Sao Miguel and some nearby islands for quite a long time.

Today it’s water, water everywhere. We are always amazed that once we begin the crossing we rarely encounter another ship or any sign of life until we approach the Bahamas. It’s as if we are the only people on Earth here in the midst of this ocean. I always wonder how it must have felt to the early explorers as they set sail and had their last glimpse of land. I can only imagine that it must have been both thrilling and frighteaning since they often had no idea what awaited them as they sailed onward.

Our day was partly cloudy with some long rollers which move the ship around a bit. We played some scrabble and lazed around until 3 PM when we went up to Skywalkers, the lounge atop the aft end of the ship. Our group had a Halloween cocktail party there. We didn’t wear masks or costumes but some of our friends were really decked out! I would say that most of them outdid themselves. It was nice meeting some more of the people with whom I’d been chatting online for many months. We planned to stay for only a little while and wound up sitting and talking until nearly 6 PM. For dinner we ate with friends from Delaware and enjoyed both the company and food, especially the former.

I should add that the ship was decorated for Halloween as well. There were orange and black balloons around and many of the day’s activities were geared toward Halloween. There was a pumpkin carving demonstration in the atrium and a costume parade and competition among other things. All in all it was a very nice first crossing day.

October 30 - Punta Delgada, Azores

Cows everywhere!
Houses at the bottom of the cliff - I wouldn't want to drive down there!
Part of the garden at the overlook, Miradouro da Ponta do Sossego
A lighthouse at the northeastern corner of the island
The beautiful waterfall at Achada on the north coast
The mill powered by the cascading water from the falls
A typical Azorean church

This morning we approached the island of Sao Miguel after sunrise. This island is part of the Azores Archipelago which is an autonomous region of Portugal. By 10 AM we were moored at the very nice cruise terminal right downtown in Punta Delgada. Once ashore we met our driver and guide Rudy and set out for our tour of the island. We told him that we had been here a couple of times and what we had seen on previous visits so he set out to show us something different.

We headed east under very cloudy skies. A little about the weather on Sao Miguel. The temperature doesn’t vary much all year, only perhaps 15 or 20 degrees. The humidity is always high, never going below 80 %. Because of this the island is very lush with many varieties of vegetation. There are also many pastures with lots of cows. The Azores produce and export milk, cheese and beef. The cows stay in their pastures not going into barns at night and are milked in the fields.

We made our way along the coast to Vila Franco do Campo and then headed inland to Furnas and the lake there. As we climbed into the hills it became extremely foggy and there were no views to speak of. We had been to Furnas the last time we visited so we only made a brief stop at the lake and at a place where we could look down on the village. Then we were off again, this time on a dirt road which ran through the countryside. We traveled for a long time on this road which was lined on either side by some species of maple trees. Along the way we passed some farmhouses and lots of cows. At one point the road intersected a mountain stream which Rudy forded. Fortunately it hadn’t rained a lot or it might have been impassable. When we got back on a paved highway we found ourselves as far east as one can go on the island.

The road we followed up the eastern coast was amazing. This end of the island has some mountains which are nearly 1000 meters high and which basically plunge down to the ocean. It reminded me a lot of the Napali Coast in Hawaii. The road wound around the mountains with spectacular vistas at every turn. We stopped at an overlook that was breathtaking.. The Azoreans are really into picnics and barbecues so all along the roads there are picnic areas with barbecue pits. At this particular overlook, Miradouro da Ponta do Sossego (which means literally “The View from the Point of Peace”), there was a beautiful cultivated garden with flowers, palms, topiary in the shapes of a variety of animals and an overlook that was magnificent. The drop-off from the railing went down hundreds of feet to the beautiful blue ocean below. At the bottom we could see a few small houses and we asked Rudy how people got to them. Just before reaching the overlook we had passed a very steep road and he told us that was a new road which people used to access the houses below. Before that was completed people rode on donkeys down a trail.

Our next stop was Nordeste, the furthest town away from Punta Delgada. It’s also the terminus of a new highway which was being opened that very afternoon. We continued on the old coastal road that followed the northern shoreline. Each of the little villages we passed through had a church built in the traditional white with black trim that is seen everywhere on the island. As we passed through the towns we noticed how clean everything was and how brightly painted many of the homes were.

Our next stop was at a park at the waterfall at Achada. While not a tremendously large one, it was very picturesque as it tumbled down through the forest and rocks around it. A walkway followed the course of the stream below and went to a mill at which people can come to grind grain. Nearby the government has renovated an old building which has a bar and restrooms. There is a lovely pond with choi and picnic areas all around which are evidently well-used on weekends especially in the summer.

