In May and June of 2025, four couples took a cruise vacation through the Panama Canal together.
The Leicesters (Stewart and Valerie), the Silverns (Reid and Meg), the Whitelaws (Kim and Gina) and the Zechiels (David and Jessica).

Stewart and Valerie arrived on the 16th and we had a nice dinner at Din Ho Chinese with them and Judi Glass. On Saturday, our driver, Jonathan, was right on time and we loaded the four of us into his SUV and headed to the Whitelaw house to add Kim and Gina. By this time Meg and Reid had landed at LAX and had taken the shuttle to the Port of Los Angeles.

Our ride to the ship was uneventful and we arrived just after 11:00a. We immediately handed our luggage off to a porter and joined the queue. When Jessica and I got our turn the attendant fetched our medallions, which had somebody else's name on them. After a short delay we were issued cards to board and told to visit Guest Services onboard to obtain our permanent medallions. We quickly boarded and met up with the six other members of our group.

We all jumped through the hoops of the safety orientation, then had lunch together. Jessica and i collected our actual medalions, got into our cabin around 2:00p, and unpacked all of our luggage. We bummed around the ship and later met everyone for dinner. I took in the "Welcome Aboard" show where the Cruise Director told the old, stale cruise jokes.

Everyone present for our first dinner. L-R: David, Reid, Meg, Kim, Gina, Stewart, Valerie, Jessica.

This was a sea day, mostly spent eating and playing games (including trivia [we did TV Trivia, scoring 23/25, which was good for first (not a good sign that we knew that much about vintage television)]). I managed to find a couple of chess opponents and won most of my games. Dinner with the gang in the Bordeaux Dining Room. I took in the 9:30p show in the Princess Theater, a trio called "Uptown" that sang and danced to Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson, etc. A high energy show.

This was a sea day, mostly spent eating and playing games. Very much like yesterday, except one of my chess opponents won our first two games, and was winning the third when he overstepped the time. I finally figured out his strategy and won the next three games in convincing fashion. On these sea days, Jessica, Meg, Gina and Valerie have been playing cards together regularly in the game room. Jessica also managed to make time to visit the ship's gym. Jessica FaceTimed with Noah and Emma. We played more trivia (including the progressive trivia, where we scored 19/20, but were not in first place) and enjoyed wonderful meals.

Puerto Vallarta. This was a hot and humid day in Mexico. Jessica and I got up early and breakfasted in the Food Jammer, then joined our excursion of the town. Freddy, our guide, took us to our first stop, which was the Church of Our Lady of Guadeloupe. This church is surrounded by shops that sell all manner of souvenirs, but mostly shops that specialize in silver jewelry. 

Back on the bus, we were told our next stop was for free margaritas. In the very back of a very large jewelry shop they were handing out the aforementioned drinks, but you had to run a gauntlet of sales people to get there. I expressed slight interest in a necklace that I thought Heather might like, and was told that the price was $2000 US, but they would discount it 40% to $1200. I shook my head and the price instantly dropped to $1000. When I said this was still out of my price range, I was asked what I was willing to pay for it. This was the signal to get away from this salesman (although he was very polite).

Back on the bus we headed to the tequila factory. Our host, Pepe, took us on a tour of how tequila is made (or, more accurately, how it was once made), and followed it up with a tasting of six different types of tequila. Jessica liked the peach tequila the best. It was good, as also was the amaretto tequila. This was all a colossal sales pitch for tequila. It did make you want to purchase some, but it was just too expensive. Pepe has a well polished routine.

After that we had lunch and a show. Traditional Mexican fare and dancing, with a lot of foot stomping. This was followed by a tequila "drink off" between a couple of the tourists and a dancing horse (the horse was not part of the drinking competition). Then more dancing. This was followed by a lasso expert, who was really pretty good! And that was followed by a tortilla making competition between a couple of the tourists. Then (after another costume change) still more dancing (stomping). And lastly, they trotted out a piñata and allowed the tourists to take a few swings at it while they yanked it out of the way. They played us out to "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver.

The bus ride back to port was uneventful, Jessica took a nap. We were back on board around 2:30p, where we ran into Kim and Reid. Went to generic trivia, scoring 15/20, out of the money. Dave, Jessica, Gina, Meg, and Reid went to the Elite reception. Then it was time to eat again. Everyone present for dinner. I had the Indian vegetable dish, pretty tasty.

We then played a round of trivia where you had to identify close up pictures. We got 15/20 (the most notable one we got wrong was missidentifying a horse as a guinea pig), and finished well out of the money (we think that another team had probably played these pictures before).

