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August 2, 2012 ~ Embarkation on the tiny Ocean Princess was the smoothest we’ve ever experienced. We arrived at approximately 1:00 pm to check in. Our luggage was quickly whisked away, and we were warmly welcomed into the cruise terminal with smiling, happy faces. No lines, friendly staff, and all very fast and efficient, yet leisurely. There were even crew members waiting on board to show us the way to our cabin – not that you we needed help – the ship’s not that big. It was like a scene from “The Love Boat.” The balcony cabin on Deck 7 was roomy enough, with plenty of storage space. However, the sleeper sofa when opened to the sleeper position, we would soon discover, blocked the way to the balcony. The end of the bed can be folded back – but not so easy if there is someone sleeping in it. So I found myself crawling over Jenn while she slumbered in the rather uncomfortable sleeper sofa, to get to the balcony whenever something interesting caught my eye off the starboard side, much to her dismay. On the other hand, our bed was perfectly comfortable. The bathroom seemed a tad roomier than the other ships we’ve been on and had plenty of storage. The balcony was large enough with a small round table and two reclining-back chairs. Honestly, though, there were several days when it was just too windy, cold or drizzly – or we were just too busy – to spend much time out there. Our cabin steward did a great job refreshing the cabin daily and always greeted us with a warm smile. The ship’s interior design contains a lot of wood paneling, mirrors, art and floral designs, giving the feeling of a traditional cruise ship of the past – a classy look, and I loved it! No room portrayed this better than the ship’s library. Wood paneled walls, fireplace and a ceiling mural gave this room a warm, intimate look – a great, quiet place to curl up with a book or just sit and relax. The central staircase on decks 4 and 5 is beautiful and reminiscent of the staircase scenes with Jack and Rose on the Titanic, except on a smaller and less grand scale. The passenger demographic was much more mature and well-traveled – okay, “older” – than the cruises we’ve taken in the Caribbean on the big ships, though a few kids were spotted around the ship, as well as a number of younger couples. There was certainly no concern over “deck chair hogs” on this tiny ship in this cooler climate. Due to rain, drizzle and chill, the deck was vacant most of the time, and activity took place inside. However, I did spot a brave person in the pool on one warmer afternoon, and the hot tubs seemed to be used often. Those who did choose to sit outside were bundled in sweaters, including myself! One nice thing about the small size of the ship was that everything we needed was either a deck or two above or below our cabin and never more than a couple of flights of stairs away – very convenient. Due to British maritime law, the casino was closed throughout most of the cruise (woo – saved some money there!) but, otherwise, the activities on sea days were similar to those on the large ships, but definitely not as varied and on a much smaller scale. Some of these included line dancing, trivia, Wii games, ice sculpture viewing, and the art auction. There are in-cabin movies, and I remember seeing one movie showing in the Casino lounge. Afternoon tea, was available every afternoon, and the Lotus Spa and fitness room provided classes, treatments and workout options. Source

You are probably wondering what happen to Day 8 – Sea Day. See previous Day 6. It was exactly the same with one added feature – re-packing, which is always a little sad and a little challenging – how to squeeze your all your stuff and the added souvenirs into your bags – but we made it work. As is the case with just about every vacation I take, my camera seems to take a holiday on the final day, and I return with basically no pictures of the final hours of our time away. Such was the case here. No pictures of the ship, no images of us packing, nothing at disembarkation, and nothing of the plane ride home. At the same time my camera disappears, I start thinking of home and all the tasks awaiting my return. The two seem to go hand in hand. Go figure. As with embarkation 8 days earlier, disembarkation in Dover was a breeze. We had breakfast in the buffet, vacated the cabin, and waited at the appropriate time and venue according to color code. In our case, we waited in the Cabaret Lounge for just a short time while Princess showed a video of the new Royal Princess features. We had already seen most of it, but the review was nice, as we are booked on Royal for next summer. Our group was called, we exited the ship, grabbed our luggage, and climbed directly aboard the Princess shuttle for the 2-hour ride to Heathrow, but not before one long, last look at the Ocean Princess as she awaited her next group of soon-to-arrive excited passengers. The process was all very well quick and well-organized. We have never used a Princess transfer before and would definitely consider it again, especially for a long or complicated journey from ship to airport or hotel. We arrived safely at the airport, with plenty of time to kill. Airline check-in, security, the flight and customs all went smoothly. A few final observations ~ This was a fantastic itinerary for an 8-day cruise, and we thoroughly enjoyed all the ports, except maybe for Waterford, which was our least favorite city on this sailing. I particularly thought the cooler climate was a nice change to the tropical waters of the Caribbean. The Ocean Princess is a very pretty ship, and the smaller size makes it easy to get to know the crew and fellow passengers. On more than one occasion, crew members addressed us by name, a pleasant personal touch not found on a ship of 3,000 passengers. With that said, however, we did sorely miss several big-ship features, particularly a real, wrap-around promenade deck and the International Cafe, found on the large Princess ships. The most wished-for item missing from the dining room menu was French Onion Soup. For the most part, the pool deck was unusable due to the climate, and I wish there had been a covered pool like that of some ships cruising colder waters. We are happy that the cabins and balconies are now smoke-free, but disappointed that the prettiest lounge on the ship, the Tahitian Lounge, allows smoking on one side of the room, making the room reek of tobacco at any time of day. Would we cruise Ocean Princess again? If it were me, absolutely! However, given that my husband still prefers the large ship experience and since he contributes the most money to the cruise piggy bank, I would have to give him a say. So the answer to whether or not we would cruise Ocean Princess again is probably more of a definite maybe! Alas, another summer vacation had come to an end. No fear, though, as I have already have my eyes set and my blog ready and awaiting next year’s vacations, as we have two more cruises in the pipeline: The new Royal Princess sailing the Mediterannean next July, and a short 4-day Caribbean cruise on Ruby Princess during Christmas break 2013. My pen won’t rest long. Stay tuned! Source