Tuesday, Jan 29 - Day 9 of holiday and Day 7 on board Island Princess

Puntarenus - Costa Rica

The morning started a little differently as we had finally made it to Coata Rica.  We were docked in Puntarenus as small coastal town with a long beach that ran the full length of the town.  We had a small breakfast  upstairs in the Horizon before going on an early tour that allowed up to see a bit of the countryside by coach, see a bit of the jungle area by small boat and then to spend some time in a Bird Sanctuary which is privately funded to restore sick and wounded bird to strength so they can be returned to their natural habitat.

Peace

Alligator being disturbed and returning to the water

We met on the dock at 7:20 am and boarded the coach.  Veronique was our tour guide and she was a spunky 39 year old native of the area who lives in San Jose now.  The bus was filled with a good cross section of the population of the ship.  It was a group of about 50 people.  We drove for a short period when we were ushered past a small church to a flimsy dock.  The security claim was that only 5 people were permitted on the ramp at one time.  We boarded a small craft that was only large enough for our group.  The twin 150 hp Yamahas were put into action as we trolled the shoreline with the guide pointing out rare birds and of course the ever present alligators basking in the sun on the shore.  We found our first one but it slithered into the water too fast for us to see it.  Finally we found one that looked like it was stuffed until it decided we were too close and he slithered into the water also.  We did see a couple of others as we drove through the narrow waterways along with a large snake, termite nests and a variety of birds such as osprey, blue herons, snipes and a spoon billed shrimp coloured, shrimp fishing bird whose name escapes me.  The 50 minute boat ride was entertaining and we did manage to see some wildlife.

Spider Monkey

Free Macaw

Once back on the bus we drove through the countryside on a paved and then a dirt road to the bird sanctuary.  I dozed during that ride.  Once at the sanctuary we disembarked the coach and were guided through the sanctuary.  We saw many different types of parrots and indigenous birds as well as some that were from Brazil and other countries that had been taken from the black market for exotic birds.  Some of the birds would never return to their natural environment but many of the Macaws would be treated and returned to the wild.  There were some photo ops but it was hard to see these beautiful birds in cages.  We were guided by Veronique who proved to be very knowledgeable about the sanctuary and its inhabitants.  We also enjoyed some fresh fruit and water half way through that was really appreciated in the 30+ humid environment.  We had water melon, mango and pineapple along with fresh bananas.  Nice treat.

The drive back to the ship was pretty quiet and we arrived as planned to be deposited right at the ship.  We thanked our tour guide and driver and headed to clean up in our stateroom.  That was followed by a quick lunch in the Horizon and a walk down the pier to the flea market that was set up along the beach.  We walked the length of the market and checked out some things but generally were not impressed with the churned out souvenir type items.  We did buy some fresh coffee from a Canadian guy who had been in Puntarenus for the last 40 years.  Most of the stalls had variations on the same themes and it only made me think that some guy was pulling this stuff together and distributing it through sellers who all got their product from his warehouse.  Although the environment was not pleasant the people were very warm and inviting when you stopped to talk to them.  I purchased some small tacky items from a very charming older woman and Freddi picked up a nice wooden box for" somewhere".  We wandered back to the ship where we examined a Cunard lines ship called Queen Elizabeth.  It had birthed right next to ours and our respective staterooms were like being in West Vancouver high rise apartments.  This ship had departed from South Hampton, gone through the canal and was on its way to Thailand , India and Africa before returning to South Hampton.  It is one of the round the world cruises that take 3 months.  It was a very pretty deep grey ship.

Two for the day

I worked on my log for a while and Freddi read and did a laundry as we killed some time before we resorted to a lounge chair in the indoor pool.  The 30+ degree temperature and the humidity outside made the indoor pool a good choice.  After a little sleep and some reading we went back to the stateroom to watch our departure from the town.  It always amazes me how easily these huge ships maneuver in tight quarters. 

Once free of the dock and turned to point seaward we went to the dining room for dinner.  We joined two couples and had a nice evening chatting about travel, work worlds, distant cities and of course our meals.  It was a nice couple of hours and a quiet walk back to the stateroom for a sleep.

Monday, Jan 28 - Day 8 of holiday and Day 6 on board Island Princess

The early morning was spent watching the larger seas roll by on our 5th day at sea.  The sea was the largest we had experienced and it had a minor effect on the ship.  The wind was also quite high.  We had breakfast in Horizon and then we decided to sit and read in the indoor pool as we had a bit too much sun over the last couple of days.  This decision lasted through the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon.  The only thing we did was to play a round of mini-putt.  That was a recipe for weight gain.  At lunch time Freddi had a burger and I had a giant hot dog.  We were reserving some room for the grand event of the day.  Our focus was on the Chef's Table dinner that was scheduled for 7 PM.

