js10

Greetings--On an upcoming Mediterranean cruise we have booked excursions for all ports except for Mykonos and Crete.  I plan to do self-guided walking tours from the cruise ports.  Any can't miss points of interest, views, bars, etc.?  In general, are these ports walkable?

Thanks in advance!

John

Great review Dan--it felt like I was right there with you guys!

Enjoying the review and looking forward to more!!

Greetings--As always, thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.  Taking my first Mediterranean cruise on Princess next year.  Our ports of call include Marseille, Genoa, La Spezia, Rome, Naples, Santorini, Istanbul and Mykonos.  Will definitely take an excursion in Rome and Istanbul but interested in knowing if any of the remaining ports are walkable from the ship to anything of interest.  

Thanks,

js10

Loving your review Dan!  Great pictures and narrative.

Great job Christy!  So much fun reliving the cruise with your report.  As the oldest member of the group I would like to reassure any hesitant "grandfatherly" cruisers that Oasis class ships are wonderful.  Although I was excited when my children started planning this trip I was not sure if I would like a ship as large as Harmony.  I was wrong to be worried.  The ship did not seem crowded to me and the Solarium proved to be an excellent retreat.  Chairs were always available there and the hot tubs were never crowded.  Service was excellent throughout the ship, especially in the main dining room.  Bar service was less hectic than on previous cruises, perhaps due to the obscene price of beverage packages or due to the large number of families which may have reduced heavy drinking.  Either way, I never had a problem finding a nice bar for a pre-dinner martini.  I would probably not pick an Oasis class ship if was just me and my S/O cruising but for a family with children, the wide range of activities make it a perfect choice.  By far my favorite memories of the cruise involved watching the excitement on my grandchildren's faces as they experienced EVERYTHING Harmony had to offer!

Sorry, missed the second question.  Yes, drove back from Florida.  Daughter's family did it in one day, took me three!

Yes, I would guess that twice the size is right on the mark, way more when the beds are made.  I still remember trying to put on my socks in the roomette when the bed was still in place.  There could not have been more than a foot of space between the edge of the bed and the door!  Also the lower bed is set up as a couch during the day with lots of storage space and the ability to lie down while still preserving the open space in the cabin.

Pop here--my wonderful daughter asked me to comment if I had anything to add (from a grandfather perspective?!).  Concerning the Autotrain, I had never taken it until last October when I booked a roomette for a wedding in Orlando.  It was great fun but it was only me in the room.  If you can possibly spring for the increased fare, the bedroom cabin is a much more comfortable choice for two adults.  Larger lower bed and more headroom for the upper bed.  The bathroom/shower is also nice!

What an informative, well written review--and a cute family too!  I am sure CruiseCritic readers will find lots of helpful tips and advice.  (Full disclosure, those "kiddos" are my grandkids!)

We have done a couple of wonderful beach excursions over the years in Antigua and plan this time to take a self-guided walking tour of St. John's and hopefully have lunch and a few beers at a local bar.  Any recommendations for a bar that is informal and out of the way enough so that it is not overwhelmed by cruisers?  Thanks!

Thank you!!

Does anyone have a recommendation for a waiter/table number on Summit in the main dining room?  I have Select Dining on an upcoming cruise out of San Juan and have found that if I show up after 8:15 or so I can usually request a specific waiter or table that is in his or her area.  I enjoy building a relationship with a waiter throughout the week but fixed dining was not available when I booked.  Any suggestions appreciated!

Thanks for the info!

It has been a number of years since I have cruised with Celebrity.  Do they still have a water "pitcher" in the room that is refilled each day?

Pop here!  Thanks to my daughter for taking the time to post this wonderful review of our cruise.  I usually post a detailed review of each of my cruises but I will not do so this time since Christy has offered such a comprehensive report.  I will briefly say that I loved Anthem and especially enjoyed the large shower and modern bathroom.  The studio inside cabin was ridiculously small but was fine for a single traveller and the virtual balcony was a hoot.  Kudos to Royal Caribbean for taking chances with shows that were truly unique.  My only complaints were not having pizza on the same deck as the pool and the somewhat chaotic nature of the MDR due to everyone eating at different times.

Highlight of the cruise--many, many wonderful memories and my daughter's dress on formal night!

The Dublin shuttle was free on Royal's May 13 cruise this year.

At the conclusion of a 12 night British Isles cruise on Royal last month I extended with a four night visit to London. I wanted to share my experiences in order to assist anyone who might be planning a similar itinerary.

