CLASSIC CRUISING
The Delightful Daphne
Anthony Nicholas discovers another traditional cruise experience on the Princess Daphne Seen against the backdrop of the quay-
T
here are few places on earth as exhilarating as the south of France at the onset of spring. Winter seems to vanish with sudden,
spectacular ease, and flowers begin to bloom along the long, café-strewn ex- panses of the Promenade Des Anglais. Back at home, it was the weekend of the
Royal wedding, but I had an appointment with a Princess of my own. She may have been a bit older than our future queen, but she was still awash with the kind of poise and beautiful curves that mark her out as ocean-going royalty in her own right.
side in Nice, the Princess Daphne looked too good to be true. The turquoise hue of the sparkling springtime Mediterranean was reflected to perfection against the soaring, sublime length of her immaculate hull, a gleaming, graceful expanse of snow white steel shearing dramatically out- wards from the waterline. Along the whole length, lines of rivets studded the hull with the symmetrical precision of a Guards regiment parade.
Nice is a small port and it is rare to be able to dock there, never mind embark on
a ship. The ease of access from the airport, coupled with the lure of the Riviera, made it a no brainer when it came to choosing this voyage. The Daphne was bound for Dover, via a string of delightful stops along the way in Spain, Portugal and France. She had heritage on her side as well. Built on the Tyne back in 1954, she was originally converted for cruising in 1976, at massive expense. At that time, she was one of the most exclusive cruise ships anywhere. But, as time and tastes changed towards
the always larger, such ships came to be seen as liabilities by owners more in tune
Spring 2012 I WORLD OF CRUISING 57
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