We selected this cruise primarily for the itinerary, as I have been somewhat disappointed with the Princess cruise line in the past and it is not my first choice for a cruise. We have previously sailed both the Baltic and the Norwegian fjords on Holland America, and loved both cruises, but had never been to Belgium or Oslo. We also wanted more time in Copenhagen than we had been afforded on a past cruise and the prospect of going to Hamlet’s Castle from Helsingborg, a small port in Sweden, was very appealing.

We found that our expectations were met in reverse order – we loved the ship but found the itinerary and shore excursion offerings disappointing.

We entrusted Princess to handle our transfer arrangements and our hotel in London the night before the cruise started in Southampton. We arrived after an overnight flight about lunch time at the Grange Tower Bridge Hotel. As the name implies, the hotel is close to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, which was an excellent location for visiting one or both and enjoying activities around that part of the Thames River, which are numerous. The hotel, while a bit modern for my taste, was new, clean, comfortable and well appointed; we had a king sized bed, reliable air conditioning (neither of which is ever a "given" in England) and a large breakfast buffet (included in the cost) in the morning. The Princess representative at the hotel the day of our arrival was very helpful with tips on local restaurants and attractions. The coach was on time the next morning for our transfer to Southampton and we arrived at the cruise terminal shortly after noon. Read more