LIVE from the CORAL PRINCESS - March 26th to April 6th

[SOLIVITA LADY]

Jackie, if you'd like to meet Pia and Mike and sail with David and I again, you could join us on the October 25 TA from Southampton to FLL that we are doing together. :)

 

 

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Marcia, our travel budget for 2014 is already spent as we leave on April 18th for a TA from FLL to Southampton. We are planning to do the Emerald in October 2015 from Barcelona to FLL (Spain crossing) so think about joining us. So far there is a roll call with a lot of familiar CC names on it although We are only doin the 14 day TA many have added the cruise prior to make it 21 days. We plan on spending a few days in Barcelona before the cruise.

 

Jackie

 

 

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[san diego sue]

Pia, I see the Island is in port with you. Joyce and Tom are on the ship

and so are their friends Rita and Gary.Maybe you'll run into them.

G:D

 

[RNGALNG]

Pia and Mike, it is always a pleasure to 'sail' with you. Congratulations on reaching such a lofty goal of 75 cruises! Wonderful that you can find the time and the money to do so much traveling. Yes, I know it can be done cheaply, and we are figuring that out. . .we just need to retire full time to do so! Then we can set our sights on reaching your total too. Number nine will be at the end of summer. . .

 

Have a great trip, may you energize and may Mike's health return during the time soaking in the warm and heat of the seas.

 

Thank you for doing your 'live froms' for us all! And this winter, I am sure there are many people living in the northern climates who are warming their toes by following along as well. It is the winter that will never end!

 

Take care!

[tequilasunrise]

Sorry to hear Mike's been under the weather, but hey, a cruise full of vegging beats any day at work on land!! Glad to hear that it sounds like you are having a great time anyway, and thanks again for taking us along! :D

[Kingsley]

Hanging on to your every word! We board the Coral as you disembark on 6th April. Thanks for sharing :)

 

 

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[Pia1913]

Back again, and now ……… It’s wine time.

We did in fact get off the ship for about 60 seconds. Got into the terminal, Mike glanced at the stores, went outside, got blown away by the wind, couldn’t stand the humidity and went right back on board. Hung out for a while on deck 14; on a lounge chair in the air conditioned covered area. Then went to see Jack Reacher. Pretty good movie.

　

I am amazed to hear that the Island is in port and we had no idea. Probably because we never ventured far enough outdoors. The only ship visible from here is one called Freewinds, which is docked right alongside. I’m thinking the Island is probably parked to our right (looking out at the shopping area).

Rngalng: Cheaply? How?

It’s time for Elite Lounge, so I bid thee farewell for today. Hasta Manana.

[bronxgirl25]

Marcia, our travel budget for 2014 is already spent as we leave on April 18th for a TA from FLL to Southampton. We are planning to do the Emerald in October 2015 from Barcelona to FLL (Spain crossing) so think about joining us. So far there is a roll call with a lot of familiar CC names on it although We are only doin the 14 day TA many have added the cruise prior to make it 21 days. We plan on spending a few days in Barcelona before the cruise.

 

Jackie

 

 

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2015 is a "special" birthday for David and his dream is to go to South America, so that is what I'd like to do for him. Hopefully we can do something together after that.

 

 

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[bronxgirl25]

Pia...funny you mentioned Jack Reacher, we plan on watching it tonight on Amazon Prime.

Love those a/c covered areas!

Enjoy the rest of your day. You are missing a HUGE storm right now!

 

 

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[Colo Cruiser]

[CruisingCoral]

Back again, and now ……… It’s wine time.

We did in fact get off the ship for about 60 seconds. Got into the terminal, Mike glanced at the stores, went outside, got blown away by the wind, couldn’t stand the humidity and went right back on board. Hung out for a while on deck 14; on a lounge chair in the air conditioned covered area. Then went to see Jack Reacher. Pretty good movie.

I am amazed to hear that the Island is in port and we had no idea. Probably because we never ventured far enough outdoors. The only ship visible from here is one called Freewinds, which is docked right alongside. I’m thinking the Island is probably parked to our right (looking out at the shopping area).

Rngalng: Cheaply? How?

It’s time for Elite Lounge, so I bid thee farewell for today. Hasta Manana.

 

 

Pia, the Island Princess was docked right in front of the Coral today! Lol

 

 

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[RNGALNG]

Okay, maybe I should have put quotes around the word!

 

We now have the stock so we get that OBC. FCCs we get as well. We aren't heavy drinkers. . okay I can't drink anything with alcohol, but he can have a few. . .Get a 'cheaper' room. . . That sort of thing. . .

