After having the four ports in four days I will then get a respite and have four seas day before arriving at Fortaleza and the start of the Brazilian portion of the cruise.
To be honest I am not one who by nature can sit still and not become bored so finding things to do for those four days will likely present a bit of a challenge for me.
The first day will be fine as I will based on previous cruises wear myself ragged in the ports and as well as one who doesn`t handle a lot of sun and heat will likely just collapse in my cabin and rest up - will also likely have a lots of pictures taken - it`s not uncommon for me to shoot 200 + images in the ports and even though I have been to three of the first four ports before will still take lots of images - so part of one day could be spent editing these images.
I still am working on devising a plan on how to handle the thousand of pictures and some video that I will be shooting - will put them on the net book but need a backup - unless I buy a portable DVD player which is an option - Santa are you listening - I will need to use either flash drives or SD media cards - adding to the fun is my Samsung tablet which uses a mini-SD card.
Even deciding which cameras to bring is another part of the equation - I have a point and shot digital, a DSLR + telephone lens but have problems with it in that there is some dust on the inner mirror that requires a good cleaning that when taking pictures in bright sunlight leaves a blotch on the image - it is however useful in dull light and having a long lens provides more shooting options - my third camera is my new Nikon P150 which has 42x optic zoom and a video feature - this is probably the one that will get the most usage - will probably use the point and shoot in places like Rio when I am not on a tour because it is small and fits into my pocket.
My fourth camera is a Sony video digital camcorder - one advantages I have is that all of these cameras use the same SD media card.
I will bring some books with me and will try and load a few more on the tablet and use those to pass the time and if I can get my act together will try and record lots of my favorite music onto a mini SD card for the tablet.
I anticipate that we will likely got lectures on the upcoming ports so that will pass some more time and as we will cross the Equator on this leg of the trip I am sure there will be some sort of ceremony marking the occasion.
Doing laundry may be another option - it isn`t entirely known if Princess will be offering laundry service or whether we will be compelled to use the self- service ones. Response to this is mixed on the cruise critic board so likely will have to wait and see how it plays out.
I also like to do crossword puzzles and work search games and have loaded some apps onto the tablet that don`t require wi-fi to use so that should help to pass some time.
As I will be buying some Internet minutes - a lot in fact that should pass some more time.
Then there are the 300 or so cruise critic members who are on board and who I will meet either the night before at a little meet or greet or the first fill sea day when we meet on board - hopefully will be able to chat with them during the sea days and pass the time that way - there are a number of Canadians on board and if we ever get hockey back up and running we will likely be able to have a few friendly discussions about our favorite teams.
There are other from the Metro Vancouver area and over on Vancouver Island so they may also help pass the time.
Well that`s all for now from rainy Vancouver.
Cheers
D
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
4 ports in 4 days
I promised some posts ago to start giving my ideas on what I might do in the various ports and sea days that I will be visiting so here is the first of them.
After leaving Fort Lauderdale late afternoon we will then have 2 full sea days before arriving in St. Thomas the US Virgin Islands - this will be the first of four consecutive port days - I will then visit Antigua, Barbados and Trinidad. The first three I have been to on at least two other occasions while Trinidad and Port of Spain will be a new one.
As a result I have only booked a tour in Barbados and it will be to Harrison Caves - they were closed for reconstruction the last time I was there so I will do a 3 hour ships tour and then spend the rest of the time wandering around the downtown area - there are three other ships in port the same day so the tourist spots and internet cafes will be swamped.
In both St Thomas and Antigua I intend to play it by ear - if I see something of interest shore wise I might do something otherwise just walk the town and take lots of photos.
For Port of Spain, Trinidad I have signed up for a ships tour and a little bit of adventure - it will be a four hour excursion to a waterfall - after a short stop at St Joseph Church we will then spend about an hour travelling to the Falls and a 45 walk to them - there will be a chance to dip our toes in the water if we choose - I enjoy waterfalls and will often book them to get some exercise.
As I have nine hours in total in Port of Spain should also have time to take in the historic and business part of the port.
By the time I finish with the four ports in four days I will be ready for a rest.
Cheers
After leaving Fort Lauderdale late afternoon we will then have 2 full sea days before arriving in St. Thomas the US Virgin Islands - this will be the first of four consecutive port days - I will then visit Antigua, Barbados and Trinidad. The first three I have been to on at least two other occasions while Trinidad and Port of Spain will be a new one.
As a result I have only booked a tour in Barbados and it will be to Harrison Caves - they were closed for reconstruction the last time I was there so I will do a 3 hour ships tour and then spend the rest of the time wandering around the downtown area - there are three other ships in port the same day so the tourist spots and internet cafes will be swamped.
In both St Thomas and Antigua I intend to play it by ear - if I see something of interest shore wise I might do something otherwise just walk the town and take lots of photos.
