ohhbother

Thanks for the encouragement, everyone! This is the first time I've written a detailed review, so I hope it provides value. I'm at work today but will post the next installment tonight.

Finally, our trip was here! On Saturday, May 11 (my 41st birthday), my husband and I caught a Delta flight from Tennessee to Atlanta. It made financial sense to book our flight to Atlanta separately from our trip to London, which was on British Airways. We got to ATL about 3 p.m., made our way to baggage claim to grab our luggage and then caught a shuttle from Atlanta’s domestic terminal to the newly opened international terminal. We weren’t quite sure how this would work, but it was incredibly simple. It was about a 12-minute drive between the two terminals.

The new international terminal is gorgeous. Because we were there six hours before our flight time, there was no line at check-in. We dropped off our bags and headed to the “old” international terminal, where the British Airways Club World lounge is located. Apparently, a lounge is under construction in the new terminal, but it’s not done yet. The existing lounge was small but adequate. We spent the next few hours munching on free sandwiches, fruit and cookies, and Mark got in the London spirit by reading the local news.

Our British Airways flight was delayed about 30 minutes, but we finally boarded a bit after 9:30 p.m. Once on board, we made our way to the Club World section. Wow. This was the first time we’d flown club class on an international flight, and we fell in love. Our seats were more like individual pods with footstools, and they turned into completely flat beds. We were greeted with champagne as soon as we sat down. It was official -- we were on vacation!

The flight from Atlanta to Heathrow was about eight hours. By the time the meal was served, we settled in, etc., we ended up with about four hours’ sleep. It wasn’t nearly enough. When the lights came on about an hour before landing, our bodies thought it was 4:30 a.m., but the clock now said 9:30 a.m. Time to rise and shine. Despite the initial flight delay, we landed right on time at 10:30. As Club World passengers, we got a priority pass for Border Control, so we breezed right through with no delay. We picked up our luggage and began looking for the Princess reps. It took just a couple of minutes, and we saw someone holding up a clipboard with the Princess logo. Just like that, we handed over our luggage and, after about a 10-minute wait, boarded a bus. We were among the last folks on the bus, so we left almost immediately.

Honestly, the experience just felt completely surreal. We were in London! I spent the first few minutes of the drive gawking at the English countryside, but my lack of sleep caught up with me and I nodded off.

The drive to Southampton took a little more than an hour, and suddenly we saw the ship. The weather was just what we’d expected -- overcast and cool bordering on cold. But it didn’t matter, as we were in the terminal after just a few seconds. I’m not sure of the exact time we arrived, but I think it was around 1 p.m. Apparently, everyone else arrived at the same time -- the place was a madhouse!

Luckily, our Window Suite got us access to the priority embarkation line. We quickly checked in and, after about a 10-minute wait to go through security, stepped on the ship! As we were boarding, the photographers herded us over for the traditional embarkation photo. The photo was so bad we almost bought it just so we could laugh at it later. Four hours’ sleep and travel across multiple time zones does not make for a lovely embarkation photo.

Once on board, we made our way to Deck 6. I knew generally where the Window Suites were and thought I’d find them without any problem. Maybe it was the lack of sleep or maybe I’m just an idiot, but we couldn’t find our stateroom. It was so funny, because we eventually started following another couple up and down the same hall. After about five minutes, a staff member found us and showed us the door we’d walked by 20 times.

At this point, we wanted nothing more than to go to sleep. But I forced Mark to stay awake. I knew we needed to get on a normal sleep schedule. So, as miserable as we were, we kept moving. We headed upstairs for a light lunch at the Horizon Court (carved turkey with vegetable soup) and then stopped by the library so Mark could grab some books. Then it was back to the cabin to unpack. I had read on the boards how much storage space is in the Window Suites, but it was more than I could have imagined. Multiple closets, drawer after drawer, etc. We unpacked everything and had tons of empty space left over. The bathroom was also huge, with a separate shower and whirlpool tub. Unfortunately, the bathroom smelled of mildew, and the smell never went away over the 12 days. I’m guessing the mildew was in the grout in the shower -- it was just a musty smell.

I have to say we loved the Window Suite from the second we arrived. The room was spacious and light, and the two windows are huge. (They could have used a cleaning, but that was a minor quibble. Later on in the cruise, I spent a fair amount of time sitting in the window sill and just watching the world go by.) Our flower arrangement and overflowing fruit basket were on the coffee table, and our complimentary mini-bar was set up. We kept the liquor but asked our room steward to trade the sodas, beer, etc. for bottled water, which he did. I think he brought seven or eight bottles of water -- it was a lot.

By the time we finished unpacking, it was time for the muster drill. Our muster station was just down the hall at the cigar bar. Luckily, that was the first and last time I smelled cigars the whole trip. Despite some of what I’d read, I never smelled cigar smoke in our Window Suites hallway. Anyway, back to muster drill. It was hilarious to look around. Everyone looked like us -- the walking dead. But we did our best to remain attentive, and the crew did a really thorough safety presentation.

