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The British Isles bring many smiles
Author: By Richard P. Carpenter, Globe Staff
Date: SUNDAY, September 7, 1997
Page: F1
Section: Travel
DOVER, England -- There were seagulls over the white cliffs of Dover when
the Island Princess set sail for a 12-day cruise that would combine some of
the British Isles' most popular ports with others that are less freqently
visited but perhaps even more fascinating.
On the ship, Captain Roger Knight's voice came over the public address
system, urging the 640 passengers to watch the famous chalk cliffs ``recede to
the horizon.'' On shore, a band struck up the number everyone was waiting to
hear: ``The White Cliffs of Dover,'' that World War II song of yearning for
love, laughter, and peace ever after.
There would be all of those emotions, maybe not ever after but at least
during the dozen days of the cruise. Love? What could be more romantic than
sailing aboard one of the ships that Princess Cruises calls The Love Boat.
Laughter? Yes, both at the comedy that was part of the entertainment aboard
ship and, in retrospect at least, at our own foibles. And peace? There is
nothing quite like the inner calm that comes with a day at sea when all your
cares are temporarily discarded.
There was joy, too: The joy of discovering new places, making new
acquaintances, and dining deliciously and (I confess) overabundantly. There is
no vacation quite like a cruise, and if anyone still needs proof that today's
ships sail to a lot more places than the Caribbean, this was it. Our journey
would take us from the unique isle of Guernsey to the bustling city of Dublin
to the achingly beautiful Scottish Highlands. In all, we would visit 10 ports
and spend two full days at sea.
The ship
This being a destination-intensive cruise, most passengers would spend less
time on the ship than on cruises with just a few ports of call. But that
perhaps is all the more reason for a quality experience during the time
aboard. After waving bye-bye to the white cliffs, my wife, Linda, and I
embarked upon one of our favorite activities -- exploring a ship we haven't
been on before.
The Island Princess, we found, is a classic cruise ship, lacking the
glitter and glitz of today's megaships but offering sleek lines and a subdued
atmosphere, with muted reds, greens, and blues predominating throughout and
nautical paintings dotting the walls. And although we hadn't been aboard the
ship before, we had definitely seen it: It was one of the ships that starred
in ``The Love Boat,'' that television show whose reruns will probably be
playing somewhere unto eternity. Episodes of the show, in fact, were shown
aboard the TVs in all cabins.
At 20,000 tons and 550 feet, the ship is easy to find your way around in,
and its 640-passenger size makes it small enough to begin to recognize fellow
passengers and big enough so you won't continually be running into those few
people you might want to avoid. Passengers on this cruise, incidentally, were
mostly over 50 -- in some cases, way over -- although there were younger
people as well and a couple handfuls of youngsters and teenagers.
The Island Princess entered service in 1971 but underwent a
multimillion-dollar refurbishment in 1993, making the vessel seem anything but
old-fashioned. Major changes in the public areas include new furnishings, a
new gym, a remodeled casino, and a showroom with a tiered floor. Passenger
cabins received new furnishings, carpeting, drapes, televisions, and
telephones.
Those 305 cabins, or ``staterooms'' as the brochures prefer to call them,
are sufficient in size, sometimes even spacious, with the standard ones
measuring 126 square feet and top suites reaching 443 square feet. Suites and
deluxe staterooms each have a tub bath, a shower, and a refrigerator. We found
our stateroom decidedly uncramped and easy to relax in. Most important,
everything worked fine. Cruise-ship showers and I traditionally do not get
along, but I had no problems with a newly installed hand-held shower. (Well,
there was the time I misdirected the spray and flooded the bathroom floor, but
enough about that.) The only oddity was a gurgling noise that was emitted two
or three times a day from the bathroom, even when unoccupied. My wife and I
took to shouting, ``Hi, Fred!'' when we heard the sound.
The nine-deck Island Princess has all the amenities that cruise-ship
passengers have come to expect: a variety of lounges and bars featuring music
and other entertainment, a disco, a couple of pools (although only the younger
and hardier passengers were seen swimming in the mild British climate), the
aforementioned gym and casino, a boutique/ shop, a beauty salon, a sauna and
massage room, a theater in which movies such as ``Shine'' and ``The English
Patient'' were shown (other films, such as ``The Nutty Professor,'' were
shown on the stateroom TVs), a jogging track, a bridge lounge, a library
(whose books seemed more recent than on many cruise ships), and a medical
center.
