Day Thirteen - Traveller’s Tales.

The Royal Princess carries around 3500 passengers and over the last ten days we have met interesting people from all over the world. Although the majority of our fellow travellers are from the USA, we have met Canadians, Aussies and New Zealanders together with a fair sample from the UK. With the Anytime Dining option that we have chosen we get the chance to met different people each evening and some of the conversations have been interesting to say the least.
I wrote a few days ago that one should never discuss religion or politics as it will almost certainly end in conflict, I can now add a third to the list of no-gos, MUSIC. On Friday night we were entertained by a Beatle tribute act and I say again tribute act. They were NOT the Beatles . They played a number of Beatles standards and apart from their false Scouse accents they were very good. In fact they had the whole theatre up and dancing, including a little old lady in front of us wearing a neck brace. Not a bad achievement.

At dinner that night I happen to mention how good I thought the band were and how well they were received, only to be rebuffed with “The guitars didn’t sound authentic”. There then followed a long discussion that started with the comment “There hasn’t been any decent music since the 50s and 60s”. Now those that know me understand that I love the music from the Sixties, as witnessed by the amount of vinyl that i have at home, but I have never thought that good music miraculously ended on December 31st 1969. When I reminded my opponents what our parents had said to us when we were teenagers, the temperature was raised even higher and Sylvia suggested that I change the subject.

The next question to ponder is,when does a drink become a cocktail? This was posed to us by an irate Aussie whose tipple was kahula and milk. On previous cruises he had been charged a standard price of $6 but on this cruise the price has been raised to $8.50 as the drink was now classed as a cocktail even though there is no mixing involved. Now to me this would be mildly irritating but it wouldn’t spoil my cruise but for this gentleman it was the single most important issue. So much so that he had demanded a personal interview with the Food & Beverage Director on board in order to resolve the problem. I have not seen him around since his appointment so cannot report a resolution but there has been no announcement by the Captain regarding cocktails.

A couple from the UK had a genuine cause for complaint. Firstly their plane from Manchester to London was delayed by fog resulting in a missed connection to Miami. An alternative flight to New York was found but on arrival at JFK one of their bags was missing. Being assured that it would turn up they boarded their onward flight to Miami, here not only did the first bag fail to turn up but it was joined on the missing list by the couple’s second bag. They joined the cruise with nothing but hand luggage and although subsequently one of the cases has materialised the second is still in transit.
Today was another hot and sunny day with seemingly all the passengers on deck soaking up the sun. Tomorrow is the last day with packing to be completed prior to the journey home.

Day Twelve - St. Thomas.

Today’s port of call was the delightfully named Charlotte Amalie, the capital of St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands.This island is principally known for its shopping but as this was a Sunday many of the shops were due to close at lunchtime. Sylvia and I decided to hit the town early to see what was on offer which involved a short bus ride.
St Thomas has a history of being a haven for pirates with one of the most famous ,Blackbeard, having built a lookout tower in the town. Now a tourist attraction this was to be the first port stop of today.
The castle is reached from the town by the “99 Steps”.

When you have climbed these 99 steps (actually there were 103!) you still had a steep incline to navigate before reaching the gate of the castle. Inside one of Blackbeard’s pirates told the tale of the buccaneer and his twelve wives and how he came to a sticky end.

Apparently when he was killed he was beheaded and his body was thrown into the ocean, where it proceded to swim around the ship three times before sinking. A true story witnessed by our story-teller!

While at the castle we met a group of tourists from Taiwan who were busy taking pictures of each other and everything else with their large very expensive cameras. They were excited to hear that we lived in Wales as they would be visiting later in the year and enquired when it would be hot. I did explain that the rain was slightly warmer in the summer months.

Leaving the castle behind us we descended the steps and returned to the town.

Here we met the modern day pirates enticing the passing innocent tourists into their shops to part with large amounts of money.Actually we managed to escape reasonably unscathed as Sylvia was not attracted to any of the jewelry on offer.
We returned to the ship for a leisurely afternoon on board where I sat on the balcony reading and falling asleep.

