Review of the 14 day Mediterranean cruise (out of Southampton) on the Caribbean Princ

[Tina-Ann]

Before I begin here is some background information....We are Craig & Tina (in our early 50's and late 40's respectively) and our 16 year old son, Scott. We are from Seattle, WA and this is our 25th cruise - all on Princess (sorry, I can’t compare Princess to any other cruise lines). And yes, we have cruised on this ship before as well - in fact we had just spent the last three weeks on the Caribbean Princess doing the two previous itineraries (a 7 day Norwegian coastal and before that the 14 day Baltics). I am a (cruise) research addict and so when we do big (out of the country cruises) I usually book a year in advance so that I have ample time to plan - well this cruise was different - we booked this cruise in March of this year (3 months before sail a way) AND not only did we book this one, but we went big...we also booked the 14 day Baltic cruise and then a 7 day Norwegian Coastal (as a 'Back 2 Back') and then this 14 day Med cruis (making it a 'Back 2 Back 2 Back'). Except on this leg, it would just be my son and I, as Craig had just disembarked to head home to get back to work. And honestly I was looking forward to spending some quality time with Scott! So I needed to get busy planning. And so it begins....

 

So we began this (cruise) Saturday morning....we hastily packed up our shoes and our toiletries back in our suitcases. We notified our current cabin steward that we would be moving cabins. Well due to the great efficiency of the housekeeping manager, both our current and future cabin stewards were aware of the move and they took care of moving everything...super easy! (Hanging items were placed on a rolling rack and transferred to our new closets, etc.). As for Scott and I, we just went about enjoying the ship and trying to stay out of the hustle and bustle of dis/embarkation day.

 

THE SHIP:

(Our Room): for this cruise we were in an inside cabin, midship on deck 14 and it was fine. Our cabin was actually in better condition than the suite we had on our first leg of this trip. And our cabin steward was great and the location was very good.

 

(The Ship): The ship as a whole could use some freshening up, but talking to other passengers, some thought the ship was very clean and tidy...different opinions. Most passengers agreed that the Piazza was crowded - never enough seating (same with the piano bar). The food....plentiful, although we didn't like that in the evening they move the burger/pizza bar to Cafe Caribe and it closed at 9pm. The shows/entertainment - again plentiful, but won't give an opinion since everyone's interests are different. I did think that the British comedians made jokes at the expense of us few Americans on board and I do mean...few - Americans. And as always - whatever you want or can imagine, Princess will do their best to make it happen - just ask (egg crate, bath robe or request a certain food/ meal in any dining room - just need one days’ notice, etc). Casino - didn't use. Pools - This was a sore subject on board (and often is on Princess ships). There were several hundred (600-700) kids on board this cruise and whether or not they were behaved is not the issue, but they were everywhere - including the back (ADULT) pool. And in true Princess fashion, no crew member wanted to kick them out. Passenger Services received several complaints and it was only when a....passenger pooped in one of the middle pools (causing it to be drained and sanitized) did the Captain come on over the intercom and strongly urged parents to keep track of their kids and for kids to stay out of the adult pools. At that time a stand alone (obvious) sign went up at the back pool stating "No Families with children" in the adult pool - it hardly helped and let’s face it, there are plenty of parents that had no idea where there kids/pre-teens/teens were, let alone if they were in their appropriate pool. Anyways, many passengers (who frequented the back ADULT pool were very frustrated at the lack of enforcement by Princess deck hands/security personnel. And it really left a bad taste in the mouths of many adults, in fact I met this lovely woman from England who actually took it upon herself to find someone to evict the kids. She was also planning to hit Princess up for a partial refund (wonder how that went). Moving on…Shops - I am not a fan of Effy and was also disappointed that Princess – more specifically Faucets, have done away with their VIP program (if you had spent a large amount in the boutiques then you were invited for champagne and were given a swarzoski pen as a “thank you” - whelp no more). Kids center: Again, I believe there were 600-700 kids and teens…Ugh. But Princess (and everyone else), if you are 'listening'.... We LOVE the Princess app to stay in touch with each other - especially kids. For the rest of you that are unfamiliar...Once on board you can log in to the ships wi-fi and set up a new user account and then you will have free messaging with others on the ship.....free! See the internet department for details, but basically it eliminates the need for walkie talkies and for searching the entire ship to try and find your teen/child, spouse or friends. Again, LOVE this (FYI...it is not free messaging to loved ones back home and you do need a smart phone). Also you can pull up the Princess Patter and have that readily available if you tend to throw your smart phone in your pocket or handbag. Also, we did buy an internet package since I wanted to check in with my husband and our 19 year old back home – it was kind of pricey and kind of slow, but whatchya gonna do? And we did buy soda cards, but I cannot tell you much about the 'all you can drink alcohol' package or the new 'wine' package. Oh and yes, in the laundry room you swipe your cruise card to buy washer/dryer tokens – not sure how many Princess ships have done away with (US) quarters in the laundry room.

