Bimmer09

I see via the Patter that the Captain, Mario Tani is giving a presentation on Navigation at 10.a.m. We'll be there. Meantime here's the scene..... Time to go up on deck and clue you in on what's available around the ship to help with your navigation The interactive Medallion maps make life easier for all. Never get lost again, unless you are wasted on rum or espresso martinis to name but two

Day 4 at Sea

Dinner was a briefer affair tonight as we had enjoyed a lunch when we returned to the ship and had since eaten a plate of chocolate strawberries and drank a bottle of champagne. This was my very tasty vegetable Korma with naan bread Carol's notes say she had a Caesar salad and fettuccini Alfredo but no pics were taken on my phone which is the designated Food Pics phone. We will form a committee, hold an inquiry and leave no stone unturned until we find out what really happened. I'll let you know in about 6 months. There is a picture of this which may have been my palette cleansing dessert... Club Fusion We went to Club Fusion, Deck 7, extreme aft to see Voice of the Ocean trials. Karaoke basically with half a dozen voices of varying talents. The MC was my favorite Alejandro so they're given a loud "make some noise " welcome and then we got to know each contestant through Alejandro's interview-"What's your name?. Where you from? Are you traveling with family or friends? e.g. Jim, Boston, No. It passed 45 minutes pleasantly and we heard a couple of female singers who were entertaining. Bed was welcome at 11 pm. As we were in the open sea again we were gently rocked to sleep zzzz

Ocho Rios came through for us in a pinch and the soft gentle warm rain didn't ruin our day. We have to leave as we have a long haul to Cartagena. I'd say we've lost the light Have you ever seen "Overnight in Ocho Rios" written on an Itinerary?

THIS IS NOT A LIVE THREAD Here are some of the clues... The first page has photos of each place on the Itinerary-not something you can furnish on day 1. This was my first time in the Panama Canal. It is written in the past tense The video of our ship sailing away on December 20 from PE was shown to you earlier this week in January. Not live therefore. I had a Covid-Free experience on the Ruby Dec 20-30. I flew home Dec 31 I felt ill Jan 1 and 2 I tested Positive Jan 3 I am recovering with drugs Norris

We are chilling on our aft balcony in Ocho Rios Extreme Right, 2 decks above Ruby Princess name. Center of that deck has no cabins. We have been enjoying our gift It's "Magic Light" time and people are heading back to the ship. We're leaving at 5.30

Hi, great reviews abound on the R6MII. I've had my Canon since July 2017 and am sticking with it. I need to improve, my camera doesn't. I have 3 lenses that I used on the Ruby, all Canon L lenses and all F4. F2.8 costs and isn't needed for non-portrait stuff that I shoot. Bokeh is the last thing I need. I did rent a Canon 70-200mm F2.8 for Star Princess to Alaska 2016 and loved how much light it could take in.Heavy.Big. Most of my Ruby pics were 24-70mm, some 70-200mm and a posse of 16-35mm for ship interiors. A 40mm prime went unused. The only good lens I left at home is a Zeiss Distagon 21mm which I love but wide angle already covered by 16-35 Canon. In Iceland I had taken another Canon-my first- T3i so had two loaded with L lenses so I could switch between wide and zoom. Whichever Body and lens you choose you can be sure that when you post your photos on CC the resolution will be sapped from them. I start off with 30Mb RAW files, Flicker J-Pegs them to 3Mb then CC adds a layer of breadcrumbs and some fog. Norris

Lest I forget, I got a nice shot of the Ruby from the drizzly dock

Our surprise gift had been delivered by the time I arrived back at base Thank you, friend!

Back upon the ship after 3 hours away. Carol summons Room Service which only she can comment on as I usually eschew it. I instead went to the Salty Dog Grill by the pool. Carol Norris Chicken sandwich, good chips

Nancy re the smoking- you may have missed the "Hospital stay ending" of my Celebrity Apex review. Norris

