Star Princess - Transatlantic - 10/7-24

[Solo Cruiser]

First let me apologize for the length of this review. I'll publish it on several posts all on this one thread. Secondly, I know I'm tardy with the post but getting it together was quite an undertaking LOL.

 

Wednesday and Thursday – Travel and Venice

 

Travel began as I left my house for the airport in Charleston, 2 hours away from home on Wednesday, October 6. After a 2 hour wait to board the plane I flew to Washington, DC and had a 4 hour layover. From there, I boarded an SAS flight for Copenhagen which although a very accommodating airline, was a long 8 hour flight. A 3 hour layover in Copenhagen (did you know the Cokes in the Copenhagen airport were $5 each??) I took a 2 hour flight to Venice. 25 hours of travel and I’m just now making it to the cruise part of my trip!

 

 

The Princess representative met us at baggage claim and asked that we bring our luggage outside to be loaded in a van and we could then board the bus to the ship. The terminal was relatively empty at 2:15pm Venice time, so we were whisked through and on board by 2:30. I sailed the Star Princess last year in September, so I was familiar with the layout and headed straight for my cabin. She’s not showing the year’s wear and tear and everything was spic and span cleanliness wise. Cabin was an inside on Emerald deck, port side, all the way forward. This was noisy when we docked or anchored and I seemed to feel more movement in this part of the ship than when I’m more in the mid-section, but I was prepared for this.

 

 

I unpacked my carry-ons and met with my cabin steward. He assured me that he could reconfigure the beds from the 2 twins to the 1 king and find me a bathrobe. I set out to do a little refamiliarizing and just to get the views of Venice that I could from the top decks. Luckily for me, being on the top decks to get the view also meant I could get a slice of pizza since I was getting pretty hungry already. By the time I got back to my cabin the suitcases (yes there were 2 of them) arrived and I spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking and getting my cabin in order. I changed for dinner and went to the dining room for my first real cruise meal. I had asked for and received anytime dining and it was just perfect for me. While I realize many cruisers feel that anytime dining is not the same service level as traditional dining, my service was always friendly and punctual no matter where I was sitting in either of the personal choice dining rooms. It must be added that the first night of the cruise there were long lines for the dining rooms but this settled down and I was seated immediately on the remaining nights.

 

 

Following dinner, I sat in the Wheelhouse for a small drink and nice set of soft ballads and then headed to bed. Sleep came easily after 2 long days of travel.

 

 

Friday – Venice and sailaway

 

I woke with no trouble to my alarm (yes I always bring one with me) and got ready for my first good look at Venice. The ship’s excursion left the Star at 8:30am. Within 10 minutes we were in the Grand Canal. Oh my goodness, I was in Venice !!! The excursion included a trip to a palazzo turned museum. The chandeliers alone were worth the price of admission. From there we boarded our shuttle and went to St. Mark’s Square. Lots of people, even more pigeons and it was so exciting. A silent trip through St. Mark’s Cathedral where the mosaics were incredible and then a guided tour through the Doge’s Palace. A beautiful building architecturally and artistically with centuries of intrigue and history. We even crossed the Bridge of Sighs and went into the prisons, which were very interesting. A few minutes free time to shop or amble back to the meeting point and we were on the shuttle again back to the Star.

 

 

A word about Princess excursions. Yes I know that many people avoid ship’s excursions and I know that value is often the reason. Since I travel alone and was in foreign countries where I didn’t speak the language, I felt that ship sponsored excursions were safer. Princess does a highly commendable job of organizing the departure of these excursions and the bus drivers, tour guides and excursion guides were all knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. While some folks complained that they weren’t given enough time to shop (I’m not a shopper at all), I felt all the excursions I booked were great values.

