Tuesday 20th January 2015- A day in Aruba

We were due to arrive around 0900 but we arrived about 90 minutes early as the Captain wanted to avoid some expected windy weather. We had our breakfast on the balcony overlooking the town which was a pleasant way to start the morning.

We watched some of the tourist buses depart for their Island Tours and many other tours which were not of interest to us.

Following breakfast we departed the ship at around 10.00 and walked alongside the dock and watched another huge Carnival ship arrived which was loaded to the gunnel's with mostly Americans. A lot of them got in to 4x4 for tours and there was about 20 such vehicles loaded with whooping people and making a row when leaving the port.

After a short walk we spotted a tram service which ran free of charge down to the end of town and so we hopped on with the plan of starting at the end of town and walking back. We espied a Burger king with free Wi-Fi and bought a coke and used the loos but then found that Wifi did not work. There was also a sign in the Loos to wash you hands please only there was no water in the tap and no soap, but the dryer worked.

We walked down the road and had been texting our friends Mike and Pauline who somewhere in Latin America and they recommended Iguana Joe’s for lunch. Initially we stopped in the large mall and used their Wi-Fi to catch up with outstanding emails and then carried on walking past all the designer clothing, jewellery and watch shops which we everywhere. Of course there were small shops selling the usual tourist stuff of T Shirts etc. which we largely ignored. We found the recommended bar and enjoyed a good couple of drinks next to a very noisy group of female American ladies who seemed to be having a ball.

Lunch was very good where we shared the starter of grilled shrimp and calamari and then Jennifer had the Mahi Mahi with a tomato based sauce and fries and rice whilst Noel had the Groupa, as they called it, fried in a tempura coconut covering which was also very good. Neither of us had room for desert and so we continued looking around the shops for a while but it was quite hot and so after a while we said, wouldn't it be nicer to sit in the shade of our balcony and watch the word go by and so we did.

Aruba town is a much more organised and clean town compared to St Lucia, the shopping street is so clean and tidy it’s almost impossible to believe it’s in the West Indies. The choice of shops and also the amount of new cars and coaches compared to the other two island we visited is very noticeable and impressive. When you look at St Lucia Town compared to here there is actually no comparison.

We left Aruba at around 5pm and sailed in to the setting sun, romantic ay? Anyway it’s unlikely we will eat tonight as we are both feeling rather full from lunch.

Iguana Joe's Aruba

Noel tried to watch the Chelsea and Liverpool match but the B Signals gone and so no chance for the time being.

Tomorrow is another day at sea before on we arrive early on Thursday morning at the Panama Canal and this evening we received an invitation to go to a special restaurant where we could have breakfast form 0700- till 0900 watching the first part of the canal. We are looking forward to that.

Tonight we watched the Meryl Streep Film about Maggie Thatcher called ‘The Iron Lady’ and do remember there was a bit of an outcry about this film as depicting Maggie as old woman, which of course she was in the end, but Meryl Streep did portray her extremely well including the voice. (When I had finished this entry I heard about the cover up of a Paedophile who is still alive and in the House of Lords and that Maggie also allowed it to be covered up) Sometimes you do wonder?

Following this the film ‘The Constant Gardener’ was on , we have seen this several times but it is a well-made film and ironically deals with a ‘Government cover up

Monday 19th January- A day at sea

After the slight disappointment of St Lucia main town we are looking forward to Aruba which we understand has a better reputation, but let’s see. Today was all about sea miles to Aruba and so in the morning we took it a little easy and then off to the Gym for about one hour of walking, cycling and workouts. After another shower we had lunch of a bowl of soup together with a sandwich which was going to be enough.

The afternoon was spent lazing around until such time as we needed to get ready for the evening Black Tie function, dressing up for the fourth time and another three times to go. We checked the menus to the two restaurants and decided that the carvery would be nice for a change but as we were a little early we went outside on deck for a pre-dinner drink in the warm sunshine. From there to the restaurant only to find very few couples were following the BLACK TIE request which was a little surprising but none there less we enjoyed our light meal and then retired back to the outside bar to finish off the wine and listen to the rather good music.

An easy day really but it will hopefully prepare us for tomorrow.

Sunday 18th January 2015. Wow Chelsea get 5 and Manchester City lose

We arrived in St Lucia around 0900 and it was 27 degrees and the sun was shining but it took quite some while to tie up as the ship is longer than dock so the ropes had to go a long way back and connect with buoys.

