5/27/06 "Il pochi il fiero i blabbermouths" We *will* sail again Part 5

[justmestace]

Princess Cay is not really its own private island. It's at the southernmost tip of Eleuthera, one of the larger islands in the Bahamas. It was hard to "scope it out" from our balcony, since it was so far away.
We were told a day or so before we got there that Princess was setting aside a separate area for the Mirage people. By that time, I was so fed up with their rudeness that Jay and I had decided we weren't going to sit with them.
Then once we got there, Jay thought we should at least make an appearance for Bobby's sake. They had roped off a really huge portion of the beach, on the far side from where their "family beach" area is. But it had its own bar and we had enough of the blue cabanas for everyone. Then we figured that it was at least a safe spot to leave our snorkel gear and such.
Anyway...the island itself (the Princess portion) has at least 5 times as much beach space and shade and chairs as Castaway Cay. There were at least 5 different areas to get your lunch from the buffets...with two food lines in each. They served roast chicken, hamburgers, hotdogs, pastas, several types of salads, corn on the cob, and cookies, brownies, banana bread and blueberry muffins for desserts.
There were stands placed around the island with fresh fruits (free) and many stands with water.
They have all the same type of activities...parasailing, banana boats, etc.
It was very clean and well kept, and it was almost impossible to tell that there had been any hurricanes....no debris anywhere.
They have covered picnic tables, just back from the beach, that span almost the entire area.....no trouble finding a shady spot for lunch at all.
They had several shops with mostly clothes and souvenirs from the Bahamas, not very many exclusive Princess Cays items. Hawaiian-type shirts for men, dresses for women...pretty nice stuff, actually, and not too highly priced.
Just behind their beach area is an area with little shops set up by the locals. You have to show your i.d. to go in and out of there. They sold the typical Bahama stuff, too. Shirts, towels, trinkets.....but it was neat to see.
There wasn't anything too different about it from Castaway Cay, other than that it was much bigger and had a lot more shady spots. Except the really nice little kids' area with its own little swimming pool. That really impressed me. At CC, the kids don't get to go in the water to cool off, unless the parents come get them, so I thought the pool was a spectacular idea.
And....no Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, etc.
We stayed with the group until lunchtime, went and had our lunch with another couple we had met. A lot of the group brought their plates back to the Mirage section. We stayed at the picnic tables near the buffet. Didn't make sense to carry it back over there and eat it on our laps. But sadly, a lot of the Mirage people just made it seem like they didn't want to "rub elbows" with the rest of the ship.
We had been told that the best snorkeling was at the far north of the beach, but we went out to where there was a rocky area (basically a "break" for the tenders) and found tons of fish, a couple of eels, and some really beautiful shells. I was surprised that there were so many shells unbroken. After the hurricanes, I thought there would be nothing left but pieces.
Anyway....all in all...from an adult point of view, sorry to say but Princess Cay has Castaway Cay beat. We were much more impressed with all of it.
For the little kids, I think they still would like CC better because of the character sightings, but it would be nice if Disney added a little pool for them to cool off in.

 

[justmestace]

For the most part, we really liked the ship. I was in awe of the big screen every time we walked by, so I can't wait to see it on the Magic.

I don't like that you can't just walk from one end of the ship to the other, without having to go through a bar, or a shop...or having to go up a flight or two and then back down, to get to some of the restaurants.
The elevators in the lobby were really pretty.....but not all of the elevators go completely from the bottom to the top...again, you would have to get out, walk to the aft (or forward) and then continue down or up in the elevator. Very confusing.
On the first day, the elevators stopped at each and every floor, no matter what. The rest of the days, the elevator might be on Deck 11, you may be on 7, and it wouldn't stop for you, but continue going down. The good news was that they have more elevators than DCL...they have to, or there would be a revolt.
The main dining rooms were very dark. I guess it's "ambiance"....but I like to see what I'm about to eat. Every night was a "theme" night. One night was Italian, then Cajun, then Beer 'n Brats, French.....so for people like Jay and I, who aren't gourmets...it was tough to find something good. We ate a lot of steak and chicken. We did try a few different things...but I really didn't think the quality of the food was as good as DCL. And they had the same desserts night after night, with maybe one "special" dessert that would be different at night.
The buffet also would have the themed meals, but they always had other choices. On the whole, we actually thought the buffet food was better than that in the main dining rooms. At least it was well lit.
The food on Princess Cays was good though...better (we thought) than the food on Castaway Cay.
Their port is very industrial....as was the Port of Los Angeles .....maybe we are really spoiled by DCL??

