Nimble fingers danced across the taut nylon strings, pressing them against the dark maple neck of the violin as the bow's horsehair ribbon glided across those same strings stretched over the polished spruce instrument's face. The violin had not been lovingly created by Antonio Stradivari but nontheless created round, melodious tones indicating excellent quality in the hands of a virtuoso.
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| Stairway to Heaven? |
The bespectacled pianist seemed to be the leader of the trio, making brief comments to the crowd between songs which he selected. He explained that they had written special arrangements of all the pieces performed to accommodate their instruments.
A beautiful, exquisitively dressed cellist smiled angelically and lilted side to side as she stroked her cello, as if nourished by the beautiful music they played. Whether well-known classical pieces or adaptations of Bohemian-influenced folk music like "Those Were the Days," each song sounded like a masterpiece.
Coming down the elegant white and gold staircase into the atrium for a few minutes before dinner to such sublime music always lifted our spirits. One evening, the Rhapsody Trio even took their rightful turn as a headlining act in one of the two main showrooms. I found their performances the most memorable highlights among the diverse live entertainment aboard Island Princess.
The ship itself is a bit of a masterpiece in its own right.
Island and her twin sister Coral Princess were built to the maximum Panamax standards, making Island Princess an excellent choice for our voyage on the one hundredth anniversary of the Panama Canal.
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| 964 feet long, 106 feet wide, 16 stories tall and 92 tons |
Panamax specs allow 24 inches clearance on each side of this massive ship for clearing the Panama Canal, with a few feet to spare lengthwise to fit into the lock chamber that is 3 1/2 football fields long.
Christened eleven years ago, Island Princess has been well-maintained, including refurbishments to add several Princess favorites introduced on newer ships, including Movies Under the Stars.
On this 300 square feet LED screen by the pool, we enjoyed watching old favorite "Back to the Future" one afternoon as well as some concert footage and PGA Golf under sunshine. Dark of night, of course, makes viewing movies in the evening best, and on our trip we saw a couple of newer movies, including the 2013 coming-of-age movie "The Way, Way Back."
Watching UConn upset a series of NCAA favorites in March Madness, however, topped it all. Sitting on the maroon-clad thick pads placed on the lounge chairs at night for Movies Under the Stars, munching free popcorn and an occasional fresh-baked cookie, it was fun cheering for the Huskies along with other diehard fans of the team in a good-natured rivalry against those cheering for other schools with which they had ties.
Special events like this, combined with ever-changing entertainment lineups and other staff turnover makes choosing "the seven best onboard experiences" and other such contrived lists somewhat meaningless for a cruise ship, but I can say that Princess has never failed to deliver a great onboard experience for us.
This trip on Island Princess featured the best meals we've ever had aboard the line. Each evening, we devoured freshly made rolls brought to our table by our waitstaff while we awaited each wonderful course, with multi-course meals that include items like Escargot in Pesto Sauce, French Onion soup, Caesar Salad, Pan-Seared Ahi with brown rice and mixed vegetables and New York Cheesecake with fresh-brewed coffee.
The buffet also proved outstanding, with lots of fresh fruit, salads, side dishes, desserts and entrees from which to choose. The made-to-order omelets at breakfast were always a highlight.
We took in some other Princess traditional favorite meals like Tea Time in the Bourdeaux Dining Room and its masculine counterpunch, the pub lunch in the Bayou Grill.
While our midshp location high on the Baja Deck made the ship quite accessible to us, we apparently took enough stairs to counteract all the food we consumed, although actually sitting down to enjoy a full meal rather than snacking on empty calories might be enough to hold anyone's weight in line, especially if we remain open to fun activities available on a cruise.
On a cruise, Julie and I take ballroom dance lessons, always free on Princess, and on Island Patrick proved to be an excellent instructor, keeping us focused on the proper steps in everything from merengue to waltz while keeping it light and fun.
On a two week cruise, most of us find time to relax with a book, and Island Princess has a large, well-stocked library that is never locked, making it easy to find interesting books day or night. Julie's James Patterson-jag never hit an impediment, even more impressive when you realize she regularly finishes a book a day.
Of course, you should always appreciate a cruise for its essence, a seafaring sojourn that allows you to look over the side at any time to experience the beauty of the deep blue sea.
