Mediterranean Cruises

Grand and Golden Princess Cruises (Back to Back sailings)

Correspondent: D. Brown – Hawaii

Flights: We used frequent flier points to go to and from Hawaii, via Hawaiian Airlines, and had to go via Portland in order to get tickets. We had intended to use United mileage for the travel to and from London for one of us, and pay for a second ticket, however, ticketing for the routing available for the “freebie” was very expensive and we ended up using Hotwire and paying a bit less for two tickets than the cost of one ticket matching the “freebie.” Turns out, tickets at this level don’t accrue mileage points, which we didn’t know until we requested mileage credit for the flights on our return. We then were booked on a British Airlines/Iberia flight from Heathrow to Barcelona, where we stayed overnight and met the Grand Princess for the cruise of the Mediterranean. At the close of this cruise, we were booked to fly from Venice to Gatwick, and stay a few days in London prior to picking up the Golden Princess for a cruise of the British Isles departing from Southampton.

The Hawaiian flight into Portland was uneventful, but the adventures began when we arrived the next morning at the Portland airport to pick up our Portland to Chicago flight, which connected to our Chicago to Heathrow, and Heathrow to Barcelona. United had been experiencing labor problems, so, following and expanding upon the very good advice of our travel agent, Richard Turen of Churchill & Turen, we had made a list of all the possible alternative flights from Portland that would get us into Heathrow in time to make our Barcelona connection, and had the 800 numbers of the airlines as well. The labor problems didn’t create any problems for us, but the plane had a mechanical problem (brakes) and was clearly not going to get to Chicago in time to make our connections.

Armed with my list, I went immediately to the ticket agent and she booked us on an Air Canada commuter flight into Vancouver, connecting to one of three flights from Vancouver to Heathrow. All seemed to be going well, until we discovered, quite late, in the “through passenger” international lounge, and quite by accident, that the paperwork had not been completed correctly by United (they hadn’t indicated that our changed itinerary was “involuntary” and due to mechanical problems) and Air Canada’s ticket agent at the international gate told us that Air Canada wouldn’t accept the reassignment because it was a low fare ticket (Hotwire). When asked how we should resolve the issue, he suggested that if we wanted to go on the 12:55 flight, we would have to pay about $1,200 apiece for the tickets (more than we had paid for both of them!).

Needless to say, we didn’t make that flight, had to go back through immigration, and have United completely re-work the tickets. Happily, the United and Air Canada ticket counters were adjacent to one another, and the Air Canada ticket agent – a much more sympathetic individual who was a real problem solver – overheard my whole story. He essentially told the United ticket agent how to write out the ticket, then made sure we had seats (together!) on the next flight out, as he wasn’t sure we would have enough time to make our British Air/Iberia connection on the last flight of the afternoon. He then, very kindly and beyond the call of duty, went down to look for our luggage. Sadly, he couldn’t find it, so we got onto the flight not knowing if we were going to have anything but our carryon bags for the whole month long trip. The flight was smooth, but we were pretty tense, given all the drama of getting on board, and also the missing luggage. Fortunately, and we still don’t know quite how, our luggage had apparently been put on the flight that we had been refused passage on, and was in Heathrow awaiting us upon our arrival. We then made our connection to Barcelona, and arrived, fairly late in the afternoon, but much relieved to our pre-cruise hotel, the Hotel Montecarlo.

Pre-Cruise Hotel: This hotel is a real gem. It is located at the “upper” end of Las Ramblas – the “main drag” in Barcelona running along the path of several former riverbeds down to the port area. It is a very wide pedestrian area bordered by roadways. There are numerous hotels, cafes, and shops along Las Ramblas, and streets and alleyways lead off from it in both directions as well. Mimes, street performers, artists, and open air cafes abound down the length of the pedestrian area (as do the fabled pickpockets and scam artists with the pea under the shell games, etc). However, we were particularly vigilant, having read many advisories about the petty crime situation, and we had no problems.

Horse drawn carriage rides are available at the lower (port) end of Las Ramblas and the whole area is planted with shade trees and potted flowering plants.  The Hotel Montecarlo has a modest frontage and narrow entry area, opening into a small but well appointed reception and bar area.  There are elevators to the upper floors, and a storage area that is well secured for holding luggage after check out time.  The staff all speak at least some English and are eager to be of assistance to you.  On check in, we were provided with a booklet of Barcelona attractions and maps, and given a run down of all the amenities in our room.

Our room was an upgrade, located on the second floor, overlooking Las Ramblas.  We heard very little road or street noise, however.  The décor is modern, clean lined, with polished hardwood flooring and adjustable beds.  These were, essentially, twins made up as a king, and did tend to slide apart, but that is the only downside.  Storage space was more than ample, and the bath was positively sybaritic, with a huge round Jacuzzi for two with hand-held shower, marble counters, and a bidet.  Both bed and bath linens were of exceptional quality, and the toiletries were also very high end.  The pillows appeared to be down, and the craftmatic adjustable beds were in good working order and very comfortable.

The staff could not have been nicer, answering all our questions, providing suggestions for nearby dining, and offering to hold our luggage after check out so we would have more time for exploring before it was time to board our ship.  They also located and negotiated with the cab when we were ready to go to the dock and loaded our baggage, told us how much the fare should be and generally took really great care of us.