Pate

We met at the Patisserie at 7PM and the Maitre de and the Director of the Kitchen took us through the dining room and into the kitchen in the wash up area.  There we "scrubbed in" and were issued white jackets for our stay in the kitchen.  We were ushered to the preparation section for vegetables, meat dishes and assembly.  It was pretty quiet as it was between sittings which always gives the team a little break before the next go around.  While in the kitchen we were served Nicolas Feuillata Champagne by Mario the Sommelier.  What followed was 4 different appetizers served amidst decoration carved veggies .  The Appetizers were as follows:

Tartar

Smokey Duck Foie Gras Parfait - layered foie gras, cut of duck breast served on bread

Steak Tartar with Traditional Condiments - knife cut filet, with a hot sauce and Lee & Perrins served on a crust

Bistro mini Quiche with truffle and cherry tomatoes - just as it sounds

Being served Quiche

Roasted new potatoes with sour cream and caviar - served ina  pastry making it look a bone with marrow

Those were all served in the kitchen as the chef, Mickaël Tocchetto, explained how the kitchen operated and described each of the appetizers with his passion and excitement about food.  He was brought up in France (Bordeaux) but currently lives in Toronto.  He is very energetic and team builder by the way he speaks of his team.  They produce roughly 10K meals a day!  We were then ushered into the Provence Dining Room where our table was set for a feast.  They set us up for a group picture first then settled us in for dinner.  Once settled at the table we were served an abundance of Freddi's favourite wine. It is the Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio from France.  We were then presented with an Italian Risotto with Tiger Prawns, Mushrooms and Lemon Foam.  That dish was just delightful and a tremendous expression of flavours.  To cool our palate we were served Lemon Thai Galangal Infused Sherbet served with a healthy splash of Grey Goose Vodka.  That gave us a little break in the food department and there was lots of conversation amongst the 11 guests.  We were seated beside a couple ffom California (a dentist) and his wife who were very nice.  Mike had taken a fall and had damaged his ribs so he was not enjoying this as much as he could.  His wife was a story teller from a way back.  Shortly thereafter our attention was returned to our wine and food.

Mario poured us a 2010 Ferrari Cadano Merlot to go with the rest of our dinner.  This was in preparation for the main course:

"Double Impact"

"Double Impact" Surf and Turf - this was made up of a large lobster tail, diver scallops, beef tenderloin and lamb rib chop served with Mustard Hollandaise for the tenderloin, Rosemary Jus gravy for the chop and of course, warm butter for the lobster.  This dish sounds like a huge amount of food but it was all "doable" as the servings were small with the exception of the lobster.  This part was a "party in my mouth" when combined with the merlot wine.

This was followed with a room temperature melted Le Fromage de Brie served with a honey truffle sauce drizzled on Walnut Bread.  Think about that - mmmmmm.  This was served on sliced arugula.

Too sweet!

The dessert that followed was a work of art in both its physical presence and in its taste.  It was a Belgian Chocolate dome with Mascarpone soft centre served with Whiskey Soak Raspberry.  It's tower was made of creative egg pastry in a mesh design floating on a blue sugar ice float.

All of this was followed by coffee and tea for those who wished it and a variety of Pastry Chef Rickey's homemade Gourmandisess (petty-fours).  After 3 hours of entertainment, food and wine we were presented with a copy of the Princess Recipe Book "Courses" which is a large hardcover recipe book and copy of the group picture.  It was an experience that I would recommend to anyone who travels with Princess.  They only do these once a week and with a maximum of 11 people.  Freddi and I waddled off into the moonlight after a wonderful dinner.

PS:  sleep was hard that night as the body had too much food in it, far too much sweet food and sugar and probably too much alcohol.

Sunday, Jan 27 - Day 7 of holiday and Day 5 on board Island Princess

Happy Birthday Pokey!

I started my day with my morning access to the Internet and a hot chocolate.  The seat I sit in faces to the SE and the early morning sun and the view of the swells is a nice way to start the day.  This part of the ship is quiet until about 8:30 when some early and enthusiastic card players show up and make it a happy but loud place.  I then move on.....

