World Cruise 2023 - Occasionally Live from the Island Princess

[catgirl411]

On 3/20/2023 at 11:40 AM, caribill said:

 

On another cruise line, acoustic cannons were the defense.

 

Also, the hiding place for people with balcony cabins was the hallway.

 

And while in the ares, lookout staff were on the outside promenade deck watching in all directions.

When I read all of this stuff about pirates, I visualize the movie Captain Philips with Tom Hanks. Scary!

[PescadoAmarillo]

Loved your Dubai pics so much, they bring back great memories! You did well to see as much as you did. I remember being amazed by the distance between things there. 

[CruzinNoony]

Thank you for sharing your time in Dubai.  Great pictures!

 

[cjpj]

Love Dubai. It's like an adults Disney.

[wowzz]

14 minutes ago, cjpj said:

Love Dubai. It's like an adults Disney.

Been to Dubai twice. That was one visit too many.

It's like Las Vegas, but with less style.

[We_like_to_cruise]

On 3/22/2023 at 10:15 AM, PescadoAmarillo said:

Loved your Dubai pics so much, they bring back great memories! You did well to see as much as you did. I remember being amazed by the distance between things there. 

 

Yes, everything was on such a grand scale it made my head hurt, lol.  Our travel distances between some of the sites ranged from 30 to 60 minutes !

[We_like_to_cruise]

Muscat, Oman

 

What a lovely early morning sail in to this port.  Large 16^th century forts guard each side of our entrance to the harbor. 

 

We also pass – a gigantic incense burner ??? 

 

This is actually a memorial and lookout at Al-Riyam Park which we will visit later.  The shape, yes, an incense brazier, is in homage to Oman’s centuries old reputation as the pre-eminent source of frankincense.   It is considered the finest in the world.

 

As we slowly move closer to our dock, a small cruise ship comes into view.  Correction.  This is the 600 million dollar yacht owned by the Sultan of Oman.  Adjacent is the older, smaller yacht!

 

The sultan, Qaboos bin Said, was the longest serving ruler in the Arab world until his death in 2020.  Before his death he named his cousin as successor.

 

We disembark early as we have a private tour booked and are anxious to get to the Grand Mosque before it closes at 11 am.  This is a commercial port, so we take the mandatory bus out to the main gate.

 

Hmm, many vendors holding signs for tours, but not ours.  After waiting a bit, we see friends who have booked their own tour.  When hearing of our predicament, their driver offers to call the contact number for our guide.  The phone rings and rings but no one picks up.  We wait longer and over the next half hour two other guides call but also get no answer.  Finally after an hour of waiting we need to make a choice.  The mosque is twenty minutes away and we are on a time crunch. 

 

This is the first time we have had a no show for one of our booked tours.  I will keep you informed about the outcome…

 

We make plans with Salman, one of the friendly taxi drivers, detailing our must-sees and are off to the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque.  This imposing structure of Indian sandstone can hold nearly 7,000 worshippers; the other buildings, courtyards and paved areas allow for a total of 20,000 worshippers.  The interior prayer hall holds one of the world’s largest prayer carpet and chandelier.  The carpet covers a whopping 47,000 square feet and the eight ton chandelier has its own internal staircase for maintenance.

 

We are able to spend just enough time here, but near 11 am the tourists are escorted out.  Uh oh.  Because we felt rushed upon first entering the site, we dropped off our shoes and hurried inside.  Problem – where did we leave them ??  There are numerous entrances with hundreds of slots for shoes outside each.  We wander shoeless for a good 10 minutes before we are reunited.  Silly us!

 

Salman takes us to the beautiful Royal Opera House, the above-mentioned Al-Riyam Park, a lovely city and harbor overlook, Al Alam Palace, one of the Sultan’s six residences, and heading back to port we stop at the fish market.

 

Finally we are dropped off at the Mutrah Souk for a few hours of shopping.    The narrow passageways are filled with the fragrant smell of burning incense and assorted sized bags of frankincense are piled high in the shops.  Others sell clothing, perfumes, household items and souvenirs.

 

Princess provides a shuttle from the souk to the ship, thank you.  On the return trip one passenger exclaims “Oman was a hidden treasure,” and we agree!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 23, 2023 by We_like_to_cruise

[We_like_to_cruise]

Aqaba, Jordan

 

(Pronounced “Ah kih bah”)

 

We join nearly a thousand other passengers with a Princess shore excursion for a visit to Petra, the Lost City.