Grand Princess Grand Mediterranean Cruise

Embarkation was about as usual.  We waited until the “early birds” had had a chance to get on board, so didn’t have to stand in interminable lines.  We boarded and found our Lido deck cabin easily, had a snack, and did a brief check of the ship.  We had been on board the sister ship the Star Princess on our last cruise, so felt we wouldn’t have a problem finding anything, which was generally true, but as the Grand was the first ship in this class, there had been some changes (and improvements) in the design, so there were some things that weren’t where we expected them to be, like the internet café, the library, and a couple of the shops. 

I usually do a “category guarantee” and we’ve frequently gotten upgrades, so have considered it worth the risk.  In the case of this cruise, it had sold so well that we didn’t actually have a choice when we booked.  All that was available was the BA category guarantee.  When we got our assignment I was concerned about the location and we attempted to have it changed, but there wasn’t anything else available. We quickly discovered that our cabin did indeed have a significant drawback.  Although it was a category BA, it was located directly below the treadmills, which were in use from approximately 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM daily.  I have never spent less time in my cabin than on this trip! 

Embarkation was about as usual.  We waited until the “early birds” had had a chance to get on board, so didn’t have to stand in interminable lines.  We boarded and found our Lido deck cabin easily, had a snack, and did a brief check of the ship.  We had been on board the sister ship the Star Princess on our last cruise, so felt we wouldn’t have a problem finding anything, which was generally true, but as the Grand was the first ship in this class, there had been some changes (and improvements) in the design, so there were some things that weren’t where we expected them to be, like the internet café, the library, and a couple of the shops.

I usually do a “category guarantee” and we’ve frequently gotten upgrades, so have considered it worth the risk.  In the case of this cruise, it had sold so well that we didn’t actually have a choice when we booked.  All that was available was the BA category guarantee.  When we got our assignment I was concerned about the location and we attempted to have it changed, but there wasn’t anything else available. We quickly discovered that our cabin did indeed have a significant drawback.  Although it was a category BA, it was located directly below the treadmills, which were in use from approximately 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM daily.  I have never spent less time in my cabin than on this trip!

Fortunately, this was a very port intensive itinerary, and the weather was good, so we could adjourn to the “Movies under the Stars” until the gym rats went to their cabins at long last, and we were usually up and about and getting ready to go ashore in the early mornings, but sea days were not pleasant and afternoon naps were out of the question.  Why these cabins are designated BA (top of the line balcony) is beyond me and I plan to write to Princess about it.  I called it the “cabin from hell” but must also say, it didn’t bother my husband that much.  Aside from the thundering herds on the treadmill and the thudding weight machines, it was a pretty convenient location.  I wouldn’t mind a Lido deck cabin on the Port side and towards the front, but would never accept an aft or Starboard Lido cabin again.  I honestly think I might rather have had in inside cabin than listen to the thumping from 7 AM to 10 PM every day.  On the positive side, we never overslept, and we also had one of the best cabin stewards we’ve ever been assigned.  Phon was totally on top of everything, and we never even had to ask for anything.  Robes were just “there” as was anything else we needed.  She was friendly and pleasant, but mostly just took care of us in a wonderfully unobtrusive way, anticipating our needs and meeting them.

The rest of the cruise was really all about the ports.  We did attend the formal nights, the Captain’s Circle party, and do the movies under the stars, but by and large were too tired out to do much else, and mostly ate in the buffet and went to bed as soon as the gym closed, with occasional forays into the casino if the movie either didn’t appeal or was something we’d seen.  There were some new production shows that were favorably commented on by those who attended, and the lounge acts were about as usual, but we didn’t spend nearly as much time partaking of the ship’s amenities and entertainments as we typically do.  One amenity we really did appreciate, make good use of, and enjoy was the excellent Port Lecturer(s) that we had on board this cruise.  Netta and Jack Martin were simply marvelous, providing both generally informative and helpful port talks, and individual guidance and suggestions at their “office hours” and even just around the ship when we happened to run into them. 

That said, we also found the Grand Princess one of, if not the best run ships we’ve been on in the Princess fleet.  Everything was maintained to the highest order, the Horizon Court was, hands down, the best run with the best food, that we’ve experienced on Princess.  The staff from the cabin stewards to the bar attendants, to the Purser’s desk were efficient, well trained, and the epitome of the C.R.U.I.S.E. standard that Princess so often claims and so frequently misses.  This was an exceptionally well managed operation, and superior to both her sister ships on which we’ve sailed.  The only really negative area was the internet café and the technology is in need of updating, both on the Grand and on her sisters.

This itinerary is very port intensive and quite demanding, whether you do ship’s excursions, on your own, or with private guides and smaller groups.  Several of the ports are a good distance from the attractions (Marseilles, Livorno, Civitavecchia, Piraeus) and involve a good bit of travel time before you are even “there” to begin your excursions, and the others are so jam packed with things to do and see, that 8 to 10 hour days are the norm, and, unless you do the ship’s EZ tours which are essentially drive-bys, you will be doing a lot of walking, and much of it on uneven ground.  It is good to do your homework, and have a “short list” of the things you most want to see and do in each port area or you will be simply overwhelmed, particularly if it is your first visit, and you try and do and see everything, and end up actually seeing and experiencing nothing, with all of it going by in a blur of ‘if it is Tuesday, this must be …..’

