Mini cruise to Bruges by Peter and Jacky Rayner

I love reading about Peter and Jacky's trips.  They write great reviews with a lot of good information and I am happy to share his latest mini break on P&O Ventura.

Although we are loyal Princess customers, there are no cruises from the UK outside the summer season. P&O, part of the Carnival Group, are aimed squarely at the UK market and most passengers are British. We saw a Mini Cruise as a way for us to get from Platinum to Elite before we sail on an Australian Cruise on Golden Princess next March (of course it has just been announced that bookings on P&O from 13th December 2017 will no longer count towards the Princess loyalty program). Furthermore, it allowed us to book a cruise with our Son and Daughter in law, who had never cruised before. It was to be our Christmas present to them.

Firstly, I have to compliment P&O on the way they dealt with a major change to our booking. We originally booked a 2 day cruise to Bruges starting 15th December, but the ship (Oceana) was in for a refit just before that and P&O estimated that it would not be ready in time. They cancelled the cruise and offered a full refund plus future cruise credit or some alternate sailings at the same fare. We chose the 3 day cruise and got an extra day free of charge plus a GBP 25 on board credit per person. Sadly our Son and his Wife could not get the time off work, so we got the full refund for them instead. We had some costs that we could not recover (hotels the night before and travel insurance) but P&O refunded all those costs to us as well.

Embarkation:

We booked an Airbnb for the night before because the hotels had all gone up in price since we booked for our original date. It was cheaper than the original hotel and had a friendly host, so we were happy.

Because our loyalty level on Princess counts for nothing on P&O, we were allocated a 3pm boarding time. We needed to leave the Airbnb at 11am, so we headed to the port anyway. Arrival and baggage handling were no different than Princess (We were at the Ocean Terminal in Southampton). 

On arrival, we were not allowed to join the queue for check in, but were given a coloured card with a letter on it and asked to take a seat until we were called. We sat down at around 11.45am. The colour of the card indicated what time you should have been there. I asked if we would have to wait until 3pm and was told no, it would be a lot sooner than that. 

In the end, we were called at 12.45pm, so the wait was only 1 hour. 

Check in, security and embarkation was all very quick and easy. One difference is that your picture is taken at the check in desk instead of when you get on the ship, which I think speeds things up slightly.

When on board we asked if a main dining room was open for lunch and were told that it was only for higher tier P&O customers (equivalent to Platinum or Elite). We don’t like that sort of class segregation, which is why we don’t sail on Cunard. So we dropped our bags in out cabin and went to the buffet, which was very similar to Horizon Court on Princess.

Ship in General:

Ventura is almost exactly like the Emerald and Ruby Princess. The only differences are the décor and the fact that there is no movie screen up on deck. Not an issue at this time of year, but it would be missed in summer. One of the pools is covered, similar to the covered pool on Grand Princess.

Personally, I thought the décor was a bit bright and garish compared to Princess. The feel of Princess ships is a lot more classy in my opinion. That is just my taste and others may think different. Anyone familiar with the Emerald, Ruby or other similar ships would have no problem finding their way around. Most venues were the same, apart from having a different name (e.g. the Princess Theatre is called the Arena Theatre).

One downside for us is there are a lot more smoking areas on deck than on Princess ships. Half of the area on the terrace just outside the buffet is available for smokers (this is an eating area). On Princess, the smokers are 1 deck up outside Sabatini’s/Share. 

Also, the whole of the Promenade deck on the Starboard side is available for smokers. On Princess the area is restricted to a small aft section of the Promenade deck. If, like me, you like to walk round the Promenade deck, you can no longer hold your breath as you pass the smokers, otherwise you would be unconscious by the time you walked the whole of the Starboard side.

Cabin:

Our cabin was an inside in the forward section of the ship (Dominica 123). This cabin is in exactly the same place as on similar Princess Ships, where it would be called Dolphin 123. It was set out in exactly the same way as a Princess cabin.

I would not recommend this cabin for two reasons. Firstly it is a 4 berth cabin, so you have Pullman beds on each side that means you cannot stand upright beside your bed if you have a Queen configuration. It is awkward getting in and out during the night and you can bang yourself on them if you are not careful. It was OK for 3 nights, but I would not want it for a longer cruise. This was not because we originally booked with our son and his wife (they were going to have their own cabin). It was just the luck of the draw on a guarantee cabin. 

The second downside was noise from the theatre. The second show started at 10.45pm, by which time we were in bed, and you could hear drumming and other sounds from the theatre. There was quite a lot of vibration from the thrusters when docking, but that is just the issue on many ships when you are located forward or aft.

Our Steward was Melvyn. Not the happiest of cabin stewards and not very talkative. There are no free bathrobes available on P&O unless you are in a suite. Again, another class divide. We had 2 issues, there was no floor towel in the bathroom and the styling nozzle would not stay on the hairdryer (hairdryers are separate and not wall mounted). Both issues were fixed after we left Melvyn a note.

The bed was comfortable and P&O still have day cushions on the bed, which was nice. The TV was pretty poor. It was almost square rather than widescreen and only had 9 channels. Of these, 1 was the interactive on board account, 3 were P&O information or promotional channels and another was the webcam. They did have a range of films on demand, but the volume on the TV was set so low that I could not hear anything (I have a hearing impediment). On the plus side for the British, the plug sockets are standard UK 3 pin plugs and the on board account is in Pounds Sterling. There was no socket available behind the TV, so I had you use my power bar elsewhere in the cabin.

