A Strange Guy In paradise

I was on a back to back cruise...after the Mexico portion I just walked off...walked to Safeways and walked back on so no embarkation to speak of

The food was ok...very similar to the Mexican cruise food...so I was less excited about the food ...Sabatini’s was surprisingly good...great menu well prepared and well presented...The Crown Grill was good...but I had eaten there enough times do that it had lost some of the thrill...because we had taken a back to back cruise we were confined to our cabin a day and a half before the rest of the passengers...we were checked on by the Maitre d’ and we could order off of the menu...they even sent a bottle of wine for the first lunch and dinner...once the quarantine went ship wide...breakfast was take it or leave it...lunch and dinner we were given two choices

The cruise director staff member Marinda was great with The Pop Choir she made it fun with different songs and the passengers loved it...I also loved the evening movie trivia...I only saw one live show ...the comedian...I did not care for him...but to be fair...another act was scheduled and something might have happened to the performer...so he might have had to improvise a set...during the quarantine they showed a performance of “Born to Dance” on our television ...it was great... Iran and Rowena the Hawaiian Ambassadors were out standing...they patiently taught both ukulele and Hula to the passengers...Brian really showed off his skills with evening performances in the plaza...Rowena conducted several talks about Hawaii, the culture, sights and history..they treated everyone as if they were family...and not the standard greetings that service industry personnel give...but a true warm feeling......Rowena has a book out called...”Tandom Acts of Aloha”...(available on Amazon”...if you are fortunate to be on a cruise with them...I strongly urge you to attend their shows and talks and get to know them...you won’t regret it it was also nice that there were two Communion services and an Ash Wednesday service...there was a Sabboth service available ...the Maitre d’ wine tasting wS greT...I was amazed at how the food changed the wine experience...the small bites changed the flavor...it was the first time in my half century plus plus plus life that I was truly aware that I had the impact of good o wine had any part of my awareness

Our cabin steward ...cabin C629...was not sociable but he was incredibly professional and efficient...he remained nearly invisible...but the evidence of his presence was always there...even though I rarely saw him the room was always cleaned promptly...if I needed something he got it for us immediately ...even during the unpleasant quarantine he provided as much service as he could ...our waiter Erick and the assistant waiter Marjianna... Botticelli table 265 were attentive offering excellent service...our steward and waiter staff are a credit to Princess...definitely enhancing our cruising e oerience..sadly there were issues our experiences with room service were iffy at best and went into a free fall during the quarantine ...I understand the difficulties of trying to serve 2000passengers with a system not setup for it...but room service orders were a gamble...mrs-the-old-guy and myself would play a game called...how badly could they mess up our order...during the entire quarantine we never received our order...we started dropping down to asking for just one item...and what was delivered wasn’t even close....but we would laugh...and if what was delivered could not be eaten...we have certain food allergies...we would put it outside for disposal...and on one note worthy day...during the quarantine our dinner arrived at12P.M....and on more than one occasion it took 2-4 hours to get tea...but that is not a normal service...just an occasion that they were not prepared for and could not handle

The Grand Lady is a Lady who has provided service for over 20 years ...but I still enjoy her lines and style...the elevators are an issue ...but in my 29 years of cruising or of being in any building the elevators are never the high point of any experience...sadly one of the two elevators servicing the Botticelli dining room were out of service...severely impacting those with mobility issues .., of the six elevators servicing the mid ship 2 -3 elevators would be out of service...it was an inconvenience to have them non operational...of course I would prefer them taken out of service rather than being stuck on one...or experiencing a free falling elevator while I used the floor as a toiletwould prefer that they were taken out of service in

The room was comfortable ...the bed very comfortable...I fo love the on demand tv with a significant number of choices including a number of movies that had just left the theater...during the quarantine they opened the on demand selections to over 200...we watched 50 movies and a large number of television shows...one of the downsides of the quarantine is that we always take an inside cabin...it is cheaper and we only plan to sleep and shower there... but for six days the windowless room became smaller and less comfortable for two people with generous proportions

The quarantine with ever changing CDC process’ made the disembarkation a confusing mess that stretched out for many days...last I heard...there are still passengers confined to the ship two weeks after we left...I do not blame the ship staff...on day one they had 300 passengers lined up for hours...after letting 165 leave they sent the rest back to their cabins...of course their luggage was sent to the air force base to be left outside the quarantine hotel...my review of the quarantine is in my chat room post