 

Tombs, temples and monuments were carved into the red sandstone cliffs by the Nabataean inhabitants in the 5^th century BC.  Petra is one of the New 7 Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 

Tour groups are escorted through a brief face-to-passport immigration line and onto numerous waiting buses.  We travel over 2 ½ hours (with one break) to our destination. The road is modern but surrounded by mountains, desert, some sheep and very few people.  We do pass a camel crossing sign, lol, and a large wind turbine farm.

 

Our group gathers at the Visitor’s Center in Wadi Musa and we are accompanied by a friendly and well-informed guide.  He congratulates us on our luck with the weather – it was raining a couple of days before and rain is in the forecast for tomorrow.  Today is mixed sun and clouds and a pleasant mid-seventies temperature.  He outlines the plan for the day and off we go.

 

We follow the same rocky path used centuries before as we follow the Gateway to the Siq (Bab as-Siq).  The guide is careful about keeping us all together – not too fast and not too slow!  We pause periodically for his informative talks.

The Obelisk Tombs, the Block Tombs and the Bab as-Siq Triclinium are viewpoints along the way.

 

We reach the entrance to the Siq, a rocky gorge almost a mile long.  The towering rock partially blocks the sun as the trail twists and turns. 

 

Finally at the end we get a dramatic glimpse of Khazneh, the Treasury, through a narrow opening. 

 

This gigantic and iconic ancient tomb is nearly 12 stories high and astonishing.  It is hand carved and sculpted out of sheer rock.  The numerous tourists, vendors and camels are dwarfed by its incredible size and splendor.

 

Some of our group elect to head back via golf cart, the rest of us press on.  We walk for another hour and visit the 3000 seat Roman Theater and the spectacular Royal Tombs.  Along the way we admire a Bedouin tribesman create some of the prevalent sand art souvenirs.   (Petra in a bottle, lol).

 

Eventually our guide announces we may continue on our own; he will next proceed back to the restaurant for lunch.  

 

DW and I climb the steps for some close up pictures of the Royal Tombs and then leisurely make our way back to the exit.  Full sun, warmer temperatures and an uphill climb back along the stony path makes it challenging.

 

The tour has been heavily and repeatedly advertised as “strenuous” and we get a workout!

 

Along the way we are besieged by offers of transport back via horse or camel.  Our tour guide has already cautioned us about a common tourist scam – an offer of $5 for the camel ride.  But a demand for much more to let you off the camel! 

 

Our tour includes an extensive buffet luncheon in a nice hotel a short walk from the Visitor Center.  It feels good to sit and eat in the air conditioned room with our fellow passengers.

 

The bus trip back to the Island Princess gives us all a chance to relax, close our eyes and doze.  We have been gone for many hours and walked many miles. 

 

We loved Petra!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 26, 2023 by We_like_to_cruise

[gottagocit]

This brings back some wonderful memories of our visit to Egypt and Jordan several years ago. Very nice thank you! 
 

Did I understand correctly that nearly 1000 of you toured Petra from the ship? You must have been broken into smaller groups at the site as is typically done, right? How large were the groups?
Could I ask approximately how much time was it from your arriving at the site in the buses until loading up for the return to the ship?  
 

[caribill]

Question:

 

On turnaround day between segments, which dining room is open for lunch, the one on deck 5 or the one on deck 6?

 

Thanks

[We_like_to_cruise]

On 3/26/2023 at 7:57 AM, gottagocit said:

This brings back some wonderful memories of our visit to Egypt and Jordan several years ago. Very nice thank you! 
 

Did I understand correctly that nearly 1000 of you toured Petra from the ship? You must have been broken into smaller groups at the site as is typically done, right? How large were the groups?
Could I ask approximately how much time was it from your arriving at the site in the buses until loading up for the return to the ship?  
 

 

Yes there were many buses that left at staggered times during the morning.  Our bus held about 30 - 40 passengers, I am not sure of the exact number.  We managed to stay together throughout the site and it worked out better than I expected.  (Not  fan of the large group excursions).

As far as actual time, we spent the first few hours with the guide and then a couple of hours on our own before walking back and having lunch.  So about 4-5 hours in Petra itself.

