Royal Princess Winemakers Dinner

This is our first time on a Royal Class ship, so we have decided that we want to experience

everything that is on offer.

The first of these experiences was the Wine Makers Dinner.  Held in a special section within the Concerto Dining room, the cost is $40 per person for a four course meal which includes wine.

Our evening started with a champagne cocktail as we introduced ourselves to our ten dinner companions for the night.  We sat around the huge table that was partitioned off from the rest of the dining room by rows and rows of wines all beautifully displayed in glass cabinets.

Our taste buds were teased with a prawn wrapped in pastry as a starter.  Then came a white bean and seafood soup, deliciously velvety to the taste.  The cheese gnocchi was to die for and he medallion would match any meat that we have eaten in the Sterling Steakhouse.

Of course all these dished were complemented  with very nice specially selected wines.

The meal was finished off with a delightful dessert of three different flavoured mouses set between several delicate cookies, all meals beautifully plated.

We enjoyed the food, the wine and the company and would happily recommend that you give it a go...

NB:  Later speaking with one of the couples we dined with, they also believed it was well worth the money as to compared with the Crown Grill (Steak House).  As mentioned above the cost for this dinner was $80 for two.  The Crown Grill is $60 for two, but I have also learnt that they charge you a service charge of $15 making the cost $75...…  So that means for an extra $5 the Wine Makers Dinner supplies Wine!...……..BTW all prices are in US $

Trinidad - We are here for a Trini Good Time

Sail in just doesn't feel the same when you can't stand up on the pointy bit at the front.   We miss running from side to side to ensure we capture the sun as it pokes it head up over the horizon, desperately trying to control your dress from flying up around your ears so that those having breakfast in the Horizon Court don't view more than they bargain for.  Waving at the bridge cam to your friends watching from the safety of their cabins.  There is nothing like viewing a port head on!
But alas we still head up to deck 16 and make the most of what we have.

From where we stood, it seems that Port of Spain sits flat at the foot of the mountains. This is most modern city that we have visited so far.  The only sign of anything Caribbean is the small colourful house fronts that decorate the port, and the sound the lone steel drum player makes as we walked along the wharf to the Terminal.  A few small shops inside the terminal and a small craft market is set up as you leave the port area.

Our tour today was with Trinidad Food Tours and Anthony was our guide.  We had been warned not to eat anything as our first stop this morning was a traditional Trini breakfast.

Just by the pier there is a small food market and they are open early for workers who need something to start the day.

Definitely not a breakfast that we are used to, mainly made up of vegetables that included spinach, okra, onions and potatoes stewed together eaten with delicious flatbread and coconut bread,  yummy enough to eat on their own.  To drink we had a variety of fruit juices to try which added more colour to our menu.   The food is influenced from a real melting pot of different cultures.  It was declared that there would not be such things as, Trini Africans, Trini Indians etc etc  they would all be Trinidadians (if there is such a word) and everyone is all the same.

One of the highlights of the tour was visiting the Magnificent Seven.  No, Yul, Charles or Clint have not moved here, this Magnificent Seven are a group of huge family mansions built in along Maraval Rd back in the very early 1900's .  Each with it's own characteristics. Architectural styles that include French Colonial, Scottish Baronial, Indian Empire and Moorish Mediterranean blended with a little Caribbean.  A couple in a little disrepair, but it seems that there is renovations going on to improve that.

Our tour around the city included views of their  entertainment centre which resembled a modern futuristic version of our opera house, or just a large grey armadillo.

We also stopped at a cemetery in the Botanical Gardens where anyone of any political importance is buried.  

After driving around the city we headed up to Fort George. Originally built to help protect Trinidad, now a place that boasts the most spectacular views of the Port of Spain.  Here one can also see the original cannons, dungeons, artefacts and the signal station which was established in 1802. 

For the Final leg of our tour we drove out to the Temple in the Sea.  This Hindu temple came about through perseverance and strength.  The temple was first built in 1947 by an Indian labour Sadhu, whose dream was build a place of worship.  This dream was short lived when the government decided that it was illegally built on state owned land.  Sadhu was not to be defeated and even a stint in jail did not discourage him, so he rebuilt his temple, this time in the sea to avoid further trouble.

With his bicycle as his only means of transport he brought the stone that formed the base of the temple.  If you can't beat them join them, and in 1964 the government reconstructed his temple in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Indians coming to Trinidad.

Another good tour... maybe not as foodie as we hoped, having missed our stop at the local market and a chance to try more delicacies due to our short stay in Port. Next best thing... Happy Hour in the van!!