Tonight we had a lovely meal in the speciality steak restaurant, the Crown Grill, to celebrate Win & Jim’s fortieth anniversary. A fantastic meal with fantastic friends.
We will be at sea for the next two days and I will attempt to give a taste of the areas of the ship I have not mentioned together with a couple of anecdotes about some passengers we have met.

Day Twelve - St. Thomas.

Today’s port of call was the delightfully named Charlotte Amalie, the capital of St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands.This island is principally known for its shopping but as this was a Sunday many of the shops were due to close at lunchtime. Sylvia and I decided to hit the town early to see what was on offer which involved a short bus ride.
St Thomas has a history of being a haven for pirates with one of the most famous ,Blackbeard, having built a lookout tower in the town. Now a tourist attraction this was to be the first port stop of today.
The castle is reached from the town by the “99 Steps”.

When you have climbed these 99 steps (actually there were 103!) you still had a steep incline to navigate before reaching the gate of the castle. Inside one of Blackbeard’s pirates told the tale of the buccaneer and his twelve wives and how he came to a sticky end.

Apparently when he was killed he was beheaded and his body was thrown into the ocean, where it proceded to swim around the ship three times before sinking. A true story witnessed by our story-teller!

While at the castle we met a group of tourists from Taiwan who were busy taking pictures of each other and everything else with their large very expensive cameras. They were excited to hear that we lived in Wales as they would be visiting later in the year and enquired when it would be hot. I did explain that the rain was slightly warmer in the summer months.

Leaving the castle behind us we descended the steps and returned to the town.

Here we met the modern day pirates enticing the passing innocent tourists into their shops to part with large amounts of money.Actually we managed to escape reasonably unscathed as Sylvia was not attracted to any of the jewelry on offer.
We returned to the ship for a leisurely afternoon on board where I sat on the balcony reading and falling asleep.

Tonight we had a lovely meal in the speciality steak restaurant, the Crown Grill, to celebrate Win & Jim’s fortieth anniversary. A fantastic meal with fantastic friends.
We will be at sea for the next two days and I will attempt to give a taste of the areas of the ship I have not mentioned together with a couple of anecdotes about some passengers we have met.

Day Eleven - Antigua.

As we move from island to island I am running out of superlatives with which to both describe the wonderful views and beautiful weather. Today we were greeted once again by a bright blue sky reflecting off the clear Caribbean sea as we slowly moored in St John’s Antigua.

As usual we decided to "do our own thing” on this island which was made really easy by the lines of taxi drivers waiting for potential fares as we left the docks. After negotiating the fee for a tour Sylvia and I together with Win & Jim and a couple from Bristol joined Cynthia who would be out driver/guide for the morning.

Antigua was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493 but it rapidly became part of the British empire which developed large scale sugar production on the island. It gained independence in 1981. During the years of British rule Antigua became one of the most important military bases in the Caribbean and where Nelson located his naval base. These dockyards have been restored and now form part of a national park. This was our first port of call on the trip.

Many of the restored building have been converted to shops and cafes with the Admiral’s House now housing a museum with artefacts from the old yards. The docks are still working with yachts both large and small lining the wharfs.
From the dockyard we drove to Shirley Heights which was originally built as a signal station with its commanding views over the whole area. On the tip of the promontory is a large dwelling that is the home of rock superstar Eric Clapton and nearby is the Crossroads clinic, a charity that he supports.

The more spectactular views are on the other side of the Heights where views over both the English Harbour and Nelson’s Dockyard can be had.

They say that there are 365 beaches on Antigua, one for every day of the year. When I pointed out to our guide that 2016 is a leap year she replied that they could always find another one. She stopped the taxi at a small beach where we could paddle and enjoy the warm sun on our backs.

Returning to the ship for lunch we still had time in the afternoon to look around the shops near the pier. Flicking through the channels on the television this afternoon we discovered that the France/ England rugby game was being shown live and so spent an enjoyable 80 minutes seeing England win the Grand Slam.
Sylvia and I have cruised the Caribbean on two previous occassions both with Princess. On both we were supposed to stop at Princess Cays a private island owned by the company. Both times the stops were aborted due to high winds. It came as no surprise then when the captain announced this afternoon that due to a technical problem we would not be stopping at Princess Cays. Tomorrow therefore St Thomas will be our final port of call before steaming off to Fort Lauderdale and home.

