Princess Pamper Day at Sea

There is really nothing better than a sea day – and even more when it unexpectedly turns into a Princess Pamper Day at Sea! Emma and I were recently guests of Princess Cruises on a 5 day itinerary from Southampton. We visited Zeebrugge, Rotterdam and Guernsey. This was a huge treat in itself and we already felt very lucky to be aboard Enchanted Princess.

Then our schedule for Day 3, a sea day, arrived… WOW!

The Ultimate Balcony Breakfast

This began our day in style. The morning was warm, the sun twinkled on the sea and Emma and I had the balcony partition between us opened so that we could share our treat. Our waiter arrived on the dot of 08.30 bringing champagne, orange juice, coffee, a fruit platter, smoked salmon, cream cheese, a hot mini quiche and salad, fresh brioche buns and platter of assorted pastries and muffins. A quite overwhelming experience!

cathyUltimate Balcony Breakfast — Cathy with her Ultimate Balcony Breakfast

The Ultimate Balcony Breakfast usually costs $45 for a couple – what an absolutely amazing treat for a special occasion at sea!

Spa Time…

At 10.00 I was off to the Lotus Spa for a Thousand Flower Detox wrap. A quick consultation with my lovely therapist Chix in the elegant Relax lounge and then we were off to her treatment room with its low lighting and ambient music. An amazing scented rub was followed by warm weighted blankets to wrap me tight. My scalp was massaged and an eye mask applied – it was hard to stay awake! Then into the shower, to wash away what I was genuinely surprised to find was mud – officially the best smelling mud on the planet! Then back onto the bed for a fully body massage and a reflexology session – blissful.

Emma followed along a little later for an Elemis Biotech facial that left her skin glowing and clear – she was really pleased with the results and I was so relaxed I could hardly stay awake!

The Thousand Flower Wrap usually costs $175 – now in the past I have felt that spa prices onboard were very high compared to those at home but I must admit that I didn’t realise that the prices included much more than the headline treatment. As well as the treatment, massage and reflexology the price also included two hours in The Enclave…

The Enclave…

is an enclosed private area of the spa situated deep in the bow of the ship. Here you will find a hydrotherapy pool, sauna, steam rooms, hammam, hot beds and a tropical rain shower. The area is accessible either alongside a spa treatment or with a separate pass. Its an area that I know well and one of my favourite places on the ship. I love to have a warm soak in the pool especially on a cold weather cruise such as Alaska or the Fjords where the outside pools are a bit chilly. The price seems to vary but is usually around $20 pro rata for a day for a weeks pass and $40 dollars for a single day pass.

The Sanctuary…

We had no time to waste on too much laying around relaxing in the spa – because we were booked for an afternoon of relaxing up on Deck 18! The Sanctuary is a private retreat offering a relaxing adults-only space overlooking the bow. With its menu of complementary smoothies signature cocktails and light meals it was a quiet nice space to sit and relax. Lunch and afternoon tea are offered and certainly on a warm weather cruise this would be a perfect spot to hideaway. A pass costs 20$ for half a day or 40$ for a full day and you can purchase a cabana area for about double that. Many people book whole voyage passes to this area but in normal times I’m usually found in the Sanctuary pool which is just outside its entrance. Another adult only space it is accessible to all without extra charges and generally quite quiet because many people think it is part of the ‘paid for’ experience.

Cocktails in The Sky Suite…

After all this relaxing and pampering it was ‘best frocks on’ for a champagne reception in one of the two Sky Suites on board – these overlook the main pool area and the Movies under the Stars Screen. The suites have their own private viewing area to watch the films and a terrace which is very visible from the decks below so I had always been a little underwhelmed by the look of these suites. In fact they are absolutely beautiful spaces, with two bedrooms, a central seating and dining area and another, more secluded and private, balcony to the rear of the suite. Most importantly they come with the care and service of the wonderful “Suite Experience Manager’ April who had arranged us a perfect cocktail party where we watched the sunset before heading to supper. This is not an experience that is normally available unless you actually book into the Suites so we were very grateful to Princess for allowing us to spend time in such special surroundings!

Crown Grill Restaurant…

is one of the three speciality restaurants onboard Enchanted Princess. It is a Steak and Seafood restaurant that regularly wins nominations as best Speciality Restaurant at sea. It features a theatre-style open kitchen where chefs can be watched preparing and cooking the food but our party were to treated the exclusive round table surrounded by illuminated wine fridges so we missed a little of the theatre aspect – the food however was absolutely outstanding. I opted for scallops in a creamy sauce, as did Emma, and then I chose the lobster tail while Emma had Surf and Turf. With a Creme Brûlée to round the meal off it was an absolute treat and definitely worth the normal $29.00 cover charge.

So there we are… we discovered that even a perfect day at sea can be enhanced with a little upgrade or five!! We know that we were very, very spoilt to have all of these treats in one day but it was great to try them out and I would definitely recommend them all to you next time you cruise with Princess – but maybe not all on the same day!

Emma & Cathy from Cruise Addicted were guests of Princess Cruises on a 5 night voyage from Southampton in May 2022