Dining/Food:

We opted for Freedom dining, which is the equivalent to Anytime dining. They had 2 dining rooms allocated to Freedom dining, but unlike Princess, the ship allocated you a dining room. They took your cabin number each night to ensure you kept to your correct dining room. Our dining room opened at 6pm, whereas the other Freedom dining room did not open until 6.30pm. Each night we arrived at around 5.45pm and were always first in the queue. I expected massive queues, but these did not build up until later in the evening. Even then, the dining room never appeared to be very busy. We opted for a table for 2 each night and were placed in the same section. Cyril and Ma Kristina were our waiters and both were very good. 

The food was good, with steak available as an option on all nights. I would have said that the food on Princess was better, but not by a huge amount. P&O do serve cheese at the end of every meal, rather than it being a dessert option.

The regular coffee on board was truly awful. On asking for decaf with dinner one evening, the waiter just poured some instant granules into my wife’s cup and filled it with water. The awfulness of the coffee was repeated throughout the ship. The saving grace was the speciality coffee on board. This is provided by Costa Coffee, which is a brand in the UK that is the major competitor to Starbucks. Their cappuccinos and lattes were excellent, but, of course, you had to pay for them. 

One good feature on the ship is that the bar in the nightclub (equivalent to Skywalkers) is open during the day and they make the speciality coffees right there. On Princess ships we have to go and get our coffees and take them to Skywalkers.

On the only sea day we ate lunch in the MDR and that was as good as it is on Princess.

We did not use the speciality restaurants and we noticed quite a few food venues with added supplements for certain dishes rather than a cover charge.

Entertainment:

We saw one production show and the style was similar to the productions on Princess. They had 4 main vocalists and a dance troupe that seemed under rehearsed. It may be that new members of the cast had joined and were not yet up to speed, as some were out of time with the rest. It whiled away an hour or so though. The Theatre was exactly the same on princess ships except for the colour of the seats. 

We saw a Whitney Houston tribute act called Nya King on another night in their equivalent of Club Fusion. She was very good, although the show was a little spoiled by some rather drunk women on the dance floor. The entertainment team are much lower profile than on Princess. I did not see a Cruise Director and the staff did not introduce themselves when they appeared on stage. They were just there to introduce the acts.

Itinerary:

Southampton – Being December, we did not head to the deck for sailaway. We left after dark and the ride was pretty smooth.

Sea Day – We were puzzled as to how they were going to turn a 2 day cruise to Bruges (our original booking) into a 3 day cruise. It soon became clear, as the map showing the progress of the ship indicated that after we left Southampton we turned away from Bruges and were heading in the wrong direction. Later that day we turned round to head back towards Bruges. The other factor was that we were only travelling at 7 to 8 knots. Usually the ship travels at anything between 15 to 20 knots. It was almost as if we were not moving. This, however, resulted in a very smooth sail and there was almost no rocking or rolling.

Zeebrugge for Bruges – P&O put on a free shuttle to Blankenberge, where you can get a train into Bruges. The transfer to the station was about 20 minutes. We arrived and there was quite a long queue for the ticket office. I spotted a ticket machine and it was very easy to use with instructions in English. I selected a return ticket to Bruges for 2 people and the machine automatically changed that to a weekend ticket, because it was cheaper. I then inserted my credit card and paid. The whole trip for the 2 of us cost less than GBP 8. P&O’s coach transfer into Bruges and back costs more than GBP 30 each. The train ride is 10 minutes and the trains run once every hour.

We had just missed a train and so had time to spare. We walked to the seafront at Blankenberge and took a very windy stroll beside the sea. It is a typical European seaside town with shops, restaurants and a couple of Piers. We thought it might be nice to explore when we return in the summer.

We caught the train and when you get off in Bruges it is a 15 to 20 minute walk into the centre. There are buses and taxis for those with less mobility, but coaches are not allowed into the centre, so passengers taking the P&O transfer, still have to walk.

Bruges is a very pretty city in the summer and no less so at this time of year. The Christmas Market was in full swing, with little cabins set around the main square selling food, drink and Christmas gifts and clothing. Christmas lights and trees were set up and there was an ice rink in the centre. 

We headed for a café for a coffee and to get out of a rain shower that had started. Once the rain had stopped we walked around the market and other parts of the town. Bruges is famous for its chocolate and so we stopped by a shop to buy some gifts. 

For lunch we stopped at another café and had some Belgian Waffles. One thing that struck me was that most of the staff in the cafes were very brusque and not very friendly. Maybe it was that they were just tired of tourists or wary because of the terrorist threat in Belgium at the moment. It would have been nice to be welcomed a bit more.

We walked back to the station and caught the train back to Blankenberge, where there were a row of P&O coaches ready to take us back to the ship.

Sail back to Southampton – Because we had to sail back overnight the ship travelled at 17 to 18 knots and the sail was nowhere near as smooth. It was by no means bad, but you could definitely feel the movement of the ship. 

However, the Captain announced at 7am that we were not yet in port and were sitting just off the Isle of Wight due to strong winds making it unsafe for us to dock. Over the next couple of hours announcements were made saying we were going to dock at the Mayflower Terminal instead of the Ocean Terminal and that we were expected to be alongside by 9am. 

In the end we did get into the Ocean Terminal, but it was a struggle and the ship needed tugs to get it moored.

