Day 14 - our last day at sea, then Fort Lauderdale

It's always sad to say goodbye to the nice people you meet and the incredible staff on board.  This is a longer cruise.  It attracts a different demographic and many have done a lot of cruises.  I find these more relaxed.  The Emerald Princess does longer cruises.  We are looking at one of the European cruises next summer, but still trying to decide.

This is the very first day we have some action in the sea.  We are rolling a bit, not enough to make you ill, but you need to be careful walking.  I have never been sea sick and I always feel sorry for those who react to the rough seas. I always watch everything I eat and stop any alcohol.  Sad when you paid for the Princess Plus package, but it does include water, great coffee and my favorite, fresh orange juice.  It's worth the price because by the time you pay for gratuities, wi-fi (even though we get 50% off) and what we will consume, it's worth it.

Princess also offers Princess Premium for people who like a better type of alcohol and more perks.  One of the nice perks is a reserved seat for the production shows in the theatre.

We went to all four production shows.  See the seats with the blue covers?  These are the empty Premium seats saved for those people who got the Premium package.  They are not going to shows, or they didn't have that many with the package.  The people standing are waiting for 5 minutes before show time so they can get the unused seats.  

There were lots of activities yesterday.  The activity we love is Voices at Sea.

These are passengers who've been singing on the ship.  They selected six passengers and the winner got a trophy.  They were all good and we got little handhelds to vote.  The French gentleman won by 86%, he was awesome.  There were two BC residents, one from Victoria and one from Terrace.  It's always a crowd pleaser.

One talk they had in Explorers Lounge was a talk with the entertainment staff.  We missed it, but you can always catch anything you missed on the TV, so we watched it while we were packing.  

The entertainers all came on board at the same time  They are on a 17 month contract with two breaks of 5 weeks.  One reason they enjoy it, is the life at sea.  The entertainment industry isn't always the most reliable for a pay cheque and this gives them 17 months of work.  Most have been doing this for many years!  Some contracts are 5 or 6 months, but they applied for the longer one.  After they finish their contract on the Emerald, they have their 5 week break and then go to the Ruby Princess.  Both the Emerald and Ruby are longer cruises.  They have four shows on the Emerald, only 3 of the shows they know are on the Ruby, so they will learn a new show before they leave so they can perform it on the Ruby.  They have four vocalists, more than any other line I've been on!

The Farewell Variety Show 

A wonderful variety show and a farewell from the ship's officers!

We got up yesterday and the entire ship was decorated for Halloween.  Streamers, pumpkins and every food venue had a beautiful cake!  A lovely way to end a wonderful cruise.

Day 13 - Charleston

 

We docked in Charleston at 8:00 AM and we left at 8:30PM.  This is our last port and it is a beautiful city.  It was founded in 1670 and named after King Charles II.  The cobblestone streets, horse drawn carriages and historic architecture were amazing!  It was 26C/78.8F.  

We didn't do a horse drawn carriage but they really looked great!  

Another tasty dinner.  Calamari starter, Asian noodles with tofu and dessert was Apple Strudel with ice cream and it was delicious.

The entertainer in the theatre was Chris Lash.  Chris was an amazing pianist and singer.  He was in Jersey Boys and played Jerry Lee Lewis in Million Dollar Quartet.  I've seen Jersey Boys and loved the music,  I hadn't heard of Million Dollar Quartet.  I wish Broadway Across Canada would bring it to us!  It's a true story of an impromptu jam session on December 4, 1956 with Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash.  Chris Lash played Jerry Lee Lewis and he has the piano skills to do it!  It sounds like a fabulous show! 

Another wonderful day!

Day 12 - at sea

Another relaxing day at sea.  The weather is warm and the seas are still very calm.  Many frequent cruisers have commented on how calm the entire trip has been.  I haven't seen any white caps.  We heard people saw dolphins but we missed them.

There are plenty of activities and fun things to do.  Wi-fi has been excellent.  Great internet speed and no problem streaming, uploading pictures or blogging. I'm glad Princess has Starlink.

We had two formal nights and one night was dress to impress.  I really don't care what people wear but I am always shocked at some of the outfits.  I missed getting a picture of the two people in track suits and more people in jeans as they were walking towards me.  I saw shorts, blue jeans and two guys in tuxedos.  I think the tuxedos guys worked in the dining room.

