We began our morning with a trip to the World Fresh Marketplace which is the buffet onboard the Caribbean Princess. We found a table right when we walked in near the front of the two buffets. It was nice to be seated right away, but it’s probably the last time I’ll sit that close to the main buffet. The front seemed to have a little more options than the back buffet, but it was so crowded. It’s also a strange setup in terms of organization. There are people coming from all angles and it felt chaotic. I went the first time to grab a plate for my son which included a fruit mixture, apple juice, bacon, and tater tots. I then made a second round for my plate which included bacon, a small waffle, and peaches. I also grabbed a strawberry smoothie which ended up going to my son. Breakfast was a pretty typical breakfast buffet on a cruise ship.
After breakfast, my son wanted to fully explore the children’s water table. We went up to deck 16…well actually I think there was a lot of ups and downs before we made it there. This ship was built in 2003 and while the decor is more modern than 2003, the ship design still reflects a ship that’s 20 years old. After sailing one of the newest ships this past August, you notice how shipbuilding has progressed throughout the years. One of the things that’s different about an older ship is that they’re difficult to navigate. Here’s an example. The AFT elevator bank has four elevators. The first elevator isn’t working at all. The second and third elevator only goes to deck 15. To get to deck 16 by elevator you’d have to wait until the fourth elevator frees up or you have to take one of the other ones to deck 15 and walk the last floor. It’s quirky and on a newer ship there are less of these quirks. Anyway, we finally made it to the water table. The water table reminds me of the water table at the Cleveland Children’s Museum and my son loves it just as much! The table is themed for travel with various world landmarks on the table: the Sydney Opera House, Golden Gate Bridge, London Eye, and Panama Canal were the notable destination on it. The table is well-design for various age groups as well. The end with Australia is at the highest setting then down to Mexico you get a medium height, and the shortest height in Alaska. There are various buttons to press, boats to move along, and fishing in Alaska. There is even a functional lock which is perfect on a cruise that goes to the Panama Canal! My son learned how to use the locks to move his toy boats from the medium height down to the bottom and back up. This water table is a really cool feature which I haven’t seen on any other ship. We spent a long time here.
There are interactive screens throughout the ship with games. Today, my son played a new adventure game which sends you zigzagging around the ship looking for clues. To initiate the games, you hold your medallion to the button next to the screen. You’re then logging into your account and can choose your game. Once the adventure game is selected, it asks for your medallion again, (I’m not sure why it needs it twice) and then it loads the game where you left off. It’s nice because you can start and stop anytime.
All the walking around the ship built up our appetite and it was time for lunch. The pool deck has The Salty Dog which serves hot dogs, burgers, and tacos; Slice which serves pizza; and Coffee & Cones which serves ice cream and coffee. We stopped at Slice for pizza for my son which Brian ended up eating and I grabbed a hot dog and fries from The Salty Dog. It’s been awhile since I’ve had a hot dog so I’m not sure if that factors into this statement. That hot dog was the best I’ve ever had. Keep in mind I eat mine plain so that statement is strictly for the quality of the meat and bun. It was cooked to perfection with warm juices as you bit into it, but not too hot that it’s scalding your mouth. It was amazing. The line for Coffee & Cones was the shortest we’d seen it so we decided to give that a try. Brian and I ordered each order the Mocha Milkshake, but Brian added alcohol to is. They were delicious.
The morning was Caribbean chilly and rainy. It was the perfect day for the water table and interactive screen, but we wanted some sun and pool time too! Luckily, the clouds dispersed in the afternoon and we changed into our swimsuits. We were a little late to the party so most of the deck chairs were taken. We did find three together on deck 16 which is one deck up from the pool. It was sunny and hot so my son and I went to the pool. We had every intention of going all the way in and swimming, but the water was still frigid and it wasn’t THAT hot. My son opted for playing in the shower instead. One of the downsides of this ship is the lack of pools with a standing depth. The pool today was five feet two inches deep in the shallow end and seven feet deep in the deep end. My son is a decent swimmer, but he’s not at the point yet where I’m comfortable with him in water deeper than I can stand in. It’s really hard to help even a small child while treading water without a flotation device. They do have lifejackets available, but we decided to skip actually swimming. After awhile, Brian and I switched. Brian and my son enjoyed the hot tub while I watched a movie that was playing on the big screen.
