Jan115

Thank you, everyone, for taking the time to read my review!

Hi, Pam! You've come to the right place. I am fairly new to this site, and I have to say I've never met a nice bunch of people in a cruise community. We're just like you - people who love to cruise, just looking for information, answers to questions or just to chat. I know what you mean - I wish we could cruise more, but our budget and work responsibilities don't let us. For now, we shoot for one cruise per year. Since you have cruised with NCL and Princess, have you checked with them for past passenger rates? Looking forward to seeing you around here!

You are probably wondering what happen to Day 8 – Sea Day. See previous Day 6. It was exactly the same with one added feature – re-packing, which is always a little sad and a little challenging – how to squeeze your all your stuff and the added souvenirs into your bags – but we made it work. As is the case with just about every vacation I take, my camera seems to take a holiday on the final day, and I return with basically no pictures of the final hours of our time away. Such was the case here. No pictures of the ship, no images of us packing, nothing at disembarkation, and nothing of the plane ride home. At the same time my camera disappears, I start thinking of home and all the tasks awaiting my return. The two seem to go hand in hand. Go figure. As with embarkation 8 days earlier, disembarkation in Dover was a breeze. We had breakfast in the buffet, vacated the cabin, and waited at the appropriate time and venue according to color code. In our case, we waited in the Cabaret Lounge for just a short time while Princess showed a video of the new Royal Princess features. We had already seen most of it, but the review was nice, as we are booked on Royal for next summer. Our group was called, we exited the ship, grabbed our luggage, and climbed directly aboard the Princess shuttle for the 2-hour ride to Heathrow, but not before one long, last look at the Ocean Princess as she awaited her next group of soon-to-arrive excited passengers. The process was all very well quick and well-organized. We have never used a Princess transfer before and would definitely consider it again, especially for a long or complicated journey from ship to airport or hotel. We arrived safely at the airport, with plenty of time to kill. Airline check-in, security, the flight and customs all went smoothly. A few final observations ~ This was a fantastic itinerary for an 8-day cruise, and we thoroughly enjoyed all the ports, except maybe for Waterford, which was our least favorite city on this sailing. I particularly thought the cooler climate was a nice change to the tropical waters of the Caribbean. The Ocean Princess is a very pretty ship, and the smaller size makes it easy to get to know the crew and fellow passengers. On more than one occasion, crew members addressed us by name, a pleasant personal touch not found on a ship of 3,000 passengers. With that said, however, we did sorely miss several big-ship features, particularly a real, wrap-around promenade deck and the International Cafe, found on the large Princess ships. The most wished-for item missing from the dining room menu was French Onion Soup. For the most part, the pool deck was unusable due to the climate, and I wish there had been a covered pool like that of some ships cruising colder waters. We are happy that the cabins and balconies are now smoke-free, but disappointed that the prettiest lounge on the ship, the Tahitian Lounge, allows smoking on one side of the room, making the room reek of tobacco at any time of day. Would we cruise Ocean Princess again? If it were me, absolutely! However, given that my husband still prefers the large ship experience and since he contributes the most money to the cruise piggy bank, I would have to give him a say. So the answer to whether or not we would cruise Ocean Princess again is probably more of a definite maybe! Alas, another summer vacation had come to an end. No fear, though, as I have already have my eyes set and my blog ready and awaiting next year’s vacations, as we have two more cruises in the pipeline: The new Royal Princess sailing the Mediterannean next July, and a short 4-day Caribbean cruise on Ruby Princess during Christmas break 2013. My pen won’t rest long. Stay tuned! Source

Glantmk - I'd like to jump on the Crazie Welcome Wagon, too - so glad you found us! Please share your experiences, ask questions and join in the conversation with the friendliest cruise community around!

Judley - I'd like to jump on the Crazie Welcome Wagon, too - so glad you found us! Please share your experiences, ask questions and join in the conversation with the friendliest cruise community around!

Mar5- I'd like to jump on the Crazie Welcome Wagon, too - so glad you found us! Please share your experiences, ask questions and join in the conversation with the friendliest cruise community around!

Roghig - I'd like to jump on the Crazie Welcome Wagon, too - so glad you found us! Please share your experiences, ask questions and join in the conversation with the friendliest cruise community around!

Burnsiewa - I'd like to jump on the Crazie Welcome Wagon, too - so glad you found us! Please share your experiences, ask questions and join in the conversation with the friendliest cruise community around!

Hi Joe - I'd like to jump on the Crazie Welcome Wagon, too - so glad you found us! Please share your experiences, ask questions and join in the conversation with the friendliest cruise community around. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding - that is so exciting. I can think of no better way to celebrate! If we had discovered cruising earlier, we may have spent our honeymoon on a cruise. In any event, we just spent our 35th anniversary in Scotland & Ireland - that made up for it! Btw, we are from RI and my husband is a diehard Patriots fan!

