10/05/2010

By hazelson

• May 17, 2010

We left Vancouver on a bright, sunny day. We were on the Starboard side this time so got to see North Van, even the hospital where I was born :o), once we sailed.

The embarkation was quick - half hour tops - and we got to sit instead of stand in line.

Dropped carry on luggage off (and ritual toilet flush) then up to the Lido for meal #1.

The buffet area looks small but works very well. Hand sanitizer at every entrance and someone watching to make sure you actually did it. I was happy with that just coming off a round of steroids and open to all those pesky germs lol.

We had a mini suite and it was huge. 2 tvs, bathtub, large sized sofa bed and tons of storage. Balcony held 4 chairs and a table with room to spare. Our room steward, Lawrence, was on top of our every move - how they know when we leave the room is beyond me...but even when we stepped out for half an hour - the room was all set up when we got back.

We were traveling with our neighbours, and it was fun to see everything new through their eyes.

The farther north we travelled the worse the weather got - but we managed to wander - well layered with rain gear and waterproof footwear, so shopping was great. Having been on the Alaska run I just chose to wander rather than go on an excursion.

Unfortunately it was too cloudy in Juneau for the tram.

We lucked out in Ketchikan and had a beautiful sunny day...and it stayed sunny all the way home. The ocean was mirror smooth on the return run so lots of time on the balcony in the sunshine.

DH did the zipline and loved it - I'm a big chicken and, seeing the photos, I'm glad I chose shopping lol.

The Coral Princess is a well laid out ship with 2 entertainment venues. The love seats were so much more comfortable than rows of chairs. The comedian was terrific - the hypnotist not so much. We didn't go to the dance shows - got stuck more in the casino - which was not kind to us :o)

We chose regular dining because we like the same staff every night. I would say, by the empty seats, that a good 50% of people chose the anytime dining plan. We enjoyed our meals with Raul and Alex and learned that both had family at "home" and Raul had a new baby he hadn't seen yet. Both were very professional and had us laughing evry night. The food was consistanly good - and the menu was varied with something new and intersting each evening. I tried venison for the first time - and it was very nice. I also tried a new fish -but can't remember the name of it.

Our tablemates were our friend Brenda and John, and a 90 year old Mom with her 2 daughters. We enjoyed their company and they live only a 15 minute drive from us. One of the daughters was extremelty "entertaining" as the group bought a bottle of wine at dinner each evening and she finished them all off :o)

The afternoon tea was a disappointment - it was in the dining room and one round of sandwiches came first - then the scones with jam and clotted sweet cream - then the sandwiches again....that no one wanted after the sweets. We also had to chase down another pot of tea - which empty rather quickly with 8 at the table.

The only "snag" we hit was the last evening we did'nt receive our duty free "booze". We called down to the front desk and they said it had been delivered to the room steward and he had signed for it so we obviously got it. I said we didn't and they said we did. DH finally went down and they gave him replacements.

All in all a wonderful experience but DH and I both agree that we prefer Carnival - maybe a little livlier than our Princess experiences.

As for our neighbours ... suffice it to say another "cruise skeptic" has joined the ranks of the addicted :o)

ttfn Jennifer