Eat, Walk, Eat, Dress Up, Eat, Rant, Applaud

March 6, 2023

I don’t have too much to write about today. It is a day at sea. We  had coffee and pastries at the International Café in the morning. I went to Knitters and Natters and met a 20-something man who crochets cute little animals For a living and sells them on Etsy or somewhere like that. The world is full of entrepreneurs and small business owners.

We walked on the jogging track. We wandered around the ship. We ate. We sat on our amazing balcony and watched the beautiful ocean. This was a lovely, relaxing and restorative day at sea.

Here is our balcony. Very similar location to last cruise, on the Apex. If you don’t want that huge flag flapping around on your balcony, do not book one of the two center cabins on Deck 14 aft.

The first Formal Night happened tonight. Wow, it has really been “dumbed down!” Maybe I should say “dressed down.” Generation X (the one after the Baby Boomers) seems to think “Formal Night” is a relic and being comfortable is paramount. The young ladies of Generation Z (the one after the Millennials) seem to think Formal Night means dressing like a hooker. I feel a rant coming on, so I am going to stop here.

 Spotlight Bar, a show new to us, was also on the schedule tonight. It was  a gem of a show. The music was mostly Boomer music. The dancing was high-energy, well-executed, and really fun to watch. At the end of the show, after the curtain call, it was announced that tonight had been the last show for the dancers in the cast. Their 9-month contracts were up and they would be leaving the ship tomorrow, with a new cast ready to take over. There was a lot of emotion in the theater.

We came back to our stateroom to find lovely towel swans left by our room steward.

Today’s color is pink for the delightful new confection I tried tonight. It will be on the menu every night. It is called Lychee, Raspberry, and something-something. I will have to make note of the full name.

In Which We Meet Miss Nomer

 March 5, 2023

Sky Princess is calling at Princess Cays today. 

What is a cay and how do you pronounce it?

• Definition: a low bank or reef of coral, rock, or sand. A cay is not volcanic in origin.
• Pronunciation: KEE is the usual pronunciation in Florida. The pronunciation is KAY in the Caribbean. Cays, Keys, and Quays
• “Cay” comes from a Taino word for “island” which gave us the Spanish word, “cayo,” meaning “small island.”

“Princess Cays” is a resort-like beach on the island of Eleuthera, in the Bahamas. It is “resort-like” because there is no hotel. It is used exclusively by Princess ships, and there are no overnight guests here.

Is Eleuthera a “cay”? Eleuthera, from a Greek word meaning “free,” is about 110 miles long, and between 1 and 2 miles wide. I have seen numerous references to Eleuthera as an “island” and zero references to it as a “cay.”  It appears that most cays are fairly small. Eleuthera, though not small, otherwise meets the definition of “cay,” as far as I can tell. Although it may be that Eleuthera is technically a cay, I think most people would not consider it a cay, because of its size. 

Eleuthera has several small islands associated with it. Some of these are known as cays — e.g., St. George’s Cay and Schooner Cay. 

The beach known as “Princess Cays” is not a group of small islands. It is on an island, Eleuthera, which is technically a cay, perhaps, and that island is part of a group of islands which includes some cays. An argument could be made that the name “Princess Cays” is an appropriate description of the general area, but I find it somewhat misleading, although it is a more evocative name than “Princess Beach.”

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We did not get off the ship today. We have been to Princess Cays several times, and it is not my favorite beach. For one thing, it is necessary to take a water shuttle or tender because there is no dock. This can be a very time-consuming process. For another thing, the last time we were here, we discovered that one of the recent hurricane had removed a lot of the sand and left behind a lot of rocks and pieces of coral. The immediate shoreline and offshore bottom were very difficult and uncomfortable to walk on, even with water shoes. We will have other chances to go to beaches (with warmer water) on this trip.

Instead, I went to Knitters & Natters in the morning to meet other crafters and work on my Iknitarod project. #IKnitarod

We found out that we are the Third Most-Traveled Passengers onboard this week, and we will be recognized at the Captain’s Circle Cocktail Party. We were given a bottle of wine and a very nice Princess tote bag. Perfect for my craft projects. The tote bag, that is. But also the wine.😜

The elevator lobbies and some other public areas have large (24”x48” ?) interactive touch-screen displays. You can bring up a deck plan or the activity schedule. There are even some games. If you stand close to one of these screens, it will react to you.

After dinner we listened to a very good acoustic guitarist/vocalist, named Matt Baxter. He does a lot of looping and it adds richness to his sound.

Next, we went to a production show called 5 Skies. We saw it last year and we loved it. We loved it even more this time. It is so original. It’s hard to take it all in the first time you see it - music, vocals, costumes, choreography, special effects. A few changes and tweaks have been made since last year and this has improved the show. The entire audience was wildly enthusiastic.

Today’s color is aqua. It is the unbelievable color of the water here.