On-board activities were plentiful and varied, including the ever-popular
bingo, cards and other games, health walks, horse-racing with dice (the only
gambling I managed to do), culinary arts demonstrations, and talks on subjects
ranging from collectibles to self-improvement to British history. And those
history talks were anything but dull: Thanks to a speaker named Madeline
Milles, I learned more about the dreams and daring of the people of the
British Isles than I ever did in school. There were trivia games, too, and my
wife and I joined a team of fellow addicts, competing fiercely at least once
daily. Prizes were at stake -- the kind that inspired social director
Josephine Zammuto to jokingly make us pledge not to leave when we found out
what they were: notepaper, magnets, and the like.
Nightly shows in the Carousel Lounge, hosted by cruise director Simon
Winchester, included six song-and-dance reviews designed to dazzle us with
familiar songs, bright costumes (some designed by Bob Mackey) that were
changed some half-dozen times per show, special effects, and intricate dance
steps by the nine performers. On other nights, there were comedians,
magicians, pianists, and something special: folkloric shows both in Dublin and
Edinburgh, featuring traditional dances, songs, and -- ah, yes, jokes. We
caught nearly every nightly show, and I can't think of one I didn't enjoy.
I've saved one of the best on-board activities till last: dining. The heart
of this activity is the 332-passenger Coral Dining Room, which serves dinners
in an early seating and late seating. The six-course meals blend traditional
European dishes with contemporary cuisine. A typical menu might offer choices
such as mahi mahi with asparagus tips, seafood turnover with lobster sauce,
chicken cacciatore, young Tom turkey with all the trimmings, and New York
steak with corn on the cob. There is always a healthy choice menu as well (and
its selections, like broiled lobster tail, ensure that the healthy eaters do
not suffer). Available any night are dishes such as a vegetarian plate,
Alaskan salmon, and grilled chicken breast, along with an abundance of
appetizers, salads, breads, and desserts. A few dishes such as roast beef and
Yorkshire pudding and Cornish hen paid tribute to the ports we were visiting.
And this being an Italian kitchen, there is always a pasta dish, and I love
Princess pasta.
Dinner is a social occasion, too, of course, and we enjoyed chatting with
our five tablemates about the day's activities; we likewise got a kick out of
the banter of our chief waiter, a Danny DeVito lookalike named George who had
strong opinions on what dishes we should choose. Only three dinners were
``formal,'' meaning evening gowns or cocktail dresses for the women and
tuxedos or conservative suits for the men. One night, I donned a bright red
tuxedo shirt that I had secreted aboard. ``Are you part of the
entertainment?'' my wife wondered.
That's hardly all the eating, though. Gourmets and other leisurely diners
can also have breakfast and lunch in the Coral Dining Room, but with all there
was to see on land, many took advantage of the on-deck breakfast and lunch
buffets. There were also afternoon tea, a daily snack on deck, and late-night
buffets (I was always too full to partake). A special feature on our first
full day at sea was a lavish luncheon buffet complete with ice and food
sculptures. On our second full day at sea, though, the luncheon was a copious
Italian buffet, during which music played, passengers danced the tarantella
with waiters, and Captain Knight helped cook the pasta, a skill he must have
acquired somewhere during his nearly-four-decade sailing career. In addition,
the captain hosted cocktail parties, and Maitre d' Lorenzo Tarini presented a
champagne waterfall, in which passengers helped pour the bubbly stuff over and
into a pyramid of 556 glasses.
On my last two cruises, I was careful not to overdo the eating and gained
no weight. On this cruise, I succumbed to temptation too many times and do not
wish to discuss my weight gain.
The ports
A cruise offers a unique opportunity to view the British Isles, taking you
to a variety of ports without having to schlep your luggage from hotel to
hotel. Visiting nine ports in 12 days, mostly through Princess shore
excursions, we got just a taste of what each had to offer. But what a delcious
taste.