Princess offers well designed and selected tours, covering many interests and levels of exertion.  The Elite tours are for much smaller groups (typically they use 15 passenger vans rather than 50 passenger buses), with smaller vehicles and more intensive interaction with the guides.  Just as a note, based on our observations – the first group seems to get the “senior” guide, so it may be worth your while to try and get in the front of the line on board so you get assigned to the first vehicle.  The EZ tours are low intensity for people with mobility problems who still want to be able to say they saw ‘xyz” in Rome or Athens, and the “on-your-own” tours really are.  They drop you off at a central location and tell you when you have to be back there to be picked up.  The “sampler” tours are a bit of a compromise – you get an orientation first then are on your own for a few hours.  We found that the “hop on hop off (red) buses in most cities were a good substitute for the “sampler” and also provided internal transportation during our stays.  You can also arrange a “private vehicle’ tour through Princess for either car or small van (typically maximum of 8 passengers) which is expensive for couples, but of a manageable cost per person if you have two couples traveling together or a small group of 4 to 8 or 10 people.  The totally independent approach is also possible, negotiating directly either ahead of time or at the dock, with a local private tour provider, or going in with another couple or small group, or getting around by taxi and/or public transportation.  We did a mix of private tours, public transportation, and ship tours on this cruise.

We had been posting to the Cruise Critics board for this cruise, and had arranged to meet after the lifeboat drill with anyone from the boards who was interested.  We had a very small group, but very much enjoyed getting to know a couple of delightful young gentlemen from Scotland traveling with a large family group in celebration of their parents’ anniversary.

Our first stop was Marseilles.  On the “flip” side of this cruise, Venice to Barcelona, I believe the stop is Monte Carlo.  We opted for the ship tour of Aix en Provence, a medieval university town about 45 minutes from Marseilles.  Other options available were city tours and tours to Avignon and Arles.  Based on our experience and that of others we talked to, I would recommend the “other than Marseilles” tours.  We very much enjoyed Aix en Provence which was historically interesting and very picturesque.  We had a nice guided tour and a good balance of time on our own, as well, and the scenery on the way to and from was also lovely.  There is train transportation available from Marseilles to Aix en Provence for those who might want to do a totally independent tour.

This was, a bit surprisingly, the first formal night, and the Captain’s reception, so we were happy that we had chosen the morning excursion to Aix en Provence, and had some time to rest before getting all dressed up for the festivities.  This was one of the relatively few times we graced the dining room during the whole trip.  We were on “Personal Choice” as is our usual, and took the “luck of the draw” on seating and had some charming dinner companions including two charming ladies from Brazil whom we saw from time to time throughout the cruise.

Next day was Livorno, the stop for Florence.  As we had a number of “must do” big cities on the itinerary (Rome, Athens, Venice, Istanbul) we opted to do a totally independent tour to Lucca.  The tour of Lucca is also offered by Princess, by bus, but we chose to go by train, on our own.  I reserved our tickets on the internet site for Trenitalia, and had all my information ahead of time, and the tickets paid by credit card.   However, we were late in docking, much to the annoyance of our wonderful and efficient Captain Alan Wilson.  As a result, the schedule I had worked out online wasn’t possible. 

Our first challenge was trying to find the train station.  The Princess shuttle from the port dropped us off in the middle of town in Livorno, and we overheard two young women talking about taking the train.  We asked it we could tag along, as we weren’t sure where the train station was.  They said yes, but that they “walked fast” and were on a tight time schedule (going to Florence).  We thought we wouldn’t have any trouble keeping up, but these gals were really speedy.  We and another couple of ladies were quickly out distanced, and had to stop and ask directions a couple of times, using our combinations of high school French and Spanish, and pidgin Italian, but were ultimately  able to find the station. 

It turned out to be one of our favorite stops on the cruise as we wandered the narrow streets of the walled city, walked atop the wall itself around the city, and explored on our own. The juxtaposition of old and new was especially apparent here, as we looked at 12th  and 14th century buildings with satellite dishes hung out the windows.  The market squares were picturesque and much as they must have been for centuries, if one could overlook the shoppers in jeans and tee shirts with purple Mohawk haircuts, tattoos, and piercings.  

We had figured out the ‘system’ for the trains on the way out, so didn’t have any problems getting back to Livorno, where we caught the local bus at the train station, and took it back down to the area where the shuttle from the ship picked us up.  A note on the Italian bus system – you purchase your tickets before getting on the bus and will need coins in Euros for this.  There doesn’t seem to be any provision for cash purchase on the bus itself. 

Our next stop was Civitavecchia for Rome.  Here we opted for the “Rome on your own” excursion, which just got us into the city and back and left us with the maximum amount of discretion.  We had spent a lot of time beforehand researching and deciding on what our “must see” list was.  We agreed that if the line at the Sistine Chapel was more than 1 hour, we would by pass it in favor of seeing more of other areas, and that St. Peter’s, the Coliseum, the Trevi Fountain, and the Forum were on our “must do” list.  In retrospect, I wish we had done the “hop on hop off” bus tour here, as we did on several occasions elsewhere, as it would have given us a good overview, and would have also saved us a lot of walking, although we did make use of the public buses to some extent.  We were dropped off by the Princess bus near St. Peter’s, but decided to do the tour there at the end of the day, as we had to catch the bus back from there as well.  

