LIVE! The Royal Princess! THE BRITISH ISLES w/ SUNGIRL 29 Aug-10 Sept WELCOME ABOARD!

[KCSungirl]

Day 7 - At Sea

 

Yay! Vacayshun day. I woke up with a sore swollen eye lid. Not sure what is going on. I hope it’s not a sty. We made it to breakfast at 11am. After breakfast we piddled all day. PC read and napped. I poked around in the shops and won $24 in the casino. I am not a gambler, but I enjoy putting $10 in the slot machine.

 

The ship is near capacity at 3800 people. Everything is “full”, but not unmanageable. You have to get to every venue early to get seats, etc. Since we are eating at the trough, I don’t know about wait times for the anytime dining room.

 

I love the aft balcony cabin. The balcony is larger and open compared to regular balconies. We have a small sofa, which is much nicer than a single chair. I will continue to book this type of cabin unless I decide to splurge on a mini-suite.

 

Let’s pretend it’s Festivus and I will air my grievances.

 

0. The TV Channels on board. I am dying without ESPN and more channels.

0. People who talk while guides are talking or narration is being given are so RUDE.

0. People need to understand “inside” voices.

0. People who don’t understand the concept of letting people off the elevator before they rush in the elevator are clueless.

0. The elevators are sssssssssssslllllllllllllllllllllloooooooooooowwwwwwwwww

0. The bath towels are a bit tattered

0. Zumba at 9am in the atrium has got to go. Headache producing.

0. People who complain about weather are ridiculous. If you don’t research the georgraphy/climate of your destination, you are not doing your due diligence.

 

I went to the spa to book a hair appt. for tomorrow. I have a $50 coupon burning a hole in my pocket and I need my highlights renewed. Jessie helped me. He is the most flamboyant over the top stylist ever. Think Franck the wedding planner in Father of the Bride. I was too scared to book with him, so I booked with a girl. I hope I am happy.

 

It’s formal night. I wore my finest leggings and tunic. Pajamas in disguise. I had a heart wrenching decision to make regarding dinner. Snails or Ramen? I spent three weeks in Japan in March. I became addicted to ramen. I have been craving it. We started to to go to the dining room for dinner and then I saw the Ramen station in the HC. The agony. I love snails as much as ramen. The ramen won out. It was great. They make it to order. You chose your broth, meat, veggies, and noodle. The tomato soup is delicious also.

 

We had a big night. Two shows. The Flyrights in the Princess Theater. A trio of London based guys performing soul, Motown. O’jays, Four Tops, Isley Brothers, Lionel Richie. I loved the show. My favorite song was This Old Heart of Mine. We went to the second night of the comedian Chas Burnett show in the Vista Lounge. He is really good. I liked him better in the smaller showroom.

 

I listened to Ray in the piano lounge for a while. He talks more than he sings. He said he had been married 7 times, then he said he was gay. I am confused. I don’t like his arrangements on his playlist. I thought he butchered Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.

 

We could use another day off, but we are back in action tomorrow. See you in Kirkwall, the Orkney Islands. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

[Southern Cruise]

Enjoying your review!

[KCSungirl]

Day 8 - Kirkwall, Scotland, Orkney Islands

 

The reason I booked this itinerary! I wanted to go to the Orkney Islands. A Unesco World Heritage site. The islands have the highest concentration of prehistoric/Neolithic sites in all of Europe. Interesting, Wild, desolate, beautiful and the only way out is by ferry or ship. It’s amazing people can live in these types of environments. Way more sheep than people. Princess alternates the Orkney stop and Liverpool.

 

Today’s tour of Skara Brae, a Neolithic village that dates back 5000 yrs. and the Ring of Brodgar, an ancient circle of stones was my “deal” of the cruise. I found a city bus tour T11 that tours everyday 10am to 1:30pm for £12. The ship charges $120. We walked around the town of Kirkwall. The best fish and chips of the trip at Harbour Fry. I found out the fish is flash frozen at sea. Great, easy day.

 

We were back on the ship around 3:30pm. At 4:30 I went to the salon for new hair. An Irish girl name Gillian fixed me up. I had a $50 coupon. Still is a bit pricey, but just a little more than home.

 

Gillian held me hostage until 8pm. I am not sure if that meant things weren’t going well or she was giving me extra attention. I hope whatever she did is an improvement.

 

We grabbed a fast bite in the HC. Tonight’s theme line was Brazilian.

 

Showtime - The Flyrights, the three darling guys from last night had another performance in the smaller Vista lounge. Not an empty seat. After their show, we ran to the Princess Theater for the song and dance show - Colors of the World. It was ok. I don’t enjoy the shows as much that sing to a track without the orchestra. I love the orchestra.

