After waiting for what seemed like a lifetime, our Norwegian Fjords cruise had finally arrived. This cruise not only brought new ports but also a completely new cruise line for us to mark our 20th cruise.
Embarkation
Although heading to the Queen Elizabeth II terminal via the familiar Ocean Gate 4 in Southampton, the terminal is likely the most chaotic one we have departed from. As we were driving, we booked parking through CPS and thought it would be a smooth operation like when departing the Ocean terminal. The terminal has a confusing layout with many new arrivals skipping the queues and just turning into the car park. Cars are lined up in rows but the staff kept switching positions and losing track of which lane had moved causing frustration for cruisers who were desperate to get their holiday started. Once we were out of the line, the process was smooth and the always friendly CPS staff checked us in and we were off.
Dodging rushing taxis as we crossed the road, we made our way to the terminal to drop our bags with the queue moving relatively quickly however as we got closer to the bag drop we noticed bags were piling up on the side. The terminal can’t cope with the volume of baggage but maybe everyone had over packed due to the uncertain weather!
Once our bags were safely in the hands of the port side crew, we headed to check in where we were given a group number for boarding and then proceeded to the check in desk to pick up our medallion.
Stateroom: Balcony
We opted for a balcony on the Caribe deck at the forward end of the ship. Due to the views on offer, we opted for this cabin to take in the views at our leisure and not have to rush up to the pool deck to take them in. The balcony also had enough cover to keep us dry as unfortunately there were some rainy days.
The cabin itself was nicely furnished and had nice touches such as a walk-in wardrobe with a motion sensor light.
Check out the stateroom tour on our TikTok. Don’t forget to follow us whilst you’re there!
Favourite Bar: Vines
Boasting 13 bars and lounges, Sky Princess offers a variety of venues to match your mood, whether you fancy being in the heart of the action in the Piaza or somewhere more relaxed such as Take Five.
We found ourselves at Vines for a pre-dinner drink or a night cap. The crew or ‘team mates’ as they’re affectionately known on Princess were fantastic despite the constant pressure of people queuing for drinks. We found seats at the bar and as we got to know the crew, they’d make sure we were well looked after by keeping an eye on the fluids in our glasses.
The Dirty Banana cocktail is a Princess staple so it would have been rude not to try one out. On the last day the bar had ran out of bananas showing just how popular this drink was! Fortunately we had a spare in our stateroom so we took that down to the bar and it provided some good laughs, they even kept half of it for the next one they made for us!
Dining
For the first couple of nights we had reservations at the Cielio restaurant however we were left disappointed on the first night as we felt like we had been forgotten about due not being offered dessert menus. Due to the informal nature of this cruise and how much we were exploring the ports, we decided to change tact and opted for the World Fresh Market Place buffet most nights and found there to be much more choice than in the main dining rooms.
Each night there were different themes including a French night where you could try frogs legs if you so desired!
Big hit: Enclave
We opted to get spa access ahead of the cruise paying $150 each for unlimited access to the thermal spa. There were so many wellness amenities which included heated tile beds, rain showers, a Hammam, Caldarium and a Laconium but the big draw for us was the hydrotherapy pool which helped to relax aching legs at the end of days where we’d racked up over 12km of walking.
Bonus: Princess Plus and medallions
At the time of booking we opted for the Princess Plus package. The package brings a host of benefits including, at the time of writing:
- WiFi for once device each
- Drinks up to $15
- Two speciality desserts PER DAY. Each dessert has an individual cost of $17.
- Two visits to either Alfredo’s or Sushi
- Two fitness classes
- Gratuities
There is always a debate around these upgrades but for us we like the idea that everything is paid for ahead of our cruise and we think we got pretty good value from them!
The medallion as a replacement for the traditional cruise card is an amazing innovation. We loved that when you were in close proximity to your stateroom the door would unlock so no searching for the card to open your door. It was super handy for ordering drinks along with disembarking and embarking the ship on port days.
The Princess app was super useful whilst onboard. Not only can you track your party via their medallion you can also order drinks to pretty much anywhere on the ship. Although we had varying degrees of success with delivery, when the feature worked, it was superb.
Will we sail with Princess again?
Absolutely! From amazing food, captivating shows and entertainment to stunning venues around the ship we can’t wait to be onboard again!
For The Love Of Cruise 
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