CARIBBEAN PRINCESS Jan 11 2014-Photo and video review

[StillPooh]

Thanks for the trip down memory lane! We were aboard the CB two years ago, when she was doing Southern Caribbean itineraries. :cool:

[MJSailors]

Norris

Instead of a forum spot,have you considered a travel book containing your many photos?

You could have a volume of cruise photos and one dedicated to European land travels.

Along with humorous anecdotes,it could be a hit!

[whataboutport]

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your review!

[enidcruiser]

I rented the diesel version of this Jaguar XJ when I was in Germany last August.

Wonderful car.

 



 

The Opera House is by the river and down below on it's banks there was a Spanish Wedding Party taking photographs. So colorful!

 



 

Handsome town on a warm (72 deg. F) January day

 



 

Well signposted which is key when you are driving or walking

 



 

The picture of the buildings after the wedding picture will have a change very soon. The building on the right with the little park on the right corner is the Houston Club bldg (George HW Bush had his office there once) and is to be demolished so a tall office bldg can be built with updated infrastructure. Glad you got to see it and appreciate our downtown. We Chase Bank employees had offices in there as well.

[enidcruiser]

Your restaurant where you ate is on the sw corner of the old Rice Hotel and the other corner showing the Rice Lofts is also part of the old hotel. The Rice is where JFK stayed in Houston the day before his drive through Dallas that fateful Nov day. Lots of history in here. Just thought you would like to know more about what you saw. Let us know where you decide to post your blog.

[Bimmer09]

Your restaurant where you ate is on the sw corner of the old Rice Hotel and the other corner showing the Rice Lofts is also part of the old hotel. The Rice is where JFK stayed in Houston the day before his drive through Dallas that fateful Nov day. Lots of history in here. Just thought you would like to know more about what you saw. Let us know where you decide to post your blog.

 

Thanks for this. I really had no idea of the history behind some of the buildings there. We most definitely will be back in Houston, lured by the Opera, so maybe just a weekend trip now and then.

 

I had originally seen us just getting off the ship and staying at the Hilton and making a day of it at the Space Center but once Carol saw there was an opera playing that night she thought it a good opportunity to experience HGO and then she found the Lancaster and was hooked by it's proximity. We're both so glad we went and experienced a little bit of the beautiful downtown area. We have similar fond relationships with San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver all of which we return to from time to time. Now Houston is on the list.

 

I have been exploring (late last night when I got home) Blogger.com (owned by Google so my photos are welcome there) and a make your own website (for a monthly charge) hosted by Squarespace. If I do get something up and running I'll start with the Bayreuth experience you were interested in and I'll let you all know if it works by coming back to this thread with a link. If possible I would like to write and upload photos and present a beginning to end piece all at once rather than the upload as you go method I have to use on this forum.

 

Thanks for giving me the impetus to look into these options!

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Norris

Instead of a forum spot,have you considered a travel book containing your many photos?

You could have a volume of cruise photos and one dedicated to European land travels.

Along with humorous anecdotes,it could be a hit!

 

That's kind of you to suggest but every photo and video I have taken on our travels was made just for us, spur of the moment with little thought or planning

so there isn't material there for people to base their travels on. I figured at the time that the audience for them all would be two people and on vacation we don't rush to cram experiences in so we are the type of people who could go to Rome and not include the Vatican. I'll prove that in September when we are on Ocean Princess Venice to Rome.

 

There is only one Rick Steves who is someone we like very much but he does the research and has a job to do. While he is zipping around with a purpose I would be having my third Sambuca and espresso at a sidewalk cafe prior to taking another nap.

 

I did have my own website back in 1999 called Opera Jamboree which gave me the chance to babble away about my Opera travels and it was peppered with one-liners but that's just my style as I don't take anything too seriously. I'm going to Google search it just out of curiosity. The inspiration for it was my first trip to Bayreuth for the Festival and it also celebrated Carol's first visit to a country I had been raving about for some years-Germany.

 

Thanks again for following along on this thread!

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Well I just google-searched Opera Jamboree and took a brief walk down memory lane and was surprised at how much stuff I had written back then.

 

There is a little drop down menu at left titled-More ramblings and Bayreuth 1999 begins my memories of that amazing trip and has a photo of the Wagner Theater.

