I was recently invited by Princess Cruises to the launch of Chrissie Manby's new book, A Proper Family Adventure. The book is based on a family cruising around the Med so Royal Princess was the perfect backdrop to the book launch. Royal Princess was launched in 2012 by the Duchess of Cambridge and it is a truly stunning ship. I've been brought up around cruise ships all my life so I was really excited to be able to go onboard for a tour and lunch as well as the book launch.
I've read Chrissie Manby books for years so it was great to be able to have a Q&A with one of my favourite authors. I was also given a copy of the book to take home with me so I'm determined to schedule in some downtime so I can settle down and get stuck in.
I've read Chrissie Manby books for years so it was great to be able to have a Q&A with one of my favourite authors. I was also given a copy of the book to take home with me so I'm determined to schedule in some downtime so I can settle down and get stuck in.
It was an early rise on 13th August as myself, Mandy and Jess had to be at Ocean Terminal in Southampton for 10.30am to get our passes and get through security to be able to go onboard Royal Princess. The entire time we were on board it was pelting it with rain so exploring the decks were a little slippery. We stepped into the Piazza Atrium first which was stunningly beautiful. Spiral, gold staircases, with dropped star lighting and a piano playing in the background. It was exactly how you expected a cruise ship to look. We were then led through to the spa, lounge bars, restaurants and upper decks before going through the Princess Live for the book launch.
After the launch, we were treated to three-course lunch in Sabatini's, a speciality Italian restaurant onboard Royal Princess. The service from the moment we stepped foot in was exemplary. Our chairs were pushed in, napkins laid upon our laps and iced water served immediately. There were two options for starters and main and a single option for dessert. I opted for Cold Smoked Salmon and Soused Crayfish Tails marinated in Bloody Mary. It was beautifully presented and tasted incredible. I love seafood and the crayfish was meaty and the bloody mary marinate complimented it really well.
I also chose the fish option for main which was Trout Amandine cooked in brown butter with toasted almonds accompanied by creamed leek and parsley potatoes. Again the dish was beautifully presented and the trout was cooked to perfection. Over lunch, with the girls, we were able to chat to Jessica from Princess Cruises about the ship, the launch and cruise life. A dessert of Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Souffle followed as well as coffee with homemade Gormandises. We were well and truly spoilt on Royal Princess and I loved getting the chance to walk around the ship and see how grand it was. After being walked off the ship we were greeted again by Mark and Jessica with goody bags with all the details on the launch, Chrissie Manby's new book and a Garnier Summer Body lotion which is one of my favourites.
Scroll on for all the photos from the day!