Carrie - I 'd like to jump on the Crazie Welcome Wagon, too - so glad you found us! Please share your experiences, ask questions and join in the conversation with the friendliest cruise community around!

Babsier - Hi and welcome - glad you found us! Please share your experiences, ask questions and join in the conversation with the friendliest cruise community around!

How sad for this individual and his family.

Have a wonderful cruise and enjoy the suite.

Count me in on the River Cruise. We were on a land trip in Portugal last year, visiting Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve, and I would love to do a Rio Douro wine country cruise! The 60 minute little boat ride up and back was very lovely but not nearly long enough!

Bad, bad idea. From what I read each person in the cabin has to pay for their own plan and that is a heck of a lot of money to spend on alcohol. I'll save it and upgrade my cabin!

We will be visiting some of those ports next year in the Mediterranean - on a much bigger ship! Those older, smaller ships are very classy, though!

Today we were given a gift – a warm, sunny day in Edinburgh. Unlike the mixed bag of weather conditions the previous days, blue skies prevailed – certainly not the dreadful weather picture I described in my earlier post where Sir William Wallace is drenched in the Highlands (see British Weather-Hollywood Style). We were lucky with the weather, but not so sure about our luck of getting into Edinburgh this morning. As we headed into the Port of Rosyth, the Captain came on over the loud speaker with an announcement that (1) a barge was blocking our way into port and (2) a cargo ship was parked in our spot, and he did not know if or when we would be able to dock. Well, you can imagine the rumbling which began to arise among the passengers. This was the highlight of the tour for some folks, especially those who spent big bucks on Edinburgh Tattoo tickets. Fortunately, the ship did manage to pull alongside the dock a short time later, and we were soon on our way into the city, so it all worked out. Whew! Our must-see attraction for Edinburgh was Edinburgh Castle followed by a walk down the Royal Mile. We did not choose an excursion or organized tour for this port, but simply found 2 taxis for the 5 of us to Edinburgh Castle at a flat rate of £35 each. There were taxis lined up at the port terminal building, and we could see them clearly from our balcony cabin. In order to get to the taxis, you might think – ok, it’s just a short walk from the ship to the terminal along the perimeter of this cargo port. No, not a chance. Due to insurance reasons, most likely, everyone on the ship was required take the free shuttle from the gangway to the terminal, just a stone’s throw away. Silly, really. It was essentially the same as walking to my neighbor’s house, three doors down. Once in Edinburgh, the taxis dropped us off just a short distance downhill from the castle on the Royal Mile. We had purchased the Explorer passes from Discover Scotland in advance of the cruise and simply walked in through the Fast Pass gate. Not a big deal with the small crowd when we arrived early in the morning, but a real timesaver if arriving later when the queues become large. We joined a guided tour through a portion of the castle and explored the rest on our own. The views over the city and distant hills are absolutely stunning! Once we had our fill of the castle, we continued downhill along the Royal Mile toward the Palace of Holyroodhouse, stopping for lunch at a Scottish tavern, Deacon Brodie’s Tavern. We were seated upstairs, which was fortunate because the downstairs was crowded and very warm & stuffy. There was a nice breeze and a roomy feel upstairs, and it was a great place to refuel with local favorites, like chicken pie, vegetable tort, bangers & mash, and we shared a plate of Haggis, which was actually quite tasty considering the contents of the dish and the manner in which it is prepared – minced meat and oatmeal cooked in sheep’s bladder. Yikes! Sir William and Me We had our fill, left the restaurant and found ourselves in a large crowd of festival goers outside. It was the week in which “The Fringe” was happening, and the streets were mobbed with performers, photo ops, including Sir William Wallace (my personal favorite), Yoda, and lots of people passing out ads of the fun things going on around town. We made our way down the Mile to the very end, where we finally arrived at Holyroodhouse. We didn’t go into the palace, but simply peeked through the gate and took photos of this stately retreat for the Queen. We turned around and started back up the hill, bought a few gifts, and when our legs couldn’t take another step, grabbed a 5-person taxi parked at a hotel and went directly back to the ship. The cost was £35 – a very economical and convenient ride when split among the five of us. We loved the picturesque streets and beauty of Edinburgh, and the Castle was magnificent. Next time, though, I might consider taking a HoHo bus tour around the city, similar to what we did in Dublin, in order to see more in a short amount of time. The reader is probably wondering – did we see the big annual Scotland military extravaganza: The Edinburgh Tattoo? No, we did not. Even though it is a must-see event recommended by many, we chose not to attend. At $199 per person for the ship excursion, it was more than we wanted to spend. Even though we could have easily saved a lot of money by purchasing tickets to the show on our own, stories of cold, torrential downpours during the performances were deal breakers for us, as well as the late night crowds and transportation issues if we were to go on our own. Of course, if we had known the weather would be as pleasant as it actually turned out, we may have re-considered. Source