You already heard how the Internet Cafe was....they had a lot more computers and even had the video connection things....but it was too bad they kept crashing.
It was nice to have some stores that had "real" clothes in them. If you need something on DCL, it's pretty slim pickings. Princess even had clothing in plus sizes. Their own logo wear, and regular clothes.
Their art gallery was really big....it's forward some, behind a portion of the lobby, but I was surprised to learn that there are staterooms beyond the gallery! That seemed weird. They were accessed through the gallery, or the forward elevators only. I don't think I'd like that too much.

Do not try to find a pen to use, anywhere on the ship. There was an in-house phone by the Purser's desk...it had a small "golf" pencil sitting next to it.
There was a pen and a notepad in our room, but the notepad only had maybe 3 sheets of paper left on it. And on the 2nd to the last day, those disappeared. I might have told you.....I found that the steward had hidden them on a top shelf so that we wouldn't steal them, I guess.

One other way that DCL has us spoiled is with the drink stations and the sodas at meals. Any soda that you would want anywhere on the ship, has to be delivered by a waiter (for a charge) or paid for at a bar. Even the buffet only had water, coffee and tea. Our fridge had about 6 sodas in it that were "free"...even with the Elite status they gave us, had we wanted more, we would have had to buy them. For what people pay for their cruise, I would think that sodas in the dining rooms would at least be included.

Enough of the comparisons. My next installment will hopefully tell about something fun.

 

[Dancind]

It sounds really nice, Stacey, thanks for the report. I think Princess has some much bigger ships than DCL, I can see why they need more space. How big was your ship?

Well, we made it to the movie. It's a fun one, pretty intense at times. We'd recommend it! Bought tickets for the Harry Potter movie next Sunday too. Just can't get there before Sunday. Anyone going the first day? I was disappointed today, they didn't even show the preview. Guess they figure they don't need to advertise that movie!

 

[WDWLVR]

Stacey thanks for the pictures and reports. The ship looks huge. Princess Cay looks very nice.

 

[ohiominnie]

Bought tickets for the Harry Potter movie next Sunday too. Just can't get there before Sunday. Anyone going the first day?

We are!!!!! We finished up the book a couple of days ago. Decided not to start reading Book 5 until after we see Movie 4.

We have tickets for the 1:00 pm show on Friday. That evening is ballet and then Mike takes KT to Toledo for the night and then they continue onto MI the next day. Nick has rehearsal Saturday. Sunday KT and I are going to a play and Mike and Nick are going to an OSU basketball game. Friday afternoon was IT if we wanted to see it opening weekend. Although it'll wreck havoc on our school day especially considering we'll have to show up way early!!!

 

[Dancind]

Well, OM, better put one kid one each side, the better to hide their eyes! This one is rated PG-13, purely due to intensity. I hear that He-who-must-not-be-named is one scary looking dude!

We stopped for ice cream after the movie, and someone had left torn preview tickets for HP on the table from this morning! I didn't know they were doing sneaks, I was so jealous.

Hey, a TOP with Harry and LV!

 

[BWVPam]

Pam, I love BCV too! Is it your home resort? We have points there and at OKW. We do like OKW, but I just love that Epcot location! The best was when we got to stay there during F&W, it was such a short stagger home!

We first bought in at BWV, then when we went on our last cruise in 2002, we added on while we were on the cruise (right before a price increase on June 1). ANyway, most of our points are at BWV, but we do own 70 at BCV. Those are our favorite resorts, but do like OKW at times as well. We have never stayed at Wilderness

 

[ohiominnie]

Hey, a TOP with Harry and LV!

humm-hmmm....(best clearing my throat noise i can make)...

didn't you share that top with ME too?

yup, knew about the rating....typically the kids are NOT allowed to watch pg-13 movies, but if it's pg-13 for sexual stuff, i don't take them, violence they are alright with.

 

[ohiominnie]

did anyone see that charlie and the chocolate factory is rated PG for "quirky situations?"

what is THAT???

 

[BWVPam]

Hey everybody. We have really had a busy weekend. Yesterday, the band sponsored a Percussion competition across town. Dale was supposed to be there at 7:45 a.m. however he tells me that some of his friends want to go on a hike at 6:00 a.m. Mom gets to wake up at 4:45 to get him up so they can pick him up at 5:30. I show up at 8:30, stayed till about 11:00 and then ran home to change and then show up at the high school for our playoff football game. We got creamed, oh well, at least football season is now over. Then after game had to go back to the stadium across town to pick up Ashley, came home and then took Charley out to dinner for his birthday. We didn't get home till about 9 last night.