 

The little sailboat was the link for people to e mail me. Still the same e mail address too. I had several opera friends write their own segments but they couldn't keep up with the output and so I laid it to rest after a couple of years.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

An uneventful drive and we arrived in the Hertz check-in lanes near IAH and I unloaded the luggage while we were checked in. While I was waiting for Carol to find a luggage trolley so we could take our stuff to the Hertz shuttle bus for the next leg of our journey I struck up a conversation with a Hertz man who came by. His name was Joseph and he offered to drive us to the airport instead of waiting for the shuttle.

I'm not sure of the ethics of this but it seemed like an easier way to get where we had to be.

 

He drove the Camry I had just returned and we found Carol wheeling the luggage trolley. It took maybe 10 minutes to get to the United kerb-side check-in, during which Joseph engaged us in conversation about Houston a city he was very proud of. I gave him a $10 tip for all his help.

 

We scored again with our choice of airport eats. Carol had yelped and found Real Food and while she sat at the table guarding our stuff I grabbed a tray and visited the BBQ stations where they had giant hunks of BBQ pork and beef and asked the man for a pulled pork sandwich. I added some fresh hand cut fries and a beer and soon my belly was busting with the best airport food. Carol then took her turn to visit the counters as there is no table service. Deee-lishus!!

 

From there to the United Red Carpet club to sit quietly and reflect while the plane was readied for the two and a half hour trip to Chicago O'Hare

 

 

A Perfect Cruise?

 

Could I say we had had the perfect cruise? No, but only because of the 5 hour delay in boarding. So close was the CB that I could almost taste it but we lost the sail away in daylight and the opportunity of maybe photographing big cargo ships in this very busy port, second only to Long Beach for traffic.

 

We fully understood the delay being necessary. The fog is no-one's fault and safety is paramount when a ship this big is involved. The Noro scrub-down was also a necessity but new Noro carriers apparently got on board for our cruise and restrictions stayed in place all week.

 

Keeping things in perspective we didn't have the headaches that people getting off the ship had as 5 hours late meant they missed flights at a time when many US airports were struggling to keep planes taking off in foul winter weather.

There were no frantic phone calls for us to make. We just had to wait in a comfy lounge for 5 hours (Carol) or walk and sit in the sun while admiring the ship (Norris) and watch the hours tick down one by one.

 

Once we were onboard and underway all that was forgotten as we settled in to enjoy yet another fine cruise with Princess.

 

Being a Grand Class lover of course I was in my element and well-disposed to the architecture of the ship and all it had to offer. The Skywalkers in particular is a singularly striking design even though one doesn't spend a lot of time there.

 

There were so many places on the ship to enjoy. Many quiet and less traveled spots indoors and out. Not everyone hangs around the pool and gets up early to "reserve seats" near the pool. Shame on the poor wretches who feel it necessary but they were in the vast minority as my photos of endless open loungers will show. Although the days were warm they were mostly overcast and so the pool was never full of people although the hot-tubs often were up until dusk. I have yet to set foot in a Princess pool as I usually just swim on the kind of beaches I can't get in Chicago (we have beaches but they are swarmed in summertime)

 

How was the food Norris?

 

Well on the CB I never met a meal I didn't like and I am pretty well known as a plate-licker. It's fine food considering the numbers they are cooking for and the profit margins they need to run a healthy business with huge overheads.

 

This was the first ship I didn't sample the buffet on but a great many people did for breakfast lunch and dinner. I just didn't want to be served by rubber-gloved waiters this trip. I had enough to eat and certainly more than I eat at home.

 

I had no lunches in the MDR which I always regret after the event as I know them to be good. It's just hard for me on a sunny Caribbean sea day to tear myself away from being up on deck when it is so easy just to grab some fast freshly cooked food from the Trident Grill or Pizza station.

 

Dinners were fine and we enjoyed the company of Cindy and her family but we didn't find that waiter team that would deep us coming back to their tables. We may just have been lucky on the Diamond and Ruby. Most of the waitstaff on the CB were just doing their jobs but of course we look for engaging people who like a good laugh and like to banter back and forth with us as we are both light-hearted and don't look upon them as "just waiters". We want to get to know them better even though we may never see them again. We are not demanding of them.

 

Hector the singing Head Waiter was a great treat as we love Italian songs and we love anyone with a decent voice who is passionate through their singing. That's the reason we go to karaoke as a few gems are always uncovered.