As great as it is to be in port and see new cities and places for the first time, it is equally nice to have a day in between to sleep in a bit, with no place to be. However, I should point out that my husband and I have very different ideas about sea days. I like to lounge around in my jammies and order breakfast in the room. He likes to be up at the crack of dawn, get some exercise, and stop at the buffet for breakfast. I like to find a quiet place to read, write or just watch the world go by. He likes to be entertained non-stop, 24/7. I simply don’t need all that distraction. We both do agree, however, on the pool, sun deck and promenade deck. A refreshing dip, a lounge chair on deck, an umbrella drink in hand, and a walk around the promenade deck are perfect ways to spend a sea day. Unfortunately, this ship on this particular itinerary did not provide any of that – except for the drinks – they were in abundance. There is no promenade deck on the Ocean Princess, and it was too cold in the British Isles for serious sunning and swimming. When standing outside by the pool among all those empty lounge chairs, Ocean Princess looked like a ghost ship. Ordinarily, when all else fails, there is always the casino – except when sailing around the British Isles. British maritime law prohibits ship gambling when in close proximity to shore, so the casino remained closed throughout most of the cruise. While there were production shows, comedians and music to find around the ship in the evening, entertainment during the day was in short supply. Even for me, it was a struggle to find something to do on the two sea days. There is only so much reading and writing I can do, and trivia and line dancing just wasn’t doing it for us. Fortunately, the art auction provided some distraction for David, and loads of free champagne as well! Today was the first day of this cruise without a raindrop, and partly sunny skies prevailed, making it possible to actually sit out on the balcony. As we continued our journey from Greenock, rounding the northern coast of Scotland to the next port of Edinburgh, we could step out and admire the majestic rocky cliffs and the most beautiful sights we’ve ever seen. I had no idea the Scotland coastline would be so magnificent, and I could have sit on the balcony and stared at this beautiful scene all day. Who needs trivia and line dancing when beautiful Mother Nature beckons just a glance away! By the way, today was my husband’s birthday. More balloon, cake and singing waiters! Source

The names Rob Roy, William Wallace and Braveheart always come to mind when I think of Scotland. The beauty of the highlands portrayed in the Hollywood films has always inspired me to visit Scotland, and this was a priority of our day here in Greenock. After many months of careful research, I gathered a group of fellow on-line cruise community fans and booked the Luss, Loch Lomond & Sterling Castle tour with Great Scot Tours for 15 eager passengers, a guide highly recommended by many seasoned travelers. We shared the cost of a mini-bus and saved more than half off the cruise line price. This would prove to be by far my favorite day of the entire week! We woke up to Greenock with the sound of bagpipers playing below our cabin on the pier and then, once off the ship, were treated to a dram of whisky (my husband got a double!) by a friendly Scottish welcoming party at the port. We were very impressed by the genuine hospitality all over the UK, but particularly here in Scotland. Our guide from Great Scot Tours, Gordon Ross, and his able driver, John, were waiting for us at the ship right on schedule and greeted us warmly as we boarded the mini-coach to set out on a full-day tour of the Highlands. The village of Luss, our first stop, is a quaint, pretty little town on the banks of Loch Lomond. Gordon refers to it as “Brigadoon” and we wholeheartedly agree. One feels a sense of quiet serenity in this idyllic place, and the view of the distant hills across the lake is one of timeless beauty. It was all very magical! Back on board, we arrived in the Highland, at which time Gordon stopped at an overlook and let us sample an assortment of whiskies – just a wee dram … or two or three! This was not in the tour description – just a little extra something that this kind and thoughtful Scotsman adds to his tours. With his passengers now all warm and giddy, he took us on a scenic drive, pointing out many sites along the way including all the “white rocks” dotting the countryside. Except they weren’t rocks – they were sheep! Thousands upon thousands. I believe there are more sheep in Scotland than there are people. After sharing his vast knowledge and history of this beautiful country, Gordon brought us to the lovely town of Callender, where we could wander about and have lunch. While many in our tour chose a restaurant pointed out by Gordon, we chose a pub nearby for some fantastic fish & chips and black pudding. We then continued on to the final destination of our tour – Sterling Castle. As we came closer, the castle appeared majestic and formidable to us at the top of a rocky hill and was a fearsome sight to behold. There are no words to describe it. A walk through the castle and along the grounds is like a step back in time to the days of Rob Roy, Sir William Wallace and Sir Robert the Bruce. While some in our group toured on their own, Gordon led a few of us through the castle and showed us some of his favorite rooms – the jail, the great hall, the queen’s and king’s bedchambers, the kitchen, tapestries, and so much more. The distant views from the castle are spectacular, and it was humbling to look down upon the fields where fierce battles were fought to secure Scotland’s freedom. Our tour was now nearly at an end, and it was time to head back to the ship. Gordon Ross was an outstanding tour guide, as well as a kind, intelligent and well-traveled man. Did I mention that he travels the world with his Celtic band? He is retiring as a tour guide after this outing, but tours will still be available with other guides from his tour company. Thank you to our fellow tour mates: Violet, Tom, Sharon, Cindy, Jon, Nancy, Dennis, Kathy, Cheryl & Mike. I couldn’t have found a nicer group of people! By the way, today was our 35th Anniversary, and our tour of the Scottish highlands was the perfect way to celebrate. Back on the ship that evening, just as with Jenn’s birthday celebration earlier in the cruise, there were balloons, a happy birthday sign on the door, a card from the Captain, and a cake complete with singing waiters at dinner to make it all special! Source