Disembarkation – There were no groups for disembarkation. We were just told that passengers with their own luggage would be allowed off first at around 9.15am. Other passengers were told they would be called once the luggage had been unloaded. 

An announcement was made at around 10am that everyone could disembark. We thought it would be chaos, but it worked extremely well and we were off the ship within 15 minutes. It is probably due the fantastic ability us British have at queuing. There was no free for all, just an orderly line.

Conclusion:

We still think of Princess as our favourite cruise line. There were pros and cons of sailing with P&O, but the cons outweighed the pros in our opinion. If P&O recognized our Princess loyalty level, we may well sail with them more, but that is very unlikely to happen. We would certainly sail with them again, but only where there is no Princess option.

One noticeable improvement on Princess was the lack of pushy sales promotions. however, that may have been because it was only a 3 day cruise.

Our prime objective of reaching Elite level before our next cruise in March has been achieved and we are looking forward to all those new benefits.

Peter & Jacky Rayner

Norwegian Fjords Cruise - 7 nights by Peter Rayner

From time to time I love to add a thorough unbiased review from some of my followers.  Peter has done a few now and here is his next one.  If you have a review that you would like to have posted. Let me know and we can get it up. Vickie

7 day Norwegian Fjords Cruise from Southampton on Crown Princess starting 1st July 2017

Ship in General:

This is the first time we have sailed on the Crown Princess, but we felt right at home, because it is almost identical to the Ruby and the Emerald Princess, both of which we love. 

The ship is looking in good shape and we had no complaints. Our favourite area, outside Sabatini’s on the aft terrace, has some new rattan style furniture with both single chairs and two seaters as well as low tables. Our only disappointment was that half this area is given over to smokers and the smoke still drifts over even if you are sitting at the furthest point away.

Cabin:

We opted for an inside cabin and when we booked there was little choice. We selected R207, which was forward on the starboard side, only 2 or 3 cabins from the end. We noticed that some cabins around us had been reserved for Pilots. While navigating the fjords, some Pilots seem to stay on board for more than 1 port. We never saw any of them though.

The cabin was nice enough with plenty of space. As usual, we moved the little table to the wardrobe area to give us more room. We have never been this far forward before, but we did not notice any real difference to previous cruises. There was some vibration from the thrusters when docking, but nothing we have not experienced before.

Our favourite place on the Aft Terrace

Our Steward was Rudy and he was friendly and up to the usual Princess standard. We discovered that he had been on the Ruby Princess for our Hawaii cruise last year and he knew our Steward from that trip. Extra hangers were requested and delivered promptly, but Robes were not available until the following day.

The ship did not have the new Princess beds, but it already had a pillow top added to the mattress, so it was quite comfortable.

Dining/Food:

We had no complaints about the food and found it to be very good. On the first day we had lunch in the Botticelli Dining Room, which is hidden away on deck 6 at the aft of the ship. It was not advertised anywhere that this dining room was open. The information given out was that passengers could eat in the buffet on in the International café. Knowing a dining room was usually open, we asked a member of staff and found out that way. One of the waiters had a little joke on my wife. At the end of the meal she asked for decaf when requesting coffee. Another waiter then came over and said “I’m here”. My wife looked puzzled and he said “You wanted decaf…well decaf is my middle name”. It is so nice when the waiters are having a little fun, it gets you into the holiday mood.

We opted for Anytime dining and usually went to dinner around 6pm. Almost every day we were able to request a table for 2 and got it straight away. Every evening they checked our cruise card to make sure we were Anytime diners, which I have never seen before. The only night we decided to share was when they told us a table for 2 would be 1 hour. We can only guess that more people were eating early because a Freddie Mercury tribute act was on at 8pm and he was very popular. The service on our table for 6 was very slow. The waiter seemed to have a lot more tables to serve than usual. It got so late that we skipped dessert so we could get to the show. One reason for the delay was that one couple ordered 4 courses, when the rest of us only ordered 3 and we had to wait for them to finish their extra course. I cannot blame them and they did turn out to be the most travelled couple, so they deserved to take their time.

We dined in Crown Grill on the second formal night because we did not want to dress up. The food and service was great. Jacky was disappointed that we did not get a seat with a sea view, but when I pointed out that we had been looking at stunning views all week and we were now about to be served a great meal, she smiled and said “Yeah, I suppose you are right”.

I am not a great fan of Italian night in the dining room, so when we realised that was on, we decided to try out the Salty Dog Gastropub. Well to say it was a mixed review is an understatement. We both liked the breadstick starter with 2 fondue dips, although we could not detect any difference between the dips. For the main courses, I picked the Ernesto Burger and the Spicy Stout Beef Short Ribs. Jacky picked the Calamari Frites and the Lobster Mac & Cheese. I hated both my dishes and Jacky loved hers. The burger, to me, was tasteless and the Trident Grill option was much more to my liking. The ribs were chewy and not very pleasant. For dessert we ordered the Chocolate Pot De Crème and the Lemon Posset and both enjoyed our choices. The conclusion was that Jacky would be happy to eat there again, whereas I would be reluctant.

The evening we sailed out of Skjolden, we stayed in our favourite seats on the aft terrace and picked up our evening meal from the buffet. We then sat eating while the stunning view of the fjord unfolded on both sides of the ship.

Apart from on disembarkation day, we opted for room service breakfast each day and used the Princess at Sea app to order it. This was very simple once we found where the breakfast order section was. It was not in an obvious place as far as I am concerned, but we got there in the end. The orders arrived correct and on time every day.

