Cruisin' On Tha Briney

Ocean Princess

Emerald Princess on the right

 The Last time we cruised was years ago, in the Caribbean.  Very family friendly and incidentally there were things for the grownups to do.  Didn't set my hair on fire to throw time and money at it again.

This summer was entirely different.  Two cruises.  Happy faces!  High fives!  Mostly adult activities. “What do you mean by activities?” he leered.  Dance classes:  Salsa, ballroom, line.  Photography classes taught by pros.  Art history class.  Wine tasting.  Cooking.  Exercise classes.  Comedians.  Floor shows.  Magicians.   Six luxurious bars, to linger over a martini and ogle the pony-tailed serving staff. Much more.  You really have to pace yourself!  I’m referring, of course, to the 40 different styles of martinis.

 

Pouring 9 Martinis at once

Fruit carving demo

Scottish Dancers

Both cruises were with Princess Line, a Carnival Corporation property.  Carnival owns a good portion of the name-brand cruise lines.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_Corporation_%26_plc

Which brings us to the whys and wherefores. 

What’s the best way to pick a cruise?  First, a few questions and the first one is not about the cruise line.  Where do you want to go and for how long?  Thirdly, when you nailed down those first two, which ship is the newest?  That tells you a lot about luxury and service and whether the paint will be peeling.  I’m drawing an unreasonably stark picture.  Cruising competition is keen and most ships are well kept.  Still, after a few days, if you’re a cruise veteran, as yours truly now is, your practiced eye will notice a difference.

The Emerald Princess, launched in 2007, was close to top of the line.  We sailed on E.P. for 12 days around the Baltic.  Wonderful ship.  Emerald is large, with almost 4000 passengers.  I figured that might be a little crowded, a drag on the limited facilities.  Big surprise.  No trouble at all.  With so many customers, the onboard agenda was packed with things to do.  Never saw an unreasonably large crowd.  Never saw a tour cancelled due to lack of participation.  Never saw a pool or a hot tub overcrowded or closed for repairs.  Service was superb.  Anytime I wanted a libation, on deck, in my room, or in one of the exquisite lounges, a smiling staff member obliged.

Our second cruise was on the Ocean Princess, launched in 1999 and refurbished in 2009.  Ocean Princess took us around the British Isles and Ireland for 8 days.  At 680 passengers, it’s a much smaller ship, with fewer onboard activities and some tours cancelled due to fewer people signing up.  The ship was very comfortable, but showed its age.  Hot tubs frequently closed for maintenance. Automatically opening doors didn’t.  Just a few things that were rougher than the Emerald Princess.  The common rooms were just as elegant…. meaning damn elegant, but of course were smaller.  Service was still wonderful.

Emerald Princess Showroom

In the Wheelhouse Bar

Much to my surprise and prejudice, the larger, newer ship suited my taste.

I’m slicing the apple thinly.  Both vessels met high standards and I would gladly take a cruise on either one again, however, if I had a choice…

What’s good about a cruise?  Can’t I just pick out some cities, fly there, stay in a hotel and have a better time?  Depends.  Many of the cities we thoroughly enjoyed, I’d either never heard of, or would never have gone to on my own. 

Baltic Cruise:  Tallin, Estonia.  St Petersburg, Russia.  Helsinki, Finland.  Stockholm, Sweden. Copenhagen, Denmark.  Oslo, Norway.  Aarhus, Denmark.

Great Britain-Ireland:  Dover, England.  St. Peter’s Port, Guernsey, U.K.  Dartmouth, England.  Waterford, Ireland.  Dublin, Ireland. Edinburgh, Scotland.

Ever hear of Tallin?  We hadn’t either.  Now it’s one of our favorite places:

http://stroudallover.blogspot.de/2013/07/tallinn-estonia-cutest-place-youve.html

Think you’d pick Dartmouth off a map of England? 

http://stroudallover.blogspot.de/2013/09/dartmouth-pilgrims-castles-and-war.html

Think you’d have much luck touring all of Scandinavia in 12 days?

The question boils down to survey versus depth.  I don’t suggest a cruise if your heartfelt desire is to learn Swedish, or herd reindeer in northern Norway.

How about the cost?  Aren’t cruises super expensive?  Can be.  Don’t have to be.  A little planning goes well with any excursion, whether you’re shopping for airfare, hotels, or cruises.  Cruise lines are known for their deep discounts and here’s where to find them:

http://www.vacationstogo.com/

http://www.cruisecritic.com/

Both sites are loaded with info, from cost to details about the ships.  On Princess Line, all meals are included and the meals are always interesting and very high quality.  Feel like sunning by the pool, downing a cool one and noshing a pizza?  Feel like a lavish, multi-course meal?  You can do either one, or both, or anything in between.  All included.

Alcoholic drinks are extra, as are specialty coffees.  No matter.  You can spend a bunch on drinks and still come in well under the high prices for all-inclusive cruises. Pretty much like the airlines, right?  Economy versus First Class.  The big difference being that going cheap on a cruise does not mean the food is less than wonderful and having to sleep with your knees tucked under your chin.

