for the photos that originally appeared with this chapter go to www.lesnpat.smugmug.com and look for the album for chapter 15.
Chapter 15 - continued cruising with Princess
Several discussions over dinner in the months after what would become known as the ‘non-Panama’ cruise resulted in agreement that cruising with Princess was enjoyable despite the setbacks of the 1989 sailing, and that the 50% voucher should be used for another cruise.
During these discussions we mentioned memories of very good to excellent food, good service, an activity schedule which suited the energetic and competitive characteristics of the Dickasons during that period, and Princess had small ships which did not produce long lines for buffets, boarding and disembarking. In particular we enjoyed the pasta stations in the main dining room where ‘grey-jackets’ prepared small servings of a different pasta with a different sauce each evening between appetizer and the main course during dinner.
However, there was a 12 month time limit on the 50% discount from the non-Panama cruise and Les had been asked by the Malaspina College Dean of Education to become full-time for the year following the cruise and he had accepted, excited by the increased teaching load and the chance to supervise student teachers on their practicum experiences. This work load, combined with the L.D. Services demands, meant no chance of taking a cruise in the time-frame of the discount.
Pat wrote a letter to Princess requesting an extension of the validity of the voucher so we could book a sailing to Alaska from Vancouver in the June of 1991. Princess agreed to the request and the Fair Princess was booked for June 15th from Vancouver to Whittier, Alaska, with a train journey to Anchorage and a flight back to Vancouver via Seattle.
Fair Princess, used in the TV series the Love Boat, was smaller than Sky Princess [880 passengers compared to 1550] and our stateroom was considerably smaller, featuring an upper and lower bunk, but we spent little time there because the scenery was the main attraction from the time the ship left Vancouver headed up Georgia Strait on its Inside Passage route. As we explored further we discovered there was less of everything on this smaller ship, but there was little to complain of other than the signs of wear and tear on this older vessel.
Our table-mates were four pleasant people from North Carolina, and we were glad to find that the pasta stations were still serving the small course each night, despite the smaller dining room. Our waiter was attentive and smiled a lot, but the Sommelier seemed overworked and had little time to discuss wines. Knowing the wine list from the last cruise, we managed without advice.
A few highlights of this cruise are worthy of mention. Ketchikan was a very small town then, though we enjoyed strolling along the historic board walk and through the residential area. In Juneau, after deciding against the $29 per person Princess air-conditioned bus to the Mendenhall Glacier, Les found a company with repainted school buses which sold tickets a hundred metres along the pier and made the same journey for $9 per person.
The glacier was quite a sight, and it was then possible to quickly walk from the visitor centre to the foot of it. The bus driver allowed time to explore, take pictures, and return from the glacier and the lake into which it emptied.
As our group re-boarded our blue bus, several people commented that it was a wonderful experience for $9 and wondered aloud what the difference was between it and the $29 that Princess charged. Part way back into Juneau, we heard a grinding noise from under the bus, and it stopped. The driver used a two way radio to report the problem, and we waited for 20 minutes for a second blue bus to arrive to replace the first.... as a bonus our driver gave us a conducted tour of some of the scenic highlights of Juneau before returning to the dock in time for sail-away.
Some kind teasing about the $9 guaranteeing a breakdown was heard, and our driver laughed at the joking comments.The photo at right shows passengers transferring from one bus to another.
Skagway was a revelation - our small ship arrived to find two other ships already docked there, and later in the day, Sky Princess arrived too. For a town of 600 people to host so many ships and passengers created quite a crowded downtown. The Dickasons decided to visit the Tourist Office and ask about a long walk on such a beautiful day. The volunteer there recommended we walk to the airport, cross the runway, go over a footbridge and look for a trailhead on the other side. To the right was the start of the famous Chilkoot Trail, the left was to Smugglers’ Cove and a view back to the city after a walk of several kilometres along the edge of Taiya Inlet, and that is the route taken.
