The Avid Cruiser - Fall 2007 - (Page 41)

time seating starts at 5 and runs until 10 p.m. We chose Island Princess room service, when reachable, was the main “anytime” dining room, and Maitre d’ Ignazio always prompt and order-perfect, but stewards seemed D’Agostino set us up for nightly reservations at 7 p.m. unhappy if not tipped. Thus we had the same table, by a window, and the same On our first day, the daily ship’s happening, The Princess Patter, listed the night’s dress as Semi-Formal. waiters, Christian from Romania and Florin from Turkey. This means sport coat and sometimes tie. As I mentioned, The menu was extensive and the service was better than Princess was specific that there are only two dress codes on excellent. the ship: Smart Casual and Formal. Neither the Passenger We visited each of the two alternative dining rooms, Service Desk nor an assistant cruise director could explain Sabatinis ($20 cover) and the Bayou Steakhouse ($15 the dress code departure. At dinner, half the men were cover) more than once. Who wouldn’t want a second go at in jacket and tie, the other half in Hawaiian shirts; each Johnny Cakes, Cheese Biscuits and Smothered Gator Ribs? uncomfortable with the other. As for Sabatinis, the Antipasti alone was almost a meal, A 15-day roundtrip to Hawaii has a total of eight sea with pizza, zuppe e insalata, pasta, and secondi platti following after. Once the word gets around the ship, reservations days, and that, to some, is troublesome. Not to worry, are a must. I’m feeling full just writing this. there’s a ton to do on this ship. Miniature golf; a resident New Year’s Eve was formal, and most all had on black pro, computer courses, photography courses and lectures tie, the women of course in gorgeous gowns. Flashbulbs filled the adult days. The kids loved the camps and teen rooms with computers and games, each with private pools. and champagne corks popped like firecrackers on July 4th, The biggest worry the parents had was how to get the kids and all gathered for the midnight balloon drop. How neat to be at a party and not have to clean up the next day. to leave the ship once we reached the Islands. We stayed on board New Year’s Day. We called PasSome had more fun than others. At 2 a.m., between Kauai and Kona, the hallway loudspeakers came alive with senger Services four separate times to find out which ship’s bar would be showing the game. Each of us got the same a message for a passenger to call the Passenger Service answer; None of them. We watched the game in the cabin Desk. By 4 a.m. the announcement transferred to the on a small screen. We later learned from another passenger cabin speakers, waking all and asking for help in finding that he had stumbled across the game on a much bigger this passenger. The ship slowed, searchlights panned the screen in one of the bars. He was the only one there. water. About 4:20 the announcement was made that the For the most part, a ship is a ship is a ship, passenger, a teen female, had retuned to her cabin. Can but Island Princess has a personalyou ground someone when they are at sea? One of the most memorable events was a veterans get ity all its own. I can not really together hosted by Bob Basso. Bob is a former NBC news clarify this other than to say friends we were sailing with, expeanchor in Hawaii, the author of 10 books, and five time rienced with luxury lines, said, on winner of “the Most Colorful Speaker in America.” But this time, the audience did the talking. All veterans of wars this ship, they felt at home. We did too. were invited to a gathering, where each was encouraged to talk about their service. Guys were there from the WWII and the Korea, Vietnam and Iraq wars. Some of their stories brought gasps from their wives, who had never heard Honolulu: Take a $20 cab to Waikiki Beach. The free shuttles will take them before. One told of being blown off a you to a shopping center and stay for at least 20 minutes. Once you destroyer in WWII; another of what it was get to Waikiki, go to the beach side of the Halekulani hotel where you’ll like to be on a base built inadvertently over find a free changing room. Be sure and carry a beach bag for your stuff. the tunnels of Cu Chi. More than once tears Hit the beach, grab a snow cone, negotiate a chaise and an umbrella, came to my eyes as these brave men talked, then soak up what’s costing others hundreds of dollars a day. some for the first time. This one afternoon kona: The shopping and eateries along the beachfront are worth was worth the whole trip. Shoreside Tips Dining Princess offers two main dining choices, traditional early and late seating in the Provence dining room, and in the Bordeaux, any- the stroll. Here you’ll find some authentic Hawaiian shirts, fun knickknacks, and even a barbershop. kauai and Hilo: Rather than go it on your own, find an enjoyable tour in these ports. Each of the free shuttle buses that circulate through the terminal in Kauai are separate shills for shopping centers. FALL 2007 Avid Cruiser

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Avid Cruiser - Fall 2007

The Avid Cruiser - Fall 2007 Contents The Poop Deck Cruising, Back to Back At The Piazza SeaDream Yacht Club Regent’s Seven Seas Voyager The ‘New’ Crystal Symphony Bay of FUNdy Long Weekend Getaway Silversea Cruises: Silver Whisper Cruising Southeast Asia ‘Awesome’ Alaska Sacred Moments In South Georgia Two Years With A Princess Of Days Gone By

The Avid Cruiser - Fall 2007

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