We enjoyed a breakfast in  the Horizon which was followed by a third round of mini-putt.  What has my life become????  I am currently up two out of three but I suspect that will change today as I have seen Freddi pantomiming the perfect golf swing when she is standing still.  I am worried about my status.

We sat in the sun for a brief period partially because we got too much sun the other day and partly because the wind was blowing like fury and shoes, sunglasses and even lounge chairs were tumbling down the walkway.  Freddi suggested that this was an ideal time for retail therapy, funny that eh, and we went to the "outlet sale".  I put that in quotes as it is a stretch in any language.  There was a collection of old trinkets and clothes from other cruises and stretch pants for men.  We could have purchased a nice windbreaker from the Alaska cruise if we were XL as every one of the jackets was XL.  Oddly enough there was a long line at the cash as people held their price reduced items close to their chests as they waited to pay.  As we left without anything an old guy sitting at the door said "You guys are the winners - you purchased nothing".  I think his wife was in the line.

After that exhausting activity we retired to the inside pool to watch the sea, read and perhaps to nap.

We then had lunch in Horizon and I am short on words about that event.  For the first time I felt I was trough feeding as a learned response.  Crap that only took 4 days at sea. 

We went to theatre to listen to a lecture about Cartagena and it was both interesting and insightful.  That city has taken a pounding over the years and a ton of money has been invested in building fortresses and protection for the city.  It also was the centre of all riches for many years as the Spanish and others of course became pirates in attempts to get their hands on the gold and silver.  We also learned that there are many parts of Cartagena where tourists should not walk alone.  The merchants  are aggressive and in some cases there is a criminal element that runs there.  Who would have guessed that as it is Columbia after all.  It is a beautiful city that has been built on reclaimed land and the photos show it to be very progressive.  I am looking forward to our tour there sometime later in the week.

In the afternoon I wrote a bit and listened to some music as Freddi napped.  We went to the theatre to watch Looper (a movie) before dinner and after a couple of hours we both left feeling that we would never get those two hours back and questioning why they would make such a movie.  It was just plain weird and so unnecessary.  Oh well I am sure there are folks out there that will enjoy it.

At dinner we were seated in the Provence Dining Room (fixed time and seating dining) as they had availability and we were stuck in a  corner by the window.  The view was great as it was dark and we could only see the white splashing of the ships wake as we steamed ever farther south.  It turned out to be the corner that Mario, the Sommelier, worked out of and he stopped to chat with us more than once.  We enjoyed our discussions and he advised us that the Melchor wine that I was enjoying was selling out quickly.  He put one aside for us later in the cruise as he knew that I enjoyed it so much.  Our dinner was a little different as I enjoyed a watermelon and Mascarpone cheese sauce served in a martini glass (think about that mmmm) followed by a nice veal marsala with yummy veggies.  Freddi had an asparagus appie and the veal also.  Did you hear that - Freddi ate veal!  Our desserts were just plain decadent in that they were both chocolate and high in calories an d sugar.  Go figgur'

We then walked down to the theatre again to watch the comedian go at people again.  He was very funny and we enjoyed his 45 minute stint.  We then walked from the aft to our stateroom which is almost the full length of the ship.  It was time to call this lazy day.

Saturday, Jan 26 - Day 6 of holiday and Day 4 on board Island Princess

I started my day with my usual routine of e-mail, Internet access, setting up the blog etc.  Why I put so much pressure on myself I will never understand.  Timed Internet is a bad thing as it cramps creativity and ensures that you make mistakes that you would not normally make on the computer. 

We breakfasted in the Horizon again and managed to secure a spot to eat at the bow again.  We were alone and didn't spend too much time there as it was once again a nice day. It seemed like a pressure day as we identified more than one important time where we wanted to be at something.  Funny as we normally have a dozens of commitments and to be mildly stressed because we had a couple of things is very much unlike us.  I think we have adapted to our sloth-like planning techniques.

 After breakfast Freddi took me on a walk about to some areas she had found on the ship that were of interest.  We played another game of mini-golf and got my title back again.  There wa sa team of Canadians following us through the course.  That didn't disturb our competitive game and we had a bunch of laughs as we did our 9 holes.  We then went to the aft and played a quick game of chess  with the three foot high chess men.  It was fun as I had to explain the roles and moves of the chess men as we went along.  I laughed lots as Freddi kept saying "Well that makes no sense" when I described the moves and strategy of the game.  That did not last very long and I think it will be a while before Freddi asks about chess again.  WE then wandered through the Sanctuary where you pay for peacefulness.  It is in the stern of the ship and it is very comfortable if you want to get away from the maddening crowd of people.  Considering our passenger compliment, this place will likely be pretty empty during the cruise and will likely be a spot where we will spend some time.