Exercise, views, native plants and flowers, bird-life and sunshine produced a perfect morning for the Dickasons. After lunch, we both slept on deck in the shade until after sail-away. Les went to boring Bingo again and found adrenaline rushing as a run of seven numbers in a row produced a blackout which won $500! Two days previously he and five others had a ‘bad card’ win but shared $150. That night at dinner, the Dickason’s ordered sparkling wine to share at the table.
By the 20th of June, we noticed that it was still light at midnight with the sun setting after 11pm, and there were some passengers taking photographs of each other reading a newspaper on deck under an outdoor clock showing 11.30pm.
The final two days of cruising north showed the advantage of being on a small ship. Fair Princess ventured into Glacier Bay, and a ranger from the National Park Service was on board to provide a commentary over the public address system as we slowly steamed into the further reaches of the bay, and closed in on several of the many glaciers which reach the ocean there. The ship was close enough to the colourful ice for us to hear the noise of the glacier’s grinding motion, and when calving took place, the splash was very close to the ship.
On the final afternoon [after Les had shared another bingo win of $170 with one other player] Fair Princess steered close to the massive Columbia Glacier and sailed
into College Fjord where there were five large glaciers and several smaller ones. Cameras were clicking continuously as the view had everyone reluctant to leave to pack suitcases and go to the dining room for the final dinner. [see photo at right of glaciers in College Fjord.]
As the Dickasons packed they listed the ‘swag’ of winnings from events on the cruise; a pen from stumping the crowd when Les [as restaurant reviewer] was on the hot seat for “What’s My Line’, two T-shirts from table tennis tournaments, an umbrella, a pen and paper set and a bottle of champagne from Trivia, and two glasses from Name that Tune..... not to mention the bingo winnings which easily paid off the ship-board account.
The 22nd was a long day but not without highlights even after we disembarked in Whittier and rode the train to Anchorage. The scenery was stunning from the dome car on the train, Anchorage had a very interesting museum, and for weary travellers there was a hospitality area set up in the Convention Centre as many had time to kill before the bus took Princess passengers to the airport for later flights. On the lawns outside were hundreds of people who had participated in the all night Solstice Festival and were now sleeping in the sunshine.
As our flight from Anchorage to Seattle flew south, we had a perfect view of Prince William Sound, saw Fair Princess sailing away from Whittier, and glimpsed the glaciers below us. We felt privileged to have been so close to the glaciers on the ocean and now could see them from above as we flew south.
The next Princess cruise was on Royal Princess, a sister ship to Sky Princess, right at the end of 1996 - a Panama Canal cruise - again! Les had been persuaded to become a full-time administrator in the Education faculty at Malaspina University-College by this time so there was some flexibility of vacation time and we were scheduled to leave Vancouver on December 30th 1996.
Travel gods tried very hard to ruin the planned departure to reach the cruise. On December 24th there had been a record snowfall in Nanaimo, and more snow fell each day that week. As the 30th neared, the Dickasons checked which roads and streets had been ploughed, and determined on the 29th that it would be impossible to drive our car up Lenhart Avenue to take our one remaining cat, Figaro, to the cattery which was an hour’s drive towards Port Alberni. A phone call to friend Mollie confirmed that she would host Figaro and his gear for as many days as it took for the snow to melt and then to transfer him to the cattery.
On the 30th, a taxi was booked to come to the top of our street by 2.30pm to collect us from the carport of a friend who lived on the corner. We had to lug our luggage and the cat and his luggage up to the top of Lenhart for the taxi
trip to Mollie’s place and then, for us, on to the ferry terminal. Les took five trips up Lenhart Avenue carrying one suitcase or box of cat supplies at a time in his arms in front of him - the snow was too deep on the un-ploughed street to carry a suitcase normally by a handle. On the last trip up the street, Pat came along with Figaro in his cage. The taxi was loaded, and the trip to Mollie’s was on ploughed roads until we reached the bottom of the hill to her place. The driver made two attempts, then admitted he could not reach Sherwood Drive where Mollie lived. Les took Figaro in his cage in one hand, the box of cat supplies in the other arm, and climbed on the snow-covered street to Sherwood and along the 400 metres to Mollie’s house.