 

 

Back aboard, there was time for a brief nap before I got ready for Sailaway and dinner. A group of my fellow travelers from the Cruise Critic web site (there were 79 of us on this sailing) had arranged to meet for a party as we left Venice. So I toddled off to the aft deck pool (and bar) to meet with folks and enjoy the splendors of Venice with sunset approaching. The CC group was friendly and warm and I enjoyed meeting them all. The music played at Sailaway was a fabulous female singer and a wonderful tenor singing a duet of a soaring uplifting song in Italian. I tell you it gave me and many other chills. (If anyone knows or cares to guess at this song and the singers I’d love to know.)

 

 

Dinner in the dining room and a visit to the casino capped off my day and I headed to bed. All my meals, with the exception of a few breakfasts in my cabin, were taken in the dining rooms. I’m not a buffet fan, and only ventured up there to look for late night noshes to take to my cabin for the middle of the night munchies.

[Solo Cruiser]

Saturday – at sea

 

I love sea days. For me they comprise a little time looking in the shops, a chance to visit the various forms of games and daily entertainments, at least one nap, a seat by the pool with my book, and three meals in the dining rooms. I’m not much of a drinker but my soda sticker sure came in handy, as I haunted the bars for diet coke or ginger ale. For a 17 day cruise the sticker cost $35. I wish I could say I wasn’t much of a gambler, but that would be a huge fib, so I took my daily allotment and invested it in the casino. It was great fun for me and I witnessed people actually winning.

 

 

I checked out a book from the library and spent a good portion of every day reading. One excellent feature of cruising is that you can sit and read without feeling guilty about laundry that needed doing or meals that needed preparing.

 

 

Sunday – Naples

 

My shore excursion for this day was a trip to Pompeii. The drive through the Italian countryside was wonderful and when we disembarked the bus in Pompeii I was practically giddy over the history. I was walking on cobble stoned streets that were covered by thousands of tons of volcanic debris in 79 AD. There were chariot wheel ruts in the stones. Imagine that, chariots. One street had deeper wheel ruts than the others and the guide asked why… I mentioned that it was probably the street of the brothels…. give the lady a prize!!

 

 

The bulk of what there is to see in Pompeii is architectural. Most of the artifacts themselves have been removed to the museum (I think that was in Naples proper) and we didn’t get to view them. There were still plenty of ruins and things to see and I enjoyed the tour immensely.

 

 

Even in October, it was still very warm in Pompeii. The hills and cobblestones make it a strenuous excursion for the middle aged and addicted to sweets folks (that would be me) and almost an impossible one for the mobility impaired. I saw many walkers and canes however. If you have accessibility issues, pass on this trip and take another. Bring a bottle of water as it gets very warm. And for pete’s sake be careful with your footing, I saw several accidents that ended with twisted muscles and even one with a broken ankle.

 

 

Back to the ship for the afternoon ritual of nap, shower and dressing for dinner. Because we got back a tad late for lunch, I was able to partake of the afternoon tea instead. I highly recommend this extra meal. Little sandwiches, pastries, warm scones with cream and jam and cookies abound. Tea or coffee is served by waiters in white gloves. A common misconception is that you have to dress up for tea…. many folks, including me, were in there in very casual clothes and that is fine.

 

 

Dinner in the dining room again and the food quality varied throughout the trip from very good to excellent. Princess excels in pasta dishes. There were folks who complained that the “always available” steaks were tough and without flavor. But the other beef dishes I had in the dining room, prime rib, beef tips, etc., were delish. The Love Boat Dream was on my dessert list every other day or so…. even though it was always available, I didn’t have it every night as there were other things too good to miss.

 

 

I caught a little of the production show after dinner and hit the casino for my daily donation. The production shows on Princess are good to very good but I’ve seen them in previous cruises so I didn’t spend much time on them. I often prefer the trios or quartets playing in other smaller venues. Then off to bed.

[Solo Cruiser]

Monday – Rome

 

Up early and breakfast in my cabin. Some people think that they are restricted to the continental breakfast items listed on the hang tag … not so. I wrote in the items I wanted and they were delivered within 5 minutes of the requested time, piping hot. I tipped the room service waiter a couple of dollars when he brought my breakfasts up. A small price to pay for the luxury of scrambled eggs, bacon, croissants with jam and butter and a pot of tea in my cabin.