 

[We_like_to_cruise]

Suez Canal, Egypt

 

Our transit through the canal begins very early in the morning.  DW and I join other passengers outside and notice an unobstructed view ahead of us – we are first in the convoy through the waterway.  In the rear we are followed by two escorts and the rest of the convoy is in the distance well behind us.

 

The passage takes most of the day and we exit the canal around 3 pm.  The topography runs the gamut from desert to small cities to fancy seaside resorts. 

 

During the transit the onboard destination expert provides facts and points out items of interest.

 

Some things we learned:

 

This 120 mile artificial waterway connects the Red Sea and southern Asia to the Mediterranean Sea and northern Africa.  About 55 ships transit it each day.

 

The Suez Canal Bridge, which we pass under, is also known as the Egyptian-Japanese Friendship Bridge, Al-Salam Bridge, Al-Salam Peace Bridge, and the Mubarak Peace Bridge.

 

Local fishermen in small boats follow the large vessels as they feel the movement and churning of the water increases their chances of a successful catch.

 

Can you see the Pyramids of Giza from the canal?  No, they are over 150 miles away.

 

Unlike the Panama Canal, there are no locks in the Suez Canal.  There is little change in elevation between each end, so locks are not necessary.

 

Ferdinand de Lesseps, a French diplomat, was instrumental in the design and construction of the canal.  Due to the overwhelming success of that project he later tried – and failed – to build the Panama Canal.

 

French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi proposed an enormous statue of an Egyptian woman holding a lamp – “Egypt Bringing Light to Asia” to be placed at the canal entrance in Port Said.  When it was rejected due to its expensive price tag he set his sights toward America.  Twenty years later, his “Liberty Enlightening the World” aka the Statue of Liberty was placed in New York Harbor.

 

In 2021 a huge container ship, the “Ever Given,” became wedged across both sides of the canal.  For nearly a week it remained in place causing massive disruption to the global shipping industry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 28, 2023 by We_like_to_cruise

[wowzz]

33 minutes ago, We_like_to_cruise said:

In 2021 a huge container ship, the “Ever Given,” became wedged across both sides of the canal.  For nearly a week it remained in place causing massive disruption to the global shipping industry.

We went to a q&a session on board with a Princess captain last year, and the Ever Given was mentioned.  The captain was diplomatic about the cause of the incident,  but mentioned that he would never leave the bridge for a second when the Egptian pilot was on board ! 

Edited March 28, 2023 by wowzz

[jimdee3636]

@We_like_to_cruise:

I apologize if this has been asked already, but I'm wondering about people who take world cruise segments rather than the entire cruise. Are they treated as second-class citizens by the "full" WC cruisers or even by the crew? I'm asking because, due to time constraints and financial reasons, I'd never do an entire WC, but a 20 to 30 day segment might interest me.

 

Thanks.

 

[SargassoPirate]

5 hours ago, jimdee3636 said:

@We_like_to_cruise:

I apologize if this has been asked already, but I'm wondering about people who take world cruise segments rather than the entire cruise. Are they treated as second-class citizens by the "full" WC cruisers or even by the crew? I'm asking because, due to time constraints and financial reasons, I'd never do an entire WC, but a 20 to 30 day segment might interest me.

 

Thanks.

 

How would they know unless you self identify?  Just like who can tell if you booked the WC in an inside or a suite?

 

It's really nobody's business but yours.

 

 

[FraudBroad]

5 hours ago, jimdee3636 said:

@We_like_to_cruise:

I apologize if this has been asked already, but I'm wondering about people who take world cruise segments rather than the entire cruise. Are they treated as second-class citizens by the "full" WC cruisers or even by the crew? I'm asking because, due to time constraints and financial reasons, I'd never do an entire WC, but a 20 to 30 day segment might interest me.

 

Thanks.

 

My Dad and sister were on the Panama Canal segment of the WC in January. They had a great time, met many of the WC cruisers, and many who were not. The only difference they saw was that part of the sanctuary was reserved strictly for the folks on the WC, so it was tougher to get a spot.

[Denali2003]

On 3/20/2023 at 6:31 AM, chamima said:

 

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to get and then post this.

Can you ask the Maitre D' what the "V" stands for.