As Les slithered down the slippery streets to the waiting taxi he realized one foot was feeling cold and wet. After unloading the luggage and entering the ferry terminal, he checked his snow-boots and found one had a large split across the sole and his winter sock was sopping. A quick change into dry socks and a pair of sneakers felt better, though the change came with a prayer that the rest of the journey to check-in at YVR would not have deep snow or puddles to cross. The boots were dumped in a garbage bin.
On the ferry crossing, stiff leg and arm muscles used for the multiple trips up Lenhart and the climb to Mollie’s began to relax, then tighten again. Winter coats, gloves and hats were stowed in a large zippered sports bag the Dickasons had brought along empty for this purpose - the ferry, the bus, the Airporter and the airport would all be warm and dry, we assumed.
As the Airporter bus crossed Vancouver on slippery but relatively snow-free main roads, the chaos of the side streets was visible where snow-ploughs had either
not yet travelled, or if they had, had been unable to clear the streets because of cars abandoned at the kerb or on boulevards.
The chaos was repeated at the international terminal with departure boards showing ‘delayed’ or ‘cancelled’ for most flights, and passengers sleeping or lounging on every available chair and bench - and with some on the floor. Unlike our previous flights for the non-Panama cruise, this itinerary had an overnight flight to Miami [via Portland] and a connecting flight to San Juan. Our flight to Portland was finally listed, and after the de-icing of the wings, twice, we left almost three hours behind schedule. The stop in Portland was for refueling and the ground crew completed the task and the de-icing quickly, so that we made up some time, but our concern for reaching Miami in time for the connection to San Juan was rising.
Sleep on a red-eye is sometimes elusive, but after the tension and physical exertion of December 30th, it came easily for the DIckasons on the overnight Portland/Miami leg. When the plane landed the cabin crew asked that those passengers with tight connections be allowed to leave the aircraft first. Our watches showed we had 10 minutes to race to another gate for our flight to San Juan - breathing was a little easier when we realized we were disembarking just three gates from the boarding gate. Six passengers bound for the cruise made it - and the doors closed - then re-opened for more passengers from another inbound aircraft. The plane did not leave for a further 20 minutes and we crossed our fingers hoping that the further delay was to allow our luggage to join us.
In San Juan, the Princess bus took us, and our luggage, which did make the connection, to the Royal Princess which was waiting in afternoon sunshine and warmth. Les spent time that day and the next in the hot tub trying to loosen the stiff muscles from the 30th. Despite this being New Year’s Eve, the Dickasons could not stay awake until midnight, so drank a toast earlier, pretended it was midnight, finished unpacking and dived into bed in a very comfortable stateroom - with a window for the first time.
Our itinerary for the Panama Canal cruise featured quite a different routing this time, though the first port was again St. Thomas. To stretch out the muscles, the Dickasons climbed the hill to Blackbeard’s Castle [see at left], had lunch ashore in a restaurant with a view, then returned to the ship for a rest.
That night, as we looked ahead in the line of passengers waiting to greet the Captain, we saw it was Mike Moulin, the same Captain as for the non-Panama cruise. When it was the Dickason’s turn to be presented Les asked “Are you going to take us through the canal this time?” to which the Captain replied, “Were you on the cruise from hell in ‘89?” After assuring him that we had been, he asked for our stateroom number which his assistant noted on a little pad.
Two days later, we received an invitation to the Captain’s suite for cocktails, and soon after the handshaking of the 30 or so guests was completed, he made a bee-line for us and appeared very eager to hear details of what we had noticed on that cruise. He responded with some anecdotes from his perspective, including the need to have Security disarm the group of rich Mexicans who had headed to the bridge to persuade the officers that we should go through the canal despite the danger that the ship could be captured and all aboard held ransom by the Panamanians.
That night before retiring, Dickason noses smelled something not quite right in the stateroom. A search revealed that the sports bag containing the winter coats, gloves and hats had been pushed under a bed on embarkation day, and the wet garments were badly in need of airing given the time the bag had been zippered shut since the ferry crossing several days before this discovery.