And we're off to dinner in the dining room

I wish they would make every night business casual.  It makes it easy to pack if you have a long flight.

Dinner in the dining room was excellent!  It was steak and lobster night, the second lobster night which is rare on ships these days.  The steak was so tender!

Escargot my favorite!

The production show tonight was my favorite show.  I've been on many cruise lines and this show is the absolute best I've ever seen.  Rock Opera!  I saw it first on the Discovery Princess when we took Lexie.  She laughed so hard when grandpa fell asleep.  It was funny because it's very loud.  Well, Lexie, he fell asleep tonight too!  Four production shows on a 14 day cruise.  Other entertainment was wonderful.  I've cruised a lot of different cruise lines and I still say Princess has the best entertainment at sea!

After the show, we went to the Laugh Lounge to see another comedian, Phil Tag!  I've lost count of how many comedians they've had on board and they have all been good.  Phil Tag was the funniest.  He did a clean show at 8:45 and the X rated one at 10:30.  We went to both!  The X rated show wasn't as crude as others we've seen before.  Phil has been on The Tonight Show several times and wrote for Saturday Night Live.  What a hoot!  I looked him up online:  

New York Magazine has dubbed comedian Phil Tag - Hands-down hilarious! His quick-wit and razor-sharp stand-up continues to earn this national headliner rave ...

Day 11 - Norfolk

My cousin David lives in the Norfolk area.  We met David and Dan for brunch at a lovely restaurant a short walk from the ship!  I haven't seen David in 40 some years!  Great to catch up with him.

After brunch Cec and I visited the battleship USS Wisconsin that was docked right beside our cruise ship.  We got the Command Center tour and what a fantastic tour it was!

The first computer at sea!

An admirals cabin on board.

The ship was commissioned in 1944 and went to the Pacific where she participated in the Philippines campaign and the Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.  The battleship shelled the Japanese home islands shortly before the end of the war in September 1945.  During the Korean War, she shelled North Korean targets in support of United Nations and South Korean ground operations, after which she was decommissioned.  She was reactivated in 1986 after a modernization program.  She participated in Operation Desert Storm in January and February 1991.  

We just got back to the ship in time for dinner.  It was Italian night in the dining room.  Dinner again, hot and tasty.  I rarely eat dessert but I had the tiramisu and it was wonderful.

The show in the theatre was Michael Minor.  He is a singer/ventriloquist.  Wow is all I can say.  He sang genre from Elvis, Elton John, Glen Campbell and ended up singing "What a wonderful world", holding onto a rat dummy singing without moving his lips.  His voices were right on!  He got a well deserved standing ovation.  

I've cruised a lot of cruise lines and I can say Princess entertainment is by far the best I've ever heard.  Every night they just keep producing first class entertainment!  

Day 10 - day at sea

We are really relaxed.  We stay up late and missed breakfast in the dining room.  One nice venue princess has is the International Cafe.  It's open 24 hours and comparable to Starbucks.  Premium coffee and light snacks.  Great way to start the day.

We had a shared lunch with a pastor, a realtor, a finance guy and a long time Boeing employee.  Very interesting people.  The finance guy went to bed one night and Halloween firecrackers burned his house to the ground.  He escaped in his jogging clothes as he's a runner.  He managed to get his phone his wallet and his wife out.  The next door neighbour's who set off the firecrackers never got fined.  His house insurance paid for everything but all the photos and memories were lost.  Maybe that's why him and his wife get away for Halloween.  

Dinner for us was beef stroganoff.  I usually pass on dessert but it was carrot cake which is one of my favorites.

It was a different version but very good and not too sweet.

The singers and dancers performed a great song and dance show called Sweet Soul Music.  It was very colourful and the costumes were gorgeous.

After the theatre we went to the Explorers Lounge for another game show.  It was called Perfect Couple.  It was hysterical and the contestants were so funny.  

Then off to see Dave Konig at the Laugh Lounge.  Again, another good comedian, the fourth on this cruise!  

This picture shows, it's a smaller venue and more personable.  We always sit near the back.  Dave walked around and of course found us.  He just talked and was very nice.  A great way to end a lovely day at sea.  