While sitting on our balcony one day, we were surprised to see turtles swimming by our ship miles off shore one afternoon. From the same vantage point, we saw dozens of dolphin frolicking alongside our ship on another day. We even saw a huge whale, and we assumed being off the coast of Mexico south of Baja in April must indicate it was lost, but upon returning home, we actually witnessed the miracle of a whale giving birth in the surf by our condo in Redondo Beach, so apparently it is not that unusual.
A cruise offers the opportunity to awaken and view anew the miracles all around us, whether those made by God, like the amazing sea life and vast oceans, or creations by His enlightened children, like the engineering marvel of the Panama Canal and the Island Princess, created to traverse the Wonder of the Modern World.
Our planet is a Stradivarius waiting for you to pick it up and learn how to play. What song is beating in your heart waiting to be expressed?
Christened eleven years ago, Island Princess has been well-maintained, including refurbishments to add several Princess favorites introduced on newer ships, including Movies Under the Stars.
On this 300 square feet LED screen by the pool, we enjoyed watching old favorite "Back to the Future" one afternoon as well as some concert footage and PGA Golf under sunshine. Dark of night, of course, makes viewing movies in the evening best, and on our trip we saw a couple of newer movies, including the 2013 coming-of-age movie "The Way, Way Back."
Watching UConn upset a series of NCAA favorites in March Madness, however, topped it all. Sitting on the maroon-clad thick pads placed on the lounge chairs at night for Movies Under the Stars, munching free popcorn and an occasional fresh-baked cookie, it was fun cheering for the Huskies along with other diehard fans of the team in a good-natured rivalry against those cheering for other schools with which they had ties.
Special events like this, combined with ever-changing entertainment lineups and other staff turnover makes choosing "the seven best onboard experiences" and other such contrived lists somewhat meaningless for a cruise ship, but I can say that Princess has never failed to deliver a great onboard experience for us.
This trip on Island Princess featured the best meals we've ever had aboard the line. Each evening, we devoured freshly made rolls brought to our table by our waitstaff while we awaited each wonderful course, with multi-course meals that include items like Escargot in Pesto Sauce, French Onion soup, Caesar Salad, Pan-Seared Ahi with brown rice and mixed vegetables and New York Cheesecake with fresh-brewed coffee.
 |
| Bayou Grill |
We took in some other Princess traditional favorite meals like Tea Time in the Bourdeaux Dining Room and its masculine counterpunch, the pub lunch in the Bayou Grill.
While our midshp location high on the Baja Deck made the ship quite accessible to us, we apparently took enough stairs to counteract all the food we consumed, although actually sitting down to enjoy a full meal rather than snacking on empty calories might be enough to hold anyone's weight in line, especially if we remain open to fun activities available on a cruise.
On a cruise, Julie and I take ballroom dance lessons, always free on Princess, and on Island Patrick proved to be an excellent instructor, keeping us focused on the proper steps in everything from merengue to waltz while keeping it light and fun.
On a two week cruise, most of us find time to relax with a book, and Island Princess has a large, well-stocked library that is never locked, making it easy to find interesting books day or night. Julie's James Patterson-jag never hit an impediment, even more impressive when you realize she regularly finishes a book a day.
Of course, you should always appreciate a cruise for its essence, a seafaring sojourn that allows you to look over the side at any time to experience the beauty of the deep blue sea.
While sitting on our balcony one day, we were surprised to see turtles swimming by our ship miles off shore one afternoon. From the same vantage point, we saw dozens of dolphin frolicking alongside our ship on another day. We even saw a huge whale, and we assumed being off the coast of Mexico south of Baja in April must indicate it was lost, but upon returning home, we actually witnessed the miracle of a whale giving birth in the surf by our condo in Redondo Beach, so apparently it is not that unusual.
A cruise offers the opportunity to awaken and view anew the miracles all around us, whether those made by God, like the amazing sea life and vast oceans, or creations by His enlightened children, like the engineering marvel of the Panama Canal and the Island Princess, created to traverse the Wonder of the Modern World.
Our planet is a Stradivarius waiting for you to pick it up and learn how to play. What song is beating in your heart waiting to be expressed?
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