 

We crawled back to the cabin. Our cabin steward, Lilly, from Mexico does a great job. I will see you tomorrow in Loch Ness looking for Nessie.

[Southern Cruise]

Did you purchase the T11 bus tour tickets in advance?

[Aussie Gal]

Paige,

 

I have finally found and read these three pages. So glad you put the link on Facebook otherwise I would have missed your wonderfully funny narration. It sounds a great cruise even though the weather is just being normal and boring!. I remember when we were in Scotland one September, it was quite cold and when we returned back to London, Scotland had their hottest day all summer at 24C! (78F) We laughed as we are so used to such high temperatures during our summer. Anyhow, I will now look forward to reading your adventures each day.

 

Jennie

[echoshipmate]

We are boarding royal for the TA on Monday and wondered about the boarding process in Southampton. We are elite and pre cruise emails indicate boarding times by deck as always. We have priority on our boarding passes and wondered if we will be able to board before our deck is scheduled. Don't know if the boarding process is any different in Southampton. Trying to figure out when to get to cruise terminal. Thanks for any info.

[KCSungirl]

Day 9 - Inverness, Scotland

 

This dream started back in 1983. A little movie called “Local Hero” with Burt Lancaster and Peter Riegert came out. It was one of PC’s all time favorite movies. Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits did the music. It’s a beautiful soundtrack. Ever since PC saw the movie, he wanted to visit the oil rig area of the east coast. Small, charming villages. Check out the movie if you like Scottish scenery.

 

I hit the jackpot on my tour today. WOW! Scotland is an outstanding company. When I initially contacted them, they were fully booked. They decided to add a tour and contacted me off their waitlist. The add on tour was off the beaten path a bit AND I got Gordon, the owner of the company as my guide. Awesome tour, awesome guide. It had some Outlander references that I didn’t understand because I don’t watch the series. I enjoyed nonetheless. More beauty. I love the highland cows! Didn’t find Nessie at Loch Ness.

 

We drove to small villages, the Scottish Highlands, viewed Neolithic stones and a battlefield. We shopped in Invergordon also. Scarves, lots of scarves. Walker’s shortbread cookies, lots of cookies. Perfect tour.

 

We got back to the cabin around 5pm. We made reservations for the Crown Grille. We enjoyed our steak dinner. We took the night off from shows. Missed a featured soprano. I am feeling a bit like I am getting a cold. A lot of people sick on the ship with colds. Did manage another load of laundry. No time for rest. UGH.

 

The cut off for most traveled passenger cocktail party was 317 days. No luncheon on this cruise itinerary. 318 elite members on board.

 

The sip and sail promo ends today. Another promo starts tomorrow according to the future sales office.

 

Hohoing in Edinburgh tomorrow. See you there.

[ggprincess2004]

Loving your live from thread. The Outlander series originated in book form, and I can highly recommend them. Hope you stay healthy.

[kb4683]

Day 9 - Inverness, Scotland

 

I hit the jackpot on my tour today. WOW! Scotland is an outstanding company. When I initially contacted them, they were fully booked. They decided to add a tour and contacted me off their waitlist. The add on tour was off the beaten path a bit AND I got Gordon, the owner of the company as my guide. Awesome tour, awesome guide. It had some Outlander references that I didn’t understand because I don’t watch the series.

 

Did a tour with Gordon back in 2014. Highly recommend. I AM an Outlander fan (books first, then TV), when I told him so, he informed me that his mother was a Fraser!! (I know, I know, Jamie is fictional :D one can only dream!)

 

Enjoying your live from and FB videos. I have two girlfriends on this cruise with you.

[TracieABD]

Hi P2-

Just found your blog and am so happy to know you are having a wonderful, albeit exhausting, time in the BI. I did this trip in 2015- my last with my mom- and I can remember being as tired as I have ever been.

 

And it just dawned on me that I never completed the blog from our Baltic tour... I’m a bad, bad blogger...

 

Safe travels and I will chat with you soon!

Tracie-Lynn

<3 <3 <3

[KCSungirl]

Day 10 - Edinburgh, Scotland

 

A magnificent Unesco World Heritage city. It is Friday and the city was busy.

 

Let me start by explaining the hassle factor in getting to Edinburgh. It is a tender port, then it is a good 20-30 minute shuttle bus ride (£6/RT) from the port to the city center depending on traffic. The queues are long for everything - tender, bus, castle, etc. If you tour independently, you will have to start early to have enough time to visit Edinburgh Castle. We left our cabin at 10am and were on the HOHO bus at noon. That was 2 hours just to get to our destination. The city was super busy. I always appreciate being in the big city ports on weekends because traffic is so much better.