 

PORTS OF CALL:

 

BARCELONA: Here we booked the Princess Shuttle ($10 per person round trip) to take us to town (actually the drop off was a few blocks from the bottom of Las Ramblas) and I had booked a private, 5 hour tour with a bike company (let me know if you would like the name) - you got it! A tour on bicycle! And yes it was hot and humid. Anyways, aside from the heat it was a fantastic day. We had an amazing tour guide and the company was great to email and work with. We covered sooo much ground. Some history, some monuments, we rode to the cathedral, the beach, the harbour, thru typical neighborhoods, we rode to Sagrada Familia (and yes we did go inside - while our guide waited outside), we rode to the two Gaudi houses, the musical theater, we stopped to buy a Starbucks mug, more history, we stopped for photos and then when our tour ended we walked to the Picasso Museum (and thanks to Green Bikes, they purchased our tickets for an appropriate entrance time that worked out perfect so there was no down time). And then once we were on our own we shared a quick sandwich and walked thru La Bouqueria (the covered market off Las Ramblas) and finally quickly strolled down Las Ramblas on our way back to the shuttle pick up point. Barcelona is an amazing city - and while it is impossible to see and do everything in one day, I felt like we came close.

 

CORSICA: I knew this would be a more casual and relaxing day and it was. We got off the ship and simply walked around (actually grateful that we did not need to pay for a shuttle). Corsica is lovely and we just wandered a bit and then back to the ship. Ladies, the big thing to buy here is coral...coral jewelry and lines embroidered with coral, etc.

 

CHIVITAVECHIA (Rome): Hmmmm, this is tough to write about - so we had been to Rome in 2008, we actually had spent 5 days there and had seen everything, but Scott was 9 years old then and he just did not remember it all very clearly so we went back. Scott wanted to see it all and Princess did not offer a tour that included everything. So I ran across a tour company out of a Rick Steves book (let me know if you would like the name). So this was our day: We walked to the train station (rather than taking the 2 euro shuttle) - about a 1 - 2 mile walk, where we met up with our guide - there were approximately 50 of us. We were then divided into three separate groups. We were given transportation tickets and we all walked to the train platform. We all boarded the train and while that train was nice and comfortable it was full...some got seats and some had to stand for the 45 minute ride. When we got off the train, we (our group of 16) took the subway to the Colosseum (which was crazy crowded). We walked to the Colosseum which some of us had added on the Colosseum entrance. Our guide gave us 30 minutes and also advised us that even with already having tickets that if we waited in line we would not get in in the allotted time....we were told to cut in line...so we did. And even with that our visit inside the Coloseum was extremely hurried and it did not help that all of Rome was wall to wall people that day. Next we took a city bus (also hot and crowded) to the Vittoria Emanuele Monument, from there we walked to the Pantheon - pointing out worthy sites and history along the way. After the Pantheon we walked to the Trevi Fountain - which BTW is currently emptied and is boarded up with plexi glass while it is undergoing a thorough cleaning...bummer. Then we had a 1 hour break for lunch. Next we walked to the Spanish Steps (no time to climb the steps). Next we took the subway to the Vatican and toured the Vatican and St Peters Basilica. The Vatican was again packed, hot and the escalator was not working - meaning walking up a lengthy spiral ramp. Of course the Sistine Chapel is amazing, but it was so crowded. We then walked back to the subway, took the subway to the train station and train back to Civitavecchia. It was that train ride that really was the straw that broke the camel’s back - we were packed in like sardines - of course standing, dying of heat exhaustion – with sweat dripping down our backs and our faces. Again, I am in my late forties and in good shape and I struggled - everyone struggled. And once back in Civitavecchia we said goodbye to our guide. So the tour...yes we did it all and saw it all. Would I do it again? Yes I would - if I had only one day in Rome then yeah, but would I recommend it? - Only for the very fit and the very determined. It really was a bittersweet day and quite possibly more miserable then childbirth, a hernia repair and wisdom teeth extractions. But that is what you get for going to Italy in the heat of the summer. Anyways, Once off the train we decided to take the shuttle back so we bought our tickets in the train station for 2 euro each and squeezed into yet another overly full bus back to the port, just to squeeze into yet another bus that would take us back to the ship. Once on board, I peeled my clothes off, took a cold shower and had a strong drink. And now - some days later I can look back at all we did that day and smile.

