Time to fly home

Unfortunately Noel was feeling not to great this morning what with his Bowel problems and so Jennifer had breakfast alone in the Hotel. We were staying in the Home2 Suites by Hilton in Downtown Fort Lauderdale, the hotel is fine but the close area was looking a bit rundown but then again there were a lot of new local development’s everywhere so perhaps its an improving area and right next door to the Brightside Railway train which goes from Miami to Orlando.

We packed up the car and had to drive to Miami Airport , well actually nearby to drop off the car and the Avis documents said there was a shuttle. We had plenty of time as we left the Hotel around 11.30 and the flight was not until 17.00 with check-in open at 13.00 and so we dawdled until we got to the address for the car drop off which was clearly wrong as it was in the middle of an industrial estate? when talking to a guy walking down the street he said NO there is a big car rental Centre just off Airport where all cars go for return so we turned on Google on and off we went. We finally located the centre and boy is it large with about 10/15 car rental companies offices lining  the inside of this huge building and thousands of cars in the car park. So we dropped off the car and took the Train, yes Airport train from the centre to the terminals and checked in with no one waiting in the queue.

TSA Security was very quiet and took about five minutes and then we basically hung around , Jennifer getting some food whilst I was still off my food until it was time to leave.  We boarded about 1615 and would have left on time had not two other aircraft waiting for gates blocking the roadway but never mind with strong tail winds we would arrive early in London and in fact we were 35 minutes early. We waited for a short time for the Taxi driver to arrive and the journey home we had to leave the M25 due chaos and went thro all the side roads until finally back in West Byfleet. As a bi-note there were two guys sitting in front of us obviously involved with Norse Air and when I got home I checked them out and  it was the CEO and Chairman and also the COO. Had I been in a better shape I would have chatted them up. Norse air flight was fine, the only issue which affected Jennifer only was it became obvious that the ovens were not working property as the food was only warm and not hot.

Would certainly fly Norse Atlantic again, we paid just about £ 900 for the two of us back from Miami in their Super Economy seats with lots of leg room and good pitch compared to paying BA and VS more than double this amount. Well that’s it for the moment  and pending our next ventures but on the cruise we covered a total of 4618 Nautical miles or 5314 miles. See Yah

Time to get off the ship

We pulled in to Fort Lauderdale harbour at around 0630 this morning and so at about 0700 we rose and showered and finished our last minute packing and headed off for breakfast and to await our call to leave the ship and collect our suitcases.

When we had finished breakfast we went to the main lounge on the 5th Floor to await our call to disembark which was given at about 0820 and so we headed of down the ramp into the terminal and collected our suitcases and discovered that there was not a shuttle to the Avis Rentacar as published and so we hopped in a taxi for the 15 minute ride. The site office was very quiet and so in about 8 minutes I had the key to a black Honda Accord and following the receptionist instruction where to find the car. Could we bloody find it and there were loads of cars and I was just about to go back to the office and up wandered one of the staff and said I need some help which I appreciated and its  not surprising that I could not find it as it was silver grey and not black, there is a difference.

Anyway we got loaded up and headed off to the Venice of Florida to get a trip on the Carrie B boat trip around the rivers and sea of Fort Lauderdale. There is a huge amount of high rise condo building taking place and also there are so many boats, the tour guide that there is one boat per three people of the population and some are really massive. 

We have done this 90 minute  trip several times before but it was nice and filled in some time before we could check in the hotel. We then went for lunch at the ‘The Cheesecake Factory’ where we both had the grilled salmon and broccoli and fries, it should have been served with  mashed potato but that was made with garlic and hence the fries. Noel could nearly finish his but Jennifer struggled, I think  the eating on the boat does offset your palette after a while and you yearn for a basic sandwich.

After this we headed off to a Publix supermarket to get some food for the room so as to avoid having to go out again for food. The suites hotel is fine but the area where it is located is a bit rough however we got there and checked in to a suite on the 19th floor with a great view of a Bright Side  train station.

In the evening we took it easy with Noel catching up with photos and blogs and fixing an appointment to meet a consultant to review my current intestine issues.

And so to bed

Last full day on ship

Well today is the last full day on the ship and so it was an easy time but frustrating when  Noel was watching Chelsea playing so badly against Everton, hopeless absolutely hopeless but maybe I have got used to that.

We had our usual breakfast and then sat on the Arts Café terrae for a while and then headed back to the room to find that the Butler had pulled our suitcase so that we could pack them ready for collection later in the day, always a good reminder that your trip is coming to an end. 

For lunch we went to the arts café for a sandwich and sitting on the balcony at the back we espied three very large cruise ships sailing in the opposite direction to us no doubt having left Fort Lauderdale on Saturday evening.

Jennifer did some reading and then in the afternoon we started to pack our suitcases whilst ensuring we had left out night ware and washing gear for our last overnight stay. For dinner we had planned a visit to the Italian La Terraza and had a really enjoyable meal sitting in the open air on the back deck. What was slightly amusing that when we arrived at the restaurant  we were asked had we made a booking and without thinking said no, but would it be ok?, after a few minutes of pressing buttons and pulling faces he said could we be happy on the outside which is exactly what we wanted and so we were conducted to our table.

A short while later our waiter arrived and asked our suite number which we provided and on the system that they have my special meal was shown in detail so why they did not have the booking the butler made I am not sure.

At this point and in view we are leaving the ship tomorrow I thought I would review our cruise and the details are as follows.

1- The ship is nicely decorated

2- Most of the staff from many countries in the world are fine

3- The suite was up to the usual good standard

4- And a nice selection of TV entertainment.

5- we cannot comment too much about shows ,talks and many bars as we tend to only visit a couple.

