Caribbean Princess Review
Second Cruise with Princess
Rating by category
Additional details
I selected the Caribbean Princess because of the itinerary. Because I am a solo cruiser, I chose an inside cabin. On both of my Princess cruises, I selected to have the beds separated, which gives me much more floor space. On both trips, the rooms were set up as the queen bed. The stewards tried to talk me into leaving it as it was but accepted my decision and by the time the lifejacket drill was completed, the beds were separated.
The food was acceptable in the buffet, if not a little repetitive. I liked that they had a new salad bar. The dining room food was interesting, but good. Some folks at the table chose the waldorf salad and just stared at it when it was served. A tiny spoonful of salad and a green mound to the side. It was the Chilton cheese, but it also was a conversation piece.
We were usually too exhausted to go to the entertainment after being on a tour all day. The musical review was pretty good, but I heard comments that most of the shows weren't that great.
Cabin Review
Interior
Cabin was perfect for my needs. Since I was the only one in the room, loads of storage.
Port Reviews
Southampton
The rooms in London were too expensive, so we traveled on down to Southampton to a reserved room Much more affordable. No touring, just sleep.
St. Peter Port (Guernsey)
Cute town. We just walked around and shopped. No tour booked.
Cobh (Cork)
Booked a private tour rather than thru the cruise line. Started at Blarney Castle and the beautiful grounds. Didn't have any desire to kiss the stone but plenty of others did. Also went to Kinsale to shop and lunch. Best part of the port was the send-off by the locals. Band and period costumed ladies. The locals are waving from the entire hillside.
Dublin
Had missed the Book of Kells on previous trip. Made sure to see the exhibit this time. Jumped the tour and went shopping. Took the free shuttle back to ship.
Greenock (Glasgow)
Toured the Falkirk Wheel. Interesting lift for the canals. Then on to Stirling. Free time to see the castle or the town. Had lunch in a real Scottish pub and had Haggis. Not bad. Beautiful countryside.
Invergordon (Inverness)
Started with a cruise on Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle, then on to the Clava Cairns and Culloden Battlefield. Last Cawdor Castle. Another great send off by the locals on the dock.
Edinburgh (South Queensferry)
Planned a full day on our own, but tendering off the ship slowed everything down. Then the wait for the shuttle bus. By the time we got into town, we were 2 hours behind schedule. We had pre-booked and paid for tours at Holyrood Palace and Edinburgh Castle. We walked down the Royal Mile, shopping along the way and toured the palace. Because of the time of the last shuttle bus, we didn't have time to tour the castle. Also, we were so exhausted, we didn't feel much remorse. Save it for another trip. There is no way to do that city justice in one day. Just too much to see.