Check the news and found that Chelsea won by five goals, brilliant.

Prasad our Pakistani Butler arrived with the full English and we sat on the balcony waiting for the ship to tie up and then left the ship at around 0930. On the dock the passenger were lining up for the tour coaches but our plan was to walk in to the town of Castres. Outside the Cruise port gates many official and unofficial taxi drivers and tour guides were offering their services but we continued walking with driver touts telling us downtown was closed and the only way was to take a tour, no thanks. However this does raise a question why we go to ports on a Sunday when all the shops are closed?.

We walked down-town which was about 2400 steps according to Jennifer’s little gadget and found a bar with free WiFi which in the end turned out to be ridiculously slow. I needed a strong signal as my word processing software which I use for writing this blog would not open or close and I required a fast internet connection to allow Bill Gates and his friends to sort it out. Clearly the bar Wi-Fi was okay for email but not for my requirements. This is a dirty town with rabid dogs and dirty street and the side walk covered in locals barrows selling fruit and really as they had mentioned on the previous days talk on the ship about St Lucia was be careful and don’t stray away from the main roads and certainly don’t flash huge amounts of cash and or jewellery around or you stand the strong risk of losing it, sounds like Glasgow to me.

After a couple of local beers when the café bar was quite full of people from the ship we walked backed to the cruise port and checked out their Wi-Fi at $6.00 for a day when we only need half an hour, oh well, had to be done to enable Bill and his team to work on my computer so let’s hope it works.

Got back on to the ship in time to see the end of the first half of the Manchester City vs Arsenal game which Arsenal finally won by two goals, brilliant that means that Man City are some extra points behind Chelsea.

We enjoyed the quiet afternoon and looking forward to our Asian food tonight so did not have lunch but some fruit form the baskets they keep bringing us which are having trouble keeping pace. Perhaps trot down for some afternoon tea and perhaps a bit of cake, wow that will make a change.

Watched the news this afternoon and the Pope’s visit to Manila where six million people turned up. The Government cannot cope with the enormous population growth which is making poverty a greater problem and are working on this subject using conventional means of contraception etc. The Pope during his speech referred to this subject and said it was wrong for the Government to interfere, is he mad? Something must be done to help these people and allowing a fast birth growth to continue is stupid. I also note that he said he agreed with Freedom of Speech and expressions, but don’t you say anything bad about the Catholic Church?

It was Asian Buffet tonight which we sort of enjoyed, not like the real thing though. After dinner we sat outside under the evening sky listening to a selection of music whilst 

Saturday 17th January 2015- Arrive in St Maarten

We pulled in to the Cruise Port and already there were three very large cruise ships in port, so much for planning. We had breakfast on our balcony which was great until another huge ship the MSC Musica tied up across from ueaalready there were three very large cruise ships in port, so much for planning. We had breas and bang went our view.

Noel had thought of trying to watch the Chelsea game but the TV reception had gone haywire so no chance, Oh dear will just have to tour

We left the ship around 0900 and walked through the main port entrance which was crowded with shops and also the passengers of six large cruise ships, why they all arrive on the same day beats me. But we walked around down town and came across a yoghurt parlour with Wi-Fi which enables us both to catch up with emails etc. Continuing our walk through the town we decided to jump a bus going to the French side of the Island hoping that it would be quieter than where we were in Philipsburg.

So after a bumpy and hot bus ride along with the locals we arrived in the French part at a town called Marigot. At least we could also find an ATM that worked and had some money in it. To be frank there was little difference in the two parts of town to look at and after a short walk it looked like rain so we found a little café and had a coffee whilst the heavens opened. We chatted to a couple of Canadians who had rented a place on the internet but when they came to check in they found it was on the airport runway just about and so it was rather noisy. Oh dear why not check Google Earth?

After the rain stopped we walked around the Port area wondering whether to go to the beach where the planes fly low and risk getting very wet and perhaps late back to the ship so we decided to go back to the same café as before and we both enjoyed an excellent Salad Nicoise which tasted so good. We then phoned both Joanne and Michael to catch up with their activities and it was great to hear that Katherine is great and putting weight on nicely and that Michael and Becky had a wonderful holiday in Mexico.

We then jointly shared a taxi with an American couple from New York back to the cruise port and then go back about 15.00 in ample time but had we gone to the aeroplane beach there is strong chance we could have been late back so pleased with our decision to have a nice lunch and get back on time.

