All Packed and Ready to Go!

                                 

It's been a long time since we've been planning and preparing for this much awaited cruise. Our baggage is packed and I think I've over packed as usual. We are going for 20 days and have decided to attend a few formal dinner evenings, as we are celebrating Brian's retirement and our 35th wedding anniversary! We definitely need to bring some extra's! I've checked and rechecked my lists, Made sure I brought my snorkel and mask this time. We'll pick up some essentials like shampoo, bath gel, lotion, sunscreen, etc., at Publix, which is located conveniently behind the Embassy Suites! It's definitely easier to buy those In Ft. Lauderdale, than to lug them from home. Toilettries always add a lot of weight to your luggage! There are other stores at the Harbor Mall such as Total Wines, TJMaxx, Payless Shoes, and a nail boutique to get a mani/pedi done before the cruise, if you wish! We have a very early Sunday morning limo pick up at 5:30am to take us to Pearson Interntional Airport in Toronto. So I'm off to bed in hopes of falling asleep! Somehow, I think my excitement will keep me awake!  The adventures begin! 

Booking Tour Excursions

                    BOOKING TOUR EXCURSIONS - 

               

 I have been researching and booking excursions for some of the ports we will be visiting. I love doing this part! I get so excited reading about the excursions. It's up to you if you wish to book excursions through your cruise line or book independently. Often first time cruisers feel more secure booking through the ship. I feel comfortable now booking our tours independently, as we often see more and pay less than what the cruise line may charge. Many tours are geared toward cruise ship passengers. We have always made it back to the ship on time for sail away. There are many sites where you can research and read reviews of tours and tour companies, such as Cruise Critic and Trip Advisor. There are many others you can Google.  So far, I have booked tours for St.Kitts, St. Lucia, Grenada and Dominica. The links are attached -

St. Kitts  - The Grand Tour - 
http://www.thenfordgreytours.com/the-grand-tour-of-st.-kitts.html

St. Lucia - Full Day Tour - 
http://cosol-tours.com/tours.html

Grenada- Island Tour - Garden Route -
http://grenadatours.com/half.htm

Dominica- River tubing & Emerald Pool -
http://dominicacruisesite.com/river_tubing


                                       

On the islands we will not be doing excursions, we will do beach days, such as in Aruba, Antigua, and Barbados.

In ARUBA, our plan is to go to Eagle Beach by local transit called Arubus. We did this the last time we visited Aruba and it was very easy. As soon as you head out the gate, walk to the main street and then cross the street and this is the bus depot. You catch the #10 bus which runs often. It heads towards the hotel area and runs along many of the beaches. The cost for bus fare is $2 each way or $4 for return fare. You can purchase your pre-paid bus ticket right at the bus depot. We usually get off at the Amsterdam Hotel across the street from the beach. You can rent chairs on the beach for $10 each. There is a beach bar there where you can buy drinks! Just cross the street to catch the #10 bus towards town to return to the ship .
When you get off at the bus depot in town, you can walk to Renaissance Mall! There's a Starbuck's there! Oh yes, always a great need for coffee! You can also buy ALOE products. There is a large aloe factory on the island. Not sure if the local grocery store carries it any longer, but check out the local store nearby for Aloe Vera products. I will write more about Aruba after our cruise!

In ANTIGUA- we have chosen 2 options:
1. To go to Fort James Beach. Taxi to here is $6 each. Candyland Restaurant is right across the street from the beach and the bar and facilities are Beach Bar Limerz. I hear the restaurant is lovely and the food is good here. They have shark & bake! Yum-my!! I fell in love with shark & bake in Trinidad! They also have free wifi.
2. Runaway Beach - close short cab ride from the pier
                                   - ask to be dropped off at the beach bar ( Mystic Beach Bar? )
                                   -quiet, clean sandy beach
                                   -chairs & umbrellas for rent for $10
  I will write about each island experience after our cruise.
    
                                   

           

BARBADOS - We have decided on several options:
1. Lobster Alive ( beside the Boatyard ). It is supposedly more quiet than the Boatyard and the beach is lovely. The cost by taxi is $5 per person. -To get there by taxi - exit the cruise terminal and past the port taxis to just outside the gate to the waiting taxis at the roundabout. Umbrellas and chairs on the beach are $5 each. Prices are a bit expensive to eat here, so we may go to Rollies Restaurant  where prices are half the price than on the beach. It is right on the main road just off  the port entrance.
2. Brandon Beach - near the port, $4-$5 per person, drop off at Weiser Bar which has food, drinks, chairs, umbrellas.

