PurpleTraveller

I was on Crown Princess in June last year in Alaska and had a wonderful cruise. Yes she is older and may not have the bells and whistles of a new ship but she has things that I like such as a full Promenade and Skywalkers. I did not experience any bad smells but my mattress was worn out, lumpy, saggy, was very uncomfortable and desperately needed to be replaced. Other than that I did not have any other issues. The service was excellent and the food was good. Despite my terrible mattress I would cruise on Crown Princess again if it had the itinerary I wanted at the price I was happy to pay. Princess usually has mostly adults but not during the school holidays or the holiday periods. A Christmas cruise will generally have a lot of families with a lot of children.

You can book the Celebrity transfer to get to the ship from Rome city centre or you could book a shared or private transfer. Or you could use the train which is easy particularly if you stay at a hotel which is walking distance of Termini train station in Rome. As you are arriving on the day prior to the cruise you can get the Leonardo Express directly from the airport to Termini train station in Rome (cost €14.00 each in 2022). The train from Termini to Civitavecchia is easy and inexpensive (cost €4.60 each in 2022). Then get the shuttle from Civitavecchia train station directly to the ship (costs €6.00 this year). That is what I always do when embarking in Civitavecchia. After the cruise getting the train from Ravenna to Venice airport is more complicated in that to get the train to get to Venice you need to get from the dock to Ravenna train station. Celebrity runs a shuttle at a cost from the ship to Ravenna train station. There are very few taxis in Ravenna. You can then get the train to Venice but you will need to change trains along the way. You would then need to get from the train station to the airport. You could get the Celebrity transfer to Bologna train station and then get a train directly to Venice. Getting the train from Ravenna to Venice airport would be very dependent on the time of your flight and how willing you are to have multiple changes of transport. Another option is to book a shared or private transfer. Personally if I was flying out from Venice on disembarkation day I would use the Celebrity transfer from the ship to Venice airport which though more expensive is much more convenient and easier.

On my excursion to Volunteer Point in March 2018 there was a large number of King Penguins and their many young, as well as Gentoo Penguins and Magellanic Penguins. We were also able to see them on the beach. It was one of the best excursions I have ever been on and so worth the ride there and back.

No problem. Completely understand brain fog. 😂 Just really pleased there hasn't been a huge price increase. Hope you had a great cruise.

Wow, the shuttle from Lyttleton to Christchurch was only AUD15 return on my cruise in December 2023. That's a big jump in price!

If you haven't been to Venice before you should definitely spend a couple or more days there before the cruise. Celebrity has transfers to Ravenna on the day of the cruise from the airport and also the city which may be convenient and easy for you. Alternatively you can get a private shuttle to Ravenna or the train which will require a change of trains. If you go to Ravenna the day before the cruise there are many wonderful mosaics to see in various churches in the town.

I have been following you on your journey and enjoying every moment. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience and your wonderful photos. I have been considering an Antarctic cruise and after seeing your amazing photos I am even more keen to go on one. Thank you once again. 😊

We are well and hope you are too. It was lovely to meet you as well. We had such a wonderful cruise. It is interesting how things such as shuttles change from year to year. It shows how important it is to research each port regardless of whether you have been there before or a first visit. How interesting about the cost of the shuttle. Definitely better to have paid in NZD. 😊

I remember walking into Wellington in 2016 so the change to a mandatory shuttle must have happened between then and 2018 when I got a no charge shuttle. I wonder if the paid shuttle that was mentioned earlier was a ship shuttle that was put on for passengers who didn't want to walk into the city.

In December we just got off the ship and waited in the line for the free shuttle into Lyttleton. We left the ship at 10.00am and waited for 20 minutes to get on a shuttle which took ten minutes to get into Lyttleton. There were seperate lines on opposite sides of the road for the free shuttle to Lyttleton which did not require a shuttle ticket and the paid for shuttle to Christchurch which did need a shuttle ticket. For the return we waited for about five minutes at the bus stop where had been dropped off and got on the first shuttle that came at 1.50pm. We were back at the ship at 2.00pm.

