Northern Europe has become a Crown jewel of Princess’s voyages
One of the most enjoyable cruises I’ve ever taken was a 12day voyage in Norway, Iceland and Ireland aboard Princess Cruises’ (cruise.center/princess) big-but-beautiful 3,080-guest Crown Princess. It’s an itinerary most people don’t know even exists, and yet every year, Princess offers some new iteration of it.
This particular voyage was eight years ago, and we still talk about it. The ports of call were intoxicating, from the fjords of Norway to the Icelandic remoteness of Reykjavik and Akureyri — the latter of which is nestled into a beautiful hillside in the northern part of the country. Don’t be surprised to see large icebergs drifting by, even in the summer.
A major selling point for me in booking this itinerary years ago: departure from Southampton, England. Just a few hours’ drive from London’s Heathrow Airport, the historic port city of Southampton is a convenient European port to cruise out of, particularly for voyages going to northern Europe. And, unlike turnaround ports in Copenhagen, Stockholm or Warnemunde, Germany, most of us can reach London with just a single flight.
This year, Crown Princess returns to northern Europe in a big way, with itineraries that explore Norway, the British Isles, Scandinavia and the Baltics, and even Iceland and the eastern coast of Canada.
The most exotic of these is the Sept. 2 departure of Crown Princess from Southampton, as she sets out across the Atlantic Ocean bound for New York. But this is no ordinary transatlantic crossing. Spanning 15 days, Crown Princess will call on Lerwick, in Scotland’s Shetland Islands; three ports in Iceland (Akureyri, Isafjordur, and Reykjavik); St. John’s, N.L.; Halifax; and finally, New York. It’s a great way to get back to North America if you hate long-haul flights.
In the “also very cool” category is her June 17 Midnight Sun and Summer Solstice cruise. This one is 14 days in length, and departs Southampton bound for Norway’s North Cape, where the famous Midnight Sun will be well underway at that time of year. This entirely Norwegian voyage visits some of the most beautiful ports of call that the country has to offer, like pretty Flam, with its Flamsbana train — reportedly featuring one of the steepest grades in the world. It also calls on the spectacular city of Aalesund, Honningsvag (for excursions to the North Cape), Tromso, and the historic, Hanseatic city of Bergen, with its well-preserved Bryggen district of timber trading houses that have been carefully restored.
Of course, not everyone has two-plus weeks to take a cruise, which is why Princess offers a number of weeklong round trips aboard Crown Princess out of Southampton. This is enough time to fly to England, enjoy a few days in London, Southampton or the surrounding area (don’t miss nearby Winchester Cathedral with its mosaic stained glass windows) and a week aboard Crown Princess.
Princess has two really great weeklong itineraries out of Southampton on Crown Princess: a seven-day Norwegian Fjords voyage, and a weeklong “Scandinavia” cruise.
The Norwegian Fjords voyage departs on July 1 or July 22 and operates an entirely Norwegian itinerary. Ports of call on this one include Stavanger; Sognfjord; Olden; and Bergen, Norway.
The Scandinavia run departs only on Aug. 26 and includes port calls in Zeebrugge, Belgium (for Brussels); Copenhagen, Denmark; Helsingborg, Sweden; and Oslo, Norway.
I’ve sailed four times aboard Crown Princess, and really enjoy this ship. She’s big enough to offer something for everyone, but you’ll wonder where your 3,000plus guests went. The only real instances of crowding are found in the Horizon Court buffet and during evening performances in the Princess Theater, where you’re going to want to grab a seat early.
Crown Princess was the first ship to introduce Princess’s Piazza-style atrium; a grand, three-storey space where roving entertainment acts complement the lite-bites at the International Cafe and a glass of wine at Vines.
Best of all: Crown Princess offers a huge number of balcony staterooms, and plenty of open deck space to enjoy the fjords of Norway, from the viewing area above the bridge wings, to the 360-degree Promenade Deck that wraps completely around the bow of the ship.
Northern Europe never looked so good.
Happy cruising.