Itinerary:

Sea conditions and the weather were, for the most part, fantastic. Sailaway from Southampton was in glorious sunshine, but we have done this so many times that we went off to dinner before we had even reached the Isle of Wight.

Dover Castle and White Cliffs

At between 6am and 7am on the following morning, the Captain woke us up with an announcement that was piped all around the ship, including the cabins. He said that we might have noticed the White Cliffs of Dover on our starboard side. This was because we had turned around in the night and were heading for Dover to disembark a medical emergency. We arrived later that morning, but were not allowed off the ship. After a stay of between 1 and 2 hours, we set sail again for Stavanger. No announcement was made, but we later heard a rumour that someone had fallen in the shower and suffered a fractured vertebra in their neck. That might account for why we had to turn around rather than have the casualty airlifted off. 

Later in the day the Captain advised that due to the delay and strong headwinds, we would not now make it to Stavanger. Instead we would have an extra day at sea. We were delighted by this, as we love to relax on sea days and we had been to Stavanger twice before. We did feel sorry for those on their first trip to Stavanger though.

Skjolden

Skjolden – This port was new to us and it provided some stunning views from the ship and while on land. The sun was shining and the temperature was warm. We took the 15 minute walk into town and picked up a walking map from the tourist office. We hiked for around 30 minutes to get to a viewpoint overlooking the town and fjord. It was well worth it and we got some great pictures. We then went back into town and headed out towards a waterfall. 

Skjolden from the viewpoint

Skjolden - the town viewed from the ship

This was about a 45 minute hike along the road. It gave us some great exercise, but the view of the waterfall was probably not worth the effort compared to our hike up to the viewpoint. We walked back to the ship for some lunch then sat on the aft terrace for the rest of the day relaxing before bringing dinner back from the buffet as we sailed out of the fjord. Skjolden is lovely and, if you are reasonably fit, you don’t have to take a tour to see the beauty of the area.

Olden - the view from Mount Hauron

Olden - We had been here a couple of times before and we love the area. Last time we visited the glacier and then hiked up Mount Hauron, but this proved too much for Jacky and she did not make it to the top. This time we just wanted to hike up the mountain and both make it. Another ship was docked, so we had to tender ashore. The wait for the tender was about 20 to 30 minutes and we got ashore around 10am. We picked up a map from the tourist office, but the route was shown from Olden itself, which was 20 minutes in the wrong direction. We knew roughly what the route was and set off following our noses. We soon came across some signs to Mount Hauron and these guided us from here on. 

Olden - another view from Mount Hauron

The hike takes about 3 hours there and back and is quite steep and rocky towards the end. The views from the top are worth it though. We wandered around the top and came across a little cabin that would make a secluded little hideaway, similar to the cabins you find in Alaska out in the wilderness. 

Olden - the cabin at the top of the mountain

The weather was warm and humid, which made the hike quite demanding. You need to be reasonably fit to make this trek. Once we got back to the ship we headed for the aft terrace again and had lunch. We sat there for the rest of the day and for the start of the sailaway before heading off to change for dinner.

 Bergen - the view from the bandstand

Bergen - It was a short stay in port and we were needed back on board by lunchtime. On our last visit we did the usual tourist thing of travelling up to the viewpoint overlooking the port by funicular. This time we just wandered around Bergen and the fish market before going further into town to buy some gifts. The weather again was warm and sunny. Once back on board, we took up our usual position on the aft terrace for lunch and to watched our departure from Bergen.

Bergen - the lake and fountain in the town centre

The final sea day was also blessed with good weather and we sat out on deck most of the day reading and relaxing. The whole trip was fantastic with some great views that can only be matched by places we have seen in Alaska.

Bergen - final sailaway and heading home

Embarkation and Disembarkation:

We sailed from the Mayflower terminal at Southampton and arrived between 11am and 11.30am. There was no queue at the preferred check in line and we walked straight up to get our cruise cards. We expected to be directed to a lounge, but we were told we can get straight on the ship. This was the fastest embarkation we have ever experienced.

The disembarkation at Southampton was also smooth and ran an hour ahead of schedule. We were off and away much earlier than anticipated. We were sad to leave but pleased with the efficiency.

Our next cruise is a 2 day mini cruise on P&O in December, where we are introducing our son and his wife to cruising. The main reason we booked it though is that it will give us enough cruise credits to become Elite for our next main cruise in March 2018. That is on Golden Princess sailing from Melbourne, Australia to Singapore. Bring on the free mini bar and free laundry.

Peter's 14 Night Caribbean Cruise on Caribbean Princess

14 day Caribbean Cruise from Fort Lauderdale on Caribbean Princess starting 11th March 2017

This was the first time we have booked a back to back cruise, but it was a good option for a 2 week Caribbean itinerary at our favoured holiday time of mid to late March.

We got off to a great start by being upgraded to Club Class on our British Airways flight from London Heathrow to Miami. It was not luck, as we had pushed for this upgrade following some appalling customer service from BA’s customer service centre related to our flights to Los Angeles last year. Although the service in Club Class was great, we would not recommend BA to anybody flying economy, as their service levels have dropped significantly in recent years. Virgin Atlantic, in our opinion, is a much better option.