Other ports before the canal transit included Martinique where the French influence was quite a contrast to Grenada where the red phone booths showed the British heritage. We found a willing guide/driver on Grenada who took us, in a van with no glass in its windows, on a half day tour of the area with an emphasis on the spices that were a main product and export there.
The photo at right shows our guide explaining the process of picking and processing the fruit from the nutmeg tree under which he is standing.
Our ship sailed south and west and docked on the northern coast of Venezuela. Our pre-cruise research showed little of interest in the port town, and no reliable public transport so we went counter to our usual tradition and to ensure our safety, reserved a shore excursion sold by Princess - a day trip to Caracas, the capital. Our comfortable air-conditioned bus took quite some time leaving the port area, then through a large National park on winding roads before reaching the outskirts of Caracas.
We were struck by the proliferation of shanty towns which stretched into the hillsides as we approached the city. These gave way to regular housing, and then
we went through wide streets with huge houses, all with high fences topped with either broken glass or razor-wire. The difference in living conditions for different classes there in Caracas was vast.
Downtown was very open, with large plazas, white civic buildings tucked behind fountains and avenues of elegant palm trees. The major export in the 90s was jewelry, and the shopping streets were lined with literally dozens of stores with eye-catching displays of high-end gold and silver necklaces, ear-rings and more as seen in the photo below and at right.
Our guides answered our questions as we drove back to the port. We were surprised to find that gas/petrol in Venezuela was cheaper per litre than milk or bottled water, and that the literacy rate was rising rapidly due to the emphasis on education by the politicians then in office.
Our final port before the canal was a return visit to Willemstad in Curacao with its Dutch influences still dominant.
That night on board, a Panama Canal history film was shown on a loop on one of the TV channels, and a lecturer in the Theatre showed slides of the wonder of the mechanism of the canals. Many attending the lecture seemed surprised to hear that there was no pumping required to fill the locks but that the original design used gravity to do the lifting of the water levels. At turndown that night, the steward had left a brochure with a detailed map on one side and a sketch of the various lock mechanisms on the reverse side.
As Royal Princess approached the first locks, the crowd on the decks was three deep and standing in a hot sun despite the early morning start to the transit. A representative from the Panama Canal Commission was on board to give a p.a. commentary as the ship approached each significant section, and the description of the lock gates, the mechanism, the ‘mules’ or engines which guided our ship through the canal locks was very clear, though many passengers struggled to understand the slightly accented speech of the Panamanian speaker.
As we were raised through the three steps of Gatun Locks, the interest of many passengers flagged in the heat and humidity, and as we crossed the Gatun Lake, the rains came. It was the heaviest rain we have experienced, and though the Dickasons stayed on deck, it was under the shelter of the lifeboats on the promenade deck. We realized why the supply of water for the canal locks was never in jeopardy; with rain like that, Gatun Lake would fill very easily - and it rained daily our guide said. The bridge camera of the ship provided a view which was shown during the day on TV, so many passengers went below to the comfort of the stateroom or to a bar to watch progress towards the final set of locks.
After the crossing of the lake, the rain stopped as our ship went into the Gaillard Cut [see photo left below], site of many accidents and deaths in the construction of the canal. It took years to stabilize the slopes of what was called then the Calebra Cut, and we saw efforts to widen the cut as we passed through to the next locks.
More passengers came on deck for the final locks, and the tallest gates in the canal system. At this point the announcer gave facts and figures which were quite mind-boggling..... the lowest toll for a transit [a swimmer - 36 cents] and the highest [over $100 000 - our ship would have been close to that figure]. The fastest transit was by a navy hydrofoil
at under 3 hours, whereas the average time for cargo ships was 24 hours, and for cruise ships, 8 to 10 hours from one ocean to the other.
Our day in the transit of the canal was over by 3.30pm as we headed to the Bridge of the Americas and then out past the breakwater to the Pacific Ocean. There were very few passengers on deck to witness this final stage of a journey which, for the Dickasons, had been a long time coming. The final photograph of the transit shows this famous bridge in the distance, and a very wet deck from the torrential rains which returned as we headed to the Pacific.
