My best vacation so far

This was part of our bucket list since I would also like to write about my experience travelling from one country to another via sea transportation instead of the usual land and air transportation

When I started my weekly column TRANS-ITIONS early this year, I envisioned a column that will tackle transportation in a broader basis — a column that will not just feature land transportation but also sea and air transportation, as well. A majority of my articles featured the latest cars in the market today. I also wrote one article about our local shipping industry and how the modern roll-on/roll-off ferries connect our archipelago from north to south. Very few articles have been written about sea transportation. And today, I would like to write about sea transportation to emphasize the potential that still has to be tapped by an island nation like the Philippines.

Last 22 October 2019, my wife and I left for Europe to embark on a cruise that will take us to seven countries in the southern part of Europe along the Mediterranean Sea. This was part of our bucket list since I would also like to write about my experience travelling from one country to another via sea transportation instead of the usual land and air transportation.

We took Princess Cruise Lines for our Mediterranean cruise. Our cruise brought us to Italy, Montenegro, Croatia, Greece, France and Spain. The ship that we took was the Emerald Princess. It is a huge cruise ship that can accommodate more than 3,000 passengers and 1,000 crew members. It is a floating hotel and city all rolled into one. This cruise ship is propelled by four 12-cylinder diesel engines and two eight-cylinder diesel engines that produce 91,366 bhp! An average compact sedan produces 120 bhp. So, 91,366 bhp is equivalent to 761 compact sedans powering the whole ship.

Many would think that spending a vacation by cruising would be expensive. On the contrary, going on a cruise is the cheapest vacation ever. An 11-day Mediterranean cruise will cost $3,000 for two persons but you can bring two more persons to stay in your cabin with you at no extra cost. If you crunch the numbers, paying $3,000 for four persons on an 11-day cruise will only amount to only $70 per person per day. All meals are free of charge for the duration of the cruise. You only pay extra for optional land tours and special drinks. Nightly shows inside the cruise ship are also free of charge. With this cost analysis, we finalized our decision to embark on a Mediterranean cruise.

We boarded the Emerald Princess in Civitavecchia, a small port city northwest of Rome. I immediately observed that unlike our local seaport facilities, the facilities in Civitavecchia were clean, orderly and comfortable, just like an international airport. Our check-in experience was fast and orderly until prior to boarding the ship, we were flagged by security personnel who courteously escorted us to the ship’s customer relations manager.

For a while I got worried. But, good thing, eventually we were met by Gianluca Cozzolino, the ship’s customer relations manager. He explained to us that our assigned cabin had technical problems and he asked our permission if he can transfer us to another cabin of equivalent size and location. I immediately agreed. While he was searching for a substitute room for us, we did small talk and I casually mentioned to him that this was a working vacation for me because I plan to write about my cruising experience onboard the Emerald Princess in one of my future articles in Daily Tribune. As a seasoned customer relations manager, Gianluca immediately recognized that I was a different passenger. He decided on the spot to extend special courtesies to transportation journalists like me.

In order for me to fully immerse and experience what it is to cruise with Princess Cruise Lines, he transferred us to a family suite consisting of two rooms and two bath rooms. It also has the biggest balcony in the ship. This suite can comfortably accommodate eight persons. What a pleasant surprise! But wait, there’s more. Occupying a family suite comes with a lot of perks. You have a personal steward on call 24 hours a day. You are entitled to complimentary laundry for the duration of the cruise. You are entitled to fine dining from breakfast till dinner at the very exclusive Club Class Dining. No need for buffets unless you are in a hurry. No need to line up to get a table and no need to line up for food. You also get priority disembarkation every time the ship docks in the several ports of call.

What really impressed me most is the culture of cleanliness inside this floating city. There were constant reminders for everybody to wash hands before and after eating. And there are hand sanitizers all over the ship, just like a hospital. Captian Martin Stenzel, the ship’s captain is a passionate advocate of this culture of cleanliness.

He explained to me that medical issues that occur within the ship can result in the whole ship being quarantined. Out of curiosity, I asked him what was the technical issue that prevented us from occupying our assigned cabin? He revealed to me that there were indications that our assigned cabin was infected by the norovirus. And they needed to disinfect and isolate the room for several days just to be sure that the norovirus was contained and eradicated.

Even without these perks, our experience with Princess Cruise Lines was our best vacation ever! It was like staying in a five-star hotel for 11 days with complimentary food and entertainment to boot. There was always something for everyone. There were daily activities on board for kids and adults. If you are into gambling, there is a casino. There were also nightly movies, music and dancing, and even singing contests. There was never a dull moment inside this ship.

Lastly, I have to make special mention (most especially) to the Filipino crew of the Emerald Princess — from the waiters, engineers and to the security personnel. They were the best in providing outstanding service to all of the guests of the Emerald Princess. No wonder, 70 percent of the world’s shipping crews are Filipinos!

What really impressed me most is the culture of cleanliness inside this floating city.