It’s always nice to be on a cruise, and even better when it’s in the Caribbean. Just imagine being on a Caribbean Cruise with almost 800 PCA members! This past December we had the pleasure to take part in the first PCA Treffen at Sea event on the Princess Cruise line Sky Princess ship.
Along with all the regular cruise experiences, such as island visits and excursions, all of the on-board activities and shows, and a large selection of great dining experiences, we had the added benefit of a wide variety of PCA coordinated activities.
The panel talks, with several experts on the stage, provided very enlightening information. We enjoyed car auction updates by Ramsey Potts. Then Nathan Merz gave an overview of collector cars and valuation. He talked about his career in purchasing and selling unique Porsches. My favorite session was with Rod Emory who started racing old Porsches, then spent a couple of decades restoring them, and in 2018 went back to racing. Rod treated us to a great talk all about his growing up around Porsches, being the third generation of his family with a career focused on Porsche restorations. It was nice to see how his children are now getting involved in his restoration company, working towards being the fourth generation with a passion for creating longevity for older classic Porsches. The PCA passengers enjoyed the opportunity to listen to each of these experts speak about their specialty and answer questions posed by the group.
Another highlight was the Diecast Model Car Concours, with more than 180 members entering their prized model cars. All of the PCA cruise attendees (and many of the other passengers) enjoyed viewing the mix of polished classic Porsche models and decaled/wrapped modern-day car models. The Ship Captain and several of the guest car experts judged the event and chose the winning models.
We enjoyed the beach shore excursions at Cozumel, Mexico, and Roatan, Honduras. Some of the shore visits were at coastal cities that had port piers for walk-off free time, while when visiting Belize, the ship anchored off the coast, and we had tenders take us to the cruise port.
Kelly Telfer is renowned for his Porsche car paintings. I had never considered taking a painting class but really enjoyed challenging my creative side with Kelly Telfer’s classes. While teaching us, he shared about his career and how he got started painting Porsches. There were over 100 club members who enjoyed the sessions while socializing and sipping their favourite beverages.
One of the entertaining evenings included an 80s dance party, where many of us wore our favourite outfits from the era and had fun dancing to the classics of that decade. Some of the dance parties were held late at night up on the pool deck under the stars, while others were held in the main Piazza – a large three-storey atrium area in the centre of the ship. Both areas offered live bands and later DJs to help us all have a great time and dance the nights away.
This PCA Princess Cruise was perfect for my wife Maribeth and I. We were able to have fun at both the Princess and PCA events on and off the ship, and I was able to attend the guest speaker sessions to enjoy a few hours of car talk, while she relaxed on the pool deck enjoying the sunny weather and the other ship amenities. We are certain to take part in another PCA cruise.
For those of you who are interested in a fun week-long PCA travel event at sea, the next one is already scheduled for this year. The 2024 PCA Treffen at Sea – Alaskan Adventure will be from July 28 to August 4th. I understand that over 700 PCA members have already signed up for this fun-filled week sailing up to Alaska. </>
Story By Peter Gregor | Photography Peter Gregor, Bogdan Roberson and Kathrin Menge
