A jewel of a ship!

So – following the Royal Princess cruise, visit and naming was my next ship “experience” of the week  - a visit aboard the beautiful Crystal Symphony. I had been offered this tour through the Ocean Liner Society so we all met up in the QEII terminal half an hour before boarding. I had assumed, wrongly as it turned out, that Southampton was a way port for Symphony but it transpired she was turning around here so there was lots of activity as people were loading their luggage into taxis and a few others started to arrive. It was not long however before we were invited to embark.

 

Symphony arrived at dawn with the assistance of one tug

 

We were taken straight up to the panoramic Palm Court where a line of stewards held trays of Champagne and Mimosas for us. It was a beautiful and elegant room and as we were taken up my first impressions of the ship were muted shades of grey, mushroom and lilac – elegant and calming.

 

We had a short presentation and introduction to Crystal Cruises before we were divided into small groups and taken on a tour of the ship. It was not long at all before I had decided that I need to sail with Crystal! This was my kind of ship. At 51,000 tons she is a lovely size – similar to my beloved Artemis and, like her, built in Finland.

The Lido Deck was beautifully laid out with cream rattan loungers, some in the sun, some in shady areas, the whole deck area covered with classic teak planking.

 

The cabins were not that large but beautifully appointed with sliding louvred doors to the wardrobes and a bell system by each door to indicate whether you were available, not to disturbed or the cabin could be made up.

 

Then we moved to the main passenger decks. There was a stunning water feature in the Atrium or Crystal Plaza as it is called.

 

On the upper level were shops etc, and on the lower was Reception, shore excursion desk, concierge etc. There are plenty of entertainment venues including a show lounge and small theatre as well as a surprising number of different places to eat for a ship this size – Prego, Sushi Bar, The Silk Road etc. After our tour we were taken back to the Palm Court for an extravagant spread of hors d’oevres accompanied by drinks of our choice.

 

The above photo shows The Vintage Room - in Crystal's words, 'Inspired by the rich tradition of wine-makers to gather and showcase their most treasured vintages, dinners served in the elegant Vintage Room are the pinnacle experience for wine enthusiasts. Working with our sommeliers, crystal's culinary team creates menus to enhance the unique attributes of each vintage, with exceptional selections from famed wine-making regions such as Bordeaux and the Napa Valley.'

 

 

 

My overall impression was a classic, elegant ship. Although there are some facilities for children it is clearly aimed at adults. The service was quiet and impeccable. I believe most cruises are of the 7-10 day duration, and pretty port-heavy, but a few sea days in the sun on this ship would be my idea of heaven. Now – how to save up…..

Royal Princess - the end

Well, it's nearly time to get the cases out again for Nautica so I had better finish off my tale of Royal Princess.
The day after we disembarked, I had won a day visit to explore the ship and have lunch, courtesy of Cruise.co.uk

Since she had kindly given me a bed for the week, I took my friend as my guest as we set off again on the ferry and walked round to the Ocean Terminal. Today it was a very different experience from our preview cruise. The official naming was to be on the Thursday and many of the high-profile guests were arriving this day so security was much higher. We had to show our passes three times on the way to the Ocean Terminal and as we arrived there the blue carpet was lined with ship's officers, making our entrance feel very special. 

After checking in we were given our special commemorative lanyard  (which we were allowed to keep) and passes as well as a guide book for our self-guided tour and a meeting place for lunch. Since we had already seen all the public areas, we took our time, had a coffee in the buffet and then went to join the tours to see the show cabins.

I have to say the least impressive was the owner's suite, which had a beautiful large corner balcony - totally overlooked from the sports deck above!

By now it was time to start thinking about heading down for lunch. This  was a superb four courses with wine. While we were eating the Captain and Head of Princess Cruises came to say a few words. As we slowly made our way off, security men with sniffer dogs were carefully going all around the atrium.

It was a lovely day and thoroughly enjoyed by us both. I stayed down in Southampton, because the following day was the naming ceremony. We chose to watch this from across the water at Hythe Marina where, with good binoculars, you could see the whole proceedings.

That evening was the grand fireworks display. The maiden cruise proper on Sunday however was, to me, a real anti-climax! No fireworks, no fireboats - nothing. In fact I think we had a much nicer send-off when we sailed on the preview cruise on the 9th June.

Royal Princess - episode 3

We had opted for Freedom Dining - mainly because we thought two friends would be joining us for dinner - but this never happened. It was my first time on Freedom dining and, in the event, we were rarely ready before 8.30 pm anyway so could just have easily opted for fixed dining, not that it really mattered on such a short cruise.