We then showered again after the walk in 28 degrees and a slightly high humidity and had a little relax before heading up for the Caribbean dinner but only after we had a glass of the Kirkland Bordeaux Superior which lay opened in the fridge and together with the crab canapé’s we got dressed for dinner.

We both ate lightly and then went out on the rear deck and listen to the piped music which was good and enjoyed the evening warm temperature. We did not attempt the show but went back the cabin and watched Colin Firth in a film called ‘A Single Man’ which was almost as depressing as last night’s film. It’s about a gay British School Professor living in California who decides to commit suicide because his long standing boyfriend has died in a car accident. But on the last night when he ready to kill himself with a gun to the mouth which he has practised he meets a new younger man which he likes only to have a heart attack and die at home next to his new boyfriend. I suppose there is moral to this story but somehow I am not sure what it is. Oh dear will Jennifer choose the next film so I can blame her if we don’t like it.

Friday 16th January 2015- Land is in sight tomorrow

Well we have been away just about ten days with another 15 to go and I thought we would get bored but apparently not. We are enjoying to opportunity to read and do general stuff we don’t seem to do at home as there is always something else to do.

Usual breakfast with a more intelligent bunch where we discussed politics, the oil crisis and the impact on Iran and Russia and were just moving on to Religion but then decided that was to dangerous a subject to discuss. Having watched the news headlines with regard to all the terrorist activity and now the counter attack by the police should keep people on their toes for a while. Why they allow these people back in to the country after they have been fighting in Yemen and practising how to cause panic in the UK is beyond me. Once gone, that’s it.

Also read about the fire at the Council Offices in Oxford, shame it wasn’t Elmbridge.

Anyway this morning Jennifer went to join a Zumba Class which I though was African Spear Dancing but apparently it’s not and is another way of keeping moving. Jennifer has also got one of these machines which counts how many steps you do each day and she is not doing too badly with almost 10000 steps yesterday. Reminds me of a book my father had many years ago about a chap who had one of these machine which needed to be set up and be adjusted by checking walking speed. This he did over several weeks in all kinds of weather resulting in him getting a cold and with so much coughing he covered almost 12000 steps whilst lying in his bed.

Noel did his two mile around the deck walk and then off to lunch we went and the small two person group was playing very loudly on the Lido deck we thought alongside the BBQ so we went inside to the peace and quiet and had a salad. How people can eat and talk with the band playing so loudly I don’t understand, perhaps we are getting old.

Tomorrow we arrive at St Maartens an Island in the Caribbean where we hope it won’t be so crowded although we now understand that there is a further six cruise liners there plus us so could be pretty chaotic after all.

This evening after having a quiet afternoon we went to the buffet to sample some indian delights and they produced some good stuff yet again, however when you consider how many Indians on the boat it is hardly surprising.  After dinner we sat outside in the warm air and discussed the cold weather back in UK. This couple were going to be on board for 105 nights, god help them.

We thought we would try out the dance floor tonight and so off we trotted thinking it was going to be a DJ who started playing 50’s music and then started on the 60’s and then the 70’s and this moment a band appeared and started play 50’s and 60’ music all over again and even the same songs that were played earlier. After about 45 minutes we gave up after a couple of dances as the music they were was pretty terrible choice and ABBA is not our favourite and so back to the room to await tomorrow arrival. We both could have produced from our IPod a better selection of music to dance to than they did, Oh well never mind.

Thursday 15th January 2015-Gosh that hurt

Yesterday I had booked a session with the Physio in the Spa for a massage of my right leg, anyways that’s my excuse, to try and get my leg walking again properly. So after breakfast whilst Jennifer was rushing up and down the ship looking for empty washing machines and spin dryers Noel did some walking around the promenade to help loosen up the leg muscles in advance of the massage.

Come the appointed time I entered the peace of the Spa and all was going well with the massage by a nice young Dutch lady until she found an area on my right calf which after a little pummelling hurt like hell. She decided this is the pace to really start work and so for about 40 minutes she rubbed, pushed and pounded my calf and with the odd pitiful cries of a full grown man saying through his teeth that everything was fine. After an hour of leg massage I could just about make it back to the cabin but ten minutes later my leg seemed to be improving and so off to lunch we went.

