May 11

The flight was a bit bumpy and cramped. Someday, I want to have one the first-class pods.  For now, I hug myself for most of the flight to not have to fight over an armrest. I couldn’t even stretch my legs out because there was a storage compartment for a life jacket where my foot would be.

But, I made it to Heathrow, collected my bags, went through customs, shared a laugh with the Sikh customs agent, and headed out to wait for my mom’s arrival.

Princess’ representatives were there waiting for me – and then helped me gather my mom and got us on the bus to Southampton. Once at the terminal, we were able to quickly check-in, but had to wait about an hour before we could board the ship.

Once on board, our cabin was already ready for us. We took a look around and then headed for some lunch. I took a brief walk-around the ship to try to find things.  Of course, this meant finding the spa, but I also found 4 pools (all of which will be too cold to really enjoy on this trip) and I got lost trying to find one of the two dining rooms set aside for “anytime dining.”

Back at the room, mom and I got a quick nap before heading to dinner. We sat at a table with two other couples – one from California and one from Georgia. It was a nice dinner with great conversation. I had a “Mojito” sea bass appetizer, porcine cream of mushroom soup, roast pork and crème brulee.

We decided to call it a night – lack of sleep was catching up with me and the rocky waves indicated I would sleep very well.