Beautiful cruise with a leisurely itinerary. First time we visit the stops without excursions. The Atlantic crossing was quite peaceful. Loved Turk & Caicos, beautiful place to enjoy the sea!
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Sunday 29 October: Transfer from Heatrow Airport to the Port of Southampton provided by Princess Cruises. Boarding is done fairly quickly despite the fact that there are no real directions for Elite members. In addition, I noticed, for the first time, that there was no photo taken unlike all the other cruises!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
There are positives and negatives.
Cons: Princess Cruises offers packages that include "Premium Desserts", which unfortunately simply means sundae! Made with vanilla or chocolate "Gelato" ice cream only and topped with a little bit of everything! It's impossible to have other essences (pistachio, strawberries, etc.) or a good dessert (pie, cake, etc.) that is really out of the ordinary!
In addition, with the packages, Princess offers a "Juice Bar". Before, you could have freshly squeezed orange juice for free. Now we offer mixed fruit and/or vegetable juices according to their recipes, impossible to have anything else!
And... The icing on the cake is that it used to be possible to eat for free in some restaurants, for example: Alfredo's Pizzeria. Now you have to pay or get it in one of their packages!
Pros: At the buffet, "World Fresh Marketplace" there are different themes for the meals. Always traditional dishes in addition to a theme each day. Days at Sea Princess offers a theme for lunch and dinner. It's interesting, good and nice to know that we don't always eat the same meals day after day. However, I've noticed that it's not on all boats! At the time of this cruise I was on the Sky Princess.
In regular restaurants, the menu varies each evening always offering a vegetarian dish, fish, meat and pasta. It's true that the choice is less tempting and/or gastronomic than before, but... Everyone uses the belt to save money...
So, in summary, you really have to be hard to criticize/complain about food. After all, you don't have to plan or mess around!
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Several interesting activities on days at sea both to watch and to participate.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
At the beginning of the cruise, there were a few shows at the theater that were canceled. Cancellation because a member of the troupe behaved badly towards the audience, another time it was because there were too many waves (swell) for the safety of the artists. And another cancellation due to technical problems! But, honestly, I don't mind because I don't attend anyway!
As far as entertainment is concerned (solo artists, guitarist, singers, etc.) there is a real lack between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. A bit disappointing for the aperitif time.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Princess Cruises has always offered very good service! However, since the pandemic, there has been a lack of staff. We also notice that there are some who are less motivated than others...
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The boat is beautifully decorated.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Deluxe balcony cabin (sofa/loveseat in the room). The cabin is located on deck 9, center-aft, cabin D518. Accustomed to a balcony cabin, I would say that we greatly appreciated having a sofa. The only problem is that the patio door is constantly making noise (caused by the wind, etc...) when we were sailing.
Depending on which terminal you are in, it is possible to reach the old city centre on foot. Unfortunately, most tourist attractions are closed in November.
The port is very close to the city, 5-10 minutes walk. We saw the statue of Jules Verne. Castles San Sebastián and Del Castro which we would have liked to see, unfortunately no directions to get there.
Walking distance to the city 20-25 minutes. We opted for the shuttle bus offered by Princess Cruises. Took the cable car. Beautiful view all the way up. Possibility to descend in a traditional way: Slide controlled by 2 men.
The port is located 5 minutes from a large shopping center. The city is 10 minutes away. Located 1/2 mile from the port is Las Canteras beach where there is a public toilet with the possibility of renting chairs and umbrellas. All along the beach there are restaurants/cafes shops. Nice place! We spent the whole afternoon there.
The terminal is next to the old city (Alfama). 20 minutes from the port, within walking distance there is Praca do Commercio, the main square of Lisbon, the departure to visit! An inexpensive way to visit is to take tram # 28.
There are a few souvenir shops very close to the port. Reachable on foot, about 15-20 minutes or by water taxi, about 5 minutes is the town center and a very nice beach with all facilities.
The port is very close to old San Juan and its fortresses. Unfortunately, this time, this stopover was less appreciated because we had to go through immigration and the time was short.
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