Day Ten - Barbados.

If anyone tries to tell you that all the Caribbean islands are the same, don’t believe them. The appearance of Barbados with its lack of mountains and long white sandy beaches is in stark contrast to the two previous islands we have visited. It is also a more affluent country with a much better infrastructure and large hotel complexes.
Today Sylvia and I travelled alone in order to explore some of the history of Barbados especially it’s link with the slave trade. We picked up a taxi at the cruise terminal gate and after agreeing a fare for the trip we set off with our driver Toby.
The driver pointed out the many sights of the capital, Bridgetown, as we slowlt traversed the morning rush hour. Outside the parliament building was Trafalgar Square with their statue of Admiral Nelson in the centre. At around 15ft tall it was a poor imitation of London’s version.
Although Toby was aware that we were after an historical tour he felt that it would be remiss of him not to show us the “Best Beach” on the island, Carlisle Beach. With it’s pure white sand stretching out as far as the eye could see under a beautiful blue sky I understand his reasoning.

Leaving the bustle of the capital behind us we drove through the open countryside past the airport to the Sunbury Plantation House. The original house dates back over three hundred years and was built by Matthew Chapman one of the first settlers on the island. The house was subsequently sold to Nathaniel Branker and latterly John and George Barrow, who gave it the Sunbury name.The house was restored and re-opened to the public in 1996.

Each room in the house is furnished with period pieces with the dining room having complete place settings. There is very little mention of the association with slavery even though in 1835 there were 244 slave apprentices working on the plantation. Slavery was offically abolished in Barbados in 1834 but it was two years before real freedom took place and during this time the slaves were referred to as slave apprentices. With the decadence of the main house I asked the guide where the slaves were housed. She pointed to an empty field and indicated that this is where their dwellings would have been. As you can see there are no signs of habitation left.

The slaves were used principally for harvesting the sugar crop, a particularly strenuous activity using machetes to cut down the canes. Today the process is mechanised and there are no machetes in sight.

Barbados is split into parishes with the Sunbury Plantation House being located in the largest St Philip. Our driver next took us to the Parish Church of St John, the oldest church on the island. Built in the early 1600s the church occupies a beautiful site overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

An old graveyard is located at the rear of the building with many familar English names engraved on the stones including some of the Barrow family mentioned above.A lovely church in a beautiful location.
Barbados is a very English island and remained in British control until it gained independence 50 years ago this year. Unlike many of the islands in the West Indies it was never invaded by the French or the Spanish and this was largely due to the defence system that was set up.Throughout the island there were six signal stations created which gave sight of all approaches from the sea and they also warned of any fires internally in the sugar fields. The next stop on Toby’s Tour was one of these signal stations called Gun Hill. Restored in the early 1980s Gun Hill is located on a hill that gives sight of half the island.

Barbados is a beautiful island and the people seem very “laid-back” and friendly, it’s certainly a place that I wouldn’t mind returning to. Tomorrow another island with much nautical history, Antigua.

Day Nine - St Lucia.

As we departed the ship this morning the sky was overcast and there was a few spots of rain in the air. In fact it was just like a morning in Wales in all aspects except the temperature - it was 28C.

As yesterday, we had decided to find a private tour to see the highlights of the island and this was easily achieved within the dockside shopping arcade. We loaded a small mini-bus together with another 8-10 people and very quickly joined the traffic leaving the cruise terminal. Castries is a busy town and the driver pointed out the various government buildings as we slowly passed through the town. In the centre of the city we were shown the Derek Walcott Square named after the Nobel Prize winning poet (and I believe Uncle to the Arsenal striker)who hails from the island. The square had originally been called Columbus Square after the famous explorer but it was decided to change the name after it was proven that Columbus could not possibly have been to St Lucia.
The first stop on the tour was a viewing point just opposite the home of the island’s Prime Minister. From here you could see both the city and the ship down below.

Of course the island of St Lucia is mostly famous for the two peaks, created from hardened lava, known as the Twin Pitons. With each peak reaching to a height of over 2000 feet they can be seen from various parts of the island but the best views are those approaching the old French town of Soufriere.

