island Princess
Discovering the food and wine of the Mediterranean
By Mike Pickup, Mike writes about travel for numerous newspapers and magazines, both consumer and trade, and has over a hundred features published each year. He is also the Editor of Holiday Magazine and a professionally trained photographer. For more information click here
The Mediterranean, home of good food and wine, was the focus of our cruise on Island Princess.
The ship had just finished a dry dock refit which saw the number of cabins increased from 987 to 1107 plus alterations to the public area. Some cabins had been added at the stern of the ship making it impossible to walk all the way round, a popular means of exercise on many other ships, but there was a well equipped gym for those seeking to keep up their exercise routine.
The ship had left Venice a few days earlier and we had a very early flight from Heathrow to Athens in order to meet the ship at Piraeus, so early in fact that the tube trains were not running. However we booked a meet and greet parking service through Holiday Extras so our journey to the almost deserted Terminal 5 was easy and efficient, as was our British Airways flight on which we were offered a choice of a cooked or continental breakfast.
After a taxi drive through pouring rain in Athens we were quickly on board our ship and taken to our cabin. It was comfortable with plenty of hanging and storage space plus a decent balcony, although the fixed head shower and shower curtain in the compact bathroom may not have been too popular, in particular with the ladies.
Island Princess is a mid-sized ship, holding just over 2,000 passengers on double occupancy, although there are plenty of cabins with third and fourth beds for families. She has all the usual cruise ship facilities such as a large theatre, gym, spa, duty free shops, bars, lounges and a choice of eateries.
The ship had just finished a dry dock refit which saw the number of cabins increased from 987 to 1107 plus alterations to the public area. Some cabins had been added at the stern of the ship making it impossible to walk all the way round, a popular means of exercise on many other ships, but there was a well equipped gym for those seeking to keep up their exercise routine.
The ship had left Venice a few days earlier and we had a very early flight from Heathrow to Athens in order to meet the ship at Piraeus, so early in fact that the tube trains were not running. However we booked a meet and greet parking service through Holiday Extras so our journey to the almost deserted Terminal 5 was easy and efficient, as was our British Airways flight on which we were offered a choice of a cooked or continental breakfast.
After a taxi drive through pouring rain in Athens we were quickly on board our ship and taken to our cabin. It was comfortable with plenty of hanging and storage space plus a decent balcony, although the fixed head shower and shower curtain in the compact bathroom may not have been too popular, in particular with the ladies.
Island Princess is a mid-sized ship, holding just over 2,000 passengers on double occupancy, although there are plenty of cabins with third and fourth beds for families. She has all the usual cruise ship facilities such as a large theatre, gym, spa, duty free shops, bars, lounges and a choice of eateries.
Out on deck there is a putting green, multiple use ball court, giant chess or draughts, and the traditional shuffleboard.
Talking of families, whilst Princess does not make a big thing of it, they certainly know how to take care of their junior passengers. Younger kids have games, treasure hunts, Xboxes and many other activities laid on for them whilst teenagers (up to 17) have discos, date nights and a red carpet event with bulb-flashing paparazzi that they can get dressed up for. Another favourite is a visit to ‘Movies under the Stars’ where guests can relax on sun loungers after dark, watch a movie, help themselves to popcorn and, should it get a little chilly, snuggle under cosy tartan blankets.
Our first day on board was a sea day and an opportunity to relax in the Sanctuary, another Princess speciality. This exclusive section of one of the upper decks focuses on wellbeing. Offering comfortable loungers, cabanas, spa treatment rooms, relaxing sounds, tasty smoothies and menus, guests can book this area for $20 a half day. After that early start the previous morning we were happy to make the most of the tranquil setting.
Italy was the main focus of our trip with ports of call covering Naples, Livorno (Pisa and Florence) and Civitavecchia (Rome). Gragnano, a town just outside Naples, is considered the home of pasta and manufactures around 10% of all that is consumed in Italy. We also had ample opportunity to visit dairies and vineyards to see how local cheeses and wines were made, and to savour the fresh produce – delicious, and tasting so much better when cooked locally and washed down with regional wines under a Mediterranean sky.
Island Princess added to the experience with themed food nights in the main restaurant. One evening we dined in Sabatini’s, the ship’s speciality Italian restaurant. After an amuse bouche I chose a salad of marinated shrimp, shaved fennel and white beans with white truffle oil, then spaghetti with langostino, diver scallops, tiger shrimp, vongole and black mussels in cherry tomato sauce. For mains I picked baked striped bass in zucchini crust over tomato-orange melt with toasted polenta, followed by Tiramisu. Oh dear, more time needed in the gym!
Following three days of wonderful Italian food and wine we headed off to Toulon in the South of France where the Mediterranean theme continued. The countryside is dotted with wine domaines, all strictly controlled under the DOC scheme, but we went one better and visited the Chateau Vannieres where grapes for the famous Bandol wines are grown. We had to sample the range of white, rose and red wines of course!
Following three days of wonderful Italian food and wine we headed off to Toulon in the South of France where the Mediterranean theme continued. The countryside is dotted with wine domaines, all strictly controlled under the DOC scheme, but we went one better and visited the Chateau Vannieres where grapes for the famous Bandol wines are grown. We had to sample the range of white, rose and red wines of course!
On our way back to the ship we visited Castellet, one of the many hilltop villages that, having been deserted for many years, are now being re-populated. They provide peaceful village atmospheres and stunning vistas from their lofty viewpoints.
Our final port of call was Barcelona, the home of Freixenet and the world’s largest producer of ’bubbly’; it seemed a shame not to drop by. After a brief introduction we headed down flights of stairs to the old cellars, full of dusty bottles of wine which, we were told, were too old to drink. Still, I wouldn’t have minded trying. Then we were off to the new cellars, so vast that we had to take a little train to get us there and show us round. It was a memorable experience and the size of the operation quite staggering.
After all this exertion we were glad to sample a generous glass of their famous Cordon Negro before heading to the airport for our flight back to Heathrow, this time to Terminal 3. However, our meet and greet service worked just fine and a few minutes after arriving in the car park our car was driven up to us, the ticket validated and we joined the evening queue on the M4 back into London and home.
For more information on Princess Cruises call 0843 374 2403 or visit www.princess.com
Holiday Extras offers a choice of parking, including Meet and Greet parking at UK airports and ports. Call 0800 316 0616; www.holidayextras.co.uk
Holiday Extras offers a choice of parking, including Meet and Greet parking at UK airports and ports. Call 0800 316 0616; www.holidayextras.co.uk
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