 

LIVORNO (Florence): Here I booked 'Florence on your own' thru Princess. The bus was comfortable, clean and air conditioned. It was around a 1 1/2 hour drive to Florence. I had purchased tickets to the Academia Museum - timed stamped for 11:00 which worked out perfectly. We checked in and exchanged our voucher 30 minutes early - no problem and waited in line for 20 minutes and spent around 20 minutes in the museum (great place to use the toilets - for free). Then we spent a few hours wandering the San Lorenzo Market stalls and went to the inside (food) market there as well. This really is a great place to buy leather....leather jackets, leather gloves, leather purses and leather wallets, also silk scarves and ties. We walked by the Duomo (if you want to go inside then go there first thing to get in the already long line). We walked to the Ponte Vechio Bridge and then stopped at a restaurant for a snack, to use the toilets and use the free wi-fi. Then an easy/worry free ride back to the ship.

 

GENOA: Here I had gotten the name of a taxi driver (Roberto) off of cruise critic (let me know if you want his email). When emailing Roberto to plan a private tour, I had first wanted to go to Cinque Terre but was advised that it was way too far and we would not be able to spend adequate time there. So we decided to visit Portofino, Santa Margherita, Rapallo, Camogli and then back to Genoa for a quick (but tasty) stop for Focaccia and ice cream and then saw the major sites in Genoa. We ended up sharing that tour with another couple (from cruise critic of course). It was a great day! And the cost? We agreed on $180 euros for up to 5 hours. We ended up being with him for 7 hours and while he would have still been fine being paid 180 euros, the four of us paid him 250 (for the four us = 125 per couple....well worth it and an awesome day!

 

MARSEILLE: Ugh... Well here I had researched how to get to Aix en Provence on our own. When I posted my plans on the roll call there ended up being 4 other couples that wanted to do the same thing so we all agreed to get up to Aix (and back together - safety in numbers sort of thing). Well one couple changed their mind (fair enough) then there were 8 people. So we all got off the ship first thing and we headed for the taxis. We asked a taxi driver how much to Aix. He first quoted us 60 euro per car (with four passengers), then it went up to 65 - 70 then he wanted to give us a full day tour, etc. We finally settled on 60 euro just for a ride to Aix (we caravanned in two cars). One side note: Princess does offer a shuttle service to the harbour area in Marseille - it’s just that the St Charles train/bus/metro station is still a ways away from the shuttle drop off - it just seemed like one added, unnecessary step. Anyways, once we all arrived in Aix, we went to the tourism office (right by the large fountain) and got free maps, then we decided that we would all meet back up together at 1:00pm at that large fountain (on the main street) to make our way back to Marseille. Then we decided to all stay together, well 8 people is a large group to travel in...it wasn’t working so well for us, so we simply explained that we were going our own way and that we would meet up with the rest of the group at 1:00pm. We had a great day, just wandering the streets, buying dish cloths, soap, lavender and salami. We went to the gardens, a few churches and few small museums and really just enjoyed wandering slowly - sharing a sandwich and a pastry. Aix really is a quintessential, charming French village. At 12:30 we made our way to the fountain (using free wifi outside the Apple store) and looking for the other 6 people.....we looked from 12:40 to 1:15 - never found them. We really felt like we had been abandoned. I mention this not out of resentment or malice, but to make you aware that things happen and it’s always good to have a backup plan. So we were on our own. I really did not want to spend 60 euros for a taxi back for the two of us so I pulled out my notes from our back pack and away we went: We walked to the bus station (a 5-10 minute walk), bought 2 bus tickets (5.50 euros each) and took the bus back to Marseille (busses left Aix bus station every 5-10 minutes...a quick 25 minute drive). The bus station in Marseille is named St Charles (also a train station, also the metro/subway station) - on the other side of town - from the cruise ship. Once off the bus we followed the signs thru the station and down into the metro (subway) station. I decided to head for the Vieux Port metro station (2 stops down on the blue line) because it was the closest stop to where the Princess shuttle drop off/pick up point was. Our metro tickets (for one ride) were 1.50 euro each. And yes, there was an information office to help direct us the right way...ended up being very easy. We got off at Vieux Port and headed up and out of the station and voila....we were at the Marseille harbour! It was a beautiful harbor! We walked around, wandered for a bit and took some pictures. I did ask a taxi driver how much to drive us to the cruise terminal...I was told approximately 15-20 euros. So we just continued the easy walk to the shuttle bus stop (I was glad that I had stopped by the excursion desk a few days earlier and asked them for a map marking the shuttle stop in Marseille). There was a rather long line for the shuttle (they really needed several more busses running the route). Anyways, when we boarded I explained to the Princess rep that we need two one way tickets...the rep told us "don't worry, just get on". So we did and 15 minutes we were back at the ship. Our return cost for two people was 14 euros. So....Aix was awesome! Sharing a taxi up there was easy and 60 euros divided by two couples was reasonable. And the return trip...well I would have done just what we did (but would have preferred to do it with a few more people - safety in numbers sort of thing): Walk to the bus station, take the bus back to Marseille, take the Metro to Vieux Port, walk around the harbour and end up at the shuttle stop (really just be prepared to pay $8 one way ($16 round trip). And as for being abandoned in Aix....well, no hard feelings........

