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