Last things first! The Island Princess sailed into the Venetian sunset yesterday, bound for Trieste and a multi-million dollar, 45-day refit.
Some people might have thought then, that the final voyage before the makeover, a 17-night sell-out cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Venice (March 19 to April 7) could be rather a scrappy affair.
After all some of the crew were staying on to tend to the small army of Italian workers hired for the job, the rest were dispersing to the far corners of the world, some to return, some not.
Regular cruisers will know that Funchal is not always bathed in sunshine ... but this time it was. It was a pleasure just to walk around the town with the occasional stop coffee which is still the best value on the seven seas.
Barcelona is simply Barcelona. It doesn't need a big review or grandiose, eloquent words. The sights of the place and the atmosphere are what makes it. It doesn't get much better than this.
We didn't really see the place. We flew in the night before from the UK. Immigration was an unforgettable experience. But boarding was smooth ... as it usually is with Princess. We were the last of six ships to leave that day.