 

 

Once again we met in the theater to join our tours and head to the buses. It was a 90 minute bus ride from the port of Chivitavechia to where we joined our tour guide in Rome. That was plenty of time to watch the olive groves and small villages of Italy pass by and to observe the traffic patterns as well. A word on Italian driving… if you are not well schooled in the fine art of demolition derby, don’t rent a car in Italy. I saw motorbikes passing between nearly touching buses and small cars scooting around like they were impervious to accident; truly frightening at times.

 

 

We first stopped at the Trevi Fountain, such beautiful sculptures. But the fountain was drained and they were cleaning it. Did you know that the men who clean the fountain receive no salary as such, but get to keep the coins? They were starting to refill the fountain as we were leaving so we got opportunities to toss in our coins. As the platform that people usually use was still roped off, we had to toss coins from a much greater distance… I missed. Now I know if I go back to Rome it will be because I want to, flying in the face of tradition.

 

 

From the Trevi we drove to the Forum. There, in amongst the gelato stands, the banks, the souvenir shops, the Smart Cars parked on medians, there was ancient Rome. Applause goes to the Italians who have managed to create a modern thriving city without discarding their history. At the time when these buildings, with their still-standing columns, were built governance of the largest empire of the world was conducted right where I was. Senators in togas, great and victorious generals in laurel wreaths and emperors who were worshipped as gods stood where I stood. Ok so I’m a sucker for history, so sue me.

 

 

From the Forum we went to the Coliseum. What a breathtaking piece of architecture. This example of politicians giving the people what they wanted (bread and circuses) is an amazingly powerful building.

 

 

The tour proceeded to St. Peter’s Basilica. Just to stand in Vatican City was one of the biggest thrills of my life. Looking up and seeing the plaza surrounded by statues of the saints, knowing that throngs of people crowd the area for mass audiences with the Pope, seeing the Swiss Guard, these things all made a deep impression on me. But the inside of the basilica impressed me even more.

 

 

Michelangelo’s Pieta is close to the entrance of St. Peter’s. The statue that brought tears to my eyes in 1964 at the World’s Fair in New York had the same effect 40 years later. So beautiful and poignant is this work of art that I could have spent my entire time staring at it. But we moved deeper into the basilica and every step amazed me. The huge size of the interior has to be seen to be imagined. I was wondering why people were allowed to take flash pictures, I was afraid they would damage the paintings. Come to find out there are no paintings in the basilica; the works of art I thought were paintings were mosaics. The skill of these artisans was mind-boggling. You truly couldn’t tell that they weren’t paintings until you were right next to them. Statues by the masters graced every section of the church. It was a beautiful and inspiring part of the tour.

 

 

We were given a two hour break to wander on our own and most of the other women headed off to shop. I don’t shop. But I had missed lunch so I got directions to cafes from our guide and headed off the several blocks on my own. In a small café that clearly catered to locals, I got a pizza and salad and beverage for just under nine Euro. I was the only non-Italian in the café and I relished the experience of being immersed in Rome. Did you know that restrooms in many parts of Europe are unisex? As I emerged from the stall (there were 2 stalls), there was a man in there washing his hands next to me. I was embarrassed and thought I’d missed the obvious “men’s” sign, but he was not surprised at all. So….. when in Rome…. A quick stop at a gelato stand (lordy they make great ice cream) provided my dessert.

 

 

All too soon it was time to meet the guides and board the bus back to the ship. After an uneventful ride back I got showered and dressed for dinner. Everyone at the table looked as tired as I was and so it was no shock that most of us were turning in early. During dinner the Captain announced that we would not be stopping in Monte Carlo due to seas to high to tender. Cannes replaced what would have been the next day’s port.

