Ship Life... Week One!
In my jersey, laptop set up… we got a cocktail and watched the game in our cave! Nick had a good game! We had our Terrible Towels! That helped the Steelers win… I’m pretty sure :-)
Every port stop, the crew gets out and scrubs down the ship. Keeping it in tiptop shape involves constant work. As you walk around the ship, crew members are polishing, cleaning and organizing. It’s quite amazing. Non-stop!
Pretty much every cruise, I like to take a photo of the ship in port. Most important aspect of the picture is the name so I can remember which ship I was on when I visited a specific area. This was my first time to port in Amber Cove. I have vacationed in Dominican Republic with Barry but not since 2014. We stayed in an all-inclusive in Punta Cana.
Although I noticed a couple different excursions, I was told that this port had a lazy river type pool and other activities that were easily doable near the ship. Lazy us… we decided to check out the port area. To the left, we noticed many shops but we avoided them. To the right, we saw the pools, etc. I saw a large sign with prices for umbrellas, kayaks and other water activities. Fortunately, we had no intention of exerting energy in this port… Sometimes, you just want to take advantage of an empty ship! It would be kind of fun to rent an over-water cabana. They are reasonably priced when you think of the cost for a group… maybe one day :-)
The grounds in Amber Cove are quite nice. Well manicured, plenty of seating… this will be something I check out more closely when I return in a couple of weeks. This could be very crowded in more ships were in port, but as far as I could see, we were the only ones. The photo on the right shows a flower that could be found throughout the small island.
Normally, I avoid the ship photographer. In every port, there are little scenes set up to take a photo that represents what the port stop has to offer. In this case, because we have the Premier Package (with unlimited digital photos), we decided to snap a couple off. There were actually two photographers… one taking the actual shot and one taking a more relaxed alternative.
The top two photos were taken by one of the photographers who focused on the life preserver. The second photographer stood slightly behind the lead and shot random photos. They were more candid than the posed ones. We took a moment to download a few photos in our file. If I’m not mistaken, these are the only photos taken so far. Oops!
Our ship in appropriately named… Regal Princess. Sitting in port, it looks quite “regal”. So far, we have had no other ships visiting the ports at the same time. It’s been quite nice. Ordinarily, there can be several ships in port on the same day… this makes for a crowded experience!
Back on the ship early, we headed to Deck 17 where there is a pool and a bar. With comfy wicker furniture and a good amount of shade, this was a great place to read! Roxanne ordered us cocktails to wet our whistles! It was time for my first Aperol Spritz. The perfect drink for a hot day!
For this trip, I brought so many cocktail napkins. In the cabin, there is one drawer dedicated to storing my various, funny quotes. It’s just another fun thing I enjoy! Weird, I know…
It was time for a bit of sushi. With the package comes a set menu. It includes four nigiri and a good-sized roll. There are four to choose from. Any additional rolls are a meager $5! We were surprisingly full after our meal…
Next stop! San Juan, Puerto Rico. With incredible weather, we headed to an area known as Cangrejo Arriba. This is an urban coastal barrio that is lined with beach clubs/resorts. We visited Vivo Beach Club. We had everything we needed… blue waters (VERY warm!), lounge chairs and umbrellas. As soon as we got into the water, a wave took Roxanne out… poor thing has a swollen hand now. It was tough getting up because a set came in and they were breaking right off shore. Also, we said goodbye to Roxy’s prescription sunglasses! Hard as we tried, we never found them…
Off in the distance, we could see the main city of downtown San Juan. There is an old town and the new city area. We didn’t have time to explore on this trip. We were in a beach mode. From our perspective, it appears that the beaches are lined with hotels. Maybe one day I’ll be back for a visit. Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas uses San Juan as its home port during the winter. So, who knows…
What a great beach club! Not only did we have cocktails and wings with guava sauce, but we lounged for a couple hours under the umbrella. Hearing the waves hit the shore… so relaxing. Eventually, we moved up to the pool area. Still, lots of shade provided by overhangs and umbrellas, this was a perfect place for me! The water was a warm temperature, so it was easy to float around.
Alas, it was time to head back to our “home”. Prior to reboarding, I looked for a few supplies to make Flat Sally/Stanley’s… but the materials were limited. That’s fine, we will improvise. Three books from the Flat Stanley series were sent to Steve for the kids… now we will decorate and let the photos begin! (As if I need an excuse to take way too many pictures!!!)