The best way to get a feel of a UK or European city when you are only there for a few hours is on the city’s Hop on Hop Off tour (fondly referred to as the HOHO), and most cities here have them. You get a great overview and can get off or on wherever you like, all for one low price. In this case, the green Dublin Bus offered a 15% on-line discount for purchasing in advance, and who am I to refuse a discount – on line, or otherwise. This is a very pleasant and less expensive alternative to the overpriced and sometimes overcrowded ship’s shore excursions. For the life of me, though, I can’t understand why cruise ships can’t provide a complimentary shuttle to the city. Like many cruise ports in Europe, the major city on the itinerary can be 20-90 minutes away, or more, requiring cruisers to either pay big bucks for the ship shuttle or find your own transportation. Average Joe Cruiser doesn’t even realize that there are other convenient and less expensive options, and the cruise lines would just as soon keep it that way. Savvy travelers like myself know better, and we will often find a taxi, share a ride, or book a private tour for far less money. So how did we get to Dublin today, you ask? We rode the ship’s shuttle, of course. In this particular case, there were five of us in our group. It would have required two taxis to get us into Dublin, and from what I could tell, there were no larger taxis at the pier which could hold all of us. So the price actually evened out, and the ship shuttle proved to be both pleasant and convenient. We arrived safely in Dublin, found the HOHO bus, and rode on the top of this doubledecker vehicle, providing a great view with some awesome photo ops. Unfortunately, as predicted, it began raining pretty steadily requiring the rain gear and then ultimately moving to a covered spot on the bus – definitely not as much fun as being out in the open air. When touring in a city for just a few short hours, it’s always a good idea to choose one or two must-see places. For us it was – the Book of Kells at Trinity College in the Old Library, followed by a pint of Guinness at a local pub, of course. We hopped off (ok, we didn’t exactly hop) at stop #3, and queued up at Trinity College for the Book of Kells. For those who aren’t familiar with this attraction, the Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript that contains the four gospels of the New Testament, along with various supporting material. They are famous for their art work, an “insular” form, depicting plants, animals, people and geometric designs, along with calligraphy, flourishes and bold coloring. It was stunning to see! Also of interest was the “Turning Darkness into Light” exhibition which explains the background of the famous gospel manuscripts and other related documents, along with large colorful displays of the artwork. After viewing the exhibition and the Books, the line of visitors continues upstairs to the Long Room of the Old Library, filled with marble busts of great philosophers and writers of the western world and also of men connected with Trinity College. You will also find books, of course - over 200,000 of them – the Library's oldest books. If you go, be sure to look for the harp, the oldest of its kind in Ireland and probably dates back to the 15th century. Made of oak and willow with 29 brass strings, it is the model for the emblem of Ireland. If you do plan on making the Book of Kells a priority on your next trip to Ireland, be sure to queue up first thing in the morning before it opens, or save it for later in the afternoon. It is one of the most popular attractions in Dublin. Our wait in line was just 30 minutes, but once inside, patience will be your friend as you await your turn to approach the glass to view the Books. Unfortunately, photos are not allowed at the Book of Kells or in the Old Library, so I have no images to display of these areas. The skies opened up as we left Trinity College on our way to find a pub. I pulled up my handy TripAdvisor map on my iPhone, which pointed to several restaurants on nearby Grafton Street. We found a pub, rested our weary feet and filled our bellies with a fine bowl of Irish stew and a pint of Guinness, the perfect solution to a cool, rainy day in Dublin. Our time in Dublin was over, and it was time to head back to the ship. We stopped at a few shops on the way, one of which was a hat shop, where David viewed a fine collection of woolen caps and hats. He couldn’t decide between two, so he purchased both, which he proudly wore for the rest of the cruise. We loved the city of Dublin, and when comparing it to Waterford the day before, Waterford seemed to be more of a typical working class city, whereas the city of Dublin had more of an Irish flavor and character. Source