We retired to the inside pool area as we had too much sun the day before.  The lounges were much more comfortable that the one outside and a short read, a short sleep and some additional reading brought us to meal time again.  We decided on buffet for lunch as we didn't really want a sit down or formal lunch. 

After our brief lunch I went off to a photography seminar that reinforced some of the things I knew about photography and shared little in the way of insights into how this Australian photographer went about his business.  He was the on board photographer and some of his work is displayed around the ship.  It was interesting and it was very focused on the Nikon camera.

Our next stop was the wine tasting that we signed up for when we joined the ship.  It was hosted by Mario who was a Romanian who trained in the world of wine in San Francisco.  He may have been knowledgeable but his "storyline" left a lot to eb desired.  He bounced around and did not tell a contiguous story of grapes, wine, wine making and tasting.  I am sure my friend Denise would have jumped up and released him of his position and continued the seminar if she had been in the room.  None the less we were introduced to some new wines as outlined below. 

Nicolas Feuillante - brut champagne style wine $60 (here on the ship) Pairs with just about anything except maybe beef

Santa Margherita - Pinot Grigio ; (Italy) $41 (a favourite of Freddi) - pairs well with light fish, salads and shell fish

Pouilly Fuse - France  Chardonnay based wine $34 - White burgundy  with high acidity that pairs well with cheese, salads and stronger fish

Barolo - Stephano Farina Italy $45 (my favourite) pairs well with prosciutto and Italian meats and cheeses - I like with red meat also but it is light similar to a pinot noir

Don Melchor - Chilian Cab Sauvignon $58 deep red fruits, complex and expressive with chocolate and tobacco tones - (becoming a new fav) pairs well with red meats and game as well as strong cheese

Robert Mondavi - Napa Reserve $125 - very well blended and stable wine that demonstrated full berries and long finish (too expensive to become a fav)

All in all the wines were good and the small nibbles of food provided to have that food and wine party in the mouth were adequate.  I was less impressed with this presentation and delivery than on other Princess cruises.  But I did learn some things and had tastes of good wines so the time was well spent.

We then wandered up to the Lido deck to sit and watch Mamma Mia with the great cast of current stars as it was filmed a few years ago.  Who knew that Merril Streep could sing!  It is a fun story and well played out on film.

That took us to dinner time - does it ever stop?   We dressed for sinner and went to the Bordeaux Dining Room to sign up and had a wait time that was pretty short.  We chose to dine with others and were placed at a table with 8 other people.  Only two of the people were not Canadian.  Funny how that works out.  The two from Great Briton lived outside of London and they have travelled extensively.  The lady (lost her name) sat beside me and we chatted pretty much all through dinner about places we have been and want to go to.  We enjoyed a shrimp cocktail each and I had scallops that were to die for.  Freddi had chicken dinner and we both had a little dessert - something chocolate to go with the Don Melchor cabernet sauvignon........

That brought the day to an end as we crashed at about 10 PM.

Friday, Jan 25 - Day 5 of holiday and Day 3 on board Island Princess

The day started as usual with some time in the games room doing my Internet connectivity time and writing before we ventured to Horizon for breakfast.  The challenge these days is to eat something without eating it all.  There is a wide selection of breakfast fare and it does require some discipline to eat moderately.  We managed to forage for some tasty morsels and then we found seats a table in the bow area where we could look south and see the sea.  That was it - just sea in all directions.  We could also see weather in the distance but it dissipated as we approached.   We ate alone and chatted about the trivial aspects of our planned day.  I think we had one thing to do all day.

After our breakfast we walked out on the 14th deck and enjoyed the warmth of the sun.  It was a clear and perfect day with a brisk SW wind and small swells in the sea. Freddi had found the mini-putt (Princess Links) and wanted to play a game.  We arrived to find that there was only one couple there so we decided to give it a crack.  The course was quite different from others we have seen on ships and it is hard to take it seriously but the competitive nature continues to flow even under these conditions.  We played our 9 holes and agreed that we had played our best efforts and Freddi had beat me.  I was ready for another challenge another day.....