 

The Crown Grill and Sabatini's experiences we enjoyed as we have done on other ships. The CG is especially good value for the $25 a head. The Sabatini menu maybe needs to change or expand a little if we are to have a lot more Princess Cruises. We still look forward to the Sabatini's breakfast experience of course.

 

We didn't eat at the International Cafe this trip. There is a long list of things we didn't do but we don't sweat as we will have other opportunities and set our own pace. We have only ever eaten at the IC on the Ruby and loved it but we are often so stuffed that snacking there doesn't even occur to us.

 

Vines we tried for the first time and it was a nice change but the tapas were weak as we have the Ultimate Tapas right on our doorstep in Chicago thanks to Iron Chef Jose Garces.

 

Afternoon tea continues to be a delight of cruising Princess and like the Pub lunch I salute their keeping their ties to P and O tradition and Britain.

 

Entertainment

 

Well even if Hawley Magic hadn't been cancelled mid-way through the voyage I would say that there seemed to be less of it than on other sailings. I'd have to check the Patters off against each other but I know that I stumbled upon less variety and richness as I walked around the ship.

 

No strong-men, balancers, sword-jugglers, steel drum soloists as I have seen on other sailings in the Piazza. I didn't come across a dance band or crooner as I walked past the Wheelhouse Bar as I have on other ships (the Rick Kilburn band on the Coral was an example of the right band for the room.)

 

I never found a reason to sit in Explorers as I have on other ships to watch gut-busting stand-up comics. Seth Gibson always drew an overspill crowd in Crooners bar at night but we didn't pull up a chair to sit in the hallway. Had it been David Moore we would have.

 

I will split this summary up now as it is getting too long and I will come back later to continue so that you have time to get on with your lives. I don't want women going into labor while I ramble on or have people struggling to "hold it in" when a bathroom break is paramount...so until later...

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Entertainment continued

 

The CD, Brett Siborne is a great MC. He's not a song and dance man. He has great energy and is very comfortable with a microphone in hand. I could't tell you who the Assistant CD was. No one stood out as did Simone the young Australian whirlwind who compered the Men's Sexy legs contest by the pool and the Karaoke contest. She's only 20 years old but may be a CD in the future as she is fearless and doesn't need a script.

 

I only saw one variety show in the Princess Theater-Born to be Wild which I had seen before but it is a good half-hour of song and dance. Rootberry-the juggling duo were fun but the lack of an International Crew Show was a disappointment and must surely point to a lack of Philippinos among the crew as they are born to sing, seemingly, from other voyages we have taken. I didn't meet any Thailanders. They were in abundance upon the Diamond which is our best cruise to date and they played a part in that as many of them are very witty and engaging. Our best cabin steward Wee and best waitstaff Sadudee and Siwa were on that ship, plus some fantastic bar waiters, full of life. Someday we will sail on the Diamond again even if it means having to fly to the Far East to meet her. I regret Princess' decision to take it's two most remarkable ships to serve one market. One would have been enough of a blow.

 

Itinerary

 

No complaints here. Two ports that were new to us or three if you are Carol and the weather held up for us, unlike the unfortunate folks on the rainy cruise just before ours. Cloudy skies I can live with, rain not so much.

 

There was a lot of visible Third World poverty along the way in Roatan and Belize but we had to see it on our way to unforgettable excursions that we would take again in a heartbeat-as we would this cruise, on this ship or the Emerald or whomever does it in the future. The dolphins and the airboat will remain fresh in our memory for years. Mahogany Bay I loved and you will too if the weather is good and the ship can make it in against the strong off-shore winds that I feared might make it uncertain as to whether we could land safely. We only met tourist industry people in those ports but they were fine, warm and witty people.

 

Belize is a world-class diving area as is Cozumel. Princess can take you there in comfort whether you are in an Inside cabin or a Suite. Once you step outside the cabin door the whole ship is yours. It is a wonderful ship and it is in immaculate condition considering how hard it is put to work, with seldom a rest. Rust on the balcony. Sure. Teak balcony furniture in need of sanding and varnishing? Check.

It is up to the Officers on these ships to stay on top of all this and correct it.

Sometimes they are wanting and complacent. The Captain sets the tone.

 

The Captain I never saw out and about-but then it is a big ship and he may have been avoiding me. His name was Giorgio Pomata. By contrast the Captain of the Ruby-John Foster, seemed to be everywhere and I almost asked him to get me another Beck's one day when he showed up at Tradewinds bar.