Looking down on the balconies

Pool deck on the Ocean Princess

Cruise suites, of course, are luxurious and huge, but lesser accommodations ain’t bad.  On our Baltic cruise we opt for a room with a balcony and paid a couple of hundred more.  On our Britain-Ireland tour, the balconies were sold out, but we got a room with a picture-window ocean view that was almost as good.  Both rooms were spacious and delightfully appointed.  Definitely not what you’d call economy rooms.

What’s the bottom price line?  You can find deals that cost $100 a day or less, per person, first class meals included.  Stack that up against the cost of meals and luxury hotel rooms!  On a cruise you also get sea views, entertainment, sunsets, and a bed that gently rocks and lulls you to sleep.

I’m a convert.  Cruises are fun, cheap, and a wonderful way to relax, while cooks, bartenders, and maids bust their hinnies to keep you comfortable and happy.  In the end, travel always boils down to time, money, interest, and style.  For my money, time, interests and style, I’m looking forward to our 

next cruise.

Famous White Cliffs of Dover

Try and get a view like this from your hotel room!

In Dublin's Fair City

Ireland's Old Parliament, Now The Bank of Ireland

Sweet Molly!

In Dublins fair city, where the girls are so pretty,

I once met a girl called sweet Molly Malone,

As she wheeled her wheelbarrow, through the streets broad and narrow,

Cryng cockles and mussels` Alive alive o

Hey, don’t just go breezing off to a pub the moment you hit town.  Stop by and pay your respects to Molly, or as she is known by the locals, “The tart with the cart.”  She hangs out on Grafton Street.  Her statue, with its eternally rotund features is not as old as you’d think.  1988.  At the same time, city fathers proclaimed 13 June Molly Malone Day.  What does that mean, exactly?  Far as I know, there was no Molly Malone, or at least not just one.  Lots of fishmongers, many of them women.  And, the song, written by James Yorkston, a Scotsman, wasn’t published until the early 1880s, in Cambridge, Massachusetts and London, England.  See, those sneaky Irish are at it again.  A Scot mentions Dublin in a song published in America and England and the Irish claim it as their own and make it Dublin’s ‘unofficial anthem.’

But, a country that brews Guinness and distills Jameson can be forgiven any number of transgressions.  Amen! And we’ll all drink to that!  The secret is safe. I won’t tell a soul.

Entry to the old Jameson Distillery 

View of Dublin from the top floor of Guinness Brewery

Besides gazing longingly at Molly’s assets, what else is there to do?

How much time do you have?  I’ve already written about Guinness Stout and Jameson Whiskey.  Between tours and drinking, those two alone will use up the best part of a day.

http://stroudallover.blogspot.de/2013/08/a-little-bit-of-ireland-lot-of-guinness.html

http://stroudallover.blogspot.de/2013/09/jameson-whiskey-its-irish-really.html

Yep, you can see castles and churches.  Figure those out for yourself.  But, the first thing I’d do is grab a hop-on-hop-off bus and take a whirlwind tour of the city, which will take you right past Molly Malone.  Don’t worry; the bus supplies earphones and commentary. Dublin ain’t New York.  Won’t take any time at all to spot a bus and buy your ticket right outside the train station.  A complete circle of the ville takes about an hour.  Gives you a great overview of Ireland’s largest city, with a population of over half a million souls.  Hop-on-hop off is not just an expression.  When you find something interesting and decide to hop off, another bus will come along ten minutes later.  A ticket lasts all day.

Another thing to consider that combines two of my favorite interests:  a literary pub tour.  The hours for the tour change with the seasons, so you’re on your own for scheduling.  However, if you’re not familiar with Irish writers, I’ll carelessly drop a few names:  James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, Brendan Behan, George Bernard Shaw, to mention only a few.  This is not to say they lived their entire lives in Dublin, but there is a connection to the city. But as James Joyce famously remarked, “Ireland sober is Ireland stiff.”  A pub tour is a good compromise between literature and sobriety.  A good many writers felt the same.  My favorite quote about Dublin comes from J.P.  Donleavy, author of The Ginger Man, and other novels:  “When I die I want to decompose in a barrel of porter and have it served in all the pubs in Dublin.”

Always time for a pub and a Stout!

And of course a pub lunch

I’ve given Joyce’s Ullyses a good shot, both sober and otherwise.  No dice.  Couldn’t gulp down the prose under any conditions.  The pundits call it the greatest novel.  I found it a disconnected ramble.  But, if you want a taste of Joyce, Dubliners is a wonderful collection of sketches of Dublin life.  Many of the sentences in that short book are cogent.

A bit about the Irish Republic’s government:  parliamentary system, much like other European parliaments. The original parliament building was closed with the Act of Union (with England) in 1800.  Since then, the old parliament building has been The Bank of Ireland.  It sits right next to Trinity College.  Ireland is a part of the European Union and the currency is the Euro.

