January 5th through 20th (Port Everglades to Los Angeles) – total distance traveled from Florida to Los Angeles, California has been 4,504 nautical miles (speed between 12 and 17 knots). Just think how much further it would have been without the Panama Canal.

Each day we receive the Princess Patter (newsletter) that gives us all the information (schedules) that we’ll need for the day. I was especially pleased when we received the “Log Of The Cruise” after the first segment. The log featured extracts from the Ship’s Official Log Book with the entries recorded by the Officer of the Watch on the Navigational Bridge. The Bridge is manned 24 hours a day by two Officers working four hours on, eight hours off, in a three watch system. If anyone knows me, you know I love maps and navigational information, so I found this very interesting. It has the detail of ships position, sky, wind, temperature, pressure and then a paragraph about each day including any wildlife that had been spotted (whales, dolphins, sharks, birds, etc).

We are those passengers that bring binoculars. You won’t find us playing bingo or board games, but each day you’ll find Bob and I both outside looking out over the ocean. We’ve seen whales, sea turtles, many kind of birds and unbelievable pods of dolphins. Most of the time, we just enjoy watching the waves.

It always amazes me how small you feel when you’re at sea. The first time I went on a cruise, I thought surely we’ll see many ships. Occasionally we do see a ship, but the majority of the time, as far as you can see, it’s just one BIG, blue ocean.

We’ve never been on a cruise where the Captain is so involved with the passengers. Each day at noon, he gives a navigational report from the bridge. He has a great sense of humor and always makes us laugh. His name is Captain Paolo Arrigo and hails from Messina, Sicily. In 1998, he followed his family’s heritage of working for Princess, making him the third generation to choose a career at sea. We see him in the gym, walking the deck and regular visits during evening dinner. He walks through the dining room with his first officer to make sure all the passengers are enjoying their time aboard. As he puts it “enjoy your day on the maaaavelous Pacific Princess”.

We’ve had several opportunities for formal nights. Awww!

It’s been a fabulous first segment of the cruise. Each day is more beautiful than the last.

Looking forward to our next adventure…