I read more of my book ("People Who Eat Darkness"), which I am really enjoying. Then Jessica and I saw a musician, Sebastian Fucci, in the Princess Theater. He played the piano, the flute and the accordion (we especially enjoyed the latter instrument).

Tomorrow is another sea day.

I slept in until 9:00a. Jessica had arisen earlier and was off to the gym. I was about to leave the cabin when Jessica returned. She reminded me that we had trivia at 10:00a in the Explorer's Lounge. I took my book to one of the little cafés onboard and had coffee and a Danish. Just before 10:00a I realized that I had left my phone in the cabin. I returned to collect my phone, but it was gone. I then hustled to the Explorer's Lounge, but nobody from our party was there (and they didn't seem to running trivia). With no phone I couldn't locate the others. Fortunately, Jessica (who had my phone) was able to locate me and I made it to trivia on question 3. Question 2 had been "What country did chess originate in?" This is an ambiguous question. The game as played today can be traced back to 600AD in India. But there are other, similar games, that go back much further to Persia. In my absence the team selected Persia, and when shown their choice, I didn't change it. We ended up scoring 12/20, well out of the money.

I read my book some more before attending the specialty lunch. Jessica made sure she was first in line, and when they wouldn't take her reservation, stood right in front until they eventually seated us. We shared a table with Stewart and Valerie, the Whitelaws and Silverns at the next table. Very tasty. Jessica got the fish and chips, I got the bleu cheese burger.

We played more progressive trivia, scoring 15/20 (which, by the response of the room, was not too bad). I also continued to read my book and play more chess with a kid named Dustin. After losing three in a row, I rallied and won the next four games. I was drafted into playing still more trivia later in the afternoon, where we scored 13/20, way back in the pack.

Everyone present for dinner. Both Jessica and I had the beef stroganoff. I finished the book I was reading (thanks Alex), then killed a little time before joining Jessica, Meg and Gina in the Explorer's Lounge for a session of "Majority Rules". We started strong, but quickly faded.

We also saw a musical impressionist named Sean O'Shay, whose act consisted of singing famous, popular songs and sounding just like the original artist, and mixing all that up with a lot of (mostly) lame jokes. He did a pretty good Tom Jones and Neil Diamond, and a very good Elvis Presley, among others.

Up early this morning for our excursion into Huatulco. We walked quite aways from the ship to get to the bus. This excursion is touted as "The Best of Huatulco". Our first stop was a hilltop overlook where we could see our cruise ship.

The second stop was an overlook where you could see one of their famous beaches. It is very warm today, easily in the 90°s and quite humid.

The third stop was a silver jewelry shop (where they did provide a free bottle of cold Coca-Cola). From the shop we walked to an old church {Capilla de Santa Cruz} that boasts the largest ceiling mural of Guadaloupe in this part of Mexico. Jessica dutifully said prayers for her children and grandchildren. 

While we were praying, the tour group left the church without us. Once we realized our plight, I called Meg and asked where everyone was. She said they had stopped in a little bar a block away. Jessica and I quickly caught up and enjoyed a light snack of taquitos and beer.

When it was time to leave there we were hustled into a small rug shop for the requisite "presentation" on the benefits of hand crafted goods by the talented local artisans. I'm sure our tour guide gets a kickback for every cluster of tourists he brings into these shops, but it's hard to fault him, as there are only so many ways to make a legitimate living in this city. These rugs, bedspreads and table runners are all very beautiful, but also very expensive. We took a Pasadena.

We had a short walk back to our air-conditioned bus. On the way walking through the port to the ship Jessica spotted someone selling the type of shoes she liked. After trying on several pairs she found some that fit, and got the guy down to $30.00 (from $45.00).

Back on board the ship we met up with Valerie and had some cold drinks. Jessica, Stewart, Valerie and I got a bite to eat in the Food Jammer (where the air conditioning was not working properly), then relaxed in the Wheelhouse lounge waiting for more trivia. We scored 13/20, first place had 16.

Most of us went to the Elite reception for the appetizers (they had sushi today!), then it was off to the dining room for dinner.  The rack of lamb was really good.

Jessica and I took in the big production show in the Princess Theater. This was a high energy show, with four vocalists and about eleven dancers, but only lasted about 40 minutes. All the songs (and you were familiar with all of them) were from the disco era. "Disco Inferno", "You Should be Dancing", "Burn, Baby, Burn", "Stayin' Alive", "Boogie Wonderland", "Funkytown", etc, etc.

We had a big day and are turning in early.

