Royal Princess 8/23/04 Short Review

[captbill]

Just a quick recap of our latest cruise:

 

We recently returned from the 8/23/04 12 day British Isles/Western Europe cruise aboard the Royal Princess, and I am happy to report that a fine time was had by all!

 

This sailing began and ended in Southampton, England. Ports visited were Falmouth,England; Cobh & Dublin,Ireland; South Queensferry,Scotland; Hamburg,Germany; Amsterdam,Netherlands; Zeebrugge,Belgium; and Le Havre,France.

 

The Royal Princess is an older ship and this is her last year sailing with the Princess line. The ship appears generally in good shape, though her age becomes apparent in some areas. Nothing I saw would deter me from sailing her again someday if the opportunity ever presents itself. We did lose water one evening for 5-6 hours, which quickly became a bit of a "crappy" situation with toilets being unable to flush. (Sorry for the visual, but I think you get my point.) Fortunately, that was the only really negative occurrence during the entire cruise, and we were happy to see it resolved.

 

Food was good in the Dining Room, and we found breakfast on the Lido Buffet to be mostly adequate. (Not really a criticism here, I just don't get too excited about buffets. It was convenient, and we were always free to go to the Dining Room if we wanted something better.)

 

As is our norm, we did quite a bit of walking in each of our port visits, usually on our own and assisted only by maps obtained from the local Visitor's Centers. In a couple of ports we took the ship's excursions for logistical reasons, but probably wouldn't book those again on any future visits.

 

First stop was Falmouth, and we had been previously informed that we "simply must" try a "Cornish Cream Tea" while visiting there. Anybody unfamiliar with this treat can take a look at this site to get the general idea: www.cornishlight.co.uk/cornish-cream-tea.htm True enough, Cornish Cream Tea is something that everybody should try once in their life. I'd like to try it more often, but I'm afraid my Doctor might have some objection to my ingesting too much of that clotted cheese!

After our Tea, we spent the rest of the day exploring Falmouth on foot, and also with a visit to the Maritime Museum which was near the tender dock.

 

In Cobh, we docked by the train station and were able to easily take a train into Cork, and then catch the bus to Blarney. We passed on kissing the Blarney Stone, but did purchase a couple of Irish Fisherman's Sweaters at the Blarney Woolen Mills. We had fun walking around Blarney a bit, and then returned to Cork where we continued our own little walking tour. Too soon, it was time to catch the train back to Cobh and our departing ship.

 

We found Dublin to be a great place to explore on our own. Plenty to see and do, and public transportation is readily available. Again we spent most of our day walking the town, though we did pause to take in local actors performing "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in an open-air theatre in the park.

 

South Queensferry is about 45 minutes by bus away from Edinburgh. Both the Military Tattoo and the Fringe Festival were going on while we were there, so Edinburgh seemed extremely busy. I would love to return sometime when there aren't so many people! We took the Military Tattoo excursion offered by Princess, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Walking around Edinburgh, we were struck by the town's beauty, and the interesting people we met. I'd have a hard time deciding who is friendlier, the Irish or the Scots. Suffice it to say that both countries are very friendly!

 

In Hamburg, we opted for the ship's excursion "Hamburg by Land & Sea". I had difficulty understanding the Tour Guide's accent, so I missed some things on that tour. (Note to self: Take a few foreign language courses!) We did have fun, but then again we were on vacation, so why not? Overall, Hamburg was our least favorite port, only because of the "big city" feel.

 

Amsterdam is enlightening! I'm not used to walking by a Coffee House and catching a strong whiff of pot burning ... made me think I was back in college for a moment! The Canal Cruise is fun, and a quick walk through the Red Light district seems almost a prerequisite for visiting Amsterdam.

 

In Zeebrugge, we took the "Brugges on your own" tour. In retrospect, we should have just taken the train, since it would have cost half as much for basically the same thing. Brugges is another great spot for walking, and of course we had to pick up some Belgium chocolates. The one downside to buying expensive chocolate, is that the shelf life is only a couple of weeks due to the cream used (something I didn't know before).

 

Our last port was Le Havre, and this was my personal favorite, due in large part to our private tour guide, John Flaherty of "Hand Maid Tours" www.handmaidtours.com/

We joined fellow Cruise Critics Larry & Ann (missannb), for a wonderful tour of Normandy with guide John. For close to the same amount Princess was charging for their Normandy Beach tour, we got to see the same sights and more, and had much more personalized attention. John met us on the Quay at 0730, and gave us an upclose and personal tour of many of the Normandy sites. I found Omaha Beach to be especially meaningful, and plan on visiting again in the future. I am happy to recommend John & Hand Maid Tours to anybody coming to Le Havre.

 

Unfortunately, Le Havre was the last port of our cruise. The next morning found us back in Southampton, and only a plane ride away from "real life".

