The embarkation at Southampton was dreadful. After a long journey from the northwest in the sweltering heat we started queuing outside the terminal building. The building was very old and not fit for purpose. The queues were unbelievable. We were given a blue card with a number nine on it and told to wait to be called. One and half hours passed, being typically British we waited politely as told. Until enough was enough, I couldn’t believe passengers were just walking in and going straight to security. I went up to the person who told us to wait with my blue card and was told, oh we are not bothering with those anymore. Very hot, tired and fuming. Not a good start to our holiday. We eventually arrived on the beautiful Sky Princess at 15.30 after setting off at 7am.
The first person we met was Dora in the Princess Live Theatre, after a dreadful start she certainly made up for it. So full of energy, friendly, pleasant ,nothing too much trouble and very hard working. Hopefully she will go far with Princess’s help.
Gilmar our cabin steward introduced himself and he kept our cabin clean and comfortable. If there was anything we required he was there, amazing, wonderful hard working young man. Elmer in the Estrella, breakfast dining was so funny, pleasant and friendly, growing his own fruit for our breakfast. The International cafe will not be the same without Ricky, an amazing young man, very professional friendly and hard working. The pizzas in Alfredo’s are absolutely delicious, Eriska was lovely also hard working, attentive and very helpful explaining the menu. The entertainment staff, Mehmet, Mario and TK were brilliant when we joined them for afternoon/evening activities. Palfrey and Grace were lovely greeting us at The Estrella Dining Room, guiding us to our table.
The itinerary on the Sky Princess was a 14 day cruise to Norway and Iceland. It was an incredible journey our best possible cruise to date. I won’t be able to write a review on all ports but here are just a few. Olden, Norway we booked an independent excursion, Loen Lake and Kjenndal Glacier including Loen Skylift. Patrick Poland our guide was truly amazing and very knowledgeable of the areas visited. A brilliant full day tour. On a sea day we listened to Rosie Wild an enrichment talk the biology, behaviour and beyond all about Humpback Whales. We learnt so much, Rosie is very knowledgeable and passionate about the seas around the world. In Akureyri, Iceland, we actually saw a Humpback whale fluking and spouting it was unbelievable to see these beautiful huge creatures in the wild. This again was an independent tour we arranged. Another independent tour in Isafjourdur, Iceland, Dynjandi Waterfall absolutely stunning. Still in Iceland we visited Grundarfjordur, The Snaefellsnes Peninsula, beautiful rugged coastline, the black sands and church and more waterfalls, another brilliant full day. Reykjavik, where the earth still steams, where two tectonic plates collided, geysers shooting boiling water high into the air and Gullfoss the extremely impressive, largest waterfall in Iceland, another truly unforgettable day. I was ready for 3 days at sea for a rest but not ready to go home.
Thank you Bolsover for truly memorable 39th wedding anniversary xx