I'm wondering if it somehow separates the vegan from the vegetarian.

 

The "V" is for Vegetarian - meaning it has dairy (milk, cheese, etc).  This menu is MUCH smaller than the one I had on the Regal in 2021.  I wonder why they made this menu so much less.  Very disappointed.

[chamima]

15 hours ago, FraudBroad said:

My Dad and sister were on the Panama Canal segment of the WC in January. They had a great time, met many of the WC cruisers, and many who were not. The only difference they saw was that part of the sanctuary was reserved strictly for the folks on the WC, so it was tougher to get a spot.

 

The Sanctuary is $30/daypp if you book the whole cruise so for a world cruise that would be $3300 per person, $6600 for a couple. That would pay for another cruise. I wonder if there was a further discount for booking the whole thing.

[chamima]

14 minutes ago, Denali2003 said:

 

There is a thread from someone who is currently doing a World Cruise on the Island Princess.  I asked about the Vegan menu in the MDR.  She said she asked and they said they did have one.  Attached is the current Vegan/Vegetarian menu.  It is SO MUCH smaller than the one I had on the Regal in 2021.  I am very disappointed.  Based on this particular menu, there's nothing on here I would eat.  Maybe the Eggplant.

 

9 minutes ago, Denali2003 said:

 

The "V" is for Vegetarian - meaning it has dairy (milk, cheese, etc).  This menu is MUCH smaller than the one I had on the Regal in 2021.  I wonder why they made this menu so much less.  Very disappointed.

 

 

The Island Princess menu doesn't make sense if the V is Vegetarian. Just looking at the desserts - the sorbet is much more likely to be vegan than the cake, which would be more likely to have egg in it.

Also, the three main courses are totally vegan , no dairy or egg in them at all. That's why I asked what the V was for.

[Dive Girl]

We_like_to_cruise, Thank you for your postings! It's fascinating!

 

I have friends on this cruise. They have gotten ill with a respiratory issue. They seem to think it's affected a large number of passengers. Have you heard anything?

 

How many are on this segment?

 

Thank you again!

[nascartony20fan1]

On 3/28/2023 at 7:24 AM, We_like_to_cruise said:

Suez Canal, Egypt

 

Our transit through the canal begins very early in the morning.  DW and I join other passengers outside and notice an unobstructed view ahead of us – we are first in the convoy through the waterway.  In the rear we are followed by two escorts and the rest of the convoy is in the distance well behind us.

 

The passage takes most of the day and we exit the canal around 3 pm.  The topography runs the gamut from desert to small cities to fancy seaside resorts. 

 

During the transit the onboard destination expert provides facts and points out items of interest.

 

Some things we learned:

 

This 120 mile artificial waterway connects the Red Sea and southern Asia to the Mediterranean Sea and northern Africa.  About 55 ships transit it each day.

 

The Suez Canal Bridge, which we pass under, is also known as the Egyptian-Japanese Friendship Bridge, Al-Salam Bridge, Al-Salam Peace Bridge, and the Mubarak Peace Bridge.

 

Local fishermen in small boats follow the large vessels as they feel the movement and churning of the water increases their chances of a successful catch.

 

Can you see the Pyramids of Giza from the canal?  No, they are over 150 miles away.

 

Unlike the Panama Canal, there are no locks in the Suez Canal.  There is little change in elevation between each end, so locks are not necessary.

 

Ferdinand de Lesseps, a French diplomat, was instrumental in the design and construction of the canal.  Due to the overwhelming success of that project he later tried – and failed – to build the Panama Canal.

 

French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi proposed an enormous statue of an Egyptian woman holding a lamp – “Egypt Bringing Light to Asia” to be placed at the canal entrance in Port Said.  When it was rejected due to its expensive price tag he set his sights toward America.  Twenty years later, his “Liberty Enlightening the World” aka the Statue of Liberty was placed in New York Harbor.

 

In 2021 a huge container ship, the “Ever Given,” became wedged across both sides of the canal.  For nearly a week it remained in place causing massive disruption to the global shipping industry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi there. I am enjoying your posts from the Island Princess. We are booked on her to Norway in July and were thinking about adding a back to back to Iceland. We really need to understand the internet capabilities. Are you posting all this via the ships wifi? How is the internet in general? It is possible to do some remote work on sea days? I am sure some of this is relative to geographic location, but you have been sailing quite a while and I would really love your opinion of the internet aboard Island Princess. I'll be waiting to hear back before I pull the trigger on the back to back cruise. Thanks so much!!!

