Captain's Circle Cocktail Party

Captain's Circle Cocktail Party

This event was hosted on the last formal night of our cruise which was our second last night.  

The event was held in the Vista Lounge and hosted by our Captain Circle hostess LuLu.... this was not her real name but the version that she uses which is much easier to pronounce.  LuLu is a real asset to Princess and a pleasure to be around making you feel very much at ease and part of "the family".

The Cocktail party was very similar to the Australian based ships but on a much smaller scale plus they haven't phased out their hors d'oeuvres like the Aussie ships.

We were lucky enough to know the first and the third most travelled passenger who both got a presentation from the Captain and both needed to be plied with alcohol and pills to quell their nerves!

This event is for all Platinum and Elite members.... there were only two hundred and sixty something Platinum and seventy something Elite.  This was very surprising for a ship with 4,000 passengers.

The drinks were flowing and the company and vibe was good.  A great night was had by all and the Chairman of the Board cocktails tasted real good! Very good in fact!!

We have been fortunate to have friends in high places who have invited us to sit in the front row with them on both the Sea and the Regal Princess.... very special....

Now to come back to earth!

Nerves had eased by now 

Relaxing times with Captain Tim

Chocolate journey for dessert

Bravo stage show by the singers and dancers on board plus a guest opera singer.  A great show!

Number 3 receiving her presentation 

Number 1

St Petersburg Day 2

St Petersburg - Day 2

Our meeting time was 7.45am so we were not in so much of a rush although we still had to go through immigration again.  Thankfully the process was not as long as the first day as all our details had been recorded on their computers but still required a face to face.  We also needed another face to face each time we got back onto the ship so another queue!

We were early to the meeting point so spent the time looking at the shops.  There has been no time at all on this holiday to shop!!  I have to keep reminding myself that we are decluttering!!

Dina arrived on time to pick us up and off we set again for another day full of action although not as much walking as the first day so Dina promised.

The first activity was a leisurely boat ride along the rivers and canals.  The sun was out and it was very relaxing.  There were a lot of naval ships and submarines in the river for a naval parade the following weekend.

We then spent the rest of the morning touring the Hermitage Museum with Dina as our guide.  Our tickets allowed us an early entrance before the official opening time which was great as we also got to bypass the very long queue that was forming at the ticket box!

Dina new all the shortcuts and we went from one room to the next without really sharing the exhibits with anyone else.  Certainly the best way to see it! Lots of paintings from very famous artists on display.

Another traditional Russian lunch was next on the agenda.  This time we ate in the basement of Yusupov Palace.  

After lunch we were booked on a guided tour through the Palace which was very interesting.

Our day was coming to an end and our energy and concentration levels were waning.... The last item on our agenda was a guided tour inside St Isaac Cathedral.

We were dropped back at the ship by 5pm which left 30 minutes of shopping time before all aboard at 5.30pm.  I managed to buy a hand painted lacquered paper mâché box which I had been eyeing off for a while now.

Day 3 of 5 port days... 2 to go!

Next stop is Helsinki.... 

Quick facts:

Founded:  officially made a city by Peter the Great on May 27, 1703.  It was Russia's imperial capital from 1713 to 1918.

Region: west most city of Russia.  The River Neva runs through the metropolis and empties into the eastern tip of the Baltic Sea

Population: 4,879,566 (2012)

Language: Russian

Currency: Russian Ruble

St Isaac Cathedral 

It was an amazing feat to erect these solid marble columns

Canal boat ride

Naval ships practising for the parade

The Hermitage 

The throne room

Leonardo da Vinci.... Madonna and Child

Francisco de Goya... portrait of the actress Antonia Zarate not long before she died.

Beautiful tortoiseshell and gold doors

The Chapel

Raffaello Santi.... The Holy Family

A sculpture by Michelangelo 

Beautiful parquetry floors

The Grand Staircase 

The portrait room

St Nicholas Church

St Petersburg Day 1

St Petersburg, Russia - Day 1

As Russia's "Window on the West", picturesque St Petersburg is a thriving metropolis and has arisen to become recognised as Russia's intellectual and cultural hub.  St Petersburg is also the second largest city in Russia and has had an undeniably eventful history.  Tourism is definitely rife and seems to me to be one of the main sources of income!

In St Petersburg you need to have a visa or be booked on a tour.  The tour company provides the visa regardless as to whether it is a private tour or a ship's tour.  There are a number of highly recommended tour companies on Trip Advisor.  We chose the Two day All St Petersburg Highlight tour with TJ Travel.

Day One

Our meeting time is at 7am - 7.30am in the terminal after immigration.

Immigration was very slow as we had to have a face to face interview in the terminal.  This took about 45 minutes as all information had to be recorded on their computers.... we are now in their system!!

Our guide Dina was there to meet us and will be our guide for the 2 days.  The coach was comfortable and clean and we were a group of 11 with another 2 joining us on the second day.

Our itinerary for the day was:

- a visit to the subway

- a city tour

- hydrofoil to Petergof

- walk through the Fountain Park and Upper Gardens

- traditional Russian lunch in Tsars' Village

- guided tour of Catherine's Palace with the Amber Room 

- guided tour of the Church of Spilt Blood

- guided tour of St Peter and Paul fortress/Cathedral 

We arrived back at the ship around 6.30pm very thankful that we hadn't booked an excursion for the evening.

A good but tiring day with a few thunderstorms which required us to don ponchos for a short time.

Our meeting time for the morning is 7.45am. 

Our 2nd port day in a row... 3 to go!!

Beautiful mosaic murals inside the Metro Station 

Very, very long escalators to get to the platforms in the Metro

On our city tour

A very beautiful and elaborate building for a supermarket!

Upper gardens and fountain park

The hydrofoil to the gardens and Palace

This seat was used to lure the girls.... first get them to sit on the seat then the wall of water falls making it hard for them to escape!

Beautiful reflections on a pond in the Palace gardens

Petergof Palace and the Fountain 

The view from the Palace balcony 

Amazing gold domes everywhere

This was a little hole in the wall bakery just near where we went for lunch

St Catherine's Palace

Amazing gold everywhere... a reproduction of a dinner service and the tall blue tiled structures on the wall are heaters.

And yes it rained!!

Inside the Church of Spilt Blood

The Church of Spilt Blood

Beautiful fence

Who takes their pet dingo for a walk in suburbia with a metal nose muzzle??!!  I'm glad he was on a lead!!

Beautiful babushka dolls

Inside the Cathedral