Crossing the Equator Ceremony - Sea Day – January 27

We continued on our South-Southwesterly course and we crossed the equator Just before dinner. So, this morning we had a Crossing the Equator Ceremony. We have crossed the equator quite a few times on a ship, so we are Shellbacks. Anyone who has never crossed the equator on a ship is called a Pollywog. It’s usually a fun messy ceremony. They all are a bit different and are fun to watch.

From the Princess Patter:

“Be it now proclaimed by the call of the Conch and Nautilus throughout the latitudes and longitudes of our Ocean Domain that I, Neptune Ruler of the Seven Seas King of the Secret Currents Lord of the Boundless Waves Master of the Tides High Constable of the Coral Caverns and Outermost Recesses of the Deep do hereby sanction and affirm that our most noble Crossing of the Equator has fallen upon us.”

The Pollywogs will be brought before King Neptune and his Royal Court.

Cruise Director Frank introducing King Neptune & his court

 The pollywogs are taken to be judged

 

 

 Secretary taking notes

 

 a telegraph is delivered

 

 his punishment is to have the secretary put a bottle down his pants and fill it with water from a cup

 this couple is charged with being lewd in public places, looks like they are guilty as charged

 Captain is pushed into the pool

 Frank the cruise director being pushed into the pool

 The real captain of the Pacific Princess with his wife and child were there to watch

 our crossing the equator certificates

 Kiss the fish to get your certificate

Picasa is not working to upload photos, so there are no new ones on the web albums. Hope it gets fixed, or doing the photos will be difficult. I added a few here, but there were lots of great shots of the ceremony.

We didn’t play Bingo today as it was right after lunch due to the Equator Ceremony and we didn’t get out of lunch in time. We don’t normally play every day anyway.

There was a Pub Lunch option again today, but we skipped it to eat in the main dining room. Sat with one couple we had met before and we met a new couple.

We had dinner in the dining room and the show tonight was instrumentalist Dan Delgado, the trumpet player with an all new show. Then we watched the Pointless Gameshow.

Tonight we set our clocks back another hour! Love those longer days.

2 more sea days until Bora Bora!

Sea Day – January 26

Our original schedule had us in Hawaii today. However, we are on track to Bora Bora.

Today we pretty much are on the same heading as yesterday. The ship will be affected by the South Equatorial Current. (broad Westward flowing current that extends from the surface to a nominal depth of 100 m.)

After breakfast, we walked the track in a pretty stiff breeze. It was a bit more work, but nice and warm out.

After walking the track, we went to Bingo and to shake up the luck, I bought the tickets using my cruise card. I told them I keep winning and it’s Greg turn to win. I had a Bingo on the first game and won $30.00 bringing my total to $300. The guy that brought the receipt for the cash said. “you still won”. The crowds are still really small on this segment so the prizes are small compared to last segment. (it’s still fun to win!)

Lunch was again interesting with mostly new people to get to know.

The show tonight was an Instrumentalist Bernie Fields. Interesting show as he plays harmonica. May sound strange, but it was very good and it could have been someone playing the violin it was so pretty. Again, probably not everyone’s taste, but the crowd seemed to really enjoy it.

The game show tonight was the Liars Club. It’s always hilarious. Our table mates Steve & Nancy won! We don’t play officially, but keep our own scores just for fun. We would have been second.

I’m sure I sound like a broken record, but tomorrow is another sea day!

Sea Day – January 25

We continue on our South-Southwesterly course in the Pacific Ocean. We were supposed to see Ocean Data Acquisition System Buoys. They are intended for the collection of data of properties of the ocean. Some are moored and some are free floating. OK, we didn’t see one.

After breakfast, we walked the track again and then went to Bingo. I won AGAIN! $40.00, this time bringing the total to $270. Greg still remains Bingo-less. The weather is warm again, but we had a sprinkling of rain. While walking the track we saw a small rainbow on the horizon.

Lunch was interesting today. Some very well-traveled folks to talk to. Then, one lady complained about her dinner table mates and said she wants to change tables or stop going. She said she just can’t eat with people that don’t believe in climate-change. I’m not sure why people can’t listen to other people’s opinions whether you agree with them or not.