Since time was not a problem I decided to try the National Express from Southampton Coach Station on the morning of disembarkation. I booked a 9:50 am ride. I was off the ship by 6:45 or so and arrived at the station way too early. There were people in line although the waiting area in the station was not open yet. My cabbie told me that the grocery store across the street opened at 7:00 and that there was a coffee shop there I could use. It was clean, warm and had free wifi. At 9:00 I headed back to the station and large crowds were already forming what roughly passed for a line. The bus was on time but boarding was chaotic. Even with a reservation I just barely made it on board and a few people behind me did not. There was another bus right behind us however so I assume everyone made it to London more or less on time. There was one brief stop and the uneventful ride was about 2 1/2 hours. Departure was at Victoria Station in the heart of London where I was able to walk to my hotel with a pass by Buckingham Palace and a stroll through St. James Park.

I booked a room at the Z Hotel in the Soho section of London. It was a hoot and not for everyone but I enjoyed the experience. Hotels in the central area of London can easily reach $300 or $400 per night. The Z hotel was $150 prepaid and non refundable. The catch? Take a standard cruise cabin on Royal and cut it in half and that is approximately the size of a single room! It is modern and clean but VERY small. I had a single room since my GF went to Amsterdam post cruise to visit relatives but the website honestly warns that the doubles are small as well. A free wine and cheese reception is offered to hotel guests from 5-8 each night in the cafe. Breakfast is also served there each morning. The best part of this hotel is the location. A couple blocks from Trafalgar Square and the West End, I literally walked everywhere with the exception of taking the Underground to Heathrow at the conclusion of my stay. The area is a little gritty--you will see the occasional homeless person and/or drunk but there are tons of people everywhere day and night so I always felt comfortable.

Since I had not been to London before I hit as many of the top tourist sites as I could in four days. I took a long walk to the Tower of London the first day, saw St. Paul's and Westminster Abbey, took a quick boat ride on the Thames and saw two West End shows after scoring great tixs at TKTS. There are discount ticket booths everywhere but only one TKTS. Also visited the British Museum after not being able to get tixs to the Churchill War Room. I booked The English Bus for a tour of Stonehenge and Bath with an added stop at their famous "secret place." A wonderful tour company with small clean buses and personal service. I was shocked that at the end of the very long day our driver asked us where each of our hotels were located and made multiple drop offs to get us a close to our hotels as possible.

Great restaurants and pubs everywhere. I took the tube to Heathrow and it was cheap and easy but the first few stops are crowded and hauling your luggage can be a hassle.

Great city--great visit.

JS10

After the long tender ticket lines to get into Guernsey many people arrived early to the Symphony dining room to get their shuttle tickets. We arrived around 15 minutes early and made it onto the 4th shuttle bus. The exact time will depend on your arrival to Dublin.

53sunset--There is some difficult walking involved but you have some options. At the Giant's Causeway they have a shuttle that takes you from the Visitor Center to the stones. You are allowed to walk but it is about a 20 minute hike. There were lines for the shuttle when we were there. The stones themselves can be difficult to walk on as they are very irregular and slippery if you get close to the water.

Walking to the rope bridge is the only option that I observed and it is not only a decent distance, it also includes two steep staircases.

The drive along the coast however is truly beautiful and may be worth the trip in and of itself.

I would guess around 6:35 but that was only because we joined the stampede down the stairs! GF had a 9:20 flight out of Southampton airport and made it with plenty of time to spare. Tons of taxis and an orderly process to get one.

Compliments are not necessary but they can be nice.

MrsEmmaPeel--yes, Odyssey provided the minibus as advertised. I remember the extended leg room option and do not believe I selected it. Either way you cannot go wrong as there was plenty of leg room on our bus. Take some cash or an ATM card as our driver (also the company owner) purchased our tickets for the rope bridge for us and then we paid him in cash at the end. This eliminated a need to wait in lines.

I did not find the dining room service to be slow at all. If anything, a couple of evenings it seemed like the courses came too soon after one another! I think it must be a function of a fewer number of people eating later. 8:00 seems to be a perfect time to walk right in and be able to easily make a 10:00 show.

Vjblk--As reported the Dublin shuttle is free and was crowded the first day. The line to return to the ship looks long at times but we never waited more than 10-15 minutes for a bus. If you want something to do near the pick up point try O'Donahue's pub a couple of blocks away. It was recommended to us by our Dublin Walking tour guy and it was very authentic. Small, dark, friendly and with very informal live Irish music. Order a gin and tonic--a different system than in the states!