The journey through border control at Miami was the quickest we had experienced and the new automated machines were very efficient. Being British, we still had to line up to get a final check from a Border Officer. It would have been nice to get a smile and a greeting from the Officer, but this guy was not in the best of moods. On a previous visit an Officer told us that they had received training from the Disney Corporation on how to engage with visitors to the US. He was smiley, friendly and chatty, but still efficient. That programme has obviously been dumped, because this time the Officer had no people skills at all.

Because we were through customs a lot quicker than normal, we had to wait a while for our driver, who had been organised by our Travel Agent. All was forgiven though when he lead us to our ride, which turned out to be a stretch Limo. The journey to our hotel was quick and easy. We stayed at the Ocean Sky Hotel & Resort on Galt Ocean Drive about 20 minutes from Port Everglades. Our TA gets a good rate here and we have stayed a few times. 

It is perfect for a one night stop before we sail and is right on the beach. It does cater for quite a few Spring Break groups, but that is always going to be the case when you stay at this time of the year. As long as you request a room away from the pool area, the party noise that can occur is rarely a problem. Food is reasonably good if you don’t want anything too fancy and we opted for a couple of chicken wraps with fries before turning in for the night. One thing that has changed this year is that the 15% gratuity is now added automatically. In previous visits we left our own tip.

Embarkation:

Our driver picked us up at 11am and we were at Port Everglades about 20 minutes later. For the first time since our very first cruise in 2011, our ship was docked at Pier 2. 

Just inside the entrance, turn left and we were there. No traffic, no queue, no delay. There was no queue either for the preferred check-in line and we walked straight up to a free agent and received our cruise cards. We were sitting in the preferred boarding waiting area by about 11.30am.

Although we thought we would be on the ship in record time, that was not to be. We waited until around 12.45pm before boarding commenced. We later found out from a passenger that was in transit that a surprise inspection from customs was the reason. All the crew had to get off the ship and be checked. While this was happening, there was no one to prepare the ship for us, hence the delay while they tried to get everything ready.

Once on board we headed for the Main Dining Room for lunch and a refreshing drink.

Ship in General:

We had read reports that the Caribbean Princess was looking in bad shape. It was due to go into dry dock for a major refit at the end of this cruise. All I can say is that some people must be really fussy. The ship did not look any different to the last time we sailed on her a few years ago. 

The ship is not pristine, but she is over 12 years old and is looking remarkably fine for that age. The public areas are all still smart and classy looking and the cabin was as good as we always expect. There were a few smells in some areas at the aft of the ship, but I have experienced those on a few ships and think that maybe that is where the sewage tanks might be located. Nothing, however, would have given me cause to say the ship was in a poor state, that simply is not true.

Cabin:

We went for a guaranteed balcony cabin of grade BE or above. We were allocated a category BB on the Starboard side (Aloha 623) and we were very happy with it. It was located midway between the Mid and Aft staircases.

Our Steward was Ruel from the Philippines. He was very efficient and looked after us well, always remembering our names. Robes were provided promptly and any request dealt with quickly.

We did not realise that the Caribbean Princess had not yet been equipped with the new Princess beds. We had not asked for a Mattress Topper and found the bed too hard for us. We called Ruel out before retiring for the night and he added the topper there and then.

Dining/Food:

We had a good experience on our cruise last year by organising a set table for 2 at a set time, even though we were on Anytime Dining. The Head Waiter did this for us as a favour, as it was our 30th Wedding Anniversary. 

Because we liked getting to know our waiters, we decided to opt for Traditional Dining this time and requested a table for 2. We always know that this was not guaranteed, but when we were told we had been placed on a table of 10, we were not happy. Both my wife and I have hearing disabilities and when we share, we always say no more than a table for 6. Anything above 6 and we cannot hear what people are saying and feel isolated from the other diners. 

We saw the Maitre’D and changed to Anytime Dining, but what annoyed us was that the Maitre’D told us that Princess had advised the ship that we would accept a table of ANY size. So, our request for a table of 2 had never been passed on even though I clearly requested it in the Cruise Personalizer.

Anytime Dining worked out fine. Because of the time difference, eating early suited us and most times we arrived at the Island Dining Room between 5.30pm and 5.45pm. We asked for a table for 2 each night, but were happy to share a table for 6 if there was a wait. 

Of the 14 nights I think we shared only 2 or 3 times. In the end the greeter on the door and the Head Waiter recognised us and just showed us to a table for 2 without us asking. On the final night there was not a table for us, but the Head Waiter rang the Coral Dining Room and got us a table for 2 there.

The food throughout the cruise was excellent. Again, I read posts from people saying the food was awful. What planet are these people on? I did not like some dishes, but there was always something nice to eat. One thing that we noticed had changed since our last cruise was the layout of the menu. Instead of having a section for Appetisers, then Soup & Salad, then Main Courses, Soup & Salad was included in the Appetisers section. This meant that, without thinking about it, we skipped a course that we would normally order. It resulted in me not putting as much weight on as I normally do, so I cannot complain.

Because we were on a back to back cruise (8 day and 6 day), the Silver & Gold Wine Package was not on offer (that is only for cruises of 10 days or more). However, we had booked our back to back as a single 14 day cruise, so I asked the waiter if I could get the package. He checked with a more senior colleague and he said yes. He said they do not promote it, but will offer it if someone asks. So I purchased the 10 bottle Silver Package and saved myself a significant amount in wine charges.  To learn more about the wine card click here.

As well as eating in the Main Dining Room, we also eat in the Crown Grill twice and both food and service were fantastic.