Large Screen viewing

Since it was a nice day and there seemed to be some recliners available on the Lido Deck we decided to sit and read and catch a few rays.  It felt very nice to feel the heat of the sun.  Somewhere in the background the quirky movie Breakfast at Tiffany's was playing (George Peppard and Audrey Hepburn) in the outdoor theatre.  It was like being at a drive-in and I watched some of it while reading my book.  Time slipped away and after a couple of hours we realized that the south sun had managed to burn our blanched skin that has been covered up since September.   We retreated to the shadows for a pizza lunch and better understand how badly we had been burned. 

At 3 Pm we went to a lecture (a very well attended lecture) about the building of the Panama Camal.  It was very informative and portrayed a picture of Government mismanagement and partisan politics even back in those days.  I guess that should not be a surprise considering the nature of politics.  Regardless of the mismanagement by the French, the US came to the rescue and took on the challenge of making the canal real.  The brief history lessons was interesting and put some perspective around this incredible construction.  I look forward to seeing it in real time in only a few days.

Following Dr.'s orders!

After the lecture we returned to the Lido deck to enjoy the sunset off in the western horizon.  There were a few clouds so it provided a nice array of colour and we had left our cameras in the stateroom.

We ventured down to the Bordeaux Dining Room around 7 pm only to be told that we had a 20 minute wait.  we had neglected to make a reservation again.  So off to the bar where we ordered a couple of drinks to sit out the wait.  It actually was much less that 20 minutes and we elected to join a larger table rather than eat alone.  We were escorted to a table with two elderly ladies from California.  They were very charming and both were around 80 years old.  They had lost their husbands in the last year and had been unable to convince then to do the Panama Canal tour so they decided to do it after they died.  They were quite different in appearance and character but they had been friends for years.  Loreena, the smaller frail one, was soft spoken and dignified in appearance and speech.  Phyllis, fuller version of womanhood, was very refined but also quite outspoken as she had some pretty thought through positions on things such as politics and child rearing.  Both had been teachers and Freddi was able to converse with them on that topic and how that related to child rearing and parenting.  It was an energetic and animated discussion.  We enjoyed dinner with these ladies.  I enjoyed a shrimp and scallop appetizer followed by a mahi mahi main dish.  Freddi enjoyed a green salad and a pasta dish that was of significant size.  Desserts were out of the question for most but I had to try the chocolate cookie covered in chocolate sauce with a dab of vanilla ice cream.  After our lingering dinner we wished the ladies well and we made our way back to the stateroom.  It had been a pretty peaceful day.

Thursday, Jan 24 - Day 4

First morning on the ship and a new routine was about to be started.  I had spotted the games room as a good location for early morning writing and found La Patisserie for a substitute Starbucks latte.  They only had hot chocolate as the substitute as I do not drink any of the exotic coffee.  The hot chocolate is a good substitute but I always long for the Chai Latte taste when on board a cruise ship.

I sat down and watched the coast of Baha drift by us that morning as it was not too far away.  This cruise has many sea days with only a few port stops (5) so there will be lots of time to reflect and perhaps get ahead of some of the things and projects I have been planning.  The first order of business was to get ahead of some of the things that I am behind in.  That includes things from my work assignment, our consulting practice, our cottage industry business and my personal interests in photography.  That became a tall order after a very short period of reflection.  Over the next few days I hope to modify the wide ranging aspect of my focus and concentrate on some, one or any of those interests.  On this particular morning I was interested in getting a handle on my e-mail and responding to a few folks and clearing up some small issues that were laying about.  After a couple of hours I was feeling less pressure as I was settling into holiday mode as well as getting a few things off the plate.  However adapting to the fact that Internet access on a cruise ship is a timed event and it is costly on top of that.  I purchased a package of minutes but regardless of the number you hold you are always mindful of the time you are actually online.  Somehow this is a deterrent to logical process and orderly Internet access and use as every time you are online your thoughts go to how much you are spending and how efficient you must be.  I long for a higher status in the Princess family when Internet becomes a non-issue. 'Nuff about that subject.....

The day started with some writing, reflection and email.  We then ventured to the Horizon for breakfast thinking that some of the more elderly folks would be finished their early breakfast and there would be lots of room in the eating area.  Wrong ..... these folks tend to linger and chat after their meals.  I guess since there are no ports for a few days and there are only about 100 things to do on the ship an early morning gab session seems to be practical.  We finally found a table to sit and enjoyed the forward view and the sun peeking out through the clouds.  Breakfast was good as we sampled many buffet selections  and I enjoyed a prepared omelette.  We were joined by a couple from Montreal who were very French but spoke English very well.  He was an Engineer and she was a Nurse in the blood bank business.  They have travelled extensively and they shared their experiences about their recent two week China tour.  It sounded very interesting and somewhat exhausting as they did  lot in 14 days.  Francois and Lynn were very nice breakfast guests and I am sure we will see them about the ship during the cruise.