Today, went to church and have been doing laundry all day. My brother from California called today to let me know that my aunt that lives in San Diego is really sick. She collapsed at work on Wednesday and went to the hospital. They have been doing tests and found out that she has an inoperable brain tumor. He went to see her and they found out today that she also has a mass in her back and a spot in her lung. Doesn't look good. I have been so sad all afternoon. She suffered so much when my cousin had cancer about 20 years ago. He died 1 year after being diagnosed at the age of 13. Please pray for her. We should know more by Tuesday.

 

[MarkRG]

did anyone see that charlie and the chocolate factory is rated PG for "quirky situations?"

what is THAT???

No idea... yet. Been meaning to go out and rent it. But just from the commercials, that may just be the right answer.

 

[TiggerInNY]

Pam - My heart and prayers go out to you, your Aunt and your family. My mom died from a brain tumor. Sometimes life really stinks. How old is your aunt? My mom was 71 and she had a ringing in her ear for a year and never did anything. But I was told that it's the QUALITY of life she had that last year. If she had gone when she had the ringing, she would've had to have all kinds of tests. This way, at least she enjoyed her last year without Chemo, etc. It's all how you look at things. I'll keep you in my prayers.


Maria

 

[justmestace]

Pam...prayers for your Aunt and your family. My friend (with the Banfi) just went through all that with her husband. They were told that his was an inoperable brain tumor. Turns out, they did operate and got most of it. He's had to have chemo, but is doing really well. Back at work and everything. And to think that at the start, they were basically giving him a zero % chance......

 

[justmestace]

did anyone see that charlie and the chocolate factory is rated PG for "quirky situations?"

what is THAT???

We had a chance to watch it a couple of times on the MUTS...but never made it up there. I'm only going by the previews that I'd seen....and no flames, please, but maybe "quirky" means the way Depp acts like a gay guy. Not to mention the basic gist of the movie itself. It's not exactly what you would call wholesome. The industry always seems to think a re-make shouldn't be as "cute" as an original.

 

[justmestace]

Decided I'd do a mini-trip report....and hopefully not be too long-winded. I won't do it all tonight....need to crash pretty soon. But anyway...

Princess Trip Report

We started out at the Mirage on Friday, they had a Bon Voyage dinner for us, and gave us our documents and a couple of gifts. One was a "Coach" travel document holder (nice) and a couple of leather luggage tags with the Mirage logo on them.
They held a drawing to upgrade someone to a bigger suite. I didn't get it.
We had to have our bags set in the entry of our hotel room by 9:00 p.m., and our meeting time to get on the bus for the airport was 4:15 a.m. Luckily, we were in the LAST group to head to the airport! Probably the first time ever that I was in bed in Vegas by 10 p.m.
We had room service bring coffee and rolls at 3 a.m.....I think the room service guy thought we were nutty.
We took a motor coach to the corporate entrance of the airport, and drove right out onto the runway where the plane was waiting. They had us get off the bus 4 at a time, to search our carry-ons and wand us.
It was a nice, big plane(Miami Air)....each couple had their own row. They fed us breakfast...fruit, muffin, pancakes, sausage.... and they showed the re-make of the movie The Longest Yard. But I fell asleep before it was over.
I woke up somewhere over Florida and the sun was just coming up. Seemed funny to get on in the dark and wake up with the sun shining.
We were met by another group of motor coaches for the short ride through Ft Lauderdale to the port. It's one thing to hear about the hurricane damage on TV and see pictures, but once we saw it in person, everyone on the bus was moved. We heard a lot of "Oh my....how awful". So many trees down, no stop lights, stores closed up... very sad.
Jay & I were toward the front, and when I first saw the ship I was surprised at how big it was, and I think I finally believed for the first time that we were going to be cruising!
We were led into the terminal to our own entrance line, and brought upstairs to board the ship right away. They didn't have a check in counter for us, just a couple of people at a podium, checking our passports and giving us our room keys. It was an awesome feeling to walk across the gangway, and know the minute we had stepped onto the ship.
I watched the couple in front of us, and saw that as they scanned their card for the first time, the computer also took their picture. This was new to us. This way, you can get off and on the ship with just your key card. No photo i.d. necessary.
Jay wasn't watching, so he didn't know they were taking a picture, and he wasn't looking at the camera....they ended up taking his picture 3 times, to get one of his face. Too funny.
Our first impression of the lobby was that it was beautiful. Lots of marble, and the elevators with the brass cut-outs of sea life were gorgeous. We decided to go see if our room was ready and unload the carry-ons before we ate. The room was ready! Again, we were very pleasantly surprised that it seemed so spacious, since it was only 324 sq feet, including the balcony. But the balcony was square, not long and narrow like DCL's....so that was nice, but everyone above us could see straight down, as the ship's sides are tiered. Still, no big deal...it was a nice room.