Entertainment:

As usual, there were a lot of daytime activities but they were not for us. We just relaxed most days and read our books. One thing we particularly avoided was a Sexy Legs Competition by the pool. We always tell friends how classy we find cruising and that is certainly not classy. Still, all we did was avoid it, so it did not really affect us. The evening entertainment was not really us, although the dance troupe in the Princess Theatre was the best we had seen and the production shows were enjoyable. Mostly we turned in early and read our books and fell asleep. This relaxing lark is so tiring.

The Cruise Director, David Clarke, was good fun. We had seen him as a Deputy Cruise Director on a previous ship and he is a bit of a cheeky chappie. They seem to have done away with the role of Deputy Cruise Director and David did all the Wake Shows on his own. There is now an Entertainment Director, but I am not sure what they do, as I did not see him anywhere apart from at the Champagne waterfall on formal night.

Itinerary:

2 Sea days – We left Port Everglades with the sun shining and great weather. The next 2 days at sea were quite calm but windy. Temperatures were in the high 70s and we managed to find a sheltered spot on deck to read our books. We are still annoyed by people reserving sun loungers for hours at a time. We obey the rules where others do not and I just hope for the day when deck attendants start moving towels and books and sunglasses and bags that have been unattended for more than 20 minutes. Rant over.

Curacao – We decided just to have a walk around the town as it is such a pretty port. The pontoon bridge was opened and closed a few times which was interesting and we took the free ferry once, just to see what it was like. We had coffee on the riverfront and took in the view. A great start to our itinerary.

Aruba – We had been here in 2012 and had such a lovely day on Eagle Beach that we decided to go and do it all again. This time, because of Vickie’s blog, we took the bus rather than a taxi. It was a 5 minute walk from the pier to the bus station. We had already got some information from the tour desk at the port about what ticket to get and what bus we needed. We got 2 return tickets for USD 5 each and were given 2 credit card sized plastic cards. The bus was waiting to go at the station and on we got. The cards get scanned and given back to you. We asked the driver to tell us when we got near the stop for Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort and he did. When we got there, most of the chairs under umbrellas were reserved for guests, but they had two spare near the beach bar. The cost was USD 15 each for the day, which was more than I was expecting to pay. We did not want to risk walking further and failing to get chairs with an umbrella, so we said OK. The beach was stunning and the water lovely and clear. 

We had lunch at Passions on the Beach and the Coconut Shrimp was great. We recognised the waiter from 2012 and had a chat. He said we should come back more often, I have to agree. We caught the bus back with no problem as the stop is just outside the resort.

Bonaire – We missed out on snorkelling last time were here because our tour was cancelled. This time I had done some research and had booked with Woodwind for a 4 hour snorkel trip. The directions were to walk along the waterfront until you saw a casino sign. We waited there with a group of others until someone came to take our names and direct is to the boat. I thought it was strange that no one asked us for any money. We had not paid even a deposit that that point. I now know why. They are so good that nobody would consider refusing to pay. We started off with a slow sail out to Klein Bonaire, during which time there was a safety briefing and an offer of drinks. 

They had the usual masks and fins, but also offered prescription masks for those with glasses, full face masks for those who need them and full UV protection lycra body suits to prevent you getting sunburn while in the water. They also had a photographer that would swim with you to take photos of you and all the marine life you saw. A USB stick with all the photos of the day was offered for USD 40, but there was no hard sell. We were split into small groups and each had a leader who pointed out the marine life to us while we were in the water. We had 2 x 1 hour sessions in the water at 2 different sites. We saw 3 Turtles up close and countless other colourful fish and coral. On the way back we were given a home cooked hot meal of Chicken and Noodles and more drinks. It was only as we neared the dock that we were asked for our payment. The 4 hour trip was USD 65 each and well worth it.

2 Sea days – The sail back to Port Everglades was much the same as the trip out, but perhaps a little less windy.

Port Everglades Turnaround Day – It was great not having to pack and leave our cabin. We usually have room service breakfast, so it was strange that we could not order this for today, but we went out after the initial rush had died down and eat on the aft terrace outside Café Caribe. It was nice to wander around an almost empty ship until we had to report to the Princess Theatre at 10.45am to be escorted ashore. We were given in transit cards and asked to fill out a customs declaration, Neither of these things were actually needed. All that happened was that we were dinged off the ship, sat in a holding room for 15 minutes and then we walked past a customs official who looked at our passports for 1 second then we were dinged back on the ship and that was it. I think we were back on by 11.45am. The sailaway was much more relaxing than usual as we did not have to attend Muster Drill and all of our stuff was already unpacked and in our cabin. The weather again was hot and sunny.

1 Sea day – The sea was calm and the weather hot and sunny. What more can you ask for?

Roatan, Honduras – We were not due to arrive until 10am, so we sat on our balcony and had breakfast as we sailed down the coast of Roatan towards Mahogany Bay at Coxon Hole. The sea view was stunning. We backed into Mahogany Bay to join a Carnival Ship that was already docked. 

The purpose built resort looked nice in the morning sunshine, but we had booked an independent tour online with Victor Boddon and so made our way out of the Port area. The instructions were to walk out of the security perimeter and over a hill, where the independent tour operators would be waiting. We were not concerned because there were quite a lot of people walking the same route and they had coned off a path from the main road. As soon as we got over the hill we saw the buses and tour staff. The first person we met asked who we were looking for and then directed us to the Victor Bodden representative. 