The afternoon was part Jennifer ironing and Noel doing some promenade walking and then we both came back to the cabin for a rest before another Black Tie function. We are booked at the Grill Room tonight with a table for two which will be nice and we went there the first night on board and though the food was very good indeed.

Saw on the Sky News this morning that the SFR had risen 30% which caused a panic for me in view of my KN shares but after eventually getting on line I found that the change was against the Euro but the SFR against the £ 1.000 had dropped from 1.54 down to 1.32 so that Ok for me although the companies shares also dropped but by only a smallish amount. The dropping Oil price is good for car owners but not good for the Oil Companies who have screwing the UK population for years and I don’t believe that 6 oil companies operating in different territories and using different transport and refining processes can end up being the same price on the forecourt unless there was some collusion.

I also haven’t seen any comments re Oil prices and what this would have done to the Scottish bid for independence and I bet they would have been extremely worried had it got through and no doubt asking for forgiveness and can they re-join the UK- I don’t think so!

The weather today has been around 22 degrees and a mixture of bright sun this morning but clouding this afternoon. Our cabin get the morning and early afternoon  sun for the time being which is great although it can be a little hot on the balcony when you are not used to it.

The WiFi on the ship is expensive and slow but somehow I am still trying to communicate re our pond filter which has a problem and also some changes to our finances where we have put all the investments under a portal which enable easy access to information although this has taken a little longer to set up due to delays by pension companies.

The dinner at the Ocean Grill was good again and it was a little busier than the first time we tried it. From there we went to the theatre to see the Paul Robeson look alike who did a pretty good job until he went in to the audience and getting people to dance with him, why do they feel they need to do this?

We both felt taking off our finery and slumping in Jim Jams and so we watched a DVD called ‘Another Year’ which by the end was totally depressing but an interesting watch with some good acting.

And so to bed and we lose another hour again tonight  

Wednesday 14th January 2015- Oh this sun is really nice.

As expected we awoke a little earlier than usual due to the clock change but this also meant we did not need to rush to get to breakfast. We are on what they call freedom dining which means you can eat when you like and either sit alone or share a table. We have both shared and had a single table depending on our mood but this morning for breakfast we shared a table, however it was only four of us on the table which was quite ok. The couple came from Chislehurst in Kent and were about 80 but very with it and having fun spending inheritance money and in the process of downsizing as the need less space but more capital.

We discussed the Panama Canal experience which they have experienced it before and it was mentioned that it cost P & O almost $250,000 for the ship to transit the canal, seems like a lot but then I have no idea of the upkeep costs etc. Apparently it is so tight for this particular vessel that at certain times you cannot go on walkabouts on certain decks, let’s see what happen.

After breakfast Jennifer worked on her evening dress to get it ready for tomorrow night, yes another Black Tie Jobby, whilst Noel played on the computer trying to sort out why it is slow and certain functions are not working or only partly working.

Midday came round and the Captain did his daily update speech and confirmed we were roughly halfway between The Azores and our next destination and we are on time and the weather should remain good. We then left the cabin for a two mile walk around the promenade deck with occasional stops and then went for lunch and chatted to a couple form Adelaide who had flown with friends to UK to join the cruise back to OZ.

We also discussed knee operations as his wife had one year ago for two replacement knees, one week apart, and is now fully recovered and she has several other friends with the same good experience, which gives me hope if I eventually one or two. Noel then visited the Spa to set up an appointment with the Dutch Physio for tomorrow lunchtime and hoping that it does not hurt too much.

We started watching a good humorous French film called ‘A girl on a bicycle’ which was a pleasant film which we watched most of and about, we guess, ten minutes from the end when all will be revealed, the film stopped with a with a P & O advert followed by the start of the same film again which they had terminated early, B…..y brilliant.

Then a peaceful afternoon spent partly on the balcony in the shaded area and then back inside for a cuppa. Tonight is smart night, jackets for men and NO JEANS.

Dinner tonight was in the main restaurant with a shared table with a mixed boring bunch and one chap hardly said a word except upon his departure someone said enjoy the racing tonight as there was a race day on??. It also turned out that this chap was a jockey call Bob Champion who had making speeches for the past week but our knowledge of horse racing is next to nil and we did not recognise him. Afterwards we went to see the Frank Sinatra, or his pretend persona, in the theatre and he was not to bad really  and sang the songs as they should be and without asking for audience participation. I often think these acts believe themselves to really be who they are impersonating and not joe blogs from down the street. I don’t mind going to say an Elton John concert or any other very well-known artist who has earned his status and you can join in but when you get these copycats who think they are Elvis or Frank and look for crowd support they will not receive from us.