We had just commented that in this part of the ocean we don’t see other ships or even birds and haven’t been seen for a couple of days. At first, we were seeing some flying fish, some whales and dolphins. Anyway, just to prove us wrong a bird flies by. Greg gets a shot and I got the binoculars and it was a Red-footed Booby. (yes, Scott the “elusive Red-footed Bobby”….ha ha) So, that was another new bird for us. We saw 2 or 3 of them.

 Red-footed Booby

We already had a 60 day South America cruise on the Island reserved for next January. I contacted my TA to see if we can rebook using a future cruise credit which we can get here on board and she said Princess is running a really good promotion right now and it would save a lot of money to cancel our existing reservation (after we secure a new one) and rebook onboard. So, we did that and it was quite a savings with some extra perks. The booking will then be transferred back to our TA.

We were invited to a gathering in Karen and Steve’s suite before dinner for a few of us that met on the 2013 WC. The suite is lovely and they are wonderful hosts. I'm sure others got better photos than we did.

 Janie, Rick, me

Julie & Jeff, Steve & Karen

After dinner, we went to the show which was Alison Ward a vocalist. Yikes! We have no desire to see a repeat performance of her. (different strokes for different folks)

Yep, another day at sea tomorrow! Good thing we enjoy sea days.

Sea Day – January 24

We continue on our South-Southwesterly course through the North Pacific Ocean on to Bora Bora.

This morning we had an informal gathering for all the full world cruisers with the Captain and some of the officers. We do have a new captain and his wife and young child are on board as well. We have heard there are around 380 of us. That’s more than in 2013.

 The Captain

the rest of the officers

I won $40 at Bingo today. So, my running total is $230. Yes, Greg plays too, but so far he has not won. He says I’m a Bingo Hog.

We had lunch at the buffet today. Some days neither option calls out to me. After lunch we took advantage of the beautiful warm weather with the wind at our backs to walk the track for about 50 minutes. Since it’s the first time since I hurt my leg that I attempted to walk the track, I didn’t want to push it too much. Hopefully, over the next sea days I can increase my time on the track. Tomorrow may be perfect opportunity for some sunbathing.

Tonight is another formal night and only 4 of us came to dinner.

The show tonight was a production show called Stardust. (yes, the same show as our first segment) Only a few issues with sound tonight so it seemed better than the last one. The dancers continue to be really good.

After the show we went to Blockbuster Movie Trivia. (Just to watch we don’t play) Wow, only knew a few of the answers.

Tonight, we set our clocks back again to get another hour of sleep. (that’s always nice)

Another Sea Day tomorrow and hopefully the weather will be warm and sunny.

Sea Day – January 23

Today we continued to follow a Southwesterly course through the Pacific Ocean towards Bora Bora.

So far the seas are still not calm, but much better than yesterday.

Bingo was less attended than yesterday. Again, there were about 12 of us. I won again. This time $40. So far I have won a total of $190. Whoo Hoo!

We shirked the dining room again to have the Pub Lunch at the Steakhouse. Bangers and mash and Steak & Kidney Pie. Last time we had fish & chips and shrimp & chips. Sat with a very interesting couple from Vancouver. One interesting thing they said was that since we were overnighting in Sydney they could spend the night with their son that lives there. I said I didn’t think it overnighted, it just spends the day and leaves in the early evening. We are leaving the ship for 4 nights and meeting the ship Cairns which is the next stop in Australia, so it doesn’t matter to us. I did notice they adjusted the schedule to have an extra hour in port, but hadn’t seen that it now was an overnight in Sydney. Anyway, I hope she gets the correct info so she doesn’t miss the ship.

We still have 2 empty seats at our dinner table. So, we currently have an interesting table of 6. I forgot to mention that when we met our new table mates last night during the introductions they knew who we were from my blog. Odd to have someone you don’t know ask how your leg is doing. Too funny. People do read my blog…..

The show tonight was a Trumpeter / Vocalist Dan Delgado. I enjoyed him a lot. Another example of the diverse types of talent they bring on for a world cruise.

They had the first game show of this segment, the Yes or No Game. It’s fun to watch. Not easy to carry on a conversation for 3 minutes without answering with a “yes” or “no” in the answer.