We continued along the northern shore past the tea plantation before heading back to the southwest across the island for our return to Punta Delgada. It was interesting that we saw a lot of traffic going in the opposite direction. Rudy told us that it was probably people heading out to Nordeste to the end of the new highway. He said that probably they wanted to be among the first to drive on it after the Governor opened it officially. As we approached downtown Punta Delgada we came upon a large traffic jam. Despite the narrow street cars were parked all along the edge (half on the sidewalk, half on the street) and people were walking down the road. We asked Rudy what was going on and he told us that a new store had just opened and apparently the Sunday entertainment was going to the new store – a home improvement one. As we finally got past it we could see that it was indeed packed with people. Lowe’s, eat your heart out!

We arrived back at the terminal with time enough to stop in a shop and buy some Azorean tea. I’ve mentioned in the past that this is the only place in Europe that grows tea and it really is quite good!

Anyway, I’ve rambled on enough. It was a beautiful day on a beautiful and very interesting island. People who stop here and never leave the town are truly missing one of the most scenic places we’ve been.

October 29 - A Day at Sea and the Ultimate Ship's Tour

Today was a day at sea but it was not really restful. We were able to go on the Ultimate Ship’s Tour which took all afternoon. We gathered at 1:15 PM in the Princess Theater and met our guide Eric, Assistant Cruise Director. Our first stop was backstage where we saw the lighting , scenery and costumes for the production shows on the ship. The work that goes into making these things seem effortless is quite remarkable.

Our next stop was one of our favorites – the Forward Mooring Station. In this space near the bow are the lines and anchors which are used when we come into port. The anchors weigh 18 tons and each shackle of the chain weighs something like 250 pounds. Interestingly the anchor is not what holds the ship in place but rather the amount of chain which is played out. When the lines are in place and secured to the dock, no one is allowed in the area because if a line snaps it can kill a person.

Next stop was the Galley and food storage areas. The galley was spotless and the amount of food produced each day boggles the mind. Each day between 180 and 220 gallons of ice cream are made. 4500 pastries are produced. (Notice I remember the good stuff!) There are 29 food storage areas including meats, poultry, seafood, fresh produce, etc. The ship orders all its meats and seafood from the US 2 months in advance and it is delivered by the container load. Produce is done every 14 days. The operation is incredible, but then they are feeding approximately 5000 people including passengers and crew.

Next we went to both the Photo Shop and the Print Shop. These facilities produce thousands of photos and papers each day and are essentially around the clock operations. One of the things we were impressed with in all the areas we visited was the tremendous work ethic of the crew members and also their wonderful attitudes.

We made a short stop at the Engine Control center which is in the middle of the ship. The Chief Engineer explained to us that there are 6 generators onboard – four producing 12 Megawatts of power each and 2 producing 8 Mw each. The ship is able to generate enough power to run a small town.

We stopped at the Medical Center and met the Chief Medical officer, a South African doctor. The facility is small and can handle many things but not major surgery. The doctor told us that the response time on the ship is less than 5 minutes which is better than most places on land. They are able to send X-rays to the University of Texas for second opinions when needed. I suspect that if an emergency came up when we were in mid-ocean they would deal with it by communicating with a land-based medical facility for guidance, but I don’t know that for sure.

Our next stop was the Laundry. What an incredible operation! The laundry handles thousands of sheets, towels, tablecloths and napkins daily. For the linens there are automatic ironing machines and folding machines. Additionally all the uniforms of the crew and laundry sent by passengers is handled. How they keep it all sorted out is beyond me!

Our next to last stop was the funnel of the ship. Inside the steel framework which forms the Princess logo, are a multitude of pipes. Al went all the way up; I chickened out. The port side is where air is taken into the ship and the starboard where it is exhausted. The exhaust coming out of the engines is at 800° C. By some means it is cooled and the noxious materials are removed so that it won’t hurt anyone as it is expelled. Also in the stack area are what are essentially two locomotive engines which could provide power to the ship in the event of a catastrophic failure of the generators below.

Finally, we went to the Bridge where our Captain, Tony Yeomans, greeted us with champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. We took a group photo and then individual photos of each couple with the captain. A young bridge officer showed us the equipment on the bridge and explained about the operations. One of the things we found amazing was that when we went through the Straits of Gibraltar we were on autopilot. This was astounding to us because of the volume of traffic going through there. After getting a thorough tour the captain came back to answer any questions we had. He is a very charming man.

The tour was well worth the cost and we received a bunch of mementos. Perhaps when we’re home I’ll try to scan in a couple of the photos we received and upload them here. We were not allowed to bring our own cameras with us.