Caribbean Princess 16 Day Transatlantic Cruise Review
Day 1 Pre-Cruise In London & Embarkation Day Departure Port: Southampton, England Departure: 6:00PM (Was Scheduled For 4:00PM)
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Day 1 Pre-Cruise In London & Embarkation Day Departure Port: Southampton, England Departure: 6:00PM (Was Scheduled For 4:00PM)
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Arrival in London: We flew into London a day and a half early in case there were delays in our flight and also to sight see in London. We arrived around noon (London time) and took the free public bus to our hotel located near Heathrow Airport. If we were going to be in London longer, we probably would have stayed in London; but since we were only there for a short time, we opted to travel into London on the tube. (Excellent information on the website www.londontoolkit.com as to the best methods to use for traveling into London).Since the Piccadilly Line originates at Heathrow and by making transfers to other lines, it was easy to get to the places in London that we wanted to see – London Eye, Buckingham Palace tour, Thames River cruise and Westminster Abbey tour and Evensong.
View From Bridge Over Thames River
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Big Ben
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London Eye Capsule
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View From London Eye
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View From The London Eye
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Buckingham Palace - Front of Palace
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Front Doors of Palace
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Back of palace - was able to take a tour of the palace since the queen was on holiday
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Lawn Behind Palace
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Marching into the palace grounds for the changing of the guards ceremony
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Took the Thames River cruise - views along the river
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View from the Thames River cruise
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Tower Bridge seen on Thames River cruise
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Tower of London seen on Thames River cruise
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Iconic red phone booth
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Westminster Abbey - took a tour and stayed for Evensong Service. The sun was shining brightly on the abbey as we left the service.
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Arrival at ship: The morning of our cruise, we returned to the airport where we were met by Princess representatives who escorted us to our transfer coach for the approximate one hour drive to Southampton Port. Upon arrival at the port, our luggage was taken from the coach and delivered to our stateroom a little later in the afternoon. We kept our carry-on luggage with us.
Embarkation: Since so many passengers were arriving at the same time, the lines were rather long but moved quickly. After receiving our cruise cards, we had to wait to go through security but were soon boarding the ship. We went straight to our stateroom in order to leave our carry-on luggage and freshen up a bit before going to lunch.
Embarkation: Since so many passengers were arriving at the same time, the lines were rather long but moved quickly. After receiving our cruise cards, we had to wait to go through security but were soon boarding the ship. We went straight to our stateroom in order to leave our carry-on luggage and freshen up a bit before going to lunch.
Lunch: We went to the Horizon Court Buffet on Deck 15 although the Coral Dining Room on Deck 6, International Café on Deck 5 and Café Caribe on Deck 15 were also open for lunch. The line moved along and we were able to select from a variety of dishes and quickly find a table. Lunch was enjoyable and it gave us a chance to relax before starting the cruise.
International Café Deck 5
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International Café - open 24 hrs.
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Café Caribe Deck 15
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Afternoon activities: There was a tour of the public areas lead by the Cruise Director’s Staff, but since we had already sailed on the Caribbean two other times we decided to refresh our memories of the ship by participating in the Treasure (scavenger) Hunt. You were given a card like a bingo card with 7 spaces on it. You had to go to each area and have your card stamped in order to qualify for a prize.
Island Dining Room Deck 5
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Island Dining Room for Anytime Dining
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Island Dining Room
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Muster: This is a very important drill that must be carried out before every sailing. It is also required so don’t even try to avoid it. You must bring your life jacket and your cruise card with you to your assigned muster station. Your card is scanned as you arrive at your station and those who are not present for the first muster must go through a later muster.
Dinner: We chose Anytime Dining because we like the flexibility of eating at whatever time we would like. Dinner was to start at 5:30pm in the Island Dining Room, Deck 5, but we found that after the first night the time was moved up to 5:15pm because of the large numbers wanting to eat earlier. The food was, of course, delicious and the desserts fabulous. Since Princess Cruise Line is celebrating its 50th anniversary, many nights a special chocolate dessert by a famous chocolatier was served.
Dinner: We chose Anytime Dining because we like the flexibility of eating at whatever time we would like. Dinner was to start at 5:30pm in the Island Dining Room, Deck 5, but we found that after the first night the time was moved up to 5:15pm because of the large numbers wanting to eat earlier. The food was, of course, delicious and the desserts fabulous. Since Princess Cruise Line is celebrating its 50th anniversary, many nights a special chocolate dessert by a famous chocolatier was served.
Shrimp cocktail available every night
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Delicious soup
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Fish
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Steak
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Seafood dish
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First of many chocolate desserts
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Always a sugar free dessert on the menu
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Crème Brule
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Sail Away: We were scheduled to sail at 4:30pm but was delayed 2 hours because a very large container ship was blocking the port.
Leaving Southampton Port
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Late leaving because port was blocked
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Sun setting as we leave England
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Entertainment: Many entertainment choices were available for the evening, but we chose the Welcome Aboard Showtime in the Princess Theater. A TV and radio comedian from Ireland entertained us with his humor and the Caribbean Princess Singers and Dancers put on a fantastic show and gave us a glimpse of what we could expect in the days to come! It was the perfect ending to our first day onboard ship.
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Day 2's Review Is Available!
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