Good bye till October

This wonderful trip has come to an end and I have been busy unpacking and getting things put away. I still had Easter decorations on the mantel but they are now safely stored till next yet.
The laundry is gathered and downstairs perhaps I will get it done tomorrow.
It is a beautiful day and Ken is outside washing the Jeep.
I went for a short walk this morning and we are off to choir practice this evening. We are well on the way to getting back to our routine.
But some final thoughts:
It was an amazing adventure. We liked the Regal Princess but she is just a little too big for us. She holds 4400 passenger and the Emerald princes holds 3600 passengers. That additional 800 crosses the line. She is a beautiful and elegant ship and I am glad that we sailed on her. But I don't expect that we will book a trip on her again. The cruise was during spring break for some schools so there were many children on board. That was a nice change and not a problem. The very special new thing about the Regal was the Princess at Sea program. It provided an on line patter and lots of things for the ship. But the biggest improvement is the speed of the internet. You are able to download pictures in seconds instead of minutes. The other big thing is Movies on Demand. You have so many choices that you could spend the entire cruise in your room watching television and still not see it all. They say that this will eventually be available over the entire fleet.

Our transit of the Panama Canal was exciting as usual. We did it on the Island Princess in 2011 and again this year. I enjoyed the 2011 cruise much more. That cruise was in October and so the weather was much more to my liking. It was just too hot and too humid this time. 90+ degrees with humidity around 95% is almost unbearable. It was almost like being in a steam bath. Also in the fall the entrance to the canal is much more dramatic because you enter just as dawn is breaking. At this time of the year the sun has been up for awhile. I can't say that we were all that pleased with the changes that have been made to the Island Princess. With those new cabins at the front it makes a complete walk around the ship impossible. We really missed the International Café as it has become our favorite place on a Princess ship. The demographic on this cruise was much older. Because it is a long cruise you pretty well have to be retired to take it.

The last 3 days... the repositionable part of the cruise was completely different. Young adults were very prevalent and it was very clear that they were on board to party. It was a lot of fun. They were not rowdy they were just having a good time.

We experienced amazing weather for the entire time. Only one day was a bit rocky and actually nothing to speak of. Both ships rode very well. We felt little or no movement at any time.

This was the first time we tried the special dining rooms. We liked Sabatini's better that the Boyou Café, but both were very good. We would do Sabatini's again but probably would not do the other.
The one thing that was extra special was The Crab Shack. If you enjoy sea food you should give this a try. Ken is the shell fish lover in the family and he was in his glory. The King Crab legs and the mussels and the shrimp kept him smiling and smacking his lips.

We met many wonderful people. For the first time we were table mates with people we knew from other cruises when we were on the Island. It sure is fun to travel with old friends.

The service and the entertainment were exceptional and definitely up to the high standards of Princes Cruises.

They have new collectable shot glasses and we were able to collect 16 of them, 8 are red and 8 are blue. I am happy to report that we got all of them home safely and not in pieces. They also come in yellow and green but we chose red and blue.

Our next cruise is aboard the Star Princess in October. We travelled around South America on her and she is a wonderful ship.
We have also booked a month on the Caribbean Princess in early winter of 2017. We have never sailed on her so that is something to look forward to.
Randy and Janeen and Fred and Mary have booked the first part of this adventure so we will be certain to have a wonderful time. They are so much fun to travel with.

So until next time travel safely and remember

CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY
WE ARE GOING THIS WAY ONLY ONCE!!

Came to an End

We are home safe and sound.
Does it ever feel different to be using my PC instead of the little net book. This screen seems huge after 42 days of using my little netbook.

We slept lightly as we always do when it is the night before disembarkation. We woke several times and saw light houses flashing their signals in the dark night. Then we recognized the scene and knew we were in Vancouver. There were 2 other ships in port. One was a Holland America ship and the other was the Crystal Serenity. We had not seen a Crystal ship before.
We watched from our balcony as all three ships maneuvered into their respective docks.

Then we dressed and went quickly to breakfast. We were seated with a man from New York and three people from Australia. All of the table mates had done a lot of travelling. All had been to Nova Scotia before and all spoke highly of the beauty of Cape Breton. That pleased me.