And just a few minutes later, we were under way. Due to the weather, the sailaway party was moved indoors. Not that we went -- we were doing our best to stay awake. As part of our suite perks, we got a complimentary dinner at a specialty restaurant that first night. When we first got on board, I made a reservation for Crown Grill at 6:30 p.m. It was a shame we had to do this on the first night -- we were just so exhausted. But we trudged out of our room and around the corner to Crown Grill. The food was good -- not spectacular -- but good. Neither of us eats seafood, so we were really limited on appetizers. We just skipped that course and went straight to steak, which we had with the corn casserole and scalloped potatoes. For dessert, we each had a sampler, and we split an apple-berry cobbler. We both agreed dessert was the best part of the meal.

Finally, after dinner, we allowed ourselves to go to sleep. Our bed was the most comfortable we’ve ever had on a ship, and we both drifted off within minutes.

Next up, our day in Paris!

Hi everyone. Over the past few months, I’ve learned so much by reading these boards. Now that we’re back from our glorious 12-day cruise of the British Isles aboard the Caribbean Princess, I’d like to “pay it forward” by writing a detailed review of our trip. It won’t be quite a thesis -- I’m no deloreangirl :-) -- but I do plan to share as much detailed information and as many photos as possible.

A bit about us. My name is Amy, and I turned 41 the day before our cruise. My husband, Mark, is 44. Work keeps us splitting time and maintaining homes in both Tennessee and Louisiana. We don’t have any kids, and we love to travel. We’re avid cruisers, having taken more than a dozen cruises on multiple cruise lines.

I’ll write this review in day-by-day chunks. And I’ll try to wrap all of it up over the next couple of weeks. To get things started, here’s the back-story of how we ended up on the Caribbean Princess.

The saga of our cruise to the British Isles actually began in April 2012 in the Caribbean aboard the Celebrity Eclipse. Mark has always wanted to see Scotland, and, while on board, I happened to see some information on Celebrity’s British Isles itinerary. So I snuck down to the “future cruises” office and booked a June 2013 cruise to the British Isles aboard the Celebrity Infinity. I was so pleased with myself -- it was only April, and I had Mark’s Christmas present taken care of!

And then Disney released Brave. You need to know we’re both huge Disney nuts -- we’re Disney Vacation Club members and visit Disney World three to four times a year. So my British Isles plans took a different turn when I learned Adventures by Disney (Disney’s group travel company) was hosting Brave-inspired trips to Scotland in 2013. I immediately canceled the Celebrity cruise and booked a June 2013 Scotland tour with Adventures by Disney. Now, I was even more proud of myself. Scotland and Disney in one trip -- Mark was going to have the best Christmas ever!

And he did. After months of planning and keeping this huge secret, Christmas came, and I was finally able to tell Mark we were going to Scotland! At last, I could begin obsessively planning in earnest. In addition to the Adventures by Disney itinerary, we decided to tack on three extra days to visit the Orkney Islands in Scotland. It was going to be the trip of a lifetime.

But not so fast. I was sitting at my desk in February when I got a call from Adventures by Disney. Due to lack of interest, our trip was being canceled! We were offered alternative dates later in the summer, but those wouldn’t work. You see, Mark is also a huge fan of all things Eurythmics and Annie Lennox. And it just so happened that the dates of our planned trip coincided with an Annie Lennox exhibit at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh. But the exhibit only runs through June, so we couldn’t go on a July or August Adventures by Disney trip.

Suddenly, I found myself back at square one. But I had a big factor working in my favor. I had booked my British Airways airfare through a special promotion with American Express Platinum, and my airfare was fully refundable. So I could move dates without penalty. I guess the trip planner in me decided to look at this as an opportunity rather than a setback. I knew I needed to evaluate all possible options for the best trip possible.

Mark and I are diehard Celebrity fans, so my first instinct was to go back to my initial plan of a British Isles cruise on the Infinity. But the cruise was only 11 days, and it didn’t visit the Orkney Islands. Meanwhile, Princess offered a 12-day itinerary on the Caribbean Princess that included that all-important stop in the Orkneys. Now, we’d only cruised Princess once before (ironically enough, also on the Caribbean Princess) and, to be frank, I was less than impressed. I found the staterooms to be small, I didn’t love the food, and I missed the “wow” factor of Celebrity’s Solstice-class ships.

Still, that 12-day itinerary was appealing. And I knew the trip was so port-intensive that the ship would be more “transportation” than “destination.” My mind was made up when I discovered the Window Suites. For just about the same price of a mini-suite, I would be able to book a spacious room with full suite privileges. And while it’s been years since we cruised without a balcony, I knew the temperatures in the British Isles would limit the amount of time we spent on a balcony anyway. I decided to take a chance and booked with Princess. With a few clicks of the mouse, Window Suite F311 for the May 12 departure was ours. Finally, our trip was set!

Next up, getting to London, dealing with jet lag and boarding the ship. I promise -- lots of photos to come as I get into the port stops.

Thanks for reading. If you have specific questions, just let me know, and I’ll do my best to answer them.

Never mind! Found the answer I was looking for!