Fort Lauderdale, Florida Thurs, March 5, 2026
Sun Princess
The Sun Princess has an unusual floor plan with restaurants on the lower floors. The Spa being on the sixth floor instead of by the gym. It was refreshing to have a new one year old ship to explore .
Princess ships have developed a magnetic key that unlocks your door when you approach it.
It is magical especially when your hands are full.
After finding our room we headed to the 19th floor
to look at the views of Fort Lauderdale.
We enjoyed the sail away leaving Fort Lauderdale.
Fort Lauderdale can boast about having a very scenic sail away harbor.
It was interesting to see that a sea wall was being put in to protect the fabulous homes.
The Piazza is a center stage of the ship. Offering views of activities....Zumba, Line Dancing, Music, Games, Aerial Shows.... with comfortable seating on three floors. It was the center of all kinds of entertainment.
Our favorite show on the ship was called Silken Skies Aerial. It was unbelievable.
Lots of cozy spots to relax and ....
we never had a problem finding a lounge, even with 4000+ guests on board. The ship can handle a maximum of 5326 guest and 1,674 crew.
Larry and I made friends with Ingred and Reinhart from Germany. We played Five Crowns everyday at sea at 3:00.
Reinhart was a card shark....
so I presented him with a sparkling duck for a trophy.
The Princess Arena provided dazzling theatrical shows and exceptional guest entertainers.
The Dome with a glass canopy was a serene retreat with sweeping views and a tranquil pool that had indoor and outdoor swimming. At nighttime it transformed into an entertainment space where entertainment and events unfolded.
Bars were tucked in many places. A big screen tv provided lots of opportunities to watch a movie under the stars.
Four pools onboard...the one on the back was an endless style with glass in the front and back.
Hot tubs of different sizes were in many spots on the top of the ship.
Casino
The pastry chef had a fine display of cakes during lunch several times.
We found this favorite spot to play music and sail away beside the Love Restaurant.
Several outdoor games were available on the top floor, 19.
Larry made lots of friends playing pickleball.
Two wonderful surprises.....a laundry on each floor and...
the computerized elevators. Select the floor you want and go to the assigned elevator...A, B, C, D, E, or F. It would whizz you to your selected floor without any more input. Amazing!
Where is this ship taking us?
Nine days crossing the ocean to
the Canary Isle of Tenerife in Santa Cruz,
two more days at sea, then to
Cartagena, Spain,
Palma de Majorca, Spain
disembarking in Barcelona, Spain
What FUN!!!☀️
Santa Cruz, Tenerife, Spain Sat. March 14, 2026
From the port we could see the jagged mountain peaks that are so well known in Tenerife.
Larry and I walked a mile down the dock with intentions of renting a scooter for the day. Unfortunately, the scooter businesses in Tenerife were not open during the winter and were not opening until the following week so we rented a car.
We headed North on TF5 passing by some scenic oceanfront villages. It was a foggy day, but the temperature was nice.
The four ports that we will be stopping in are all in Spain. So why is there an "E" on the car license plate?
E stands for Espana....the Spanish word for Spain.
We thought we would be able to spot the world’s third largest volcano and Spain’s highest peak, Mount Tiede, but the fog had the mountains completely covered. We visited Mount Tiede back in 2011 so we weren't too disappointed.
We passed through many tunnels.
The island is clean. Folks here take great pride in keeping their home neat and tidy.
We turned off of the highway onto FT 82 heading to Masca Village. Boy were we in for a treat.
What a road!
Narrow!
Curvy!
Bicyclist were everywhere.
We followed a very narrow curvy road, TF436 that snaked up the mountainside testing Larry's driving skills, passing full size tourist buses and vans that could hardly turn the hairpin curves. There was a lot of stopping and waiting for other cars to squeeze through the narrow passageways.
It was breathtaking scenery and so many heart stopping,curvy tiny roads.
.
Masca is a picturesque mountain village nestled in a deep gorge, known for its scenic beauty and traditional Canarian architecture.
The sun came out upon our arrival.
Unfortunately this old stone church was not open.
Masca actually was situated down the hill stretching along the mountainside.
Quaint and picturesque!
Looking back at Masca
We were planning to head on to Los Gigantes Cliffs; however, the time was passing too quickly, so we decided to save it for the next time.
With the advice of the young man at the visitors center, we continued to follow TF436 to Las Portelas
passing so many layered gardens that swept the mountainside.
The cacti were enormous.
The wild flowers covered the hillsides.
We ended up in the town of Buenavista….so picturesque that it does live by its name. Taking an off beaten path outside of town we found this side of Tenerife to be full of banana groves.
We also spotted a scenic view of the old hardened lava plains that ended in the Atlantic Ocean.
We headed back on TF42 getting a marvelous view of the northern coastline before connecting back on TF5.
Having an extra 30 minutes we stopped by San Cristonal de la Laguna.
We walked past numerous tall doors.
. We found the area to have quaint cobblestone streets, well preserved colonial architecture and charming atmosphere. Half and hour was not enough time to spend in this UNESCO World Heritage Site. We must come back.We scurried to return the car back and hustled to walk back to the ship by 5:30.
This day was one big adventure.
Larry and I found a private spot to enjoy the sail away on the 17th floor by the Love Restaurant. Two airplane pilots did two touch and go performances for the three cruise ships that were in port. Everyone was in awe of this air show.
What a day! We love Tenerife. The people, the culture, the clean tidy towns make us anxious to return here for a fourth visit.
We were thrilled to pass the Rock of Gibraltar during the day. We had only been by it at night so it was exciting to be able to see it this time.
So looking North we saw Europe and
looking South we saw Africa.
WOW!