I don't know how big your group is but you can get a taxi from Valletta to the Blue Grotto, have them wait and then take you back to Valletta or somewhere else. Make sure to confirm that the taxi will wait for you as the Blue Grotto is rather remote and it would be difficult to pick up another taxi. The Blue Grotto is well worth a visit particularly on a hot day.

Amazing that it's free now. Usually things get more expensive not less! 😊

In 2018 the shuttle from the dock into Wellington was free and I have seen reports of the shuttle being free this season. This was posted by someone on another site about a month ago.

I just realised that I wrote coach station in my previous answer. It is a 10 to 15 minute walk or a 5 minute taxi ride from the Southampton train station to the Premier Inn West Quay.

It takes about 10 to 15 minutes to walk from the coach station to the Premier Inn if you can handle your luggage. Otherwise you can get a taxi which would take about five minutes.

It is interesting to read this because as an Australian I find the Princess Australian and New Zealand excursions expensive but nowhere near as expensive as Princess excursions elsewhere in the world because not only are they expensive but then converting the price from USD to AUD they then become eyewateringly expensive.

So true! I was booked on the inaugural sailing of Regal Princess in June 2014. Then I received an email in the vein of "isn't it wonderful that Regal Princess will be finished early and we will have an earlier new inaugural sailing". We didn't think it was wonderful at all. We were offered to be moved over to the new inaugural sailing but we couldn't move our flights and we were meeting our son in Rome a week before the cruise. Once on board everyone who had been affected was given a complimentary Ultimate Balcony Breakfast which was very nice.

July and August are very hot in Europe and there are huge crowds everywhere as it is school holidays. September and May have slightly less crowds and cooler temperatures. I went in early June 2022 and in Croatia and Montenegro there were crowds and the temperatures were in the high 20'sC/low 80'sF. In Dubrovnik on June 7 it was 28°C/82°F. I don't know what the humidity was but it certainly felt very warm when walking the walls of Dubrovnik in the sun. Dubrovnik and Split would be my essentials for Croatia and Kotor for Montenegro.

In June when on Crown Princess I asked my steward if it was possible to get a bag and he told me that the ship had run out of the bags and that they were not being made anymore. They were also not available on Royal Princess in December.

I have a problem with the new app when I try to purchase an internet package. It asks me to add a credit card as no credit card is registered. When I enter a credit card it says that the card is already registered. I was able to purchase a single device internet package on the old app using the credit card that was registered on that app.

Thank you for yet another wonderful review with fantastic photos and so informative! I have enjoyed every moment and look forward to your next installment. Thanks again. 🛳️ Allison

Thanks. Good to know since I'll be staying at Premier Inn County Hall next year.

Gosh I hate auto correct! I didn't even notice - that'll teach me to check my posts before I post. I've only stayed there six or seven times. 😀

I have stayed at both Premier Inns at Country Hall and Waterloo. I personally prefer Country Hall but they are both comfortable, clean and in good locations. Waterloo has air-conditioning and Country Hall has a few steps up to the front door. Waterloo usually costs slightly less than Country Hall so you could check the prices for your dates and see which has the best price. There was (in 2019) a M&S Foodhall on York Road just around the corner from Country Hall or down the road from Waterloo where we got pastries, fruit and juice for breakfast in case you are just wanting a light breakfast. It was also good for picking up snacks and drinks.

Instead of returning to Valletta you could get the taxi to Birgu for a short visit and then get the ferry back to Valletta. There are great views of Valletta from Birgu and the ferry. You could then get the lift or walk up to Valletta and visit the Upper Barrakka Gardens which also have great views of the harbour and Birgu. If you have time you go also visit Fort St Elmo, Lower Barrakka Gardens and Siege Bell Memorial. The old city of Valletta is lovely to walk around. Have a great visit and cruise.