6- Food, In the Italian for breakfast and dinner were very good and the main Atlantide restaurant had many faults from slow to poor service, inaccurate presentation o food, cold or cool food instead of being piping hot and the pain was that the Maitre D was bloody hopeless. One of my first meals was a screw up and in the and there were the Maitre D, and another senior guy and a waitress having a heavy discussion on who’s fault it was, right by our table. Although I had visited the Head Chef as requested before the ship port to discuss my requirements and he new all about FODMAP, well it didn't work and it took several days of contacting various people to ensure that my issues are fully documented.

This was our Fourth Silversea cruise and the previous three were excellent but this was their newest ship, still nearly two years old and in my view it was not working

7- Slow service at breakfast, the buffet was fine but we like tea not coffee and it seems to be an issue as sometimes it took nearly 15 minute, why I don't know.

8- There were several other items that Jennifer's starting comparing against our last cruise on Seabourn and Silver sea are second best. In fact I looked up some recent reviews on this ship and there were many that were not complimentary.

So should we go on a cruise again it will be Seabourn.

Saturday is HOT ROCK night

The days was fairly quiet as we are ailing from San Juan to Fort Lauderdale which will take just over two days sailing and where should arrive around 0700 in the morning, but first the rest of the day.

We had our usual breakfast and Jennifer spent time doing lots of reading whilst Noel spent time on blogs and photos and chatting to people on skype etc. It was planned to be a formal night with black tie etc but we did not fancy it and had booked a table at the Grill where we could enjoy the hot rock experience. We thought it might be busy as we could not get a booking until 2000 but we do like and early dinner.

So at 1915 we went to the Grill with a view to having a beer in the bar but we were lucky enough to be seated right away and strangely on the next table to the Chinese couple from Vancouver we had befriended in the other restaurant. Anyway we sat down and had a brief chat and then ordered our for for which we cook on a extremely hot stone. Jennifer ordered a salad along with some black cod and Noel some Madagascar prawns along with a nice filet mignon and some fries to top it all off.

After dinner we returned to suite to watch a film, no dancing for us, and then chose to watch Helen Mirren play the part of GOLDA the film about Golda Meir the Israel Prime Minister who was directly involved in the Yom Kipper war. A most interesting film and yet why is it religious group and religions just have to fight??? when nobody, but nobody wins.

Oh well we gain another hour tonight and so we are now 5 hours behind the UK. Tomorrow is another full sailing day.

see you tomorrow

A day in San Juan-Puerto Rico

The ship arrived in Puerto Rico at just before 0700 in the morning and we had to get up early, we were told, to pass throe USA Immigration and so we dutifully got up around 0715 and then went for an early breakfast with the knowledge we would be hanging around for quite a while having been thro the same process in February 2022.

They started calling off those guests who were on early morning tours and finally at about 10.00 we were told we should leave the ship and pass thro’ the immigration process which in USA is ‘take your photo’ and for Jennifer she had to have her fingerprints taken. I started to put my hand on the scanner and the Immigration chap said no so clearly they think my wife is an immigration risk. Following passing thro the system we all had to wait until all guests have passed thro the system and the number tallied before were allowed back on board. Whilst waiting their was a mother and daughter travelling and the daughter recently had a knee operation and so we compared scars, names of consultants and methods etc to kill time. Finally at around 11.00 we were given notice that we could re board the ship and so we went straight for a cup of tea in the Arts Café and then sat outside watching the small planes arriving and leaving at the small domestic airport across the bay.

We headed back to the suite and Jennifer spent about an hour doing some clothes washing and then off to lunch. After lunch we joined a highlights tour of San Juan visiting the old part of town with its very large old Fort, the ramp up to the top was possible for me to go up but would never get down so I sat and waited whilst the rest of the tour explored the Fort. After that we continued our around the old part of town then headed for the new part where there is an amazing Convention centre with lots of first class hotels and a growth of condo’s overlooking the sea. Our driver and tour guide were the same person and he rattled away facts and yet more fact at such a speed with a very Spanish accent that after half an hour you could not remember a word he had  said. We were then taken to a shopping district but nobody was interested in shopping and so he took us all back to the pier to re-join the ship and enjoyed a welcome cup of iced tea and coffee overlooking the bay.

We returned to the room and enjoyed a quiet time on the balcony with a glass of something whilst watching the sun go down.We departed San Juan at 18.00 and we could watch the pilot jump off our cruise liner on to the quite small pilot boat, a number of guests were looking out of their balconies and gave the pilots a big cheer for the courage. In the evening we went down to the main restaurant and of course I had pre-ordered. We sat next to the Vancouver based Chinese couple and had enjoyable chat but yet again the restaurant could not get the order correct. I ordered smoked salmon to start , which was fine but then I had the lamb chops with spinach and American steak house fries with the fries only arriving when I was just about finished eating. There were only five large fries which had taken about ten minutes to reach me, its not good enough.

Following dinner we retired to the room and watch the latest Mission Impossible which was quite good fun. Sunny jim is still having some issues down below,oh well perhaps tomorrow it will be better

A tour of Antigua

Well we arrived in the St Johns Harbour in Antigua on time and our tour for today is leaving at 0845 which is rather early for us. However with an early breakfast under our belt we disembarked and headed down to where there were several ladies waving flags with numbers and we found our group. It seemed rather disorganised with lots of people form two ships all fighting to meet their tour guides but with all the efficiency ??? that the West Indies is renowned for. Finally we were allowed to board our small 16 seater bus with plastic seats, nice? and we headed off at 0915 out of  town which was very busy traffic wise.

