TRANSATLANTIC TO PORTUGAL, GIBRALTAR AND SPAIN ON "ROYAL PRINCESS", APRIL 2016

BACKGROUND: Transatlantic crossings are my idea of a wonderful way to begin or end a European cruise, and this Princess cruise itinerary offered places I had never visited. I’m working my way through a list of my ancestral countries, and this cruise was a great way to see some of the places on my list. I’m a mature, adventurous solo traveler who loves sea voyages and a lot of ports for my money. I have cruised 48 times in 36 years, on various cruise lines, but mostly on Princess.

TRAVEL TO THE PORT: I live where it is difficult to get anywhere directly, so I made a fun, leisurely trip out of the journey to the ship combining family visits en route with flights from my home via DC and on to Ft. Lauderdale. I had a private limo take me to the ship from the Ft. Lauderdale hotel, as past experience with too-few cabs and too many cruisers wanting to get to the port resulted in observing some ugly verbal confrontations between hotel guests and the cab drivers, and long waits to get to the ship. This is not an acceptable way to begin an expensive vacation, and I’d rather pay extra and have a dependable, cool, polite, and clean ride to the ship without the stress. Read more