It was a beautiful sunny day as we left our hotel at around 11.00am to make our way to the ship. Within 15 mins we were at the quayside, the luggage had been taken, the car was off to the car park and we headed towards the ship. Check-in was completed in minutes and the ship was already to be boarded; the only hold-up was at the hand sanitiser that seemed to have a mind of its own. We made our way to deck 14 and the buffet obtaining a seat by 11.46. Not quite a record but not bad!!
After a quick bite in the buffet it was time to explore the ship. Although this is the first time we have been on Sapphire Princess the layout is virtually identical to the Star and the Emerald, so within a short time it was like a home from home. It didn’t take us long to find the table tennis and have a quick game. Next to the table tennis was a new addition, a football table. Unfortunately some of the men were broken so our game was short lived.
A walk into the sunshine on the open deck gave the perfect opportunity for the obligatory embarkation selfie.
Southampton today was particularly busy as in addition to our ship, the Independence of the Seas was in town. Also the International Boat Show was in progress which attracted many visitors. You can see the Independence and the many temporary buildings for the Boat Show in the following photo.
We had the normal safety drill at 3.15 ready for a 4.00pm departure however the captain has just announced that due to the amount of supplies that have to be loaded we are likely to be delayed by an hour or so. That gives us more time to enjoy the ship, soak up the sunshine and listen to England finally getting on top of Australia in the test.
The next post is likely to be when we reach Canada unless something happens on the journey.