Royal Princess – a huge ship – 17 decks – 3600 passengers plus crew - far too big for my taste but if you like it – it’s certainly new. Poor design - in parts of the ship you have to go up in order to go down - very confusing. elevators are always crowded. Cabins are small. Some glitches, e.g., if you go to the ‘pizzeria’ Alfredo’s on the sixth or seventh level of the piazza– food is good and desserts are nice but you have to pay extra if you want coffee with your dessert – excuse me!!! This is not one of the specialty restaurants. I don’t get some of the nickel and dime stuff that goes on. The itinerary in general: The British Isles are wet – expect some rain every day and you won’t go wrong. We cruised 8/25-9/6 and I thought I’d wear some shorts or pedal pushers on sunny days – no way. We wore jackets and long pants so pack for that weather.

General advice for any cruise: bring your own laundry soap (a few of those tablet kinds) and softener sheets for the dryer – you’ll save a lot of money. Second, do your research ahead of time about the cruise tours – they are outrageously expensive, rushed, and often conducted by people who know very little about what you’re seeing. Whenever possible, use local tours. Third, avoid the on-ship internet – another outrageous expense – you can find local places with free wi-fi. See my comments about each port stop below.

First stop: Guernsey Islands – we couldn’t go ashore because you have to be tendered in using small boats and the weather was too bad – so we got another ‘at sea’ day. Be prepared for those tendered ports – you might not get ashore. Read more