Tomorrow is another Black Tie night and so we have booked to go the Grill Room which we tried when we first joined the ship and enjoyed very much, you have to pay more but the food was excellent so will go on a diet tomorrow lunchtime.

Time for bed.

Tuesday 13th January 2015- There’s a lot of sea out there

The sun was shining over the yardarm or at least in to our balcony and room when we awoke this morning and the weather forecast for the day looks excellent and so we look forward to a little sunbathing today.

At breakfast we sat at a shared table and chatted to the neighbours, sometimes they are nice and other times a pain the in the neck. The subject of last night s Theatre performance came up and we gave our views but it seems not everybody quite agreed with us as they like to join in. In fact the couple next to me were in to competitions and joining the choir and looking forward to amateur night on board, not for us I’m afraid.

Noel spent part of the morning trying to sort out the little laptop which had become rather slow and difficult to use and there are now strong signs of improvement. What caused the problem remains a mystery.  Jennifer went off to the gym late morning and shortly afterwards Noel went for a two mile walk around the promenade deck and we met up about 1pm for a salad lunch in the buffet. The food has been very good so far and no complaints from either of us. They changed the fruit bowl today which was not expected as we thought that was a one off welcome gift but we were wrong.

The internet speed seemed a little improved this morning so it was possible to check email, bank account and update the BLOG but without photos, I started to try and load just one photo and after three minutes it had done about 20% only so I cancelled that and will add them a later date when the internet is good.

A lazy afternoon soaking up the sunshine and reading was a pleasant way to pass the time  but when you look in all directions there is loads of sea out there and perhaps when you fly over it you don’t realise just how much there is of it. The sea is like a millpond with hardly a swell as we steam along at just under 19 knots.

We appear to have lost the TV Satellite signal which carried the BBC and Sky news channels, not sure if this is only temporary but I suspect that may well be the end of these news programs.

Pre-dinner drinks were taken in the East bar which has a reasonable view with and we could watch the sun go down whilst sipping a glass of Merlot. We decided to try the buffet tonight where the theme was ‘Best of British’ and the food as usual was up to a high standard and it was generally not busy as we expected.

We had taken out two DVD’s and tonight we watched De Caprio as John Edgar Hoover who started the FBI, we have seen the film before but it is still a very good film exploring his strengths and weakness. The clock goes back by another hour tonight so no doubt we shall wake early.

Monday 12th January- Another Black Tie function tonight

We have received a personal invitation to join the Captain for pre-dinner drinks along no doubt with a lot more people so we won’t be attending as have nothing in common with this guy except perhaps that I did work for P & O at one time and slept in the same room with the Captain of Canberra in the early 1970’s.

Breakfast we joined a mixed table with some people who were doing the whole 125 days, god help them as we would go potty. On returning to the cabin the sun was pouring on to the balcony so Jennifer decided to miss the line dancing in a windowless room and we sat outside reading for a while in the fresh air.

An early afternoon 1.5 mile walk around the promenade deck followed by a salad lunch and then back to the cabin for more reading. The canapés arrived and our last bottle of home bought Chablis is almost dead but there was enough for a couple of glasses.

Jennifer dressed in her new red plunging neckline and showing cleavage that would drive most Indian to drink and then off to dinner. The food has been very goo on board and no complaints and for tonight we had the mushroom pate and then the fish brochette on rice with a nice bottle of Chardonnay which must have had a hole in it or somebody else was drinking it but it seemed to go very quickly.

We wandered dow to see the show which was tonight an ex player from the group Los Paraguayas. The player was very good but only seemed to play well known non Paraguayan tunes supported on occasions by a slightly out of tune band. The tunes that he played by himself alone were good and no band was needed and we thought we might last the complete show but then he entered his ‘Butlins Holiday Camp’ mode to try and get people to join in and sing and stopping and making them do it again if he did not like it. At this point we left the show. We had come to be entertained and not have do it ourselves. If we had wanted to sing we would have gone to Karaoki.

So at 9.30 pm we were back in the cabin and watched the second half of a film called ‘Captain Philips’ or something like that about Somalian Pirates who take over a Maersk Container ship and hold the ship and the Captain for good honest USD$. Needless to say the American forces came to their aid and saved the day.