Guernsey
First up was Guernsey, the second-largest of the Channel Islands and only 8
miles off the coast of France. This unusual isle, just 24 square miles and
home to 60,000 people, is part of Great Britain but not the United Kingdom; it
has its own currency and postage. Its capital, St. Peter Port, attracted
merchants and pirates during the 18th and 19th centuries, and today it remains
a busy place, filled with vessels and stores selling quality goods and having
some of the flavor of a Caribbean island. Guernsey (yes, they raise those cows
there) and the other Channel Islands are also notable because they were the
only British territory to fall into Axis hands during World War II. Guernsey,
in fact, has an occupation museum. It also has forts, towers, granite homes
that bear names such as Shadow Moss, a must-see chapel made entirely of
ceramics and shells, and gardens aplenty. Away from the capital, life is
laid-back. As our guide said, ``Our people will do anything for you; they just
don't say when they'll do it.''
Falmouth
Our next port, Falmouth, is in southwest England's county of Cornwall, an
area steeped in legends, one of which is that King Arthur was born at Tintagel
Castle there. This is an area with a colorful history of shipwrecks and
smuggling. From Falmouth, on Cornwall's Riviera Coast, we made our way past
cows, sheep, beaches, gardens, hedgerows, patchwork fields, and even palm
trees to visit the picturesque harbors of Charlestown and Polperro. In
Charlestown, we stopped for the traditional snack of tea and scones with jam
and clotted cream, the latter no doubt a dietitian's nightmare. And in
Polperro, a fishing village turned tourist enclave, we enjoyed strolling among
the many dozens of shops selling the delightful kinds of things that nobody
really needs. In one such shop, I found myself having an intense coversation
about Elvis with one of the clerks. We lunched on Cornish pasties, a meal in a
pastry shell, and purchased some raspberry preserves made with Drambuie.
Waterford
During the night, we had sailed to the Republic of Ireland, and I awakened
to see Waterford outside my cabin window. ``I think I see an old ruin,'' I
told my wife. ``Looking in the mirror, are you.'' she replied. After the
joshing (?), we set out for a day of crystal and castles. Waterford, of
course, is the home of the famous Waterford crystal factory, which offers
tours. The work is intricate indeed, and nothing less than perfection is
allowed. An employee showed us a vase he had been working on for 22 hours
before it got a tiny chip; that vase would be smashed. I could only imagine
how many hours it took to create the Harrods crystal fountain, 6 feet tall and
made up of 3,034 pieces.
Another stop worth making was the 800-year-old Kilkenny Castle, with its
vast rooms and multitude of ornamental objects. A guide explained all about
the castle, but I found myself so charmed by the lilt of her voice that I
didn't always listen to her words. Opposite the castle, many people found a
lot to look at, and buy, at the Killkenny Crafts Centre. I preferred admiring
how in this region some of Ireland's highest mountains contrast nicely with
its green glens. It's an area of pretty villages, farmlands, old fortresses,
mysterious stone structures, deer farms, and a rich but sometimes bloody
history involving the Celts, Vikings, and Normans.
Dublin
On the first drizzly day of our trip, we did more than visit downtown
Dublin: We headed near the Wicklow Hills to see a garden in the rain.
Powerscourt Estate Gardens is a place of peace, filled with flower beds,
formal hedges, stately beech trees planted more than 200 years ago, and long
stretches of water. The roses grown there were so large that they appeared to
be on steroids; a pet cemetery contained the remains of dear departed dogs,
horses, and even cows.
Returning to downtown Dublin via the charming town of Enniskerry, we
absorbed the sights of this 1,500-year-old city that are so familiar to so
many: The River Liffey, with its Ha'penny Bridge; Trinity College, home of the
Book of Kells; St. Patrick's Cathedral; the General Post Office, headquarters
for the 1916 Easter Rebellion; the brightly colored doors in otherwise gray
buildings; and the many pubs where patrons sip Guinness or Murphy's or
Smithwick's (myself, I stuck to Bewley's coffee, this time anyway). And since
the ship was in port until 11 p.m., that night we were among passengers at
Jury's irish Cabaret, a kind of Dublin meets Las Vegas revue of Irish songs,
dance, and jokes.
