Our Experience on a Group Cruise with Paul & Carole Love to Travel

This blog gives a glimpse into Our Experience on a Group Cruise with Paul & Carole Love to Travel. Some 170 cruise enthusiasts joined Paul & Carole for their first ever Group Cruise aboard Princess Cruises Sky Princess. As we headed off on this 7-day trip to Norway and Denmark, we wondered what was ahead of us. Would we get on with people, would we enjoy being part of such a large party, would we have time to ourselves, will we get the group dance right? Why not read on and find out.

 

Embarkation Day

Ken and I had an early start on Embarkation Day. Together with Jonny and Will of Travel with Jonny and Will, we joined Paul and Carole and Travel Agents Dan and Tony of Go Cruise & Travel at Southampton. The aim was to get onto the ship early and set up Take 5 for everyone to register, get lanyards and goodie bags ready etc. Problems at the terminal meant that didn’t work quite to plan, however it worked out in the end. It wasn’t long before the other group cruisers arrived and we spent a very pleasant time meeting and chatting. All of a sudden it was time for sailaway and of course on Princess Cruises this is quite an event, so we all headed to the open deck.

The first evening was filled with people having dinner together and getting to know one another. Some of us had spoken on-line yet never met in person. Despite this we felt we knew each other and conversations were very easy and definitely fun. The evening was warm enough for some of us to meet at the Sunset Bar and make the most of the evening sunshine before heading for a well-earned rest in those wonderful Princess Beds.

 

Sea Days

We enjoy days at sea on all of our cruises and this was no exception. We always find there is plenty to do whether that comprises of deck sports, choir, quizzes or simply watching the world go by. However on this cruise, there was even more to get involved with. Paul and Carole had arranged for daily meet ups in one of the larger lounges. This made for a good meeting point, a chance to meet more people and take part in the quizzes. Even Dilys came along to meet up with other Crazy Cruising Ducks!

There were several quizzes organised one was on how much we knew about Paul and Carole, another on music, one that was based on places, one on general knowledge and a scavenger hunt that ran through the week. Many people were keen to get involved in the quizzes and keen to test their knowledge of the various topics. Friendly competition, of course, but there were prizes too!

Evenings found most people meeting for dinner in the Main Dining Room where a section had been made available for the Group. This was another great way to socialise. However we were still able to `do our own thing’ as well. So some evenings Ken and I headed off to other restaurant venues or speciality dining. After dinner most people went in different directions to enjoy the entertainment that is provided on the ship – production shows, cabaret artists, silent discos and much more. We also tended to congregate in one of the public areas – and yes you guessed it there was more chatting, lots of laughing and a few drinks along the way.

 

Dining

As I’ve already mentioned, most people ate their evening meal in the Main Dining Room. The food and service here was very good but Ken and I do have a couple of favourite restaurants on board. The first we visited was The Catch by Rudi. A fish inspired restaurant although there are alternatives for those not so keen on fish. We had a wonderful night from beginning to end. We were able to sit in a more secluded part of the restaurant on one of only 4 tables in that area. Our server was very professional, knowledgeable and funny. The food was, yet again, top notch. Particular mention of the starters (I had crab cake and Ken had a prawn dish) and the pavlova dessert. Well worth the cover charge and we would definitely recommend trying it.

Our second Speciality Dining Restaurant has been a favourite of ours for a long time – Crown Grill. We so looked forward to eating there with our friends. What a shame it didn’t reach its usual high standards. On the plus side the bread basket that arrived at the table was a real highlight (particularly the cheese filled rolls) and also the Black and Blue Soup. We have had better steaks in the past but the most disappointing was the table waiter.

We always advocate mentioning issues of concern whilst still on board so that the company has time to look at the issue and rectify if necessary. So Ken took a leaf out of his own book and spoke to one of the restaurant supervisors about our issue. The matter was resolved to our satisfaction and the following day our friends had their issues resolved as well. Mistakes and issues occur but it is how the company deal with them that is equally important.

Destinations

It almost seemed as if destinations were secondary however our first  port was Kristiansand in Norway. A beautiful port that is easy to stroll around. There are museums and churches to see, the old town to explore with its beautiful wooden buildings and of course cafes and bars. We took the opportunity to walk along the various streets, through a local park and on to the old town. We had lovely weather and met others from the ship that we chatted to.

Our second port of call was Oslo, a city we have visited on a number of occasions. This time we decided to book a boat tour through Viator. We have taken a number of tours through this company in various locations and found them well organised and good value. This particular tour was a boat trip into the fjord. Six of us ventured out from the ship with quite a walk to the location. However it was a pleasant day so that was fine. The boat itself was very accessible with ramps and steps to all levels. There was plenty of inside seating and a well organised cafe. However there was no outside seating, it was not an eco-boat as advertised and the itinerary only took us around the harbour. We did have opportunity for plenty of photos but overall it was quite disappointing.

We headed to the next port of Copenhagen, which would in fact be our last due to bad weather. Copenhagen is a beautiful city and we have spent many hours exploring it over the years. We have enjoyed boat trips around the harbour and canal trips as well. We have also been lucky enough to see Tivoli Gardens in both summer and winter. It is quite amazing how it is transformed during the winter months and well worth a visit if you can.

This time we headed to Tivoli Gardens with about 90 people from the group cruise. Two buses took us for a quick photo stop to see `The Little Mermaid’ and then on to Tivoli. Once again it did not disappoint. The gardens are beautiful, the rides quite terrifying, the atmosphere electric and then you also get the culture of a ballet being performed at the Chinese Theatre. We spent a few hours here with various friends and had a great time.

So what did we think?

Being on Paul and Carole’s first Group Cruise was a fantastic opportunity, great fun and quite tiring! However it has given us plenty to think about in relation to our own Group Cruise that we are organising for April 2026 – further details of this can be found on our website by clicking HERE.

To answer my original questions:

Would we get on with people – well of course we did! There was such an eclectic mix of people from across the world who were so much fun.

Would we enjoy being part of such a large party – yes we did. Although we wouldn’t want all of our cruises to be like it, this cruise ranks among one of the most fun.

Would we have time to ourselves – yes we did. There was so much happening on board and with the Group that there was always something to join in with. We could dip in and out as we pleased and enjoy everyone’s company too.

Could we do the Group Dance – well check out the excerpt below and find out!!

 

And Finally …

A personal thank you to Paul and Carole, Dan and Tony, Jonny and Will and everyone we met on board, whether it was guests, staff or crew. We had a fantastic week.