The first thing that my friends asked when I said that I was taking a cruise was; “Why?”
It’s a fair question. I haven’t ever considered taking a cruise before. It has just never really appealed to me. Generally I am the sort of person that likes to travel independently; I like to give myself time to explore a destination with no set plans and get a little off the beaten path. My style of travel is often more intrepid than what a cruise offers.
So why did I take a cruise? I was invited on the trip by Princess Cruises, and while in the past I may have turned their offer down, I have recently seen more and more of my friends embark on cruises and look like they’re having a whale of a time. My interest was piqued. Next, it was the itinerary. Not only was the cruise embarking from Southampton, making getting to the ship a breeze, we were stopping off at four great destinations in 7 days; A Coruna, Bilbao (I’m never one to turn down a trip to Spain), Bordeaux and Guernsey. I loved the idea of only having to unpack once, and then being able to kick back and relax, getting taken from destination to destination without having to lift a finger in terms of planning.
Mostly though, I was just curious. Like I said, I have never considered taking a cruise before and I am always willing to try (almost) anything at least once. I had a few reservations, mostly revolving around me feeling like a fish out of water. Would I like the cruise? Would it be too fancy for me? There’s no denying that cruise ships are a hotbed of unabashed, unbridled luxury; Spas, formal nights, and all-inclusive room service are the order of the day which isn’t normally my style.
Having just returned from my trip I’ll make a confession. I’m a total cruise convert.
I thought that other people may have the same reservations though. So, with the aim of answering any burning questions that people may have, I put out a call on social media for my followers what preconceptions they have about cruising or what they would want to know about taking a trip with Princess cruises. Unsurprisingly, many people asked the exact same questions that I asked myself when I first accepted this trip with Princess.
Here are the results:
Does it Feel Like You’re Trapped on the Ship?
My biggest concern about cruising was the thought of spending whole days at sea. By nature, I am the kind of person that likes to wander and explore. I’m not one for sitting still, and can easily find myself becoming bored quickly if I have to spend time at the beach or pool while everybody else is lounging in the sun. Luckily, there is plenty to explore and keep me occupied onboard Sapphire Princess.
With over 3000 passengers, 1500 staff, 4 pools, hot tubs, sports courts, a gym, a huge selection of bars and restaurants, a casino and even a nightclub up on the 17th deck, Sapphire Princes is like a floating city and it’s safe to say that it is hard to feel bored on a cruise. At the front of the ship is a beautiful adults-only area – The Sanctuary – where you will find a quiet pool and spa and can lounge in relative peace while waiters deliver cocktails, food and even afternoon tea directly to your sun lounger.
Even if you’re not content to kick back with a book and a cocktail by the pool, there is a full schedule of activities to keep you occupied on sea days. Yes, some of these veer a little too close to the cheesy and stereotypical such as bingo, pub quizzes and art auctions – not that this is a bad thing as I love a good game of bingo – but there are also movie nights under the stars where you can lounge on the top deck in front of a cinema screen with blankets, hot drinks and bags of pop corn, theatre shows, musical performances, karaoke and more. Each morning you will have a full schedule for the day delivered to the mailbox outside your cabin or you can find it online by logging on to any of the ship’s WiFi hotspots. It’s safe to say that it is almost impossible to be bored on a cruise.
Am I Too Young to Take a Cruise? They’re for Old People, Right?
I think that it’s a fair assumption to think that cruising is aimed at the older traveller. There is the age-old cliche of retirees spending their hard-earned golden years sailing the Caribbean now that they finally have the time and means to travel the globe. It’s not untrue. Cruises do attract the aged traveller due to the ease in which cruising allows them to travel, especially if they’re not quite as sprightly as they once were. However, I would say that the average age of passenger on board Sapphire Princess was anywhere between 45 and 60, so not quite as old as I would have predicted.
Having said that, with around 3,000 passengers on board, you are bound to have a hugely diverse mix of people. There were families with kids, young couples having a romantic getaway, groups of friends in their 20’s or 30’s and even a good number of solo travellers of varying ages and all manner of nationalities. In the end though, it doesn’t really matter. From the first time I found myself deep in conversation with a fellow passenger and former stranger over my morning coffee, I realised that the best thing about cruising is the sense of community on board. On multiple occasions I found myself chatting to new found friends that I had bumped into multiple times over the course of the week that ranged from elderly couples to a guy my own age that had already taken 6 cruises over the past 12 months, That’s why I say that the age of your fellow passengers doesn’t really matter in the end. Everyone is incredibly friendly and we’re all on board the ship because we love to travel, so who cares how old you are.