On arrival, we found that the Sistine Chapel line was something over 2.5 hours, so we proceeded with our alternative plan.  We had mapped out our walking tour to the Coliseum from St. Peters to include several points of interest, including the Pantheon, the Piazza Navona and Trevi Fountain.  The attractions are fairly well marked in Rome, on brown signs, and pedestrian friendly areas are shown with walking stick figures.  We had no real problems making our way to the Coliseum, passing the Forum along the way, but it was long, hot walk, and we opted to take the public bus back.  The street leading into the Coliseum was partially blocked off, as were some of the areas for viewing of the Forum and access to some other sites in preparation for the upcoming celebration of the establishment of the Italian republic, and all through town various types of stands, stages and such were under construction.  I believe that the event was to take place within a few days of our stay.

It was a little hard to figure out exactly which bus and which stop we needed to take from the Piazza Venezia, but after watching a couple of circuits, we were able to locate the right bus to make our way back to St. Peter’s.  The lines for the Sistine Chapel were still prohibitive, so we took a leisurely tour of St. Peter’s Basilica and by then it was time to get the shuttle back to the ship. 

The next port was Naples, where we had arranged to go on a private tour with another couple from the Cruise Critic board.  After a couple of misadventures trying to find each other and the driver – the much recommended Gennaro of Sorrento Limousines – we headed out.  As a note to those with private tour arrangements, particularly in Naples, but also as a general thing – the privately arranged taxi or limo tours generally meet outside the immediate disembarkation area and NOT where the Princess sponsored tours leave from.  In Naples, you have to go completely outside the port buildings, to the parking lot on the other side of the buildings to meet your driver.  Gennaro was an excellent driver, well informed and experienced.  We started with the drive out to the Amalfi Coast, which was gorgeous.  We stopped for lunch at a spot Gennaro had pre-arranged, with excellent food and a drop-dead view, then made our way back into town for the stop at Pompeii.  We chose not to do the recommended guide there, as we had printed out the walking tour recommended by Rick Steves.  This is a great tour and takes you street by street to all the highlights. 

Unfortunately, on the day we were there, the House of the Vetti and the Lupanare were both closed for some kind of renovation or other work.  Nonetheless, this was an absolutely don’t miss and a highlight of our trip.  If I were doing it over again, I might spend less time on the coast, and have added Herculaneum to the itinerary.  If we are back this way again, I will do Herculaneum and the Isle of Capri.  There was so much available at the Naples stop, I would love to see the cruise lines make it a longer stop, perhaps with a midnight sailing.  There are now night time tours of Pompeii offered, which would be wonderful (and probably also very spooky.)

Whew, the next day was a sea day and we really really needed it!  Activities included all sorts of classes and demonstrations from fruit and vegetable carving, to basic French, digital photography, ceramics painting, and ballroom dance.  We did none of these, nor did we attend the champagne art auction, the line dance class, or any of the three or four trivia contests, bridge get togethers, jackpot bingo, or future cruise presentations.  We just rested!  And went to the movies under the stars to see Phantom of the Opera.  Most unusually, this sea day was NOT a formal night, so no dress up, either.  Perhaps Princess realized that the entire ship was tired and footsore!

Our next port was Mykonos, arriving at 7:00 AM and departing at 2:00 PM.  About all that was offered in the way of shore excursions was the trip to Delos.  This was equally easily accomplished by ferry at much lower cost, but we just strolled around the charming town of Mykonos taking lots of pictures, and browsing the shops.  The resident and famous pink pelican was the object of much photographic attention as were the freshly painted white white buildings with bright colored (mostly blue) trim work. 

In Mykonos, Captain Alan Wilson left the Grand Princess to move over to command of the Caribbean Princess and Captain Angelo Vago took over command of the Grand for the remainder of the cruise.  We were all back on board by 2:00 PM and departed Mykonos for Istanbul.  We attended the excellent port talk on the upcoming stop in Athens by Netta Martin, the outstanding Port Lecturer on this cruise, and hit the internet café for a while.  After a bit of time losing money to the penny slots, and dinner, we adjourned once again to the lounge chairs on deck for the Movies Under the Stars presentation of In Good Company and then to bed.

Istanbul was next up, and we were up and on the balcony and on deck for the gorgeous approach up the Bosporus into Istanbul.  This has to be one of the most spectacular approaches of the cruise as the fortresses and castles and then the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia come into view.  We opted for the ship’s morning excursion to the Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and the Grand Bazaar, and the afternoon Cruise of the Bosporus.  There were several other cruise ships in port as well, and the morning tour was particularly crowded, especially at Hagia Sophia.  We understood from our companions on the Pompeii/Amalfi Coast tour that their private tour which was later in the day encountered almost no one at either site, and were able to do the Topkapi Palace, and the Basilica Cistern as well.  However, we found the Bosporus cruise delightful, and worth the trade off, as it gave us the opportunity to see something of the area outside the city of Istanbul, and also to cross over to the Asian side of Turkey, and see the Black Sea entrance as well.   We cruised past the Dolmabace Palace, the Fortresses of Asia and Europe, and the huge villas of the wealthy lining the banks.  It was quite scenic, and very restful after the active and crowded morning excursion.  Then it was back aboard the Grand for a little rest, then dinner and the Movies Under the Stars for the evening – the surprisingly entertaining Meet the Fockers about which I had very low expectations.  We watched Netta’s Port Talk for Kusadasi on the in room tv, and rested up for our excursion to Ephesus.