And so to bed. Tomorrow is forecast to be even warmer than today, let’s hope so.

Sunday 11th January 2015- Ponta Delgada arrival

At about 0800 Ponta Delgada appeared out of the mist and by 0845 we were fully tied up and ready for a day trip.

We had breakfast in the room brought by our ‘Butler’ Prasad and it arrived on the dot and was hot as per last time. 0910 check in for our tour and then off the ship and on to the coach where we departed for an exciting tour of the Pineapple farm. It became clear that yet again we had a tour guide who could not stopping and so during the day we learnt on many occasions that there were nine islands in the group and that the majority of people lived on the bigger of the Islands, wow that’s a surprise, and everything was prefaced with ‘Actual’ and ‘more or less’ what a pain.

We did not really want the pineapple farm but it was included in the trip up the mountain to the Lakes so we just followed the crowd. Bearing in mind the tour guide told us in advance how they were grown and when we got there he started all over again, saying I will tell you…

We left the farm and we continued through green fields quite full with milk herds and ended up in a town called Ribeira Grande which was being updated as all the roads were up however we walked to the nice church and then were shown to a liquor store where no doubt he got his cut before heading up the hill to the Lakes. We were able to take a few photos before the mist came in and blotted everything out and so no point in staying so back down the hill we went and ended back in Ponta Delgada where we got off the coach early with a view to finding some decent internet connection.

In the medium size shopping centre we found free Wi-Fi and availed ourselves of this for a while catching up with emails and blogs and photos then had lunch in a small café and were very happy with the food and then for some small shopping. We wanted a small backpack and in a typical Chinese owned shop stuffed to the brim with everything we found what we wanted and then walked back to the ship for a cuppa and later watched the ship pull out for its five day sail to the Caribbean Islands.

Noel spent some time catching up on the Blog and processing the photos for today to get them ready for upload at our next Island stop.

In the evening we went to the buffet and discovered that it was an Indian food evening but as it was early we tested it, Jen mostly had salads and Noel tried a couple of dishes which were fine but not hot in the Indian sense.  From there we went to the Palladium Theatre with the ships troupe don an evening of ‘Queen’ songs, basically they had the music from Queen but members of the troupe sang but they sounded nothing like the originals and some of it was poor. Noel left after fifteen minutes to go back to the cabin to read and then fifteen minutes later Jen turned up as she could not stand it either and so an evening of quiet reading ensued. Tonight the clocks go back again giving us an extra hour in bed. The ship is not rocking so much tonight so perhaps we can sleep without the fear of falling off the bed.

Saturday 10th January- All at sea

A little late rising this morning and so we missed the 0930 breakfast cut-off in the main dining room and so at about 10.00 we headed for the buffet and were surprised to see how busy it was and rather noisy and not relaxing at all, oh well not again.

We spend the rest of the morning in the Asia Bar which was deserted and so with Ipods and e-readers we were there for a couple of hours. Our breakfast had been late and also we had decided to have a brunch and no lunch so after about 2pm we went back to the cabin for a change of view.

We went down early for dinner and asked for a table for two alone which we achieved and had a good meal and just one glass of wine to finish up the bottle. In the other restaurant they were having a fish evening and so on the way back to the Asia Bar we stopped by and it looked quite nice and great if you want a snack or go back a dozen times.

We tested the after dinner drinks in the bar and wandered down to the library to check on availability of tickets for tonight’s film but it was fully booked and as we went sure about watching a comedian I had not heard of called Tom Connors, or something like that we borrowed a DVD from the library and had a good time watching Peter Kay at the 02 which we both enjoyed. Then flicking across the channels we came upon Colin Firth in the Kings Speech and so watched that as well and why not as the clocks go back by one hour tonight.

Friday 9th January 2015- Morning trip to Santiago de Compostela

We came to with the alarm blaring away and shortly afterwards the breakfast arrived and it was still hot, did not expect that.   By 0810 we were in the Palladium to check in for the tour and collect our coloured stick on badges, a must have ona cruise line trip.

It was quite dark as we left Vigo and headed North in the coach and on to the Motorway and we left Vigo behind the mist started gathering and so with nothing to see tried to get a little rest but the tour guide had verbal diarrhoea and kept repeating herself and jumping between locations, most confusing badly put together.

