After five days at sea, we arrived at Corner Brook, Canada on the 21st September 2024. We all felt excited to reaching our first Port-of-call. Before approaching Canada, we had to complete appropriate paperwork, so our disembarkation was problem free. The weather was amazing, warm and sunny and we boarded the Complementary Shuttle Bus that ferried us to Corner Brook.
Corner Brook turned out to be a charming, small town with a picturesque village green where a little festival was being held.
After a stroll along the Main Street where a wonderful street makers market was being held, we sat on the grass and enjoyed the entertainment. There were lots of haystacks and pumpkins around giving a nice autumnal/ Halloween flavour. There was even a little petting zoo where you were able to stroke goats, rabbits and baby birds. There were lots of adorable dogs around the owners were always happy to chat about their pooches.
The people of Newfoundland and Labrador have a reputation for being friendly, which we found to be the case. Warm and welcoming, fun loving and funny, the people here are also known for their natural creativity, unique language, and knack for storytelling. We saw much evidence of this creativity in some of the amazing crafts for sale in the makers market. Every stall holder was friendly and one church based stall gave away delicious free hot chocolate and snacks to passers by. We also loved seeing the traditional Newfoundland wooden houses, many decorated with lights, flowers and pumpkins.
The Broadway Blues Band, who performed on the village green were right up our street and we enjoyed some top quality Blues sounds while we basked in the sun and watched people laughing and dancing. We stayed to watch Cecil and the Mummers, and having never seen mummers before, we were very intrigued. Cecil was a folk singer, and his repertoire included plenty of Irish and Scottish tunes.
Meanwhile, the Mummers danced often forming circles and in pairs. They were a group, mainly consisting of women in this case, with their faces veiled and dressed in bizarre clothing., inviting spectators to join them in their dancing.
Mummers apparently can be traced back to ancient Greece. It is derived from Momus, the personification of satire and mockery and is found in an old English word mommer, which relates to miming, masking and frolicking. Mummery became a tradition within English and Irish communities where people would don disguises and go house to house, sometimes raising funds for charity as they go. The earliest record of mummering in Newfoundland is 1819, but this tradition is thought to have been brought to the island by the English and Irish in the 19th century. Mummering is mainly a Christmas custom and it involves people disguised in veils and costumes and visiting the home’s of their neighbours to enjoy food and drink
After a lovely day in Corner Brook, we returned to board the Sky Princess with some very pleasant memories. As our very first experience of Canada, it was definitely a positive one. We look forward to the next port which is Saquenay in the Quebec region.
Yesterday saw us make a visit to Hollies Farm Shop, a family fun business in Little Bedworth in the Cheshire countryside. The opening hours are 10am – 3pm. This glorious farm shop is owned by brothers Phil and Ed Cowap and has changed massively since the family first took ownership in 1959. They are now the third generation of family to live here.
After browsing the huge range of beautiful stock in the Market Place, we bought some delicious home made cookies to take home with us.
Finally we stopped off at the Farm cafeteria where we enjoyed some rich, sumptuous hot chocolates topped with cream and chocolate sauce.
For the next part of our trip, we travelled on to Delamere Farm Shop in Northwich for some seasonal pumpkin picking. This ran from 10am to 4.30pm. We picked two pumpkins and this cost £8.50, one was £4 and the other £4.50 – quite expensive but you’re paying for the experience I suppose. There is also a cafe here serving a varied menu, but we didn’t go in so I can’t comment on the quality.
It was a great day out and both these sites are extremely popular.
I will be reviewing this 31 day North American cruise and eventually looking back at some retro cruises, dating back to the 1980’s. Things have certainly changed since those days, some for the better, some sadly for the worst. But all things must move with the times and cruising is no exception. Today’s ships are often like glorious floating villages with amazing facilities and food and drink options.
Today we Aboutreturn from our latest cruise experience on the Sky Princess, one of Princess Cruises fabulous, elegant ships.
But back to the current day. Let’s talk about the Sky Princess….
The Sky Princess is described as being the length of three American football fields. The ship has 1,830 passenger cabins and 757 crew cabins. The passenger capacity is 3,660 guests and 81% of the cabins have balconies. When at maximum capacity, the ship holds 5,800 passengers and crew. The ships length is 330 metres and has 19 decks.
Princess Cruises announced the name ‘Sky Princess’ which was the fourth Royal-class vessel in 2017. She was the second Princess ship to carry that name. The ship was delivered on 15 October 2019 and was christened by the NASA astronaut and U.S. Navy Captain Kay Hire and NASA engineer Poppy Northcutt on 7 December 2019.
The amenities on Sky Princess include 4 pools ,2 top-Deck Pools, the Retreat Pool and the Wake View Pool. There are also 8 Hot tubs scattered around the ship.
Embarkation
We arrived at Southampton via Cruise Connect with Intercruise. As ever, we deposited our cases with the driver at our pick-up point and didn’t see them again until they appeared in our cabin onboard the Sky Princess. The whole embarkation process was remarkably smooth, perhaps the best we’ve experienced. We showed our boarding passes, passports and ESTAs and were handed our Princess Cruise Medallions and were escorted onboard, all very fast and problem free.