Next we headed up to our room to vacate so Randell could prepare for the new passengers who would embark in Vancouver. Sad good-byes were said.

The Elite lounge was located in Explorers. This always seems to be such a quiet peaceful placed compared to the hassle taking place in the rest of the ship.

They had coffee and juice and pastries but we did not have any. The diet has begun. I am certain that we both have gained weight during these six weeks even though we have not gotten on a scale. The fit of your clothes tells the tale without a scale.

We were concerned because Ken does not seem to be able to get reception on his cell phone. We said we would call Janet and Bob and let them know how things were progressing.

Things went very smoothly and in fact we exited the ship almost a half hour ahead of schedule.

We found our luggage and cleared customs in mere minutes. As usual there was no problem with customs. They say you can only have 2 bottles of liquor with you . We had 1 of Myers and 1 of Frangelico. We could have had a case of each because no questions were asked about liquor. We never exceed the limit because we are certain that the first time we do they will do a complete search and we will get arrested.

Ken was still unable to use his phone but one of the people at Tourist information allowed him to use their phone. Bob and Janet were already in the city and they were waiting only a few blocks away. One of the guides showed us how we could get an elevator to the street level and we did not have to drag our bags up that steep ramp.

We had no problem meeting them and getting the luggage loaded. The city was very busy with people coming and going. We wished we were going instead of coming.

The trip went smoothly with Janet catching me up on all of the news of friends and the church. Bob caught Ken up on all of the hockey news, which he really appreciated.

We were home and safely in our home before noon.
It all seems like such a dream.
It was a wonderful vacation. I guess we can't really call it a vacation, lets call it a holiday adventure.

Abramson adventures is scheduled to resume in October

May 10

Well this is the last day of this travel adventure.

We went to the dining room for breakfast and it turned out to be a table of Canadians. One couple was from Abbotsford, one from Prince Rupert, one from Coquitlam and us. By the time we finished visiting they were setting up for lunch.

Then it was back to the room to begin packing. That is always such a big job somehow. It takes less than an hour to unpack but it seems to take half a day to repack. No matter how hard we try we can’t figure that out.

Because we are going to Sabatini’s tonight we decided to not have much lunch. We shared some fruit from our fruit bowl and we finished off the last of our wine that we bought in Fort Lauderdale.

This afternoon was the Grapevine Wine tasting and so we left the room to just roam before that. When the tasting was begun we were lead to a table for two. That is the first time we have not been with several others. They did not have a printed list of the wines because apparently they had changed the selections because many of us had been to the previous Grapevine tasting.

I think Princess had a plan. Ken and I had never been to Sabatini’s and we were impressed. The food was great and the service was unbelievable. We really enjoyed ourselves and I can see us doing it again.

All 5 courses were amazing. They were served family style so you could just have a taste of everything without getting too full.

After that great meal we went to the theatre and we saw a comedian who did unbelievable sounds with just his voice and a mic. He had a range of at least 3 actives and he was really very funny. Jammin Jay Lamonte gave us a lots of laughs.

Next we went to the Wheelhouse Bar where we enjoyed the music of Phoenix Rising. We ordered a Mai Tai from Roberto and boy did he ever make us a good one.

We ended our evening by going to the atrium for the balloon drop party. It is sort of New Years Eve in May. The music was great and hundreds of people were there having a great time. The ages ranged from three to ninety three with everyone having a good time.

What a fabulous way to bring the evening and the cruise to a close.

Vancouver and home tomorrow.

Monday , May 9th

Monday

We went to the dining room for breakfast and it was almost as much fun as dinner always is. We met Bob and Maureen and we had a great visit. The other couple at the table were from Delta and their names were Pauline and Stan.

After that delightful breakfast it was too late for Ken to go to the Photo seminar he had planned to attend. We roamed around and came back to our room. We miss not having something to look for to answer the Wake Show question. They don’t do it for this 3 day segment

This cruise has a different atmosphere, the ages are much lower and it id definitely a party crowd. Lots of fun is being had.

We decided to have our last hot dog lunch so we ordered room service and we had the last of our champagne. That was a first for us. Champagne and Hot Dogs!!