For Port of Spain, Trinidad I have signed up for a ships tour and a little bit of adventure - it will be a four hour excursion to a waterfall - after a short stop at St Joseph Church we will then spend about an hour travelling to the Falls and a 45 walk to them - there will be a chance to dip our toes in the water if we choose - I enjoy waterfalls and will often book them to get some exercise.
As I have nine hours in total in Port of Spain should also have time to take in the historic and business part of the port.
By the time I finish with the four ports in four days I will be ready for a rest.
Cheers
Less than 75 days to go
I hadn`t been keeping a close eye on the count down clock for a week or so but was reminded that the sail away is getting closer when I read a post on our cruise critic thread about our edocs being ready for printing so into the Princess web site I go - have printed out the boarding pass and luggage tags. This occurred at the 75 day mark.
The group is in the process of organizing a pre-cruise meet and greet at either the Marriott hotel - there are a bunch of us staying there or at a nearby restaurant.
I have also started to work on my packing list - while the ship has self-serve laundromats I am lazy when it comes to doing laundry at the best of times so I am trying to determine if Princess offers a bag full of laundry at a special price and if so how often it might be offered on our cruise - ideally I would like to have it done about once a week and thus be able to cut down on how much to pack - the response from the cruisers is mixed - its look likes that since Princess has self-serve laundries they may not offer the laundry service that is common on NCL.
I have most of my excursions all planned and will in the next month start contacting the bank, credit card companies etc about foreign transactions on my cards etc.
I have brought some extra media cards for my devices and will likely purchase one of the internet plans on the ship to help keep in touch.
One project that I am going try to do some research on is the location of internet cafes or free wi-fi locations in our various ports.
I now have a new Samsung tablet which I got as part of a package or bundle with my TV, phone and internet provider and are learning how to us it and loading lots of apps including one for a web site called www.triposo.com which is loaded with worthwhile info and has some good sites on some of the South American ports.
One feature that I like on the Samsung that I don`t have on the Blackberry is a miniSD slot - this will come in handy as I can preload some with music and use them also for some photo storage.
From my cruise documents I now know which berth or terminal we will be leaving from in Port Everglades which is the port located in Fort Lauderdale - it will be Pier 2/Terminal 2 - this as I understand and from looking at the map of the port is one of the better locations - it is just inside the terminal entrance and only a short distance from the hotel - it is walkable but with the amount of luggage or rather with at least three pieces of luggage it might be more prudent to take a taxi the short distance.
Still trying to determine where we will be docking in St Thomas, the US Virgin Islands - there are six ships in port that day - there are two terminials - Havensight or Crown Point - i have been to the former but not the latter - Princess in the past has used both - only reason I am trying to ascertain where we berth has more to do with what I may plan there - Havensight is closer to the main town center and has good shopping right at the pier while Crown Point is further away - it on the other side of the main town and doesn`t appear to be walkable - they will likely run some type of shuttle if need be.
Cheers and more later.
The group is in the process of organizing a pre-cruise meet and greet at either the Marriott hotel - there are a bunch of us staying there or at a nearby restaurant.
I have also started to work on my packing list - while the ship has self-serve laundromats I am lazy when it comes to doing laundry at the best of times so I am trying to determine if Princess offers a bag full of laundry at a special price and if so how often it might be offered on our cruise - ideally I would like to have it done about once a week and thus be able to cut down on how much to pack - the response from the cruisers is mixed - its look likes that since Princess has self-serve laundries they may not offer the laundry service that is common on NCL.
I have most of my excursions all planned and will in the next month start contacting the bank, credit card companies etc about foreign transactions on my cards etc.
I have brought some extra media cards for my devices and will likely purchase one of the internet plans on the ship to help keep in touch.
One project that I am going try to do some research on is the location of internet cafes or free wi-fi locations in our various ports.
I now have a new Samsung tablet which I got as part of a package or bundle with my TV, phone and internet provider and are learning how to us it and loading lots of apps including one for a web site called www.triposo.com which is loaded with worthwhile info and has some good sites on some of the South American ports.
One feature that I like on the Samsung that I don`t have on the Blackberry is a miniSD slot - this will come in handy as I can preload some with music and use them also for some photo storage.
From my cruise documents I now know which berth or terminal we will be leaving from in Port Everglades which is the port located in Fort Lauderdale - it will be Pier 2/Terminal 2 - this as I understand and from looking at the map of the port is one of the better locations - it is just inside the terminal entrance and only a short distance from the hotel - it is walkable but with the amount of luggage or rather with at least three pieces of luggage it might be more prudent to take a taxi the short distance.
Still trying to determine where we will be docking in St Thomas, the US Virgin Islands - there are six ships in port that day - there are two terminials - Havensight or Crown Point - i have been to the former but not the latter - Princess in the past has used both - only reason I am trying to ascertain where we berth has more to do with what I may plan there - Havensight is closer to the main town center and has good shopping right at the pier while Crown Point is further away - it on the other side of the main town and doesn`t appear to be walkable - they will likely run some type of shuttle if need be.
Cheers and more later.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)