My wife Barbara and I went by ship with Princess line. It was a way to travel with manageable cost and efficiency, and included city tours by guides who knew them intimately and could provide intelligent commentary in clear language.
Along the cobblestone lanes of Stockholm's timeworn old town, guide Inga was proud: "Our medieval city plan is a major reason to see Stockholm."
In Helsinki, Pasi, a sturdy physical education expert took us hiking and spoke about his city's architecture and economy.
Then in fabled St. Petersburg, Melitina led us through the renowned Hermitage, a museum so rich in artifacts you could spend years and still not see everything. "The building is so beautiful," she said, "it's worth visiting apart from its artifacts." So it went later in Tallin, Gdansk and Oslo.
The ship, Star Princess, was itself a destination. That's why the founder of Princess Cruises, Canadian-born Stanley MacDonald, is called "the father of modern cruising."
Put simply it's because Princess ships have all the amenities. Ours carried 2,600 passengers and 1,100 crew. But behind its amenities were people. And they had high standards. They interested me. So with help from ship Hotel Manager Sheila Griffin I met the man at the top and the man in the kitchen, both key to the operation of any cruise ship.
It's not often you get a chance for a private interview with the Captain.
He's William Kent, from Lincolnshire, about 120 km. north of London. There at 16, he began his long climb -- lots of classroom hours ashore, lots of cadet hours at sea -- until in 1986 he attained the rank of captain.
Kent has held the top job on almost a dozen Princess ships and now as senior captain, he's been aboard Star Princess for almost two years. He's a soft-spoken man. But with instant credibility.
"As senior captain," he told me, "it's as if you almost feel proprietor of the ship, and with that comes great responsibility."
He's at sea three months, at home three months. Does he wish he was home more often?
"Actually, I may see more of my family than some men ashore who have so many company obligations."
When he is home as he says: "it's quality time 24/7." And his family can join him at sea anytime.
I asked his biggest satisfaction: "Navigating safely in and out of a challenging port, but also passenger satisfaction ratings. They're always in the 90s. That's very good and very rewarding."
Preparing three meals a day for thousands of Princess passengers and crew seems like a daunting task.
But for Executive Chef Norbert Sommerhalter, "It's all about organization."
The tall, easygoing man from the German south oversees a staff of roughly 220 and seven restaurants aboard the Star Princess.
"You have to be in the kitchen but not always; you must move about to see all's well in each restaurant. So first of all it's organization."
Sommerhalter has a top-of-the-line culinary background: He worked at five-star hotels in Europe and the U.S. before, in 1995, joining Princess, where he's been chef on at least five of its ships.
"I know some cruise chefs wonder if it might be nice to own a small country restaurant. It has its appeal, but so does this challenge -- whatever is on your plate, the team and I stand behind it," he says.
For information on the Princess Baltic Cruise, princesscruises.com.
Small ships set own courseAudi travolution: More developments