We were seated on a table for 8, close to the galley door - in the Concerto Dining Room on Fiesta Deck. I have to say the food was superb to my mind- that is the starter and main course. The deserts come in a separate menu because they are the same every night! Not good!  I tend to work backwards - so I know how much room I have to leave!  Not that much as it happened.  The company was good, but I would not like a new table every night as I am sure you would cover the same ground every time. It was a nice enough dining room but no "Wow" factor and I didn't like the large amount of bench seating but there was a pretty "bauble" feature at the entrance.

So - what to do after dinner. This is where we felt the entertainment fell down. There was no show the first night, and a Beatles tribute the second night - not my scene!  The shows/quizzes etc in the "TV Studio" were good but not very long. I was bored! Aside from finding a bar to drink in I was not impressed. The only other "activity" was shopping. The shop are was large with an excellent range of Maiden Season souvenirs, as well as the usual clothing, handbags, jewellery and duty free.

The following morning we arrived in Guernsey - Hurray! I finally made it ashore here. The passengers on the next 2 night preview cruise didn't make is ashore due to rough seas, as has happened to me before, so we were very lucky. Of course the main attraction for tendering ashore was to be able to take photos of the ship from the tenders!

 

 

It was a misty grey day in St Peter Port but I could see how pretty it would look in sunshine. The tendering went extremely smoothly, but the of course the ship was only half full, and only about half of those bothered to go ashore.

 

That evening we packed once again ready to disembark early the following morning. Then it was time to go and see the Champagne Fountain - a Princess tradition but a first for me. Somehow even that seemed a bit of a anti-climax. After dinner, my friend when the Beatles show while I wandered round again with my camera. Then we both retired to our cabin to raid the mini-bar!

 

 

So, in conclusion, some stunning décor, but not really my kind of ship. I feel you would need to spend much more on the Spa, Sanctuary and other dining venues to gain the most from a cruise on Royal Princess. Having said that, I am very glad to have sailed on, and even better - I had a day visit the following day............

Royal Princess - episode 2

Having partially unpacked we headed first to the buffet restaurant. On the way up it was good to note the high quality furnishing and décor.  This was my first time on a Princess ship so much of what I am about to mention maybe normal, but I was seeing it through first-time Princess eyes.

 

 

The buffet area was impressive. It was divided into three areas – the Bistro, pastry area and main buffet. As well as normal juices and drinks, there was proper coffee on sale for an additional cost. Waiters were happy to get all drinks, even water, and the choice of food was very good indeed – almost too much choice in fact ! 

We then headed out to the main open deck. First impressions – stunning, with a feature fountain that can be switched off to provide a dance floor, or give coloured, musical water displays at night.

 

There was a small kiosk supplying free ice cream and plenty of varied seating, from rattan chairs in the shade to reclining beds to watch Movies Under the Stars, or ordinary sun beds. Of particular interest were the two Sea Walks – a glass-floored walkway each side of the ship, extending out from the hull so they were directly over the water some 10 or so decks below.

 

Dominating everything was a huge sea screen and the decks and sun beds were arranged in tiers to reflect this. Walking up and forward we came to the Retreat – a beautiful adult-only pool and seating area with six twin cabanas. These were all free to use and I can imagine the demand for them well exceeding supply. Towels and books at dawn!!

Forward again and we came to The Sanctuary - a spa deck with, aside from the customary juice, water and comfy day beds, a few private “rooms” with sofas, TV and tables. I’m not sure of the cost for the day of these but it included spa treatments of choice such as a massage.

Walking aft from the main sun deck, and we came to the sports and gym areas. A nice touch was some gym equipment fixed to the deck outdoors. I have seen this before on German ships. At the stern, you can look down on the huge private balconies of the top suites – not so private then for them!

 

We slowly worked our way back down to the main atrium with its twin spiral staircases. All around the sides of this were various bars and restaurants, such as Alfredo’s Italian restaurant and Gelato’s for ice creams etc. On the lowest deck off the atrium was the Reception Deck, Tours Office and, unusually, the spa. The latter was truly beautiful with some unique features such as the Enclave. After exploring it was time for muster drill – our venue was the theatre – small for such a large ship but I guess with so much else going on I suppose it only needs to seat smaller numbers. It was beautifully decorated in muted shades of mushroom and soft purples.  