Our lady tour guide was clearly quite knowledgeable and she did not stop talking pointing out this church and that government building and medical centres etc. The roads were of Surrey Standards ie with loads of bumpy roads and many potholes. Our first stop was at the Historic Shipyards  Museum where out tour guide had to handover to the appointed one by the museum and she tried to treat guest’s like we were naughty school kids by saying come stand by me , I am not starting until everybody can here, etc..

So we commended our walking tour around English Harbour which was quite busy due to their being the annual Antigua Yacht Show taking place with lots of rather expensive boats which were there for people to look at before they rent. As I had left my AMEX card back on board we did not bother looking and so we continued our walk around. We were offered a fruit punch or Rum punch but in view my issues I avoided and then we headed back to the bus.

From there were were driven up to the top of the mountain where you could get panoramic view of the Harbour and surrounds all very scenic. The Tour Guide pointed out Eric Clapton's hideaway on the end of the peninsular.

It is quite warm today with temp around 32 C and so a number of people did not get off the bus as it was to warm. From there we went to another viewpoint where there were a few local traders selling their wares with no doubt the tour guides getting a cut. We then headed back to the Port with the tour lady pulling out her Country Flag and singing the countries anthem, she tried hard this lady..

We arrived back at the port and went straight to lunch of salads before retiring to the room for a quiet and cool afternoon. In the evening we went back to the restaurant and had a light meal and no alcohol to talk of. Clearly we are not up for disco or shows but watched a film on the Tv with Olivier Colman and Colin Firth about a single lady with some mental issues and who is lonely as hell who befriends a Dark staff member for a minor romance before she looses it again. A good film. Then to bed as we have an early morning tomorrow as we have to clear USA Immigration which could start as early as 0715.

Last full day at sea

This the last full day at sea before we arrive at St Johns, Antigua and so we had an easy day. Noel did quite a bit trying yet again to sort out the video unit in his sisters care home which had suddenly switched off.

Jennifer went to the auditorium to list to a presentation on something but was not impressed and came back earl y and then Noel waited for the Manchester United vs Chelsea game to start. The game was not the best and clearly Man U were the better team. Chelsea need to do something soon or head will roll. We went for dinner and by chance were were sat in the same place as the previous night where we had made the acquaintance of a Hong Kong Chinese couple who have lived in Vancouver for many years . As we had sat to them the previous night and a brief conversation we were able to continue and we had a nice evening of conversation. Clearly they are well off and do many cruises and their favourite cruise line is Silversea.

Noel had a problem with the previous nights main course, I had ordered sea bass with mashed potatoes and spinach but got the fish with mixed vegetables including cauliflower which is a NO NO for me and so I gave the Maître De and few words on departure but tonight they go it right. A New York Steak with mashed potatoes and spinach. The Chinese couple were a little concerned that I did not have a starter or desert but I explained the reasons why. He mentioned he liked a whisky before bed in the bar next door and we thought we would join him and we left the ladies and headed in to the bar and he ordered his special whisky drink which I thought I might try but was surprised that he tested his and whilst the waiter was pouring mine said he was off to bed! anyway Jennifer soon appeared and we had a drink and then went back to the suite

We had to turn back the clocks another hour tonight but need to be u early for our 3 hour of Antigua tomorrow.

A quiet Monday on the ship

We spent most of the day just enjoying the sun on the balcony as the pool deck was very busy and its nice and quiet in our cabin and on our veranda.

Noel was/is still getting over whatever it was that badly affected him, Jen came up with the idea it may have been the rice ?? but will never find out I guess. So Noel had a light lunch in the cabin  whilst Jennifer went for a salad and then Jennifer spent some time at the pool after picking up a new book from the ships library whilst I had a quiet afternoon watching some documentaries on the BBC HD Channel.

Tonight is formal night but neither of us were in favour dressing up and so we had booked a table at the Grill which is outside by the pool where you cook your own steak, fish etc on a very hot rock. Jennifer of course chose the filet mignon which was great and noel had a fish whose name he could not remember but it was nice white fish with jacket potato.

We were there at about 7.15 pm and were dont by by about 8.30 and headed back to the room to watch a film we had seen before called ‘The Big Short’ which was all about the failure of the global banks etc in the 2007 era brought upon by the US housing market and causing a total world financial shake down. most interesting as we also lost quite a chunk of money whilst travelling in NZ and unaware of what was happening.

We gain another hour tonight so put our watches back accordingly. In the meantime hoping we can resolve the issue with the Call Genie which we use to communicate with Noel sister.

Perhaps not fully recovered yet

Usual early morning and felt quite good and the nurse had released me from quarantine in the suite. We went to have breakfast and then returned and Jennifer went to sit outside the  Arts Café to enjoy her book whilst I stayed in the suite catching up on the daily blog and checking on bank and credit card accounts to see if anyone is trying to steal from us, its has happened before which is why I check the accounts every day to be sure.

The room staff arrived to clean the room and in view of my recent issues I was directed to the balcony as they fumigated the room for safety sake, which I thought was excellent.

Chelsea were hosting Brighton and Hove Albion and Stamford bridge today and it was going to be on the Ships Sport channel and so I watched this for a couple of hours , Oh Chelsea why do the same old trick, 2 nil up and rest on you laurels and become casual which allows the opposition to go in hard. Just before half time the acting Captain was sent after two yellow cards and so we would be down to 10 men for the complete second half. So as you would expect Brighton went hammer and nails against us and soon after they got one back to make it 2-1 and then by a stroke of luck we were awarded a penalty and somehow we survived. The guys need more discipline on the field as we have had the most of amount of players this season being suspended in the Premier League, its not good enough.