Our reservation at Sabatini’s is for tomorrow night so that means we will not be with Bryan and Caesar tomorrow so we got our tips ready for them. We said good bye and took pictures.

Tonight is labeled as Dress to Impress so Ken wore his blue shirt and tie and I wore my navy outfit. Not quite formal but special. It was Italian night so Ken really enjoyed his scallops.

We bought a Lemonchello and that gave us red glass number eight. We now have a red set and a blue set.

After dinner we went to the On The Boyou again, and it was just as fantastic as the last time.

Then our night came to an end… only one day left.:-(

May 8th

I didn’t sleep at all last night. We had coffee with Baileys last night at dinner instead of dessert. Then after the show we went down and had a coffee which we spiked with brandy before we called it a night.

So I guess 2 coffees before bed is not something I should do again. As you probably read we have a full days of activity planned so I don’t know how I will make out. I may fall asleep n the bus.

As you know I have been really lucky on this vacation. I have been winning things quite regularly. Well last evening I checked in to do one final check of our account and I discovered much to my delight that I won again.

On every cruise that I have taken we have received a booklet called Passport to Value. Basically it is a coupon book. On the back of the book is a place for stamps. When you use a coupon they are supposed to give you a stamp. There is room for 4 stamps I filled out the identifying information and then later dropped the card into an entry box.

I gather my name came out last evening. The prize was $150.00 credit towards your final bill. So we owe 150 dollars less than we expected. That is the first time I have won and I know of no one else who has ever won. They do the draw on that last evening so there would be no opportunity to tell anyone that you had won. I will have to ask Howard and Janeen if they have ever won.

We woke at around six and we watched the ship sail past the Angel’s Gate lighthouse.

 It was still dark enough that the bright green flashing light really stood out. I tried to catch a picture of it with no luck.

At around 8:35 we headed for the princess Theatre to gather for our tour. We were a bit late leaving but it went well with customs etc.

Soon we were on our way. I already posted the description of the tour and it was everything it was supposed to be. We saw so many of the landmarks of LA that our heads were spinning. We got back to the ship around three, so we really got our money’s worth.

Farmers Market

Gromans

Hollywood Sign

Disney Music Center

Olveta

When we arrived in our room Randell was here right away to bring us our glass of sail away champagne.

We then proceeded to open our various promotions. There was a while envelope and in it was an announcement that we were one of the most travelled passengers for this cruise. I was ecstatic; I have wanted that honor but have never reached it. Usually it means a special luncheon with the 40 most travelled. The captain attends and it is very special and included wine and all of the trimmings. Because this is just a short 3 day cruise there is no luncheon with the captain but we have been given the right to have a meal at one of the special restaurants at no charge. We were not all that impressed with the Boyou Café so we will go to Sabatini’s either tomorrow or Tuesday. Ken does not want to miss Italian night at our usual dining room. We will make a reservation that doesn’t conflict with that.

We enjoyed not having to go to the Muster drill and we just relaxed and enjoyed our wine while watching sail away

We went to dinner and the difference without Fred is very noticeable. Even Caesar said that he missed him. The atmosphere is very different. Caesar and Byron have 21 people to serve at the 3 tables. One table seems to be very demanding and very noisy. The guys are probably happy that this a 3 day cruise.

The show in the Princess Theater tonight starred a comedian named Steve Caouette. He was very good. He uses the audience and works off of them. I laughed so hard at one point that I was worried I might get sick.

We are ready to call it a night. I am exhausted and I made certain not to drink coffee tonight.

TCL Chinese Theatre, Olvera Street and Farmers Market/ May 8th

This is the description of our tour for tomorrow

Tour Overview

Despite its modest beginnings as a little pueblo, Los Angeles has transformed into one of the most vibrant cities in the world: a center of business, culture, media, fashion, technology, education and, of course, the entertainment industry. Experience the highlights of the City of Angeles during this half-day, guided driving tour. Begin at your pier where you will board an air-conditioned motorcoach and set out to explore this glittering wonderland.

