Caribbean Princess 16 Day Transatlantic Cruise Review
Days 9-14 Multiple Days At Sea (Atlantic Ocean Crossing)
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Days 9-14 Multiple Days At Sea (Atlantic Ocean Crossing)
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Journey: The next four days were designated as “sea days” on our itinerary. Having never been on a transatlantic crossing, I was a little concerned about how rough the seas might be as we sailed across the Atlantic Ocean on our way to St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. Day 9 started with a beautiful sunrise and sunshine all day. It was a good time to enjoy sitting on the balcony and looking out on the dark blue, calm sea. Days 10 & 11 were cloudy but still calm sea. Day 12 was foggy and rocky and it should have been our last sea day. However during dinner that evening, the captain announced that we would not be going to St. John’s because of a large storm that was developing off the Newfoundland coast that would have made getting into St. John’s impossible. Overnight we sailed south of Newfoundland and were able to miss the worst of the storm. So, on Days 13 & 14 we were still at sea and sailing on to Halifax, Canada. Those two days had beautiful sunrises with clear skies and much warmer temperatures.
Map of journey across North Atlantic from Reykjavik to St. John's (canceled) to Halifax
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Day #9 - Beautiful sunrise
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Day #9 - Sunshine all day
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Day #9 - Sitting on the balcony looking at the vast, dark blue sea and reflecting on God's creation
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Things to Do: Everyday there were movies scheduled in the morning, afternoon and evening. Most were recent releases although some were long time favorites. Evening movies (Movies Under the Stars) were shown on the large screen above the Calypso Pool on Deck 15. All the deck chairs were reserved for movie watchers and warm blankets were provided. Throughout the day and evening, games and music were scheduled in different areas around the ship.
Get-Togethers: On different days Get-Togethers for special groups were held in the Wheelhouse Bar. These included Veterans & Military for all service men and women from all nations; Teachers and Educators; Service Club members from Rotary, Lions, Kiwanis, etc.; and Emergency Service members. |
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Laundry: A necessary activity was doing laundry. Unless you wanted to pay a fee for laundry/cleaning service or were an “elite member” and had the benefit of your laundry being done for you, there came a time to wash your dirty clothes and sometime during the sea days was a good time for that activity. Laundry rooms with two washers and two dryers as well as two irons and ironing boards were available on all decks. By using your cruise card, you were able to purchase tokens to use in the machines and to secure detergent. No coins were needed which was very convenient.
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Day #10 - Cloudy but calm sea
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Day #11 - Spectacular sunrise
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Day #11 - Cloudy but calm sea
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Day #12 - Another gorgeous sunrise to start our day
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Day #12 - Day turned out to be foggy and rocky
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Day #12 - Map showing ship bypassing St. John's and on to Halifax
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Day #13 - South of the storm, a beautiful day...
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with clear skies and calm sea
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Day #14 - Sunrise - a promise of clear skies and warmer temperatures
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Not Only Do They Look Pretty...
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Chocolate Journeys Pastry Demonstration: In the Piazza Deck 5 several of the pastry chefs shared their secrets in making the delicious chocolate desserts that we had been consuming each day. This included chocolate cookies, chocolate mousse, and chocolate balls. After the demonstration, the products were available for eating!!
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but taste delicious, too. Plenty of cookies for all to sample. Recipes were given to all those interested in making once back home.
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Pastry chefs demonstrate making all the delicious chocolate goodies we had been eating during the cruise
NOTE: Faces have been covered to protect identities.
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Big Screen For Movies On Deck 15 By The Pool
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Destination Lectures: The destination expert presented very interesting information on St. John’s (which we were, unfortunately, not able to visit because of the weather) and on Halifax, our next port. He not only informed us of the history of each place but also all the interesting places we could visit while there. These presentations were worthwhile and well done.
Meet the Cast: On one of the sea days, passengers were able to meet some of the singers and dancers. Each one of them told a little about their personal lives and how they came to perform on the ship. The audience was able to ask questions which gave a better understanding of how much time and effort goes into each performance. After the question and answer period, we were given a tour of backstage and the dressing rooms which provide very limited space for so many cast members and production staff. It made me appreciate even more the excellence of the productions.
Meet the Cast: On one of the sea days, passengers were able to meet some of the singers and dancers. Each one of them told a little about their personal lives and how they came to perform on the ship. The audience was able to ask questions which gave a better understanding of how much time and effort goes into each performance. After the question and answer period, we were given a tour of backstage and the dressing rooms which provide very limited space for so many cast members and production staff. It made me appreciate even more the excellence of the productions.
Approaching Halifax in late afternoon on Day 14
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Another lighthouse seen as we arrived in Halifax
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Drum and bagpipe were played as we docked
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Night view of Halifax from the ship
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Arrival in Halifax: Early in the evening of day 14 we arrived in Halifax. A drum and bagpipe were playing as we docked. Since we had moved our clocks forward three times in the last six days, we were ready for Halifax time. And after six days at sea, many of the passengers and crew took advantage of the opportunity to leave the ship and walk on solid ground!!
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Dinners: Our second and third of three formal nights occurred during these sea days. The menu for this night, as well as all the other nights, continued to be diverse in the choices for appetizers, entrees and desserts.
The following food photos are a compilation of all dinners from Days 9 through 14:
The following food photos are a compilation of all dinners from Days 9 through 14:
Second formal night - appetizer
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Day 9 - Seafood selection
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Day 9 - Lobster
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Day 9 - Wait staff helped with lobster
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Day 9 - Beef
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Day 9 - Special chocolate dessert
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Day 9 - Sugar free dessert
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Day 10 - Quiche
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Day 10 - Beef
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Day 10 - Fish
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Day 10 - Shrimp
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Day 10 - Dessert
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Day 10 - Dessert
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Day 10 - Dessert
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Day 11 - Fish
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Day 11 - Fish
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Day 11 - Black Forest Cake
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Day 11 - Sugar free dessert
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Day 11 - Bread pudding
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Day 11 - Decadent chocolate cake dessert
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Third Formal Night - Escargot
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Day 12 - Seafood appetizer
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Day 12 - Egg roll
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Day 12 - Prime rib
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Day 12 - Lobster
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Day 12 - Fancy chocolate dessert
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Day 13 - Seafood appetizer
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Day 13 - Steak
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Day 13 - Fish
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Day 13 - Seafood pie
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Day 13 - Chocolate dessert
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Day 13 - Sugar free dessert
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Evening Entertainments: The enjoyable entertainment continued the next six days including a male vocalist who paid tribute to the great entertainers of past and present; the Piano Man who was outstanding on the piano; an international vocalist who was a wonderful soprano singer; a comedian who kept the audience in stitches; and another brilliant production show Caribbean Caliente starring the Princess Singers and Dancers.
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