Holyhead
Back in the United Kingdom, we got our first chance to visit Wales, a
principality of 2 1/2 million people that appears to be underrated as a
tourist destination. We docked in Holyhead, with its towering sea cliffs, some
of which are a mere 600 million years old, and, as in Guernsey, went ashore by
tender -- a small boat used in smaller ports when the ship must anchor some
distance from shore. (I always enjoy these boats because they give me an
opportunity to softly sing ``Love My Tender.'')
How green were the valleys of Anglesey island as we made our way past
seemingly thousands of sheep to Conwy Castle, built by Edward I in the 1200s,
with a suspension bridge added in 1826. Walking through the remains of this
stone structure, we could imagine ourselves living centuries ago. A more
modern stop, though, was in the likable little village of Betws-Y-Coed (and,
no, it's not pronounced ``Betsy Coed'') at the foot of the much-visited
Snowdonia Mountains. During lunch at the Royal Oak Hotel, we were both amazed
and delighted by a waitress who knew more about America -- its history,
geography, and politics -- than most Americans. It's just a hobby, she said:
She's never been to America.
Glasgow
Glasgow has been called the most exquisitely Victorian city in the United
Kingdom, with its masterful architecture. It's also a center for shopping,
museums, and galleries. But on this fine day, my wife and I headed not to
the city but to the countryside to view Loch Lomond from its bonnie banks, to
hear tales of historical heroes like Rob Roy MacGregor and William Wallace, to
admire other lochs and firths (also known as lakes and rivers) as well as
small islands and rugged mountains, and to stop in villages such as Luss to
sample shortbread and sweet butter tablets. Our heads filled with scenery, we
returned to the ship by taking a ferry across the River Clyde.
Kirkwall
After a sunny day at sea, spent cruising among the Hebrides, viewing
lighthouses, homes, and fishing boats while listening to a narration about the
islands over the ship's public address system, we were in the sometimes
mysterious Orkney Islands high in northern Scotland. We tendered ashore at
Kirkwall, where 7,500 of the islands' 20,000 residents live and a double treat
awaited us. First was a visit to St. Magnus Church, a red and yellow sandstone
structure built over 300 years, beginning in 1137 -- a building for which
``magnificent'' is an understatement. Inside are intersecting arches,
intricate carvings, and memorable masonry, as well as relics. Treat number
two: some genuinely British fish and chips bought at a ``take-away'' store
that were both greasy and glorious.
There were more treats as we traveled along historic Scapa Flow Bay and
beyond. A chapel ingeniously built of scrap metal and driftwood by Italian
prisoners of war during World War II still stands. The 5,000-year-old village
at Skara Brae is the best-preserved prehistoric village in Northern Europe:
You can easily identify the stone beds and bureaus. I expected that at any
minute Fred Flintstone might emerge, shouting ``Yabba Dabba Doo!'' -- with a
Scottish burr, of course. The Ring of Brodgar consisted originally of 60 stone
monuments, 27 of which are still standing, placed exactly 6 meters apart. A
religious or mystical site? Probably, but no one is sure.
Invergordon
We were piped ashore in Invergordon by a solitary bagpiper. This area of
Scotland, known as the Great Glen, is the setting for many tall tales, one of
which may be of Nessie, the Loch Ness monster. Although no one has been able
to prove this creature exists, a lot of Island Princess passengers were
willing to try: Perhaps five times as many signed up for Loch Ness excursions
as did people choosing other sites. We were in the minority, deciding to go
high into the Highlands for some of the most gorgeous scenery of the entire
trip. We viewed seals, swans, waterfalls, hills purple with heather, mists
lifting over mountains a la ``Brigadoon,'' lochs so mirrorlike that they
showed the reflections of trees, sheep snoozing on the road, and salmon
jumping high in their watery cages. We tasted some of that salmon at the Creag
Mor Hotel and had a beguiling dessert called cranachan. At the Victorian
village of Strathpeffer, meanwhile, we tasted the town's healing waters
(yuck!), and as I did every day ashore, I bought the Times of London (and also
the racy Sun, which I hid inside the more respectable paper). Returning to the
ship, we saw Scotch whisky distilleries and learned about the ``angel's
share'' -- that's the whiskey that evaporates.
Rosyth
Where had the time gone? We were at Rosyth, our final port and the one
closest to Edinburgh. We inched along in terrible traffic, as bad as that of
Boston's Southeast Expressway, but with cows grazing peacefully beside it.