We had a late lunch by the pool and during this time Noel got a message that the Call Genie that was set up to communicate with my sister in Dartmouth Care home had somehow stopped working which is pain. Speaking to the supplier, yest on a Sunday, apparently the system had lost the Wifi signal and we think we know why and tomorrow we can find out.

Noels nether regions are still not back to normal but as we did not want a three course dinner we would go to the Pizza restaurant on the top deck but the size of the Pizzas were huge and one would have served us both and so we both left about half, but they were good. We returned the site and decided to watch a film and ended up watching ARGO and excellent film, we have actually seen it a couple of times but it’s still worth watching.

And so to bed with Noel suffering a little bit with the Pizza, perhaps a light fish would have been better!

It's what you call a cabin day

Following rather a bad day yesterday I felt I should report the issue to the Medical department as if it was/is the Neuro Virus then it would make good sense that they should be formally notified.

So we attended the medical centre and they took my vital signs which confirmed that I was still alive and then provided with forms to enter for the past four days where I went to eat and what actually I ate, umm I can only perhaps remember perhaps the last three days only but I covered anything. They did inform us there were no other cases on board but as I am not certain what caused the problem, an neither did they, they said please stay in your cabin for the next 24 hours which we did which then forced me to watch the dismal performance of Manchester United against Newcastle. I di not see the Newcastle vs Chelsea game but if Newcastle played the same as they did last night I can understand the reason why they lost.

Also killed some time sitting on the balcony letting the sound of the waves wash over you and slowly almost drifting off to sleep. Jennifer has restarted her cross stich picture which she did start some time ago and maybe it will get finished sometime. For food Jennifer supplied us  with baguettes from the Arts Café and a toasted Tuna sandwich from the pool deck and we whiled the day away .

At 9.30 tomorrow morning I will receive a call from the nurse who will confirm I  am still alive and then be released from the cabin. We are also in the process of gaining extra hours so as to fit in with the time change between Europe and the Americas so an extra hour bed always goes down well.

Oh well at least I feel a lot better today…

Not a good day for Noel

Not sure what caused it but have all the symptoms of the Neuro virus, yes both ends were affected and so that ruined my complete day however I do know the way to  bathroom a little better than before!!!

So Noel spent the day in the cabin not eating and just laying in bed to keep warm as he had a chill. I am not sure what caused this problem but it could have been the dinner in the Japanese restaurant , who knows but really nothing to report further except that Jennifer had to keep popping out to the café to get odd bits of food for us both.

Anyway lets hope I feel better tomorrow

Santa Cruz De Palma

We arrived early in in the morning and quite a few guests went off on tours but we had decided to but just enjoy the sunshine and so spent a little time at the poolside and had a snack there before heading back to the suite and spending some time on the balcony. The port was much smaller than the previous two islands and so much quieter so that sitting on the balcony was very pleasant.

We left Port the previous afternoon around 4pm and we are now headed out in to the Atlantic Ocean to cross to the Caribbean Islands and so as there was not a lot to do unless you like card games

For a pre-dinner drink we went to the Dolce Vita lounge and listen to the music which was nice and then around 7.30 we went to the Japanese restaurant call Kaiseki which needed booking in advance and u need to pay a little extra for this but we thought we would give it go. The food was very nice but of course for me I was restricted and hoped they would get everything correct due to my dietary requirements. After dinner went for a brief walk around the ship and sat at the pool bar and chatted to an Australian couple living in  Brisbane who also enjoyed the outdoor life with a caravan and the man has taste by having a Toyota Land Cruiser 200 series.

And so to bed

Not really a quiet day in Palma

We arrived in the Palma Port around 0800 and yes its really is a big port and we were surrounded by containers, ships, container hoists and noisy cranes and in addition they are rebuilding the reception for the cruise ships reception and pile driving right outside our cabin window. However we went for our usual breakfast in the restaurant but sat outside in the warm, no hot, weather and considered our day and what to do. The choice was difficult in that it was a choice of doing nothing or even more nothing.

Noel caught up with some paperwork, emails etc and then we went to the Arts café on the back of the ship for a quiet cuppa but there is where the very noisy crane was working so after a while we decided this was not comfortable and we transferred to the pool area for several hours and Jennifer had a swim. We decided to have lunch ( sandwich) by the pool but then the noise of piledriver and cranes in addition to people returning from tours it was getting a little busy, empty by other cruise line standards and so we headed back to the suite and sat on the balcony until the men doing the pile driving  returned from their late lunch.

So in the mid afternoon we returned to the suite and Jennifer read and Me listened to music and then had a quick nap but then noticed the Man United game was on do watched that for while until time to go for dinner. Last night we sat next to an Australian couple and tonight a couple from York who seem to spend lots of time on cruising which suits him as he has difficulty walking, requiring a stick all the time and so on longer distances he can obtain immediate help from the staff. Its actually quite amazing how many people with severe walking difficulties take to to cruising as the staff are there at your beck and call from the the moment you arrive at the departure port until you get off at the end of the trip. They collect you from your cabin and take you anywhere on the ship  your want to visit. No wonder some people with cash like to live full times on board what with three good meals per day and plenty of food in between times.

Anyway, back to today. After dinner we went to see a comedian we have seen a couple of times before called Steve Stevens and his is quite brilliant and mostly does cruise ships. He was on for about an hour and took the micky at of most of the nationalise on board in a very fun  way and the yanks on boards thought he was fantastic.

After the show we returned to the suite for a good nights rest.

We arrived in Lanzarote- Canary Islands

We arrived in Lanzarote around 0900 hrs with the sun pouring down and temperature of around 18C a touch warmer than West Byfleet.  We had no intention of going on the Island having been there twice in the last couple of years and on the second time rented a car and pretty much toured the Island then and so no tours for us just a day relaxing.

