FORCE IS WITH US AS STAR WARS GOES MED
WATCHING Star Wars on one of the largest outdoor screens at sea seemed like the perfect launch of our Mediterranean voyage on board Crown Princess.
Yet snuggled up on a lounger after a delicious four-course dinner, I was soon lured to the dark, sleepy side by the motion of the ship. My so-called friend Kathryn later delighted in showing me the photographs she had taken of my comatose form.
Don’t worry, I got my own back when she nodded off on the coach journey to Cinque Terre the following morning.
Long on my bucket list, these five gelato-coloured Italian Riviera cliffside villages, reached only by sea, train or foot, were every bit as stunning as I had hoped they would be.
Monterosso was in the middle of a lemon festival, with home-made limoncello stalls decorated in green and yellow bunting. We took our guide’s advice and tried a limoncello slushy – but in my humble opinion, prosecco makes an even better mixer.
The €70 shore excursion seemed good value as Cinque Terre would have been difficult to reach otherwise and the price included the return coach trip, local train fares and services of our guide. Back on board, the captain announced that the next day’s call to Genoa was cancelled. My heart sank – until he added that we would be going ashore at Santa Margherita instead.
As the quaint Ligurian seaside resort was our intended destination, it saved us a train journey, and we now had extra time to reach Portofino, where we marvelled at the swanky yachts in the marina at this world-famous resort.
After a spot of windowshopping, we sat at a waterside
bar sipping prosecco and watching the comings and goings on the sun-drenched Piazzetta. The jetset lifestyle rubbed off on us, as the next day in Marseilles we treated ourselves to a room service champagne breakfast, delivered with a flourish on our sunny balcony. If only every Monday morning began in such splendour. We continued to feel smug as we later sped past the long queue for the ‘free’ port bus and took a pre-booked Princess shuttle instead. It whisked us in and out of this lively city with its busy market, ferris wheel and museums.
Days at sea were spent lounging by the adults-only pool and booking in for heavenly massages at the Lotus Spa. We also enjoyed the acts in the Princess Theatre and dined at a number of great restaurants.
As for Star Wars? Well, I eventually caught up with the action I had missed – we spent a few hours at Skywalker’s nightclub where the force was with us during happy hour.