After breakfast we returned to our cleaned up stateroom but along the way we got waylaid and we watched the end of a somewhat benign but captivating (early) Tom Hanks movie.  It was relaxing as we watched it outside on the Lido deck.  That lead to an impromptu sleep on the deck - oopps.  We then walked about and pissed away some time in the stateroom.  Suddenly, it was time to eat again......

We decided to go to lunch in the main dining room and enjoyed a clam chowder and some rigatoni that was really penne and carbonara sauce. Freddi had a Cobb salad that was designed by the bank.  That means they provided the ingredients but Freddi had to do the work to make it into a salad.  This user participation is getting out of hand.  Basically, the main dining room offers a full menu and fine service in a relaxed but comfortable dining room.  It is a contrast to the buffet feeding station approach of the Horizon Cafe.  Both have merits and the difference is all about service and atmosphere. 

After lunch we returned to our stateroom to read and continue my quest to get on top of the outstanding things in my life.  I was making progress so I was not at all upset about doing this work.  Freddi managed to watch a couple of chick flicks which I tuned into in background as they had some appeal.  Watching movies in your own space is always relaxing.  Later in the afternoon we went for a stroll to look over the merchandise in the various small stores on board.  We ended up in the watch and jewellery store where we looked at several watches.  After deferring an investment in a Tissot watch we each bought a less expensive option for the variety of having yet another watch.  A fast review of the art that is available for purchase on board we decided that there was no further reason to investigate that option.

Somewhere during all of the frantic lifestyle we were living we missed the memo that it was a formal night on board.  We had dressed nicely (jacket included) for dinner but were put to shame by the flocks of people who were decked out in long dresses and tuxes and the smell of champagne in the air was unmistakable.  As a result getting into the Bordeaux dining room was a 45 minute plus wait so we decided to wander down to the other specialty restaurant to see about getting some food.  They were not at all busy so they were happy to see us and treated us to a window seat for dinner.  The Bayou Steakhouse had a Cajun slant to their food as well as offering a fine array of premium beef.  Our waiter Goran (from Macedonia) was very enthusiastic and a bit difficult to understand due to his thick accent.  None-the-less we were able to arrange for a fine feast for the evening. Freddi and I ordered the Carpet Baggers Filet dinner with a shared order of gator ribs in bbq sauce.  I added a tomato crawfish bisque with aioli and cheese additions as a starter.  The latter was delicious but another banker special as I had to add and blend my own aioli sauce and cheese.  Not a difficult task but I was helping the chef with this one.  It was very tasty and worth the effort to make my own.  We both enjoyed our wines which were retrieved from the evening before.  During our dinner Calum, a very young photographer from England came around and took a few shots of us relaxing.  He didn't seem old enough to be away from home and this was his first operational day with Princess.  He was very excited about this new opportunity.  Nice young man and he was learning how to be open and friendly with the clientele.  The food experience was wonderful and the service was exemplary.  It is a very relaxing place to spend an evening.

After dinner we waddled off to our stateroom and were diverted at the lounge as there was a very funny comedian entertaining the guests.  We stayed and laughed at his observations of everyday life.  Very talented lad.  Then it was good night!

Day 3 - Wednesday - Jan 23

Finally the day arrived when we board the Island Princess in San Pedro for our 14 day cruise.  I started the day by doing some work on my e-mail down in the lobby but that came to an end when Freddi was ready for breakfast.  The  crowd in the lobby changed significantly as there were many more older couples there as the hotel is a cruise hotel and about 300 people were there in preparation for the Panama Cruise.  The breakfast dynamic changed significantly and we got our first clue that we were on a seniors cruise.  I guess that makes sense as not many 30 something folks are thinking about seeing the wonders of the world or clearing their bucket list.  Our breakfast was fun as we had a young waitress, who loves older folks, shared with us her joy when a ship goes out.  We enjoyed a good breakfast and then prepared to move from the hotel to the Princess Terminal at the World Cruise Terminal in San Pedro. 

