A little background information; I am 52, DH is 56. This was our 18th cruise, but first experience on a cruise that didn’t include the America’s. Other cruises have been on Princess (10), Carnival (4), and one each on RCCL, HAL, and NCL.

We selected this particular cruise because of the itinerary, and the date and length fit my DH vacation availability. We used Princess Air and Transfers for convenience and because I was never able to find cheaper air online (Also liked the next port guarantee).

Our cruise was scheduled to start on Tuesday, August 6th, and we flew out of IAD (Washington, DC) at 9:55 PM on Monday. Of course real sleep was nearly impossible in coach class so we arrived at Heathrow at about 9:30AM local time bleary-eyed and very sleepy. Immigration and customs was fairly fast, and just beyond customs we easily found the Princess rep, who directed us to a waiting area for the next bus to Dover. This was a bit of a wait. I think we waited nearly two hours for the next bus. Once on the bus, the ride to Dover was at least 2-hours, maybe a bit longer, but we were able to doze a bit. We arrived at Dover Terminal around 3PM. Check in was a breeze, although I was a bit taken back that our passports were held (We could have them back after the ship left Dublin, Ireland). First a quick stop to our cabin to drop off hand-held luggage, and then off to the buffet to get a quick bite before the 4:00 muster drill. At the muster drill our cruise cards were scanned to ensure we had actually taken part. Once done, we went topside to watch sail away. We had beautiful weather, and not only did we have an excellent view of the White Cliffs of Dover, but we could see France and their not quite as famous white cliffs. We had late sitting (8:15) and didn’t dare take a nap, so we explored the ship and jumped into a hot tub until time for dinner. Read more