Our 40th Anniversary Cruise- 2009

The Crown Princess Caribbean Cruise 2009

Saturday, March 7, 2009

To celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary, we booked a cruise of the eastern Caribbean and treated our kids to their first cruise.

We stayed at the Hampton Inn North in Ft. Lauderdale where we could park our car for the week for 20 dollars. The kids plane was on time and they met us there at 1:00 PM. They were in a double queen and we had a king room.

We ran to K-Mart for odds and ends and ate in TGIF. Tried to ride along the beach, but the traffic was bumper to bumper. We saw the beach and then turned around. Relaxed the rest of the evening at the hotel.


Sunday, March 8,2009

Had breakfast at the hotel. Very busy, had to take the food to our room. The shuttle took us to the ship at 11:00 where we waited about a half hour before they started boarding. We were on the ship at exactly 12:00:)

The kids were wowed by the ship and their mini-suites. Joey said, "we rock".
Went to Horizon for lunch and then took a tour of the spa and exercise equipment. Kids changed and went to pool and to explore. We came back to the room and unpacked.

After the Sailaway party, we went to the Seafood Extravaganza Buffet for dinner.
Lobster, shrimp and crab as well as prime rib.
After getting the computer minutes, we had a frappucino at the International Cafe
and then went to the welcome show. Comedian was funny. All in all, the kids were happy with their first day at sea..

Monday, March 9,2009

Today we celebrate our 40th anniversary. We had a smooth cruise overnight to Princess Cay, Bahamas. We had breakfast with the kids and then went to the Island by tender. The kids came later. Joe and Juan had a biking thing at the gym.

The weather was glorious ,75 and sunny.The Island is delightful with plenty of shade spots for those who didn't want too much sun. They served a barbecue buffet and had many water activities. We didn't see the kids until lunch. After we ate, we took some more pictures and did some shopping. Came back at about 1:30. Rate this stop a 10.







We had our anniversary dinner with the kids at the Crown Grill. I had surf and turf and Joe had steak, Val had lamb, Juan and Joey had the prawns. We also had scallop appetizers ,lobster cake appetizers and onion soup. Carpacchio also.
Desserts were lemon merengue tort, chocolate souffle and a sampler platter.
Had a complimentary bottle of wine from the travel agent and a picture coupon from them also.Joey sent us flowers and Val and Juan gave us souvenir shirts and coffee mugs. The kids paid the cover charge for dinner. Lovely dinner.

Tuesday, March 10
We were exhausted from the day and were in bed early. Slept from about 9:30 to 5:00 am. When we woke up, we were in 4-7 ft waves. We all are feeling it more today. Joe and I took a half of dramamine. Both he and Joey are napping. Joey got a bad burn on his back. He bought some gel and I put it on before he took his nap. Val and Juan have been on their own today.
We had breakfast in the dining room today. Portions are small, but it was relaxing. We met a man from West Palm, a couple from Quebec, and a woman from Tennessee. We had a delightful conversation.

Val and Juan took dramamine also and after a nap, everyone was feeling fine. Thank goodness!

At 5:45, we went to the wedding chapel to renew our vows.
We were re-married by the ships Commodore ( He is the head of all the captains)
His name is Commodore Giuseppe Romano. Joe was given a rose boutinierre and I was given a lovely bouquet. Joe and I choked up a bit and so did Val. The vows were quite nice. Valerie and Joey signed as witnesses. Joey also took video, while the ship's photographer took pictures. We received a copy of the vows along with a certificate of vow renewal.
There was a bottle of champagne waiting in our cabin when we returned and two special champagne glasses to keep.







Went to Club Fusion where Joey and Juan did some Karaoke. They did good.
After that, we went to see a comedian. He was very good.

Wednesday, March 11
Had breakfast at the buffet and then the kids went into Phillipsburg, St. Maarten. We did also, but on our own. There was nothing but jewelry stores. They have a boardwalk full of restaurants. Joe bought a hat from a lady and I bought a keychain to make as an ornament.
In the afternoon, we went to Orient Beach with Val while Joey and Juan went on a bike trip. The beach was beautiful.The waves were a bit rough but the temperature was nice. The guys didn't think the bike trip was worth it.
We ate dinner together in the dining room. Enjoyable time. Went to bed early.


Our daughter at Orient Beach



Thursday, March 12

Today we were in St. Thomas. We all went on different trips. Joey did another bike tour, Val and Juan toured the island and swam at Magans Bay and we took a trip to St. John and Trunk Bay. It was just as beautiful as it was 30 years ago. Took lots of pictures. The driver stopped so we could get shots of Trunk Bay from the hill.

Trunk Bay


Caneel Bay



Had lunch by the pool and then went to the Spa pool. Did a little hot tub and swam. Came back and sat on balcony. Joey joined us for awhile. He enjoyed this tour better. Val and Juan did too. Joey didn't want to dress for dinner and Val and Juan had a dinner for two day We went to the Captains cocktail party and had dinner in DaVinci dining room. We sat with two other couples. Val and Juan wound up a few tables away from us.

The ship is rocking and moaning tonight. We took some dramamine to play it safe. We are doing fine.
Tomorrow we do Grand Turk.

Friday March 13

We arrived in Grand Turk at 1:00 PM. Another ship is here and there are too many people on the beach and not enough chairs. The weather is fine but the ships over shadow the beach. Beach has rocky bottom in spots and the sand is stony. We had snacks in Margaritaville with kids and then went our separate ways. We shopped and took pictures, then came back to the boat. Took a hot tub, dip in the pool and had our Pina colada and Strawberry Daquiri.






Had dinner in the dining room with the kids. Had a window seat as we departed Grand Turk. Food was very good tonight. Afterwards, we went to MUTS to watch Mama Mia. It was a beautiful night. They give you heated blankets and popcorn.
Laying on a lounger watching huge screen and great sound was a neat experience.

Saturday, March 14

Went to buffet for breakfast and then to the Princess theater for a cooking demonstration by the Master Chef and the Maitre D. The 3 dishes were great and the Maitre D was so funny. Afterwards we had a galley tour and bought a cookbook written by them which they signed.

Had a coffee drink in the International Cafe and then came back to room to pack.After lunch in the buffet, Joey, Val and Juan joined us at the Aft pool for a swim and drinks. Afterwards, Joe took a nap and I used up computer minutes on the balcony.

We finished out the day with dinner in Sabatinis The kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves.We drank the champagne the ship gave us for our anniversary.
Joe and I went to the casino and I lost my 20.00 on the poker machine. We sat on the balcony for awhile. It was another lovely night.



Over all, the weather was great, the seas were kind to our newbie kids(only one day of queasy, after dramamine, all was well.) One night we had seas of 5-7 and the stabilizers made a groaning noise that made sleeping hard. We all enjoyed St. Thomas and Princess Cays, but not too happy with St. Maarten and Grand Turk.
The kids are high on cruising now. We are so glad they enjoyed it.