A Ruby Red Christmas Birthday

My Mother turned 85 on December 15th...... in honor of that auspicious occasion, we celebrated a mother-daughter cruise on the beautiful Ruby Princess!

 

 

My Mom in the 1960's....She was a real hot ticket!

 

 

 

Mom is still a hot ticket at the age of 84.....

just a little slower....

 

All 5 of us piled into my fire engine red car and drove 5 hours to Ft. Lauderdale.  Our first stop was at MacDonald's  for Breakfast....What a surprise to have Santa, and Ronald greet us and start the celebration off right!

 

 After checking in, we went to see the rooms......Can you imagine a bunch of over 60 wild women sharing a room with bunk beds....

 

Patty drew the short straw.....

 

 
 

But as it was her birthday on the 24th, I sucked it up and moved into the top bunk myself....

actually, it was not bad.....has a light for reading, and was pretty comfortable!

The room itself was of adequate size, with plenty of storage space, certainly enough for 3 women on a 4 day cruise. Bathroom was fine, small shower, with a curtain, for those interested, we did not have the new shampoo dispensers. The added a large bottle of the new shampoo, but on the last day, they removed the cap, so we couldn't pack it and take IT HOME...Really?

 

 

 

Jeannie and Janet had a room for two...( how did that happen!)

 

Our first order of business was to explore and ohhh and awwww over the beautiful decorations in the Piazza

 

Cruising at Christmas is so Fancy!

 

Christmas decorations

Everywhere!!

 

The views off the back of the ship are awesome....One nice things about Princess ships, is the Aft swimming pool....It's private, and usually not crowded....The deck above is nice for smokers, and was my sister Janet's favorite place!

 

 

It was a 4 day cruise to Cozumel Mexico, with 2 sea days

We were never bored as there was lots to do! 

                                             We enjoyed a pub lunch in this beautiful Lounge

 

Watched the chefs carve fruits and vegetables into delectable little animals

 

 

Loved the Owl!!!

 

 

We spent a fun hour making cute little  cards ( I'm not the craftiest person on the planet, but with a little help form my side kicks...well....I didn't screw up too bad!)

 

Jeanne's was soooooo creative!

 

The promenade deck is a wonderful place to hang out and take some awesome pictures!

 

It's also a great place to walk and try to use up some of the excess calories!

We had a lot of fun taking pictures of each other!

 

Our day in Cozumel was overcast and a little rainy, but we didn't let it keep us down!

We took a taxi to the center of town....12 USD for 5 people 1 way.... and we were dropped off right in the center of the action!

The view of the water was awesome!

 

                                        So easy to walk up and down the waterfront and shop

 

We found a cute little restaurant called La Candela, with authentic local food.....We all toasted the day with SOL beers, and homemade  tacos. For those of you who will visit in the future, this place is one block off the main drag on Calle 6 Norte.....try it! It's well worth it!

 

 

One of the local shops....we didn't stop in , but it wasn't for lack of trying by the proprietor!

 

A great view of the water taken by my sister Jeanne....you can see more at her blog....

http://4jeanniemaries.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

I borrowed a few of her pictures to share with you....

 

We had a fun day, but we eventually had to return to our home away from home!

We were able to find a cab without a problem. As Mother was tired, we asked the security guard for a wheelchair as we entered the port shops. One was quickly provided and Mom was wheeled back to the ship for a nominal cost of a tip. We gave 5.00 for his trouble.

 

 

We sailed home the next day....

 

 

and enjoyed the sunset on our last evening at sea.....

 

 The next day we made a mad dash home in order to drop Patty off at Tampa, for her flight back to   California, and her family...

 

The sunsets are just as beautiful from my backyard......there is no place like home!

 

 

My review of the ship

 

Food......the food service in the Dining room was impeccable. Meals were served hot and on time.

I have to say, Princess has some of the best food on the high seas!  International café did not disappoint, although, as a frequent cruiser, I would like to see some change in the menu.

Buffett, was consistently good, and easy to find a seat.