 

We are going to try a week to Alaska with an inside cabin (our first) to see if we can still stand each other when the week is over. (It will be our second trip to Alaska.) If we find that we do get along (after 37 years of marriage. . ) we will try a B2B during the winter with an inside. Cheaper that way, yes???

 

Just trying to save a few bucks so we can travel more!

[CruisingCoral]

Okay, maybe I should have put quotes around the word!

 

 

 

We now have the stock so we get that OBC. FCCs we get as well. We aren't heavy drinkers. . okay I can't drink anything with alcohol, but he can have a few. . .Get a 'cheaper' room. . . That sort of thing. . .

 

 

 

We are going to try a week to Alaska with an inside cabin (our first) to see if we can still stand each other when the week is over. (It will be our second trip to Alaska.) If we find that we do get along (after 37 years of marriage. . ) we will try a B2B during the winter with an inside. Cheaper that way, yes???

 

 

 

Just trying to save a few bucks so we can travel more!

 

 

I've stayed in an inside cabin before but it will be my first time staying in an inside cabin with Princess. I'm going on the Southbound Voyage of the Glaciers on the Coral Princess. Hopefully we'll be upgraded but if not, there's plenty of open decks. But I totally agree with your thought about staying in an interior to save money to travel more!

 

 

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[Pia1913]

Good morning at sea; already a very warm day. Skies are clear, sun is shining, humidity is up and seas are smooth. The gym attendance remains sparse. Hooray! :)

Last night we had an early dinner and went back to our cabin to watch Last Vegas. We had seen it before, but remembered only parts of it. Lots of laughs and silliness. The Ultimate deck party is never on our agenda, nor are magicians, so seeing a movie worked out well.

Today on board is another major Princess revenue endeavor. The spa wants you to find out the Secrets to a Flatter Stomach, to have a non surgical Facelift, to lose inches while you cruise, relieve your back pain and have some acupuncture to fix everything else, including arthritis.

　

Now then, if you want to spend your money another way, you can be introduced to Swarovski, find out about Sophia Fiori exclusive jewelry collection, attend an Ammolite presentation or see some Emeralds “come to life.”

Still have some expendable cash? In that case there will be two sessions of Bingo today. And a slot tournament.

Other things to do will be attendance at a fruit and veggie carving, a port talk on Costa Rica, a cruise presentation on Alaska, the art auction and a lecture on “Canals of the World.” MUTS will show Hitch at 3:00 PM and The Dark World at 7:00 and 9:30 PM.

　

Entertainment tonight will be What a Swell Party in the theater and the female singer/trumpeter in Universe. Too early for us to decide. We might just end up in Crooners.

Comment:

My husband wouldn't spend one night in an inside cabin, so saving money that way is never an option. We must have a balcony on most cruises, though short ones can handle only an outside. Tons of OBC on every cruise is good. We never have to take one cent out of pocket for gratuities.

Now to change into real clothes and go have some breakfast. See you later.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Congrats on #75, Pia. Wish it had been on the Emerald Princess in February though! Glad Mike is recovering, and I'm sure he is being careful with the walker. Mom is temporarily using one, too, as she recovers from an illness and swears her next issue will be a broken hip from falling with it.

 

You are missing a HUGE storm right now.

I wish I had missed that huge storm last night. Sat on the runway at FLL for over two hours in horrible lightning, and, in the end, was 3 hours late taking off.

[waltd]

Pia just wanted to thank you for the many updates on all your trips. I have been following you for years and years and years. :) I have to say that you have it down to a science. Love the detail and your style of writing. Have had many laughs. We will be on the Island in a few weeks, along with Gloria and Lew, and love hearing the movie selection you post. As you like watching movies in your cabin we love sitting out on deck at night. And this trip, for a change, will be warm and no need for a ton of blankets. Yea!!!!! Enjoy!!!!

 

Joe

[Greyt Dog.]

Pia. A big thank you. I enjoy hearing about the topics the speakers talk about. I was surprised that someone is talking about Alaska on a Caribbean cruise. I wonder if they talk about the Caribbean on an Alaska cruise. Thanks again. Phil

[#1winelover]

Good morning at sea; already a very warm day. Skies are clear, sun is shining, humidity is up and seas are smooth. The gym attendance remains sparse. Hooray! :)

Last night we had an early dinner and went back to our cabin to watch Last Vegas. We had seen it before, but remembered only parts of it. Lots of laughs and silliness. The Ultimate deck party is never on our agenda, nor are magicians, so seeing a movie worked out well.