Are the Cabins Cramped?
As my only previous overnight stay on a ship has been an overnight ferry from Hull to Rotterdam in a cramped, basic cabin, I was expecting my room on Sapphire Princess to be much the same. This is another misconception that I’m pleased that I got wrong. It was more like a fancy hotel room (and one that is actually nicer than 90% of hotel rooms that I stay in). It was incredibly spacious; I had sliding doors that lead out onto a balcony – the perfect place to enjoy your morning coffee – as well as one of the comfiest beds I’ve ever slept in, a good-sized bathroom and even a walk-in wardrobe.
There’s also the little touches; chocolate-covered strawberries waiting for me on my arrival, a nightly turn-down service, 24-hr room service, a TV loaded with plenty of the latest TV shows and film releases, as well as all the amenities you could need (tea and coffee making facilities, and fridge just to name a couple).
How Expensive is a Cruise?
I always had a misconception that cruises are prohibitively expensive. It turns out, this isn’t the case. The 7-day cruise that we took, stopping in Spain, France and Guernsey can be found on the Princess Cruises website for just £649 per person, based on two people sharing an interior room. That’s just £92 per person per night for accommodation, food, and travel between 4 different countries which is a bargain if you ask me. A third and 4th guest can be added for just £199 each, which brings the cost down even further if you don’t all mind squeezing into one room.
It’s worth noting that although most food is included in the price of your cruise (with the exception of speciality restaurants), drinks aren’t. Although most beverages are reasonably priced, it can be a good idea to purchase a drinks package if you plan on spending a lot of time in the many bars, pubs and cafes on the ship. The soft drink package, which includes all fountain sodas, fruit juices, mocktails and smoothies is available for a reasonable $9.99 USD per person per day, while the premier beverage package which includes cocktails, wine, beer, spirits, soft drinks, speciality coffees, bottled water, teas and other individual beverages up to $12 USD each is $59.99 USD per person, per day.
Is there a Dress Code?
There is a dress code onboard Princess Cruises ships, but luckily it isn’t too stuffy or constraining. During the day, I found that you can wear whatever you would normally wear for hanging out in a standard resort hotel and that is fine. I’m talking flip-flops, shorts (or swim shorts) and a t-shirt are all okay for wandering around on the deck or the ship.
According to Princess Cruises’ website, they say that “Casual sportswear, including shorts, lightweight pants and jogging suits, is the order of the day both at sea and ashore in hotter climates.” Which fits well with my habit of dressing as casual as I can get away with in most situations.
However, Princess Cruises do have ‘formal nights’ on their ships. It’s a fun chance to dress to the nines, enjoy a fancy meal and an evening’s entertainment, all while feeling a little glam. Princess recommends that you wear “evening gowns and cocktail dresses for ladies and tuxedos, dinner jackets or dark suits for men.” While I saw a lot of men in full tuxedos complete with a bow-tie, I opted for a navy suit and smart shoes which were absolutely fine. Others wore just a smart shirt with dark trousers and they didn’t seem out of place either.
It’s also worth noting that you are required to wear smart casual attire in the ship’s restaurants. This means no shorts, ripped jeans, sportswear, baseball caps, or swimwear. Anything that I would normally wear to eat out seemed absolutely fine and I did see a number of people eating at the restaurants in shorts and t-shirts without any issues.
How Much Luggage Can You Take?
Luckily, Princess has no limits on the number of bags that you can bring with you, they only ask that no single piece of luggage weighs more than 22kg. As someone that is used to the restrictive policies of budget airlines, this was a revelation. The fact that we were sailing from Southampton meant that I could back whatever I wanted without having to worry about trying to fit everything into a carry-on bag for a flight to a departure destination.
Will I get Seasick?
I’m not the best person to answer this question: Coming from a seafaring town and from a family of trawlermen, the ocean is in my blood. I have maritime genes and I tend not to get seasick.
