A Cruise Round the Canary Islands
By Roger Crow, May 2026
I’ve long had a love of luxury cruise liners. Back in the 1970s, one of the highlights of Sunday afternoons on ITV was The Love Boat, in which the jovial crew welcomed new passengers each week for a heady mix of comedy and drama.
And for the past decade I’ve been living my own Love Boat dream, travelling the world on assorted Princess ships.
My latest, the Sky Princess, was a joy, not least because I managed to sail out of Southampton, saving a fortune on airfares and hassle getting to some overseas port. And check-in could not have been easier. After bag drop, we sailed through the usual routine of getting our medallions, handy coin-sized gizmos which act as room keys and currency.
Once through X-ray we were onboard, waiting for the sail-away party. Even on a relatively sunny day in Southampton, the party took place indoors, in the dazzling atrium, where we would spend a chunk of the next two weeks trying to find anywhere to sit, usually after obtaining speciality coffees and outstanding tuna sandwiches from International Cafe.
“Staff were excellent”
With more than 3,000 passengers on board during the Easter holidays (many of us Brits), it was rare to feel like Blighty had the dominating presence on a cruise liner. But here we are.
I had to feel for some US tourists trying to answer trivia questions about EastEnders when they’d never seen the show. And the trivia quizzes, as ever, became a favourite pastime. Okay, some of them could have done with a little work on the research department. Example: Tom Hanks picked up an Oscar for what film in 1994? Their answer – Forrest Gump. The actual answer? Philadelphia. It hardly mattered. A good time was had by all, especially us as we managed to win at least three of the quizzes, and the fake champers prize wasn’t too bad, if you added enough orange juice.
The entertainment staff were excellent, especially Matt Thompson, who may rank as my favourite cruise director. Part stand-up comedian, part master of ceremonies, and unflappable, which is no easy task when you have to keep so many holiday-makers happy. And it was a joy telling him daily gags, either face to face or via the slips of paper you can post which may end up in daily series The Wake Show. Like one of those daytime TV shows, only set around the ship and with better jokes.
“Insanely good”
The food was mostly excellent, whether fine dining every night, or guiltily scoffing hot dogs. Admittedly service to the table from The Salty Dog was terrible as a friend discovered when they tried to get their lunch delivered a few feet away via the onboard app. It took around an hour, and after repeated requests, so best to just queue up rather than put an order through online. The food, however, was insanely good, and as ever, the ice creams were to die for.
When it comes to port excursions we opted for one Princess-organised tour and assorted private tours (see travel tips), as well as the odd potter around a city. Some folks are terrified of using private companies for fear of not getting back to the ship in time, and though one got us back with half an hour to spare, the decision to drop us the other side of the port meant we stepped back on board with a mere five minutes to spare, so always best to get dropped as close to the ship as possible.
Marina in Gran Canaria
“Amazing food”
Anyway, here are some extracts from my onboard diary, which gives you a flavour of the trip.
Fabulous morning in Tenerife, but after the eight-mile walk yesterday, my body clearly wondering why it’s moving so much. Left port around 9.30pm for a journey that should take 80 mins, so should be in our next dock any minute. Amazing food on this ship so ‘diet hard’ is the goal once back in Blighty. Maybe I should ask tonight’s comedy hypnotist, David Knight. Oh, and dropped a point on the ABBA quiz. ‘Hasta Manana’. Who knew? The winner apparently, who took it all.
Day 6 or 7 on the Sky Princess, and an epic tour of Gran Canaria, named after all the elderly yellow birds. Back on the ship by dinner time, then a fab Welsh Adele tribute, and Eighties night, which was a case of showing millennials how to party.
The Cactus Garden in Lanzarote
“More calm”
Day 8 on the Canary Islands tour, and another first. Lanzarote, which is a lot like the Azores and Arrakis from Dune. The fact anything grows here is amazing considering zero rainfall. Fabulous trips to one of the island’s greatest artists’ old haunts; Manrique created the greatest cactus garden you’ll ever see, and a gorgeous tourist must-see hotspot in a lava tunnel. Back on board. Sitcoms quiz, followed by a Queen quiz, then an epic show to finish before watching Artemis 2 do its moon flyby.
Every day at 5pm, some repeat cruisers get to nibble cheese and quiches on the Sky Princess. It’s very pleasant, not least because it’s the one place on the ship not playing ‘Funky Town’ by Lipps Inc. Lisbon tomorrow.
The soundtrack for the last 12+ hours. 5.30pm Music for a Sushi Restaurant. (after one of our special dining trips to, you guessed it, the sushi restaurant). Later, 10pm-7am, it may as well have been ‘Rollercoaster’ by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Terrible seas en route to Lisbon. So bad, I thought Gene Hackman and Shelley Winters (from The Poseidon Adventure) were going to show up. Anyway, thankfully less rock n roll and more calm as we disembark on the last port before ‘home’.
Tram in Lisbon
“Obsession with feedback”
Lisbon, by the way was phenomenal. Paulo, our private guide, ferried us around town all day in a gorgeous Mercedes people carrier, and thanks to Mrs Crow contacting an American couple in advance, we got to share the cost of the trip.
Like any cruise ship, there are pros and cons. An obsession with feedback is one pro that becomes a con, though you can understand it. All companies these days want to ensure they give the best service, and for the most part Princess are superb. Our room was excellent, the facilities were great, and most of the staff were outstanding.
I’d long wanted to do the Southampton Canaries trip and it did not disappoint. In fact I’d quite happily do the whole thing again, which is testament to how enjoyable the experience was. Just on the proviso that ‘Proud Mary’ and ‘Funky Town’ aren’t played every 10 minutes.
Straw-roofed cottage in Madeira
Travel tips:
- Book your favourite ship restaurant in advance for the duration of the trip. You can always change it later.
- Some of the restaurants are available for breakfast and lunch, so don’t forget them if you want a change of scenery, great service and food of course.
- Check the colour of the port and starboard carpets for a handy guide of which side of the ship your cabin is.
- If you are booking private tours, naturally tell them early when you need to be back to the ship (yes, some travellers don’t bother until late in the day). And obviously take a good stash of concealed Euros for tips.
Here’s three companies who did an excellent job on our paid trips. They didn’t cost the Earth, and if you want to share costs with other travellers, post a message on Princess social media groups to see if anyone is interested.
Gran Canaria: sky-rebels.com
Madeira: shoreexcursionsgroup.com
Lisbon: santotoursportugal.com – ask for Paulo Sousa, an excellent driver/guide.
images: Rachel Crow
Adopted Yorkshireman Roger Crow developed a passion for film and TV in the 1970s and 1980s. He has been a published film and TV reviewer since the 1990s; a world travel and restaurant critic since the noughties, and for the past decade has assessed the pros and cons of live gigs and theatre productions around the UK. His ideal day would involve reviewing a performance of Bat Out of Hell, followed by a Pad Thai while being serenaded by Texas on a cruise around Europe.
crowsfeat.com; nostalgiahhh film podcast
