DW & I just returned from the inaugural 18 day Western Med/Trans-Atlantic cruise on the Royal Princess. This was our seventh cruise in a row on Princess and the fourth time we've done this itinerary. I must admit that I really love the sea days. We spent the previous eighteen months preparing for this cruise on a brand new ship. Our roll call was very active and was a great way to get to know everyone and to gather information.

For our three night pre-cruise stay in Venice, we again stayed at the Locanda Orseolo Hotel. The "LO" as it's referred to by us regulars is a wonderful boutique hotel. There are only 12 rooms and I believe many, if not all, we're taken up by roll call members. Since there are only 12 rooms and the hotel is so popular, we actually booked the hotel about a week before we booked the cruise in March 2012. The staff at the LO is amazing. I can't say enough good things about them. During our three days in Venice, we just played it by ear. I walked around and look a ton of pictures and we had dinner each night at our favorite pizza restaurant which is just off St. Mark's Square. The weather for the three days was a little dreary. The highlight of our pre-cruise stay was watching the Royal as it sailed into Venice. I must admit that I was impressed now that I had finally seen her in person. The Royal is a beautiful ship and has very impressive lines. When it came time to make our way to the Royal, we hitched a ride on a water taxi that was per arranged by a fellow roll call member.

When we arrived at the dock, we made our way into the terminal. I was dreading the embarkation process due to the absolute bedlam we experienced during the 2011 embarkation on our Ruby T/A. I must admit that I was blown away by how smoothly the entire process went. We were on the ship in no time. After boarding the Royal, we walked directly into the Piazza. All of the artist renderings and actual photos, I had previously seen, do not do it justice. The Piazza is simply amazing the first time you see it. After looking around the Piazza, we made our way to Dolphin deck aft to our Owner's suite D726. Read more