We took the Elite Tour of Ephesus and the Terrace Houses.  The “regular” tour of Ephesus doesn’t include the Terrace Houses which were, for us, the highlight of the tour, and one of the highlights of the cruise.  Ephesus (Paul’s Epistles to the Ephesians was written to the early Christian inhabitants of this town) was a major port in Roman times and Antony and Cleopatra were there in its heyday.  The port eventually silted up and commerce and the city moved to the present location of Kusadasi.  We took a small bus (15 or so passenger van) with a very well informed and articulate, if a bit over-directive, guide.  Ephesus contains very impressive ruins, particularly the Library of Celsus, the large and relatively well preserved theater, and the Basilica of St. John.  The house where the Virgin Mary supposedly lived out her last days is also in Ephesus, and is a point of pilgrimage. 

The Terrace Houses, an on-going excavation site, has limited admission, which is an add-on to the admission to Ephesus itself, and were a real highlight.  The houses were apparently the homes of the upper classes, and have well preserved and beautiful mosaics and frescos, and well defined and easily discernable floor plans.  It is very interesting to see the on-going archeological work and, even more so than Pompeii, easy to imagine living there.  In many ways, the Terrace Houses are evocative of contemporary condominiums or seaside apartment houses, situated in such a way as to preserve the views for each apartment unit.  Seeing the work in progress on reassembling a floor mosaic, or the careful uncovering of a wall mosaic, or the excavation of the clay or lead plumbing pipes somehow makes the inhabitants of this place very real.

Notes for independent travelers:  The admission to Ephesus must be paid either by credit card or in local Turkish currency.  They do not accept Euros or any other currencies.  A taxi from the port at Kusadasi to Ephesus is between $55 and $65 USD.  It is also possible to take a ferry to the Greek island of Samos, a few miles off the Turkish Coast.  The ship is in port at Kusadasi until 7:00 PM.

Athens was our next port, and we rejoined our Cruise Critic companions from the Naples excursion in their independent tour of the Acropolis and the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion on the Aegean.  Our companions had arranged this tour for just themselves and invited us along after we had such a good time on the Amalfi and Pompeii tour together.  Unlike that tour, we were in “regular” taxi, which was a tad cramped for five adults, but we managed, changing up so everyone had a turn in the front seat.  Although he had arranged for Spiros, another well recommended guide, and had confirmed numerous times, we got a different driver, Dimitrios.  He turned out to be an exceptionally accommodating and informative driver and it is hard for me to imagine that the much heralded Spiros could have been much better.  Dimitrios explained that the guide/driver system in Greece was such that he could answer questions, but not really provide “narrative” type guide information.  He then helped us ask the right questions, so we had quite an informative and educational experience with him.  We were all a bit weary by this point in the voyage, and hadn’t really checked the “back on the ship” time, but had just assumed it was around 5:30.  Turned out, it was 5:!5 PM, which we discovered at the (magnificent) Temple of Poseidon way out in Sounion, at around 4:10 PM.  We told Dimitrios, who got a little white, then we took off in the Mercedes taxi and we had a very speedy, somewhat nerve stretching ride back to the port at Piraeus.  We made it, and weren’t even the very last people back on board, but they had taken up the second gangway and were obviously waiting for the stragglers to return.  

We had a wonderful, somewhat tiring day touring the Acropolis, seeing a bit of the Plaka, then Dimitrios took us to an overlook point where we could see all of the ancient and modern cities of Athens.  We had a nice lunch along the way to Sounion, and lovely drive along the coast, culminating in the Temple of Poseidon, perched up on a hill overlooking the Aegean.  There is a particularly tragic story associated with the site.  King Aegeus’ son went to war, and his father asked that his black sails be changed for white ones if his son returned victorious and alive.  The son won his battle, but forgot his father’s request, and his father, seeing the black sails, believed his son to be slain and the battle lost.  He cast himself into the sea that bears his name, from the point on which the Temple of Poseidon stands.  The Temple bears the graffiti of the ages, including that of Lord Byron, who died in Greece during the Greek’s struggle for independence, which he fervently supported.  His home in Athens is a museum, and he continues to be well regarded in Greece to this day. 

Arrival in Venice is second only to Istanbul for drama and scenic beauty.  We were on board until the following morning, so took the opportunity to disembark and take the Princess water shuttle to San Marco Square, passing the Bridge of Sighs and other familiar from the movies Venetian sights as the Doge’s Palace, the famed gondoliers with their gorgeous gondolas and striped ‘barber pole’ moorings, and the Basilica of San Marco.  We took especial note of the bronze horses atop the Basilica, as we had been told in Istanbul that they had been “stolen” by the Venetians from the Hippodrome in what was then Constantinople.   We took the water taxi down the Grand Canal to the Rialto Bridge, and back. We also noticed, and were never able to ascertain the significance of, large apparently inflatable, bright red penguins on the balconies of several of the villas along the Grand Canal.  We wandered around San Marco’s Square and along the shopping district with the very well known and high priced Italian designer footwear and clothing, on to the Rialto Bridge, looking for possible purchases of the famous Venetian masks.  We found a wonderful shop with many one of a kind items, but decided to ponder the options and look a bit more, but never found anything else of the artistic quality, and went back, only to find that the shop was closed.  Having been saved from ourselves by the shopping gods, we made our way back to Piazetta San Marco and the water shuttle back to the ship to pack up and prepare for the next stage of our great European adventure, and also to catch up with our new found friends for dinner.  They were leaving the ship for a several day stay in Venice before returning home, and we were off to London for a four night stay prior to picking up the Golden Princess for our British Isles Cruise.

