Europe 2025: Transatlantic: sea days

KB Cook
3 days ago
12 min read

Being a child of public transportation, I booked a local service, CruisePortConnection, to collect me from Venice, Florida and bring me to the port in Fort Lauderdale. As the only passenger on the bus, we whizzed down the Interstate and across Alligator Alley, getting to the port nicely ahead of time. (He had a pickup in Miami, so needed to make the trip.)

Queuing up outside the terminal after dropping the big roller, fortunately in the shade, we all had to wait about a half hour before moving into the pre-security space, where we again had to wait while the security guards/screeners seemingly dithered. Once they had their act together, only 2 of the 4 scanners were used. Clearing, I moved across the pier and across the ramps onto the Emerald Princess.

Aboard, I headed to the lounge where I was able to leave my smaller roller, once I’d pull the Nikon out. Up the stairs to prowl the decks, taking pictures of the nearly empty dining rooms, shops, public spaces as I slowly moved up the ship. On the top decks, pictures of the harbor and nearby cruise ships, the pools and bars were captured. Crew were happy to pose as I walked through the buffet area and then headed down to the main dining room (MDR) for lunch.

With over 50 photos from my exploration tour, I’ve stored them for viewing here.

There’s a reason for eating in the dining room on the afternoon of boarding: Princess offers a special dessert, which only appears at that meal. So I started with Mexican meatball soup and a chicken main. Then THE orange souffle, slightly overcooked. My dining partners were Joe and Kay, who I’d met on the Regent during the October transatlantic crossing from Southampton to Galveston.

Once lunch was over, I headed to cabin P330 and found my bags were there. I unpacked for the 16 day trip, getting my clothes into the separate closet area and unloading my toiletry kit. I found it to be a nice size interior room, and the two suitcases fit under the bed. I also prepared the 5 gift bags I’d brought for the gift exchange – although I’d greatly spent more than the recommended $5 value, I’d wanted to share my corner of Florida.

At five o’clock, in the Wheelhouse bar, the only hosted session of the solo travelers was held. Princess assigned Prince, an entertainment staff member from St Vincent and the Grenadines, to facilitate this meeting. About 30-40 folks showed up, mostly women per my notes. We used “Two truths and a lie” as a way to introduce ourselves. At six, we broke up and I joined 5 others at a table in the MDR. I started with Wahoo Mojito Ceviche and Caribbean Black Bean Soup followed by pot roast. I opted for upcharge wine (I’d purchase “Princess Plus” which included the basic beverage package) but the Carménère was sour and I sent it back. The Milky Chocolate Hazelnut Souffle called my name and I thoroughly enjoyed more decadence.

After dinner I stopped at the Explorer bar, which became my hangout watering hole, for a Jameson Stout. First I conversed with a couple from Texas, and then a widow who wanted to know more about Rome. Having spent a week in the Eternal City in summer 2023, I was happy to share my thoughts. I was back in my cabin by 10.

Day 2

Deck 7 outside, under emergency boats — Deck 7 Promenade

As would become my routine, particularly on sea days, I was up and over (from the fifth deck, I had to climb to the seventh, walk the length of the ship (usually outside) and then descend a level to the MDR entrance, and another level into the actual dining room.) My staple was oatmeal with a banana, and I usually would ask to be seated at a “sharing table’. My first breakfast had me with two couples, one from New Jersey, the other from Oregon.

After returning to my cabin to collect 2 of my gift bags to deliver, I headed up to the library on the Lido (15) deck for the daily crossword puzzle, and returned to seven where it actually was available. I completed it as I sat in the theater awaiting the start of a presentation. AJ, a brilliant pianist and raconteur, gave his first talk, on the members of The Beatles. It was entertaining and fascinating, and I resolved to attend his future talks. Delivering the third and fourth gift bags had me climbing stairs and walking hallways. The clocks changed at midday, a brilliant way of adjusting for time zone changes without seemingly losing an hour of sleep. Heading to the dining room, I was seated at a sharing table with a group of 8 who were traveling to a VRBO in Rome. Photos of the menu, but notes say I ate fish and chips with mushy peas and undercooked fries.

I stopped at the Customer Service desk to have my room attendant make a few adjustments to my cabin. She must have been having a bad day, as I felt brushed off by her curt instructions on how to use the phone. In any case, I returned to my cabin and phoned the system, leaving a message to have the duvet removed from the cover (I sleep warm), to not tuck in the top sheet (being 6-foot tall, I don’t need that pressure on my feet) and to add the “egg-crate” padding to the mattress.

I delivered the last gift bag and headed to tea. At a table for 6, there were two couples, one including a woman with a walker. The tea service on Princess involves tables clustered too closely together, such that the wait staff, bearing pots of tea, separate plates of sweets, savories and scones, were seemingly always in one another’s way. Still, the tea was good, the nibbles usually tasty, and the conversation interesting.