Barbados Sailing

“Whooo, I'm going to Barbados,

Whooo, back to the palm trees,

Whooo, I'm going to see my boyfriend,

Whooo, in the sunny Caribbean sea,”

I can’t get this song out of my head as I write this blog entry…. And that Caribbean sun didn’t disappoint today.

Straight off one ship and straight onto another much smaller vessel.  Calabaza Sailing Cruises was the company we used. As soon as we disembarked a driver was there to pick us up and whisk us around to where the Catamaran was berthed.

  

All the other passengers were already on board and they were just waiting for us to arrive. 

It was  5pm somewhere in the world, so we didn't feel guilty as we sipped our delicious rum punch's. 

 There was no shortage of drinks and our very attentive hosts always ensured that we never went thirsty, hmm and they weren't bad to look at either 😊

We positioned ourselves at the best spot to sit on our cat, which is on the front net….  

Sun beaming, wind in your hair, glass in your hand, life doesn't much better than this.

Our first stop was a spot known for where the odd turtle could be found and sure enough as we snorkelled around we found them... or they found us.  Enticed by the food our host waved about.  At times it felt like you could just reach out and touch them.

Next stop was just off a beach where two shipwrecks lay on the ocean floor.  Deep down, but not too deep, so they are clearly visible as we snorkelled.  Pretty fish, a little coral and these funny black things swimming with oxygen tanks on their backs is what we saw. 

It was a pretty tough swim back to the Calabaza as most of it was against the current.  Luckily they supplied fins at this spot.  Needed another drink after that swim.

The sails were unfurled and we spent the next hour or so moving under the power of the wind.  We hugged the coast admiring houses and condominiums that we could never afford. 

Stopping in a small bay we had a wonderful lunch of delicious salads, meats and of course the bottomless glasses of Rum punch.

After deciding that we would not go in the water again, Sharon and I succumbed to the calls of the sparkling blue water and we jumped in for one last swim.   Finally the bell for all on board echoed and reluctantly we swam back to the cat and once again under sail we made our way back home.

It really was a wonderful day, our best so far.  Calabaza did a wonderful job in looking after us and I would highly recommend them, thankyou Marie for finding them.  https://www.sailcalabaza.com/

Not two days after this excursion we had an email with recipes of the food and drink that was on offer and also a link to the great pictures that they took. 

Great Day! Thankyou

Antigua

Our second port of call was Antigua and this time we only had to share our berth with two other ships. 

All went to plan and we easily found our hosts for the day, Tropical Adventures Antigua.  Kissoon our driver/guide ushered us into our Jeep more affectionately known as Spongebob.  

The tour started with a drive through the town with Kiss making a special diversion into Sir Viv Richards St and past his family home once he found out we were Australian.

Viv Richards grew up here

 Heading out of the town we started driving up into mountains to cross over the island.  Driving along dirt tracks had us being thrown around the jeep.  Seat belts were quickly fastened as the memories came flooding back of a similar experience in Tahiti in 2011, and it really felt like déjà vu when the rains came.  Rains…. Hang on didn’t Kiss just tell us that Antigua is in the midst of a serious drought…. “It wont last long” he called from the dry driver’s seat, but as the rain got heavier it seemed that maybe our arrival had broken the drought!

There is not major farming in Antigua and nearly all of their produce is imported from other islands.  But we did pass small hobby farms of fruit and veg and we believe hobby farms of a different sort.  It is now legal for people to be in possession of up to 15 grams of cannabis and grow 4 plants for recreational use.

Our first actual, get off the jeep stop was at Devils Bridge.  So named as slaves used to throw themselves off the bridge into the unforgiving swirling waters below to their certain death.  This driving around is hard work and suddenly Kiss produces a very lethal rum punch to take our minds off this inclement weather.

Next was Stingray City, for an up close encounter with the aforementioned creatures.

As the rain continued to sprinkle upon us, we signed our waivers and hopped onto the speed boats that took us to where the encounters took place. In waist deep water, the rays made a bee line towards us… not that they were attracted to us, but the food that our keepers brought with them.   We were shown how to correctly hold these small slimly squids so as rays suck the food right out of our grip they would not take a finger with them.  So strong was their suction that caught on any other part of your body, you are guaranteed to sport a massive hickey for the next few days, as one of our friends can attest to.

Our lunch stop was at Betty’s Hope, a well-preserved sugar plantation.   Under the shade of a couple of huge trees we sat at picnic tables and enjoyed a typical Antiguan meal.  The rum punch continued to flow, all the way back to the ship, which resulted in a few of us sporting a couple of headaches for the rest of the night….