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There is much activity onboard the large cruise ships such as the Golden Princess©. The facilities seem to always be top notch, the designs well done and the entertainment is generally very good. I say generally because we thought the entertainment on this cruise fell short of the standards for Princess; but more on that later.
Until our bags arrive at our cabin, there is not much to do except to walk around and see the ship. We were on the Aloha Deck which is the uppermost full deck of cabins so it was not far to the outside decks above us. There we find the pools and the Horizon Court which is the 24/7 buffet. This would be where we always ate breakfast, if not in the cabin, and lunch, if onboard.
Each night there is a stage show in the ship’s main theater. I happened to have my camera with me this particular night and it turned out to be probably the best show of the cruise. It was announced that no flash photography was allowed and no video photography. These were taken without flash and hand held from near the back of the auditorium. I find the blur suggestive of movement, which it was.
Midship and vertically from Deck 5 to Deck 7, is the atrium. The Purser’s Desk and Tour Desk is located on Deck 5 and the other two decks have shops for buying almost anything from toothpaste to expensive jewelry. There are also a number of small spaces for sitting and relaxing with a drink or to listen to live music.
These photos are back on the top deck. Just some of that which is available to use. The glass partitions are wind breakers while underway at sea. We were in Athens when the photos here were taken.
We were just exploring the ship on this day before leaving on our tour at Athens. In the first photo below is the walkway to the “Skywalkers Nightclub”. It has this name for where it is located, aft and at the high point of the ship. The walkway is literally a bridge from the main top deck to yet a higher deck where the Nightclub is located. We were the only ones there at this time of the day. The photo of the ship with “Minoan Line” on the side was the view from where we were sitting.
The first two photos are of the games room used I suspect mostly by kids that might be on the cruise. The next three photos are again in the Nightclub but taken at night. The last photo is the Princess logo on the enclosure for the stacks.
At Katakolon, our tour was also in the afternoon. I went ashore to take these photos of our ship. Some were taken from a high wall that served, I think, as a breakwater in stormy weather. The arrow in the first photo is pointing at our cabin. In the last photo of the ship, the very end of the “Skywalkers Nightclub” can be seen on the left at the aft end of the ship.
Dining with Princess Cruises is billed as “personal choice” meaning one can select one of two dining times, 6 p.m. or 8 p.m., with an assigned table. Or, there is another dining room that serves the same food, that is walk in anytime during the normal dining hours. Another choice would be to eat at the buffet and the aforementioned dining room. Then there are nine restaurants serving just about anything between hamburger and pizza to fine dining on steaks and seafood. The fine dining rooms have the additional cost of food and service while otherwise the meals are included in the price of the cruise. We have always elected the assigned table for the 6 p.m. dinner.
We have met some fine people and on this cruise we probably dined with the finest. The first photo below is of Pat and Wendy from New Jersey. They were fun to talk as they were really enjoying the cruise. The second photo is of Carl and Alma from Australia. They were seasoned travelers on a round the world trip. Interesting to talk to with a different view of the world that Americans have. After the cruise they had 5 or 6 more places they would go before getting home. I have never met an Aussie that I didn’t like and this couple were a pleasure with which to dine. In fact, both couples were nice company.
These two photos are somewhat missed placed. The string ensemble was a group playing each night on Deck 5. As can be seen the swimming pool is at the aft end of the ship.
From Corfu to Venice it was a full day of cruising the sea. We were strolling around and found this display of carved food items. We nearly missed the entire show as shortly after we arrived they started picking everything up. I worked quickly and got photos of everything on display. An interesting and fun collection.
Okay, the final two photos. First a sculpture near the swimming pool. The dragon was yet another carving found at the head of the buffet at lunch time.