Disembarkation was fairly orderly, and we were off in plenty of time as we had booked the Princess shuttle to the Venice airport, for our flight to Gatwick.  Although the check in process was a bit chaotic, once you get past that and into the departure gates, there are a number of very nice shops, some good tax and duty free shopping and a nice lounge area at the gates.  For some peculiar reason, however, they don’t open the flight check in until about an hour before the flight, so there is quite a crush at check in and then in security.  Line management isn’t one of their good things at the Venice airport, either, so the process is pretty much of a free for all, with lines snaking around, people cutting across and through, and a distinct lack of comprehensible signage.  A note for shoppers who are transiting to somewhere other than North America or Asia – the “duty free” shops are only available to those traveling out of the European Union countries.  There are ‘tax free” shops for those moving between or among EU countries.  In order to purchase in the “duty free” shops your boarding passes must show you leaving the EU completely.  As we were only transiting to London, we were only eligible to purchase in the “Tax free” shops.

The British Airways non-stop flight was full, mostly with fellow cruisers returning home, but uneventful, and we had arranged beforehand, once again, via the internet, for tickets from Gatwick Airport to Victoria Station on the train.  This was extremely painless, as the train station is located in Gatwick.  Took a bit of time to figure out exactly where and how to get there, but once that was accomplished, we were on board and whisked away by train to the heart of London, where we picked up a Black Cab from Victoria Station to our hotel.  There was a bit of confusion with that, as our cab driver didn’t actually know our hotel (the Montague on the Gardens) and took us to another Montague Street several miles away from our desired destination.  After a bit of redirection and negotiation of the appropriate fare, we made it to the hotel, which is just off of Russell Square near the back entrance of the British Museum.

The Montague on the Gardens

This is a charming hotel made up of several Georgian era town houses that have been joined together.  The location is really wonderful, easy walking distance to tube stations on the Picadilly and the Central lines, and quite reasonable walking distance to Euston Station which connects to several tube lines as well as the rail system.  The British Museum is, quite literally, at your doorstep, and restaurants, cafes, and the theatre district are close at hand.  The staff is international in make up, accommodating in temperament, and helpful.  The décor is traditional, with fashion prints in the hallways, and hunting prints in the bar.  The overall impact is cozy and comfortable. 

Our room was a standard queen, facing the street.  Street noise was present, but not that significant, but might bother light sleepers.  The major drawback was its size.  It was tiny, with little storage space, and almost no room to walk around.  There was a desk, with a tv on top, and a hair dryer in one of the drawers, but it wasn’t possible for someone to sit at the desk, and the other person to walk behind them to the other side of the bed.  You either had to crawl over the bed, or the person at the desk had to get up, push in the chair, and retreat to the space between the bed and wall.  There was also a virtually useless small round table and two chairs tucked into the modicum of space between the desk, bed and wall.  The bathroom was adequately sized, but featured a tub with shower and a most ineffective glass “door” affair that didn’t really do much to keep water off the floors.  The impact of this arrangement showed in the water damaged wooden molding around the tub and elsewhere in the bathroom. 
I understand that the “king” rooms and those facing the garden are both quieter and larger, and would suggest that anyone booking this hotel go for the upgrade.  Our price per night, which, at 109 GBP,  was quite reasonable for central London, also included a full English breakfast for two, priced at the hotel at 14.50 GBP each and we weren’t in our room that much anyway, so it was fine for our brief stay.  We booked directly with the hotel and our rate was one of their “early booking” specials.  They frequently feature specials on their website, and the prices are generally better than those found on the travel and/or hotel discount websites.  They also feature a price guarantee.

Based on the location, the breakfast, the comfortable public spaces, and the helpful and courteous staff, we would recommend the Montague on the Gardens, and would likely go back there if we return to central London for a visit, but we would go for the larger room, particularly if it were for a lengthy stay.

Visiting London

Three days in London simply isn’t enough to even scratch the surface, but we did our level best.  We saw the Tower of London, the Parliament Building, the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben,  the Victoria and Albert, Harrods, Trafalgar Square, the Marble Arch, rode the tube for miles, took the buses out to Hampstead Heath for a day trip and generally walked until we were ready to drop.  When it was time to catch our shuttle from Victoria Station to Southampton, we were ready for a rest and to get back to our shipboard “cocoon.”  As it happened, our departure day was also the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation and an annual event of some note, but as we had time specific reservations for the shuttle, we only saw the edges of the parades and festivities as our cab driver made his way through a maze of blocked off streets to get us to Victoria Station.  Had we realized that there was going to be so much going on, we might have opted for a different method of getting to Southampton and stayed in town for some of the celebrations.  It was easy to find out where we were to go in the Victoria Station Coach Station, and after a relatively short wait, we were boarded on very nice buses for the couple of hour drive through the countryside to Southampton, which was pleasant and uneventful and we arrived in Southampton in the early afternoon.

The Golden Princess

Check in was a breeze.  This was one of a relatively few times that the Platinum Check in really seemed to be operational. There were a number of people assigned to the Platinum desk and we were through in a very few minutes after arrival at the port. 