 

GIBRALTAR: I had researched Gibraltar (Actually, I had researched all the ports), but I feel like I might have missed the boat on this port (not actually :-)...Anyways, we got off the ship headed for the booth to buy tickets for the (local) shuttle bus - not Princess, for 4 GBP per person r/t. On the way to the booth a (pushy) guide selling tours approached us - he was so pushy that I quickly ignored him and went ahead and bought the shuttle tickets. So the shuttle bus dropped us off at the nearest end of the "main street". We then walked through the "main street", going out the other end and walked to the cable car (the cable car opened at 9:30am. We bought combo tickets (cable car plus entrance into the nature preserve sites - total 19.50 GBP each). We took the cable car up and then we walked...to St Michael's cave, the Apes Den, the Siege Tunnels and the lastly the castle - before walking down a billion steps back to "main street". So here was possibly my error: Apparently right after the line of shuttle busses (at the port) there was a line of taxis that were offering tours that drove you to the 5 main sites on the "rock" and then dropped you off on the "main street" all for 22 GBP per person. And as it turned out, we were 2 of a total 7 people that walked it....everyone else did either the taxi tour or the Princess tour. And while we were quite proud of our accomplishment and felt like we had worked off some calories, it was indeed quite a walk (lasting approximately 3 hours) and the insane heat and humidity only made it worse. If I were to do it again I would have done the taxi tour (which BTW would require you to either walk back to the ship afterwards or buy a one way shuttle ticket for 2 GBP each). Having said all that…some people said they had a great ‘taxi tour’, and other people said their taxi shorted them a stop or two and it ended up being a bummer. So I don’t know, walk or taxi tour or Princess tour…if you haven’t been to the top of the ‘Rock’ then do go! Anyways, afterwards we strolled up (and down) the above mentioned "main street". It seems the big draw here was cheap (or should I say cheaper) booze, cigarettes and duty free perfume and make-up. To the Brits, Gibraltar is "just Gib", but to us Americans, it was very cool to say we were on the "Rock of Gibraltar", making this one of our favorites ports! PS do watch out for your belongings around the monkeys!

 

DISEMBARKATION: We booked the Princess transfer up to Heathrow and disembarkation and the ride up were easy and uneventful

 

IN SUMMARY: We love cruising and have been happy enough with Princess to cruise (Princess) exclusively. We appreciated the efforts of the crew, really enjoyed the ports and realistically accept the terms, conditions and risks of cruising and so with that....we had an awesome time. We made a few new friends, and us Americans were schooled in the English culture. The biggest negatives for me: The insane heat and humidity of summer time in the Med (which I fully expected) and the frustration of Princess not being able to/or not caring enough to keep the kids out of the adult pools. Otherwise, it was a wonderful cruise with a fantastic itinerary.