 

Overall service......We had only one problem with our bathroom drainage, and it was quickly resolved.  Our waiters at the 6pm dining, were so cute, and kept us entertained.  We loved the kindness and caring they showed our Mother.

 

Entertainment..... It was awesome! The evening shows were excellent, and we able to find a seat fairly easily, as long as we were early. Daytime activities were plentiful.

 

overall ship condition.....The Ruby has been kept in excellent shape!  The ship was clean, and neatly kept.

I give the Ruby princess an overall score of A-.......

 

A wonderful week on the Freedom of the seas

The Freedom of the Seas

Sometimes it's just fun to hop on a ship and do nothing.....just lazy days doing what you want to do. No stress, no muss, no fuss.....
We drove over to Port Canaveral Dec 1, and boarded the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the seas. The FOS is ,by all standards a Huge Ship,  160,000 Tons, 1112 ft. long, and carries 3600 passengers and 1300 crew! It has 18 decks, and the Royal promenade is 4 decks high, and 445 feet long, lined with bars, cafes, and shops. We love this ship!
     Boarding was easy peasy, taking about 15 minutes from Dock to schooner bar for our traditional welcome aboard bloody Mary.  Our room was open by 1300, and we had a wonderful view outside our balcony. Honestly, we are not particular about our room at this stage. We book rooms, based on itinerary, weather, and price. Our Cabin was a bargain so balcony here we come!

After the lifeboat drill, we unpacked, and continued on to the Diamond+ lounge.  The service was wonderful, lots of little hot and cold items to snack on, but we wondered what happened to the veggies, and cheese platter?  Service as usual, was excellent.

The Royal promenade

Christmas had arrived!

I love the glass elevators!

We were late arriving to My Time dining, and couldn't be seated until 8:45 ( a little late for us),So we joined our friends upstairs at the windjammer. The buffet was adequate, and we had a hearty dinner, complete with dessert.  We were tired, so we elected to forgo any evening activities , and off to the cabin we went for a glass of wine on the balcony.

What a sunset!

Day one was coco Cay, and after a late breakfast in the Diamond lounge, we addressed the My Time dining issue, and made standing reservations for 6 pm, table of six.

Continental breakfast, and the cappuccinos were so yummy! 

 

                                                                Our table for 6

 

We then hopped on a tender, and wow, realized how rough the seas were.....apparently the captain had the same idea, and all tendering to Coco Cay was cancelled!! After we disembarked, they spent the next few hours evacuating the island. Those poor people returning had a very rough ride back to the ship! 

We played golf...( I won!!)

 

Watched a number of people lose their bathing suits on the flow rider!  Best show in town!

 

Later that day, after we sailed off, our ship had to return to the Bahamas twice to evacuate medical emergencies, hence we were delayed enough time we couldn't make it to St Thomas, and we were diverted to Puerto Rico instead! We were thrilled, as we had never visited San Juan!

Day 3, San Juan, was a disaster! Rain, rain, rain and then monsoon! We only made it a few blocks into Olde Town, and we ducked into a bar and grill to dry off. Had some sangria, a little lunch, and headed back to the ship.....Thank goodness we are flexible!

                                           The fort at the entrance to this beautiful harbor

                                     After the monsoon, this street had a river running down it!

The sangrias were 2 for 1...how lucky is that!

Plantain baskets with the most yummy chicken and peppers....Eat local I say!

             Day 4 was Phillipsburg , Dutch West Indies......We have been there several times, so we 
                         just did a little shopping and people watching while we had a cold one!

The view from our little Cafe

No point in having a small beer!

A little birdie flew by...I wonder what he might tell you?

The two remaining seas days were just relaxing, watching the shows, eating, cocktail hour each night, and did I mention eating??

Our travel partners watching the show!

Michael and his partner on stage! ( No, that's not me!)

 

View from our balcony as we left San Maartin

Finally some Sun!

 

Michael shops in only the best places!

 

Here are my observations.
Chops.....     Dinner was excellent and the service was wonderful!

Main Dining room.....    Food had it's ups and downs, but for the most part was very good. We ordered escargot one night, and had scallops were served instead. The warm chocolate cake was missing it's almond toffee and little pear slices. We spoke to the head waiter, and the next night we were surprised with our warm chocolate cake with the toffee and pears!!. Later in the cruise, we were presented with actual escargot! We were treated like Royalty!

