Joe & Joanne
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- Joined
- Dec 15, 2001
Our bags were delivered very early and we were unpacked and walking the decks at 2:30PM. At 3:30 or so we went back to the cabin to read a new Navigator (more comprehensive), take a short nap and await the mandatory fire drill and roll call. After the roll call it was back to the cabin to stow the life jackets and prepare to rock and roll at the sail away party. I brought a bubble gun, WDWGoose brought a case of bubbles and we all met up on deck 10. DCL CMs handed out little green and orange paddle fans with an Inaugural Theme on them while other CMs hawked the drink of the day! With lots of dancing, hooting, hollering, slipping and sliding (on the bubble juice) going on, I am sure everyone had a good time. Most DISBoard members made it to the Meet. Everyone looked for Shirley along the Port Canaveral channel on the way out, but we did not see her. The weather for the day and the entire trip was absolutely awesome. Not a drop of rain save a few drops at CC on Friday, however, the sun never left us. Pixie dust was in abundance! We had JEEVAN (India) and ROWAN (Jamica) serve us an enjoyable dinner and then we just relaxed on those fabulous chairs on the promenade deck then retired for the evening. Next day at KW to follow
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Key West Sunday
The first order of business was to have a small breakfast and get off the ship. No problem other than having to carry your picture ID with you. I wish DCL would get on board with the picture IDs. Princess has them and they work very well. Your picture is imprinted on the card itself and is displayed on the computer terminal as you leave and return. This feature is working for CMs. Brian and Jacquie rented bikes and traveled all over town. We did some shopping and went to Margaritaville for lunch. We ran into OffWeGo (Buzz and Lola). Lola was into some serious shopping and Buzz was into some serious barstool sitting. He asked the girl serving drinks at the bar whether he could get a Margarita today? Without missing a beat she told him they were only serving water today! Can you imagine? We did a little more shopping, chatting, and sightseeing. Shirley told us to stop in and see Charley at the Moped Hospital (our original plan was to rent mopeds), however we did not get over to see him. Charley is like a son to Norm (Shirleys other half). Since this will not be the last time we will be in KW, we will surely see him next time. Took some more pictures and then went to a mailbox to mail the first two days of Navigators, Movie schedules and other stuff to Tony, Barb, and Dave so they could post them to their websites. Key West is kind of laid back so the mailman is not in too big a rush and the Navs were not received until Saturday. We tried! We went back to the ship to watch the activities on Mallory Square from the deck. I heard that the ship blocked the sunset from the land and we were fortunate enough to see it from the deck. Dinner was at Lumiers. Do not remember what we had but it was good. I am sure we went with the choices of JEEVAN and were not disappointed. Joanne will be retiring in June so she was always anxious and tells me she ate way too much on this cruise. She still looks great though, and I am sure she wont have to worry too long about getting another job (to pay for more cruises)!
Sea Day Monday
This day was the scheduled Palos Brunch for those who signed up. Discruisinmommie did a great job getting us advance reservations in the special room (Thank You, Thank You, Thank you!). Our server Zita was absolutely terrific! Food was plentiful and absolutely great! Stone crab claws, sweet pizza and all the other stuff was out of this world, did not do any desert though. If you have a chance to partake in this activity DO NOT MISS IT! OFFWEGO (Buzz), SCOTTH (Scott) and I discussed Operation CMON for about an hour. We agreed that this operation would have to be postponed for lack of water and portable climbing devices! This will be rectified on the next cruise! The rest of the day was spent exploring the ship and relaxing while waiting for the Boones Farm meet, deck seven, aft. A bunch of folks came up to enjoy the BF, cheese, grapes, crackers and fun. Bunnymom (Terry, Pat and Ian) gave me a great Air Force patch from Pats unit, thank you it is great. We all traded postcards, scoffed at the sun (it was very hot back there) and then cleaned up and went to get ready for dinner. Diner was good, suggestion of Jeevan! Dinner was followed by a trip around the promenade deck then off to bed. A special commemorative litho was placed on our bed along with some towel animal. Very nice! For those who missed the Deck 7 aft Boones Farm Meet I have a bottle of BF left from which I will take a capful each time I think of this meet? Really, it is right by the computer!