We were supposed to put in to Puerto Chiapas this morning (despite warnings from the US government about this place), however at around 7:30a the ship was rocking and rolling so much that all of the drawers in our nightstands and dressers were opening and closing on their own. It was like being in some cheesy horror movie! After several minutes of this, things settled down and the captain came onto the PA to announce that we were certainly not going into port under those conditions. This was fine with me and Jessica as we were planning to stay on board due to the US Government danger warnings.

Jessica had been in the gym during all this excitement, and we agreed to meet in the dining room for breakfast. We met a nice couple from New York who were baseball fans. The guy is trying to visit every MLB ballpark.

Our next stop was the Explorer's Lounge for more trivia. We scored 13/20, back in the pack. What country hosts the world's largest aquarium?  Who was the Egyptian god of the air? In Little Mermaid II, what did Ariel and Eric name their daughter?

From there I set up my chess set in the game room and started my second book ("Old Bones") while waiting for an opponent. Jessica played card games with Meg and Gina. No takers, this afternoon. I continued to read my book. 

At 4:00p I was told to report for trivia duty. We ended up with all eight of us, so both Jessica and Valerie volunteered themselves and their spouses for other teams. So, the Silverns and the Whitelaws are on their own. Jessica and I joined a couple from Canada, Al and Kathryn. We scored 15/20. Gina and Meg's team scored 19/20 by fudging one of their answers.

Four of us went to the Elite reception. There were seven (no Reid) for dinner in the Bordeaux Dining Room. I was drafted into Landmark Trivia. We failed to recognize Grand Central Station and Windsor Castle, scoring 18/20. One team got 100%. Next everyone played "Top, Middle or Bottom", a game of 100% chance. Jessica, Meg and Gina all played, and the odds caught up with all of them.

Jessica and I took in the show in the Princess Theater. The singer, Don Ellis Gatlin, was good, but the fiddler he brought along, Jay Smith, was spectacular!

Back in our cabin by 10:30p. Tomorrow is another sea day.

Last night there was an electrical storm with lots of lightning and thunder. This morning Jessica and I had breakfast with Meg, Stewart and Valerie.

We then went to the Explorer's Lounge for trivia, Gina and Kim were on a different team, leaving the Zechiels, Silverns and Leicesters to make up one team. Our team scored 18/20 which was good for a tie for first place. The tiebreaker question was, "What is the depth of the Marianas Trench in meters?" We were about to submit 12,000, but changed it to 12,001 at the last moment. The other team did submit 12,000. The correct depth is 10,645 meters. Missed it by THAT much!

I set up my chessboard in the game room and Kim wanted to play without a clock. He played one of his best games ever, and it ended in a draw. I mostly continued to read my book.

In the afternoon we continued the progressive trivia. Our team did well, scoring 18/21 (What is the most densely populated city in the world?). Since this is progressive trivia, the place we are in is the total of our scores (we know ours, but don't know how well the other teams are doing).

Back in the game room, I set up my chessboard and continued reading.

Tonight is the returning guest reception, so I finally shaved my chin after looking scuzzy for a week. Everyone met for dinner (it was Stewart and Valerie's 39th wedding anniversary,  the rest of us bought them some flowers), it was another wonderful meal.

From there we all (but Kim) went to the Captain's reception. They were handing out free drinks, and I may have imbibed a little too much. From there Jessica and I went to see Sean O'Shay do his thing again in the Princess Theater. He certainly puts on a high energy show.

After that Jessica and I went to the Explorer's Lounge to wait for trivia at 9:30p, but found ourselves listening to '80's music trivia an hour earlier. I was surprised at how many of these songs I recognized. They played the Stalker Song by The Police. The Rye or the Kaiser by Survivor. Another One Rides the Bus by Queen. I Love Rocky Road by Joan Jett. Like a Surgeon by Madonna. 

We hung around for 80's movie trivia, scoring 16/20. There were four teams with 20/20. The tie breaker was "What year was Ghostbusters released?" Three of the four teams got it right.

Back in our cabin around 10:00p. Tomorrow we go ashore.

Up early to get showered and ready for our excursion. Downstairs for a croissant, coffee and juice, then met up with Stewart and Valerie. (Meg, Reid, Gina and Kim went on a different excursion that took them to see the local crocodiles.)

We had a short walk to our bus, then a long drive to our first stop, the Costa Rica Animal Rescue Center. We took a guided, walking tour (our guide was named Dharma, from Indonesia via Canada, who is studying to be a veterinarian) and saw lots of the local fauna, including monkeys, birds (blue and scarlet macaws, and green parrots), racoons, peccaries, coatis, and a train of ants moving bits of leaves from a tree to their new nest. And lots and lots of sloths, both two-toed and three-toed. It was very educational, informative and fun.

