Selling the family!

Last week, I packed my parents and my kids into the car and drove 65 miles to the Royal Albert Dock, where I proceeded to sell them on the idea of cruising!

Having been invited by Princess Cruises to experience one of their special ‘ship-visit-family-days’ aboard Crown Princess, I grasped the opportunity with both hands; as well as embracing the chance to step on board a Princess Crown-class ship and for my children to experience a cruise ship first-hand prior to our holiday later in the year, I saw this as a chance to ‘convert’ my Mum & Dad and to sell them on the benefits of cruising.

My Mum & Dad have always been a couple that have said ‘cruising is not for us’, despite never having tried it for themselves… their assumptions have simply been based upon preconceptions of cruising and it was my mission to simply hold their hands, give them an opportunity to spend a few hours on board and enjoy watching them love every minute!

Our visit began with meeting the Liverpool Town Crier whilst checking in at the cruise terminal, then handing over our passports in exchange for VIP cruise cards and a detailed itinerary letting us know what lay in store…

As we walked along the dock toward the Crown Princess, the children (Ryan & Kayla) were amazed at the size of the ship, both saying it was larger than they had imagined. Mum & Dad both commented on having seen cruise ships from afar, yet not having realised the actual scale and size until up close; they seemed quietly impressed and even stopped to snap a quick picture before embarking.

Once on board we headed to the Atrium and I explained that this area tends to form the heart of a cruise ship and is where you generally find facilities such as; the guest reception, the internet cafe, library, gallery and various shops and bars. In this instance, we were also privy to a little Atrium-entertainment to welcome us on board which was enjoyed by all.

We were invited to enjoy coffee and pastries in one of the show lounges where the lovely team from Princess Cruises went through the order of the day. Whilst waiting for the presentation to commence, Mum & Dad remarked on the opulent feel of the ship and, as they surveyed the lounge from their carefully chosen seats, they commented on how they could quite see themselves heading to the show lounge after dinner to enjoy entertainment of an evening… a gentle shift in their attitude to cruising was already apparent and we hadn’t even explored the ship yet!

Part of the ‘ship-visit-family-day’ experience involved ensuring the children were fully immersed in exploring all areas of the ship by issuing a quiz-style scavenger hunt with various questions and tasks to complete along the way; this served as a great checklist for our exploration and ensured we visited all the areas of interest on board.

We were  given free time to explore the ship with a rendezvous point for an hour later, so I decided to take the family back to the Atrium where we snapped a quick selfie as part of our list of tasks to complete, had a quick look at one of the restaurants featured on our quiz-sheet, popped into the internet cafe, art gallery, library, casino & wine bar (although not to partake in a glass as it was still only 10am!), and then headed up to the Lido deck where I let the facilities continue to speak for themselves.

As we strolled the promenade, my parents were particularly take with the Calypso Reef & Pool area where I explained that the screen, which was used to display images throughout the day, came into its own of an evening showcasing Movies Under the Stars. The kids also thought it would be ‘awesome’ to lay on a sunbed and watch a movie beside the pool at night.

We ventured toward the back of the ship where I told my Mum & Dad that many seasoned cruisers often request staterooms close to the Terrace Pool as this tends to be one of the quieter pool areas, and cabins nearby mean you are only ever a few steps from the water; something I knew my parents would love.

Before long it was the time to head back along the promenade to meet the rest of our group at Neptune’s Reef & Pool, where we were treated to ‘the best pizza at sea’, which lived up to its name and got a huge thumbs up…

… all washed down with delicious homemade lemonade and finished off with delicous soft-serve ice cream! The kids were delighted, (almost as much as me!), and as we settled down with our ice creams beside the pool, and the sun came through the clouds, Mum & Dad remarked how they could quite see themselves enjoying a snack poolside in the sunshine in a different port each day. They were certainly warming to the idea of cruising.

We were given more time to explore before lunch and completed various tasks on our list – shooting hoops at Centre Court, busting a move on the dancefloor at Skywalkers Nightclub and counting the rows of seats in estimations of the capacity of the Princess Theater… (702 seats for anyone who may be curious… & the videos of the kids busting a move at Skywalkers & the action on Centre Court can be found on my Facebook page: Katrina And The Waves).

We also ventured to the Lotus Spa and Fitness Centre overlooking the bow of the ship, stopping by the Wedding Chapel on the way; where Mum remarked on how lovely it would be to be renew their vows at sea!  Dad was impressed by how well equipped the gym is and the fact that you are able to exercise and work off some of the extra calories with such amazing views and Kayla was particularly taken with the spa; a girl after my own heart. I then led my parents through to the the spa pool and adults-only ‘Sanctuary’ area, where Mum & Dad looked very comfortable relaxing on a couple of sun loungers.

We explored a little more as we headed across to the  buffet restaurant for a spot of lunch. The food was excellent and complimented very well by a nice glass of red wine and the exceptional service… my Dad remarked throughout the visit that he had never felt so important, as every member of the team was so attentive and amiable. It was lovely to see my parents enjoying the experience and the children loved every minute – especially after lunch as we headed to Camp Discovery; Princess Cruises’ on board youth program, where my parents enjoyed themselves as much as the kids!

All in all we had an absolutely wonderful day which certainly showcased the ship and the facilities… the children were sad to leave having had such a great day aboard and are looking forward to our cruise in October even more now. Mum & Dad were pleasantly surprised and have said they would definitely consider a cruise in the future; in fact Mum has already been browsing various sailing itineraries for their upcoming Ruby Wedding Anniversary! Of course they shall be booking through myself so I’ll keep you updated, and as always, I am on hand for all your cruising needs. Love Katrina ?