We are met right on time by EC Minibus, a great choice for transfers in London with options to combine tours when embarking / disembarking Southampton.
Check-in at Southhampton is a breeze, and kudos to Princess for getting this aspect of their Medallion technology right, because the pre-boarding aspect is a sheer disaster! We are whisked through the line as Suite Guests however this perk is minimal as the standard line is also moving right along.
We head straight for our room, and it does not disappoint! Vista Suite A727, a/k/a the Malaga Suite is one of the newer additions during IPs controversial renovation several years ago. Rough seas all night and we minimized the noise from vibrations by moving empty hangers in between those with clothes in the closets. True about insufficient electrical outlets but this is easily solved with a few multi-port devices.
We take advantage of the complimentary specialty dining, and Bayou Steakhouse, which also recently had its menu revamped to align with other Princess steakhouses proves to be one of the best ribeye/lobster tail combos we have ever had at sea! Kudos again to Princess for losing the New Orleans menu which was just awful. Would have worked fine as a third restaurant choice for those who enjoy that type of food, but alligator sausage is just not on our bucket list, and we were prepared to go straight main dining room before it was updated two months ago.
Casino is small, but there were machines to play, and payouts typically poor although I know not how Richard managed to be up $500.00 for the night!
We have a Cruise Critic meet & greet this afternoon followed by our first formal dinner, and will make it an early night as tomorrow’s meeting time in La Coruna for Santiago de Compostela is 7:00 am! Cruising can be such hard work!