 

Hotel General Manager was Adam Gorst if that means anything to you. A Welshman of "Taffy" as they are known in the UK (a Jock would be the Scotsman and a Paddy the Irish equivalent. I don't think there is a term for the Englishman as they are the ones who make up the terms in the first place)

 

Executive Chef and a funny witty Italian was Antonio Cortese.

 

Maitre d'Hotel was Guiseppe Castino but he didn't work the dining rooms as far as I could see and was an invisible presence unlike say Neville Saldana (Coral and Crown for me) who is all over the place leaving a trail of laughter in his wake.

 

Staff Captain (2nd in command) was Goran Favro. Never saw him.

 

Chief Engineer was Guiseppe Destro and he kept the toilets and A/C working and the engines running so can't ask for more than that.

 

I have the Patters but someone else has thankfully scanned them and published them on another thread.

 

If you want to know what movies I saw the answer is NONE. No MUTS and no in-cabin one nor those shown in Explorers Lounge. Even Carol, Oscar-night Queen didn't see one. I'd say that if you can't find anything to entertain you a trip to deck 4 to see the ship's Doctor (Jennifer Kruger) might be in order. There's way more than you normally pack in during a week in the town where you live-so no whining, please. Adapt! talk to a stranger, read a book, take a nap, walk on deck and fill your lungs with the sea air you don't get at home. Have a drink at a bar and think about next week when you are back to work!

 

Make the most of your cruise. You don't have to do it all- I am living proof of that.

 

I'll finish up soon. Walk the dog if you have to...look at him! Big brown eyes, leash in his jaws...I can wait.

 

Norris, seeing snow melting on the streets of Chicago. Life is good.

[Bimmer09]

Would I take this cruise again?

 

Yes, we both would. Had we suffered more delays or missed ports or had to miss ports AND have our cruise cut short as some sailings did then I think the answer might be different. It has turned out to be a roll of the dice and has led to some very poor reviews in the Member's Review Section. I has cost Princess goodwill and a lot of unplanned expenditure and lost revenue.

 

I imagine our next cruise to the Caribbean won't sail out of Texas.

 

For now it is time to sign off this thread.

 

My next will be in October when I look back on our September 20 cruise on the Ocean Princess. We have excursions in Venice booked, plus Pompeii and Carthage. Malta too. Dubrovnik and Rome we have yet to book but we have two days in the latter at the end. In the meantime I am waiting for Blogging for Dummies to arrive from Amazon and have a whole summer to practice with the camera and editing software and improve my video technique.

 

Thanks to all who have followed along and especially to the many of you who have commented.

 

Bye for now!

 

Norris

[Cindy]

I just stumbled across your wonderful review this afternoon. I'm glad you enjoyed Houston and had a good time on your cruise. I've been sailing other lines the last few years, but your review made me thing we might check out a Princess ship again in the near future. Thanks for sharing!

[TubT]

An Englishman is a "pommy." At least, that's what my Australian friends call them.

[TubT]

Just as a curiosity, I believe Houston is the largest city in the U.S. without any zoning.

 

Before I ever went to Houston, I didn't think I'd like it, but I have gone there on business on a regular basis for some 35 years now, and I don't think I'll ever live long enough to see all its charm. And I sat out Hurricane Alicia in a mall shopping lot there, watching the light poles fall and the shingles fly.

[TubT]

 

Brilliance of the Seas and Caribbean Princess

 

 

This view again raises the question I have been asking since the Grand Princess debuted. "Who thought it was a good idea to put the rear wing from a 1979 Dodge Daytona, with a hamster run up to it, on a cruise ship?" My guess is it was the same person who made the rear of the Brilliance of the Seas look like a 1954 Buick. I see that Princess has been removing the Daytona wing from at least one of the ships (the Grand?). But the Brilliance will still look like a Buick.

[Bimmer09]

I just stumbled across your wonderful review this afternoon. I'm glad you enjoyed Houston and had a good time on your cruise. I've been sailing other lines the last few years, but your review made me thing we might check out a Princess ship again in the near future. Thanks for sharing!

 

Cindy-better late than never. The review has been on the front page of the Princess Boards for about 3 weeks. I have enjoyed all 5 of my cruises with Princess over the past 2.5 years and have another booked plus Cruise Credits (deposits ) for two more.