After changing for dinner, Les sat in a lounge and gazed at the Pacific as Royal Princess steamed north towards Mexico. A woman emerged from the elevator, walked to the windows, and in all seriousness asked, “which lake is that out there?’ Incredulously, given the amount of information already provided by the maps and the guide’s announcements during the day, Les replied “That, madam, is the Pacific Ocean.” The passenger looked at Les in disbelief and said, “Oh I don’t think so - I live in Oregon, and I don’t recognize this as the ocean.” This comment has been quoted often since as a classic in what the Dickasons later termed “The Komedy Klub” - amusing comments of passengers on cruise ships.
Disembarkation in Acapulco was anti-climactic, as was the wait in the airport for the flight back to Vancouver. No snow remained on the ground at the airport there, and our return to Nanaimo was a huge contrast to our departure two weeks earlier.
Les retired from Malaspina University-College at the end of January 1997 and for the first time in many years there was great flexibility in time available for travel. We went on a “sampler’ two day cruise on Holland America on the advice of friends who recommended the style of cruising on that line. Statendaam left Vancouver and had one day at Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State, with two nights aboard before returning to Vancouver. For a variety of reasons we were not impressed, the weather did not cooperate, our dining experience was inferior to that on Princess, and there was an unfortunate accident during dinner on the second night. The traditional procession of waiters carrying Baked Alaska desserts took place even though it was just a two night cruise. Instead of ‘sterno’ flames above the dessert, Holland America used sparklers, which very effectively lit the dimmed dining room.
However, after the parade had passed, Les felt a pinch on his leg, and looked down to find that a spark from a passing cake had flown onto his thigh, burned a hole through the material of his pants and had scorched his skin. The subsequent steps to have Holland America pay for either the repair or replacement of the trousers proved lengthy, involved and amusing. The final stage was the packaging of the trousers, mailing them to the line’s head office along with a receipt to show the value of the trousers. Some months later, a cheque did arrive to cover the cost of buying replacement trousers.
Many table-mates and other passengers on our Princess cruises, when asked what their favourite itinerary was, put the Canada/New England fall colours cruise at the top of their list. So, in October 1998, passage on Royal Princess from New York City to Montreal was reserved. A flight to New York City, two nights in a hotel there, and a flight home from Montreal rounded out the booking for the 10 day cruise.
After our landing in Newark a van carried us and two other cruisers towards Manhattan. Our eyes were glued on the setting sun’s reflections off the skyscrapers which we identified excitedly before heading into the Lincoln Tunnel to cross the Hudson River and reach ‘downtown.’ Princess had booked us into the Millennium Hotel on West 44th, and it proved to be a modern glass-clad building not far from Broadway.
Research before we left home had produced the names of two or three nearby restaurants which were highly recommended, and the Dickasons stepped outside the door of the hotel after changing that evening to find one of them, Trattoria Dopo Teatro, directly across the street. As we enjoyed the buffet of antipasto to begin our meal, we could have sworn the man eating at a table in the corner was a ‘Don’ we had seen in Mafia-themed movies.
Our one full day in NYC had some disappointing moments and some great ones. We took the bus down to the World Trade Center, planning to ride the elevator to the top to see the remarkable view. However, by the time we reached the famous towers, the low ceiling resulted in no tickets being sold for the ride to the top until much later in the day. Our plan B was to walk back to mid-town and ride to the top of the Empire State Building, but the same problem was evident there. However, we
did manage to pass the Flatiron Building, see Soho, the Garment District, Times Square, and the Rockefeller Center before heading to the hotel for a rest so we would be wide awake for the absolute highlight of the day..... The Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center.
Months earlier the Dickasons had bought tickets for October 8th and were delighted to find the performance that evening would be Samson et Dalila, starring two favourite singers, Placido Domingo and Olga Borodina, with James Levine conducting. Though our seats were in an upper level, the experience for opera buffs who had listened to Saturday Afternoon at the Opera broadcasts from the Met on CBC radio for over 25 years was spine-tingling.
On our second morning in the big apple we walked the shopping streets past Saks and FAO Schwartz and visited a small part of Central Park and ate a lunch of hot dogs from a street vendor before heading to the hotel to be ready for our transfer to the ship at the dock. Soon after Royal Princess set sail, she passed the Statue of Liberty on one side and the World Trade Center Towers [ironically clear of the clouds by this time] on the other, then out to sea.