Today on board is another major Princess revenue endeavor. The spa wants you to find out the Secrets to a Flatter Stomach, to have a non surgical Facelift, to lose inches while you cruise, relieve your back pain and have some acupuncture to fix everything else, including arthritis.

　

Now then, if you want to spend your money another way, you can be introduced to Swarovski, find out about Sophia Fiori exclusive jewelry collection, attend an Ammolite presentation or see some Emeralds “come to life.”

Still have some expendable cash? In that case there will be two sessions of Bingo today. And a slot tournament.

Other things to do will be attendance at a fruit and veggie carving, a port talk on Costa Rica, a cruise presentation on Alaska, the art auction and a lecture on “Canals of the World.” MUTS will show Hitch at 3:00 PM and The Dark World at 7:00 and 9:30 PM.

　

Entertainment tonight will be What a Swell Party in the theater and the female singer/trumpeter in Universe. Too early for us to decide. We might just end up in Crooners.

Comment:

My husband wouldn't spend one night in an inside cabin, so saving money that way is never an option. We must have a balcony on most cruises, though short ones can handle only an outside. Tons of OBC on every cruise is good. We never have to take one cent out of pocket for gratuities.

Now to change into real clothes and go have some breakfast. See you later.

Pia! You are a very unique individual! I'm literally in tears right now from laughing so much at the way you are describing what to many would be mundane things! You sure do have a way with words....or they have found a friend in you!! :D

On the side note: Regal departed the dry dock this morning around 10am Local time (Malfacone). More "puttering" in her future!

[giustot]

Hello from the Coral Princess. We’re sailing on the same cruise with Pia and Mike.

 

We met Pia for the first time at the impromptu CC roll call that had near 100% attendance. She’s a lovely woman with an enormous amount of information about Princess. I even had the chance to have breakfast yesterday with them in Sabatini’s.

 

Tomorrow is her big day where she gets recognized as the top cruiser at the Captain’s Circle party and we’ll be there to cheer her on.

 

First of all, I want to thank Scott Wyler the comedian for posting on this thread. We got to see both of his shows and they were terrific. He’s a very talented, funny and witty entertainer and we hope to see him again soon.

 

I agree with pretty much everything Pia has said so far about the cruise. We’re having a great time and we’re being treated very well. Please take what I am going to say as observations, not criticisms.

 

Although we have elite status on Princess, it has been five years since our last Princess cruise, sailing in the interim in suites on Holland America, a product we also like. This is our first suite on Princess. Due to back and knee problems Mona is using a wheelchair (her own) so we are more attentive to handicapped access issues.

 

Embarkation: Traffic was unnecessarily bottlenecked at the terminal causing about a 20 minute delay for our cab to unload. Better organization was needed. There was a lack of any Princess staff members to assist with pushing wheelchairs. When I inquired of a staffer I was told, basically, find someone if you can, or do it yourself. Fortunately, pushing the wheelchair was not an issue for me but for some older couples I could see it as a problem.

 

The Coral is not very handicapped accessible in that there are almost no automatic doors. It takes a bit of effort to open a door and then push a wheelchair through it while continuing to hold it open with your body. And a separate handicapped restroom doesn't do a person in a wheelchair much good if it doesn't have a door that opens with the push of a button.

 

Once inside the terminal check in went smoothly and quickly. There were about eight people in the platinum line and no one in the elite/suite line. Once we got upstairs, with the combination of the wheelchair and being suite/elite we bypassed any lines and boarded immediately. But the lines did not appear that long about this time 11:50 am.

 

Once in the room I immediately requested the Chef’s Table dinner, made my first night dinner reservation at Sabatini’s, gave my preferences for the two mini bar set-ups (suite and elite) and left to reserve a spot in the Sanctuary. All went smoothly.

 

It turns out this is a cruise where passengers are not inclined to spend much extra cash. Only one other couple expressed interest in the Chef’s Table and the Sanctuary is empty. For those interested, prices for the Sanctuary are $20 half day, $40 full day, or $30 full day when booking the entire cruise.

 

Sabatini’s: I was surprised at how good dinner was at Sabatini’s. The days of quantity over quality are over. You order what you want instead of being served all of the appetizers family style. The homemade mozzarella and the soft shell crab starters were exceptional. The seafood pasta was wonderful. And the NY strip was excellent. Personally, I didn’t think the desserts rose to the rest of the menu but by that time I didn’t care.

 

Bayou Café: Dinner at the Bayou was very good. My feeling is the stars are the gumbo, jambalaya and the 10 oz. fillet mignon. The jumbo prawns also looked good. Best desserts are the fried peach pie and bread pudding.

