Sea Princess

Michele kicks off her mammoth trip on 9th January 2012. Read her roving reports from the High Seas to her journey Down Under. Keeping you up-to-date with all the news as it happens.
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Michele Monro
Posts: 1097
Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2005 6:31 pm
Location: United Kingdom

Sea Princess

Post by Michele Monro » Tue Apr 24, 2012 5:35 am

I have to say the embarkation process was painless and the cabin is nice enough although I wouldn’t really classify the outdoor area as a balcony. There are metal walls on either side with a cut out in the middle. The bathroom is tiny and you really can’t swing a cat in it. The only thing I’ve made a big mistake with is the placement of the cabin. On every ship I’ve been on, the aft lifts take you to the aft pool facilities and the main dining room and reception on the lower decks beneath but not so on Sea Princess. Everything is positioned by the mid-ship lifts so it is a very very long walk for me each time I want to go back to the cabin. After dropping off my hand luggage I made my way to the Riviera Pool and grabbed a seat in the sun. Over the pool they have the biggest movie screen I’ve ever seen and they show different programmes on it throughout the day. I spent the next hour using up my Aussie phone credit up saying goodbye to everyone. It was sad in one way but I’m at least grateful that I made this one trip across the pond. The sailaway out of Sydney Harbour was spectacular and the conditions perfect, warm weather and clear skies and the whole bay was lit up like a Christmas tree. I probably took another 200 pictures. The forecast on the sea tonight was good and after all the horror stories I’d been fed about the crossing from Sydney to New Zealand, I was extremely grateful.

I munched on a burger and fries while watching a Barry Manilow concert under the stars and I couldn’t think of anywhere I’d rather be at that moment. I went back to the cabin to start unpacking, well just enough to free up a clear aisle to the bathroom and the bed although at the moment I can’t get to the balcony. I have to say Princess has a great television set in the cabin and a full guide for the whole trip with something like 15 channels of entertainment so I am definitely spoilt for choice. The heating system in the cabin is also very good and it wasn’t long before I was snuggled up in bed watching the latest Tom Cruise movie although I have to admit to not making the credits.

***

The weather has turned very cold and the skies are overcast which is a great shame as I hadn’t envisioned sitting around the pool with winter clothes and ten blankets over me but I think it’s going to be like this until we leave New Zealand. I spent most of the day on Deck 9 meeting up with the various fellow smokers. My legs are very bad today so I couldn’t be bothered t explore the ship although I did go up to the Horizon Court for some lunch. I got back to my cabin in the afternoon to find balloons in my door and a massive Happy Birthday banner, which made me smile. The Captain announced that the weather would continue to be cloudy with sea swells of 4 meters so to play safe I took a seas-sickness pill. Big mistake. I couldn’t keep my eyes open and kept falling asleep by the pool. To my mind the sea didn’t get that rough so either the Captain made a mistake or I’m a better sailor than I thought. After taking the pill I was fit for nothing and decided that there was time enough to explore the ship tomorrow. It seems the majority of people I’ve met up with are from San Francisco and have flown over to Australia so they can sail home. The paper on the Sea Princess is called ‘The Princess Patter’ and so far I haven’t seen any speakers listed to talk, only the usual singers and dancers but it is early days. I finally gave in and went to bed just in time to catch the Sherlock Holmes film with Robert Downey Jnr but alas I didn’t make the end of the either. I was so tired I couldn’t even eat the chocolate brownie birthday cake that the steward had left in my cabin. Clocks forward another hour.

***

Another cold day but we’ve found a smoker’s table in the casino so most of us spent the day camped out there. The only problem is that one can be tempted to play the slots or in my case the scratch cards. I went to reception to see if I could change the location of my cabin to somewhere mid-ship but it would appear the cruise is fully booked. I finally went to explore the lower decks but the shops didn’t hold any hidden treasures, just as well!!! I did book a spa treatment special for tomorrow, which includes neck, shoulder and back and a foot and ankle massage at 20 minutes each. They were also offering a free hot stone taster and all for $89 so it would appear to be a good deal.

I finally organized my cabin although I have left two cases unpacked. I figure that unless I miss an item than I don’t need to go there and it will make it easier when I get to San Francisco. Princess has the equivalent of Caribbean Poker, which they call Ocean Poker. The only difference is that they don’t have a progressive jackpot. I played for a while and ended up a few dollars u but the hands weren’t coming so I’ll try my luck another night. Set my alarm for 7.00am as we will be entering the Fiordland National Park and I don’t want to miss that.

Till then, take care
x

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