 

Well that’s all folks. I look forward to reading your comments and answering any questions you may have. Otherwise, go Cruise Critic and happy cruising everyone! As for us, look for my reviews of the 14 Day Baltics cruise and the 7 Day Norwegian Coastal cruise.

[caribill]

Greatly enjoyed reading about all three of your segments.

 

Feel free to post the tour and taxi companies you used as that is allowed on Cruise Critic.

[Pam in CA]

Great review! Thanks!

[Ron the Rev]

Many thanks Tina Ann. Splendid report on your holiday. Guess you now need another "slow down " holiday to recover ! :)

[mickatkirkby]

Excellent review. We join CB in two days time, can't wait. Same itinerary and Marseilles the only new call for us. As we saw Aix last year will stay in Marseilles I think and gonna try the public bus into town. Will check out your other reviews. Thanks again.

[Tina-Ann]

Greatly enjoyed reading about all three of your segments.

 

Feel free to post the tour and taxi companies you used as that is allowed on Cruise Critic.

 

The private tour companies we used....

 

Barcelona: Green Bikes

Rome: Can't Be Missed Tours

Genoa: A taxi driver named Roberto (I had found him on Cruise Critic)

[Mom33]

Thanks for the review [emoji3]

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the review. :)

[Keith1010]

Enjoyed your review.

 

Keith

[Jojiboy]

Excellent review. Thanks for sharing.

[cruiseclues]

More great info...especially about the pools...thank you.

 

We were lucky & didn't have the problems with the kids in Nov 2014...very few kids & no pool rules broken. :):):):)

Edited August 13, 2015 by cruiseclues

[junglejane]

Thanks for your review. We were on the 14 day Baltic portion of your B2B2B. I'm curious if you noticed a significant difference in the atrium crowding in the Baltic portion compared to the Med portion. I assumed that part of what was making the atrium so crowded on my cruise was that it was a cool weather cruise and few people were out on the Lido deck. Same with the Horizon court crowding. But what did you observe? Did the warmer weather make a noticeable difference in the indoor crowding?

 

I also noticed the British comedians poking fun at Americans, but thought it was pretty good natured. Some of their humor went totally over my head, however, especially the ones that did impressions of British reality TV stars and television presenters.

[Tina-Ann]

Thanks for your review. We were on the 14 day Baltic portion of your B2B2B. I'm curious if you noticed a significant difference in the atrium crowding in the Baltic portion compared to the Med portion. I assumed that part of what was making the atrium so crowded on my cruise was that it was a cool weather cruise and few people were out on the Lido deck. Same with the Horizon court crowding. But what did you observe? Did the warmer weather make a noticeable difference in the indoor crowding?

 

I also noticed the British comedians poking fun at Americans, but thought it was pretty good natured. Some of their humor went totally over my head, however, especially the ones that did impressions of British reality TV stars and television presenters.

 

That is such a great observance of the crowding around the atrium. And I thought the same thing on the Baltics leg (that because of the cool weather people were congregating in the Atrium), but it was the same for the Norway cruise AND the Med cruise - and I'm just not sure why. I have never felt like an atrium (on any ship) has been that crowded. It was packed during the day, during the evening and fairly late into the night. Many people would be grumbling under their breath..angry if passengers were sitting in the atrium and not eating (from the International Court). The only thing I can think of is it seems the Brits can partly like there is no tomorrow! They can stay up later, they eat dinner later, and it kept the ship feeling more crowded. On the 3rd cruise the MDR would offer 'happy hour' drink specials from 5:30 - 6:30 to try and pull diners in earlier because the lines were so long around 7 - 8. Also Crooners (the piano bar) was packed....always! But not so many people at the first show in the Princess Theater (because so many people were eating at that time). It really was strange.

 

And yes, we did not get most of the British humor either. One comedian (can't remember which cruise) had this schpeel about how the British say a word one way and the Americans twist the word to make it their own..for example..comparing how they say tomato and how we say it, how they say garage and how we say it and then he went on to say how the British say "negotiate" and the Americans say "invade". Not sure if I should have been offended or if I should have stood up and applauded. But certainly Princess catered to the hometown crowd. Usually on a Princess ship the last night is an "All American Menu" and the servers where their stars and stripes vest - but not on any of these three cruises. And no Americans comedians for sure.

[hansi]

Great review. Just one criticism, next time could you paragraph it more, quite difficult to read, but otherwise a great report:D