As you journey, your guide will point out the landmarks you encounter. En route to Downtown Los Angeles, you'll see the Museum of Natural History, the Los Angeles Coliseum (home to the USC football team and two Summer Olympics) and the University of Southern California.
Olé! Your next downtown stop is the vibrant Olvera Street, the birthplace (in 1781) of Los Angeles. Explore this colorful village featuring historic buildings and a marketplace offering traditional Mexican food and handcrafted Mexican wares.

Want to know what it's like to be in the shoes of some of your favorite stars? You'll get the chance at your next stop for and outside visit of the world-famous TCL Chinese Theatre (formerly Grauman's) & Dolby Theater (formerly the Kodak Theater) also located on Hollywood Boulevard. One of the most sought-after sites for movie premieres, this landmark theater (opened in 1927) features a forecourt with over 200 Hollywood celebrity handprints, footprints, and autographs in concrete. Feel the glamour envelope you as you take in the prints of such stars as Marilyn Monroe, Harrison Ford and John Wayne. Stroll along the sidewalk to marvel at the star-studded Walk of Fame - featuring over 2500 stars that recognize a mix of actors, musicians, directors, producers, musical groups and fictional characters.

Marvel at the glitz of old (and new!) Hollywood as you drive along the famed Sunset Strip (renowned for restaurants and nightclubs that are playgrounds for the rich and famous) and the popular, neon-lit Hollywood Boulevard - a bustling tribute to the entertainment industry featuring souvenir shops, the Walk of Fame and Madam Tussaud's Wax Museum.

Shop and dine at L.A.'s classic Farmer's Market. Back in 1934, this was open land where farmers sold their produce. Today it is home to one of the most popular shopping, dining and entertainment venues in the nation. It's also a favorite spot for celebrity sightings so keep a keen eye out!

Transfer back to your Princess ship

Las Angeles, California, May 8th/2016

The City of Angels always hovers between dream and reality. Once a near-forgotten colonial outpost, the pueblo metamorphosed into an agrarian paradise before reinventing itself as a movie colony. Perhaps no other city owes so much to the technological innovations of the 20th century, from the automobile to the airplane. Little wonder that LA is oft described as the "dream machine." In LA, reinvention is a way of life. Yet this talent for change has created a city with a rich ethnic diversity and a sizzling culture. LA is the source for trends that migrate across the country and then the world. Where else can you enjoy a Thai taco or munch on a kosher burrito? Or travel from downtown's high rises to the beaches of Malibu, shopping in Beverly Hills along the way?

May 7th

May 7, 2016,

We began our day with breakfast in the dining room. Bryan was our waiter . I wonder if these people ever get to sleep.

I had fruit and oatmeal as usual and lots of coffee. We roamed around a little and I came to the room to work on the blog.

For lunch we went to the Pub Lunch.

I had Scotch Eggs for the first time. It is too early to have my May French Fries.

 We were placed at a table for four and the other couple were from England. During the visiting and chatting we discovered that Arthur was the man who was in front of me last night, the one with the I pad that was not recording. What were the odds of that happening???. Her name was Diane and they were from outside of London. They are sailing through to Vancouver and then on to spend time with Family in Vancouver and Edmonton.

We went to the big draw at Happy Hour and we did not win.

Then I went to the EFFY buyers draw. The prize was wonderful and I came close to winning. The number ended in 4529 and I had 4528.:-(

Then it was on to the last dinner with Fred and Mary. They disembark in the morning.

Tonight they sang Happy Birthday to Nancy and we got to share her cake.

This was Baked Alaska night and we had lots of fun. The horrid Sugar Free Chocolate tapioca was on the menu. I recounted our story about that dessert and everyone had a good laugh and everyone agreed with me. We bought Baileys to go with our coffee so now we have 7 red glasses. Our collection is almost complete.

After dinner we went to the theatre for The Voice of the Ocean. Julia was a contestant and she invited us to be her guest. It was so much better than we ever expected and we had a grand time. It was so nice of her to invite us and as a result we had a front row seat. Julia did not win but she certainly deserved to be a finalist.

While congratulating her we met one of her table mates who wanted our blog address. She said she had been given a free cruise because of how much she spent in the Casino. We didn’t ask how long the cruise would be or when it would be. We didn’t ask if they want her to come back so they can try to get some of their money back or if they want to get more of her money. But either way a free cruise is a free cruise.

We finished our evening with special coffees.

