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Published: June 26th 2017
Waking up on the penultimate day, on opening the curtain it was evident that we were just coming out of a rain shower. In the remnant, a rainbow had appeared. However, this spectrum of light seemed to be our own private rainbow as it was just outside our cabin. Not C418 or C422, OUR cabin!! You could clearly see one end dipping into the briny although neither of us were prepared to swallow dive in to the Caribbean (no matter how inviting!) to see if we could find the pot of gold!!
Like most entertainment on all cruise ships we have been on, the shows have been hit and miss. One of the shows that has definitely been a hit was 'On the Bayou'. This was a big enough production to be staged in the main Princess theatre but for reasons best known to Princess was relegated to the Universe Lounge. The show started off with a New Orleans funeral procession a la the opening scene from '
Live and Let die' It was very atmospheric with lavish costumes and great music.
Our first sea day out of Aruba was the 3
rd and final Gala evening. David and Kay had
asked if we would like to join them for dinner to celebrate what has been another successful trip. We accepted and a very pleasant evening was had by all.
I have previously written about the tradition that is the March of the Baked Alaska. This is when all the assistant waiters parade through the dining room holding trays of baked Alaska aloft. However, this tradition is confined to the fixed dining rooms so David and Kay missed out on this fun experience!
We have been finishing every day with a visit to Horizon Court for a cup of pre-bedtime decaf or cup of tea. This is the buffet restaurant onboard most Princess ships and is open from 5am to midnight. At around 11:30pm, the restaurant is free from marauding hordes and is just frequented by those few staff members who, until now have only managed to grab a bite to eat as their busy daily schedules have finally come to an end.
We have become very friendly with Davide, an Italian who is one of the supervisors in Horizon Court. He is a Juverntus fan but lives near Rimini. He has a perfect command of English. I
think we bonded as we have identified what's right and provided workable solutions to what's wrong with both English and Italian soccer, the common language between most European males.
During one of our pre bedtime cuppas in Horizon Court, we were joined by 5 ladies who were, at first talking in a tongue I was not familiar with. It could be Hebrew. They they apologised as they were now in our company and began talking English. ‘
Blimey!' I thought,
‘the Jackie Mason and Bette Midler appreciation society have landed!!' It sounded to both Roisin and I like a very heavy New York/Brooklyn/New Jersey Jewish Mel Brookes sort of accent. We couldn't have been more wrong. When I asked what language they were speaking, the lady nearest to me said: ‘
Portuguese. We are from the Azores. There are 5 islands that make up the Azores and we are all from a different one!!' I profusely apologise to all native Portuguese speakers. I had no idea that Jackie Mason and Bette Midler were Portuguese!!!
Tired with the buffet or with the waiter service ‘a la carte' restaurant?? Then for a change of scene, a British pub lunch was served in
the Bayou restaurant during several occasions on this trip. There was a choice of 3 dishes: Fish n' chips, Snake and Pigmy Pie (steak and kidney!!) with chips and bangers n' mash. I tried to point out to the Maitre ‘D' that this wasn't a traditionally British Pub lunch as Chicken Tikka Masala was not on the menu!! For desert was bread and butter pudding. What could be more British than that?
At our penultimate trivia session we were decimated to a team of 4. David and Kay had mentioned yesterday that they might go to the culinary demonstration in the Universe lounge. This would be followed by a visit behind the scenes in to the ships galley. Oh joy! All these organised events!!! So much to do, so little time to do it!! We didn't do too bad scoring 16. The winning team stole the show with an impressive 19.
In total we won 11 games of trivia: 7 flashlights, 3 pens, 2 clippy on things, 4 bulldog clips and 2 bottles of bubbly. Apart from the bottles of bubbly that never saw the night out, that's Christmas presents sorted then!!!
The hard fact that we
are nearing the end of our trip has hit home as we have now received the disembarkation information sheet with our coloured labels and disembarkation time. At the start of the cruise, Princess asked to know the plans of each traveller in order to prioritise and stagger the disembarkation process. Those who want to carry off their own luggage will be first to leave closely followed by those who have transfers to local airports for early flight.
Our next leg is to take a cab to Ft. Lauderdale airport where we are due to collect a rental car. We are Silver 5 and due to depart at 09:40. Way down the pecking order. Luggage needs to be left outside your cabin at 10pm on the final day and one must vacate the cabin by 8am on the day of disembarkation.
We have travelled at total of 5898 nautical miles and came within 9 degrees of the equator. During this trip we have both set foot on a new continent. When I say ‘new' I don't mean that Mrs H and I have discovered previously unchartered territory!! I mean it is our first time on South American soil!!! I
have also visited my 59
th and Roisin her 45
th UNESCO world heritage site in Casco Viejo, the historic centre of Panama City.
Our last day on board has seen us promoted from Gold to Platinum status within the Princess loyalty scheme. This probably doesn't mean a great deal to most of you but to us it means free Internet!! Don't panic. I'm not implying these bloggy things are going to get any longer!! Just cheaper to post!
The ‘Scrambled Eggheads' were all in a reflective mood after the final trivia session and the usual question arose: ‘
What's been your favourite bit?' All the places we visited are so diverse it is difficult to compare. Obviously transiting the Panama Canal was a highlight for everyone and I also added passing though the ‘real' Costa Rica was a bonus. Aruba felt safe at all times and looked easy enough to get around without having to rely on taxis.
El Arco was a highlight for Roisin. She recalled seeing the rough seas lapping up through the arch where the Sea of Cortez met the Pacific Ocean.
‘I suppose that's what you call a Mexican wave!' Roisin said as
she chuckled at her own joke!!
Oh and it will be a long time before we forget about everyone's favourite arboreal feature – the divi-divi tree – so stupid they named it twice!!!
The last show of the cruise is traditionally a ‘revu' organised and performed by the members of the entertainments team along with crew members. The show always starts with a screen of the statistics and charts of all the crew members working on board and as we all know, I like statistics and charts!! The crew of the Island Princess is made up from 883 personnel from 42 different countries. Of the 883, over 350 are from the Philippines.
The entertainments Team finished with their ‘If I was not upon the sea…' routine. This is a Princess favourite and is performed on each cruise. No matter how many times you have seen this, it just gets funnier. Whether it is because of the individuals own interpretation and personality or because by the time you get to see this performance it is like having a bunch of mates mating prats of themselves on stage.
After the show Roisin was talking to ‘Robbie (real name
Mark. We called him Robbie because he looks and sounds like Robbie Williams!!) He was the one wearing the turban and played the New York taxi driver in this routine. Robbie said that Princess intend to drop this extremely popular item from the itinerary in favour of song and dance. If they do, we think they'll surely have a mutiny on their hands (figuratively speaking, of course!!)
The final day and the chefs just had to show what they are made of, or rather what their finest desserts are made of! A selection of novelty cakes were on display in Horizon court for all to gawp and snap at before being invited to ‘tuck in'. I stood looking at these masterpieces of culinary excellent for all of 5 minutes. I could swear I felt my belt tightening as I gained 5lbs just standing there!! The sad thing was that I never actually took the chance to sample such delights! And that is the case for the defence, your honour!!! I had the means and certainly the motive but the opportunity?? When the gong sounded it was like the Charge of the Light Brigade against the starting line of the
Grand National!!! False start or not, the runners weren't backing off for anyone!! When the dust had settled it was like witnessing the aftermath at a Piranha's ‘all you can eat' diner!!
A wise man once said travelling broadens the mind. Never a truer word although I would like to add, ‘Cruising also broadens the waist!!'
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