On our bus ride to our next destination, our guide handed out samples of the local grape, which he called "nance". Initially sweet, the fleshy rind is a little sour. We stopped at a souvenir shop for about 15 minutes, and in that short time I managed to misplace Jessica. The shop had doors in the front and in the back, and as far as I can tell, when one of us was entering, the other was leaving.

We then continued to Rain Forest Adventure, a place completely off of the beaten track. We enjoyed a very nice lunch of local fare in an outdoor restaurant under a very large patio cover. While we were eating it started pouring rain, so bad that they announced you could buy rain ponchos in their gift shop. On our way to their aerial tramway, Valerie revealed that she had packed her own poncho, and put it on while we were waiting our turn to board. We boarded the tramway to ride through the rain forest, but by this time the rain had reduced to a sprinkle. Each car could hold up to ten people, but they were putting only eight on each car.  They took you up, up, up into the canopy of the rain forest for, what I would guess is about a kilometer, where the car spun around and started the descent on the other side. We were on this thing for at least a half hour, maybe longer.

Upon our return to the base station we were met by a local guide (Josef) who introduced us to much of the local flora (including the lobster claw, the monkey tail and the cow tongue). We also came upon more leaf cutter ants doing their thing (they even put up little signs to prevent you from stepping on the ants). He showed us the palm fronds that are bitten by bats to make a special home (like an umbrella) that they can sleep in. Lastly, he took us in the huge butterfly enclosure and showed us all the stages of butterfly's life from egg, to larva, to caterpillar, to chrysalis, to flying insect. He also discussed butterfly camouflage and showed interesting examples. 

Around 3:30p we all boarded the bus for the drive back to our ship. It was a long drive. We got to the port about 5:00p. It rained the whole way back. On the walk from the bus to the ship (in the rain) there was a bright lightning bolt nearby, followed a second later by a very loud thunderclap. Jessica then tried to bring her cell phone through security, BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! We dropped our purchases in our cabin and were the first two to the dinner table. Everyone present, a wonderful meal!

Jessica and I went to the 7:30p performance in the Princess Theater. It was an acrobatic couple who go by "Gravity". The guy is Rocco, the girl is Nova. A lot of the stuff they did was silly (juggling, tall unicycle, etc) but their feats of strength and coordination were impressive. 

Back in our cabin we advanced the clocks to Central time. We read our books for a while.

Tomorrow is another sea day.

We both slept in today (it didn't help that we lost an hour overnight). Met everyone in the Wheelhouse Bar for trivia, scoring 19/22, but another team was perfect. Jessica and I went to get coffee and a pastry, then I took my book into the library to read.

Everybody met for lunch today. A delightful meal. 

After lunch I set up again in the game room and finished reading my second book. The moment I finished it I added it to the ship's library. There is no way I want to drag that book back home. It was no effort to predict the antagonist, and the plot was way beyond far fetched. No chess players today. I'm mildly disappointed! 

Everyone present for dinner (it's formal night, so people are dressed up). It was lobster night, so I got the duck.

I was drafted into Movie Poster Trivia with Jessica, Meg, Reid and Gina. We scored 23/25, but a perfect score was necessary to win (and was achieved by three teams).

We also played "Liar's Club" where the contestants make up ridiculous definitions for old and obscure words that are not part of the vernacular any longer. We correctly guessed the correct definition for "clinchpoop", but missed "ragsooker".

We then went to the Princess Theater to hear Jeffrey Allen play and sing songs by Elton John. He chose some of Elton's more popular works, but not necessarily my favorites.

Back in our cabin, we prepared another load for the laundry. Free laundry is certainly the best perq that Princess offers to its Elite guests.

Tomorrow is Fuerte Amador, and Panama City. We will be getting an early start.

Up early, as we have to meet our tour group at 7:30a. We have been assigned to group Pink 14.  Our group was finally called and we walked and walked until we found ourselves in a colossal line to pass through emigration.  This line moved very slowly (I imagined the sloth from Zootopia somewhere in front of us examining passports). After a long time, someone must have said something, as the entire line started to move briskly, moving past the agents in the booths and directly to the busses. We boarded our bus and were presently underway. 

After an hour drive we arrived at our first stop where we watched an IMAX movie about the Panama Canal, in 3D! This presentation was well done and informative. After we were able to check out the Miraflores Locks Visitor Center, where they had bleachers where you could watch the ship's entering and exiting the locks. The exit took you through the obligatory souvenir shop (where Jessica picked up a bookmark and a refrigerator magnet).