                              

ST. THOMAS - We visit St. Thomas twice on this cruise. Our first stop will be at Havensight Pier or West Indian Company Docks.  This is a shopping paradise is you love to shop! You can take a taxi or Safari Bus for $4 per person to town. There is a Kmart if you need to buy some essentials. Walk left off the ship down Rumer Drive, past Pueblo Supermarket past 1st Ave. & Kmart is just on the left.  
Our second stop in St. Thomas will be at Crown Bay. Here we may catch the ferry to Water Island and go to Honeymoon Beach. The ferry leaves Crown Bay at 10am. Return ferry is at 2:30 & 3:30pm. Tickets are $5 per person each way or $10 return.  
Must check out Heidi's Honeymoon Barbeque (Cantina) on the Honeymoon Beach. Good food, beer $4 each.
Another option at Crown Bay is Emerald Beach Club at Lindenburgh Beach. Walk through the shops to the taxi stands. Taxi to Emerald Beach Club is $4 per person and takes about 5 min. Hotel has chair rentals for $7 each. Nice restaurant, bathrooms, free wifi, shower. 

                                 

  
BONAIRE- Our plan is to visit Klein Bonaire and No Name Beach. Klein Bonaire is a small island located just a short distance from Bonaire and accessible by water taxi. Water taxi is right near the pier. $15 per person return trip. No Name Beach is uninhabited. Has white sandy beach, great for swimming, walking, and has a great reef to snorkel! Bring your snorkel gear and sunscreen!
There are also a Craft Market set up on cruise days with handcrafted jewelry. 

                             
                             

                              

PRINCESS CAYS, Eleuthra, Bahamas -
This is Princess Cruises own beach. This a tender port. Lovely white sandy beach and shoreline, many beach activities available to rent, ie: banana boat rides, paddle boats, snorkel gear, aqua chairs, clamshells. Also many shops to buy your souvenirs. Princess has their own beach party with a BBQ included and drinks for purchase. There is also an observation tower to enjoy a great view!

                      
                             

                           

Pre- Cruise Hotel

                              PRE-CRUISE HOTEL-

          
                     

                               

We have decided to leave 2 days earlier before our cruise departure to relax and enjoy Ft. Lauderdale. Since our cruise is mid winter, and one never wants to be caught in the middle of a major snow storm, we always like to leave a day or two before our cruise. After some research and help from our great travel agents at King Rose Travel, we snagged a good deal at the Embassy Suites for 2 nights.  

http://embassysuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/florida/embassy-suites-by-hilton-fort-lauderdale-17th-street-FLLSOES/index.html

Leaving a few days earlier will give us some time to relax, and pick up a few necessities from Publix and Total Wines! On Princess, each passenger may take aboard one bottle each of either wine or champagne. 
I find taking this extra day to our cruise port will take less of a toll on me, as I suffer with chronic pain. 
We could have booked a hotel closer to the airport at a lesser price, but for us, the convenience of being close to stores and restaurants and the cruise port, works better for us. 

Flights & Airports

                                          FLIGHTS & FLYING -
                THE MOST CHALLENGING PART &
                    THE LEAST PART I LIKE TO DO!
                      
                                      
                         

  

                   


Now trying to find flights at a 'reasonable' price, was a bit of a challenge. I like to search and compare prices online, but also like to see what prices my travel agent can come up with as well.
I like flying out of Buffalo Airport to Ft. Lauderdale. Since we are flying in the middle of January, we didn't want to take a chance. Buffalo often gets hit with major lake effect snow storms, so we didn't want to take the risk of possibly getting stranded there. Toronto is occasionally affected by lake affect snow to, but not nearly as often. Buffalo Airport is not as massive as YYZ, so it makes for a less stressful and much smoother check in and boarding.  Flights are often cheaper leaving from Buffalo, so it's a good option during the Spring, Fall or Summer, or if you don't mind taking a risk of lake effect snow during the winter!
Westjet's flights were surprisingly running quite expensive. We did get a better price with Air Canada, so we booked with them. Their flight time availability and cheaper prices, were deciding factors to book with them. I'm not sure if it's just my imagination, but I find WestJet seats are a bit roomier and there's more leg room.
To me, flying is always the worst part of our cruise vacation. It's the most exhausting day. I guess after all the planning,  preparations, the packing, the often very early rise and early morning flight, the waiting at the airport, and the transfers, we wind up wiped out before we even get started! Somehow, once we get settled on board the ship, all of that seems to melt away and we're finally on cruise vacation mode! 
Plus it seems to me, we are being nickeled and dimed with fees by the airlines. Fees to book a seat, extra fees to book a seat closer to the front of the plane, fees for checked on baggage, fees for overweight baggage, fees for not so palatable sandwiches that you can purchase on the plane, fees for earphones, etc.
I must say, the flight staff do a wonderful job.  I sometimes need assistance and they are always friendly and helpful. They often have their hands full dealing with complaints and sometimes unruly passengers. As I also have worked with the public, I can totally respect and appreciate what they do. 
Airports and flying are never my favorite part of a vacation, but by the time I get to my destination, all the stress seems to melt away!

