Welcome back to and from the Pacific Princess

Yes, we know that if you want to produce a successful blog, you need to update often and then update again. However, we got bogged down in all the last-minute preparations for our trip. During the first full week of January, one or both of us had a doctor's or dentist's appointment every week day. On Monday, Sara got her flu shot and then went with Ken on Tuesday to the Manatee County Health Department for our second hepatitis vaccinations and typhoid fever shots. Not a good idea because Sara really felt the extra dose of the typhoid vaccine in her arm! Ken went to get his flu shot that afternoon but the pharmacist recommended against it for the same reason that Sara's arm hurt. Our precious pampered princess kitty, Foxy, also was due for her annual physical. Fortunately, we all checked out fine except for Sara's cracked tooth that required two more visits to our dentist for a temporary and then a permanent crown.

Last Saturday, we threw a "Welcome to Our House" party for Carolyn, our house sitter. While the planning started late and the event was to be a small, intimate gathering, we ended up serving spaghetti and salad to 20 women from Sara's aqua aerobics class at Shapes. Sara owes a huge debt of gratitude and eternal thanks to Ken and our neighbor Carmen who helped her cook and serve. Because the invitation stated "Let's Do Lunch and a Movie," we watched (on Ken's 73-inch television) "The Social Network," which conveniently earned the Golden Globe for the Best Picture-Drama the next day. A great time was had by all.

On Sunday, when not watching the Golden Globe Awards, we got down to the nitty-gritty of packing for 114 days. For several weeks, Sara had been throwing incidentals into a suitcase on the guest bed. Friends have asked us, "How do you pack for that long of trip?" Well, it's not the clothes you take that are the problem--about 10 days to two week's worth of outfits for moderate to hot weather will suffice with a heavy coat, hat, gloves, long pants and several sweaters for cold weather. And don't forget the suit and cocktail dresses for formal nights. The real concern is the toiletries and the over-the-counter, as well as any prescription, medications. How much toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, aspirin, cough medicine and other drugs and so forth do you need until you return home? All in all, we ended up with six suitcases and one large mesh bag of snorkeling gear, which Ken says we can leave behind. Our goal is to return with only four pieces of luggage when we reach the airport in Rome. (Okay, this may be wishful thinking on our part!)

After enjoying breakfast out on Wednesday, we started to Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale with our fantastic neighbors Carmen and Pat, who took the day off from work so they could travel with us and drive our car back to Bradenton. The weather was picture perfect and except for a few wrong terms when we were almost to the port, the trip was ideal.

When we finally boarded the Pacific Princess at about 2:30 p.m., it was like coming home again to the home that we always wanted. Had it really been almost nine months since we thought that we knew every inch of this ship intimately? We quickly felt that we still did. The only negative is that the bathroom in our room is not larger than it was last year. Almost immediately we began to run into friends from the 2010 World Cruise (there are more than 100 of us returning for this year's cruise). The champagne party on Decks 9 and 10 gave us a fantastic way to greet old friends and meet potential new ones.

We are not the youngest passenger (age 6) or the oldest (age 101 who had a problem with his passport because the computer only goes up to 99). But we definitely are the happiest because we have the privilege of taking the "Trip of a Lifetime" twice. We feel so lucky and blessed!

On Friday, we reach our first port, Grand Cayman, and plan to put that snorkeling gear to good use. Check back with us on Saturday to find out what we actually do. This port is the only one for which the Pacific Princess offers a shopping guide for all the jewelry stores in Downtown George Town. Ken's ideal day will include staying as far away from that area as possible!