The interior of the island is lush with green vegetation as it, like Dominica yesterday, is a rain forest. The main agricultural crop on the island and until recently it’s biggest income generator is the banana. As we made our way up the hillsides there were plantations on both sides of the road. Tyron, our driver, described the life cycle of the banana plant which much to my surprise lasts only one season before being replaced by a young sucker. There are also a multitude of other fruits that are grown on the island including some 74 species of Mango, Bread fruit and cashew nuts. Many of these species are not native to the island but have been introduced by the various groups that have come to settle.
The whole of the centre of the island is a volcanic crater and it is often described as the world’s only drive-in volcano. In the centre are the hot sulphur springs and mud baths that are still used for health benefits.

A little further down the hill a water fall of fresh mountain water provides the ideal opportunity to wash away the mud from the baths.

I hasten to add that neither Sylvia or I ventured near the mud baths or subsequent waterfall. In all the trip took about five hours and we returned to the ship in time to get a little afternoon tea.
Throughout the day the sun had burnt away some of the clouds and as we set sail the sky was a lovely blue.

Tomorrow we move on to Barbados.

Day Eight - Dominica.

It was another beautiful morning as we slowly docked in Dominica (pronounced Doh-men-eek’-ah) with the colourful houses standing out on the hills.

The centre of this volcanic island is composed of rain forests and the clouds hung over the mountains all day, threatening a down-pour at any time. Luckily for us we avoided all the showers.
We hadn’t booked any of the ship’s excursions opting instead for a local taxi to show us the sights. We boarded a mini-bus with Win & Jim and four other passengers and were joined by a guide and Francis our driver. Like in the UK traffic drives on the left hand side but as most of the roads were very narrow this was not really relevant.The striking feature of the roads were their steepness with the gradient seemingly increasing with each turn of the road as we slowly made our way to our first stop Trafalgar Falls. These comprise of two waterfalls, known locally as the Father falls (tall and slim) and the Mother falls (short and broad).

The walk to and from the falls was through the rain forest and it was very hot and humid. We heard the songs of many of the 170 or so bird species that exist on the island but they were difficult to spot through the dense vegetation.
The next stop on our trip was the Botanical Gardens, a forty acre site located just outside the main town Roseau. Here we saw many colourful flowers...

and some strange tree specimens such as this, the Cannonball Tree.

The park was also the site of much damage when Hurricane Davis hit the island in August 1979 bringing a large African Baobab tree down on top of a school bus.

Fortunately the bus was empty at the time but has been preserved for posterity.
The final stop on our mini-trip was the lookout at Morne Bruce which gives a panoramic view over the capital and our cruise ship beyond. A perfect photo opportunity to end the trip.

After watching the comedian in the theatre we had dinner tonight with an excellent table comprising a mother & daughter from Toronto and a couple from Florida who had 14 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren. A throughly entertaining mealtime in total contrast to last nights company.
Tomorrow we move on to Saint Lucia.

Day Seven - Another Sea Day.

Today was another beautiful day with glorious sunshine although there was a strong wind across the ship. Sylvia and I couldn’t lay out in the sun for too long as we would both have burnt. Most people didn’t seem to have this issue.

A unique facility on this ship is the live television studio where every morning they tape the following day’s breakfast show. We decided to come in from the sunshine and be part of the audience for today’s taping. The equipment is very professional and the presenters were slick with the whole experience being enjoyable. This is the Assistant Cruise Director telling us where to applaud at the beginning of the show.

We took part in a couple of trivia competitions today. Interestingly we teamed up this morning with a couple who now live in Solihull but were originally from the Swansea valley almost the exact opposite of ourselves. In both the morning and afternoon we missed out on the prize by one point!!
This afternoon we spotted land for the first time since leaving Florida as we passed the island of Puerto Rica on our starboard side.

Another feature unique to the Royal Princess is the water fountain and light show which takes place on the open deck. Tonights theme was James Bond and the fountains danced against a soundtrack of Bond theme tunes.Now I must admit that the show was not up to standard of the Las Vegas video posted by Paddy recently but ut wasn’t too bad for a cruise ship.

Talking of James Bond, tonight was the first formal night on board and with the rumour that Daniel Craig might have played 007 for the last time, Jim and I decided to audition.