 

Tours are the most efficient use of time because they pick you up in port and you avoid all of the lines, shuttles, waiting, tickets to purchase, etc. Timberbush is a very reputable company. I used them in Glasgow. We wanted to sleep in a bit, so a tour wasn’t in the plan today. I have a cold, and I lacked ambition. Getting a drive by on the HOHO bus was just fine. (£20/pp). We had time for the castle, but not the National Gallery. The buses are very frequent.

 

I print out the HOHO maps of every city before I leave home so I can figure out how to maximize my time. We decided to cut our time a little shorter in Edinburgh so we could check out the seaport village of South Queensferry. There is not a lot to to see, but we enjoyed the view of the three bridges with a glass of wine. It was the final day of cruise ship season in Edinburgh.

 

Edinburgh is similar to London and the other European capitols - tons of shops and restaurants. We looked around Harvey Nichols. I love department store food halls, unfortunately no time. Scotland is built on whiskey. We had no interest in any whiskey/distillery tours. It’s big business though. Some people like to visit St. Andrews while in Edinburgh. Time management is critical when sightseeing independently in Edinburgh due to the length of time it takes to get off the ship and moving. I might be inclined to take a tour next time or get outside the city.

 

We were back on the ship around 5pm. We had dinner in the HC. I am over the food by now. It all tastes the same . It’s all good. It was British and Indian night on the theme line.

 

Showtime tonight was Greg London. A singer/impersonator. It was kind of cheesy, but he got everyone on their feet. Granny was dancing to Uptown Funk. Again, my Asian friends knew every word. After the show we hustled to the piazza for Dancing with the Stars. It went on too long and we couldn’t stay awake. I thought I was going to have to carry PC back to the cabin. Or request a wheelchair!

 

I am down to my last 3 pounds. I order currency from Bank of America before I leave home. I got 300 Euro and 300 pounds. It was perfect. I never had to pay any ATM transaction fees. I am good with cash and cards these days. Hunting down an ATM seems like a hassle. I take currency home if I have any left. I can use it next time. You need cash for tips, snacks, drinks, small souvenirs, etc.

 

Tomorrow I will be packing up the cabin. So sad. Another day of rest before the Grand Finale.

 

See you tomorrow.

[TracieABD]

Awwww... Paige... I know how much you hate the end of a cruise... We have both shared the “Packing Blues”.

 

I hope the rest of your trip is charmed.

 

Much love-

TL

[geoherb]

I still wish you could stay on with us for the crossing.

[KCSungirl]

Geoherb, it’s available. I considered sending PC home and staying on. So disappointed not to see you and Sam. ❤️❤️

[sawtooth]

Sounds like the cruise is over but not your trip. Adventure awaits.

Deborah

[Corfe Mixture]

Interesting, according to AIS plot, it would appear that at 15.00 you slowed down and made a turn to port. Particularly given you appear to be returning to your original course, it looks like it could have been done to avoid a developing potential collision situation with a red freighter called Lady Hilde which, although it was the give way vessel under ‘collision regs’ seemed to hold a steady course!!! and passed down your starboard side at a distance of less than one mile.

 

Wonder if the change of course was noticeable on board?

[Iowa Traveler]

KCSungirl,

So much fun traveling vicariously with you again!

Safe travels home!!

 

Sent from my SM-G930R4 using Forums mobile app

[KCSungirl]

Day 11 - At Sea

 

No time for vacayshun. I settled nicely in my cabin and it’s a job to get everything back into three boxes. I overpacked as usual, but not bad. Didn’t need any lightweight clothing except for layering.

 

My layers

1. Cotton camisole - Ann Taylor Loft and Costco have great ones

2. Cotton t-shirt - Ann Taylor Loft have great ones

3. Sweater depending on temp - cotton or cashmere or wool or fleece

4. Coat/jacket. Love the North Face 3 in 1 and the thermobomber type.

 

You must bring a waterproof jacket at anytime off the year!

 

The ship is buzzing. 3800 people in the public spaces makes it a bit crowded when the weather doesn’t allow for people to be outside. Too cool and windy. The clearance SALE in the dining room! I always go to remind myself I don’t need anymore cruise crap. This was the last British Isle cruise of the season, so everything was on sale.

 

A line was almost around the ship to get into the Pub Lunch. It seems they can accommodate everyone. I passed on my free wine tasting. Lots of shipboard activities offered.

 

We packed in the cabin. We started to watch a move “Death of Stalin”, but fell asleep. It was Italian night in the dining room/buffet. I have eaten myself silly and wasn’t overly hungry. I never made it to the grill, pizza, Alfredos, or Sabatini’s.