However, some of our group did get a little seasick on the first couple of days sailing. Sapphire Princess is a mid-sized ship, so doesn’t roll with the waves too much, but the Bay of Biscay is notoriously choppy, so things did get a little rough from time to time. On other days, the ship was so smooth that you wouldn’t know that you were at sea at all. Seasickness tablets are readily available from the information desk in the ship’s piazza just in case.
Are the Shore Trips too Short?
I’m a big fan of slow travel and spending as much time in a destination as possible to really immerse myself and get a sense of place. For this reason, the standard cruise practice of only spending a day in each port is something that I thought wouldn’t appeal to me. I think you have to look at each stop as either an introduction to a new city to see if you would like to return, or use the time at each destination – often 10 hours in our case – to have some experiences rather than try to fully explore.
When I say experiences, I had some fantastic ones with Princess Cruise’s shore excursions. Rather than try to see everything that Bilbao had to offer, we hopped on a bus to explore the stunning island monastery of Gaztelugatxe, a Game of Thrones filming location that I wouldn’t normally think to have travelled to on one of my normal city breaks. We followed this up with an afternoon of Pintxo tasting in a city centre bar with a local guide: another thing I probably wouldn’t have done if I was travelling to Bilbao on my own.
On our Bordeaux stop, I didn’t even attempt to venture into the city. Instead, we spent the day sipping wine in the vineyards and chateaus of Le Verdon, arguably one of the finest wine-producing regions in the world. I certainly didn’t feel like I missed out on seeing the city and ended up having one of my favourite travel experiences that I have had all year. Shore excursions like this are available at an extra cost, but there are a huge number of different experiences for each of Princess’ destinations and these can be booked before you embark on your cruise, or while you are on board.
Even if you decide not to book an excursion and want to explore the destination on you’re own, this can be done if you’re quick and efficient with your sightseeing. Maybe plan which of the main sights and attraction you want to see in advance, or if you’re happy just to wander, have a leisurely stroll around the city and just soak in the atmosphere. We had around 10 hours in Guernsey and although I decided to set out on my own to explore without a guide or organised tour, I managed to see a huge amount of the island. It would have been even more if I had thought ahead to rent a bike for the day.
What is the Food Like?
I wasn’t too sure what to expect when it came to food onboard a cruise ship. I knew that there are restaurants and formal dining rooms on the ship, but I was mostly expecting to eat most meals at a buffet with the same limited choice each day. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Yes, there is a buffet if you want a quick breakfast or lunch, but the choice of food in the buffet alone is huge. Then there are myriad other choices from cafes, traditional dining rooms, speciality restaurants and multiple snack bars throughout the ship. Included in the price of your cruise are the traditional dining rooms where you can have a delicious 3 course meal each evening (with the menu changing daily), Alfredo’s Pizzeria, the Trident Grill where you can pick up burgers or hotdogs as well as things like fries, veggie burgers, bratwurst and grilled chicken breast any time of day, and the 24hr International cafe where you can find an ever-changing array of small bite meals, treats such as sandwiches, cookies, croissants, and baked goods. It’s worth noting that room service is also included in the price, just in case you don’t fancy leaving your incredibly comfortable bed.
There are dining upgrades available for a surcharge too. Sabatini’s, Sapphire Princess’ speciality Italian restaurant was voted one of the “Best Cruise Ship Specialty Restaurants” at sea by USA TODAY and the Sterling Steakhouse serves the highest quality cuts of premium, grain-fed beef including New York strip steak, Porterhouse and Filet Mignon.
It’s worth noting that drinks aren’t included in the price of your cruise and although they are generally reasonably priced, it can be a good idea to purchase a drinks package if you plan on spending a lot of time in the many bars, pubs and cafes on the ship. The soft drink package, which includes all fountain sodas, fruit juices, mocktails and smoothies is available for $9.99 USD per person, per day while the premier beverage package which includes cocktails, wine, beer, spirits, soft drinks, speciality coffees, bottled water, teas and other individual beverages up to $12 USD each is $59.99 USD per person, per day.
What is the Entertainment like?