First of all, thanks to everyone on Cruise Critic who assisted me as I prepared for this wonderful cruise. Overall, Princess provided an excellent cruise and good value. The itinerary was the star of the show as were the warm and friendly people of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

Precruise--We flew from Washington Dulles on Icelandair with a change of planes in Reykjavik. Icelandair was approximately $100 cheaper than other airlines and all had mostly terrible reviews on TripAdvisor so decided to try them. The legs from Dulles and Heathrow were uneventful but the legs from Reykjavik were rather unorganized. I would fly with them again if the price was right.

We experienced a long line at Heathrow Border Control. The wait time was about an hour which would have been ok if we were not so tired from the flight. We booked Smith's to Southhampton and it was perhaps the best money spent on the entire trip. To walk out of Border Control exhausted and see a friendly face with my name on a piece of paper was priceless.

We came in one day early and stayed at the Holiday Inn near the port. $145 per night. The West Quay Mall is right across the street with multiple food options. Thanks to info received on CC I knew that the department store in the mall sold wine and we purchased our two bottles there. The morning of the cruise we took a walking tour of the historic area of Southampton, again, only a short walk from the Holiday Inn. I always dread the chaotic cattle call of grabbing a taxi or shuttle to the ship on the day of departure. England has a better way. You simply ask the desk to ring you a cab. They ask what time and you sit in the lobby until a cabbie walks through the door and calls your name!

Embarkation--So........for one reason or another Princess got off to a bad start with many of the passengers as a result of the lengthy, chaotic embarkation process. When our cab dropped us off we were surprised to find a rather long line that moved slowly but steadily. After quite awhile in line we made it to the counter and in short order had our room key. Another line, not well organized, now snaked from the counter and eventually stopped. After 10-15 minutes of the line not moving at all, a Princess rep confirmed the rumor that there was a problem with the alignment of the passenger bridge. It sounded like it was probably a Southampton Port issue but the lack of communication and organization on the part of Princess in dealing with the situation would be a recurring theme. BTW, passengers that boarded very early apparently did not have this problem.

The Ship--Royal Princess is a beautiful ship in wonderful condition. The Piazza/Atrium is lovely with all the familiar Princess venues nearby. Getting a seat in the Princess Theater was not a problem, at least during the later shows that we attended. Entertainment in the theater was excellent. Kudos to Princess for taking a chance and breaking the mold with its production of SILK. The pools were open but only a few were brave enough to swim. The hot tubs did get consistent use.The outdoor movie screen seemed to me to be brighter and clearer than I had experienced on previous cruises. There was dancing every evening in the Piazza and the band on board was excellent and played a wide variety of music.

We booked a standard balcony (Baja deck) about five months out and Princess offered us a free upgrade two months later to a deluxe balcony on the Carib deck. The extra room was minimal but welcomed. The balcony is very small and I was surprised at how small the bathroom was. The shower stall itself was fine but the rest of the bathroom was cramped. As always, Princess provided more than adequate closet space. The cleanliness and overall condition of the room was fine and the service we received from our cabin attendant was excellent.

Food and Bar--We ate 9 out of 12 nights in the Symphony dining room. We arrived each night between 7:45 and 8:15 and never had a wait. We particularly enjoyed our waiter the first night (Cecillio) and asked for his section each night if a table was available. Princess honored our request nightly. Food in the Symphony dining room was consistently good with some dishes excellent. Each menu had something that appealed. Food in the Horizon was a mixed bag. We ate dinner there twice and enjoyed it as a change. Breakfasts, however, got old quickly. We learned to only order eggs from the omelette station. The "hash browns" were pure McDonalds. We ordered room service breakfast on days we needed to leave the shop early for ports and that worked out nicely. Food at the International Cafe was uniformly good. I did not notice a decline in the quality of the pizza as had been reported on CC and ate it a number of times when returning from ports too late for lunch.

We enjoyed a predinner martini at Crooner's most nights and quickly became friendly with the bar staff (kudos to Glady and Lou!). I thought the drink prices were fair with a premium gin martini going for around $10 and a couple of wines by the glass for $8 or $9. As much as I would like to try a drink package one day the math just doesn't seem to work for me.

Ports of Call

Guernsey--A great way to start the cruise with a very small port that is easy to do on your own. We did a walking tour that included the Esplanade, the Candie Gardens (with a wonderful elevated view of the port), an old working library with exhibits on the German occupation, and time for shopping in town. The return to the ship via tender was a fiasco. Again, it is unclear if Princess was responsible for the situation but nevertheless, it was not handled well. There were hundreds of passengers in line who waited in excess of 1 1/2 hours for a tender. The average age on this cruise was high and there were people who really struggled physically with the wait in line. Again, poor communication from Princess during the wait and, unbelievably, water offered at the end of the wait while finally ready to board a tender. Moral of the story--arrive early for a tender ticket to shore and leave St. Peter's Port early.