 

Sanctuary: Very pleasant and nice to have a private small pool. But a bit overpriced at $30-$40 a day especially when they charge you another $3 per person delivery charge to bring you lunch. That’s unnecessary nickel and diming.

 

Cabin: No one who as a suite should complain. The suites on the Coral are, how shall we say, “cozy.” For example, the couch seats only two people while the couch in a mini suite seats three. The suites on Holland America have a much larger feeling, and you have dedicated front office staff to assist you. But on the other hand, the vanity area in the Princess suite is much roomier. Suites on other Princess ships may be larger than the Coral.

 

Smoking: Not an issue at all. Outside of the dedicated smoking lounge I have not seen one person smoke anywhere on the ship.

 

Food: While all cruise lines have cut back on the quality of their food, the food on Princess still remains very good, I would say better than Holland America in the main dining room and buffets.

 

Entertainment: About what you would expect. I didn’t think Motown was much of a production show. I though comedian Scott Wyler was excellent. There is plenty of entertainment available in the evenings. The piano bar seems very popular.

 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

 

Tom.

[cruisequeen4ever]

As always, your "nothing really to say" is still so fun to read for those of us trapped on land and wishing for days at sea! Thank you for taking the time to entertain us very day! :-)

 

 

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[Pia1913]

Another day that flew by. Amazing how quickly the hours go. Went up to Lido right after trivia, and stayed there all day until time for afternoon trivia. Finished one book; started another. Now it’s time for the Elite lounge, but I think we’ll pass on it today. Steak tartare is of no interest to either of us.

We still haven’t decided what to do tonight. Definitely not the female trumpeter nor the MUTS movie. Will tell you tomorrow.

Joe and Larry: notice I really have nothing to say today. And sometimes I laugh as I'm writing. Hey, I'm my own best audience.

Hopefully more of interest in hot hot hot Cartagena tomorrow.

Bye guys. :D

P.S. Thanks Tom for your perspective. I always appreciate input from those cruising along with us.

[#1winelover]

Hello from the Coral Princess. We’re sailing on the same cruise with Pia and Mike.

 

We met Pia for the first time at the impromptu CC roll call that had near 100% attendance. She’s a lovely woman with an enormous amount of information about Princess. I even had the chance to have breakfast yesterday with them in Sabatini’s.

 

Tomorrow is her big day where she gets recognized as the top cruiser at the Captain’s Circle party and we’ll be there to cheer her on.

 

First of all, I want to thank Scott Wyler the comedian for posting on this thread. We got to see both of his shows and they were terrific. He’s a very talented, funny and witty entertainer and we hope to see him again soon.

 

I agree with pretty much everything Pia has said so far about the cruise. We’re having a great time and we’re being treated very well. Please take what I am going to say as observations, not criticisms.

 

Although we have elite status on Princess, it has been five years since our last Princess cruise, sailing in the interim in suites on Holland America, a product we also like. This is our first suite on Princess. Due to back and knee problems Mona is using a wheelchair (her own) so we are more attentive to handicapped access issues.

 

Embarkation: Traffic was unnecessarily bottlenecked at the terminal causing about a 20 minute delay for our cab to unload. Better organization was needed. There was a lack of any Princess staff members to assist with pushing wheelchairs. When I inquired of a staffer I was told, basically, find someone if you can, or do it yourself. Fortunately, pushing the wheelchair was not an issue for me but for some older couples I could see it as a problem.

 

The Coral is not very handicapped accessible in that there are almost no automatic doors. It takes a bit of effort to open a door and then push a wheelchair through it while continuing to hold it open with your body. And a separate handicapped restroom doesn't do a person in a wheelchair much good if it doesn't have a door that opens with the push of a button.

 

Once inside the terminal check in went smoothly and quickly. There were about eight people in the platinum line and no one in the elite/suite line. Once we got upstairs, with the combination of the wheelchair and being suite/elite we bypassed any lines and boarded immediately. But the lines did not appear that long about this time 11:50 am.

 

Once in the room I immediately requested the Chef’s Table dinner, made my first night dinner reservation at Sabatini’s, gave my preferences for the two mini bar set-ups (suite and elite) and left to reserve a spot in the Sanctuary. All went smoothly.

 

It turns out this is a cruise where passengers are not inclined to spend much extra cash. Only one other couple expressed interest in the Chef’s Table and the Sanctuary is empty. For those interested, prices for the Sanctuary are $20 half day, $40 full day, or $30 full day when booking the entire cruise.