After muster and unpacking (my case had finally arrived) it was time to head up on deck for sailaway. This was my first disappointment, but I freely admit I am not the typical passenger. I like to face forward on a ship to see where I am going – and the only places to do this were fronted by blue glass – no photos there then!  Secondly – I am not a fan of noisy “fun” sailaways and prefer a quieter spot to reflect on where I am going and what I am going to see. OK, this was just a preview cruise so it didn’t matter but had I been on a “proper” cruise, there were few places to get away from the extremely loud music and sea screen, especially as the only remotely forward-facing view was from the top of the Sea Walks and so right by the loud speakers!  Nonetheless, the weather pulled out all the stops, the sun shone, the cold wind died away and everyone was determined to enjoy what was, to all intents and purposes – the maiden departure. It was a Sunday and small boats came out to escort us down Southampton Water and viewpoints such as Calshot were packed with sightseers. As Royal Princess slowly lifted off the berth and out toward the open sea, she sounded her signature horn, which plays the first few bars of The Love Boat theme. The old steamship Shieldhall was stationed just down from the berth with passengers eager to see the new ship properly. These was a wonderful exchange of whistles – the Love Boat interspersed with Shieldhall’s whooping siren.

The ship was only half full of fare-paying passengers on this sailing and it was clear there was still a lot of snagging and finishing going on.

 

Dinner and beyond will have to wait till my next instalment.

 

Royal Princess Preview Cruise 9-11 June 2013 (episode 1)

Following on from my last post - we had been allocated stateroom A104 – a standard outside with balcony. I was surprised to see our names on a card outside our cabin with our Captain's Circle level on them. No privacy then! 

It was nicely furnished in light woods with darker detailing, much like the Cunard Queens. Our twin beds were comfortable - although not the best I have had, and the bedside lights were well positioned. In fact the cabin lighting was the best I have come across and the bathroom lighting superb.

 

At the foot of the beds was a huge flat-screen TV, on which I guess you will be able to interact with - but it was not fully working yet. One nice feature I thought was to have some old episodes of The Love Boat available! There were two areas at which to sit - a writing desk with drawers (the hairdryer was in one of them), and the cupboard the fridge was in. The latter also had some useful corner shelves. The bedside tables had an open shelf and two small drawers, and that was it regarding drawer space. The walk-in wardrobe area next to the bathroom was spacious and had a shelve over the rail for lifejackets. there was also a floor-to-ceiling cupboard with shelves and a safe.

The bathroom however was arguably the smallest I have ever had.  So small in fact that I had to dry myself IN the shower! Sitting on the toilet my knees almost touched the door! It had three open shelves and an integrated basin in the worktop. There was also an open shelf under the basin. We had the usual toiletries - shampoo, conditioner, body lotion and shower gel. Our Elite level toiletries arrived just in time to bring them home!- an additional body lotion, shower cap, room spray, buffing mitt and eye mask.

 

My friend's luggage had arrived so once she had unpacked (mine was much later despite handing them in at the same time!), and before muster drill at 4.15, we set off with our cameras to explore the whole ship, starting at the top - a good idea since we would be able to grab a bite in the buffet on the way!

 

 

Sunday 9 June 2013 - The Big Day!

The morning dawned - and as usual, Oriana had sneaked in past me as I lay dozing. Slowly the others arrived - Queen Elizabeth first, as the sun was rising.

 

She was later followed by Silver Cloud.

All the while, the sparkling new Royal Princess was lying quietly at Ocean Terminal awaiting her very first fare-paying passengers - among them me! Since our cruise this time was only two days, and we therefore had little luggage, we decided to do it by ferry and foot! Funny - it didn't look that far from Town Quay to the Ocean Terminal but it sure seemed like it by the time we reached to dock gate and had to show our tickets! Naturally, with the Duchess of Cambridge performing the naming ceremony in five days time, security was starting to bite.  The ferry allowed me the first proper look at the ship I was about to board though.

First impressions - she was big - very big. At 141,000 grt though, not the largest ship I will have travelled on since Queen Mary 2 is slightly larger, and Independence of the Seas is quite a bit larger again, although I have only looked over the latter on a day visit. I suspect it is the fact that every outside cabin is a balcony is what makes her look so solid.

Boarding was a bit chaotic for no apparent reason, except that when you move up to the far end of the Ocean Terminal ready to go through security following check-in, you cannot hear the tannoy announcements at all. Once boarding started it was quite slick - once through the scanners, ship security staff were lined up with portable barcode scanning machines which also took your photograph. Once that was done it was straight on board via the promenade deck. Cabins were not ready so we went up to the buffet for a quick bite to eat before exploring the ship. That will come in the next instalment!

Phew - what a busy week!

Well, that was a week and a half. It all began on Saturday when I drove to my friend whose home overlooks Southampton Water. Since we would be sailing together on the Sunday it was nice to have a more relaxed drive down without worrying about missing any ships! As it was , I was there in time to have a grandstand view of four cruise ships leaving that afternoon -

 

MSC Opera left first, followed by Celebrity Eclipse, Queen Mary 2 and Ventura

We headed for an early night as I knew the next day would be busy but also another four ships would be arriving in the early morning and I wanted to be up to see them arrive.