We checked out and drove the car around the corner to the car return.   That was uneventful and we then took the bus to the airport where we connected with the Princess folks at the Delta terminal.  They corralled the Princess folks and eventually herded us into a bus for the 40 minute drive to the terminal.  I dreaded this process as in the past we have had to deal with long lines and delays getting on board.  This time was very efficient and we were escorted through a slick process that had us only wait for a 10 minute period.  We were there ahead of the "boarding time", which 1 PM and we found we were actually on board and being productive by that witching hour of 1 PM.  We went through the health check, passport control, security, loading and we found ourselves busy with our usual start-up procedure in short order.  Once aboard we sent to our stateroom to get acquainted but only stayed there for a short period as we wanted to secure a reservation for dinner that evening, secure a position on the wait list for the Chef's Dinner, get set up on the Internet and purchase our wine package for the cruise.  All of these things were completed in very short order and we then settled down for our lunch in the Horizon Cafe.   I was not very hungry so I nibbled on some buffet fare but really did not have too much roast beef , potatoes, corn, salad etc.  It was the first of many meals that offered too much food.

Our Itinerary for the Panama Cruise

In the afternoon I managed to clear some e-mail stuff as I continued to catch up with my life.  There were still a number of messages that required some work as well as some other outstanding issues for the consulting company.  Some where in later afternoon Freddi wanted to go to a seminar to hear about walking properly so I went with her.  It was all about sole inserts for your shoes that make you walk correctly and therefore eliminate pain in feet, knees, thighs etc.  We all did a foot analysis and the attendant set us up with inserts that should make you walk more correctly and reduce pain.  Some bought into the inserts and I thought it would be good to give it a try.  I too bought into the process and will see if it helps over time.  Freddi did not buy into the sales pitch and she was the one who dragged me into this.  Huh!

We enjoyed a nice evening at Sabatini's which is one of the specialty dining lounges on this and other Princess ships.  Our waiter, Fiore, was expressive and very enthusiastic about the new menu.  It was the same one we had become familiar with when we cruised the Baltic. There are selections for appetizers, a salad/soup course, a pasta course and finally the main course.  Each of the courses has great selections and the temptation is significant. Using our wine card we ordered our separate wines.  Freddi ordered a Margarita Pinot Blanc and I ordered an Italian Barolo which I had become fond of during the Baltic cruise.  The nice thing is that one does not have to finish the bottle at one sitting as the team is willing to store the bottle until you ask for it again from within any restaurant or dining room on board.  One can also take the remnants to their room should they wish to do that.  It is a great service.  Dinner at Sabatini's  is a long experience as they present you with lots of different breads and sticks for munching while they prepare your meal.  Freddi ordered a starter of baby greens and a secondi course of chicken skewers while I ordered a soft shell crab and a lobster 3 way.  The servings came with their daily pasta interlude before the secondi course.  It was a a meat sauce with sun dried tomato.  We passed on dessert as it was a lot of food. 

Panama Cruise 2013

Princess Panama Canal Cruise

Jan 23 - Feb 6 2013

 Monday, Jan 21 - Day 1

This travel adventure started with a flight to LAX from YOW.  Sounds pretty simple - right.  We it wasn't as simple as it could have been due to simple but explainable circumstances.  Having access to reduced rates of travel by way of our daughter's profession is a wonderful benefit for sure.  As a result we had booked our flight from YOW/LAX about 3 days before we left.  It was an early morning flight that would get us into LA at about 1 PM.  That would allow us a day and a half to roam about the LA area and wind down before we embarked on our cruise on Wednesday Jan 23.  Great plan.....

In reality, after the fact it turned out to be a pretty full day of travel with some stress associated with extra airports and the concern of availability of seats as standby employee parents.  The change in plan was self- induced as the day before as I actually screwed up on Sunday when I photocopied our passports and placed the copies in a convenient place for Tara-Lee should she need them.  I simply forgot to put the passports in their “spot” in my knapsack and we set off for a very busy day in Ottawa on Sunday.  At the airport at 4:15 am this day I discovered this and we arranged for a later flight so I could take a taxi to the condo, drive to Lake Bernard, pick up the passports (and a couple of things we had discovered that we had forgotten but believed were “purchasable”), drive back to the condo, taxi to airport and then talk to the folks at the check-in once again.  I had noticed that we could re-route earlier through Vancouver but that required me contacting ticketing and making arrangements for any extra charges before I could check-in.  There were waits for service but we finally got that done and confirmed the $4 difference in the tickets.  So we went to YOW/ YYZ/YVR/LAX and we got there 5 hours later than we planned.  This made for a long day and several hours of self flagellation for being such an idiot.  However, we did manage to get to the LAX on schedule according to the flights even with a delay in YOW of an hour and a further delay in YOW.  The flight from YVR was on time and we made it regardless of the other delays in the system.