At 5, back to the Wheelhouse for the Solo Gathering. Without staff, we sat in a slowly expanding circle until we set out for the dining room. Seated at a table for 8, Jim and I had the company of 6 women; I was next to Anika, born in Brazil of German heritage, now living in Mexico. The beet and berry soup and the honey and rum-roasted pineapple were my starters, coq au vin the main. Coconut fondant the dessert, which looks decadent. Afterwards, with Anika to the bar for a night cap, and I ran into Paula, another fellow passenger on the Regent.

Day 3

Breakfast consisted of aplate of banana slices, poached eggs with English beans, a bad tomato, fresh squeezed OJ and coffee. Returning to the bow and the theater, I caught the end of the presentation by Phil, who was talking on the importance of not believing all you read. He had been booked to talk daily for the crossing, was extremely entertaining, and I resolved to try to catch more of his presentations. His talk was followed by a panel of four members from Food Services who, after a slide show, took questions.

Phil was back at 11with a talk on the Titanic. Now I’ve heard multiple talks on this doomed White Star ship, on Holland America and Cunard, but Phil injected his opinions and observations into the talk, making it quite different from the previous talks. He explicitly and fully blamed both the captain and White Star’s greed for the sinking, as well as the coal fire.

Clocks changed at lunch time, and I headed to a shared table. My choices were Thai hot and sour soup, chicken Korma and the ice cream sundae. My notes indicate that the soup and chicken were delightfully full of flavor.

With a half hour before tea, I returned to my cabin and met my attendant Neu. He removed the duvet, would get me a robe and had placed the foam in the bedding. I had three gifts, however I was underwhelmed with them as I felt not much effort had gone into them.

After tea, the Facebook Meet & Greet had been moved from the Wheelhouse to the 18^th deck. I had several good conversations with staff and fellow passengers. Afterwards, I returned to the cabin to “dress up” – it was “formal night” so I had a plain polo and a sports jacket on. Arriving late at the Solo group, we immediately left for dinner as several (driven by the Newfie Paula) had plans for the early show in the theater. The larger table had filled so 3 of us overflowed to a smaller shared table and had delightful conversation. I shared a bottle of pinot noir, as my meal consisted of country-style pâté (delicious), duck á l’orange (tough and dry), chocolate pecan turtle cheesecake for dessert.

Off to the Explorer bar with the woman I shared the bottle of wine with, and we watched the show on the small stage screen the rest had headed to the theater to see. Too loud and not enough content to entice me to the second show, however my partner left for the show, and I began speaking with an ex-Navy guy who had an amazing knowledge of classic rock music. Returning to my cabin at 10, there was the fourth gift and the robe was accompanied by several bottle of water.

Day 4

Breakfast shared, oatmeal and fresh squeezed OJ which is part of the Plus package. I caught the last half of Phil’s talk on weird aquatic animals. The ship’s Q&A talk featured the service staff. AJ’s Enlightenment talk was on Broadway Theater from the 20’s to the 50’s, focused on Berlin, Porter, Richard Rogers, Gershwin and Bernstein. Phil gave a talk on D-Day

Another time zone change, so lunch at 1 was Thai rolls, tortilla soup and green curry. I watched the Emerald Orchestra, but there really weren’t enough musicians to showcase. I had tea with a couples from Vancouver, WA, Palm Beach, and Miami. And then I took a nap!

From the Solo group, Kristiana, AnneMarie and I went to DaVinci, the other “free” dining room. I had beef stroganoff, and split a serving of cheesecake. After a post meal snort, AnnaMarie headed to the slots, while I then spoke with Robert and Mel who arrived from the Elton John tribute show, At their recommendation, I attended the late performance, and returned to Explorer where I helped close the bar.

Day 5

After a difficult night (too much booze, not enough water), I skipped breakfast and headed to Phil’s talk on whales. It was followed by a Q&A with the ship’s Entertainment staff. Getting a crossword puzzle, I completed it and them connected to the ship’s wifi and did some email. Getting to lunch a bit later, I had tortilla soup and a tuna melt. At 2:30 I headed to the theater where a singer with the band gave a nice show. Tea with a table of 6, followed by a short nap.

Only six at the solo meeting, with Jim and Suzanne (dancing pair) cutting out early, so Kristiana, Pat and AnneMarie were my dinner companions, again at DaVinci. French onion soup and cassoulet to eat with a CdP to drink made for a very French meal. AnneMarie and I split a crème brûlée and a Grand Marnier souffle. Pat (85yo divorcee from Tucson, lush), AnneMarie and I headed to Vines to have an upscale glass of wine before I called it an early night.