Breaking free, we headed to the Scottish-English border country, known as The
Borders, and to Floors Castle. Yes, another castle, but no two seemed to be
alike. This one was built between 1721 and 1725 and was immense. Flanked by
vast pavilions with minarets and cupolas, the castle has an almost Eastern
look. Among its claims to fame is that it was the setting for the Tarzan movie
``Greystoke.'' That castle was quite a contrast to the next stop, Dryburgh
Abbey, which may be in ruins but still projects a tranquil atmosphere. We
found the tomb of Sir Walter Scott and, at his feet, the tomb of his
son-in-law and biographer.
And there was Edinburgh itself, a city surrounded by great gray structures,
including Edinburgh Castle. Shoppers flocked to Jenners on Princes Street,
where the queen herself shops, while others visited the historic Royal Mile.
The annual Edinburgh Festival was being held, so the city was alive with
dancers, stiltwalkers, and other entertainers. The skirl of bagpipes was
everywhere.
Home
Our final day was at sea, giving us time to pack, plan tips for the waiters
and cabin steward, play one last game of trivia, say goodbye to the people we
had met, and think about all we had experienced on the trip. Oh, everything
wasn't perfect: not in this life, on this planet. I lost my camera (and I hope
whoever found it enjoys my silly travel photos). We were awakened once or
twice by the clank and whir of the ship's tenders being lowered. We overslept
one day and made a wild dash for a tour bus that had already left; fortunately
shore excursions manager Vicki Evinger was able to get us on a similar tour.
At both ends of the trip, there was flight fatigue, not helped by increasingly
cramped airline economy seats.
But put into perspective, all of the above was small stuff, which should
not be sweated. I thought about our first full day at sea, when we were
cruising in the sunshine amid the Hebrides, gazing at brightly colored
buildings along a waterfront and bright white homes in the hills. I felt a
surge of joy and realized how lucky we passengers were, and not just because
of the scenery.
SIDEBAR:
IF YOU GO . . .
In 1998, the Island Princess will make the 12-day British Isles cruise
twice, with a sailing beginning May 28 and another beginning Aug. 8. Depending
upon the cabin and sailing date chosen, Love Boat Saver Rates, valid through
Feb. 14 (which, not coincidentally, is Valentine's Day), range from $3,615 to
$7,465. The price includes air fare from most departure points. Pre- and
post-cruise packages to Paris and London are also available. (Travelers going
straight from Heathrow Airport to the ship in Dover will see none of London's
famous sights.) Travel agents have details, but a rule of thumb with Princess
is to book a cruise as early as possible for the best discounts and deals.
The Island Princess, its twin sister the Pacific Princess, and other
vessels in the 10-ship Princess fleet sail to other ports in Europe and,
indeed, the rest of the world. Some sailings combine stops in the British
Isles with ports in France and Germany.
Princess' ``Adventures Ashore'' excursions range in price from about $25
for some shorter bus tours to about $85-$105 for full-day tours with lunch at
a good restaurant or hotel included. Bus tours have their advantages and
disadvantages, but as a practical matter, they are the way to go for most
passengers in most of those ports; maximum time on shore is usually from 8 1/2
to 15 1/2 hours per port, and the buses are waiting as soon as you are cleared
to go ashore. (Do plan your excursions carefully, though. I don't regret a
minute of my full-day lochs tour from the port of Glasgow, but when I returned
there was no time to see the city. The port is actually in Greenock, some 20
miles from Glasgow.) In many places, Princess also conducts a shuttle service
to that port's major city for $4 each way. In smaller ports, taxi service may
be limited and car rentals hard to come by.
Once you sail on a Princess ship, something quite nice happens: You become
a member of the Captain's Circle and begin to get mailings offering
two-for-one or better on the cruise portion of some trips. These include
repositioning cruises, in which the ship ends its sailings in one part of the
world and travels to another, visiting several ports along the way.
As most travel agents will tell you, the hardest part is deciding to take
your first cruise. Once people sail, they are usually hooked. Of the
approximately 640 people on the British Isles cruise, more than two-thirds had
sailed on Princess ships before.
For the latest brochures, call (800) PRINCESS.
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