Best of all, Dublin is a city for strolling, soaking in the atmosphere and chatting with people you didn’t know five minutes ago.  The first thing you notice is the charm of Dublin’s historic shabbiness.  That’s just another way of saying “a comfortable pair of well-worn shoes.”  Easy to fit in here.  Do a bit of shopping.  Stop in a pub.  Make a hundred friends.  Sketch out the plot for your first novel.  You can always marvel at the crusty vellum (calfskin) text of The Book of Kells (800 A.D.) at Trinity College later, or read about the long hard road to Irish independence and visit those sites where Irish statehood was written in blood and tears.  See Dublin Castle and The Garden of Remembrance.  Don't neglect those. But, first, let’s rub elbows down tha pub, have a pint of your favorite, and breathe some air in Dublin’s fair city.

Butler's also offers tours of the factory

From the Book of Kells

Waterford Ain't Just Crystal

Reginald's Tower. Named for, (Irish-Viking) ruler of the city Ragnall MacGillemaire

Inside the tower. 

Waterford, Ireland.  What's the first thing you think of?  If you even mention 'World famous crystal,' you're too far into your feminine side, unless you're a woman.  Then you're right in the doe-eyed, credit card zone. 

When a man’s man, the kind of guy who can swill a beer and belch out the flame of a candle twenty feet away, thinks of Ireland, two things cross his Cro-Magnon  mind:  Guinness and whiskey.  Ok, maybe a third thing, but since your wife is looking over your shoulder, we won’t mention the gorgeous redheads, the statuesque figures, the looks you know in your heart are only meant for you.

No, instead, let’s concentrate on marauding, plundering, gleaming swords, battles, and other precursors to football and golf.

Ok, take a thought mulligan.  What’s the first thing you think of in Waterford?  Vikings!  Yes!  Those masters of the longboat, explorers extraordinaire, feared by conquered men, adored by conquered women…. those tall, blond guys, festooned in animal skins, horned helmets, and waving heavy swords.  They founded Waterford.  Pretty big settlement in the 900’s.  Still is.  They built their city in a large triangle at the water’s edge, surrounded by a timbered wall.  Today’s the area is still known as The Viking Triangleand encompasses much of the old city.

You won’t visit Waterford without hearing of The Viking Triangle, but let’s add some names to get your visit in gear:  Reginald’s Tower, The Bishop’s Palace, The Waterford Museum of Treasures, and of course the Waterford Crystal Factory.   The good news is all four are only a block or two apart. Tours are offered at all four places. Better news:  pubs are also an easy walk.  

Keep in mind, those are only the big four.  Lots of other olden things to see if you're in town for a few days.  From the shoreline, to the harbor, to the old churches and monasteries, Ireland's second largest city will keep you entertained.

Statue of Luke Wadding, outside Greyfriars monastery.  He's the chap who got the pope to make St Patrick's Day a feast day.  Hey, we can all drink to that!

Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity.  Seems kinda plain for a Catholic church.  When they built it, the Catholics had to keep it simple of avoid offending the Protestants.

The only real question is, how long can you can stare at relics before a desperate need for a pint of Guinness or a drop of Ireland’s finest whiskey grabs you in a vice-like grip and forces you into a pub. I give you two hours, max.

But onward to the treasures of Waterford.

Reginald’s Tower is at the point of The Viking Triangle closest to the water’s edge.  The Vikings built it of wood, but over the centuries, pockmarked by wars and rebuilt by various owners, original wood morphed to stone.  Along the way, the tower’s been a jail, a mint, a castle, and now a museum.  The tour guide waxes well about the history, as well as the civil and hygienic conditions on the long road from then to today.  It’s said that the tower is the oldest standing building in Ireland.

Down the street is The Bishop’s Palace.  If the tower sings of the Vikings, The Bishop’s Palace gets you into the middle 1700s.  Reinactors guide you room to room through the foibles of yesteryear.  Lots of original furnishings and you can see one of the earliest examples of Waterford Crystal.

Inside the Bishop's Palace

 

Oldest Waterford crystal in the world.

To the side of The Bishop’s Palace stands The Waterford Museum of Treasures, which will lead you through 1000 years of fascinating history.  Wars, the Church, Kings, and knaves all intertwine.  If you want to know about medieval Waterford, this is the place.  Far from dusty and boring, this museum first opened in 1999 and is first class.  Bright.  Airy.  Well presented. Great coffee shop. You will especially want to view the gold vestments and hear of their improbable journey.

Here are a few of the treasures:

Henry VIII's sword

His hat.

Just one of the seven gold vestments, buried and recovered.

Across the street from The Bishop’s Palace is the Waterford Crystal Factory and showroom.  There are tours, but be warned, they fill up fast. Even if you don’t do the tour, walk through the stunning showroom.

Since its beginning as Primrose Glass Company in 1783, Waterford Crystal has had its ups and downs, but somehow always survived because of quality and demand.  I suggest this link if you want to read more:

http://www.all-ireland.com/attractions/munster/waterford/waterfordcrystal.htm

Now for a drink.  Walk down the street.  Look for a crowd of boisterous barbarians.  Go inside.  Ah, that’s better.  Education is a thirsty business.

Flowers adorn this city!

That boisterous crowd you were looking for.

A bit of shopping.

End it with a pub lunch:  Shepard's pie!