We had been upgraded to a mini-suite for this cruise, and it was the largest room we had been in since arriving in Europe.  It felt like a palace after our tiny room at the hotel in London, and we had so much storage space we didn’t know what to do with it.  It was heavenly.  We did wind up wishing for Phon, however, as our cabin steward was merely adequate.  He had to be reminded constantly to provide hair conditioner (I think he just grabbed a handful of whatever was there, as we ended up oversupplied with body lotion and always out of conditioner or shampoo) and we had to ask several times for our robes.  He also lacked the “out of the cabin” radar that Phon had, and wasn’t nearly as efficient at getting the cabin spruced up whenever we were away briefly.  We had, admittedly, been very spoiled, but still would only give him a “C” to Phon’s ‘A+.”

In fact, we felt that overall the Grand Princess was superior to her sister ship the Golden, in the way that the ship was run.  The difference in the two Captain’s Circle parties we attended was perhaps emblematic of the different flavor of the two cruises.  The Grand Princess event was nearly an hour long.  There was the typical receiving line with everyone in formals or dress uniforms, with a good bit of time from the Captain, the Circle Hostess, the Cruise Director and other officers and staff as you went through the line, time for dancing before the recognition and speeches and a lovely speech by the Captain.  The event on the Golden was just at 30 minutes, felt rushed, did not have or encourage dancing, the Captain had come down from the bridge in his working uniform, wore gloves in the reception line, then informed us all during his very brief speech that he didn’t want to catch anything from us, and was perfunctory in the extreme.  The majority of the time was given over to a presentation by the future cruise person, essentially in a sales pitch.  Immediately upon announcing that the most traveled passengers would be recognized at the later Captain’s Circle event, we were hustled out of the lounge.  It was, hands down, the worst event we’ve ever attended.  It was also a good symbol of the differences we felt between the two ships.  Everything about the Grand was first rate, everything about the Golden felt a bit slipshod.  On the other hand, a bad day cruising is still a good day, especially in a mini-suite, and we did enjoy the cruise. 

With another 10 days of mostly ports, it was another port intensive itinerary.  Our first stop was Dublin, and we had pre-purchased the Dublin Pass, together with the transportation pass.  We had a full day and evening in Dublin, and had planned on doing quite a bit, but, unfortunately, Dennis had come down with a rather bad cold, and was feeling very under the weather, so we opted for a bus ride out to Malahide Castle – also available as a ship’s excursion – as a way of seeing some of the countryside, and keeping the exertion level fairly minimal.  We had our usual “adventure in public transit” moments of trying to find the right bus stops on the right routes, and were lucky enough to meet a charming gentleman who worked the night ship at a hospital in Dublin and who was on his way home, one stop before ours.  He decided to become our unofficial tour guide, got us on the right bus, provided a running commentary on the history and scenery, what he remembered from his childhood, what his parents had told him, and just generally adopted us.  We had a lovely ride out to Malahide, and thoroughly enjoyed our castle tour, but by the time we had gotten back into Dublin, Dennis was really not feeling well, so we returned to the ship. 

Our cruise director, Rick Joseph, had arranged for local entertainers – Gaels at Sea – to perform on board, and while Dennis napped, I caught their show, which was outstanding, and included a piper who had just returned from being on tour with Riverdance.  The musicians and dancers were very talented and the two shows they did were standing room only in the Princess Theater.

Our next stop was Holyhead in Wales.  The town is a small ferry port, and is well located for castle viewing, with three major castles, the two most famous being Caernarvon and Snowdonia,  in fairly easy reach.  The ship offers a number of excursions out of Holyhead, most of which were all day affairs.  We opted to just “do” Holyhead itself.  Holyhead isn’t yet a standard cruise port, so the townspeople were still excited about having us.  There was a reception center with craftspeople, a harpist, and volunteer guides to point visitors in the right direction to see the churchyard, the Roman ruins, and other points of interest, and the town’s tourist bureau provided a complimentary shuttle to and from the ship.  The town itself isn’t large, and the major attraction is visiting the South Stack lighthouse, which is a physically demanding walk, and one of the featured excursions from the ship.  It was also possible to arrange for taxis at the port, and a number of our fellow passengers did so.  There are also tour companies in the area who can be booked online, but as this is a tender port, and can be impacted by weather (the cruise before ours missed ALL of the tender ports on this itinerary due to bad weather) you might be out your deposit or payment for independent tours that are missed due to bad weather.

Belfast was next on the agenda.  We had debated about doing the Giant’s Causeway tour, but ended up just doing the shuttle into town and taking the “Hop on Hop off” bus tour, which turned out to be a real highlight as we had a very informative and wryly humorous guide.  We covered all the major sights of Belfast including the areas of “the troubles” during which our guide pointed out the various murals put up by the opposing sides as well as the wall that runs between the neighborhoods.  Belfast is a very interesting place that is clearly anxious to put its tragic history behind it.  Everyone we met from Belfast was very anxious that we understand that it was now safe to visit there, that there was much to see and do and that they welcomed and wanted visitors.  There are lots of things in the works and in a few years Belfast could easily be a major attraction on this itinerary.  One of the most promising projects is a museum at the Titantic shipyard, which is quite close to the cruise ship dock, but there is new construction and development all over the city, much of it geared to the visitor industry. 

