Proud to be a Canadian

On our cruise we met a lot of Americans.  No one discussed American politics.  It's always a good thing to keep politics to yourself.  

I read this piece on Twitter and thought it was so good, I would share it.  I am happy and proud I'm Canadian!  

I live in a sovereign, free, democratic nation, our system of governance is called a Constitutional Monarchy, our MP's are elected. We don't elect our Prime Minister, the leader of the party with the most votes becomes our PM.  We don't have a '5th Amendment', nor 1st, 2nd or or or. We do have a Charter of Rights and Freedoms. 

I live in a nation with a public broadcaster-radio/tv called the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.  It serves as a voice for our culture, news, people's voices, it has been undermined/underfunded in the hopes it'll be destroyed so private $ can dictate what we see/hear.

I have the right to peaceful protest, I fly my nation's flag with pride, I do not use it to promote hate, vulgar smears against my Prime Minister, nor join hate groups to undermine democracy or attempt to overthrow my duly elected government.  

I am NOT nice, I am not a doormat, I do attempt to be kind, respectful and stand up for my rights and those of my fellow Canadians. We fought in wars but we are not war mongers, we stand for peace. We led the way to end landmines to protect innocents.  We're inventors, progressive thinkers, looking to improve lives, not simply make a buck off other people. We love our environment more than money. We're rich in compassion and we don't idolize the American way, that's why we choose Confederation.

We don't need guns to shop for groceries, We are multicultural, not a melting pot. We enjoy all cultures' expressions of art/food/traditions even those we do not agree with.  We know we have a dark history via colonialism. We regret what we didn't learn in school and are attempting to make the future better.  We built a society on sharing, mutual respect, acceptance, we know Confederation is our strength, we don't like division-it hurts.

Catherine Whelan Costen

Western American Mountains!

Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier all in one picture taken from a plane, or the Cascade Volcanic Arc at its best.

Day 12 - the last day

This was on the interactive screen by the elevator as we walked by!
I did not tell Princess about our anniversary.  It must be imbedded in our file from years ago!

We are sorry to see this cruise end.  It's been a wonderful vacation.  The ports were unique and very enjoyable.  No tenders, all ports had proper docking facilities.

Food:  We enjoyed every meal.  We ate in the main dining room for most meals but did go to the buffet when the dining room was closed and it was good.  The service in the buffet was very good.  We never had to wait for a table.  They were always clean.  The dining room staff were excellent.  When you have open dining you have different waiters and they all did a great job.  Alfredo's Pizza, Lexie's favorite place was good.  They now charge for this venue but if you have the Plus or Premier package, you don't pay but you get two free meals there.  The picture below was our second lunch at Alfredo's and it's great pizza.

Yesterday's lunch!  A margarita, delicious pizza and a window table!

Internet:  Finally Starlink has made an internet connection tolerable.  You could stream You Tube, Netflix and other sites you didn't have refresh happening.  I had problems with Shaw email.  I kept getting "cannot connect to the server".  It's happened in Europe so it didn't surprise me.  I don't believe it was the ship, but Shaw.  Hopefully when they transition completely to Rogers it's fixed.  I just went to Gmail.

Last night the BC Lions played the Calgary Stampeders for the Western Semi-Final in the CFL.  We found the game on an American Football site and watched the entire game live!  Thank you Starlink for a great connection!

Sorry this cruise is ending, but we've got another cruise booked for next year.  

Day 11 - Cozumel

Yesterday we docked in Cozumel along with four other ships.  We paid for our shore excursions a couple of months ago.  In Cozumel Cec wanted to go on the Atlantis Submarine.  We have done it in St. Thomas and Barbados and ordered it in Cozumel for this cruise.  The day after I paid for the shore excursion, the Titanic submarine was lost and we know what happened.  I was apprehensive about this tour.  We found out when we got on shore, it was cancelled.  They said "rough seas and it's a safety issue".  I was thrilled, we would get a refund!   We did some shopping and went back to the ship for an enjoyable afternoon.  

Our ship was an hour and a half late in leaving Cozumel because of a late tour.   After a delicious dinner consisting of escargot, steak, lobster and a chocolate dome, we met some ladies we've talked to before.  They were on the late tour that went to the Mayan ruins in a boat.  When they got on the boat, they gave them barf bags!  It was so rough they all got sick and one lady fell and broke a few bones!  I am thankful Atlantis cancelled our tour as well as very pleased!  No wonder they were so late!