So the breakfast room was rather empty as we arrived at about 0930 and we assume many guests were on the way to shoreside and to join the large choice of tours. All the the tours are actually free which is good but not if you don't want to see the Island. After breakfast we headed of the the Arts Café where you can coffee and tea and most booze and cakes etc and but sat outside on some comfortable chairs and above were some heathers just to make certain you don't get cold. Around lunchtime we enjoyed a baguette with cheese and ham , reminds you of France, and then spent some happy hours until it started getting a little cooler and retuned to the room where we donned sweaters and sat on the balcony listening to music.

As dinner time came around we agreed that a glass of Jack Daniels with ice in the room sitting on the sofa watching an American house rebuild program was quite good and so that's we did before going to dinner. We were sat next to a Australian couple who had joined the ship in Barcelona and had been on board for at least 16 days so far and when they reach Fort Lauderdale they join another ship to visit the Amazon, clearly have lots of cash. We had an interesting talk about travel, politics, family and it was a pleasant evening.

Following dinner we went to the show which was a South African singer who was reasonable but clearly a bit nervous and his opening song was ‘When a man loves a woman’ which would have been less funny as he was clearly gay as a nine bob note and of course perhaps not the best song to open with. His closing number was the well know ‘Jerusalama’  which has been turned in to a video which millions of people have done the dance.. He did get a few people dancing but frankly if he had opened his show with this number then overall he would have got a better reaction from the audience.

The back to the room for an early night.

One item of comparison was last year we did a Seabourn cruise which went to a number of islands where you had to use the tenders to land which is not easy for some but it means you get a nice view of the town. However in this cruise and we end up in a Port surrounded by container ships and other types of vessels and often lots of noise. However we did notice an vessel arrive carry several yachts and one was the ‘ Baltic 111’ named Raven which is a very brand new and different design sailing ship which they carefully offloaded and it sailed in to port. Its been taken to Lanzarote for sea trials having left Jakobstad in Finland and shipped to the Canaries. Time to finish.

All at sea today

Today was a day at sea as we had left Lisbon yesterday afternoon and headed off in the direction of Lanarote where we would arrive at 0900 on the 28th. So we enjoyed doing not much and spent some time at the café at the back of the ship where there are comfortable chairs but also heaters in the rood to keep you warm and blankets if you need them but it was very nice sitting. Jennifer went to do washing and ironing particularly for her outfit for this evening Black Tie function.

For lunch  we decided not to eat to much and so Noel had a couple of choccie biscuits and a cup of tea and Jennifer a small salad, just enough to feed the appetite and keep the wolf from the door, as they say. We returned to the cabin around 5.30 pm and prepared ourselves for evening and byt 6.30 were ready to go to the library bar at the front of the ship for a quiet glass before heading off to dinner. Noel had pre-ordered his dinner earlier in the day and we were expecting this to be organised upon our arrival. The main restaurant was very busy perhaps due to the black tie event and people not wanting to sit outside at the Grill or at the Pizza joint. Well the waitress arrived  and started to take our order but I had to remind her my food had been pre-ordered and she mumbled something about a steak which in fact is what I had ordered. But from here it went very wrong indeed.

After a long wait the starter course arrived and mine was completely wrong and so that had to be returned the kitchen and something similar was brought but at least it did not have any dressing.We then had to wait quite a while before the main course arrive and when it did mine again was wrong and so this time was Jennifer's?. For Jennifer there were more vegetables thn she had ordered and they had given exactly the same to me and so back to the kitchen it went and then their was a long wait when finally they brought out what I had pre-ordered. One of the senior staff them came to apologise and said it was the waitress had picked p the wrong plate.Considering we had arrived in the restaurant at 19.10 it was now about 2100 and we could start to look for deserts and then which I avoided an took the cheese plate. Then another Manager appeared with two staff to discuss what was happening and that there was a problem in being aware of my food requirements and I explained that I had met the Head Chef upon boarding and provided a complete list of food that I can and cannot eat. I had also provided same to the reception so I could not understand why so much of an issue as I had been on previous Silver sea ships with no trouble whatsoever. They all apologised and said it would not reoccur, we shall see.

On leaving the Atlantide restaurant we popped in to the Japanese one next door to find out if they would be able to cope with my requirement and so they looked up suite 818 and there was nothing there to indicate that I had special food requirements??? I have to say i was pretty pissed of by this time as it was now 22.15 and we had missed most of the show and so went back to the bedroom –ooops Suite.

Anyay for the next three days we will be visit this Islands in the Canary Islands, namely Lanzarote then Las Palmas and then finally Santa Cruz de Palma, see map

Lisbon City bus tour and boat ride in the mist

Its a big shame that the weather for the past few days had not continued in today when we are due to travel on a small tourist boat along the Tagus river only we were let down as we had a very misty and grey morning so not the best for taking photos. Nevertheless we left the ship at about 10.00 being warned by the crew, you must be back on board by 14.00 or you will miss the departure at 14.30.

The tour guide explained that on Sundays coaches are not allowed in the town and so we must go round the outside and make a big circle to where we need to be. This sounded a little strange as there were tourist Hop and Hop off buses everywhere but Hey Hoe,  go with the flow. After driving around the city past some very poor areas which were really depressing we arrived at the tour boat. T he boat took us for about 90 minutes up and own the Tagus river where you could see all the nice places and also the places when which been left to run down and return  to mother nature.  There was a difficulty with the boats microphone which luckily we had a nice quiet cruise without being bombarded with everything you need to know about Lisbon. I was able to take a quite a few photos which I will upload at a later date as the ships WIFI is limited and restricts access to certain sites and that included my SMUG MUG site.

