We were hoping for the best when we booked a mini suite for this fairly pricey cruise and were surprised that it was excellent. I was last on the Caribbean Princess in 2006 and found that the ship has aged very little and is in good shape, Embarkation with Platinum status took minutes and we were in our well appointed mini suite. Steward was very friendly and popped-in with 2 glasses of champagne.

The main attraction for this cruise were the ports of call. We had smooth sailing and good weather the whole time. Now for the ports, Guernsey was a charming tender port with plenty to see and do but there was indeed a long wait, a really long line to get back to the ship. Luckily the weather was fine. We then went to Cork and docked at a dreadful and smelly industrial pier instead of the one at Cobh town. However Princess did provide a complimentary shuttle bus (the only time they did) and we were soon walking around Cork. The food and fish market and churches are worth seeing. Then onto Liverpool where the ship tied up within a short walk to the Albert Docks and all the attractions there. We had time to take in the Tate Gallery and Maritime Museum and do some shopping at the mall. Next was Dublin which we had seen before and then Belfast which is pretty grimy although one can go to the Titanic Museum. We did not take any of the ship's excursions. There were 3 Scottish ports. Greenock offered free internet and a free 2 hour tour of the town. Invergordon is scenic and has enough to see so we did not head onto to Inverness. Tendering at Edinborough was efficient and we took the train into town at a bargain price. Plenty to see there on the Royal Mile. The final port was Le Havre which is walkable and scenic once you get into town.

We found dining in both the restaurant and buffet to be a real treat. Our waiter Valentin was a great guy and very helpful. The food for the most part was excellent with the duck and quail being stand outs. We were really surprised by the buffet, great deserts and seafood and lots of variety. And get this - a huge amount of whole fresh fruit - strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, plums, apricots, mango, grapefruit kept everyone healthy. Read more