I've said before how much I've enjoyed the entertainment.  Last night I was blown away with the performance of "Born To Dance".  It is our fourth performance of the singers and dancers in 11 days.  I don't know what artistic company is hiring and training these incredibly talented people, but it was awesome!  I've been on many cruise lines and no other cruise line has talent like this.  I've done three Princess cruises this year and only seen one repeat show.  Way to go Princess, you are the best in talent!

Happy 56th wedding anniversary to us.  We like to celebrate on a cruise and it worked out this year.  

 

Day 10 - at sea

Yesterday was another relaxing day at sea.  They have shown many movies on board.  Before Halloween they were all Halloween related.  The Barbie movie showed up yesterday.  No, we didn't watch it but I thought how nice it is to see first run movies on board.

Many people on board decorate their doors.  We don't but I like to admire the creativity of fellow passengers:

There were many to choose from and I only searched the 12th Floor!  I never saw any pineapples, right side up or upside down.  Just in case Nancy Walker was wondering!!!

Day 9 - At Sea

 

I saw this yesterday and thought it was pretty funny.  We've met a lot of lovely people on this cruise.  I booked "private table dining", but we've done shared tables and they really make things interesting.  Not one person has complained about anything - which is a first!  This is a great cruise.

The most interesting couple has just sold their home and signed onto a 37 month cruise!  Yes, they say it's cheaper than a retirement home and they are our age.  I've priced long back to back and world cruises and they aren't too cheap, however, they found one.  They are American citizens.

Victoria Cruises

One cost people don't count on is travel medical insurance.  If you live in British Columbia and you leave for more than seven months:  

• Eligible B.C. residents (citizens of Canada or persons who are lawfully admitted to Canada for permanent residence) who are outside B.C. for vacation purposes only, are allowed a total absence of up to seven months in a calendar year

You must have your home in BC, so if you don't you probably won't qualify when you return and reapply and wait the six months or more.  

Yesterday was another great day at sea.  Lots of activities,  The one we loved the most was Behind The Seas: Life At Sea with Cruise Director Allie.  She's only 28 and majored in theatre and marketing in university.  She is from New Jersey and worked at NBC New York and in the Broadway Theatre.  She is a singer and was a few Broadway shows including Wicked.  When she wasn't in a theatre performance she would usher.  Princess hired her as a Headline Entertainer.  She was about to leave and the Cruise Director on the Regal had a death in the family and had to immediately leave.  They asked her to take on the position and with no cruise experience other than being a contracted entertainer, she took on the role.  She did such a fabulous job they gave her a permanent job.  

Last night was "Dress to Impress".  They only had one formal night.  I wore my formal attire and most did, however I did see shorts and Hawaiian shirts in the dining room.  I don't care how people dress but I was shocked they allowed shorts in the dining room for dinner.

Day 8 - Aruba

We arrived in Aruba at 7:00 AM and sailed at 5:00 PM.  We've been to Aruba before on a few cruises and stayed here for a week years ago.  We decided to enjoy the ship so we stayed on board.  There were no shore excursions that excited us and we love the ship when it's quiet.  I took these pictures from our balcony:

The weather says 29C/84.2F, feels like 35C/95F.  Nice to stay in an air conditioned ship!

When we departed from Aruba, the ships horn played "The Love Boat".  They can't do it at every port because of sound by-laws.  I know in Alaska we've only heard it at Icy Strait, but I love it every time I hear it.

As frequent cruises on Princess we get free laundry.  We put it in a bag and leave it on the bed.  They take it away and they bring it back in two days, cleaned and pressed on hangars!   On this cruise there are so many elite passengers, instead of two days it's taking three days.  Yesterday for the first time on a Princess cruise, I decided to do a load of laundry on the ship.  Our cabin is very close to the laundromat and because we are elite, we get the tokens for the soap, dryer sheets, washer and dryer for free! They gave me enough tokens to do two loads, but one will work for me so I gave another passenger my extra tokens!  I heard it's $7.00 for one load when you purchase the tokens for soap, dryer sheets, washer and dryer.  Many people pack soap and dryer sheets!  My one load turned out great!

Happy Halloween

We haven't brought any Halloween costumes but many have.  The costumes were great.  They had a big party in the Piazza.  We couldn't get close to get pictures as there were so many people there.  We went and enjoyed the piano bar and on our way to bed, the party was still going on but the crowd was much thinner.

I loved the chicken!

It was very late and it appears many have gone to bed!

Leaving Aruba