Our Konoko visit is winding down. Far below sits our home from home. The guide reminds the group that she appreciates tips while we are taking a quick break from the rain. I give her $5 , not knowing Carol would also do so.There wasn't much in the way of guiding. Back on the bus on the way downtown the other guide reminded us of her similar regard for the tipping culture. We greased her palm. The one hour to explore downtown was to be spent in a specific Diamond/Tanzanite store called Palace Jewelers . Carol stayed rightly on the bus with the A/C on. We were parked in a tiny square of jewelry stores and watch stores predominately. I saw a bar on the corner and went there for a beer. $5 US for a Red Stripe. It was cold and wet.That's all that mattered. I spoke to a couple from the ship who had finished eating a plate of coconut shrimp. How much was that? "we're not sure. It wasn't worth it whatever it was". Buyer beware. The bus crawled through the streets again and took us back to the gated port. We got off and paid our tip as we do. A man called out to me-"I want you to come and look at my wares" he pointed to some wood carvings spread on a blanket. "Naw, I'm done shopping" . They were the kind of carvings that one sees at yard sales after people return home from cruises and clutter up their house and a few years of arguments over them later, garage. You won't find any 4ft sombreros at the back of any closet in our home. Up ahead Carol had stopped at a little stall to buy some coffee that had been recommended by the port lecturer on the ship. She paid $30 for the 1lb bag below (same on Amazon she says) We each gave it a critical taste test once we came home to Chicago. Expectations were indeed high. It found its way into the trash can that morning. Score on the Flavo-meter....barely recognizable as a coffee-oriented beverage. It IS a coffee Experience Beyond Compare-I'll grant them that!! Avoid.

At one time Covid precautions were in place. The sign stays. As does the virus. The precautions don't. A view out of the park The Raging Falls They climbed the falls. Well done!

Just ignore the Covid sign as someone found a cure a year ago and it has been eradicated around the world and...wait a minute...I've got it!! It is very nasty and to be avoided. Everyone has let their guard down and seems willing to roll the dice. I did.

The lushness, like the emerald green in Ireland is because of the rain so I can't complain. I have no umbrella and no extra hand to hold one and work a camera. The rain is warm and there is no wind. Coi pond More beauty ahead...

KONOKO GARDENS We have an hour here among the greenery and the sound of a gentle drizzle and birdsong. Welcoming committee The bus is parked in the small parking lot and we are handed over to a new guide who works here. I deduce these are restrooms and pop inside. Everyone in our party will have the chance to do likewise. The local museum is also here We'll return outside to the beauty waiting...

Eventually through the stars blockage and onto the dock and at the end of the long walk everyone gets funneled into one big room (we've learned nothing about crowding together like sardines) and we are funneled through to the proper tour line and out the other side of the building into a warren of white buses (not highway coaches-maybe 30 seaters at most) suited for city street traffic. The driver of bus #34 is Andre and Stephanie is the personable guide who will keep up a non-stop stream of Ocho Rios info. I am staring outa side window taking iPhone pics of drizzly life on the town's streets- I can't say it is a city, let's go with town. Dark shop interiors Pop-up shops Car trunk shows School Mural at the start of the hill climb the bus will make to the Gardens and Falls. The traffic this morning is too much for the infrastructure of this town and there are no police taking an initiative to help it flow. The streets are tight. It's a Friday morning.

I would say minimum 400mm. I considered the Canon100-400 but better sense prevailed and I spent the $$ on a 4K camcorder instead. If a heron or eagle comes near me I'll take a picture but I can't drag one more heavy lens with me through airports and on tour buses. Over 400 you'll probably need to take a tripod. 200 doesn't get you much except "If only I'd gone for that 400..." A 24-70 for walk around and a 100-400 for nature excursions involving birds and critters. A DSLR with 4K video. Phone for timelapse, Gorilla tripod (see my aft railing pics) Go Pro-if you have one use it for underwater on a selfie stick, harness or head/wrist band. In the Canal on Christmas day I used Go Pro (time lapse) Sony4 K camcorder, Canon 6D MKII with a 24-70 and a 70-200 and iPhone from various vantage points of the Ruby Princess. Norris

Here's something to read while I am gone

All tours were reworked and we were told to come to the Princess Theater at 10 a.m.Tours now focused on Ocho and Dunn's River Falls was the main draw as it had been on the Falmouth menu. Our tour though was originally local to Falmouth and the news for our group was that the tour operator didn't want to do all that driving-F to O back to F back to O then back to base in F. I was happy not to ride around those roads in the rain for hours just to see the ***** Great House. We were offered a Discover Ocho Rios tour-about 3 hours total and comprising a visit to Konoko Gardens and Falls then a free hour to explore downtown. Some in our small group weren't keen on the "explore downtown" vagueness as they had heard tales of the pushy vendors and squalor-they baled in favor of staying on a dry ship. I'll be taking pictures out the bus window so you'll see what they'd missed by staying onboard. We are the last group to leave, our numbers less than 25 now and we can join that time-honored tradition of lining up on several flights of stairs behind the previous people who were making their way to the gangway. It isn't hard Princess officers-let the people off in manageable groups. What you end up with in these bottleneck situations (besides everyone being too close) is a safety situation. If people are at a standstill they are unable to get clear if there's a fire or such or a medical situation. Give each group a clear pathway-they don't all have to get off in a long conga line. Once off there's a long walk to the busses-maybe 400 yards. We passed the two sad sacks from the photo department who don't even bother dressing up as Pirates these days. They just want you to hold a dirty lifebelt for these and charge you $20 later. We used to spend $20 on photos every time we stepped off Princess ships. Now we just laugh in their faces. We're going ashore. It's warm and a bit of drizzle isn't the end. Cameras at the ready! More soon after a Covid break. Norris