There were lots of interesting statues and  monuments alongside the river which i have photographed and to many for this blog but they will be uploaded to smug mug at the end of the trip when in Florida.

On the way back to the ship we were running late but they still made a stop at a site of importance and then our your lady tour guide star ted letting her hair down b]about what was wrong with Portugal. So the Government is in a mess and they recently arrested senior politicians for fraud and several other charges and to make matters worse they arrested a senior politician incorrectly as he had the same name as the real offender. The roads are extremely bad because the Government does not  spend the money on the roads but on  flights of fancy exhibitions buildings etc. The National Health Service does not work anymore as the Doctors were all totally overworked and as a result have gone out on strike and so to get and appointment is near on impossible and you need to go private to be seen. Where have I heard that before. Also 12 years a go they drew up and plan to resolve drain issues in a large part of the city to avoid flooding and then they said well it doesn't rain very much in Lisbon so why bother and the of course the inevitable happened it rained and it rained , in fact almost a whole years rain in two days and so certain parts of Lisbon were badly flooded and so now they have started on the work, so to speak, after the horse has bolted.

We arrived back at the port at about 13.50 and gad to rush to get on board before they closed the doors. We then headed up the outdoor Pizza restaurant where there was confusion and delay in getting a pizza with out garlic and onion as apparently all the tomato sauce which as a base for the pizza is premade with garlic and onions and so I had a non tomato base cheese pizza which was nice. Either there was a computer system error but the their hand held did not show my food issues which I reported later.

We were both now a little tired and returned to the cabin for a rest when at 17.00 the phone rang and in it was the finance officer saying they had located by USA ESTA but it was shown as Noel Groves and  not Noel James Groves as per my passport and I need to apply for another ESTA as San Juan Immigration will fine me and the ship for this mistake, I did point out that I had used the same ESTA for my previous Silver Sea  trip via San Juan o Fort Lauderdale and also also a separate flight arrival for our long stay Florida trips but she said it has to be right and need to apply for another one. So I retrieved my passport from reception and the completed a new application which was passed very quickly ,in fact  in less than two hours since my application, amazing!. Of course they need to know lots of info, the basics plus the name of parents, who of course are longer here, and what social media I use so I provided the name of Blogger, Facebook and Linked-in .

For dinner we visited the Italian restaurant which actually has a restricted menu as far as Noel is concerned but was all ok and then feeling a little weary headed back to the room and early night.

We board the Silversea ‘Silver Dawn 'today

Following breakfast in the Hotel this morning we returned to the room to finish the last bit of packing our suitcases to get ready for the departure to the Cruise Port which was about 20 minutes away.

We sat in the lobby for about an hour and half watching the world go by waiting for our driver who was due at 13.50 but he actually turned up very early at about 13.30 and so we decided  we might as well go and if we have to wait at the Port so be it. We arrived at the port an we noticed that apart from our ship there was also the Celebrity Infinite in port and so the security was a bit busy. I must remember to get a full plastic belt as they make you take your off which can cause trousers to slide down but we go thro that bit ok and so on to check in.

There was  no waiting for check in and withing in 5 minutes our photos were taken and we were given our boarding cards and a swipe of my AMEX card and we were off until I heard the voice , Hi Mr Groves can you spare a minute as we cannot find your USA VISA ESTA on line. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. So I explained this is strange as I have been to the USA twice since my last ESTA was issued so not sure how this can be, anyway they said they would check again. So we boarded and dumped our hand luggage in the cabin and went to the pool deck for a light snack and beer. Then a brief walk around the ship and at 1700 Noel had a meeting with the CHEF and his side kick to discuss food , diets etc and gave them my list of do’s and don'ts and hoped would be ok.

In between all this Noel played to see what was on TV and then came across the second half of the Newcastle vs Chelsea game where it was 1-1 and then all hell let loose and suddenly it was 1-3 after two stupid defence mistakes at which point I turned it off. I later learned that the Chelsea Captain was shown a red card, so no the best days for the blues after their stunning games against The Spurs and and Man City.

At 1800 we had to attend the Muster where we were advised how to leave the ship should it be necessary due to an emergency , the usual cruise ship drill but at least now we don't need masks and also to put the life belt on and mess up your hair. We had booked prior to boarding our first night in the GRILL which is actually on an open pool deck but with  roof heaters blasting away and we enjoyed the ‘Hot Rock’ experience where they provide a lump of rock heated to over 250 C and you cook your own food and in our case we had the filet mignon and noel added some Madagascar prawns to the mix and washed down with a couple of glasses of Chardonnay.

Following dinner we went to see the show in the main theatre which would have been good apart from some drunken American female behind us clapping and shouting at every opportunity , we shall watch out for her in future.

And then back to the cabin as we were both a bit tired.

What a busy day

We enjoyed an early breakfast around 10 am in the hotel where they were charging on Euros 12.00 for a full breakfast which , in my book, is very cheap. From there we had a short time in our room finalising our plans for the day where we decided to head of to the centre of town and forget using the hop and hop off bus as at £ 35 each , its a bit steep.  So spending 4.8 euros we took a taxi down to the Sofitel Hotel on Avenida De Liberdade which is the main shopping drag with all the famous names charging a fortune.