The Free Dining on Sky Princess comprises of the main dining rooms, Soleil, Cielo and Estrella. Then we have the World Fresh Marketplace, the Salty Dog, Slice Pizzeria, Swirls, International Cafe and Room Service.
We generally dined in the Cielo Restaurant of an evening. Although we were allocated freedom dining, the first time we dined there, our wonderful waiter Bernard asked if we would like to reserve this table permanently. As a small family group, this was the perfect arrangement for us and we were looked after very well by Bernard and his smiling young assistant, Daniella. The food in the Cielo was excellent with a choice of vegetarian, 2 fish and 2 meat dishes most nights. There was also the option to have Princess Favourites for both all courses.
The Premium Dining establishments which have a small cost, are Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria, the Crown Grill, the Catch by Rudi, the Crab Shack (on Alaskan cruises only), Vines, the Chef’s Table, Bistro sur La Mer, Alfredo’s.
Bars and Lounges
There are 14 bars and lounges aboard Sky Princess. These include the Vista Lounge, Bellinis, Vines, Good Spirits at Sea, Take Five, Sea view Bar, the Mix, Wake View Bar, Princess Live Bar, the Piaza, Five Live.
Formal nights
There are 6 formal nights in all over the duration of this cruise, so over 31 nights, it’s not too bad – for those who don’t like to dress for the occasion. Smart casual dress is also expected for the other nights, and some ladies in particular, enjoy dressing to impress every evening. Formal attire is normally a smart suit or tuxedo with shirt and bow tie or tie for the gentlemen. A cocktail or elegant evening dress is the norm for ladies on the formal nights. Photographers are normally around to capture these moments with some beautiful backdrops available.
The Princess Theatre
This is the ships theatre where the main shows take place, usually twice nightly and often of an afternoon too. This is located over two decks, five and six. The standard of entertainment on here was excellent and varied. The ship’s own theatre group performed three full productions, the Princess Bar, Rock Opera and 5-skies. The guest performers included Hypnotist David Knight, the Trawler Men, Adam Barry, Jeff Tracta, Peter Grant, John Bressler, Mikey Votano, Sonia Selbie, Zanin Zarif, Uptown, the Barricade Boys, Nick Page
Activities on Board
The activities included in the Sky Princess itinerary are:- the Princess Pop Choir, Art and Crafts classes, Line Dancing Classes, Pilates, Onboard Art Gallery with talks and auctions, Port and Enhancement talks, Trivia Quizzes, Princess version of the Voice, Ukulele friends group, wine tasting, Afternoon and deck-side movies, multiple musicians around the ship, Karaoke, Gymnasium, fitness and dance classes,
The Medallion System
This was one of the best things about the cruise. We’re all given a medallion on a chord, that we can wear around our necks. Some people choose ornamental necklaces or bracelets that would house their medallion. So what does the medallion do? This nifty little device acts as a tracker – you can be found anywhere on the ship and it connects with the Princess ap on your mobile phones. It also opens your cabin door – as soon as you approach your cabin, it detects you and displays your selected image on a small screen near the front of your door. Everything is paid for using the Medallion, every drink at the bar and item bought in the shop is done via this device. All passengers can order food or drinks anywhere on the ship, including from their own cabin, and the fabulous crew will find you and deliver what you need. Also, when disembarking and embarking again at various ports, the medallion is your identification, checking you on and off the ship. This piece of technology is a game changer and we all loved how easy it made everything onboard so easy.
The Sky Princess Staff
I can’t praise the service we received from the Princess staff enough. From the restaurant staff to the bedroom stewards, and everyone in between, everyone was efficient and friendly. Honestly, they are one of the best set of staff of any cruise ship I’ve encountered. Staff gratuities are now taken upfront and are taken via your bank card.
Sky Princess Accommodation
Our stateroom was lovely. A standard room with a comfortable Queen Sized bed and a balcony (with restricted view). In all honesty, we loved our balcony, even though we had number 11 Lifeboat housed just beneath. It was lovely to be able to get fresh air when we needed it and to enjoy the gorgeous evening skies. My daughters were in the cabin next door and we were able to have the partition between the balconies unlocked, making a double balcony. We could pop in and out of each other’s staterooms via the patio doors. Inside the Stateroom, we have the usual shower, toilet, bed, plenty of wardrobe and cupboard space. There was also a television with lots of pre-recorded tv series and films, documentaries and Princess cruise TV. We enjoyed the cruise director’s morning ‘Wake Show’ highlighting different staff members and entertainers each morning.
The Princess Patter
This was an informative leaflet presented to us in our cabins each evening. The Patter would provide us with all details for the following day, including all activities around the ship, who the entertainers would be and disembarkation details for when we were approaching a new destination. Most of the information was also provided on the Princess ap and our cabin television Princess channel.
Cruise Itinary
Southampton, UK
Corner Brook, Canada
Saguenay, Canada
Quebec, Canada
Charlotte Town, Canada
Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Canada
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
New York, USA
Newport, Rhode Island, USA
Boston, USA
St. John’s, Canada
Brest, France
Cherbourg, France
Southampton, UK
Because of the number of Ports visited on this cruise – 12 in all – I have decided to do a separate blog post for each destination. So watch this space…….