Tomorrow we are in LA and we begin another cruise. Number 37 but it is only a short one. We are home on Wednesday.

May 6th

Friday May 6^th,

Another wonderful relaxing sea day.

We went to the dining room for breakfast and we were sat at a table for six. One couple was from Australia and the other one was from New Jersey. We had a good breakfast and a great visit about cruising and suddenly Jerry asked us for our address because he might want to move to Canada if Trump were to win the election. We were so surprised because no one has mentioned the US political situation before. Because he brought it up we were able to at least say a little about our feelings on the matter. We did give him our card just in case he and Debbie decided to escape what might become a disastrous situation. Just thinking about it makes me want to cry.

Around ten I checked out the Onboard outlet sale. It was CROWDED and people were buying but there was nothing that I couldn’t live without. We did go to the liquor store and we ordered our 2 bottles to take with us. We got a rum and a Frangelico. They assured us that customs never asks but we are sure that if we broke the rules and bought more that 2 that is the day they would raise a fuss. So two it was.

We decided to have our usual salad lunch in our room. We are avoiding the buffet. I know we have both gained weight on this cruise so we will be dieting big time when we get back home.

Three o’clock was the Grapevine wine tasting and since that is a perk of the black card we decided to go. It was the best attended ever. They announced that 246 people were in attendance. It was very well done and the people were very respectful and listened to the presentations, a fact that we appreciated. As usual I enjoyed the whites and let Ken have my reds after taking the mandatory sip. I just can’t seem to appreciated red wines no matter how hard I try.

This is formal night so we went straight to our room to get ready. Our canapés had arrived and before long we were ready to head out. Our dinner is at 5:15 and the performance of the POP choir is at 5:00. We found a spot to enjoy the performance and enjoy it we did. It was a very large group and the result of having that many voices made for a wonderful powerful sound. The selections performed were from The Sound of Music.. They did a wonderful job. There were hundreds enjoying the performance at every level of the atrium.

A neat aside: I was standing behind a man who was supposed to be making a video recording of the presentation because his wife was in the choir. I looked at his I Pad and the numbers on the screen were at 00:00:00 and they were not moving. So I glanced at the I Pad of another person and their numbers were changing. I watched for another few seconds and then I decided to do something. I did not want to talk in case I was mistaken and he was indeed recording. I reached in and used my finger to point out the numbers. He turned and sort of stared when my hand appeared out of nowhere. Then as I underlined the line of zeros; e suddenly looked shocked and began frantically pushing and tapping his screen. Within seconds the numbers began to roll and he gave me this look of thanks and appreciation and I gave him a thumbs up. We never did speak because as soon as the performance was over people began to move to their dining rooms but I am certain he was glad that he had a nosey passenger looking over at his I Pad.

This was formal night and lobster night. Besides the lobster that have escargot which really pleased me. They have these wonderful pinwheel rolls that they serve with the escargot so we ordered a full basket of those and the six of us who ordered the escargot were in our glory.

Ken ordered 2 lobster and I gave him mine because I was full and Pam was full also and she gave him hers. Ken had 4 lobster tails. He was a very happy lobster lover.

We got another 2 red glasses and Howard also bought a Baileys and he graciously gave us his glass so we now have five of the red glasses. We need only three more to complete our set.

At the end of our meal Caesar offered to take a group photo for us, so we all posed and he used our cameras so we all have a good picture of our infamous group. Mary and Fred are disembarking in LA so we have only one more day of all of us being together.

Because we had both forgotten our pills in the rush we returned to our room, took our pills and headed for the theatre. There was a production show tonight and it was a new one “ On The Bayou” We expected it to be good because the production shows are always good but this one was exceptional. It began with the troupe coming from the back of the theatre and marching as if part of a New Orleans funeral procession with the performers dressed in black and with musicians accompanying them. Some members of the Princess Orchestra were in the procession.

 The costuming, the singing, the dancing were all very good but the special effects and the lighting and the computer work made it amazing. Don’t miss it if you get a chance. Also it was a 45 minute presentation which was great we love the longer shows. I do not have the skills to properly describe it you will just have to go and see it yourself.

After the show we strolled a little and then called an end to another amazing day.