Cobh (Cork)--We decided to do this on our own as well. Dublin and Belfast were large city ports next on the itinerary so we again toured on our own. Cobh is a great town if you are able to walk hills. A beautiful church dominates the town and we were fortunate to have a first communion class practicing their singing when we entered the building. It really brought the church alive. Check out the remains of the wooden pier that was used by passengers boarding the doomed Titanic. The walk to the peaceful Titanic Memorial Gardens is a long one but it gives you the chance to see most of the waterfront. We had a pint and talked to friendly bartenders and fellow passengers at Rob Roy's in town. Shopping is also available in town if interested.

Dublin overnight--Day one, we decided on the Jameson factory tour to avoid the crowds at the Guinness factory. Nice walk from the Princess shuttle dropoff taking you past parks and up the river. Tour was informative and fun. On my daughter's recommendation we sought out the Brazen Head pub for a pint and meat stew. Very dark and authentic inside and a busy courtyard outside. Finished the day at Auld Dubliner in Temple Bar for a wild afternoon of live Irish music.

Day two, I signed up about two months out for the Dublin Free Walking Tour. This was one of the highlights of the cruise and I would highly recommend it. Our guide, Conor, was a native Dubliner, funny and knowledgeable. The tour was three hours and hit most of the highlights of the South side of Dublin. Even with a very hefty tip it was a value.

Belfast--We booked Odyssey Tours Giant's Causeway, Antrim Coast, and Rope Bridge tour about three months out. The ship was two hours late getting into port due to tides (?!) Odyssey was there to meet us but did have to make a few adjustments to the schedule, primarily eliminating lunch on our own. The smaller coach did indeed provide great access to the coast and the scenery there was as beautiful an any we saw during the entire cruise. We never waited in ticket lines due to Odyssey getting the tixs for us. The Causeway is quite dramatic and worth the time to visit but there are many people there. The rope bride itself is not that impressive but the views are and, again, worth the time an effort to get there. At the end of the day our driver took us for a brief tour of the city of Belfast including the Peace Wall and an informative narrative.

Greenock--We intended to take one of the town tours but took our time getting off the ship and got shut out. The local tourist desk has lots of maps and friendly people and we again took a self guided tour on our own. We walked the beautiful Esplanade and then backtracked to walk the city center. Three times we were approached by citizens of Greenock asking us if we needed any help or information. This is an authentic town of locals not yet altered by tourism and gigantic cruise ships. It was one of our favorite ports and a wonderful DIY opportunity.

Invergordon--We booked the Princess "Inverness On Your Own" excursion. $50 to get you to town and then more than enough time to walk the entire city. Ancient grave yards, a castle, a beautiful river with walking bridges right in the center of town, shopping and authentic pubs. We had our first fish and chips at Gellions pub in town and again met friendly bartenders, locals and fellow passengers. Not much to do at all in the actual port of Invergordon.

Edinburgh--The first excursion I booked was "St. Andrew's, The Home of Golf." It was one of the absolute highlights of the cruise for me to set foot on the Old Course. As a public venue you have full access to the grounds. My favorite keepsake from the entire cruise is a picture of myself on the Swilcan Bridge!

LaHarve (Normandie)--This was a no brainer. An expensive, 10 hour trip to the landing beaches and the American cemetery. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and highly recommended. We took the Princess tour but I could see the advantages with a smaller group. Still, it was a wonderful experience and the lunch provided blew us away--salad, chicken, potatoes, bread, desert and an entire bottle of wine at each table of four.

Disembarkation--Again chaotic. We chose self-walk off and made it to the meeting area by 6:15. Once there we found a long line that was not moving. After a 15 minute wait, again with little communication from Princess, we find out that the passenger bridge is AGAIN not aligning properly and we will need to take the elevator down two floors to a lower lever to bypass the bridge problem. Obviously, the wait for elevators was now impossible so passengers start to steam down the stairs with their luggage. You can imagine what that scene was like. Again, not sure who is responsible for the bridge situation but even if it is completely the port's fault you would think that Princess would have enough clout to insist that it is fixed sometime during the 12 days the ship was out of port.

Final Thoughts--

Self service laundry was a first for me and a real positive. I washed once mid cruise and was able to pack everything in a large carry on and a back pack.

Princess for some reason has eliminated the TV map that shows the current position of the ship--I really missed it.

I learned from discussions with staff that the nomination forms we are invited to submit for outstanding service can actually result in a financial bonus for them.

IMO, finding good coffee on any cruise line is as difficult as finding an unpleasant Canadian or Australian cruiser!

Thanks for info--big relief!