This itinerary was port intensive, with five different towns or cities in the first five days. We tendered ashore first in Newport, Rhode Island, in the mist and rain. With Princess umbrellas in hand or overhead, we used a self-guided walking trail map to visit the Tennis Hall of Fame with its grass courts deserted in the rain. We shook our heads in disbelief as we passed ‘cottages’ used for decades by the rich and famous who visited these mansions [along with butlers, maids and cooks] from New York each summer. The names on our map were very well known: Vanderbilt, Astor, Kennedy and more. 
Our visit to Boston started with taking a shuttle bus from the port to downtown, again to follow a self-guided walking tour of the historic landmarks of the downtown area, many on the Freedom Trail. In very quick succession we visited or walked past Faneuil Hall, commemorative plaques and statues for Paul Revere, Samuel Adams [the signer of the Declaration of Independence, not the brewer], and past Paul Revere’s house before enjoying Little Italy and the Warehouse District where we had lunch which included delicious Boston Clam Chowder.
The weather was kinder in Boston, and the Princess umbrellas were not needed, though the rain began when we were shuttling back to the port on the bus. [Paul Revere Statue - Boston at right]
It was time for tendering ashore again in Bar Harbor, Maine, but only after Royal Princess had carefully found a path through the markers of the many lobster pots in Frenchman’s Bay. Our pre-cruise research had shown that there was little to see in Bar Harbor, and that the best of the fall colours would be in the nearby forests, so the Dickasons purchased tickets for a shore excursion bus and visited Cadillac Mountain and Acadia National Park. Despite the grey day, the colours were very vibrant, and a different palette of colours to the one we were accustomed to on the west coast. Many of the pinks and oranges were apparently due to the proliferation of sugar maples.
At dinner that night, lobster [from Maine?] was featured. Around midnight our ship was scheduled to cross into Canadian waters, pass into the Bay of Fundy and dock the next morning in St. John, New Brunswick, for our first visit to this province. Unfortunately, it was a bitterly cold fall day, with a temperature of just 7C when we ate breakfast before walking ashore. The welcoming jazz band dressed in tuxes and bow ties was shivering even though seated in a specially equipped van with a drop down side. The Dickasons walked briskly to the main street, then into the historic General Store, but decided to return to the warmth of the ship rather than follow the waterfront walk as we had planned.
The last of the five ports in a row was Halifax, Nova Scotia, and the sun shone brightly as Royal Princess passed a large US aircraft carrier which was anchored in the harbour, and docked right downtown. In contrast to the previous day, it was very pleasant to visit the Endeavour replica, stroll up to the Citadel for the interesting history tour with slides and music, and spend time in the Maritime Museum with the emphasis on the great explosion and of course the sinking of the Titanic.
Cruising at sea and in rivers followed for almost two full days. First the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, then up the Saguenay River with many hours spent whale watching given that these waters are considered a prime territory for spotting Right whales and dolphins. Oddly enough, when ‘whale watching’ was listed in the daily sheet on board for say, 4pm, the whales did apear, although distant enough to make taking photographs without telephoto lenses difficult.
The colours of the trees on the banks as we cruised up the rivers were mainly yellows now, but still quite a contrast to the evergreens. The Dickasons had time to read, walk on deck, and discuss the changes in Royal Princess since the Panama Canal cruise. It was disappointing to find that Princess had dropped the sommeliers - wine orders were given to a waiter, who told a bar steward, who brought the wine or gave it to an assistant waiter to serve. The timing never seemed to be quite right, and some assistant waiters were not skilled at cork removal or brought the wrong wine.
Late on the second day of cruising, back now in the Seaway, a pilot came aboard at 10.30pm and we docked in Quebec City at 11pm right on schedule. Many passengers went ashore for a late night drink or snack. Others walked the deck trying to identify the main skyline features they would visit the following day.