Grand Cayman Tuesday
We arrived on time in GC. From our verandah I watched as the crew lowered a couple of lifeboats. These lifeboats were then boarded by a couple of Ships Officers and some other CMs that would eventually meet those guests going ashore at the dock. The little tenders they had to take you to the dock were efficient and we were on land at about 930AM. The scheduled activities for the day included: getting a previously reserved rental car (Avis-Cico), driving to Hell, the Turtle farm and then heading over to Rum Point for some beach time and snorkeling! There would be a little excitement prior to us getting back on board though! The trip to Hell and the Turtle Farm was OK. The folks at Hell need to spend some money on a new devil and some paint. Not as nice as a few years ago. The turtle farm is recovering nicely, (although not as quickly as they would like) from the recent Hurricane damage. We then headed over to Rum Point, CMATT was always looking for a nice beach and this was it, but he did not make the trip. They had nice lounge chairs and a great spot for lunch. I had a basket of fish and chips, Joanne had a hotdog and fries, Brian had a Turkey Club Sandwich, and Jacquie had Ham & Cheese sandwiches which were all very good. We did some sunning and snorkeling and left at 130PM to be back on the ship by 5PM. The drive back takes about 40-50 minutes. We arrived back in town, gassed up the car and drove back to the rental company. Upon unpacking at the rental agency we noticed that my dive and snorkel equipment was missing ($400.00). I realized I had hung the bag on a tree so I would not forget it, however that is where we left it. I told Brian and Jacquie to have the rental car folks get them back to the ship as it was getting late. If Joanne & I missed the ship we would meet the ship in Cozumel. I got our passports, my wallet and my wife and headed back to Rum Point. I made the trip out in about 30 minutes and the bag was hanging right where I left it. The trip back to town was made in about 25 minutes including another gas stop. We made the next to the last ferry back to the ship. (Whew!) When we got back on board and in our stateroom we found an anniversary gift of Chocolate strawberries, brownies, strawberry shortcake, truffles and a large bottle of Champagne that Brian and Jacquie had ordered us. There was a little chocolate mickey that I could not get off the tray and I broke it. We had a few glasses of champagne on Shirley, lit the candle and then went topside for a last look at GC (blew out the candle before going topside). Since today was our anniversary, we had ressies at Palos. I had bought Joanne an anniversary band back in February which I needed to have frozen in an ice cube and put in her drink while eating dinner. I took the ring up to Palos and gave it to Rinardo who said he would take care of it. Since our escapade at Rum Point prevented us from getting back earlier, he would not be able to have it frozen but would do something else instead. I also gave him the bottle of champagne from Brian and Jacquie to have iced up. Prior to going to Palos, I ran into CMATT (Chuck & Dodie) who had just come from dinner. They mentioned the Seared garlic scallops were a real treat in our dining room, so we went down for the treat then went off to Palos. When we got to Palos we were seated and our server Carita (Sweden) introduced herself. I ordered the Rack of Lamb and Joanne had Filet Mignon. we also had the fish soup and shrimp salad. Everything was outrageously delicious. After our appetizers arrived, Renardo opened the bottle of champagne and placed the ring in the glass, and brought the glasses over to our table. The ring was facing Joanne, however she took several sips and did not notice it. Renardo was waiting for her to notice so he could bring over some more but Joanne was still not noticing. Finally, she had the champagne down to a last little sip when she commented on the fact she does not like to drain a champagne glass and where was the waiter with some more? Well they were not coming back until she noticed the ring. Since the champagne was golden colored and the ring was gold it was a little hard to see. As she took the last sip, the ring clinked in the glass, and Joanne says Someones ring is in my glass Hello! That is yours, I hope it fits! She got a kick out of it. As soon as she put it on, Carita brought over some more champagne and filled her glass. What a trip! Anyway, Carita ordered us the chocolate souffle, but I insisted on not having any, she was really disappointed, however I am NOT a desert person. If she wanted to bring me another dinner that would be fine but no souffle. Joanne did have some and some of mine, she liked it. She then brought us a little card and some more champagne in a memento champagne glass which was specially marked for the cruise. Nice little treat like we needed more champagne! Carita then brought out a very good Chocolate Anniversary cake and sang Happy Anniversary to us very softly. The cake was very good but not being a dessert guy, I only had a little piece. We ran into WDWGoose and Hygienne99 and another couple who had just gotten engaged. We finished up with a walk on the Promenade Deck and then off to bed. Quite a good day all in all considering it could have been a disaster!
