Travel journal: east Med Princess cruise 2010 (Day 11)

Star Princess, near the bows.

Movies Under the Stars.

Horizon Court buffet

The 3-deck Piazza

The 3-deck Piazza

Day 11, 11/20/2010: At Sea

One thing I liked from the start while looking at this itinerary was that there was only one day at sea. Right now on board, though the Patter is packed with activities and the elevators equally packed with passengers, things just seem pretty slow. Mom and I have attended an art auction briefly but other than that have spent most of the afternoon just hanging around.

Since there’s not much else going on, might I formally introduce the Star Princess. Sister ship to the Grand and Golden Princess ships, this 109 thousand ton, 2,600-passenger floating resort is too packed with amenities for me to list them all. She does have several trademark Princess features such as Movies Under the Stars, the adults-only Sanctuary, often rated one of the top adults-only retreats at sea, and the Skywalker disco/lounge on Decks 17 and 18. Décor throughout the ship varies by area, taking on sedate neutral tones in the Piazza and three formal dining rooms, vibrant colors on the bottom plaza deck, and breezy casual with an aquatic theme on the Lido deck.

During the evening, the ship became finally alive with activity. First, to celebrate my birthday mom and I, along with some passengers we befriended (Cindy, Dennis, and Monette), drank two bottles of champagne over our formal dinner. Then they, as Captain’s Circle Gold members, were invited to the Captain’s reception in the Vista Showlounge. I tagged along as a guest. Just a few minutes later, Seonaid Aitkin and comedian Tom Fletcher started their split-bill performance there.

There was abundant music that evening. We listened to Sammy for a little while before the band down in the Piazza took over. They were a contemporary group whom we’d previously seen performing a few numbers in the Explorers’ Lounge. They sang quite a few songs in front of the open dance floor on the Plaza Deck, and at 11:15 the entertainment crew dropped some celebratory balloons on the whole scene.

Tomorrow is another day for a long shore excursion. Naples is the port for both Sorrento and Pompeii, both of which we want to see.

1^st timers’ cruise tip: know before you go

You may find gratuities for dining room staff automatically added to your room’s bill, but amounts can be adjusted at your discretion. Stop by the purser’s desk to request a copy of your bill.