The Allure of Cruising

We made it on board! The intense packing, moving, and driving nearly 1100 miles was behind us. With Crown Princess ID cards issued, bags delivered to our stateroom, and introductions to our room steward completed, we finally felt able to relax.

The cruise ships make a big deal about leaving port. They throw a 'Sail Away' party on the upper decks - live music plays, the wait staff take drink orders, and shipboard prizes are randomly awarded. Passengers gather along the railings to wave good-bye to those on land and to take photos as the bridge maneuvers the ship away from the docks. All this is designed so that your cares slip away as land slowly slips out of view and the ship heads towards open sea.

On board, the only thing you need to carry with you is your cruise ID card. All info is stored on the card and it's your stateroom key. Extra expenditures (alcohol, store purchases, spa services, gambling) are charged to your account via your ID card. Princess gives you a blue bag too, so hundreds of people are walking around with ID cards dangling from their necks carrying identical totes!

We were delighted with our stateroom choice. Baha deck is centrally located between the upper pool/buffet/spa decks and the lower heart of the ship - the Piazza, dining rooms, shops, theater and entertainment venues. Our stateroom, at the end of a hallway, had traffic from only a limited number of cruise staff entering/exiting from a nondescript door.




In addition, the balcony was very private! All the balconies on our deck have an overhang that prevents  people on the upper balconies from seeing into ours. We, on the other hand, had a clear view into the balconies of the lower decks which were open on top. All have solid sides for privacy from those next door.





 
Our room steward, John, was wonderful - always with a cheerful 'hello'. He made sure we didn't want for a thing. Our room was cleaned twice a day with fresh towels each time (despite our sporadic schedule). Turn-down service while we were at dinner, resulted in chocolates by our pillows. A very special touch came on April 20th. We woke to a Happy Anniversary banner on our door and balloons taped to the wall next to it. 

It made us smile each time we entered our room for the remainder of the cruise.

These transatlantic cruises allow the cruise lines to reposition some of their fleet during late Spring for European destinations. They reverse the crossing in late Fall, so those ships can then sail to the Caribbean, Mexico and beyond. For passengers, it's an opportunity to be on a floating sanctuary - to be catered to and pampered for 6-8 uninterrupted days at sea. You can choose to fill your days with activities or spend your time in little oases of solitude all around the ship. On most days, Jim and I ate breakfast together, got in a 3-5 mile walk outside around the Promenade deck, and then went our separate ways for the afternoon. We dressed for dinner each night and had no problem getting a table for two at 8 pm.

I was able to enjoy a manicure and a hot-stone massage at the Lotus Spa. My 90-minute massage (75 min of hands-on time) had only 60 min. of actual massage. To compensate, the spa offered me my choice of another 25 min. treatment. I scheduled a leg and foot massage for the early evening when we returned from our day in Brugges, Belgium. It was perfect after a full day of walking. I also chose the same therapist. Not only did she extend the session to 40 minutes, she again used hot stones! I totally appreciated it. She was a sweetheart as well as being extremely competent.

For me, one of the most appealing aspects of cruising is being on the water. I love the breezes, watching the moving clouds, and seeing the different and nuanced colors of the sea as its depth changes. I like how the ship churns the water as it makes its way through. This churning creates white, lacy foam undulating over aquamarine on top of deep navy or royal blue. Mesmerizing! We never missed an opportunity to sit by the window and look out. Whether it was during long, lazy breakfasts, while reading and writing in a quiet spot, or playing Scrabble with a new-found friend. I asked the manicurist, whose station was by the window, if she ever grew tired of the view. She said no, she liked looking out over the water, getting lost in it, and thinking. In essence, that's it. Watching the movement, the patterns - restful, peaceful and rejuvenating. Water... a source for meditation.