We spent some time walking up the main street and then down and when seeing the tour buses racing by we were glad we were not going on the bus. We have experienced this before where the Hop on and hop off bus takes off like a rocket and nothing else matters apart from getting to the destination as fast as possible and maximise revenue. So our slow walk took a short break where we stopped for a cup of tea and then continued walking down the strip where it started to get busier and we soon discovered why was because there was a Christmas market in full swing with all the usual hot toddies, hot chocolate etc etc . On the side of the road there were numerous restaurants with waiting staff ready to pounce on you should you look interested in any way, no doubt at rip off prices. The town is very pleasant with lots of trees and walking area although there is a lot paths with a stone surface which is never level which caused Noel some walking issues. There were lots of really old attractive building and I think we were both impressed how nice the pace is with not to many down a and outs in the areas we visited but they must be somewhere??

By this time we were beginning to feel a a little tired and beginning to get a bit hungry. We discussed three choices and decided that we would visit the little café near the Hotel where we had our sandwich yesterday to have a pizza. So we arranged a taxi on the web and headed of back to the little square and discussed the menu with the owner who said the pizza has a lot of garlic in the tomato sauce but the burger is ok and so that's what we had and enjoyed.

In the meantime Noel has been trying to set up a video calling system for his sister in a care home and this took much longer than expected due to access restrictions on a third party account. The issue took up a couple of hours but by 1900 all was resolved thank heavens.

So then we had a quiet evening and relaxing ready for the boarding process on our cruise ship tomorrow just after lunch.

A day around Lisbon town

Following a slow breakfast in the hotel we returned to the room to prepare the camera batteries for the day and then walked along to road to check out a café in a local square. Our original idea was to just take a look but we then decided the food looked quite good and Noel order a grilled ham and cheese sandwich and Jennifer ordered a tomato and avocado sandwich but there was obviously a misunderstanding as she received a smoked salmon and avocado which she really enjoyed.

We then took a Uber taxi to an area known as LX Factory which in the old part of  town and consists, restaurants and bars and shops in the old warehouses which have been decorated with graffiti and sometimes amazing designs and sculptures which the place quite interesting. It was not that busy but n doubt would be later that day although the tourist season is now over there are still a lot of visitors walking around enjoying the sites and occupying the restaurants of which there was a large choice. After wandering around for about 45 minutes we decided to stop and have a beer , or two and by this time Noel decided a light snack would be a good thing and so he ordered a plate of fries and some Calamari. The Calamari were ok but clearly of the frozen type whilst the fries were quite good and Jennifer really helped me out in eating the fries.

There was a football match from the Spanish league on TV and every time somebody fell over the acting sprung to life with rolling about, screaming and clutching various bits of their body whilst appealing to the ref who just looked away most of the time and ignored them, but it was fund to watch for a while. We departed the area around 5 pm and headed back to the Hotel for a quite evening and early night and we do enjoy eating early.

Tomorrow we will head to the centre of the town as although we had considered the ON-OFF bus its a bit expensive and probably our tour on Sunday organised by the cruise line would most likely cover the same ground of popular tourist spots so perhaps we shall take a tram or find the funicular railway and take a trip on that.

So looking forward to an early night and see you all tomorrow

We leave today

For some reason  neither of us slept very well probably anticipating the travel and possible delays of getting to Lisbon. We we re already packed and waited for the Taxi to arrive to conduct us to terminal 5 where we checked in the baggage, you do it yourself today, although the staff that used to do it now stand and watch offer you help if you don't understand the system.

We went to the lounge for about one hour after passing thro security and due to my metal knee had to undergo the fully body search and pat down which is a pain but then again its necessary. We went to the gate in time and then they called forward for boarding ,we thought, only then they kept us standing for about 15 minutes whilst they finished cleaning the aircraft etc before we could actually go down the stairs to the aircraft, quite ridiculous, only BA would do this .

BA is short of aircraft and crews and are leasing aircraft from other carriers and in this respect we went on a FINNAIR Airbus A320 staffed by some Finish ladies who full of smiles and being helpful unlike the last time we flew BA. Its a shame the food was not from Finland as I noticed that a number of people did not like the meal provided except for the salmon and prawn dish of which they ran out of after only a few minutes. The flight left about 30 minutes late but the Captain informed us of strong tail winds and that we would arrive ahead of schedule which we did, just about by 5 minutes. The flight was quite full and I am convinced that they group of Americans in front of us were most likely to be on our or another cruise they way they were taking.

Upon arrival at Lisbon airport we had to go down the stairs, not easy with elderly fold in front of us whilst struggling with bags, and on to a shuttle bus to the immigration hall which was a good 8 minutes ride away, The immigration was divided in to electronic passports, one section for EU and the other for others and the system works quite well except their were only two out of six machines working, brilliant, and then we had to go to another desk where they had to put a stamp in the passport, clearly a union issue here.

Our driver was waiting outside in the arrival hall and shortly afterwards we were caught up in the Lisbon traffic and it took about 35 minutes to reach our destination which was the Hilton Emerald House Curio Hotel where the reception staff were really nice and we checked in to our room. For dinner we had decided to stay in the Hotel and we had a beer and Noel a nice piece of fish and mashed potatoes prepared to avoid garlic, onion etc and Jennifer had a huge bowl of spaghetti Bolognaise which she could not finish.

We spent an hour or so watching television until the eyes gave out and so to bed. 

Nearly ready for our Transatlantic trip on Silver Dawn

Well the last few days we have been preparing not only the house but our pre packing for our departure to Lisbon on Wednesday afternoon ie tomorrow when we fly from London Heathrow terminal 5 to Lisbon Airport. We will initially be staying the first three nights at the Hilton Emerald House Lisbon which will enable to have a couple of day sightseeing on our own until we board the Silversea Silver Dawn on Saturday the 22nd of November.

Once we leave on our cruise we will travel via the Canary Islands for a couple of days and then Transatlantic to the Caribbean before heading to Fort Lauderdale and arriving on the 11th of December. But in the meantime the front spare bedroom is filled with suitcases and stuff which needs packing at the last moment. The last day before you leave is all ‘did I pack everything I need’ etc etc and also is transport booked but yes it all is.