Day 9 - New York City

We docked in Manhattan at 7 AM and left at 9 PM.  We ordered Hop On Hop Off bus tickets through the ship excursion office.  They picked us up right at the ship.  

Nice cruise port right in Manhattan

Times Square

New York Library

New York Courthouse

We had a wonderful dinner.  I had BBQ ribs and Cec had Scallops!  Tasted great and the presentation is excellent.  Always hot and the service is superb.  

After dinner was a funny Comedy Magician, Shawn McMaster.  He was very entertaining.  Then we went to play Battle of the Sexes and the women won and Musical Connection.  It is an interesting game as they play 3 songs and you need to get the connection.  

We returned to our stateroom and the view sailing from New York......

A Disney Cruise ship on the left and the Staten Island Ferry passing by!

Goodbye New York City

Day 8 - At Sea

It is hard to believe how calm the seas are!  I can't even see any white caps.  It's been this way our entire trip.  Let's hope there are no hurricanes developing.  Yesterday morning we had fog for about an hour.  The ship sounded her horn but when the sun broke through it was another lovely day.

That's very calm for the North Atlantic!

Lots of activities to attend.  Bingo, but I don't do this any more.  I won the large jackpot on my first family cruise and I figure my luck has run it's course.  It is fun, but the jackpots are small and it's not cheap to play.  Deal or No Deal, lots of fun.  Again, another cash infusion for Princess but it's a fun way to spend an hour.  We miss Lexie as she loves this game.

Line Dancing, Behind the Scenes meet the production cast, art auctions and Princess Pop Choir Rehearsal.  I always enjoy listening to the choir they organize on these ships.

Last night was "Dress to Impress".  I should have taken pictures, nothing much impressive.  People are ignoring the dress code.  I really don't care as long as they are having a good time.  

It was Lobster Night in the dining room.  I had the lobster and it was delicious.  The first one was free, the second was US$18.00.  That's new but I could only eat one anyway.

Cec had the seafood appetizer and it came with a little lobster and he got meat out of it!

Trenyce was in the theatre again.  Tonight she did disco and didn't disappoint.  She was speaking to people in the audience.  We were half way back and obviously one fellow at the front wasn't having a good day.  She said "do you want a hug".  He said no.   But there is always someone in the audience that yells out and surprisingly Cec was quiet and one guy yelled, "I do"!  So she went and gave him a dance and a hug.

An entertainer with a beautiful voice and a great stage presence.  She told us she just flew in from Greece when she got on in Portland, Maine!   

After the theatre we saw another comedian.  He was funny and clean!  He worked with the audience.  Then off to Love Song trivia, where we did terrible!  We knew most of the songs, but couldn't remember the actual title and artist??   I think I should stop the margaritas in the comedy show.

Day 7 - Boston

We arrived in Boston at 7 AM after a smooth night.  I purchased the Old Town Trolley hop on hop off bus from the ships excursion before we sailed.  When we were in San Francisco last year, we purchased the Hop On Hop Off Bus from Princess.  When we finished our tour they took us back to the ship.  People were trying to buy tickets and get on board the bus at the terminal.  However, they would not let people on board, but told them to walk over a mile to one of their stops.  Today as people were trying to buy tickets to the Old Town Trolley they were told they must have a Princess excursion tickets or walk to the first stop.  I don't know how far it was, but it wasn't close to the ship.  I'm glad I've already purchased my Hop On Hop Off ticket for New York City from Princess!

State Capitol Building

I love the brownstones!

Cheers, where everybody knows your name

Fall colours everywhere they are are gorgeous

This tour was one of the nicer ones,  It's not a trolley like our last trip, but a large bus.  The windows were open as it hit a high of 25C/77F.  Our driver was Firefox.  He was excellent and had quite a sense of humour.  

I haven't shown any pictures of the dinners, and I should have.  So far, every meal has been tasty and hot.  We were sitting at shared tables for the first two days.  However, to make the early show, we've switched to a table for 2.  I like shared tables but it just takes too long for everyone to get served if you want to see the early show.  Tonight's dinner was Lamb!  My favorite and it didn't disappoint.

The performance tonight was Disco - Blame it on the Boogie.  The singers and dancers did a very enjoyable performance.  The music was wonderful!