On the ports of call side, after 6 days at sea (transatlantic) from Fort Lauderdale, the ship stopped at Ponta Delgada (Azores), Brest and Cherbourg (France). The last port of call before arriving in Copenhagen, Skagen, was canceled due to strong winds which would have prevented the ship from safely entering the harbour.
While I no longer count the number of times I have stopped in Ponta Delgada, I had never had the opportunity to stop at the ports of Brest or Cherbourg. Very pleasant discovery that makes me think that many French cities with a port could accommodate cruise ships, provided they invest a minimum in their maritime infrastructure, which is aging or not at all adapted.
The dock in Cherbourg was directly attached to the Cité de la Mer. In addition to being able to visit a museum and an aquarium, you can discover the (decommissioned) nuclear submarine Le Redoutable. It is definitely worth a visit and is really directly next to the ship!
These 2 ports of call brightened up this crossing a little, but did not however save the whole cruise in my eyes. Between the prolonged absence of any internet connection (and the company’s lies about the real situation), a real deterioration in the quality of the food on board compared to my past experiences and the transatlantic considered by Princess as the best moment to close the swimming pools… I will not keep an unforgettable memory of my experience on board, intended to discover what the medallion and “the best internet connection at sea” were worth…
The sympathy and the smiles of the staff on board were permanent. And I absolutely do not judge this cruise on this kind of criteria, because with rare exceptions, the crew members do their best to be pleasant. This is not a discriminating criterion (unless otherwise, because if the staff is unpleasant, it’s a casus belli, and reason enough to have a very bad article from me 😅).
I even have to tip my hat to my room attendant. In addition to having always been smiling and friendly, he knew how to adapt to my rhythm of life, in all discretion. He knew I was going swimming in the morning, but not always at the same time. As soon as he saw me leaving, he rushed to take care of my cabin, which was perfect before my return.
I also discovered that there was no more cabin turn down service in the evening (the quick passage that prepares the room for the night). It’s not a big deal or really bothersome, but it’s still another thing that has been downgraded, since the daily service charge now amounts to $13.50 per day and per person for a cabin with a balcony. It was however possible to claim the return of this evening service! Either punctually, once, or for the entire cruise. To do this, you just had to either ask your stewart or activate the option on the Medallion application.
I probably won’t choose Princess Cruises again in the years to come, but I really wish they would get back behind the wheel and perhaps calm down the outlandish marketing ads that just make broken promises and increase passenger disappointment. The lowering of the quality of the food on board to Costa’s level is also a matter of questioning, in addition to having been very disappointing.