 

[Solo Cruiser]

Tuesday – Cannes

 

Even though I was a little disappointed not to be stopping in Monte Carlo, I thought that Cannes would be pretty cool. The Princess Patter was late being delivered on Monday night because they had to change everything pertaining to the port. How did they do that so fast? Anyway, tendering had begun for Cannes but I wasn’t feeling much like getting off the ship after breakfast, I felt more like taking a little snooze. By the time I woke up it was only two hours before everyone had to be back aboard so I took my book to the Lido deck and watched Cannes from the top of the ship.

 

 

And now, a word about staying on the ship on port days, I very nearly had it to myself. Though I had enjoyed the ports I had visited immensely, there was no way I was going to feel guilty about not getting off the ship in Cannes, despite the people who were shocked that I had stayed aboard. The folks who trudged onto the tenders and dragged themselves back to the ship, said “we may never pass this way again so we toughed it out.” I refuse to adopt that attitude. I’m not toughing anything out just so I could say I was there for 3 hours. For me, a day of complete rest and relaxation was just as important, even if unplanned. I’m told Cannes was lovely and the bargains were fabulous. One lady brought back an iridescent shawl that was a really beautiful silk.

 

 

After leaving the harbor, I headed to dinner and then caught a set of big band tunes played by the Princess Orchestra. This band was good! A little more casino time and off for a good night’s sleep before docking in Barcelona.

 

 

Wednesday – Barcelona

 

A leisurely breakfast in the dining room was the first order of the day and they had the eggs benedict. I love that dish and Princess does a respectable job of it. Today brought another walking tour of the city (one of these days I’m going to figure out that walking tours wear me out!) and I got geared up for it and headed to the theater to join my fellow excursionists.

 

 

We landed in Barcelona about noon and I don’t know what I expected (maybe more of the same style of city I’d seen in Italy) but I was more than pleasantly surprised. My first impression of Barcelona was that it was so clean. Streets, sidewalks, shop fronts were all scrupulously clean. The cathedral was beautiful and a totally different style than those I’d seen in Italy. To be 600 years old, it showed little sign of wear and tear. And I learned something here too… for years I’ve heard that the cathedral is the seat of the bishop. Now I always thought that just meant it was his home base but no, cathedra is the word for the actual chair of the bishop and the cathedral is where the chair is housed.

 

 

We walked the tiny narrow streets of the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona and stood in the exact square, on the exact paving stones, surrounded by the exact buildings where King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella received Columbus on his return from the New World. Folks, these cobble stones were older than my country… what a great thrill of history. The Quarter itself abounds in little shops and parks and cafes. If I was doing Barcelona on my own this would have been the first place I headed.

 

 

Back to the ship for me and the ritual nap, but many people stayed in Barcelona until 11pm when they had to be back aboard, sampling the rich night life of Los Ramblas. That particular section of the city is a wonderful tree lined avenue which is broad, colorful and charming. Barcelona merits much more than an afternoon and I’ll be looking to book from there so I can spend a few days pre-cruise.

 

 

Thursday – Sea Day

 

Another glorious day with no plans, no deadlines, no “shoulds.”

[Solo Cruiser]

Friday – Cadiz (pronounced Cadith)

 

This is a lovely port city. Clean, well laid out, it could be easy to do on your own. But I had already chosen an excursion for this city that really appealed to me… a sherry tasting and a visit to the Aldalusian Royal Academy of Equestrian Arts. Both of these attractions were in the city of Jerez (pronounced Hereth) about a 40 minute drive away from Cadiz.

 

 

The academy itself was really lovely. Beautiful grounds surrounded by an ancient wall right in the middle of a modern town. Expecting an aroma of horses, I was shocked to find no smells at all, except for the grass and trees and flowers. The arena in which the horses trained was a wonderful domed building of white stucco walls. There were at least 15 horses training at the time we were there and they were magnificent (so were the riders, what great “seats” some of them had : ). Be sure and take the time to visit the stables and the carriage museum. There are some excellent examples of antique carriages and bridles that are really interesting.