Evening entertainment...... The singers and dancers were amazing, and both musicals were excellent! The ice show we saw was wonderful...one of the skaters was injured badly enough, that he had to be evacuated off the ship for an injury on his arm.  The Cruise Director, Richard Spacy, was hilarious!  The best I've ever seen!

Spa.....I had a Swedish massage that was heavenly.....Thank you CruCon!

overall impression......  A wonderful week!   I highly recommend this ship and give it a B+ overall.

How do you fit everything into one suitcase!!

We will be leaving soon for a 7 day cruise on the Freedom of the seas.....
For me, One of the great pleasures of traveling is packing.....I have a closet ( we do not have kids at home anymore, so I have a free closet!) that is dedicated to cruise clothes.....and cruise necessities....
I'm quite a pack rat when it comes to cruise necessities......from my essential pharmacy kit to duck tape....So a week before the cruise I start making some decisions....

note that everything will go with black...

.

Do we have to fly?  That helps me decide on how many and what size suitcases I need.
Hot weather cruise?  easy peasey....lots of shorts, light tops, and a bathing suit... One suitcase will do the trick!
Cold weather cruises are harder.....Everything is bigger and bulkier and weighs more.. I will need 2 suitcases for this trip!.
Mixed weather is a challenge....I have to choose very carefully and everything must mix and match...
OMG .... the suitcases will not be big enough!

Purple suitcases are easy to find when there are thousands of suitcases at disembarkation!

One thing I've learned is that people don't remember or care, what you wear......So I feel comfortable wearing the same outfit many times......I just update it with a scarf or jewelry, and I'm good to go!
Black dressy pants, black dress, and a few mix and match colors for evening wear.  Black and dark jeans with tops and a sweater if needed, white and beige shorts, with casual tops...and my packing is done!
no wild colors for me....and everything goes with everything else....

 

Add one red jacket with black pants and black top

for dinner in a specialty restaurant

 

 

With white dress for cocktails

 

and with jeans for a tour

 

I have a list, and I'm checking it twice! Actually I'm checking it a lot more than that! I've forgotten some essential things over the years.....I actually forgot my perfect round brush for blow drying my hair on a 2 week Alaskan cruise.....I had to buy one on the ship at a huge markup and it was not so perfect....Now that brush has made it to the list!  Perfect round brush...check!

Shhhhh, don't tell anyone, but one thing I have to remember when I'm packing ...is a range of sizes.....sad to say, but on a 6 week cruise, what I wore to board the ship, may not zip well, when I exit the ship!  Just saying...

Beginning of trip picture...note, jeans, dark sweater, white top...

(you didn't really expect an end of cruise picture, did you....:)

Weight is a big thing when flying. ( and I'm not talking about mine.. grin)  If your lucky and fly southwest, you get to have 2 suitcases that can be checked. However, most airlines make you carry one on board.  I'm good to go with that..still young enough to hoist my own luggage, plus carry a humongous purse that carries all my on board necessities....I won't even go into that list.....as all women know there is no purse large enough to carry everything you need!!!
I have to limit myself to 3 purses in my luggage

one for formal nights, a small purse that will hang diagonally for hands free shopping ( a must in some ports!) and a cute purse for evenings...( Connie, I found "our bag" in Tarpon springs!)

 

Checked baggage is limited to 50 pounds...who decided that ridiculous number!  Obviously a man, who doesn't need 6 pair of shoes for a 7 day cruise!  That being said...sigh.....I usually limit myself to 1 pair of dressy black heels, walking shoes or sandals, flip flops, and flats.  That's my bare minimum and they must go with everything...( this is the most painful part of packing! and the last thing I decide) One trick, when flying, wear your heaviest clothes and shoes...  So what if it's 99 degrees at Tampa airport, and I'm dressed in jeans, sweaters, hiking boots, and a felt hat...carrying my coat...( I'll never see those people again!)

you just never know when you are going to need those heavy clothes!