The remaining ports on this itinerary were all in Scotland – Greenock for Glasgow, Kirkwall in the Orkney Island, and South Queensferry for Edinburgh.  We hit Glasgow on a rainy day, which was not ideal, as by this time both of us had colds.  We had signed up for the ship’s “Glasgow on your own” excursion – basically a bus ride to and from Glasgow with some minimal commentary along the way.  Glasgow is a major commercial center, full of shopping and with a good complement of art galleries.  We again took the “Hop on Hop off” bus tour, but, disappointingly, this one didn’t feature a live guide, but rather a “canned” recorded narrative.  We started out on the open upper deck, but were driven inside by the rain, and discovered that some seats didn’t have hookups to the recording, so we got a fairly spotty rendition of the sights and history of Glasgow, before starting off on our own to do a bit of exploring, and shopping.  After a pub stop to warm up and dry out, we were ready to board our bus to return to Greenock. The ship offered a number of other than Glasgow excursions, including Inveraray Castle and Loch Lomond, tours of whiskey distilleries, the Royal Yacht Britannia, and several different countryside tours taking in various lochs. If we had this one to do over, we would most likely choose on of these, or do an “on our own” to the areas surrounding Glasgow.  Between Greenock and Kirkwall was a much welcomed sea day, with a formal night and the usual festivities. 

Kirkwall was one of our favorite ports on this cruise. We had signed up for the afternoon excursion to Skara Brae which also took in the Ring of Brodgar.  This is a tender port, and we went ashore early to explore the town of Kirkwall before picking up our tour at the dock later in the day.  Kirkwall is very picturesque, with a lovely cathedral, and ruins right in the middle of town.  The visitors center is small, but well stocked with maps, literature, and some displays, and across the street is a museum which provides a good overview and history of the Orkneys, including both human and natural history, which provided good grounding for our afternoon tour.

Skara Brae was fascinating, providing a glimpse into the past and showing a relative level of comfort in daily life that was somehow surprising, and a good demonstration of the ingenuity of the Neolithic people who lived in this remote region.  The ruins of their homes showed clear indications of shelf beds, cupboards and storage areas, hearths, niches for lights, and other areas of the village were clearly “businesses” or workspaces, separate from the dwellings.  There is also a reconstructed home that allows you to see how these people lived, and really appreciate how clever they were.  Dwellings were partially excavated, and earth was used as insulation, providing a snug and warm environment once the hearth fires were going. 

The manor house, Skaill House,  on the site is included in the tour, but was not as interesting as Skara Brae, and our guide was quite flexible, indicating that those who wanted to spend more time on the site could do so and meet up with the rest of the group at the visitor’s center. 

From Skara Brae, we then passed by the World War II home of the British Fleet at Scarpa Flow, with commentary from the guide noting various items of historic interest, including the causeways built by Italian prisoners of war, and then we proceeded to the Ring of Brodgar, arriving in the late afternoon, with very atmospheric storm clouds gathering.  It is an impressive site, with many of its stones still standing and provides a strong sense of place where it is easy to imagine Druid processions and ceremonies.  The Stones of Steness are nearby, but not nearly as well preserved.

From Kirkwall, we went to South Queensferry for Edinburgh.  Surprisingly, this is also a tender port.  The Grand Class ships can’t make it under the new bridge, so must anchor off, and tender in.   A bit of poor planning on someone’s part, it would appear.  Edinburgh was another of the highlights of our trip.  We opted for the “on your own” tour again, and again, took one of the ‘hop on hop off’ tours to get oriented.  We were there on Sunday, which wasn’t ideal, as many things were closed, and even the bus tours didn’t start up until around 10 AM.  We arrived around 9 AM and spent an hour just walking around getting ourselves oriented before the buses began operating.  We spent the bulk of the rest of our time in the old city and along the Royal Mile exploring shops, alleyways and streets and taking in the sights.  Edinburgh is very high on our list of places to come back to and spend some time getting to know much better.  Other tours offered from South Queensferry include a tour of the Town of St. Andrews, and a tour of Stirling Castle and the “Braveheart” county, but the bulk of the excursions offered are in and immediately around Edinburgh itself. 

Another day at sea and we were back in Southampton, disembarking at the end of our great adventure.  We had made reservations for an overnight stay at the Marriott Slough Windsor, and transfers from the Golden to Heathrow, with Hoppa Bus tickets included in our hotel tariff.  It was a little challenging to find the location for the Hoppa bus (from the spot where the shuttle from the ship drops you, follow the sidewalk to the end of the building, turn left, and go around the end of the terminal, and you will see a large waiting area with lots of buses, go through this area, outside and to the right for the Hoppa Bus stand.  There is a map showing the routes and hotels served by each route.  Match up your hotel to the letter of the route, and keep a sharp eye out for the bus with your letter on it as they don’t linger!) but it was a pleasant enough half hour or so ride from Heathrow to the Marriott, which was a lovely hotel, huge rooms, fantastic gym facility, with on site restaurants which were expensive, even by our new bad exchange rate standards.  There are several other restaurants in the area with much more reasonable prices. 

As we had arrived quite early, we were surprised to have no problems whatever checking into our room, and we decided to take the bus to Windsor Castle.  This turned out to be another happy accident, as we hadn’t really planned anything for this "in-between” day and we thoroughly enjoyed wandering the town, looking at the castle, and checking out the riverboats and pubs along the Thames.  After a few hours in Windsor, we returned to our hotel, hit the gym for a workout, and napped before dinner at the pub across the street.  All that was left was the LONG series of flights home, which, although tiring, were no where near as eventful as the outbound ones.