 

 

Be warned, no pictures were allowed inside the training facility and it embarrassed me that even though signs were posted and guides gave warnings, some nitwits still were snapping away. They even had the nerve to complain that they weren’t allowed to take pictures. Folks, in sites where you are not allowed to take pictures, don’t try to sneak them. You only paid to see the horses not to photograph them.

 

 

There was an outside training ring where you could take photographs. But even then there were complainers. One of my observations on life is that some people are never happy. They are on a cruise and complain that the waiters take too long to bring their salad, or the cabin steward didn’t deliver more than the requisite chocolates after they told him that they wanted more, or that the line for the shows was too long, or that the dancers weren’t all Juliette Prowse (yes I know I’m old but this is the best dancer I’ve ever seen LOL), or that they didn’t get enough pictures of horses in a setting that was worthy of picture taking even if there were no horses present. Running into the Whiners would be a welcome change from spending time with at least one couple a day named Greg and Gretel Grumpbutt.

 

 

Tour over and back on the ship, I spent time by the pool and got ready to meet some newly acquired friends for dinner at Tequila’s. The last time I was on the Star, Tequila’s served a truly southwestern inspired meal but the menu has changed to the Sterling Steakhouse. I guess they will refit the restaurant and change the name when the Star goes in for refurbishing.

 

 

I’ve never felt the need to eat in one of the additional charge restaurants before and really didn’t need to this time because the food in the dining rooms was so good. But I thought I’d try it and enjoyed it immensely. The wait staff was very efficient and friendly, the steaks were excellent and the sides were delicious too. May we have a moment of silent thanks for the chocolate pecan pie? Thank you. A visit well worth the $15 extra on my bill as far as I was concerned.

 

 

Next was a little time in the bar, too much time (and $) in the casino and off to bed.

[Solo Cruiser]

Saturday – Lisbon

 

What a beautiful city Lisbon is. There are dramatic vistas from the hillier sections of town and glimpses of gardens and well kept courtyards in many of the neighborhoods. The tour I chose took us to the Monastery and to the Maritime Museum. Both of these are well worth a look and I enjoyed my tour very much. Keep in mind that almost any excursion you book through the cruise line will involve some walking. Many folks were put out that even though the tour was described as minimal exertion there was more walking than they were capable of doing. Just before returning to port we stopped at the monument to the navigators. This is a great photo opportunity and it was the first place during the whole cruise thus far that we got some rain.

 

 

Back aboard the ship and settling in for a night’s dining and entertainment…. you could find worse ways to spend an evening.

 

 

Sunday – Sea Day

 

Three meals plus tea today. And I found the nickel slot machines that weren’t video but were reel machines. I was in heaven. Yes, I freely admit I’m a casino junkie. I set my daily allowance and don’t surpass it but I found that I could take a lot longer to spend my allowance if I played the nickel slots LOL.

 

 

A word about the casino…. yes it’s smoky. I smoke so this is not a problem for me but there were many people who complained that it was too smoky and openly asked if I could put my cigarette out. Folks, fair is fair. I don’t smoke in areas posted for no smoking, I’m respectful of others even in places where smoking is allowed but if you are in a smoking zone don’t belligerently demand that someone put out their cigarette. One woman told me she had emphysema and that my smoke was killing her…. I responded (almost politely) that if she had breathing difficulties perhaps she should spend her time aboard in areas where smoking wasn’t allowed as they far outnumbered the places were it was.

 

 

Monday – Azores

 

The Azores was another port where I didn’t leave the ship but I spent some time viewing the countryside from the deck. Rich volcanic soil, plenty of rain and mild weather allow the Azores to be fertile and green. It really was lovely and people who took some of the ship’s tours said they were really impressed.

 

 

It was around the Azores where we started having rough seas and I added the sea bands to my nightly dose of bonine.