All enjoyed a day of brilliant sunshine in Quebec City - with the fall colours being very pronounced, and the merchants and street entertainers had a wonderful time with so many happy tourists. The Dickasons walked back to see ‘their’ hotel from Young Voyageur days, strolled through the gate in the wall out of the old city, rambled on the Plains of Abraham, and sent postcards to Australia. Time allowed a visit to the Augustine Monastery, and a walk back along the new riverside walk past the old railway station with its copper roof sining in the sun.
Just before the 5pm sail-away, Les walked ashore again, climbed to a viewpoint and captured the Royal Princess and the colours of the fall in this lovely old city. At dinner, the Dickasons were very pleased to find that the table-mates had thoroughly enjoyed their day in Quebec City even though they had previously expressed concern about language barriers and rumours of shopkeepers refusing to speak English. Theirs was a wonderful day; they had not met with any rudeness, and they loved the souvenirs, food and sights ashore.
The overnight cruise to Montreal was a slow and calm one, with the ship passing under the Jaques Cartier bridge before breakfast, and docking was completed soon afterwards.
Royal Princess would spend the day and night in her berth in Montreal before passengers were to disembark on the following day. The Dickasons spent time wandering along the renovated waterfront, watching the Sunday kite flyers, then ventured into the old town area where jugglers, buskers and other street entertainers drew large crowds in squares and on street corners.
Catching a bus to the Botanical Gardens and walking there filled the afternoon ashore. We were fascinated by how dominant the Halloween theme was throughout the Gardens, even though the actual day itself was over a week away. That and the fall colours made this a memorable afternoon for our last day on this itinerary.
One more Princess cruise before the Dickasons changed direction with their seaborne adventures. Later that year, we flew to Los Angeles to board one of the newest ships in the fleet, Crown Princess. We had been persuaded by the sales manager on Royal Princess to take advantage of discounted deals on the first Mexican Riviera sailing of this large ship [3080 passengers compared to Royal’s 1550] which would depart from Los Angeles and return there a week later.
Our travel agent was able to arrange a flight from LA to Vancouver a few days after the cruise so that we could rent a car and visit friends, Janet and Roy, who were living in Claremont, an hour’s drive east of the big city.
Upon arrival in LA, while waiting for our last suitcase before boarding the Princess shuttle to San Pedro to embark, we were approached by two other cruisers who had flown in on a multi-leg red-eye journey from Toronto. Having made no prior bookings, and not having the Princess package, Chuck and Marcie asked how we were planning to travel to the ship. We explained that there was a Princess shuttle and suggested they ask the agent with the clipboard if she could sell them seats on the Princess bus. Grateful for the advice, and with shuttle tickets in hand, they rejoined us to chat. Chuck had recently retired as a Principal in Ontario, Marcie was a retired nurse, and our interests seemed to parallel theirs. Seated behind us on the bus trip, they both fell asleep, and when we reached the huge warehouse terminal building, we separated - they to the long line for A to C, we to the even longer D to G line. We promised to meet for a drink on the ship.
The long, slow moving lines for embarkation were just a precursor of queues to come on this cruise. The Dickasons quickly realized that they were not a good fit with the Grand class of ships. Although the design of the ship was very effective, and public spaces and staterooms were very good to wonderful, whenever there was an activity involving many people, the lines formed and moved slowly.
Leaving the ship in ports visited, or returning and being checked through security all took longer than on any cruise previously. When the Captain’s Circle [frequent cruiser program] events were scheduled, a slow shuffling line formed to gain entrance. The sheer number of passengers meant Pat and Les could not find Chuck and Marcie. When walking on deck or eating breakfast and lunch in either the buffet or dining room, the Dickasons did not see them - until the night we left the final port to sail north to LA. The fact that the two couples had different dinner seating times resulted in schedules with little in common, but they found us in our favourite bar when they came from dinner and we were yet to eat.
We exchanged home and e-mail addresses and arranged to meet again the following night. However, with heavy seas and strong winds [the ‘peckers’ - a nickname the Mexicans give winds blowing off the Gulf of Tehuantepecer] the last day at sea caused a disruption to many plans. Despite the size of Crown Princess and her stabilizers, the ship cork-screwed all day and many people did not leave their staterooms. Chuck and Marcie phoned to say they would not be meeting us for drinks as arranged.