 

Showtime - The Secret Silk. A story told by song, dance and puppetry. It was good. I think I was getting tired, so I wasn’t overly enthused. It was well done however. The production song and dance team are getting ready to leave the ship after the TA cruise. They are excellent. I love the Balloon Drop! Deja Vu - I just did this in the Baltic!

 

PC loves the dessert in the International Cafe. We make a stop every night.

 

They are now publishing the name/photo of the most traveled guest in the Patter - Dr. And Mrs. Simons from AZ. 1,669 days. WOW. I will never get there!

 

The Grand Finale is tomorrow. A bucket list excursion.

 

HI TracieABD P1- I miss ya! And the Penthouse.

 

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to comment on my posts. I appreciate it. We still have one more night left, so I won’t leave you yet.

[bobby3334]

Very interesting but hurry back to Southampton. We are eagerly waiting to take your place on the 15 day TA to NYC. I have done the cruise you are just completing....the only problem for me it was too short. Mike

 

 

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[sunsetbeachgal]

Oh I can’t wait to see what you are doing in France! I’ll be looking on Facebook!

 

 

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[Aussie Gal]

Paige,

 

What a shame you fell asleep whilst "Death of Stalin" was on. It is a good film to watch. We saw it earlier this year in the cinema.

 

Jennie

[TracieABD]

Hi Paige!

So glad you are enjoying your cruise!!

 

I hope your last couple of days are everything you want them to be...

 

And then you can come home and have a vacayshun!

 

TL

[KCSungirl]

Day 12- Le Havre, France

 

OMG, it’s all a blur. I have worn myself out having a good time, as usual. Le Havre is a hard port to end the cruise with because some travel distance is required to tour. It’s a very long day for people going into Paris, Normandy, or Mont St. Michel. I think they should reverse the itinerary.

 

The nights have been short. I hate to miss anything, but it’s impossible to do it all.

 

The Grand Finale excursion. A bucket list dream. A visit to Mont St. Michel. WOW. A Unesco World Heritage site. Totaling mind blowing. How do these wonders get built? WOW. It was just completely awesome in every way. A lot of work to climb the stairs to the top. The 3 hr ride each way through the French countryside was beautiful on a gorgeous day. This was the only tour I booked thru Princess considering the distance. They had four full coaches going, so it is popular. Very nice buses. Great guide. We got on the road around 8:30am and returned around 6:45pm. We lost an hour of sleep in France, but we will get it back tonight. I highly recommend this tour if you are able.

 

When we returned to the ship we had to deal with all things administrative. I purchased airport transfers - $59/pp. Changed my flight. Decided to upgrade to B-class from Premium Economy. Perused the photos. Didn’t purchase any this time around. Checked my account statement. It was French night in the buffet/restaurant.

 

We had no time to catch the show, an encore of soprano Elaine Gray or sit and listen to music. I am in agony with the packing. I can’t get everything back in the way I came. I didn’t do that much shopping. I have been packing for three days. I will get up early in the am and finish.

 

The cruise was awesome. I love port intensive cruises. I choose my cruises based on the least number of sea days. I don’t think a TA cruise is in my future.

 

Thanks so much for coming along with me. I didn’t have a lot of extra time to go into a lot of detail, but I will respond to questions when I get home. I am flying United via Houston.

 

I think PC will need at least 6 mos. to recover. I wore him out. He is still recovering from driving in Ireland. Remember, this is day 12 of the cruise but we started 5 days early in Ireland. Nothing in my pipeline at the moment, but hopefully I will be on the road again soon. Come join me on my land travel anytime on FB. I miss my fur babies. Happy Cruising, Sungirl

[Diver2014]

I'm SO happy you enjoyed Mont St Michel! I spent 2 weeks in Paris way back when so don't want to go there and when I saw M.S.M. as a shore excursion, I was ecstatic! Always wanted to see it in person and next June, it will be done. Yes, long bus ride but the French countryside is beautiful, from what I remember out my train window on our way to Italy.

[DrivesLikeMario]

We did a taxi service (Seven Sevens) from Rosyth to Edinburgh, so a little farther than where you were at So. Queensferry. Only took 20 mins. to get right at the base of the castle. We already had our tickets which we bought ahead of time, so that only took maybe 5-10 mins. And this was during the Tattoo and Fringe Festival.

 

The train going back to the ship was packed but there were quite a few of them running. The wait for a sit-down lunch right on the Royal Mile was about 20 mins.

 

Edinburgh is manageable even during August if you prepare for it and find the best ways to get around.