Staying Aboard Again in San Juan

We pulled into San Juan before dawn on the morning of the 19th, and we had to go through security (Immigration) after having been at St. Kitts just like we did in St. Thomas after we 'visited' the Bahamas. This time they called the end of the alphabet first so we were the last called.

People getting off the ship

When I walked out on deck, it was quite hot and humid, and we were docked on the far pier - three over from where the Crown had been when it was in San Juan. I had intended to ride the ferry at least, but it was too hot to walk over there, so we just looked from the deck.

From the deck looking over to the ferry dock

We saw the ship was discharging something into a tanker truck through a green hose. Don't know what it was but I think it was probably sewage.

Tanker truck on the pier

We could also see the US Custom and Border Protection office on the second floor of the building next to the ship.

US Customs and Border Protection office

Looking out past the building

The NCL Jewel came in and was docked between us and the ferry dock. Our ship maintenance people were working on chipping the paint off the railings outside of our room and repainting them.

Crew working on the railing

Later they took that section of the railing out and hung a chain across the gap with a sign that said "Do Not Enter". I thought that was amusing since all that was on the other side was the ocean.

Do Not Enter sign through our window

The Maasdam was scheduled to leave around lunchtime, but we went up to the Rotterdam dining room anyway as I was under the impression that we would be back to San Juan (we would not), so I thought I would run outside to take pictures of El Moro when the time came. But when we cast off from the dock, it was quite overcast and the light was flat and not at all dramatic, so I just took some pictures from inside the dining room.

El Moro from the dining room

Picture of El Moro from in the dining room

El Moro from the dining room

San Juan from the ship as we left port

I had chilled cranberry soup with yogurt in it (very good), and a

Corned beef sandwich on toast.

Bob had the Caribbean Burger, and he told them he didn't want the bun or the cheese (a cheeseburger without cheese), and they brought it on the bun with cheese anyway.

Caribbean Cheeseburger - no cheese and no bun

When he removed the bun and cheese the waiter was astonished and has remembered Bob and every time he saw him afterwards he said "Cheeseburger with no bun and no cheese".

For dessert, we had what they said was pineapple upside down cake, but it wasn't really.

Pineapple right side up cake

It was a cupcake sized sponge cake sitting in chocolate and vanilla sauce with a round of pineapple and a cherry in the middle on top.

For dinner, I started out with

Bay shrimps cocktail (tiny little shrimp in an individual metal compote)

and Bob had

Citrus Delight with Amaretto (orange, pineapple and grapefruit with cranberry apple vinaigrette)

Then we both had the

Chilled Cranberry Soup

again. It was good. Bob had the

Medallion of Veal With Lemon Caper Sauce

and I had the

Roasted Quail Stuffed with Spinach and Goat Cheese

For dessert, I had

Sachertorte

and Bob had a sundae.

Strawberry sensation cake from Rona

Towel animal with a paper cover for a glass as a face

January 20, 2006 - At Sea

This was a sea day, and I uploaded a lot of photos, and incurred another $100 charge for another 250 minutes (my third $100 charge of this cruise). The internet is faster than I remember it being on the Crown, but is still a little unreliable, although I found a plug on the wall in the 6th floor atrium and could sit on the floor and log on from there.

Baby endive and baby spinach, sliced avocado, mandarin oranges and strawberries (lunch)

Spicy Sante Fe wrap

I tried one last time to get them to switch us from room 388 to room 362 (our current room) or to room 364 across the hall, but they wouldn't do it. Bob continued to worry about how the move would be accomplished. I don't remember whether we went to Team Trivia, and I don't think we went to the show that night, or at least not together.

Christmas decorations

Dinner that night was formal, and they came and took a picture of us all. Bob was sort of trapped and couldn't get out of it. I had

Snails

Caribbean Bouillabaisse

Surf and Turf (lobster tail, petite filet mignon with asparagus and rice pilaf)

The waiters put on a show and marched around the dining room singing, and for dessert everyone had baked Alaska.

Baked Alaska

The room steward did a cobra as a towel animal.

Cobra towel animal

Bob went to the last talk by the speaker (on volcanoes) by himself. I spend the time in the internet cafe.

January 21, 2006 - At Sea

On the 21st, they had Breakfast Specials (Grilled Bockwurst, hominy grits and two eggs or Chocolate Chip French Toast or Cranberry Pancakes).

Breakfast special

Breakfast table

I had the hominy grits.

The Front Desk gave us (they stick things under the door or stick them behind our cabin number on the wall of the hall) the room keys for the new room (which assuaged one of Bob's fears about what would happen if we got locked out while moving), and gave us instructions for what to do the next day. We went up and got our pictures taken for the ship computers for the next cruise. If we were getting off, we were to use our old room key to get off and the new one to get on. But rain was forecast for Norfolk (and it did in fact rain) so we said we weren't getting off.

Pasta Fagioli

Exotic tropical fruits cocktail

Pickled cucumber salad (which came with a Salmon BLT)

Berry crumble a la mode

We went to the Cruise Director Doug Dunnell's debarkation talk, but none of it applied to us. The directions they gave us said to leave things on hangers, but Bob packed his bags anyway. The steward took away our collection of towel animals and also our fruit basket. AND the little plastic thing that holds the shampoo bottles. Not the shampoo - just the rack. (Do people take those? What for?)

Appetizer

My dinner

Bob's Dinner

Rona's dinner for a photo

Strawberry shortcake?

I went up to the photo gallery on the way to the last show - I got a free 8x12 photo as part of the package, and I picked up the one taken at the formal dinner the night before which was a 5x7,

Formal night photo - front Al, and Rona - back Linda, Bob and me

so they gave me a free post card to make up the difference.

Sunset

Prior to the main show was a parade of the crew, and our cabin steward was one of the first in that line, holding aloft a towel elephant wearing large sunglasses.

Our steward on the left

The show had a guy named Doug Mattocks (a musician), the 'physical' comedian (Tom Murphy) who wasn't much good, and a trumpet player Charles Raymond.

December 22nd - Moving Day

We went past Cape Henry in the early dark, and Bob saw it but failed to waken me, so I missed it again.

Early morning

We had breakfast in the dining room,

Dining room at breakfast

and then after our new room was cleaned, we moved all our suitcases and my hanging things. It worked pretty well actually although I had to ask several times for a plan of day. The only problem was - they didn't tell us our dinner table, although I knew we were early upper seating at 5:45.

I went out to the atrium on our deck and used up the last of my internet minutes - as soon as the first call came in for people to debark, I was cut off.