Back on the bus we headed to old Colonial Panama City. Our guide took us on a walking tour, and the first point of interest was a small souvenir stand where it was pointed out that it was run by the indigenous people. We continued our walk to the central square where they have a large church and many more stands and boutiques to spend your money at.

We decided to check out the church. The upside was very nice air-conditioning, the downside is that a number of their local saints are represented by mannequins that appear to be lying down dead (or, perhaps more generously, asleep). I counted at least four of them around the inside perimeter. 

We considered getting some ice cream, but it was just too expensive. We ended up sitting on a bench inside the square's central gazebo and watching the locals.

We left the square at the appointed time on foot and made a couple stops on the way back to the bus. The first was a 400 year old convent. The second was the Church of San Jose. This church had an altar of gold, and a Nativity scene in the basement that defies description; very intricate detail. The bus ride back to the ship was uneventful. 

We dropped off our purchases in the cabin and headed up to the Food Jammer for a quick bite.

From there Jessica and I went to the ship's library to read. I picked out a book called "The Face" by Dean Koontz. Jessica is thoroughly enjoying Eleanor's latest book. 

Jessica and I went to 4:00p trivia, where we joined another couple to score 14/20 (18 was necessary to win). We then returned to the library to read some more.

Everyone present for dinner. It seems every couple went on a different excursion. The Miraflores Locks seem to have at least one webcam that would allow anyone to watch our ship. Meg and Reid were watched by Lori today.

Meg, Gina, Jessica and I played a game called "10 in 60" where they would give you a topic and you had to supply 10 examples that matched their official list. We played nine rounds, giving a max score of 90 (we scored 77), 84 was winning. 

We hung around to play "True or Moo", where they give you five preposterous statements and you are required to say if they are true or false (moo). I suggested that you should carefully analyze the likelihood of the statement being either true or false, then choose the opposite. Jessica was selected to play and quickly washed out. Gina also played and got the first 3 out of 5 to win. Then Meg played and got the last 3 out of 5 to win.

Tomorrow we will pass through the Gatun Lock of the Panama Canal between 1:00p and 2:45p (11:00a and 12:45p California time). You can try to see us here.

Jessica was up early to watch the ship traverse the first two locks of the PanamaCanal. I slept in and was up to attend trivia in the Explorer's Lounge at 10:00a. We split into two teams, the Zechiels and Silverns on one, the Leicesters and Whitelaws on the other. We got 16/21 (should have been 17, but the approved answer was wrong [on a mini-Rubik's cube, how many squares are there? For instance, on a standard cube there are 54 (six sides of nine squares)] The "official" answer was 27, but on ANY cube the answer must be a multiple of six. We argued for 24, but they were not budging).

Jessica worked out in the gym and then she, Meg, Kim and I took lunch together. After that I read my book out on deck seven and watched as the ship navigated the locks of the Panama Canal. The guys running the "mules" sure know their stuff. 

I was once again drafted into trivia. Our team of Jessica, Gina, Valerie, Reid and I scored 13/20 (15 good for first). Does anyone know what a "pudu" is?

I read some more, trying to get a game of chess, but no luck. I did meet a guy who saw me carrying my chess bag and asked if it contained an instrument. I showed him that it was chessmen, and he said, "Oh, Staunton pieces, very nice!" Later that evening he saw me in the Explorer's Lounge and came over to introduce me to, I think, his son, Jeremy, who is an accomplished player. We agreed to meet and play tomorrow.

Meg and Reid ducked out on dinner this evening (I think they saw something on the buffet menu they wanted to try). I had the fajitas, very tasty. Jessica had the calamari steak and really enjoyed it. 

Jessica and I joined Meg and Valerie in the Explorer's Lounge for "Flashback Trivia". They asked trivia based on the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's. Does anyone know who Danger Mouse's sidekick was? Who recorded "Stand By Me"? What TV show had Mike, Carol and Ben Seaver? We scored 18/25, 24 was the winning score.

After that we hung around for another game called "Survey It!", which was nothing more than a poor man's Family Feud. The two female assistant cruise directors were wholly unprepared to run this game ("...survey says... 'answer'!" BUZZ-X, "...Oh, wait a moment, 'answer' IS valid!" DING), and Jessica and I left to see the show in the Princess Theater. 

The show this evening was singing and dancing, with music mostly from the boogie-woogie era. High energy and a lot of fun.

We were back in our cabin just after 10:00p, but as we lose another hour tonight, it became 11:00p on our phones.

Jessica spent most of the day reading Eleanor's new book, and her biggest concern is that she will finish it too soon. She is really enjoying it. 