Anyway we leave for the airport tomorrow lunchtime. More news to follow over the next few weeks.

To Caen and then Home

We arose about 0730 and following a quick pack and had breakfast in the Hotel before heading across the road to the car park for the car. We departed Tours around 0830 is and headed very quickly to the Motorway and the North.

We needed to purchase some fuel which is bloody expensive in France compared to the UK, god knows why, and then continued with

a full tank and arrived in Caen and the traffic around the Perifique was at its usual slow pace but we arrived at the Port at about 11.40 for a 1400 departure. 

The ship was quite busy but enjoyed a cabin where you could rest and listen to my musing and Jennifer read her book after we had a cheap lunch in the canteen style restaurant. We did consider the main restaurant on board which is good but the prices are quite steep now.

It was a lovely day as we arrived Via the Isle of Wight and in to Portsmouth harbour and 45 minutes after arriving we had gone thro UK Immigration and on our way back home where we arrived at just about 2100.

Well that the end of this trip which was most enjoyable  with the family and only some personal circumstance change and the hot weather made is change our plans. Have to start planning the next trip soon.

See YAH

We leave for Tours

We departed the Hotel at around 0945 and followed the Sat Nav which lead thro some interesting villages as we headed North thro the Region Lot. The temp was already showing around 27C as we arrived at the local supermarket to purchase a baguette which we would eat later that day.

We headed North using a mixture of Motorways, Toll Roads and N roads and stopped for lunch by the side of a road about 1330 . The roads had been fairly quiet then they started to get quite busy and particularly on the final 50 odd miles to arrive in Tours. We located the Hotel  quite easily and also the underground car park which was designed for noddy cars as any vehicle than out Lexus NX would have great difficult negotiating the up and down ramps and also fitting in a marked spot. Anyway we found a space and the lift brought us to within 50 yards of the Hotel, perfect, and we checked in to the room and enjoyed the air con for  while before heading to a local restaurant for dinner. Had the usual issues with my dietary requirement and they said you have have the steak, not surprising as the most expensive on the bill of faire. The Sirloin was not that great but you could at least eat it and also enjoyed a couple of glasses of beer which in hind sight  was not perhaps the best thing to do. 

After dinner Jennifer went for a walk don by the river and bridge whilst Noel returned to the Hotel, usual reasons, then realised that Jennifer would not be able to access the lift to the room without the one key that I had in my pocket and so I had another beer in the bar and chatted to the Icelandic bar keeper and also acting Hotel receptionist.

He was a nice guy and had lived in Tampa and and also Germany for a while and then settled in France for the time being due to having a French girlfriend, Jennifer turned up half an hour later and tried a Japanese Whisky they had in the bar which she enjoyed very much.

We returned to the room and watched some stuff on the TV and then to bed and we need an early morning as still have 150 miles to Caen and the traffic around Caen can be terrible

A tour along the Lot Valley

We had our usual breakfast on the balcony although it was rather warm and expected to get warmer during the day with temporaries of 36C expected. However we thought that this morning we would travel along both sides of the River Lot and the valley from Carjac to Cahors and back and just to enjoy the scenery. This journey took about 2.5 hours as we did not rush and only took a couple of photos as we have been visiting and taking photos around this place for many years.

We arrived back in town at about 1400 and it was rather warm but we visited a little café service a limited selection of food but enjoyed a croque monsieur with salad before heading back to the Hotel to begin our preliminary packing in advance of our return journey to the UK starting tomorrow morning. We had originally planned another few days in France and returning the St Malo where we would meet an old friend but with Hotels being full, particularly those with air con, and we did not want any more hot nights and days we had decided to leave France early. We never go to France in August as its always crowded but extenuating circumstances means that we did but there is not point in paying out good money when the result is not what you want. So we have booked a Hilton Hotel in Tours and changed our return ferry from St Malo to the one that leave Caen as its an afternoon one we could catch without difficulty.

We had a light dinner in the room of of a salad which was nice and then tried to sleep in the hot room with the fan chugging away like crazy but not comfortable for sleeping.

We finished off most of the packing and went to bed.

A quiet day with nice lunch

A slow start to the day having breakfast on our balcony overlooking the driveway!! however we are surrounded by bushes and trees so quite acceptable. We were not sure if a friends of ours was going to join us for lunch be he did confirm ad we agreed to meet at our hotel at around 12.40 only he was delayed by a group protesting about something. However he arrived and we had a brief chat then headed back to Cajarc where our restaurant we have booked is located.

We have used this restaurant several times over the past 10 years and pleased it is still managed by the same owner that we met in the good old days as the chef was learning his trade in the Holiday Inn Hotel at Leeds/Bradford Airport and where he had a Russian girlfriend. But due immigration issues they had to lave and he arrived in Cajarc  to start his own restaurant ina building that need a complete refurb. We have previously brought some American friends here and they thought it was really great.

We had an excellent lunch , not cheap, but they had taken care of my food requirements very well and so I was happy to enjoy without fear and so it proved to be the case after 24 hours. It was a very hot afternoon with temperatures around 34C and with tummies decided that swimming would not be the best thing and so spent some time in the room and then Noel watched the Chelsea vs Liverpool match which was really good and the start of the new team looks quite positive and I believe there are still a few guys to start as well.

In the evening we watched a little bit of TV and started to watch a fi on Netflix but the sound volume was so low whilst the TV in the room had a sound restriction and although we turned on subtitles we soon got bored and then watched a couple of things on You Tube.

Lights out and its still rather warm