EVEN IF, LIKE US, YOU’VE VISITED ALL THE PORTS-of-call before, a trans-Atlantic cruise from the States to Europe is a great deal—if you have the time, that is. At a “school zone” cruising speed of 20 knots, it took us 15-days to travel 5000 miles. But for less than the cost of a single Business-Class airline ticket from the US to Europe, we both had 23-days in the lap of luxury.
Before arriving in Southampton, we called in at the Azores, Lisbon, La Coruna and Bilbao in Spain and Cherbourg, France. Part Two continued onward to Portland and Guernsey in England, Cork and Dublin, Holyhead, Wales and Glasgow before returning to Southampton.
Emerald Princess in Port
Art Deco Elegance at Sea
Emerald Princess isn’t the poshest ship in the fleet, she’s 15-years old after all. But she has all the bells and whistles, an art-deco lobby with a pleasant Filipino/Indian/Mexican staff—and 3 Ukrainian women who were surprised when we asked how their families were doing. The ship had a gym, sauna and steam rooms and enough food and entertainment to keep anyone busy for a week—or three! It never felt crowded, either—there were only 2250 out of a possible 3000 passengers onboard. It was a real treat to have someone cook and clean and make our bed. And going cold-turkey on the internet was truly mind-cleansing!
There's always time for birding—Cory's Shearwater
Common Mure
Manx Shearwater (photo by Connie!!!)
We skipped all of Princess’s sponsored shore excursions; they are too expensive and too regimented. We also stayed on board at some ports because (a) been there, done that; (b) the port was hours from the destination; and (c) having to ferry ashore took too much time from the day. But Connie did a lot of birding from the deck whenever the birds cooperated and whenever we ventured ashore.
Ponta Delgada, Azores
Monument of the Discoveries, Lisbon
We went ashore on our own at several stops,—Ponta Delgada in the Azores was the first dry land in a week and Lisbon was much as we remembered it from a decade ago. The port of La Coruna was hours away from the main attraction, Santiago de Compostela which we had already visited, nor nor was the port for Bilbao convenient to the Guggenheim. But Cherbourg, France was a good place to stretch our legs.
Old Town, Cherbourg
The trans-Atlantic portion of the cruise effectively ended at Southampton. Most of the Brits and many “just-cruisers” departed for home. Also disembarking forcibly were those folks who had contracted Covid during the crossing and their disgruntled “exposed” companions who were also forced ashore.
