Sunday, March 8, 2009

THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2009 - AT SEA

THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2009 – 56/88 – AT SEA

The weather is rather gray and it is much cooler this morning. While not cold, it is too cool to be out in the wind for any length of time without a jacket.

After breakfast, we attend a port talk on Osaka and Hiroshima and then one entitled “Tea for Two in Two Hours;” about the tea ceremony with some additional information on what to do and see in our ports for the next two days. We attend a Cruise Critic get together at 5:45. Carolyn has been posting on the various boards for a number of years now and has participated in the Roll Call for the Tahitian Princess World Cruise. The web site is a good source of information on the different ships and itineraries. The meeting was billed as a planning gathering for the next two ports; unfortunately, it turned into a gripe session. We found it interesting, in that, if you are a regular cruiser on Princess ships, this cruise is very typical of their product and maybe even a bit better than the norm for one of the smaller ships. We both think the speakers and the entertainment have been better than average especially for a small ship. The dining room food and staff are very good. The big complaint was, there was no big deal being made….it does not seem like a “World Cruise”. Well, the gripers are comparing this cruise to Cunard’s Queen Mary World Cruise. All we can say is that we are on for just a segment and everything has World Cruise plastered on it or is themed for a World Cruise and the Tahitian Princess is not the Queen Mary! She is a very nice small ship, but there is no comparison. You either like the small ship feel or you don’t.

We went to the pre-dinner show at 6:45PM and enjoyed a singer named Laura Compton. Then for dinner, we had a wonderful plate of spaghetti with a wonderful meat sauce prepared for us by our headwaiter and, of course, our great Caesar salad.

Tomorrow morning we have to go through Japanese immigration to include fingerprints and a photo. I hope Osama Ben Laden and all his terrorist friends rot in hell for all the inconvenience and trouble they have caused the world! Of course, the US does the same thing to people coming into our country so I guess turn-about is fair play. I wonder if all that scanning and printing really does any good; just how many terrorists they have caught. At least the Japanese are known for their efficiency so maybe it will go smoothly.

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