To the Sky

March 4, 2023

This morning we disembarked from the Apex and took a short taxi ride through Port Everglades to Terminal 2, where we boarded the lovely Sky Princess. It is great to be back aboard Princess.

Here are some view of our stateroom — it’s a little smaller than our cabin on the Apex, but the storage space and closet are larger and more convenient.

It seems that all cruise lines give you wooden hangers for your clothes. They usually have little notches on the shoulders that have not been sanded. I have snagged some of my clothing on them. Some of the hangers have metal clips for pants, and these can also be a source of snags. I have been experimenting with hanger covers to prevent damage to my clothes. Here is a prototype of Hanger Cover 2.0. 

I only made four because I wasn’t sure if they would work. I think they do work, but for the next set I make, I am going to enlarge the hole for the metal hook on top. They have to be long on the bottom to cover the metal clips, and simply to stay on the hanger, even if there are no clips. I think the length is good on this version.

Nautical fabric!

Ta Da!

We LOVE our wonderful aft balcony.💖 You never know  what you are going to see.

A ferry from British Columbia!

Heavy traffic under the drawbridge

Miles of inviting beaches are visible as we sail away from port

Today is the ceremonial start of the Iditarod. It is also the start of the Iknitarod, a chance for crafters to start, finish, or work on a fiber project - not necessarily knitting. I will be working on a sashiko project I brought with me. #Iknitarod

I am finished with the purple, but I have quite a bit to do with the turquoise.

Sabatini’s is the Italian “specialty restaurant” onboard. “Specialty” is Italian for “you pay extra.” But Sabatini’s is truly worth it, especially compared to how much restaurants cost in Alaska. The food is magnificent. Take it from someone who spent three and a half weeks in Italy last fall.

Burrata with balsamic reduction 

Branzino with tomatoes and artichoke

We went to see a comedian named Ross Bennett. His shtick was to be nerdy. The audience took a long time to warm up to him, but he was really quite funny, without being mean or dirty. I liked him.

 

Today’s color is sky blue.  

 

 

 

 

 

I Would Like to Thank the Genius Who Came Up with Chocolate Schwarma

March 2-3, 2023

We have two days at sea now, and then we will be back in Florida. I have a lot of loose ends floating around in my head. Here are some of my thoughts, in no particular order.

Cruising Ducks

A recent fad involves hiding little rubber duckies on cruise ships. I found one the other day! Usually they are easy to spot — unlike a geocache. They are supposed to be found. The finder can keep it, or re-hide it. There are various places where you can post a photo of yourself with your new pal, such as #cruisingducks.

Walking/Jogging Track

The Apex has a really nice track. It is shaped like a figure eight. It goes up one level via a ramp so that it can cross over itself. It passes the Magic Carpet, and the pool, and a “rooftop garden.” There are separate lanes for walking and running and the direction of travel is clearly marked. There are plenty of curves, too. One mile = 4.5 laps. We enjoyed walking on it during the daytime because it was so interesting.

Daytime view from the track , Magic Carpet in upper right 

We went up one evening to see how it looked at night.

On the walking track at night

The Rooftop Garden

Sky Suite Tour

Early in the cruise we were invited to tour an unoccupied “Sky Suite.” We knew the Apex had some very luxurious suites, so we took the tour. Let me just say that is was another underwhelming experience. It was not a suite. It was slightly larger than our cabin, but it had a smaller balcony than we had. The sitting area was part of the bedroom. “Suite” implies more than one “room,” and this was just one, not large, room. It did have a larger bathroom than we had, but I really don’t care to have a tub. There was a sliding window between the bathroom and the bedroom. I assume that was so one could look at the ocean while soaking in the tub. Meh.

How Much Did You Say?

We were reminded by the cruise director a number of times that the Apex is a $1.2 billion ship. I won’t argue with that. As I have said before, it is beautiful and innovative. 

One of the excellent design features that comes to mind is the elevators.There were 8 forward and 8 aft, as I recall. They were roomy and very user-friendly. When an elevator arrived at your floor, the entire doorframe would light up green for up and red for down. It was so easy to know when the one you wanted arrived. Inside the elevator there were flat screen panels that told you the current floor, the temperature outside, the port you were in or heading to, some of the day’s activities, and more. 

The “waymarking” was excellent. It was always clear which direction was aft and which was forward. It was always easy to find out what floor things were on.

Chandelier Show

There is a large martini bar in the center of the ship. There was always some sort of entertainment there in the evening. In addition, the bartenders do tricks, such as juggling with liquor bottles, or pouring drinks in fun ways.

There is a large “chandelier” behind the bar. Every night there is a “Chandelier Show” with lights flashing in time to music. The show lasts less than 5 minutes and is not worth going to see for its own sake. I hesitate to put up a video clip, because it is just not that special.