 

 

Tuesday – Sea Day

 

Another day of pretty rough seas but it didn’t hamper any of the activities I’d planned (a movie in the theater and dining of course). The crew seemed to be even more attentive than usual knowing that we were beginning a long run of sea days.

 

 

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday – Sea Days

 

See above sea day descriptions or refer to the words lazy and gluttony. : ) Three of the organizers of the parties for the Cruise Critic group hosted a cocktail party in her suite. Now I always have had an inside cabin but folks this is the way to go. The shower had real glass walls and was large enough to turn around in. The separate whirlpool bathtub was a genuine luxury. The balcony was immense. Thanks Karen, Lou and Jim for hosting this great event.

 

 

Saturday – Sea Day

 

The saddest day of the cruise is when you have to drag the suitcases back out and pack them. I began packing after breakfast and finished after lunch. All the essential items for Saturday evening and Sunday went into my carry ons and I set my luggage out at 7pm. The halls looked crowded and desolate at the same time with luggage sitting in them.

 

 

Sunday – Ft. Lauderdale

 

We docked and began the process of clearing customs and by 8:30am disembarkation began. I had a leisurely breakfast in the dining room (which was open from 6:30-8:30am), picked up my carry ons, checked my cabin one last time and headed for the casino (where I could smoke) to wait for my color and number to be called. I was in one of the last groups since I didn’t have an early flight.

 

 

From what I was able to tell the process went smoothly despite the last minute urgent requests for Mr. and Mrs. X to come pay their bill and folks crowding into areas where they did not belong. I easily found my luggage in the terminal (one of the benefits of being among the last groups called) and then had a dilemma. Since I was alone I couldn’t leave anyone with my luggage while I went and stood in the very long line to get a porter. This was solved by a roving Princess employee who asked me why I had a quizzical look on my face. When I explained my problem, she went and got me a porter and I was out of the terminal like a shot. I showed my passport to immigration and handed over the customs form and before I knew it I was on the bus to the airport.

 

 

Ft. Lauderdale could really do something about their airport. Seven cruise ships were in port that day and the airport was a zoo. Security lines (which you can’t even enter until 2 hours – not 2 hours and 10 minutes but 2 hours—before your flight time) were incredibly long. I think I waited about an hour. Come to find out there were only 2 of the 4 security booths that were manned. About halfway through the wait time I took a solemn vow never to leave FLL on a Sunday again but to stay overnight and take off Monday morning.

 

 

I did see an act of supreme compassion that day. There was a very elderly gentleman who was traveling with his son in that long line. He was propped on his cane and having visible difficulty breathing in the crowd and the heat. One of the ladies behind him in line went to find an airport staffer and see if the gentleman couldn’t go straight to the front of the line. They complied and escorted the gentleman and his son straight to the security gate. Bravo to the lady who witnessed his discomfort and to the airport staff member who assisted him.

[Solo Cruiser]

This was my 3rd cruise and they have all been on Princess. I started smiling five weeks in advance of the trip when I booked it and haven’t stopped smiling about it since. On my fair but tough scale the grades are as follow:

 

 

 

Itinerary A

Shore excursions B+

Lounges A-

Organization A+

Games etc. B+

Cleanliness A

Embarkation A+

Disembarkation A+

Staff : Efficiency A Friendliness A+

Food : Choices A Presentation A- Taste A

 

 

 

I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

 

Thanks for sticking with me through all the long-windedness.

[pinebro]

Wonderful Story, Thanks For Sharing.

Glad To See Positive Comments. Also !

[randyat1001]

Solocruiser, thanks for a fine , comprehensive and throughly entertaining review. We hope to do this cruise in the next two years.

Randy

[mafig]

Sandy, Thank You so much for taking the time to write this wonderful review. I'll be coming back to it again to reread -- it's that good!:)

[ah4sail]

I really enjoyed your trip report. I had looked at that sailing, but since I'm a teacher it unfortunately didn't fit my schedule. My husband says when I retire we'll do it!!

 

Thanks again for such a great post!!