Tomorrow is a sea day, and with any luck a chess day.

Slept in until 9:20a (6:20a PDT). Quickly showered then down to Good Spirits for coffee and pastries. Then off to Explorer's Lounge for 10:00a trivia. Meg, Gina and Kim joined us to score 13/20, 16 being the winning score. When asked how many tiles are in a set of dominos, I put down 28, but Gina insisted we change it to 42.

Jessica went to the gym and worked out while I brought my book and chess set to the game room and sent a message to chess player Jeremy. He hasn't shown, but I met a nice Asian player who I played three games, winning two.

At 1:00p everyone reported for progressive trivia. We added 16/20 points to our score, placing us about second overall.

I moved back to the game room to read and wait, when I received a text from Jessica telling me that Jeremy was with her and he wondered why I hadn't texted. I said, "Send him up", and he arrived a few minutes later. Turns out that he hadn't clicked on my icon so he could see my message. We played six games. While he is an OK player, I beat him in all six, a couple of them very quickly. We plan to play again.

Meg, Jessica, Valerie and Stewart hunted me down to report on their trivia results, which were not good (8/20), with the winner scoring 15.

Everyone present for dinner. Valerie asked me to help her eat healthier. She seems to be doing fine. Both Jessica and I had the trout, which was very, very good!

After dinner everyone went to the game room. Meg, Gina, Valerie and Jessica played card games, while Stewart and I played chess. After a while I moved to the library and read more of the Dean Koontz novel. It's a cross between Stephen King and It's A Wonderful Life.

Back in our cabin we prepared another load of laundry for tomorrow.

We make port in Aruba tomorrow.

Up early for our snorkeling excursion. We breakfasted in Horizon Court. We then met up with Stewart and Valerie in Good Spirits. We disembarked and met up with our tour group on the dock.

We started our excursion by walking a quarter mile to our catamaran. We boarded and were quickly underway. One of the crew, Kevin, gave the welcome aboard talk. Apparently, this snorkeling cruise involves lots of drinking.

Our first stop was a reef in about 15 feet of water that had a very large assortment of beautiful tropical fish. We spent about 45 minutes there, then moved to the site of a shipwreck that went down in 1940. It was a German ship that was subject to seizure by the local Dutch authorities after the outbreak of WW II. Rather than turn the ship over, the German captain scuttled it. The shipwreck had fish, but not as many as the reef. On the trip back the liquor and music started flowing in copious amounts. Fortunately, everyone on board seems to be able to hold their booze. Music consisted of songs such as "Blurred Lines", "Y.M.C.A.", "Sweet Caroline", "Stayin' Alive", "Macarena", "I Love Rock and Roll", etc. The list goes on.

We got back to the dock and found that we were locked in and could not leave the dock area. A call was placed to security, and about 10 minutes later they showed up and unlocked the gate. We passed through ship's security, dropped our stuff, and went up to The Salty Dog on Deck 15 for lunch. We enjoyed very tasty burgers and fries on an outdoor patio.

We then returned to our cabin to change out of our swim clothes and wash off the salt water and sunscreen. We both went to the game room to read and hope for a game or two of chess (not today).

Everyone present for dinner.  For whatever reason, this was my favorite meal so far. I got the crab and corn chowder for an appetizer, and the barbecued ribs for my entrée. Both were simply delicious! 

Kim, Gina, Meg, Jessica and I went to the Explorer's Lounge to play Company Logo Trivia. We scored 14/20, 17 was winning. Does anyone know what the Air France logo looks like? How about the Aquafina logo?

We all then hung around to play "Chain Reaction" (as far as I can tell, it has little to do with nuclear physics). Meg was chosen as a contestant on the Red Team. Jessica was chosen as a contestant on the Blue Team. This game just goes on and on. You try to put together strings of words, such as "Mickey Mouse Trap Door Man Down Town". The blue team won.

Jessica and I saw a comedy magician perform in the Princess Theater. His magic was so-so, but he was pretty funny! Jessica says she enjoyed his show the most of all the shows she has seen onboard.

Back in our cabin around 10:30p. Tomorrow is another sea day. 

Jessica, Stewart, Valerie and David after snorkling an old shipwreck.

We slept in. Kim, Meg, Reid, Valerie and I played trivia, scoring 14/20 (15 tied for first). What is the busiest canal in the world? (Hint: it's not what you think).

Read some more of my book ("True Blue"). Still trying to get a game of chess.

Everyone present for lunch. Most had the fish and chips.

Progressive trivia took place at 3:00p. I recorded our answers. "In a non-leap year, what day is the middle of the year?" I very carefully calculated July 2nd, then wrote down June 2nd. Others don't want me to be the recording secretary in the future, and I can't say as I blame them.

