Kudos to Princess

Four years ago I was able to take a 16-day cruise to Rome....definitely a great experience. During that cruise, Princess Cruise Lines offered a program relating to a future cruise. For a deposit of $100 a passenger had four years to utilize the benefits of this program. I was enjoying the cruise so I could easily envision another one in the future. So I paid the deposit. Frankly, I don't remember the specifics of the program and I, unfortunately, was not able to take advantage of the offer made. Last year, I came across the paperwork, which I barely read, and remembered the deposit. My mental response was "Oh, well....my loss."

This past Friday, I received a refund check for $100 in the mail from Princess Cruise Lines. What an honest company. In today's day and age, this is unbelievable, but it happened. A refund from four years ago.

In the future, I want to take a cruise through the Panama Canal. I've always been interested in how things work and I would like the experience of going through the locks. A former co-worker was organizing a cruise to the Panama Canal some years ago. At that time, I could not even conceive of making a reservation in January for an August vacation. He extolled the views of the sunrise at the canal. My interest was piqued but to plan a trip eight months down the road was beyond me. I really had no understanding of what a cruise entailed.

When I took the Rome cruise I made arrangements for the trip two months before embarking. Spending 16 days on the water, walking the track early every morning, seeing the sun rise, enjoying an early breakfast in the lovely sea air, being catered to at every meal and graciously served by every Princess employee was certainly an awakening for me. My days ended viewing the beautiful sunsets followed by "Broadway" type entertainment. It would have been so easy for me take a world cruise.

Even though I have cruised since then on another cruise line, when I do go to through the Panama Canal, it will be with Princess Cruise Lines. Kudos to you, Princess.

Check out my photos at http://www.shutterfly.com/pro/PhotosbyCathi/Scenery

Southern Europe Memories

This week, I updated my Photo Gallery on Shutterfly at www.shutterfly.com/pro/PhotosbyCathi/Scenery . It brought back great memories. We sailed from Galveston, TX to Rome, Italy. The trip afforded me the opportunity to see the Azores. I found the Roman Aqueducts interesting. Some of them were two stories high and most were ivy covered. The "green-ness" of the Island was beautiful and the rolling hills seemed to create a sense of peace.




Then, on to Lisbon, Portugal, as we travelled by bus to Fatima, where Our Blessed Lady appeared to three children on May 13, 1917. Visiting this Shrine was a truly moving experience for me.

Each mile and each port brought more exhilaration. Never, in my lifetime, would I expect to see the actual Rock of Gibraltar. Then, on to Barcelona, Spain. We took a bus tour of the city that would, in my estimation, warrant a return for a walking tour. Following this, we toured the "Gold Coast" near Cannes, France. I could have skipped that.

I found Pisa very interesting. Outside the gates of the "Doumo" (the Cathedral with the Leaning Tower), were many vendors. We were told that they were from North Africa. We had to wend our way through them to enter the Piazza dei Miracoli (the Cathedral square). As Mass was being said when we entered the Cathedral, we were limited to standing in the back to ensure reverence while the tour guide whispered some information.


What struck me was that the Bapistry, a separate building completed in the 14th Century, had a slight lean to it. I really enjoyed visiting Pisa.

We went on to Rome and stayed about three miles outside the City. This part of the tour had been arranged by the Cruise Line. If we had planned it, we would have stayed in the City. Our first taxi trip brought us to a more affluent shopping area. We were really looking for an opportunity to experience having coffee at an outdoor cafe. Before long, we did find one on a side street. There we met a couple from Pittsburgh, PA who had completed a walking tour (something I would love to do). They related that it was a hard walk, but they were pleased that they did it.

To round out our experience, a street singer came along and serenaded us. More about Rome later.