We were then escorted to a minibus which had around 20 seats and took the last 2 seats available. The tour guide introduced herself and she seemed to be fun and chatty. The bus was air conditioned and quite comfortable. Although we seemed to be full, we waited for 20 to 30 minutes before eventually setting off.

The tour we booked was the Fun-n-Sun Tour, which was USD 30 each. It was sold as “a 5-hour sightseeing/cultural tour with stops along the way providing for some great photo opportunities”. “Along the tour, we will have a 45 minute stop to see the Monkeys/Parrots at Victor's Monkey Business. At the end of the sightseeing tour, you will enjoy 2 hours at West Bay Beach” with “a reserved beach chair”. There was only 1 stop along the way, up on a hill with not particularly good views and a lot of vendor shacks offering souvenirs. Victor’s Monkey Business is basically a mini zoo, where you are escorted into various cages and get Monkeys, Sloths and Parrots put on you by guides. It was not our thing at all, as we prefer seeing animals in the wild and not caged. This place is also the head office for Victor Bodden Tours and we paid our tour fee in cash (no cards accepted). 

When we returned to the bus, we had a shock, because more people had been added to our tour. The fold away seats in the centre aisle were folded down and we were now packed in with no space and it was uncomfortable. I believe this was a cynical act that was only done after we had paid. We were then dropped off at Bananarama Beach resort and were shown to our beach chairs. These were in a long line of about 20 beach chairs side by side with no space in between and very little shade. The resort was noisy and busy and, again, it was not our thing. We were not comfortable and not enjoying ourselves. The tour guide had said that she would show us where we could get some good food at prices lower than in the resort. However, when we tried to find her she was nowhere to be found. At every stop we made, including this one, she disappeared. 

We ended up eating in the resort, which was OK at best. To top it all, I left my baseball cap on the chair when we had finished and when I went back for it, it had gone. Our waiter had also disappeared and no one else seemed to want to help me. The cap was one I got from our Anniversary trip to Hawaii last year, so is not easily replaced. Due to the delay in trying to find my cap, we were the last people back on the bus and our seats had been taken by another couple. We had to sit in the centre aisle fold down seats. The seat backs were broken so we were almost lying down. We could not see any of the scenery on the 1 hour journey back to the port and my back was aching the whole way. As well as disappearing at all the stops, the tour guide told us very little about Roatan. Instead she seemed to be a local practitioner of herbal medicine and spent most of the time handing round plants and telling us that this one cures cancer and this one cures diabetes. That is definitely not what we signed up for. 

Based on our experience with Victor Bodden, I would not be able to recommend them to any other cruisers.

Belize City – We knew this was a tender port and we dropped anchor in the bay around 6.15am. We were up early because we had booked a Princess tour and had to be at the Theatre by 7am. We grabbed some breakfast and made it to the rendezvous point just before 7. We were directed to a seat in the Theatre, but by the time we got there our line was already moving to go to the tender. 

The tenders are not the usual ones from the ship, but are larger catamarans hired from local operators. The journey to the quayside took about 20 minutes and there we were directed to our tour guide. We were lead through a complex of shops and bars and onto a coach. 

The tour guide was a lady called Lynette, but she said we should call her Lynn. We had booked the tour to the Mayan ruins at Xunantunich. Lynn said if we wanted to pronounce it, just say Tuna Sandwich and it would be close enough. The journey was 2 hours and Lynn talked the whole way, giving us fascinating insights into Belize. The scenery was wonderful once we were out of the city and at no time did the journey seem a chore. We learned that the locals eat Green Iguanas and that they call the dish Bamboo Chicken. When it came to choose our group name for the tour, it was easy. We were the Bamboo Chickens. We got off the bus and were taken to a hand cranked ferry across a river, which was a pleasant experience even in the 80 degree heat. We were then taken in some minibuses to the site of the ruins and lead around by 3 local guides. They gave us all the history of the site and answered any questions. 

The ruins were great to look at and we then were led up to the top of the highest pyramid, 350 feet up. There are no guard rails on the way up or at the top, so if you suffer from vertigo, this climb is not for you. The views from the top across Belize and over to Guatemala are stunning. Once we were back down, we took the reverse journey back to the bus and headed off to a local restaurant for a meal. The food is Chicken (not Iguana) with rice and beans cooked in coconut milk. It was nicer than I thought it would be and they had various fiery hot sauces to add to the flavour. They had samples of Cashew Nut Wine to try and a shop and some stalls. There was no dessert and drinks were not included, but sodas were on sale for USD 1 per bottle. We then headed back to port and Lynn only chatted for a few minutes before giving us all time for a snooze. 

This tour was great and I thoroughly recommend it. It cost USD 99 each via Princess, but I found it cheaper online and Princess refunded me the difference plus 10% as an on board credit. It ended up costing us around USD 72 each and was one of the best tours we have ever done. One thing about Belize is that vendors do not appear to haggle. I saw a hat that I wanted in a few places and no one was prepared to negotiate on the price. It was more than I wanted to pay so I left it.