Back in the game room with my book and chess set. I'm making good progress on the book.

It's Italian night in the dining room! Difficult decisions! Meg and Reid are opting for the buffet this evening. Kim, Gina, Stewart and Valerie here with us for the lasagna.

One more trip to the game room with book and chess set. No luck finding an opponent. We are heading to our cabin early this evening.

Tomorrow is another sea day. 

Up early this morning to have breakfast with Valerie and Jessica. Jessica had already walked three miles on the upper deck. After breakfast we prepared another bag of laundry.

I took my chess set to the game room and immediately got a game, which I won on time (I had a better position, but there were drawing chances for my opponent).

Then a girl (I would guess around age 11) challenged me. It was clear she had played before, but she made some fatal mistakes and lost. She left, then ended up coming back and we played a couple of more games with the same result. I then gave her some instruction in opening theory and checkmate patterns. Her name was Maya and she's from Tucson where her school has a chess coach.

I reported to the Wheelhouse Bar for progressive trivia. Our team scored 18/20. How many players on the field for one side in a soccer game? What is the most sensitive organ in the human body?

I returned to the game room and made good progress in my book. The other chess players have all seemed to have disappeared. I like to think that I intimidate them, but that seems unlikely. Jessica and the girls played games and worked on jigsaw puzzles.

Dinner this evening was just me and Jessica and Stewart and Valerie. Another wonderful meal. Our laundry from the other day was returned to our cabin. 

I finished reading "True Blue", a rather formulaic adventure. I will start a fourth book by Michael Crichton tomorrow.

Jessica and I went to the Princess Theater to see the show. This was two women dancers who called themselves "Flamenco Express". They performed about 10 flamenco dances. The only differences that I could see was that some dances used castanets and other dances did not use castanets. They did put on a high energy show and got the audience involved. 

Meg then joined us in the Explorer's Lounge for Famous Couples Trivia. Jessica and Meg scored 19/20, but 100% was necessary to win (I contributed nothing).

We were back in our cabin by 11:00p.

We are closing in on New York. Tomorrow is another sea day.

Flamenco Express in the Princess Theater.

Slept in a little. Jessica up early to visit the gym. We met up to attend 10:00a trivia. Reid, Meg, Kim and Gina joined us. We scored 15/21. Two teams scored 21 and then gave the same tiebreak answer (What percentage of the population is left handed?).

Started another book, "State of Fear". It seems it will be a world threatening thriller (in the vein of "Andromeda Strain").

Lunch at the Salty Dog with Jessica, Meg, Valerie and Stewart. Good burgers and fries.

I finally ran into the pianist who is also a chess player. We have agreed to meet at 11:00p this evening. He has a sight accent (perhaps Russian?), I'm not sure if I should be concerned. 

At 1:00p it was time for more progressive trivia. We ended up scoring 19/21, which leaves us in the running. The final quiz will be tomorrow. What country hosted the 2023 rugby finals? What do you call a baby dolphin?

Reading my book, and going to more trivia with Meg, Reid, Kim, Gina and Jessica. We scored 16/20, but finished out of the money.

Tonight is a formal night, so both Jessica and I dressed for dinner. The menu had steak and lobster, and it was really, really good.

Jessica and I then went to the Explorer's Lounge for Movie Trailer Trivia. We scored 21/25, 23 was winning. We could have scored 22, but Jessica waited too long to suggest "You've Got Mail!".

We stayed for a competition of the crew vs the guests. Meg signed herself, as well as me and Jessica, up as potential contestants. Once I saw the show I was very relieved that my name had not been called. 

Jessica and I then went to the Princess Theater to see the big production show, "Encore". I must say, they put on a powerful show when they have their own singers and dancers working.

After the show I went down to Good Spirits to get some coffee. If my opponent shows up, I want to be alert. My opponent, Andre from Ukraine, showed up right on time. I offered to use the clock, but he preferred to play without it.  In our first two games he blundered a piece and resigned when he had no compensation for it. He played much more solidly in our third game, which lasted over an hour and didn't end until about 1:00a. During this game his coworker, Dimitri (also from Ukraine), came by to watch. This game was pretty even right up until the end. I had given up a pawn for some initiative, and had some threats. When I got the pawn back I was also able to take the 7th rank with my rook, but I thought he still might have drawing chances. However he made one mistake of trying to protect his bishop instead of moving it to safety and the game was over in about two moves. Andre (and Dimitri) were both very gracious and pleasant to meet. 

