Concerns about high winds and storms have forced a change of course. Instead of sailing around the south of Ireland and out into the Atlantic, we are forced to head east and then north into the Irish Sea.

Overnight we passed the Isle of Man. This morning we are able to see Northern Ireland on the left and Scotland on the right from the Horizon Court buffet on Island’s top deck. The view is impressive, making the detour worthwhile.

Today is a day at sea (as is tomorrow), the Captain making up speed to get us to Iceland on Monday. As such, we won’t be doing much.

This provides an excellent opportunity to share a few initial observations of Island Princess herself.

Already we have decided that Island Princess is now our favourite ship. Yes it is small and ageing, but that’s part of her charm. The fact that there are fewer people onboard is also positive, and there is never many problems finding a seat anywhere.

Cabin Stateroom PR723 is awesome and I would book it again in a heartbeat. Annoyingly someone else has already booked it for our next cruise in October.

Food in the main dining room is, as always with Princess Cruises, brilliant. There is a smaller choice of food in the buffet than on other ships, but this is not a major issue. The wraparound glass window that allows you to see out the front of the ship is superb – it’s a shame the newer ships don’t have this feature.

Enjoying the view from the Horizon Court buffet