[BLS]

My guess on you sail away music would be Andre Botchelli's "Time to say goodbye", it's a duet with a female.

Absolutly fabulous!!!

[melissa_bel]

What a great review Sandy!

I used to love in Rome so... I know the feelings you described during your visit. What a city! A what a cruise! I'd really like to do a Transatlantic.

[CocaColaCruiser]

Hi Sandy... Thank you so much for your wonderful review of our FANTASTIC transatlantic cruise. Even though we did our own tours, it's a great chronology of our 17 days onboard the Star. Like you said, we made wonderful new friends from our Cruise Critic group and look forward to traveling with each other in the near future. It was fun to be able to share our cabin and with friends by having several different sailaway parties. That's when we really got to know each other better. I am printing your review to keep with my Star cruise folder so I can relive the experiences whenever I want. Thanks again! :p

 

That would be Sarah Brightman singing! What a way to leave Venice!!!!

 

 

Karen

[regnig]

Sandy what a marvelous review. Thank you for the time it must have taken to put it together.

 

As much as I alway want the 'Love Boat' theme on sail-away, Brightman and Botchelli's "Time to say Goodby" would have brought me to tears. Barb

[Solo Cruiser]

Karen: I've got this in my trip folder too and I've read it 3 times already LOL. Let me know when you and Lou are headed out again, I'd gladly sign on with you two fun gals every time. : )

 

Barb: That sailaway song brought many of us to tears. Just gorgeous and so fitting.

[DesrtDrmr]

Thanks, Solocruiser for a wonderful review! We have been wanting to do that cruise, and keep putting it off............I don't think we will put it off again. Thanks, too, for mentioning shore excursions where mobility is an issue. That is important to so many of us, and isn't well defined in some shore excursion descriptions. I loved all of the historic references you made, as that is what we do, too, try to picture what wherever we are was like when it was first in use. (I still try to picture abandoned, or neglected homes, as they were when new, and the people so excited about having that beautiful new home.........)

Your trip report is a keeper, thanks again!

[susancruzs]

Wow, what a wonderful review and very helpful plus positive! I just returned from 17 days in Italy, 3 nights in Rome, then 14 at a rental property in Umbertide (Umbria near Tuscano). Believe it or not, we picked up a rental car in Rome (did not drive IN Rome) and drove to Umbertide, what an experience!!!

 

We did tons of sight seeing driving all over the place, back/forth everywhere, saw so much it was mind boggling! I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity, there were 8 of us, basically 2 or 3 per 4 cars BUT I prefer cruises!!! Also the woman I was with LOVES to shop, which I don't care to that much so that was a minor glitch. If I had it to do again, I would not stay in one rental that many days because we backtracked ALOT!

 

I want to do a Barcelona to Venice, then a Venice to Rome back-to-back some day! Next year I'm doing the Sea Princess transatlantic, Southampton to New York in Sept.

I've done transatlantics before, love those sea days! Thanks again for the great review, I'm going to re-read it, probably several times!

 

Susie

[jayevee44]

Sandy,

 

Thank you for a great review. I know how much work it took to put it together.

 

Over a year ago, I decided that I would be on a cruise somewhere on my 60th birthday and your cruise was one of the cruises that I was seriously considering. Given that I had already sailed on the Star Princess three times and that I really wanted to experience a category AC mini-suite on a Sun Class ship, I chose a ten-day Western Caribbean on the Dawn Princess. With the difference in price, I was able to take my entire family.

 

It was a great cruise and I’m glad that we did it as a family, but I’ve been wondering how the Transatlantic cruise went. Your detailed review has provided me with the answers and because of it, I definitely want to do this itinerary in the future.

 

Thanks again for taking the time to write and post your review.

 

Jim

[CruiseFever]

Great Review!

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to tell us all about it in such detail!

[Solo Cruiser]

Chris: LOL I took a lesson from you in review writing!!

[CruiseFever]

Chris: LOL I took a lesson from you in review writing!!

I like your style!