We arrived in Santiago de Compostela which is a very old town with a magnificent Cathedral which unfortunately covered in scaffolding which made good photos difficult to get. We decided initially that we needed a coffee and so went in to the Parador, which is a Hotel Chain in Spain based in historic buildings and managed by the government. Noel had stayed in this Hotel many years ago whilst on a business trip to Spain to meet with the Spanish Retailer called Zara. The Hotel is magnificent and beautifully decorated and the coffee was very good to and not expensive.

We then joined the little tourist train which runs around the city and took fifty minutes and tried to get in to the Cathedral but most parts were closed due to the renovations, you could go to the museum at a price but decided against it. We went for a walk along some of the old town streets but it was quite cold and so rather then get to cold went back to the Parador for another coffee and then also had a great sandwich which turned out to be ham and cheese with fried egg, really excellent and it warmed us up.

Back to the coach and arriving back at Vigo Port for the ship to leave at 14.30, rather early we think as it would have been nice to have some time around the old port town. The sun was shining as we left Vigo harbour and so we sat on the balcony and watched the world go by for a while.

The sun was shining and we sat on the balcony as we left Spain and started to head east to the Azores where we are due to arrive on Sunday just when the shops are closed, poor timing again.

NB. We have a few photos already but cannot upload due to the very slow internet connection which is of course a satellite one. We may hope to get a faster connection in the Azores but not counting on it.

I then spent a frustrating fifteen minutes trying to connect to the internet with a view to uploading the first few days of this blog but could not get a connection, Oh well will try later.

Dinner was a casual night and we decided to ask for a table for two however the table they gave was alongside another table for two with a couple who wanted to talk about how many cruises they have done, boring…

The wine from yesterday evening was brought, or what was left of it and so we ordered another bottle of the same however it tasted pretty ropey, I seem, to remember that it arrived with the cork out which worried me a bit anyway I got them to bring a replacement which was OK.

We looked in the cinema and they were showing a film we knew nothing about and so headed back to the room and saw a round up the day’s news on the TV specifically relating the Paris terrorist activities which were now over but with many innocent people dead. These shootings in the name of religion make me feel sick, no wonder I am an atheist now. Tomorrow is a sea day and perhaps the weather might be warmer than today. 

Thursday 8th January 2015- A day at sea

A good morning breakfast on a mixed table was quite good then Jennifer went off then went off to do some more line dancing whilst Noel explored new areas of the ship.  Thank heavens that there are mostly Brits on board so no accents to worry about. Jennifer returned about 11.30 AM and after a short while we did the mile walk around the promenade deck hanging on to handrails as the ship was lurching a bit with the wind and waves. Then back to pool area for a hot dog for Noel and a Baked potato for Jennifer then some more ship exploring and back to the for a quiet afternoon.

Tonight is the first night of Black Tie an so about 1630 we started our preparations and then had our pre-dinner drink in the cabin and then off to the Meridian Restaurant for the evening meal. We chose to sit with a group tonight which was quite good and the food was no bad either but out of the four couples on the table only two were taking wine.

After dinner we went up to the crow’s nest bar and listened to the music and tried to have a waltz but with the ship movement it was not possible so we gave up. Interestingly the band? Actually a couple mentioned after we had stopped dancing that we were the first couple to attempt to dance in the Crow’s Nest lounge.

Back to the room as we have an early morning tomorrow as we leave for Santiago De Compostela which is about 90 kms away from Vigo. 

Wednesday 7th January 2015.

A slightly restless night getting used to a moving creaking vessel but we awoke at 0800 for morning cuppa and then to breakfast. If you want the full English breakfast it would last me for the complete day so Noel chose the scrambled egg with bacon and Jennifer poached eggs which arrived and cooked to her liking. We shared a table for breakfast and sat next to a couple who came from Camberley and he was semi-retired but was and is still in the construction business and he had lived in New York and also Delhi.

It appears to be mostly Brits on this boat which is nice compared to other cruises we have done, we have done not many, where it was mostly Americans.

Jennifer went off to do Line dancing??? this morning and Noel went off to collect the info for the on-board  internet and this took a little longer than expected as a number of let’s say older folk had just got a IPad or similar for Christmas in advance of their trip and were looking for assistance on how to use it and what’s a password? And oh you meant my Date of Birth and not the instructors. Oh dear.