Key West Sunday
The first order of business was to have a small breakfast and get off the ship. No problem other than having to carry your picture ID with you. I wish DCL would get on board with the picture IDs. Princess has them and they work very well. Your picture is imprinted on the card itself and is displayed on the computer terminal as you leave and return. This feature is working for CMs. Brian and Jacquie rented bikes and traveled all over town. We did some shopping and went to Margaritaville for lunch. We ran into OffWeGo (Buzz and Lola). Lola was into some serious shopping and Buzz was into some serious barstool sitting. He asked the girl serving drinks at the bar whether he could get a Margarita today? Without missing a beat she told him they were only serving water today! Can you imagine? We did a little more shopping, chatting, and sightseeing. Shirley told us to stop in and see Charley at the Moped Hospital (our original plan was to rent mopeds), however we did not get over to see him. Charley is like a son to Norm (Shirleys other half). Since this will not be the last time we will be in KW, we will surely see him next time. Took some more pictures and then went to a mailbox to mail the first two days of Navigators, Movie schedules and other stuff to Tony, Barb, and Dave so they could post them to their websites. Key West is kind of laid back so the mailman is not in too big a rush and the Navs were not received until Saturday. We tried! We went back to the ship to watch the activities on Mallory Square from the deck. I heard that the ship blocked the sunset from the land and we were fortunate enough to see it from the deck. Dinner was at Lumiers. Do not remember what we had but it was good. I am sure we went with the choices of JEEVAN and were not disappointed. Joanne will be retiring in June so she was always anxious and tells me she ate way too much on this cruise. She still looks great though, and I am sure she wont have to worry too long about getting another job (to pay for more cruises)!
Sea Day Monday
This day was the scheduled Palos Brunch for those who signed up. Discruisinmommie did a great job getting us advance reservations in the special room (Thank You, Thank You, Thank you!). Our server Zita was absolutely terrific! Food was plentiful and absolutely great! Stone crab claws, sweet pizza and all the other stuff was out of this world, did not do any desert though. If you have a chance to partake in this activity DO NOT MISS IT! OFFWEGO (Buzz), SCOTTH (Scott) and I discussed Operation CMON for about an hour. We agreed that this operation would have to be postponed for lack of water and portable climbing devices! This will be rectified on the next cruise! The rest of the day was spent exploring the ship and relaxing while waiting for the Boones Farm meet, deck seven, aft. A bunch of folks came up to enjoy the BF, cheese, grapes, crackers and fun. Bunnymom (Terry, Pat and Ian) gave me a great Air Force patch from Pats unit, thank you it is great. We all traded postcards, scoffed at the sun (it was very hot back there) and then cleaned up and went to get ready for dinner. Diner was good, suggestion of Jeevan! Dinner was followed by a trip around the promenade deck then off to bed. A special commemorative litho was placed on our bed along with some towel animal. Very nice! For those who missed the Deck 7 aft Boones Farm Meet I have a bottle of BF left from which I will take a capful each time I think of this meet? Really, it is right by the computer!
