TransAtlantic cruising is one of my favorite cruise itineraries. I enjoy the sea days. There is something so relaxing about no schedules, no responsibilities, and no pressure. I do not get stir crazy, I like to see water, and I don’t need a constant stream of activities or ports to visit. I am there to get away from it all. When an email flyer came last fall advertising a 25-day cruise with the return air, travel insurance, and transfers to London, we started talking. We pulled the trigger in October and put down a deposit.
The itinerary was a plus. We left Fort Lauderdale on the Caribbean Princess on April 6 with a stop in the West End of Bermuda and then seven more sea days before a day in Cobh (pronounced Cove) Ireland, then Falmouth in Cornwall, Le Harve, France and the end of the first leg of the cruise in Southampton, England. We did not leave the ship but continued on for another eleven days. We went to St. Peter Port on Guernsey Island, back to Cobh, Ireland, Dublin Ireland, Hamburg, Germany, Rotterdam, Netherlands, Zeebrugge, Belgium, and back to Southampton on May 1, 2017. The second Le Harve stop was canceled due to a planned dock workers’ strike.
This was our first time on Princess. We left with a favorable impression. Although the ship was built in 2004, it came out of a 12-day drydock adding new restaurants, teen and kid center, new mattresses and bedding, and new carpeting. It was also wired for the new Medallion service starting next year.
We thought enough of the cruise line to book a January 2018 cruise Los Angeles to Hawaii and back. We figured it would be an anniversary cruise. It also helped that Princess offers future cruise deposits for only $100. We went ahead and picked out the room we wanted (midship) and the date.
We packed for warmer weather than we actually had. The average temperatures for Europe were supposed to be in the 60s. Instead, we were lucky to get 52 degrees. Fortunately, it only rained when we were on a bus or a tender so we did not get wet. We did buy warner jackets on the ship. You know what cruise sales are like. They make it sound like you are getting a bargain. We thought we did. A nice lined jacket with a hood for $34 seemed okay to me. Dan packed three pairs of shorts. Somehow Bermuda must have stuck in his mind. He never wore them.
Once I get my photos organized, I will post links and more about our t rip.