Got back to the cabin and started the blogging as you must do it as you go along or its quickly forgotten and tried the internet connection which is as expected very slow and not possible to use Outlook and you can only use webmail which eats up minutes of course, so as in the past take the pc ashore and look for a decent connection.

Jennifer came back from the Line dancing and it was packed but good fun she said as she slumped in to the chair exhausted.

We had a quiet afternoon in the cabin and then with horror saw the events in Paris with many dead at a cartoon newspaper. This is appalling and all in the name of religion???

The canapés arrived around five pm and then we opened a bottle of Chablis for a quick glass before heading to the Freedom Dining restaurant for Dinner.  On board this ship you can book in advance where and when you want to sit, either a table for two or join a table but all at a fixed time (6.30 and 8.30)and that’s what you have for the length of your cruise. This we don’t like and so we chose the Freedom Dining option where you can arrive at any time after 17.45 and you can opt for either a table for two or join a larger table.

So we had a table for two and then had negotiate with the wine waiter how to turn the so called gift voucher into our booklet of twelve wines for the cruise. The wine waiter said I had the wrong bits of paper and so Jennifer offered to go back to the cabin to get the last bit of paper which was the receipt and this happened to be the correct piece of paper and so we enjoyed a nice bottle of Chilean Cabernet and left some for the next day.

The film showing in the cinema was not of interest to us and neither was the first show of the cruise and so back to the room for an evening of TV, we watched an old cop series called ‘Life on Mars’ which is always good fun to watch. The ship was bouncing around quite a bit tonight and so we hope we don’t fall out of bed overnight. The clocks go forward one hour tonight and so one hour less sleep.

6th Jan 2015- Let’s go cruising baby!

After an early morning tea and then we set about the usual round of getting the house ready for our departure. There are quite a few things to do when you go away for 7 weeks, fridges to clean and empty, check the pond, make certain all the bills are paid included the dreaded HMRC due at the end of January.

The taxi collected earlier than planned and so we arrived at Southampton Cruise terminal at 11.15 rather than the 12.00 requested time but we were not the first to arrive. Check was very quick as apparently we had priority check in based upon our cabin choice and so less than ten minutes we were through security and waiting to board. At 12.30 we were shown to a restaurant where we could partake of light snacks to await our cabin availability and this happened at about 13.45.

The room is nice and a reasonable size with a good balcony and a bottle of shampoo and fruit waiting our arrival. We walked around for a while whilst waiting for the suitcases to be made available and so by 15.30 we were unpacked and ready to tour around the ship for a while. Trips to the Gym and spa and a walk around the open deck and pools then back to the room for a rest before dinner.

There was the ‘muster’ call and we went to our station to don our life vests and listen what to do if the ship sinks etc., always encouraging like being told the security stuff on board an aircraft.

We had purchased a wine package for the trip and had been told on purchase that we would receive a set of vouchers for the bottles we had purchased but when I spoke to several people in the wine department and then reception it became clear that the organisation was missing, I then I was cut off from reception and so tried again and spoke to a different person who was able to assist.

 We had chosen to have the first night at one of the speciality restaurants on board and so we went to Marco Pierre White’s ‘Grill Room’ where we had previously booked there for a 6pm Dinner. We arrived at about five minutes only to find the restaurant had some opening problems and would we mind waiting for about ten to fifteen minutes and as an apology would we accept a bottle of house wine to drink whilst we were waiting. So that was pone bottle saved from our wine plan and what with champagne and canapés delivered to the cabin earlier meant we did not even have to touch the wine we brought on board. So, so far, two bottles saved.

Dinner was very good but the restaurant was very quiet but the staffs were good and we both tried a steak, me the rib eye with a couple of shrimps and Jennifer the sirloin. Both bits of meat were excellent and as we know the supplier of the Casterbridge beef, our neighbour Gerry I am sure he will be pleased to know if was cooked to perfection.

Whilst eating dinner we passed the beached car carrier just at the edge of the harbour and the vessel was protected by two safety ships, anybody waiting for their new Land Rover or Jag will have to wait a little longer. They must be quite badly damaged?

We wandered through the ship for a while and came across the cinema which was showing Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz) called Salsa and it was quite funny and then back to the room for a little quiet time, Noel listening to Ipod and Jennifer reading all the blurb about tomorrow. Looking at the list of stuff to do you would never be bored from 0800 until 2000, that’s if you like card games and et al. And so, off to bed.