As I have said above, there is plenty to do onboard a cruise ship and the options for evening entertainment are endless. If you’re not content with an evening of fine dining and cocktails, each night in the onboard theatre, the ships theatrical team puts on a different musical extravaganza. While the type of performance can edge a little too close to cheesy or dated, the singing was great. Some of the ship’s bars also put on entertainment each night, ranging from karaoke competitions and musical performances to pub quizzes and live comedians. One evening there was even a live escapology show on the outdoor lido deck.
Will I Get Ill?
We’ve all heard the stories; a passenger comes down with a debilitating sickness like norovirus and due to the confined situation on a ship, it spreads like wildfire. However, if you consider the number of cruises that sail every day compared to the number of mass sickness incidents that you hear about, the risk is probably pretty insignificant. Thanks to years of backpacking and eating almost any street food I can get my hands on with scant regard for my own sense of hygiene and health, I have developed a digestive tract that is inhospitable to even the most malicious bugs, so I wasn’t too worried. Even if you haven’t spent the best part of a decade honing your stomach of steel though, Princess has rigorous practices in place to ensure that sicknesses don’t spread on board. Not only is the ship spotless, but there are also handwash stations positioned at the entrances to all dining areas and the topic is covered pretty thoroughly in the initial safety briefing. We even had a tour of the galley on our first sea day that put my mind at ease; I’ve never seen a kitchen that sparkles quite so much as the one onboard Sapphire Princess.
Is There WiFi Onboard?
Although there is WiFi available throughout the ship, it does have the tendency to become a little sluggish at times, either when everybody is onboard and a lot of people are using it, or when you’re in a part of the ship with a slightly weaker signal. The internet on Sapphire Princess isn’t particularly cheap either. Although most people would probably use this as an excuse to completely disconnect and enjoy the services onboard the ship, as a travel blogger, I found uploading of videos a little slow, but I can imagine most people won’t mind not being as connected as I need to be.
Having said this, Princess is in the process of rolling out their high-speed MedallionNet service across their whole fleet. Currently available on Caribbean Princess, Coral Princess, Crown Princess, Island Princess, Regal Princess, Ruby Princess and Royal Princess ships, as well as being rolled out on Emerald Princess, Sky Princess, Golden Princess and Enchanted Princess throughout 2019, MedallionNet is touted as being the fastest internet at sea, allowing you to FaceTime your family at home, stream your favorite shows by the pool, or keep up to date with social media for as little as $9.99 per day.
Are Cruises Bad for the Environment?
There’s no denying that travel can have a huge impact on the environment and cruising certainly isn’t exempt from this. After all, a huge ship carrying 3,000 passengers is bound to burn a lot of fuel, waste and emissions. I’m not fully qualified to say how cruising compares to other methods of transportation, but it is worth considering if all of these people travelled to each of our four destinations by plane and public transport, stayed in their own accommodation and ate meals separately at different restaurants, would their carbon footprint be the same or possibly higher? I don’t quite have the hard statistics or time to do the maths, but I don’t doubt it.
Princess are making an effort to be environmentally responsible. According to their website:
“Princess Cruises depends on the oceans. We are committed to environmental practices that set a high standard for excellence and responsibility and help preserve the marine environment. The ocean provides our livelihood and serves as the home for more than 25,000 of our employees.”
Princess’ environmental protection program begins with having the necessary equipment in place to prevent or minimize pollution. Princess builds its ships to high environmental standards and has invested millions of dollars in pollution prevention technology. Where possible, the ships turn off their diesel engines when in port and plug into shoreside power connection, use exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS), and treat wastewater onboard the ship. the company only collects bunker water from ports where they know water is plentiful, high in quality and costs less than the fuel needed to produce water onboard.
There are areas where the environmental impact could be improved, most notably the use of plastics, particularly disposable straws, in the ship’s bars and restaurants. However, Princess has re-designed its food, supplies purchasing and packaging requirements to cut down on the number of plastic items that are brought on board. All waste produced on board is sorted by staff that are specially trained in these procedures ensure that waste items are properly recycled, incinerated, or stored for landing ashore to an approved garbage reception facility.
I was on board Sapphire Princess as part of a 7-day Princess Cruises Cruise to Spain, France and Guernsey. Cabins start at £649.99. For more cruise deals click here.
This post has been created as part of a sponsored collaboration with Princess Cruises, however, all views expressed are my own