Grand Cayman Tuesday
We arrived on time in GC. From our verandah I watched as the crew lowered a couple of lifeboats. These lifeboats were then boarded by a couple of Ships Officers and some other CMs that would eventually meet those guests going ashore at the dock. The little tenders they had to take you to the dock were efficient and we were on land at about 930AM. The scheduled activities for the day included: getting a previously reserved rental car (Avis-Cico), driving to Hell, the Turtle farm and then heading over to Rum Point for some beach time and snorkeling! There would be a little excitement prior to us getting back on board though! The trip to Hell and the Turtle Farm was OK. The folks at Hell need to spend some money on a new devil and some paint. Not as nice as a few years ago. The turtle farm is recovering nicely, (although not as quickly as they would like) from the recent Hurricane damage. We then headed over to Rum Point, CMATT was always looking for a nice beach and this was it, but he did not make the trip. They had nice lounge chairs and a great spot for lunch. I had a basket of fish and chips, Joanne had a hotdog and fries, Brian had a Turkey Club Sandwich, and Jacquie had Ham & Cheese sandwiches which were all very good. We did some sunning and snorkeling and left at 130PM to be back on the ship by 5PM. The drive back takes about 40-50 minutes. We arrived back in town, gassed up the car and drove back to the rental company. Upon unpacking at the rental agency we noticed that my dive and snorkel equipment was missing ($400.00). I realized I had hung the bag on a tree so I would not forget it, however that is where we left it. I told Brian and Jacquie to have the rental car folks get them back to the ship as it was getting late. If Joanne & I missed the ship we would meet the ship in Cozumel. I got our passports, my wallet and my wife and headed back to Rum Point. I made the trip out in about 30 minutes and the bag was hanging right where I left it. The trip back to town was made in about 25 minutes including another gas stop. We made the next to the last ferry back to the ship. (Whew!) When we got back on board and in our stateroom we found an anniversary gift of Chocolate strawberries, brownies, strawberry shortcake, truffles and a large bottle of Champagne that Brian and Jacquie had ordered us. There was a little chocolate mickey that I could not get off the tray and I broke it. We had a few glasses of champagne on Shirley, lit the candle and then went topside for a last look at GC (blew out the candle before going topside). Since today was our anniversary, we had ressies at Palos. I had bought Joanne an anniversary band back in February which I needed to have frozen in an ice cube and put in her drink while eating dinner. I took the ring up to Palos and gave it to Rinardo who said he would take care of it. Since our escapade at Rum Point prevented us from getting back earlier, he would not be able to have it frozen but would do something else instead. I also gave him the bottle of champagne from Brian and Jacquie to have iced up. Prior to going to Palos, I ran into CMATT (Chuck & Dodie) who had just come from dinner. They mentioned the Seared garlic scallops were a real treat in our dining room, so we went down for the treat then went off to Palos. When we got to Palos we were seated and our server Carita (Sweden) introduced herself. I ordered the Rack of Lamb and Joanne had Filet Mignon. we also had the fish soup and shrimp salad. Everything was outrageously delicious. After our appetizers arrived, Renardo opened the bottle of champagne and placed the ring in the glass, and brought the glasses over to our table. The ring was facing Joanne, however she took several sips and did not notice it. Renardo was waiting for her to notice so he could bring over some more but Joanne was still not noticing. Finally, she had the champagne down to a last little sip when she commented on the fact she does not like to drain a champagne glass and where was the waiter with some more? Well they were not coming back until she noticed the ring. Since the champagne was golden colored and the ring was gold it was a little hard to see. As she took the last sip, the ring clinked in the glass, and Joanne says Someones ring is in my glass Hello! That is yours, I hope it fits! She got a kick out of it. As soon as she put it on, Carita brought over some more champagne and filled her glass. What a trip! Anyway, Carita ordered us the chocolate souffle, but I insisted on not having any, she was really disappointed, however I am NOT a desert person. If she wanted to bring me another dinner that would be fine but no souffle. Joanne did have some and some of mine, she liked it. She then brought us a little card and some more champagne in a memento champagne glass which was specially marked for the cruise. Nice little treat like we needed more champagne! Carita then brought out a very good Chocolate Anniversary cake and sang Happy Anniversary to us very softly. The cake was very good but not being a dessert guy, I only had a little piece. We ran into WDWGoose and Hygienne99 and another couple who had just gotten engaged. We finished up with a walk on the Promenade Deck and then off to bed. Quite a good day all in all considering it could have been a disaster!