[katisdale]

I completely agree with your assessment of John Flaherty. His was the best tour we have ever taken. He is an expert on the Normandy beaches. He not only provided the tour but had a booklet for us and later sent us a photo CD.

[Richard Stein]

What category cabin were you in and how was the entertainment. I have cruised this ship several time and am on a farewell cruise in the spring. How was your service on the ship.

[captbill]

Richard, we were in Cabin D246 (Cat I). Service was excellent, no complaints here!

 

I can't offer much of an opinion on the entertainment, as we only attended one show. I heard good things from fellow cruisers regarding the entertainment, but between late dinners and early morning starts, I just never seemed able to drag myself to the shows.

 

Enjoy your farewell cruise!

[Morgans]

We have booked a Canary Island and Madeira cruise on Royal Princess after she transfers to P & O next year and changes her name to Artemis. We have read mainly positive comments regarding her, and after her refit next year, hope that she will be even better. In return, P & O are returning Adonia back to Princess as Sun Princess I believe. Hope it will be a fair exchange...!!

 

Marge M.

[HighRoller]

Thanks for the great review....I am considering going on her final voyage on May 12/05 from Rome-Southampton for 14 days just to part of a little history making. I have sailied on her once before 2 years ago and found her then to be a little tired and worn.

[Texas]

Hi Capt, thanks for the review. A couple of questions.

Did you do a pre or post cruise in Southampton? Also what arrangements did you make to get from the airport to Southampton and return to London.

 

Angie

 

P.S. We met briefly on the Tahitian Princess in March. We were in the group with NY Lady (Jackie). We met up at the pool bar as you were bidding farewell and we were celebrating our arrival. By the way, about 7 couples have signed up to cruise Tahiti again in March 06. Maybe we will see you there.

[captbill]

Did you do a pre or post cruise in Southampton? Also what arrangements did you make to get from the airport to Southampton and return to London.

Hi Angie,

 

We stayed 2 nights at the Victoria Park Plaza Hotel in London (booked thru Priceline). We hired a driver to take us from London to Southampton Terminal, and wound up taking a taxi from Southampton to the Gatwick area after our cruise.

 

We haven't made any decisions regarding 2006 yet, but Tahiti is on the list along with Australia again. Which week are you folks going? Decisions, Decisions!

[shortland]

Great review Bill. I hope you don't mind if I answer "Richard's" question regarding the "entertainment", etc. Richard - we were on the same cruise as Capt. Bill and the entertainment was great. The singers and dancers were awesome. Some of the dancers even came out at midnight after the "Tattoo" tour to help assist getting folks back to the ship. While we were all waiting to be tendered back to the ship (and that took quite a long time), Jeb, one of the dancers, even entertained us by doing a couple of jigs on the roadway. He even did a couple of splits right on the asphalt. (He was such a good sport he even repeated the "splits" several times so folks could take pictures - ouch.) The comedian was also awesome. He could "Pick-pocket" the corset off of your grandmother (now remember, I said corset, not girdle). He chose one of our "Cruise Critic" folks and it was really funny. I don't want to ruin the fun for other folks so I won't go into detail - except to say that he was really good. We did most of the excursions on our own. We did, however, take the Princess shuttles into towns or the train station most of the time. We were somewhat surprised that Princess charged each person $4.00 each way for the shuttles. We joined the ship in Falmouth (yes, we missed it in Southampton because of airline problems) and the Purser's staff were wonderful. Texas - we used the Princess transfer to London from Southampton - it cost $70.00 each. We did a post cruise in London on our own. We stayed at the Thistle Hotel at Charing Cross. We paid $115.00 a night through Priceline (without breakfast). I was a little leery when we were confirmed at that hotel, but we would definitely stay there again. The hotel is central to everything and we were able to walk from one end of London to the other. We asked to stay in the newly renovated portion with a view. We could see "Big Ben" from our window - across all the roof tops, of course. The room was very clean and nicely furnished, the beds were very comfortable and the bathroom was quite large. The hotel is 20 - 25 walking minutes to Buckingham Palace, a short distance to the Eye and the "street artists", Trafalgar Square, Parliament, etc. We ate most of our meals at a little "Pub" not far from the "Square". I was surprised that meals cost less after 5 p.m. - we usually got two meals for the price of one. We really enjoyed London, one of the highlights of our trip. Bill, please tell Greta "hello". You guys were great traveling companions - maybe we will meet again on another cruise. Sharon

[Texas]

Thanks Capt and Sharon for your replies. Capt, if you don't mind, what did the taxi fare cost from London to Southampton? Did you have any trouble finding a taxi driver to take you -- was it something you had to schedule in advance for? We are planning on a precruise visit to London. We have never tried Priceline, but I think we will give it a whirl this time.