My son had shown interest in Camp Discovery so I decided to take him there and see if he’d actually go. We rang the doorbell and one of the staff members opened the door. My son was hesitant to go into the room by himself, but we noticed that another child’s grandmother was inside so I asked if I could stay for awhile. I sat with the grandmother tucked in the corner of the kids club while my son joined in the activities. There were only two other kids there at the time. Letting parents stay in the same space is something that’s very unusual. Normally it’s a drop-off only situation. It was AMAZING that they allowed this because it meant that my son could meet the staff and other kids and feel comfortable in this new environment first with me there and then eventually transition to being there without me. I watched him pretend play with another girl close in age. Soon enough it was Bubble Magic time. The staff sat the three children down on these cute chairs and the three stared at her as she discussed the science of bubbles. She talked about soap and glycerin and the children respectfully sat and listened to her. Their eyes were a little glossed over, but that soon changed when they saw the bubbles. Each child was given a small circled rope that they could then use to make their own bubbles. My son yelled out, “This is so much fun!” This was my chance to leave him here. I told him I was going to get Daddy and we’d be back in 15 minutes to get him. He happily agreed and off I went. As promised, I came back in 15 minutes which was also the time they were closing for a break. Success!
Tonight is one of two formal nights on this sailing. Brian and I like to dress comfortably so formal night is definitely not our preference. We aren’t the only ones! The dining room was much less crowded today than the day before. Since this is our first time sailing Princess, we weren’t sure how strictly they adhere to their formal policy. The answer is not strict at all. Despite saying tuxedos and evening dresses or jackets and cocktail dresses, there were plenty of people wearing less dressier clothes. I don’t think they’d let you in with swimsuits on, but even jeans and a Hawaiian shirt is acceptable for entrance based on our experience. My meal consisted of a tapioca fruit starter, orange duck, and a chocolate hazelnut dessert. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed the tapioca starter. The duck was decent, but not the best I’ve had. The dessert was delicious and was well-balanced.
We walked out of dinner and immediately my son asked to go back to Discovery Camp. Wow! That’s literally never happened on any of our other trips. We went back to the cabin to change him out of his suit and into play clothes and then back to Discovery Camp! We told him we were going to get one drink and be back to pick him up. No fuss at all. He waved bye and off he went.
Brian and I took the scenic way to the happening bar on deck 7. It was a clear night and I remembered that several planets would be visible tonight. We stopped to stargaze and enjoy the beautify of a dark night with hardly any light pollution. Eventually we made it to the bar and decided to go into the lounge area. Brian tried for another Espresso Martini and I got a mango margarita. The Espresso Martini was vastly different than the one he got yesterday. It wasn’t just served in the right glass, but it had a frothy look to it with espresso beans floating on top. It was delicious. My mango margarita looked nice, but wasn’t as good. It was a frozen margarita, but it was too frozen and I couldn’t even drink most of it. By the time it melted, my paper straw had disintegrated. I should have packed my metal straws! There was a Yes/No show starting and we stayed for the whole thing. It was a game show and the premise was that the cruise director would ask question to the contestant and they had to answer without saying yes or no. If they made it three minutes without saying yes or no they walked away with a bottle of champagne. I’m almost embarrassed to tell you that we found it entertaining.
The show finished and back to Camp Discovery to pick-up my son. He was all smiles when we picked him up. He told us he played with legos, colored a little bear and made a bed for the bear to sleep in, and then watched Finding Nemo. He had a Finding Nemo mask he was excited to show us too. It’s a bit ironic. The cruise line that doesn’t boast about autism training and dealing with special needs is the one with the kid’s club that my special needs son likes the most! I think the main reasons it works for him is because there aren’t that many children so the staff to child ratio is high, it’s quieter because there aren’t many children, there are options while he’s there, the staff is flexible, and the activities are of interest to him. The staff also actively communicated with each child asking them about themselves in a genuine yet educational manner. The conversations were geared towards where we were going and what they were going to see and do. My son felt seen and heard and I think that’s the main reason he felt comfortable here.
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