More Leisurely Thoughts
After a run
of four straight port calls, it is good to take things down a notch or two with
another relaxed sea day, giving us a chance to catch our breath, review the
amazing experiences of the past few days, and enjoy the full array of
facilities aboard the expansive Coral
Princess.
With no tours
in the offing and no wake-up calls to set, we take the opportunity for a lie-in
and give breakfast a miss completely. Instead, we wander down to the
International Café for a coffee and pastry and take a stroll around the ship.
We are keen
to take in lecturer Chris Roberts’ port talk on Grand Cayman – the next port of
call – at 1.30pm, so we head for an early lunch at the Provence dining room.
That gives us plenty of time to reach the Princess Theater and enjoy the last
of Chris’ excellent port insights (sadly, he won’t be on the next cruise, as
he’s contracted elsewhere, but there will, of course, be another expert
lecturer to take his place).
In need of
exercise, we take a couple of turns around the Promenade Deck and then have a
look around the pool decks. The genuinely amazing thing about this ship is just
how much space there is for lounging
and relaxing. Almost everywhere you look there is somewhere open to enjoy the
sun, the sea view or just a quiet corner. It is the perfect recipe for really
enjoying your sea-going home.
This is also
a major movie-going ship, with the chance to catch a film on the big Movies
Under The Stars screen overlooking the Lido Deck, in the Princess Theater, the
Explorers Lounge or just in your cabin on TV (with 4 dedicated movie channels).
Today, we take in the Oscar-nominated Beasts
of the Southern Wild in the main theatre – but wish we hadn’t. What total,
inexplicable, atrocious nonsense. What was
the Academy thinking??
Anyway, the
more relaxed day also gives us the chance to review the cruise in more detail
and decide what we like (and aren’t so keen about) over the eight days so far
since we embarked back at Port Everglades.
What We Like
I’ve already
said it, but the spaciousness of the
ship is remarkable, easily the best we have seen on a vessel of this size
(90,000 tons, 2,050 passengers). There is virtually nowhere that feels crowded,
and the occasional bottleneck (initial disembarkation in port, occasionally at
the Bordeaux dining room around 6pm and exiting the Princess Theater) usually
smoothes out quickly.
The enormous variety of activities and programmes
during the day is also impressive, with an imaginative array of options, from
lectures and fitness seminars to daily trivia, bingo, deck games, music, dance
classes and, of course, movies. There are usually three or four choices at any
one time.
The ship is
wonderfully steady and has great sea-going
characteristics, which means she sails well, even in moderate weather.
She is a sleek shape for a modern vessel, almost 970ft long and 106ft wide, but
only 14 decks high, which makes her a bit less ‘top-heavy’ in appearance than
many of her contemporaries.
Excellent dining choice – from the two main
dining rooms (one for Anytime Dining, the other for fixed, regular seating), to
the two signature alternative restaurants (Bayou Café & Steakhouse and
Sabatini’s) and the newly-redesigned Horizon Court buffet, plus the on-deck Bar
& Grill, Pizzeria and Ice Cream bar, plus the recent addition of the
International Café, there is something for everyone at all times of the day.
The addition of afternoon tea (on sea days) and a Pub Lunch (periodically
throughout the cruise) provide even more reason to enjoy time aboard.
By the same
token, the onboard service is rarely
less than highly proficient and usually wonderfully personable, too. The bar
service is a real highlight (notably in the Wheelhouse Bar) but the Bordeaux
dining room, led by head waiters Carlos and Marius, is simply excellent.
And, as two
places that epitomise pretty much all of the above, we especially enjoy
spending time in the indoor Lotus Pool
and the Bayou Café, where the restaurant/bar
ambience is enhanced by the cool jazz sounds of the Argo Trio – possibly the
best of the ship’s many live music offerings.
And What We Don’t
The stateroom
shower. Ugh. This is so tiny it
could have been designed in the 1980s, when most cabins were equally poorly designed,
space-wise. My elbows have taken a real beating in here.
Early port disembarkations can be a bit chaotic;
it’s almost the only time things feel a bit crowded from the 2,050 aboard. Then,
and when leaving after a show at the Princess Theater, which has only two
exits. The air-conditioning in the Theater also varied between Cold and Arctic.
Taking a sweater or jacket here is highly advisable.
And that’s
about all the negatives we can come up with so far. Definitely a lot on the plus
side.
Tomorrow – Grand Cayman.
For more info and bookings – in the
UK, call Princess Cruises on 0843
373 0333 or visit the expert cruise agents of
The Cruise Line Limited on this
link; in the US, call 1866
335 6379, or visit www.princess.com.
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