 

[justmestace]

I'll try to make these shorter...

Princess doesn't have the cute fish mail holders...just plexiglass, but they put the guest names on a little card. Useful, if you forget which room you're in. They had a nice gold metal plaque for the Mirage people on our doors, but by Day 3, mine was inside the room. I asked why, and was told some people's had been stolen, so they moved the remainder inside.

The elevator lobbies have some really pretty sculptures. We were on Dolphin Deck...

Although, isn't this a manatee??

 

[justmestace]

So...we went up to one of the buffets that first afternoon, they have two of them, one is just actually right in front of the other. The first buffet restaurant was rarely open for dinner, so you had to walk through it from some areas of the ship to get to the one in the very aft. From this buffet, you could take your food and sit outside, looking down at the far aft adult only pool...and also straight off the back of the ship. It was pretty cool.

Just above this area is a lounge called Skywalker's. It is Deck 18 of the ship. There is a long glass enclosed walkway (and a moving walkway) out to it, and the lounge spans from port side to starboard across the back of the ship.
An outside view (from the pool area) looking up at Skywalker's:

And the walkway leading to Skywalker's, half of it...the moving portion is to the right of the photo, and another glass enclosed walkway even further right:

 

[justmestace]

So we had our lunch at the buffet and then explored that back area of the ship.

They had the lifeboat drill at 4 pm, just like DCL, only we didn't have to wear the lifevests down to the muster. We just had to put them on for a minute following a demonstration. Our muster was indoors, in the Explorer's Lounge.

At 7 p.m. we had a cocktail party to go to up in Skywalker's, where they introduced us to the managers of the casino onboard, the owner of Player's Travel (the TA who arranged it all) and the head of Casino Marketing for the Mirage.
We didn't go up to the Ja'maican Me Crazy Sail Away party...we opted to unpack. Went out on the balcony as the ship pulled out, took lots of pics of the other ships in the harbor. There were hundreds of streamers flying down on us from the party above. Some of the music was the same as what they play on Disney......made me a little "homesick".
I had an opportunity to spend some time later in the cruise with the guy from Player's Travel and Adam, from the Mirage....and I was doing my best to let them know how grateful Jay and I were for just being there. Again...trying to make up for the bozo's who were with us.

Anyway, the Mirage had given us an itinerary that had a cocktail party each evening in a different lounge (which we did go to, all but one....we had decided it would be a good way to see all the spots on the ship when they weren't crowded!)....and several evenings we had dinner reservations in private areas in the dining rooms. That first night we all ate together in the Coral Dining Room. Jay and I hit the buffet early, on the nights that we didn't have group reservations.

We went in to check out the casino after dinner, and then headed for bed.
I wanted so badly to lay down and have the ship rock me to sleep....but it wasn't bumpy!!
That nights' entertainment was a comedian, Garry Carson and the Princess Singers and dancers. One of the dancers recently left WDW's Lion King to join Princess....fellow named Dante Lewis.
The daytime MUTS were Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and Grease. The nighttime movies were Tina Turner, One Last Time in Concert and Diana Krall Live in Paris.

 

[justmestace]

Day Two....Sea Day

Our room steward, Michael, learned today to clean our room last. I slept until 10:00.
Jay & I spent more time just checking out the ship and then we went to the art auction. He had seen a sculpture he liked, and I saw a Wyland print that I liked. Turned out, the opening bids on both were way more than we cared to spend, but I did get the Pinocchio & Jiminy Cricket cel and won two prints in the raffle.

After that, we looked in and out of all the shops, found the theater, found the specialty restaurants.....basically still exploring the ship. We sat outside on the promenade deck for a long time, just watching the water go by.
We had a 6 pm cocktail party at Outrigger's and it was the first formal night....so we were dressed for those and took the first of what would be several attempts at a decent formal portrait.
Group dinner for formal night in the Palm dining room.

Today's movies: Hitch, Wedding Date, and three NFL football games...indoors at the movies they played The Longest Yard. I was half tempted to go see the last part that I had missed on the airplane!
It was 50's night in Club Fusion....we checked it out for a while, that was pretty fun.
Explorer's Lounge had the comedy of Adam Ace....he was funny.
And the Princess theater had Kimika....and all I knew about that was what I had read "Award Winning Act, music and fun".
I went down to the casino and stayed way later than I should have.
Poor Michael wouldn't see me until lunchtime again tomorrow!

 

[dobelover]

Good Morning All



Oh, Stacey, I love the review! (More please!) I don't remember the story about cruising with 'stuffy' people.





Sue