Naturally we needed our own Bond girls.

For tonight’s dinner we shared a table with a couple from Texas and their friends from West Viginia. It is nights like this that make us pleased that we have chosen “Anytime Dining” as the man from Texas appeared to have had too much to drink even before the starters had arrived. We would not have enjoyed his company for the whole of the cruise.
Tomorrow we have our first stop on the “Nature Island” of the Caribbean, Dominica.

Day Six - At Sea.

After a good nights sleep on the gently bobbing sea we woke this morning feeling refreshed. Early morning trivia called and despite a brave showing we were defeated by a team who had travelled on the previous cruise. There was a little controversy over which countries make up Scandinavia but this was quickly resolved. Sometimes trivia can be a messy business!!

The weather was superb with beautiful sunshine and a clear sky. This inevitably lead to the sunbeds around the pool being crowded but there was plenty of spaces around the ship to lay and read while taking in the sunshine. In between times we walked around the ship slowly getting our bearings and taking in the sights such as the beautiful atrium area.

We took lunch in the main dining room and shared a table with two American couples from Miami and Michigan respectively. I was always taught that politics is a subject best avoided in these situations but obviously that is not the same in the USA, or at least not with these couples. The one thing you can say about Donald Trump is that he provokes a lot of discussion and even though both families were Republicans they had radically different impressions about their Presidential front-runner. At one stage I thought the discussion would end in blows not too dissimlar to a Donald Trump rally.A throughly entertaining meal.

After lunch we attended a steel band workshop and even though we didn’t get the chance to play ourselves it was very enjoyable. A distinctly Caribbean entertainment.

I spoke yesterday about the Skywalk and here is a view of it from our stateroom balcony.

Tomorrow is another sea day.

Day Five - All Aboard the Royal Princess.

It’s amazing how many times an hotel manages to get the final bill wrong.It happened at the Crowne Plaza at Heathrow and it happened again today. The bill which was pushed under our door this morning showed a complete charge for the stay when in fact it was all pre-paid. This necessitated an early morning visit to reception to sort this out which also gave an opportunity to confirm the check-out time (11.00am) and book a taxi to the port for 11.30.
Sylvia completed the packing as I watched Arsenal being knocked out of the FA Cup by Watford. We then met Win & Jim on the beach for a paddle in the ocean and some last minute photos before leaving Fort Lauderdale.

Including a rare one of Sylvia and I together.

Returning to our room we made the final preparations for departures when housekeeping knocked on our door to ascertain whether we had checked-out. As it was still only 10.15 I told her that we would be at least another 15-20 minutes and she went away. Having finished all our tasks we decided to make our way to reception and wait in the lobby for our lift. The bell boy, who was organising the taxi, informed me that our cab was ready but I felt that this was far too early so he sent it away.
After a short discussion with Sylvia we decided that as the time approached 11.00am we may as well make our way to the port so a taxi was duely hailed. The port is only a few miles away from the hotel and the first part of the journey passed very quickly but as we neared the port gates it was obvious that there would de delays. Apparently there were EIGHT cruise ships that were leaving today, in total around 20,000 passengers would be embarking. Here are a selection of them.

The taxi driver was well used to the traffic and took us through a private car park and in doing so jumped a large portion of the queueing traffic. Embarkation was easy and we were on the ship and in our cabin in no time at all. A quick unpack of our hand luggage and we headed off to explore the ship and have some lunch. We were somewhat surprised ,considering how early we had boarded the ship, by how many people were already occupying sunbeds around the pool. We made our way to the dining room to be informed by the young lady manning the door that “Lunch finished at 1.30” but I protested “It’s only 12.50 now!” Embarrassingly I was then told that the clocks had gone back last night something that both Sylvia and I had failed to notice. This explained both the housekeepers agitation and the “early” taxi. Luckily for us the buffet was still open and that was our next port of call.
We had a quick tour of the ship before muster station including the pool area...

..and a feature that is unique to this ship , the sky walk. A glass bottomed platform that loops around on the side of the ship.

We also had a chance to catch up with some of the entertainment including this string quartet in the Atrium.

More about the ship over the next two sea days meanwhile I have an hour to catch up with!!