Travel Insurance

              MY THOUGHTS ON TRAVEL INSURANCE- 

I can't stress enough the importance of having travel insurance. I've been on a few cruises where someone has had to be medivaced off the ship before we even leave port! I can't imagine the stress on the person and their family, let alone the cost if one did not have insurance. I know insurance can be expensive if one has some health issues, but when you think, it can always be you in such a position, then you realize how important it is. I have met a few people who feel travel insurance is not important, but for us, it certainly is. You can purchase medical and/or cancelation insurance. We get both. Make sure you read the fine print of your travel insurance policy. No, it doesn't make for fine reading, but you may understand what you will qualify for under your travel policy.

Itinerary

January 19, 2016.

Caribbean Explorer
	Ship: Royal Princess Departure Port: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Number of Days: 20 Departure Date: Jan 19, 2016

Caribbean Explorer - Itinerary

Day	Port / Date	Arrive	Depart
1	Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Tuesday, January 19		4:00 PM
2	At Sea Wednesday, January 20
3	At Sea Thursday, January 21
4	Antigua, Antigua & Barbuda Friday, January 22	8:00 AM	5:00 PM
5	St. Lucia Saturday, January 23	8:00 AM	6:00 PM
6	Barbados Sunday, January 24	7:00 AM	4:00 PM
7	St. Kitts, St. Kitts & Nevis Monday, January 25	10:00 AM	6:00 PM
8	St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands Tuesday, January 26	7:00 AM	5:00 PM
9	At Sea Wednesday, January 27
10	Princess Cays, Bahamas Thursday, January 28	9:00 AM	4:00 PM
11	Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Friday, January 29	7:00 AM	4:00 PM
12	At Sea Saturday, January 30
13	At Sea Sunday, January 31
14	Aruba Monday, February 1	8:00 AM	7:00 PM
15	Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands Tuesday, February 2	7:00 AM	2:00 PM
16	Grenada Wednesday, February 3	12:00 PM	7:00 PM
17	Dominica Thursday, February 4	7:00 AM	4:00 PM
18	St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands Friday, February 5	8:00 AM	5:00 PM
19	At Sea Saturday, February 6
20	Princess Cays, Bahamas Sunday, February 7	9:00 AM	4:00 PM
21	Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Monday, February 8	7:00 AM

Royal Princess Info & Facts

                             ROYAL PRINCESS - INFO & FACTS

 Ship - Royal Princess

Watch Royal Princess Video - 
Watch Video (5:08)
Deck Plans
Royal Princess Staterooms

Photo Gallery & Ship Facts

Bridge Cam
Royal Princess Atrium
Dining
Entertainment
Royal Princess Activities
Ship Facts

Royal Princess Ship Facts -
Guest Capacity - 3,560
Tonnage - 141,000
Inagural Cruise - June 16, 2013.
Christener - Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge
Length - 1,083 ft.
Height - 217 ft.
Service Speed - 22 knots
Number of Decks - 19
Guest Cabins - 1,780
Wheelchair Accessible Cabins - 36
Builder - Fincantieri Cantieri Navali Italiani, Monfalcone, Italy8. 2016 )

Our Retirement & 35th Wedding Anniversary Cruise!!

                         @

I love cruising! My hubby Brian and I have not gone on many vacations during our 35 married years together. Funds were always tight and taken up with paying bills, a mortgage, raising twin boys and well, life in general! Brian decided we were certainly long overdue for a vacation & we were about to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary!  He mentioned the word 'cruise'! Well, with that being said, I embarked on my online search, reading, gathering information, researching, comparing cruise lines and cruises!! Next thing I knew, I was at my travel agent booking our 1st cruise! 

Princess Cruises seem to meet our likes and needs, so we took the plunge and booked our first EVER vacation and cruise! Being a cruising novice, I looked up as much info as I could and came across Cruise Critic They are a wealth of information, especially from seasoned cruisers. There are many travel and cruise sites available online that are very helpful.

So, in December 2005,  for our 25th wedding anniversary, we booked a 10 day cruise aboard the Coral Princess to the Panama Canal! We were certainly bitten by the cruise bug!! It was a fantastic cruise! Beyond our dreams and expectations. Maybe because it was our first vacation ever together, but we just loved everything about it. We loved the idea we could do and enjoy what ever we pleased at our own pace. Something to see and do to meet everyone's needs and desires.  So many choices! For us,  it was the best way to see the world,  to enjoy so many ports and cities, that we would have not been able to discover otherwise. 