During the Chandelier Show

Silent Disco

Celebrity is known for its “Silent Disco.” It was very popular with guests on the ship. It drew a large crowd to watch and a good number of people were motivated to join in the dancing. Dancers get a pair of headphones to wear and that’s how they hear the dance music.

The night we went the Silent Disco was combined with a Battle of the DJs. You could change the color of you headphones and you would hear either Latin, Contemporary, or Classic Rock. You could tell which DJ was the most popular by the number of headphones set to each color.

Our Stateroom

Once we figured out how the lights worked, we really enjoyed our stateroom. You could set the lighting to “day,” “night,” or “TV watching” with a tap on a screen. There was a lot of backlighting, which was nice in the evening. In the bathroom the backlighting under the counter worked as a a nightlight. The colors of the wood, carpet and upholstery were soothing.

These photos were taken before the room had been made up for the day because we had to pack. Our cabin steward, Rakesh, was efficient and helpful.

I loved the little niche with the piece of coral (I hope it was already dead when it was collected.)

There are throw pillows from the bed on the sofabed, so it looks a little more crowded than usual

The red arrow shows a built-in charging station, with USB ports and European and American outlets. The yellow arrow points to a desk that slides into  the white cabinet to give you a full-length mirror

On the last day, we were impressed by the fresh seafood-themed lunch buffet.

And we were completely blown away by the spectacular dessert buffet. I couldn’t take photos of most of the stunning cakes because so many people were crowding around them.

Key Lime cake

But, as far as I am concerned, the pièce de résistance was the crêpe bar, complete with chocolate schwarma.

O. M. G! What a concept!

After dinner we went to a production show called Rockumentary.

I had high hopes for a blockbuster of a show, but it wasn’t all that. The choreography was insipid and the costumes looked like leftovers culled from several prior shows. It wasn’t a bad show, but it wasn’t anywhere near a great show.

I want to say a word about the music. I grew up with rock and roll, and I love it. But I never noticed a classical piece, or a Broadway show tune, or any opera, on this cruise. Despite our itinerary, there didn’t seem to be a calypso or reggae band. I would have liked a little more diversity in the music. We did not check out every venue on the ship, so maybe we missed it.

It was hard to meet people on this ship. There were many large groups traveling together, and they did not mix. We asked for “sharing” tables at dinner, but they did not seem willing or able to seat us at a sharing table. The only sharing tables were given to those large groups traveling together. We were argued with, and told we wouldn’t want a sharing table because it would take too long or there might not be anybody else who wanted to share.

We enjoyed the cruise, but we like other cruise lines better. We would consider another Celebrity cruise if they had an itinerary we really wanted, at a competitive price.

Today’s color is chocolate. 

 

Nature’s Little Secrets

March 1, 2023

Note: Ken is fine. He just has a few scabs on his legs.

Although the British Virgin Islands are not far from the US Virgin Islands, today’s stop in Tortola was our first visit to the British islands. None of the ship’s tours (mostly snorkeling) appealed to us, so we decided we would just walk around the town — Road Town — and maybe find a taxi tour at the pier.

Road Town was clean and neat with well-maintained properties, but it did not have a lot of tourism infrastructure once you went a block beyond the pier.

Road Town, from our balcony

We needed a few odds and ends, so we bypassed the touristy area by the pier and wandered into the town proper. We were able to find what we needed fairly quickly and there really wasn’t anything to see in the town, so we headed back to the ship.

We found all the “odds” on our list of odds and ends

Mind you, Road Town is the capital of BVI, so we were expecting more, Most of the population of about 28,000-30,000 lives on Tortola. The three other main islands are Virgin Gorda, Anegada, and Jost Van Dyke.

The branches of this tree hung over a sidewalk on our way into town. We think those are mangoes. It pays to look up.

The color of that water!

We had dinner at Le Petit Chef, one of the specialty restaurants onboard. It offers an immersive, animated dining experience. The menu is very limited. They have a main menu and an alternate menu. Each menu has four courses. You can pick one menu or mix and match. We both picked the main menu. 

There is a white plate at each seat and during the meal there are animated videos projected onto your plate and onto your table. The idea is that there is a little french chef who stands on your plate and talks to you about cooking and food. It is very cute. There is a video before each course, and as soon as the video ends, a plate of food is put on your white plate.

It was very hard to get decent still photos of the videos. We were able to record the first video, however. I have cut out a 10-second clip. This will be my first time using a video in my blog. I hope it works. On the table, you will see our actual silverware and glassware. The little jelly jars, kitchen knife, and many other items are part of the video.

Here are a few still photos that turned out okay. At this point the Little Chef was talking about presentation and relating it to various styles of art.

The much-heralded production show, Crystallize, never materialized, due to a problem with the stage equipment. Instead, we got to see tomorrow’s show, Divas 3. Three talented women sang songs from the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. I think I knew all of the songs and I found the substitute show very enjoyable, but what will the show be tomorrow?