Upon arrival in LA we gathered our bags and boarded the bus to the car rental.  I am always impressed by the size of LAX and the numbers that actually move through the airport each day.  Somehow they accommodate the huge flock of travelers and discharge their duties without fuss.  At the Avis stall we were identified as being in slot Y02 so we ventured out to that area only to be presented with a bunch of high end vehicles - which I had not ordered - so we inquired and Avis had chosen to upgrade us to a new Charger with a HEMI and very masculine throaty exhaust that made one feel the need to get to a drag strip.  Once acclimatized we drove the very short distance to our Marriott hotel for the night.  It was the airport Marriott so it was busy all the time with business travelers and convention types.  One company had 600 people in for a sales conference.    We settled into our room and then went downstairs for a beer and some sports bar fare to bring the day to an end.  We ended up having wings and tenders with a beer and wine.  It was perfect after a long day of travel and sitting about on airplanes.

Tuesday, Jan 22 - LA - Day 2

Early in the day I managed to wander to the lobby for a Starbucks and some computer time.  I had a backlog of business related things in my e-mail that have been nagging at me.  These were all simple things that required follow-up of various natures but they were, at that time, undone.  I poked about with that until Freddi joined me a couple of hours later.  We had a nice breakfast in the hotel and then ventured out to the big city.  Freddi had plotted a course in the bar the evening before so I was equipped with my instructions - "just drive".  I was Ok with that and off we went to visit Venice Beach as the day started there.  It is a unique place in the world where the homeless and beggars and the rich folks all seem to work in harmony and they basically leave each other alone.  Our initial encounter was a load disagreement between a couple of tough black ladies, one on a bicycle and the other walking as they hurled insults and serious name calling about something that had happened.  The bike lady was clearly in the lead role as she had two bike safety guard guys with her all the while.  I finally pulled myself away from the spectacle only to ahve to catch up to Freddi who abandoned the voyeuristic aspects on my behaviour pretty quickly. 

As we walked the promenade, the shops and vendor stations were in various degrees of opening up.  Some of the vendors were polite and said good morning and others ignored everybody altogether.  Some were funny and joyous as they tried to secure funding for their daily food intake and some were very serious.  In the centre area there was a spot where a good deal of these folks had placed their belongings for some sort of group safety while they went about their business.  Nearby was a wonderfully bright homeless lady who encouraged us to take her picture because she and her do were feeling particularly beautiful that day.  She made the comment that she does not have a camera herself but is happy to be in the albums of many families across the country. 

Just plain happy!

Freddi went into a few shops and scouted out sandals but was not successful.  We then ventured off to Rodeo Drive a ways down Wilshire Blvd.  We were lucky to find a parking spot at one end of the street and wandered about for a short period of time.  Freddi wasn't impressed with the high end nature of the area but I managed to find a shirt (fancy that) that was on sale at Paul and Shark.  We did not stay too long but long enough to recall our first visit to the street, many years ago, when we bumped into Donald Sutherland doing his shopping.  No such star spotting with this brief visit.



Lunch in Laguna

We then took to the Freeway and I learned a bit about the power and handling of this rental vehicle.  Very nice highway car and I had to be careful about acceleration as it was a specialty of the vehicle.  We drove well south to Corona del Mar and then turned off to Hwy 1 along the coast.  We continued south to Laguna Beach where we parked for a period to seek out food and do some shopping on the main streets.  We sat in a small restaurant overlooking the beach area that I frequented some 40 years before on a daily basis.  With some non-descript food in our bellies, we walked the streets and picked up some small things to wear or remind us of Laguna. Once we were tired of that walking we returned to the car to head north on Hwy 1 back to our hotel.

On the way we went through areas where all of the cars were somewhere between  BMW's and Ferraris  and all with single drivers in them to an area farther north where all of the vehicles were beat up GM products or old Toyota Corollas grinding out their last few miles.  That is the difference between Newport Beach and Long Beach.  Once beyond Long Beach we found a Ralph's to buy some wine for the ship and of course there was factory outlet that welcomed Freddi as she purchased some designer clothes and shoes of course.  From there we continued north to get to the hotel in a  rather circuitous route.

Once back in the hotel we went for a drink in the Sports Bar and then to JRs Steakhouse for dinner.  There we met a very gregarious waiter who introduced us to their selection of fine beef and a fine selection of wine.  We enjoyed a good meal and each had a glass of our selected wines before we retired for the night.