Day 6

This was the day when there would be a viewable partial solar eclipse. I’d tried to determine when I’d need to be on deck, based on guessing where the ship was mid ocean, so I was up on decks 17/18 at 6:30. Barely a hint of pending sunrise, so I returned to the cabin to shave and then head to breakfast. From deck 7 I was able to view the sun, passing out the disposable paper eclipse-viewing glasses I’d brought along. (I had 25, and handed them out freely.) My only attempt at a photo, using the phone, wasn’t great.

Then into the theater where Phil gave a talk on sharks, covering many of the variations. The Excursions Team followed and gave a sales talk, which I found useless and lacking any new information. AJ spent his hour talking about music of the 60’s, particularly those groups with piano players: the Beatles, Beach Boys, Carol King, Elton John and others.

Lunch was a cobb salad and mac & cheese. I followed that with a trip back to the theater where the ship’s many contract musicians had formed an orchestra-like band.

Too late for Tea, I headed to my cabin to read before the Solos meeting where we were 5. The dancing pair headed off to early dinner, AnneMarie and I headed to Salty Dog, which is adjacent to the Wheelhouse where we met. White tomato soup, a cheeseburger with sweet potato fries accompanied by a glass of red wine, pot au crème for dessert.

We headed to Explorer Bar for an after-dinner drink, and AnneMarie headed back to the slots while I watch Back to the Future on the screen of the small stage behind the bar. Having been up before dawn, I was ready to crash.

Day 7

Rising at 8:30, I went straight to Phil’s talk on cardboard construction, which focused on non-standard buildings around the world. I caught up with him after to suggest he look at the caves of Guadix and the COLA (Catholic Cathedral of Los Angeles). As no presentations followed, I first went to the MDR, which was closed, and then up to the buffet to find breakfast. Solo, this can be a challenge as one’s food might disappear when getting beverages, or vice versa. However, I got (good) corned beef hash, scrambled eggs and sausage links, followed by OJ and coffee.

AJ was giving his talk on the Bee Gees on the stage behind the Explorer Bar, so I headed there. Lunch with 3 couples in the MDR consisted of spaghetti puttanesca. With time to kill, I walked a few laps on Deck 7 before heading to the theater for the Battle of the Bands. I was rooting for one band, however Sympathy was clearly the best. Skipping tea again, I took a short nap before the solo gathering of the now usual 6, with Jim and Suzanne heading out early, and AnneMarie, Pat, Kristiana and I holding out for a later dinner at DaVinci.

To start my dinner, I had a double order of steamed green asparagus (put me in seventh heaven), followed by seafood creole en croûte, which seriously needed spices to punch it up – I called for Sriracha sauce. We drank glasses of rosé and pinot noir. Flourless chocolate cake topped the meal. Pat and AnneMarie joined me at Explorers for a nightcap.

Day 9 (March 31)

Leisure life at sea finally kicked in, and I slept late, rising at 9:30. I headed to the theater for the interview with the captain. Then to Explorers where AJ was finishing his talk on classical references in modern rock.

I’d booked for the Super Tuscan lunch, so headed to Sabatini. Pat had arrived early, AnneMarie was late, but we joined a pair of sisters-in-law from VA and FL and had a pleasant lunch. My notes say the wines were decent, the food good, but I questioned the pairings.

Lunch ended at 2:30, so I returned to my cabin, did some email and took a nap. Another formal night, I put my jacket back on from lunch and headed to the Wheelhouse. J&S left for their earlier dinner, while I sat with Kristiana. AnneMarie was a bit late, but the 3 of us headed to DaVinci where we’d had them decant a bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape ahead of the meal. We’d had it earlier on the voyage, and it definitely improved with breathing time. My meal was chicken satay and Irish lamb stew. Two desserts to share: frozen chocolate praline Torte and Orange Grand Marnier Soufflé.

After our meal, I headed to Explorers for a single Jameson Stout while I watched the Queen trivia with AnneMarie. She left for slots and I watched the next game show over a second shot.

Day 10 (1 April 2025)

Waking at 8:45, I thought is was two hours later. Once on deck for my exercise, I discovered my deception. Off to the MDR for breakfast of the citrus compote, hash browns, two eggs over easy a fresh squeeze OJ. A crew member, Kevin, gave a talk on Life at Sea, which included a virtual tour of the crew spaces passengers don’t see. I read until lunch.

Hungarian beef goulash soup, followed by the “signature pasta” egg fettuccine with zucchini and roasted garlic filled my belly, and I managed to talk my way into pistachio ice cream (not on the menu) for dessert. With the daily bulletin, Patter, void of anything I was interested in, I headed to Wheelhouse with my reader and spent the afternoon there. I changed for dinner and met the group of 6, with the usual 4 of us heading to DaVinci later than the earlier departing two.

I had steak Diane after my starters of a poached pear and seafood cocktail. Unfortunately, the steak was very tough. I opted for the cheese plate, which I had them set out when we initially ordered, as dessert. At Explorers, AnneMarie and I watched the Liars Club Eurovision entertainment, followed by “complete the lyrics” trivia.