 

We are going back to Tahiti on March 10, 2006. We had an amazing group of folks. The first Tahiti Cruise was March 2003 with 10 CC couples. Five couples returned for March 2004, joined with another 6 or 7 new couples. 7 couples from the 2004 group already have cabin assignments for 2006. About 4 couples from the 2004 cruise are cruising the Med together in June 05. DH and I are traveling with another Tahiti cruise couple on the British Isle cruise. We all really enjoy each others company and hopefully will cruise with each other for years to come. Several of us, email each other at least 3 times a week to keep in touch. Angie

[captbill]

Great review Bill. I hope you don't mind if I answer "Richard's" question regarding the "entertainment", etc.

Not at all! Great hearing from you again, thanks for pointing out some of the things that I left out of my review. Good job!

 

Say hi to Dennis! Hope to see you folks on another ship soon.

[captbill]

Capt, if you don't mind, what did the taxi fare cost from London to Southampton? Did you have any trouble finding a taxi driver to take you -- was it something you had to schedule in advance for?

No problem catching a taxi from Southampton. I had prearranged a minicab to take us to our hotel near Gatwick Airport, but he didn't show up at the appointed time. We then proceeded to the line of taxis, and made our way towards Gatwick. Taxi fares (not prearranged minicab fares) are "fixed" between Southampton Terminal and Gatwick Airport at £115. (That's about $205.21 at today's rate). Another option would be taking a taxi to the train station, and continuing to Gatwick by rail, which would be much less expensive, though you would have luggage to contend with.

 

Thanks for the info on your Tahiti cruise, I'll keep that sailing in the running for our 2006 winter vacation plans.

[GottoCruise]

Capt. Bill -

Thanks for the Royal Post - it has many of the Ports on my first Golden Princess leg on July 31 - Do you recomend contacting John for the Le Harve tour this far in advance? - I would like to go with him. He is so well recommended. Unfortunately - there is just 1 CC ( cruising with his family & children) posting on the July 31 sailing - so I will have to make arrangements for just the two of us - I should be able to find someone on the ship who will want to join with us to share the cost? Let me know and I will e-mail him to reserve the day --also would appreciate his rates (will help with the "sticker shock")

 

We plan to join the Princess tour on Military Tattoo day/eve. - I think it will not be prudent to try to do this alone as it will be a late night!.

 

I didn't realize we will have to tender at South Queensferry! - on that day we will just go into Edinburgh

on our own, I think.

 

On our sailing, we will do the Tattoo from Greenock (Glasgow).

 

I was going to leave the Shorex planning for these cruises for a bit later - is anyone interested in joining me in starting to plan/research private Tours......... in which Ports??

 

Lets keep in touch about this.....

 

I'm off to DisneyWorld - will sign in next week! Cheers! Renee

[captbill]

I didn't realize we will have to tender at South Queensferry! - on that day we will just go into Edinburgh

on our own, I think.

We initially docked in South Queensferry, but at some point during the evening the ship was moved to an anchoring position off Rosyth. (Basically across the river) When we returned from the Tattoo, we were tendered back to the ship.

[katisdale]

Hello Gottogocruise,

Yes I would book with John Flaherty as soon as you know you want to use him. Then keep going back to your roll call and you will find someone who is interested in sharing with you. This worked for us. However even if nobody wants to go with you I would still recommend that you go with him. He is that much better than the ship's tour. Our table mates went on the Princess tour. They went to the museum and the American Cemetery and then drove (but did not stop) along the invasion beaches. With John you also go to the British Cemetery (which is very different from the American) and stop at the beaches as well as Point du Hoc. Also since he speaks French fluently he can help you interact with the locals. He helped us understand what some children were doing the day we were there. They had "adopted" a group of graves and were placing hand made poppy wreaths on them (just before D-Day) and could describe what these brave men had done for their country. It was very moving and we would not have known that if he had not been there. Again, this was the BEST tour I have ever been on.

[captbill]

Yes I would book with John Flaherty as soon as you know you want to use him. Then keep going back to your roll call and you will find someone who is interested in sharing with you.

 

I agree and have already posted this suggestion over on the thread for Renee's cruise, as I am also following that thread. But the info might prove handy to somebody else in here, so I probably should have put it here in the first place.

 

John runs these 1-day tours as a sideline to his regular 5-day tours, and told me he counts on these shorter tours for pulling in business for his longer excursions. He runs a small business here (he's the only regular employee, though his wife does help out when she's not busy with her regular job as a teacher). As such, it doesn't take much for him to get overwhelmed on a given day. That being the case, it only makes sense to book as soon as possible.

[cusyl]

I see you sailed to Zeebrugge Belgium. I have a friend who is meeting someone there at the pier. Could you please advise where a good place for this person to wait would be so that they do not miss each other? Thanks.

[captbill]

I see you sailed to Zeebrugge Belgium. I have a friend who is meeting someone there at the pier. Could you please advise where a good place for this person to wait would be so that they do not miss each other?

 

Good question, only wish I had a good answer!

 

The port is somewhat isolated, and I don't remember seeing any landmarks suitable for a meeting spot. Perhaps somebody else can provide the answer to your query?