2/18/2011
Wednesday, just before noon we boarded the ship in good order. The weather was clear and in the 70’s, though as we left Fort Lauderdale, the skies in our direction looked a bit stormy. The seas have been a little rough, not terrible, though some complain loudly.
We explored the ship, unpacked, John napped and then we went to dinner. Our table for eight had only four others and us, with two empty chairs. Empty chairs on the first night are not uncommon, as some are tired from traveling, and some have trouble finding the dining room. We will hopefully have a full table tonight. Two of our tablemates are from Austria and she speaks a little English and he none, only German, which the rest of us speak none. So, the conversations were mostly between us and Don and Nancy from Myrtle Beach, SC.
Our room steward is a delightful woman from Thailand, who is full of smiles, curtseys and bows, and is so eager to please. Her name is Chanakan, rhyming with Sanican! Our table waitress, Mickey is a delight and her assistant is pretty invisible, leaving much of the work to her.
Thursday, we were tendered into Princess Cay, a private island in the Bahamas owned by Princess Cruises. It is very small, very clean, with a few shops owned by Princess. They have a great, we heard, buffet that is much the same as is on the ship. There is small area just outside the Princess area with local shop owners selling the same items at 2/3 of the prices. We bought a Christmas ornament as usual.
Back at the ship, at trivia, Colleen recognized Miko, whom she worked with at the Port of Seattle a couple of years ago, now he works on ships. Another friend, Arnie, is a piano player and singer on our ship. We have known him from Seattle as well as on at least three cruises that we have been on. It is so nice to see friends, as well as meeting new ones.
Our eight place table has only had three couples, but Friday evening brought a new couple, who are from a town next to our original tablemate’s old town in Ohio. They know lots of the same people. The new couple has been a nice addition. We still feel bad for the couple that does not speak English.
'Tendered in' a ship’s term meaning ‘transported to the pier in a lifeboat’. So, a tender is a lifeboat and tender can also be a verb. The picture is of a tender.
Friday was be an ‘at sea’ day and then we will be on St Thomas, in the U S Virgin Islands on Saturday. We have a half day tour and then will spend the afternoon in town, turning down all of the aggressive diamond shop hawkers. It’s kinda fun! The next five days are all port days, so we will be busy. To bed tonight early.
John & Colleen
Wednesday, just before noon we boarded the ship in good order. The weather was clear and in the 70’s, though as we left Fort Lauderdale, the skies in our direction looked a bit stormy. The seas have been a little rough, not terrible, though some complain loudly.
We explored the ship, unpacked, John napped and then we went to dinner. Our table for eight had only four others and us, with two empty chairs. Empty chairs on the first night are not uncommon, as some are tired from traveling, and some have trouble finding the dining room. We will hopefully have a full table tonight. Two of our tablemates are from Austria and she speaks a little English and he none, only German, which the rest of us speak none. So, the conversations were mostly between us and Don and Nancy from Myrtle Beach, SC.
Our room steward is a delightful woman from Thailand, who is full of smiles, curtseys and bows, and is so eager to please. Her name is Chanakan, rhyming with Sanican! Our table waitress, Mickey is a delight and her assistant is pretty invisible, leaving much of the work to her.
Thursday, we were tendered into Princess Cay, a private island in the Bahamas owned by Princess Cruises. It is very small, very clean, with a few shops owned by Princess. They have a great, we heard, buffet that is much the same as is on the ship. There is small area just outside the Princess area with local shop owners selling the same items at 2/3 of the prices. We bought a Christmas ornament as usual.
Back at the ship, at trivia, Colleen recognized Miko, whom she worked with at the Port of Seattle a couple of years ago, now he works on ships. Another friend, Arnie, is a piano player and singer on our ship. We have known him from Seattle as well as on at least three cruises that we have been on. It is so nice to see friends, as well as meeting new ones.
Our eight place table has only had three couples, but Friday evening brought a new couple, who are from a town next to our original tablemate’s old town in Ohio. They know lots of the same people. The new couple has been a nice addition. We still feel bad for the couple that does not speak English.
'Tendered in' a ship’s term meaning ‘transported to the pier in a lifeboat’. So, a tender is a lifeboat and tender can also be a verb. The picture is of a tender.
Friday was be an ‘at sea’ day and then we will be on St Thomas, in the U S Virgin Islands on Saturday. We have a half day tour and then will spend the afternoon in town, turning down all of the aggressive diamond shop hawkers. It’s kinda fun! The next five days are all port days, so we will be busy. To bed tonight early.
John & Colleen
posted by Colleen and John | 5:43 PM
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