Christie

[Ken the cruiser]

On 3/28/2023 at 6:24 AM, We_like_to_cruise said:

Suez Canal, Egypt

 

Our transit through the canal begins very early in the morning.  DW and I join other passengers outside and notice an unobstructed view ahead of us – we are first in the convoy through the waterway.  In the rear we are followed by two escorts and the rest of the convoy is in the distance well behind us.

 

The passage takes most of the day and we exit the canal around 3 pm.  The topography runs the gamut from desert to small cities to fancy seaside resorts. 

 

During the transit the onboard destination expert provides facts and points out items of interest.

 

Some things we learned:

 

This 120 mile artificial waterway connects the Red Sea and southern Asia to the Mediterranean Sea and northern Africa.  About 55 ships transit it each day.

 

The Suez Canal Bridge, which we pass under, is also known as the Egyptian-Japanese Friendship Bridge, Al-Salam Bridge, Al-Salam Peace Bridge, and the Mubarak Peace Bridge.

 

Local fishermen in small boats follow the large vessels as they feel the movement and churning of the water increases their chances of a successful catch.

 

Can you see the Pyramids of Giza from the canal?  No, they are over 150 miles away.

 

Unlike the Panama Canal, there are no locks in the Suez Canal.  There is little change in elevation between each end, so locks are not necessary.

 

Ferdinand de Lesseps, a French diplomat, was instrumental in the design and construction of the canal.  Due to the overwhelming success of that project he later tried – and failed – to build the Panama Canal.

 

French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi proposed an enormous statue of an Egyptian woman holding a lamp – “Egypt Bringing Light to Asia” to be placed at the canal entrance in Port Said.  When it was rejected due to its expensive price tag he set his sights toward America.  Twenty years later, his “Liberty Enlightening the World” aka the Statue of Liberty was placed in New York Harbor.

 

In 2021 a huge container ship, the “Ever Given,” became wedged across both sides of the canal.  For nearly a week it remained in place causing massive disruption to the global shipping industry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How were the black flies as you cruised through the Suez Canal? We went through there on the NCL Jade last November in the opposite direction (from Athens to Dubai), and there were quite a few and very friendly! 😂

 

Your pictures of Petra also brought back some wonderful memories as well! 😁

[We_like_to_cruise]

On 3/27/2023 at 4:06 AM, caribill said:

Question:

 

On turnaround day between segments, which dining room is open for lunch, the one on deck 5 or the one on deck 6?

 

Thanks

 

I wanted to double check to make sure I remembered correctly.  Confirmed with the head waiter that the embarkation lunch is held on Deck 5 in the Bordeaux Dining Room.

[We_like_to_cruise]

On 3/29/2023 at 12:10 PM, jimdee3636 said:

@We_like_to_cruise:

I apologize if this has been asked already, but I'm wondering about people who take world cruise segments rather than the entire cruise. Are they treated as second-class citizens by the "full" WC cruisers or even by the crew? I'm asking because, due to time constraints and financial reasons, I'd never do an entire WC, but a 20 to 30 day segment might interest me.

era

Thanks.

 

 

I have not seen any such treatment.  We have made friends from different segments and don't really care where they got on or where they get off.  However, discussions with previous WC travelers make me think there may not be the same sense of camaraderie perhaps because this ship is bigger ?

[We_like_to_cruise]

On 3/30/2023 at 11:09 AM, Dive Girl said:

We_like_to_cruise, Thank you for your postings! It's fascinating!

 

I have friends on this cruise. They have gotten ill with a respiratory issue. They seem to think it's affected a large number of passengers. Have you heard anything?

 

How many are on this segment?

 

Thank you again!

 

Fortunately DW and I have been able to avoid any sickness.  But, it does seem prevalent.  This morning we had a port talk in the crowded Princess Theater.  I counted an average of 5 seconds of silence between scattered coughing before the speaker began.  And some of them were those dreadful "sounds like the TB ward in Bellevue Hospital" coughs.

 

I do not recall the numbers for this segment, but a new segment starts tomorrow and we will get updated figures for the final leg.