Tomorrow we should be out of the worst of the ocean swells. We’ve been fine, but quite a few of our fellow passengers have not had an easy time of it.

(no photos today)

Sea Day - January 22

Whoo Hoo, after spending an extra “miserable” day in Los Angeles we are finally on our way to Bora Bora. Yesterday was much better weather in LA, but we are eager to find warmer weather.

I think we left around 2:00 in the morning. I was up at 1:00 and we were bobbing in the water, but still at the port. Friends reported they felt a huge wave at around 2:15.

We have navigated through the Gulf of Santa Catalina and we have left San Clemente Island off our starboard side San Clemente is the southernmost of the Channel islands of California.

There are some pretty good swells out there as I type this. I didn’t take any photos of them, but it’s supposed to continue through tomorrow so maybe I’ll get a shot or two. Not sure it can portray the feeling of being on the ship though. The captain is trying to outrun the storm so we are hauling.

So, here are some photos that Greg took yesterday of sea birds:

 Brown Pelican

 Western Gull

 Heermann's Gull

 juvenile

 Ring-billed Gull

Even though this is a Sea Day for us, Princess is treating it like a port day so there is no Sunday Brunch. (a little tear is running down my face….sniff)

Bingo had the smallest crowd we have ever seen. Maybe a dozen people. Of course, that made the prizes really small. We didn’t win so it really didn’t matter.

We went to lunch in the dining room and then came back to the cabin to relax.

At dinner tonight we met 2 new table mates. They are a nice couple and will be good company. There are still 2 empty seats, but unsure if they didn’t come because of the choppy seas or if we don’t have anyone else assigned.

The show tonight was the musical comedy of John Bressler. Great piano player, but the comedy part was distracting. Not that funny and it took away from his musical talent. Of course, that’s just my opinion. We all have different likes and dislikes.

Here are some random thoughts about the cruise so far:

The daily Princess Patter since the start of the voyage in Ft Lauderdale has had a forecast of 81* and Partly Cloudy. Of course, the weather had been much colder these past few days. At the start of this segment they seem to be getting it right.

When we got on in Lauderdale our Patter said Day 1 of 111. At the start of this segment it starts over and says Day 1 of 111. While that is true for the ones that embarked the cruise in LA, we have to add 17 to each total. There are actually 2 round trip Full World Cruises, round trip Lauderdale and round trip LA. Seems, like they could list both stats for the Patter.

It’s hard not to compare this trip with the one in 2013. Not complaining as we are thrilled to be on board and exploring the world. (just noting some differences and it’s still early in the cruise…..)

Unlike in 2013 where they really made you feel like you were on a World Cruise, they seem to be putting more emphasis on the segments. Menus and Production shows weren’t repeated last time. Some of the dishes may have been the same, but mixed up with different menus. This segment we have the exact same production shows. The same menus started over.

The ship is “tired”. She goes into drydock for refurbishment after this cruise and it’s overdue. Upon arrival to our cabin, the first thing we noticed was the bed looked like a hammock it has such a dip in it. Our table mates said they had the same issue and when they complained they came and put a board under theirs. Greg rotated the mattress 180* so the biggest dip was at our feet. The bedding and towels are worn and our comforter had stains on it as did the pillow cases. None of this is the Cabin stewards fault as it’s what they have to work with. Cushions in both of the main lounges are out of shape and worn. Pacific Lounge is comfortable, the chairs just don’t look great.

The food has been good, but not a step above like it was in 2013.

She’s still a fine ship and these are just little things. The service in the dining room and our cabin steward are most excellent.

There are more people on this cruise that have taken numerous world cruises on this ship. Last time we only talked to a very few that had taken more than 1 or 2. So, a bit different “feel” to the ship.

I forgot a fun thing that happened at the Cruise Critic Meet & Greet. Karen had set up “speed friending” session and handed us questions to ask people as we changed seats and got to get to know a different person after a few minutes. One guy was particularly funny. In answer to “Where do you live?” He said he didn’t live anywhere as they have been RVing for 20 years. Then he said “we’re trailer trash”. I said “Hi trailer trash, we’re homeless people.” Explained selling most all our earthly possessions and living in Panama and upon return from this cruise we will also be getting an RV. It’s hard for “nomads” to answer questions like that.