Now back in the cabin. Tomorrow is our last sea day.

The Encore performance in the Princess Theater.

Andre the pianist and David meet over the board.

Jessica and I got up around 8:15a and went down to Good Spirits for lattes and croissants. We ran into Meg and Reid there.

After our little breakfast we attended the variety/cooking show put on by the kitchen staff in the Princess Theater. This show was great fun! The head chef, the pastry chef, and the maître d' competed to create the best dishes. The two chefs were both wearing toques that were tall to indicate their importance, so the maître d' has his own toque brought out that had to be five feet tall. Only after it was on his head did he try to put on an apron!

After the show they offered a tour of the galley. The place is huge and spotless!

Stewart, Valerie, Jessica and I had a pizza lunch in Sabatini's. Very tasty.

We then reported for the final round of progressive trivia, where we scored 13/20, which placed us 3rd overall for the cruise. Around here I happened again on my new chess buddy, Andre, and asked him to friend me on chess.com (which he was happy to do). He asked me if I could meet him to play some more this evening after his shift. Jessica said she would be packing and I should do it.

More reading. This has been a very relaxing vacation. I was drafted into one last trivia game with Jessica, Kim, Gina, Meg and Reid. We scored 17/20, 18 necessary for first place. Who was the inventor of the bicycle? What is the second largest city in New Zealand? What city has the world's largest Starbucks?

Everyone present for dinner. It was prime rib tonight, simply a wonderful meal. I splurged and had two margaritas! After the meal, Valerie, Stewart, Jessica and I went up to the ice cream bar on deck 14 for dessert. From there we went to the Princess Theater to watch the farewell show (which involved singing and dancing, the cheesy magician, and a pretty good vocalist belting out show tunes).

From there Jessica and I made the rounds handing out tip envelopes to our waiters, servers and room stewards. Back in our cabin I got out the suit cases and told Jessica what I would need for tomorrow. I then took my book and my chess set to the game room to await Andrey.

Andrey showed up a couple of minutes late, but we had a nice visit and played a couple games (I won both). He asked about my profession and what I thought of the new AIs.

I got to bed late. Tomorrow we disembark.

Meg and Jessica enjoy a last visit to the Good Spirits lounge.

The goofy (but fun) variety/cooking show in the Princess Theater.

Jessica finished most of the packing last night. This morning it was get showered, grab a quick bite in the food court, and prepare to meet up with Kim and Gina. We said our goodbyes to Meg, Reid, Stewart and Valerie, then joined uo with Kim and Gina to disembark. There were virtually no lines leaving the ship. We carried our luggage, so no wait to hunt it down. And US Immigration was remarkably smooth. Outside we walked to the Uber waiting platform and, after being approached by a number of hacks offering to take us to Newark Airport at about 150% of the normal rate, Gina ordered one up on the app that must have been right around the corner, as he arrived in less than a minute.

The four of us piled in, and after a trip through two tunnels and Manhattan's Battery, we arrived safely at the airport.

We were dropped first at Terminal A. We arrived a few minutes before they would allow us to check our luggage. When the time came, the bag we wanted to check weighed 52lbs, 2lbs too heavy. We moved some stuff into our smaller bag and were good to go.

Going through TSA Precheck I could not find my passport (after showing it to the baggage check person, I had put it into my shirt pocket instead of it's normal place in our bag with the other passport). Once my passport was found we breezed through the identity verification and shoveled everything into trays for the security scan. The only thing I didn't put in the tray was my belt, so they had to frisk me.

We made it to Gate A9 and are waiting for our flight. We just spent the better part of an hour filling out the Princess trip evaluation questionnaire. It is very detailed.

We boarded our flight to Charlotte without issue, sitting across the aisle from each other in Row 15. We landed in Charlotte in good stead and decided to get lunch. We tried to order an $8.00 chocolate shake, but we're told their shake machine was malfunctioning. We then tried to order sweet potato fries, but were told they were all out. They were able to sell us a $20.00 cheeseburger. 

We finally boarded our flight to John Wayne, once again sitting across aisle from each other in Row 20. I have been trying to read my book. They have really cranked up the AC on this plane. Jessica asked to borrow my jacket and is hunkered down in her seat under it.

Despite starting late, our flight arrived early. We deplaned and picked up our checked bag from the carousel. Judi was there to pick us up Johnny on the spot.

We came home to a small mountain of mail and packages, as well as a smoke alarm sounding a low battery alarm. Put away what we had to and went straight to bed.

Tomorrow it's back to the regular grind.

Our formal cruise photo. Reid, Meg, Stewart, Valerie, Kim, Gina, Jessica and David.