That night the dining room had approximately 20% of the usual diners present, and glassware was replaced by plastic at the tables. The assistant maitre d’ for our section of the dining room had time to chat and answer questions, and when we remarked on the ‘grey jackets’ who on this cruise were not preparing and serving the small plates of pasta, he admitted it was not just on Crown, but a fleet wide decision.
On the port days on this cruise, we had few exciting times. In Puerto Vallarta, we discovered the cruise ship dock was near where the Dickasons had spent Christmas many years ago. We strolled the very changed streets away from the beach and new dock area, and found Suites Las Garzas just as we remembered it. In Mazatlan, we resisted the temptation to take a taxi north to the beaches to check on Suites Las Flores, and instead walked the waterfront and the streets of old town.
Recommendations had been read for the Botanic Gardens in Acapulco, so we strolled in the hot sun along the waterfront, went inland a block or two and entered the Gardens. There were not very inspiring or impressive, and we were distressed by the conditions of many of the birds in the aviaries, which we thought an odd addition to a botanic garden.
We did not risk the lines for the tenders to go ashore at Cabo San Lucas, and instead spent a very relaxing day on board. As the Dickasons have said many times since, the ship is a wonderful resort when all the ‘crazy people’ go ashore. On the sea days on this cruise, we played shuffleboard several times and with that activity, table tennis and putting, we found an accumulating pile of ribbons with medals [replacements for the usual prizes on earlier cruises]. The final of the putting competition was a great entertainment for the spectators. Earlier morning qualifying rounds had been in lounges with indoor/outdoor carpet rolled out for the competitions. Winners of earlier rounds were invited to the atrium for the final, only to find that the putting course started on the top level, continued down the stairs, and finished on the lowest level - all on an afternoon when the heavy seas meant that standing was difficult, not to mention putting a ball downstairs.
Trivia, a favourite past-time in the evenings of previous cruises introduced a new, less than satisfactory [to us], wrinkle. After the Dickasons had teamed with two very sharp South Africans and had been tied for first place on the first night, the activity manager broke the tie by asking “what do the initials S.N.C.F. stand for in France?” Les remembered from his stamp collecting days and correctly answered, and our team won the gold medal. Then the activity manager announced that Princess was implementing a new rule which prevented teams from playing together more than once. He said there had been complaints that some teams dominated and won too many prizes, so the new rule was introduced. That night of trivia was the Dickason’s swan-song.... in a minor protest against the new rule we have not played on board since.
The final day dawned with slightly lessened winds, though the seas were still lumpy, and many passengers were not seen at breakfast. The public address announcement informed us that the changes of course necessitated by the winds and rough seas had delayed our arrival into the port of LA by more than 4 hours.
By the time the lines had formed for Immigration and Customs, and re-formed for disembarkation, there was total confusion on the dock. The passengers who were due to embark for the next cruise that afternoon were now in the building along with those leaving. When the Dickasons finally had collected luggage and emerged from the building, it was after 2pm, and the rental car desk further along the pier where we were to have collected our car for the drive to Claremont - was closed. Apparently the agency had not received word that the ship was delayed, and it always closed early on Sunday.
The two longest lines for the day were for taxis and for pay phones. Soon after 3pm, Les finally managed to reach a pay phone to call the car rental company to discuss the pick-up of the reserved car. After three phone calls, the first two producing recorded messages, Les learned that the closest rental agency was in a hotel in Long Beach, and that it closed at 4pm.
The line for taxis inched along, and the disembarking passengers became grumpier and grumpier, especially those who had been sea-sick for more than 24 hours. It was not a happy scene, but it had a happy ending for the Dickasons who claimed a taxi, and reached the hotel just 5 minutes before the car rental agency office closed. Having phoned our friends in Claremont, all that remained was to drive there, and relax, only 7 hours late for lunch.
In sum, the Crown Princess had proven too large for the Dickason’s taste, and the other changes made on Princess resulted in a total switch for future travel.
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