Los Angeles, California – January 20 - 21

Los Angeles -  Jan 20

Well, LA is having crappy weather. Cold, windy and rainy! We had to go through customs since we were arriving in a U.S. port after being in foreign ports. We are free to come and go for today and all of tomorrow since we are “stuck” here waiting out the storm.

 Ruby Princess is in port with us

 as you can see it's a dreary day

Despite the weather, Bob & Pat drove from the Palm Springs area to pick us up at the ship so we could have lunch together. We met them on a Mediterranean Cruise 10 years ago. We have kept in touch via email, but it’s the first time we have seen them since. What a wonderful couple! We actually toured with them as a foursome as they were traveling with their friends John & Sandy. Sadly, medical issues kept them from joining us today. We wish them all the best! We had a very enjoyable lunch at Parkers' Lighthouse and chatted up a storm. It almost turned into a disaster when Greg realized he did not get his credit card back from the waiter. The waiter refused to acknowledge it was not returned. He insisted it was there when he signed the receipt and didn’t really go looking for it. After a brief discussion with the manager the credit card magically appeared. They said since the card was black it wasn’t seen in the folder that the bill was in. It’s a big hassle to cancel a card when you are on land, but being on a cruise it’s nearly impossible to get a replacement card. Phew! It was great to get it back. (we travel with multiple cards, but still would have been a pain)

 Joel, our cabin steward - he is fantastic!

 us with Bob & Pat at lunch

 Queen Mary

After lunch Bob & Pat drove us to a CVS drugstore to pick up some items we wanted to pick up in Hawaii, but since we aren’t going there now, the extra time in LA worked for that.

Bob & Pat had a long drive back to their home and the weather was still raining on and off. They dropped us back at the ship, and we dropped our things and we realized we had time to go visit the USS IOWA Battleship Museum that is walking distance from our ship. It started to rain again and the outside parts of the ship were miserable to do in that weather. Still, very interesting to see it.

 Roosevelt's chair

 

For those following my Aruba Horse riding injury saga, I am feeling MUCH better, but I used a lot of Tylenol to get through it and wanted some more just in case. Plus, some extra heat rub if I should need to continue to use it. I’m taking stairs again and if the weather ever is nice enough to walk outside on the track again, I will resume that.

We came back and got ready for dinner. It’s open seating the next 2 nights since we are overnighted here until we can resume this cruise. We ran into Jeff & Julie from the 2013 World Cruise in line and we had dinner together. They are a young couple that are such a joy to tour with as they have such a zest for life and travel. Then, we saw Karen & Steve go by and later Tom & Ken were seated a few tables away. How nice to see everyone again!

 Baked Alaska on parade the last night of the first segment.

The show tonight was another “welcome aboard” performance with the same singers and dancers, but a different comedian Steve Bruner. We didn’t like him as well as the one on our embarkation show in Ft. Lauderdale.

We also have a new Captain Jon Paul Bryant. We have now traveled 5,034 Nautical Miles since we left Ft. Lauderdale.

Los Angeles - January 21

Steve & Karen had organized the Cruise Critic Meet & Greets for all the segments of the World Cruise. The meeting was scheduled for the first full sea day, but since we are still in Los Angeles some of the people that may have attended were ashore. None the less it was pretty well attended and it’s always nice to put faces with our Cruise Critic names. After that it was time for lunch. They treated today like a shore day, so there was no lunch in the dining room, only the buffet.

 Steve

me on our balcony

After lunch Greg and I went for a walk off the ship since it’s a much prettier day than yesterday. He got some nicer shots of the outside of the USS IOWA. Back on board we are taking advantage of the free internet. It’s slow, but I am trying to get some photos added to the blog. (they are included above)

Dinner was open seating, but we sat at our usual table and had 4 new people to talk to. It’s not their regular table, but it’s always nice to get to talk to new people.

The show tonight was the comedian from last night. He won’t be one of our favorites, but it was OK.

With any luck at all we will sail away around 4:00 AM and be on our way to Bora Bora which will take about 8 ½ days. So, not much to report on, but I’ll do a token blog post. We enjoy sea days so it’s all good…..