Cozumel – Another sunny day greeted us and we headed ashore to find a taxi. We had booked to spend the day at Nachi Cocom because they limit the amount of people allowed in each day and it seemed to be a quieter resort. We had tried to link up online with another couple to split the taxi fare, but we had no takers. The taxi area was quite busy, but there were no couples going our way, so we got in a taxi on our own. I photographed the taxi price poster and our driver agreed that the cost was USD 18, but we paid him USD 20. He told us to leave at least an hour for the return journey as the traffic could be bad with 5 ships in port. We got to the resort and were instructed to hold some sombreros while our photo was taken before we were allowed in. We thought it was something to do with entry, but in the end we found out when we left that they were trying to sell us the photos. We did not buy them. After paying our balance (we had paid a deposit online) we were shown to our beach chairs under a thatched umbrella. It was lovely, about 15 yards from the sea with nothing in front of us and clear blue water. There was a nice gap of around 5 yards between each umbrella. Our waiter introduced himself and asked if we wanted drinks. I got a Corona and Jacky got a Pina Colada. For the first couple of hours the waiter came round frequently and replenished our drinks. He then seemed to stop coming over. When he did, I asked for another beer on 2 occasions and it did not arrive. Eventually I just went to the bar and picked one up. Our lunch order was taken and they said it would take 20 minutes. In the end it took around 45 minutes. The food was nice, but because it all came at once, some of it was nearly cold when we came to eat it. It would have been better had it been served course by course. We told our waiter that we wanted to get a taxi at 3pm. He said to come and find him 10 minutes before. When the time came we could not find him and so we packed up and went to the gate. He was outside organising taxis for everyone. There was a family of 4 waiting for a Taxi and so we asked if they wanted to share a cab and split the cost. We asked the waiter if he knew the cost and he said no. I looked at the price list I had photographed and it seemed that it would cost USD 23 for all of us. When the driver arrived, we all got in and I said it’s going to be 23 Dollars right? He did not say anything and just drove off with us in the taxi. I kept saying it is 23 Dollars isn’t it? About 5 minutes into the journey he showed me his mobile phone screen where he had typed USD 36. I said no that cannot be right, because we could have got separate taxis for that price. When we got back to the taxi rank at the port, he pointed out the price list and the price was listed as USD 36 for 6 or more people. I had missed this column off when I photographed the sign. I was not happy, because I clearly said we thought the price was USD 23 when we got in the taxi and he drove off knowing that. I complained to the dispatcher at the port, but he was not interested. In the end the other family had to go to catch their ship so we split the fare and we got no benefit by sharing. 

It left a bad taste in my mouth. We felt the same way when we visited Ensenada, so Mexico is certainly not a favoured destination for us. I think we are likely to stay on the ship if we visit Mexico again.

Last Sea day – The weather was rough on the way back. The ship was rocking and the wind was strong. It did not affect us too much and we read on our balcony instead of up on deck.

Debark Tour, Everglades Airboat ride & Flamingo Gardens – We had our final day breakfast in the Palm Dining Room and then headed to the Theatre for our debark tour. There was a longer delay that we have experienced before going through customs, because they fingerprinted and eye scanned everyone. That has never happened before when we have disembarked at Port Everglades. It was only a short delay and we were out and on to our coach. 

Bill, the tour guide, is a senior citizen and he told us all about living in Florida. I think he is a frustrated stand-up comic, because his delivery was very dry and witty. He kept us entertained through the whole trip. Our first stop was for the Airboat ride. We had our photo taken and this was given to us later at no extra charge. 

The boat ride was quite exhilarating, but the wildlife was not playing ball today and we only saw 1 Alligator and 1 Iguana. We were then directed into a seated area to watch an Alligator Handling Show. This would have been interesting had the centre pain of glass between the seats and the show not been shattered. Although it was still in place you could not see through it, so most of the audience, including us, could not see what was going on. We then got back on the coach and headed to Flamingo Gardens. When we arrived, we were lead straight to a trolleybus tour of the gardens. Take my advice, and if they attempt to place you in one of the few seats that face backwards, asked to be moved. Trying to crane your neck around to see what the driver is pointing out is not at all comfortable. Once we got off we were able to walk round and buy some food and a snack. 

We were then taken to Miami Airport to catch our flight home. Overall, it was a nice way to spend some time instead of sitting for hours at the airport. Although Bill was entertaining, he did make one mistake. He dropped us off at the far end of the terminal and we all had to walk all the way to the other side to check in. Maybe he had a senior moment and forgot where he was.

The food choices at Concourse E were limited, so the Information desk advised us to go over to the American Airlines Terminal where there was more choice. We ended up eating at TGI Friday’s, where the food and service were both good.

Our flight home on British Airways was awful. We had experienced luxury in Club Class on the way out and were treated like Cattle in Economy on the way back. We have never experienced such a surly and miserable set of cabin staff in all our years travelling. One Stewardess tried to crush an oversize cabin bag in on top of our modest backpacks before I stopped her damaging our bags. 

Jacky’s seat headrest was broken, so we had to move seats after take off. Finally, I asked for orange juice with my meal and was given half a small glass. When the coffee came round I asked for another orange juice and was given a dirty look. It never arrived. I asked again when they cleared the trays and was given the same response. It also never came. Luckily they came round with a tray of water and juice mid-way across the Atlantic for everyone, otherwise I could have passed out with dehydration. We have told our Travel Agent that we will only fly with BA again if there is no other alternative.

Conclusion:

We had a fantastic cruise and the few problems we had here and there did not spoil our holiday. We loved going back to the Caribbean after a few years break and will definitely look to return sometime soon. The Princess staff were again wonderful and made it easy for us to unwind and relax. We are booked for a Norwegian Fjords cruise on the Crown in July and are counting down the days.

Peter & Jacky Rayner