We have been fortunate to visit Paris for a week for my 50th birthday ( it was amazing! ) and embark on a few Caribbean cruises since. We've remained loyal to Princess Cruises. It's nice to have the little extra perks that Princess provides the more cruises you take with them. 

We had hoped and dreamed to cruise to South America or Europe. With our limited budget, and the falling Canadian dollar to a low level, we decided to change our plan.  I guess for now, we will have to enjoy these destinations on TV!  Then again, we can dream about winning a lottery and we both agreed we would take a World cruise then! 

We love every destination we have cruised to. There is always something interesting to visit, to learn and discover at every port.  We enjoy chatting with the locals. We can learn so much from them about their history, cultures, traditions and culinary delights!  I look at the positives of where I travel and accept the negatives, as they to are part of life and travel. We go with the flow! 

Our last cruise vacation was aboard the Grand Princess in January 2011! It was a 14 day Caribbean cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale. We had invited our son Dustin to join us, so he to could experience the wonderful world of travel and cruising! It was his first cruise, so he was VERY excited! He just loved it! He loves photography and took some amazing photos. It certainly gave him the itch to someday travel again!

Cruises to the Caribbean offer good deals and value for your money during those cold winter months! Nothing better than escaping our frigid Canadian winter temperatures, the blowing snow storms, the white outs, and the icy road conditions.  Dream of those tropical, sunny, warm locales and wiggling your toes in the soft powdery white sand or in the mysterious black jjjjjj sandy beaches, as you gaze at the palms swaying in the breeze, while you are mezmerized by the turquoise surf of the ocean, as you enjoy every sip of your tropical rum punch or local beer!  Aww yes! I'm sure you get the picture!

I wish we could cruise and travel more often. There is no greater education than travel!  I feel fortunate that we've been able to enjoy the few cruises we have taken.  We certainly don't take many vacations, nor take them for granted, as it's always a major challenge for us to save enough funds to do so, as it is for many others. After becoming 'disabled' and unable to work after an injury, nothing is ever taken for granted. 

                                A BIT ABOUT US......

Hubby has worked for 48 years and has 'finally' retired on Dec. 30, 2015!! It's been long awaited. The many years of physically demanding work has taken a toll on hubby. As with most people, we have had our challenges in life,  physically, emotionally and financially. Our philosophy is, just keep on going! Do what you can, as much as you can, and do it the best you can! We build and learn on our strengths and support and gain from our weaknesses! I believe that's what motivates us and keeps us moving along,... along with laughter! These last few years have definitely been a challenge, and as we embark on retirement, we'll take the positives with the difficult challenges and we'll support each other along the way!

I will always recall the advice my mom gave me prior to her passing 10 years ago,' Don't wait until you're too old, or in ill health, or wait till you retire, to enjoy life and travel the world'!  I know it isn't always possible, but I understood her message. She had encouraged us to go on our 1st cruise for our 25th wedding anniversary.  Unfortunately, she passed away from lymphoma & leukemia just a few months prior to our cruise.  That cruise was in memory of mom, but sadly we weren't able to tell her about our wonderful adventures. I'm certain wherever she is, she knows we had a great vacation! She had been so excited for us!  My dad had passed away from cancer ( 23 years ago)  just shortly after his retirement, so she was very determined we should go on a cruise to see and experience 'some of the world'!

So, heeding mom's advice, hubby and I will certainly enjoy a celebration cruise! After all, we are celebrating Brian's 65th birthday, my 60th birthday, his retirement and our 35th wedding anniversary!! So there is a WHOLE LOT to celebrate!! 

                      LET THE PLANNING BEGIN!

I can spend hours dreaming through the Princess brochures or online. The lure of all those exotic destinations! Many places I had hoped to cruise to and visit won't become a reality, but, at least we can cruise to somewhere affordable, and that would be the Caribbean! I never tire of the Caribbean. When the Canadian temperatures are way below freezing, the wind chill is biting cold and when it never stops snowing, yes, the Caribbean sounds fantastic! Many people say all the islands are the same. Certainly, there is nothing more further than the truth! Each island has it's own history, beauty and charm! Those white sand beaches and turquoise seas make you feel like you are in paradise!! Take a tour, meet the locals, immerse yourself in their history and culture, enjoy their cuisine, there's a whole new world of experience waiting for you!!

So, with great anticipation, we're looking forward to our long awaited retirement & 35th wedding anniversary cruise!! We'll be sailing on the Royal Princess, a 20 day Caribbean Explorer cruise, in January 2016!  We booked this cruise over a year ago, which involved much time, research and planning. I find planning is definitely half the fun and makes for a more positive, informed and fun experience and cruise!
So now, let the dreaming and fun begin!......