 

I don't rule out cruising on other lines in the future. We are spoiled for choice and are lucky we can cruise. For the majority of the people on the islands I visited this time I can't imagine debating their next cruise takes up a lot of their time and some may never set foot off the island. I count myself lucky and can never forget that.

 

I don't know which lines you have been sailing on but I think Princess is a worthy mainstream (affordable) line.

 

Best wishes,

Norris

[Bimmer09]

This view again raises the question I have been asking since the Grand Princess debuted. "Who thought it was a good idea to put the rear wing from a 1979 Dodge Daytona, with a hamster run up to it, on a cruise ship?" My guess is it was the same person who made the rear of the Brilliance of the Seas look like a 1954 Buick. I see that Princess has been removing the Daytona wing from at least one of the ships (the Grand?). But the Brilliance will still look like a Buick.

 

LOL Tub!

 

8-)

 

Norris, who loves both designs.

[Cindy]

Cindy-better late than never. The review has been on the front page of the Princess Boards for about 3 weeks. I have enjoyed all 5 of my cruises with Princess over the past 2.5 years and have another booked plus Cruise Credits (deposits ) for two more.

 

I don't rule out cruising on other lines in the future. We are spoiled for choice and are lucky we can cruise. For the majority of the people on the islands I visited this time I can't imagine debating their next cruise takes up a lot of their time and some may never set foot off the island. I count myself lucky and can never forget that.

 

I don't know which lines you have been sailing on but I think Princess is a worthy mainstream (affordable) line.

 

Best wishes,

Norris

 

Well, I guess it's a good thing I visited the Princess board and found it! You're right...better late than never!:o

Edited February 16, 2014 by Cindy

[MJC]

Just a shout out from another cruiser who has been following your review with pleasure. We sail the CB next month and have gleaned many valuable tips here. Thank you.

 

Margaret, who can't wait to boogie in Skywalkers

[Bimmer09]

Just a shout out from another cruiser who has been following your review with pleasure. We sail the CB next month and have gleaned many valuable tips here. Thank you.

 

Margaret, who can't wait to boogie in Skywalkers

 

Margaret-thanks for the shout-out and enjoy your trip in March. Hope it's all smooth sailing. I think fog season is over by then.

 

Norris

[DLSHS_Mom]

Bimmer,

 

Many thanks to all of your tips...we were on the Feb 8th sailing and like you had a very nice trip. We enjoyed Perrys, had the wonderful singing during our dining twice!....most of all it was trip for my husband and myself to relax.

[themerle]

I have finished reading the review! Loved everything about it! In two weeks I'll be on the Caribbean Princess!

[Cruzin-K]

Thanks for a really terrific review. Your photos were great, and the commentary quite humorous.

 

Well, after maybe 10 hours of work and much trial and error and with the help of Carol's computer expertise and 1 Terrabyte of memory I have a video to share on youtube.

 

As I am up on deck early in the morning there will be a lot of wind noise at times but once on land there wasn't puff of wind.

 

Click the link. There will be more to come later! Including Dolphins!

 

Norris, relieved

 

 

Ha ha. I loved the shot of the "Carnival ship"

 

 

A letter waiting for me on the night before had told me that due to the Noro the Ultimate Ship Tour was cancelled. I understood. My name was first on the list but I took it on the chin and sobbed in the closet for an hour.

 

 

:( Hopefully you'll be able to do this tour on a future cruise. It was well worth the price.

 

I was on the CB on the Nov 30 cruise, and we lucked out with the weather and didn't have Noro to contend with either. I was nervous recommending it to a co-worker, who was on this cruise last week, but he too had no issues with weather or Noro. I'm sorry you had a bit of both on your cruise but it sounds like you still had a fabulous time.

 

P.S. I'll be taking my first trip ever to N. Ireland in May. I'm fascinated with the Titanic, so I can't wait to see the museum in Belfast.

[Bimmer09]

Thanks for a really terrific review. Your photos were great, and the commentary quite humorous.

 

 

 

Ha ha. I loved the shot of the "Carnival ship"

 

 

 

:( Hopefully you'll be able to do this tour on a future cruise. It was well worth the price.

 

I was on the CB on the Nov 30 cruise, and we lucked out with the weather and didn't have Noro to contend with either. I was nervous recommending it to a co-worker, who was on this cruise last week, but he too had no issues with weather or Noro. I'm sorry you had a bit of both on your cruise but it sounds like you still had a fabulous time.