I'm watching the weather as I want to get off the ship. That's what ports are for! Carol is Queen of the Sea Day. I am all about the ports even ones like Ocho which I visited 44 + times already and wasn't impressed by it on the first one in 1985. (I worked on a Royal Caribbean ship in the mid 80's for 44 cruises) It's raining all along the coast but the wind isn't such a factor now that we are near the port This is the dock, by the Dr No shed (Bond Movie) where each Tuesday from March to November 1986 with me on it Royal's first cruise ship the Song of Norway would cast it's lines ashore for a day in somewhere really unlike the Miami they had recently left. We are using a different jetty today These houses are all new to me and hint at prosperity for some. It seemed like a shanty town back in 1986. We're here. We made it. Ocho Port Authority sprang to life and got men out of their beds and summoned up tour busses on the fly. Very impressive. Could have been a sea day but our Captain was on the ball. Our excursion was in Falmouth though.....bit of a drive now. We'll see.

December 22. Morning. That's not a greeting but rather when I woke and looked out at what was Falmouth according to my charts. The Pilot and the Captain agreed that 37 knot winds made docking unsafe and contacted Ocho Rios down the coast. No ships there today so we turned away from miserable Falmouth and made speed to Ocho. The excursion department had to contact their vendors in Falmouth and Ocho to cobble together some tours at very short notice. I had got my coffee and was up on deck... Buffet overspill area near the pool-won't be empty for long New to me-a bar called Mix. Good name. It was time for breakfast. If we still had an excursion it was an early one. Up to Sabatini's... I fueled up for a day of sightseeing and perhaps hair braiding Carol's omelette with ham and onion Between the Macchiatos and Mimosas the distance between Falmouth and Ocho Rios was shrinking

Stardust We are theater people, Opera, plays, musicals, concerts. You are not encouraged to videotape Princess shows. Celebrity encourages you to (it's publicity!) Cameras are ok if no flash so I usually take a couple of flshless shots to catch the mood/color/gist. On this sailing strolling in late would have led to standing in the dark Live seven piece band, four lead singers and eight dancers pull out all the stops-a reference to playing the organ full blast. Old 1950's and 60's hits that most cruise ship audiences know first hand. "Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket" All singin', all dancin' fun! Ten dancers now!! Blow the budget!! After the show we escape the seething crowd of 700 by using Promenade deck. Breezy night. by morning we'll have reached Jamaica! Norris

We are eating again. Formal Night dinner. Da Vinci. We won't eat in Michelangelo or Botticelli on this trip, though we have before. We are happy here. We never have to wait. We passed by the other door and there was a line there. As you can see there are some extra dishes you can buy to enhance your meal/use some OBC We were both excited by the words Crab Cake! Alas it must have been a play on words or such. Perhaps the ship once sailed near a crab in an Alaskan harbor . If so that was the closest encounter for the crab cake filler that made up this dish. The "crab" was awol from the flavor profile. Fail. This was my Red Snapper with black bean salsa. I think we would agree that all the fish dishes than came our way were worthy. Good job on the fish station! Prime rib for Carol with cauliflower, broccoli and potato beignet. Hit the spot I believe. Love Boat Dream, a tasty after dinner treat! Carol's "Crepes Suzette". Not cooked table side . Not flat like a crepe . A dismal fail and an insult to the chefs and the people of La Belle France. We retired to the International Cafe for an expresso and macchiato before attending the show Stardust in the Princess Theater. Norris

Thank you. I am fine with and in fact prefer/ welcome interaction with people reading this as I am here to answer questions based on my own experience. There's no hijacking. I also welcome criticism, opinions if they differ or parallel mine. I am only going to write this once and when it's finished it will slowly disappear like Jack at the icy end of Titanic. I have 20 reviews/journals on CC now. I know where to find them but even with 20 I see I am new to some people. I have had well over a million page reads. I have photographed some cool places/ships/plates of food and have gotten more than a few laughs. I did buy a new 4K video camera for Panama and am glad I did. Norris