 

Sabatini’s: I was surprised at how good dinner was at Sabatini’s. The days of quantity over quality are over. You order what you want instead of being served all of the appetizers family style. The homemade mozzarella and the soft shell crab starters were exceptional. The seafood pasta was wonderful. And the NY strip was excellent. Personally, I didn’t think the desserts rose to the rest of the menu but by that time I didn’t care.

 

Bayou Café: Dinner at the Bayou was very good. My feeling is the stars are the gumbo, jambalaya and the 10 oz. fillet mignon. The jumbo prawns also looked good. Best desserts are the fried peach pie and bread pudding.

 

Sanctuary: Very pleasant and nice to have a private small pool. But a bit overpriced at $30-$40 a day especially when they charge you another $3 per person delivery charge to bring you lunch. That’s unnecessary nickel and diming.

 

Cabin: No one who as a suite should complain. The suites on the Coral are, how shall we say, “cozy.” For example, the couch seats only two people while the couch in a mini suite seats three. The suites on Holland America have a much larger feeling, and you have dedicated front office staff to assist you. But on the other hand, the vanity area in the Princess suite is much roomier. Suites on other Princess ships may be larger than the Coral.

 

Smoking: Not an issue at all. Outside of the dedicated smoking lounge I have not seen one person smoke anywhere on the ship.

 

Food: While all cruise lines have cut back on the quality of their food, the food on Princess still remains very good, I would say better than Holland America in the main dining room and buffets.

 

Entertainment: About what you would expect. I didn’t think Motown was much of a production show. I though comedian Scott Wyler was excellent. There is plenty of entertainment available in the evenings. The piano bar seems very popular.

 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

 

Tom.

 

Thank you, Tom, for your comprehensive report. All is very helpful!

[Colo Cruiser]

Steak Tartare is excellent.

[san diego sue]

We will be on the sister ship the Island in a couple of weeks.Wish it had the IC like the Coral.

Interesting comments from Tom regarding the Coral vs Holland America. We just got off a HAL ship and found the dining room food a little better than our recent Princess cruises. However, Horizon Ct.

is superior to their buffet.

[mema4]

Hi Pia,

Just finished reading your entire blog. I always enjoy your writing. Didn't know it was your 75th cruise. Wish it were me. Congratulations. Enjoy the rest of the cruise.

Regards to Mike.

Alice

[Pia1913]

We’ve arrived into Cartagena, Colombia; early arrival and early departure. A bit of trivia for those who are interested: Cartagena sits on the northern coast of Colombia and shares its borders with Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and Panama. We’ve been here many times and even though it is said that Colombia maintains an average temperature of 82 degrees, I have found that it is always far hotter than that. And humid. Very, very, humid.

The most popular sites here are the Fort (Castillo de san Felipe), Las Bovedas (once dungeons and now home to lots of souvenir shops and boutiques), and La Popa Monastery. In prior visits we have also taken a canoe tour of the Mangrove tunnels and thought about, but didn’t do, a horse and carriage tour of the old city. Of course you will find emeralds being sold here. Lots and lots of emeralds. If I recall correctly, there should be a complimentary shuttle to the cruise terminal. Will advise later if this is so.

　

Our big decision last night as to what to do, sent us into the theater to watch What a Swell Party. See what boredom does? After one of my favorite HC dinners (it was Bavarian night), we started talking to another couple and went along with them to see the show. I hate this show. I still hate this show. It gets worse every time I see it. My opinion, so don’t holler. :) Then we went back to the cabin to watch several episodes of American Greed (CNBC). This was enjoyable.

Just remembered to mention there is something wrong with the A/C in Horizon Ct. Hot up there all the time. Good air everywhere else, including the cabins.

　

BTW, clocks went back an hour last night. We really appreciated that extra hour of sleep. Gym remains empty. In fact, this morning it was just me and all the machines. Crazy!

Being a port day, not much going on this morning. What is surprising though is that they will be doing a pub lunch (in the Bayou Café) beginning at 11:30. Most people will still be on tours. We sail at 2:00 PM. Afternoon there’s a destination movie The Blue Butterfly shown on TV in the cabins and a lecture in the theater; “Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton.”

Our Captain’s Circle party is late afternoon; 4:45. And there’s only one. I’ll find out the stats later, but one party for Plats and Elites already tells me there aren’t many. We are actually going to the DR tonight (an occasional dinner there won’t kill me

;)) with new friends Tom and Mona. I even put in a request for escargot.

　

Entertainment tonight is Synergy Duo (twin electric violinists) in the theater and following their two shows, the movie Nebraska beginning at 10:00. I hope they show this movie again at a more reasonable hour.

　

Keith: I don’t even like meat cooked, never mind raw!

Alice: tell Stan he should be here. :D

Bye for now.