 

P.S. I'll be taking my first trip ever to N. Ireland in May. I'm fascinated with the Titanic, so I can't wait to see the museum in Belfast.

 

I have done the UST on three of the five ships I have sailed- Crown, Diamond and Ruby, so can't complain as the CB wouldn't vary by much but the officers would have.

 

Hope you enjoy N Ireland and all I have read about the Titanic museum makes me want to see it myself. You'll see the Harland and Wolff shipyards from miles away with maybe an oil rig being built. How much time do you have (is it a ship's excursion or are you flying there?). If you had time a trip up the Antrim coast on a winding coast road with beautiful views leads you to the top of Antrim and the Giant's Causeway which is a must-see.

 

I only go back once every 10 years as there are so many other places to see but I like it when I go back, for the relaxed pace and friendly people. Architecturally there is not much to see but once out of the city-beautiful rolling green hills and forests. Little fishing villages full of working boats abound. Pubs even have edible food now I have found. I was very surprised.

 

A must-see if there is time and a car at your disposal is Mount Stewart Gardens (spectacular) south of Belfast (about 10 miles) a few miles south of Newtownards (where I lived for a while and went to high school). It is by the gorgeous Strangford Lough. Palm trees grow in N Ireland as the climate is mild (and wet) compared to the freezing Hell-hole that is Chicago (LOL!) They have some huge exotic plants there and a beautiful country home.

 

Automatic shift cars can be found at the Airport (both Adergrove and City Airport by the harbor) and you can get BMWs and Mercedes there...but the roads can be narrow once out of Belfast. The road out of Belfast North to Antrim starts off 5 lanes wide but eventually you will be on a two lane and don't be surprised if you make a bend and there is a farmer walking his sheep along the road.

 

Any questions , please ask!

 

Norris

[Cruzin-K]

I have done the UST on three of the five ships I have sailed- Crown, Diamond and Ruby, so can't complain as the CB wouldn't vary by much but the officers would have.

 

Hope you enjoy N Ireland and all I have read about the Titanic museum makes me want to see it myself. You'll see the Harland and Wolff shipyards from miles away with maybe an oil rig being built. How much time do you have (is it a ship's excursion or are you flying there?). If you had time a trip up the Antrim coast on a winding coast road with beautiful views leads you to the top of Antrim and the Giant's Causeway which is a must-see.

 

I only go back once every 10 years as there are so many other places to see but I like it when I go back, for the relaxed pace and friendly people. Architecturally there is not much to see but once out of the city-beautiful rolling green hills and forests. Little fishing villages full of working boats abound. Pubs even have edible food now I have found. I was very surprised.

 

A must-see if there is time and a car at your disposal is Mount Stewart Gardens (spectacular) south of Belfast (about 10 miles) a few miles south of Newtownards (where I lived for a while and went to high school). It is by the gorgeous Strangford Lough. Palm trees grow in N Ireland as the climate is mild (and wet) compared to the freezing Hell-hole that is Chicago (LOL!) They have some huge exotic plants there and a beautiful country home.

 

Automatic shift cars can be found at the Airport (both Adergrove and City Airport by the harbor) and you can get BMWs and Mercedes there...but the roads can be narrow once out of Belfast. The road out of Belfast North to Antrim starts off 5 lanes wide but eventually you will be on a two lane and don't be surprised if you make a bend and there is a farmer walking his sheep along the road.

 

Any questions , please ask!

 

Norris

 

Thanks so much for the info. I'm flying there, the first stop on a two week UK trip for a family wedding. I'll have about two and a half days there, including the day I arrive, all tired and jet-lagged :( I'll just be using public transportation, possibly the hop on hop off bus to hit some of the major sights on Friday. I'll be spending all day Saturday seeing Titanic related sights, and Sunday will be a tour to Giants Causeway. I can always go back again someday to see things I miss this time around. Kind of like a cruise, where you only get one day in a port and have to go back :)

 

The CB UST that I did was lacking in one area and that was the bridge part of the tour. The Captain was only there long enough to take a photo and then he turned the tour over to his Third Officer. We didn't get any champagne or snacks at the end of the tour either. Not a huge deal, but since I'd heard so much about this tour it was surprising to not get things that others did.