Greek Getaway 2
Cruise 101219
on board the
Marella Explorer

Flag: Date: Port: Comment:
23rd
April
2023		 Horley
Surrey		 Masslink
Guest
House
24th
April
2023		 Las Palmas
de
Gran Canaria		 LGW
-->
LPA
25th
April
2023		 Santa Cruz
de
Tenerife		 am La Laguna
pm SW SCdT
27th
April
2023		 Funchal
Madeira		 am City
pm West End
29th
April
2023		 Gibraltar am Main St.
pm East Side
1st
May
2023		 Palma
de
Mallorca		 am Palma
pm Porto Pi
3rd
May
2023		 Valletta
Malta		 am Senglea
pm Valletta
5th
May
2023		 Corfu
Greece		 Corfu-->
LGW-->
BoMoH
Flag: Date: Port: Comment:

Greek Getaway 2
Cruise 101219
on board the
Marella Explorer

BoMoH --> HorLey
Sunday 23rd April 2023

   I got up just after six o'clock and left the house at ten. I stopped at a service area just beyond Havant, where I had a three quarters of an hour nap until noon. I got to the Masslink guest house just before two o'clock. Having settled in, I walked into Horley, where I bought sandwiches and cakes. I also explored the outside of St. Bartholomew's church in the adjoining hamlet of Burstow.

   Back at my digs, I watched several "Place in the Sun" TV programmes. I then started work on this blog. I had to pop around the corner to reach my daily goal of ten thousand steps. I went to sleep at nine o'clock, having done just over four miles of walking during the day.

LGW --> LPA
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (LPdGC)
Monday 24th April 2023

   I awoke at 4:30, half an hour before my alarms, having slept for seven and a half hours. I showered and had my breakfast of two spicy piri piri chicken wraps. I left the B&B at 5:25, ready to catch the 5:36 service bus to Gatwick South Terminal (£2.00). Here I caught the shuttle train to the North Terminal. I used the self service bag drop to offload my large case, before going walkabout outside the terminal.

   Security took only ten minutes and so then I could find a seat to read the free magazines and eat my jam sponge bought yesterday in Horley. At 7:05 our gate was announced and I found a charging station for my laptop, but it wasn't working. We were checked through to another lounge where the power supply was working. Sensibly the German carrier TUI ("We cross the T, dot the I and put U in the middle"), called the pax at the back of the plane on first. I do wish other airlines would do this to speed up boarding.

   We took off half an hour late, but made up the time en route as usual. I slept for the first three quarters of an hour and then spent an hour and a half reading the free Financial Times. I then got out my laptop to update this blog.

   Immigration and passport control was fast, but baggage reclaim was slow. When I got through to the concourse there was no one on duty at the Marella Cruises stand. Eventually a rep arrived, but said I would have to wait two hours for the Manchester flight to arrive, before I could take the coach to the ship. I found the local bus stop and immediately jumped on a service bus going to the Santa Catalina bus station in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. It only cost €2.95 (£2.61) for the half hour run along the east coast of the island. I had a short walk from the underground port side Estacion de Guaguas to the ship.

Poble Canario, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Poble Canario, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

   Once on board, I found I had an inside double cabin on deck 10. I had a late lunch of steak, chips & veg, just before the buffet closed at three o'clock. I had one glass of orange squash to drink and a soft chocolate ice cream cornet to eat. I checked in to my muster station and then walked to the huge shopping mall on The Mole (El Muelle). Here I used the free wi-fi to upload my latest pictures.

   Back at the ship, I slept for just half an hour. I then enjoyed my first in-cabin instant decaff coffee with Sainsbury's lighter coffee whitener, which I had brought from home. At five o'clock I visited Destination Services only to be told that I couldn't be a tour escort. At 5:15 I gave the cold pools a miss, instead spending 2 x 10 = 20 minutes in one of the large and vigorous jacuzzis in the hot sun. Back in the cabin, I got dressed for dinner.

   At 6:30 I met up with Cruise Director (CD) Scott from the West Midlands. I asked him to rearrange the order of my talks. I then went to Latitude 53, the Main Dining Room (MDR), where I was sat with a lady from Somerset with her daughter from Nottingham and a pair of Scottish ladies from Ayrshire. I had the prawn cocktail, the roast beef and the fruit cocktail with vanilla ice cream.

   At 9:15 I went to the ballroom and sequence dance session in the Indigo night club. I did a Saunter together, a waltz, a cha cha, a samba, a jive & a quickstep with dance instructress Mariia from the Ukraine and a Mayfair quickstep & White City waltz with Avril from Staffordshire (#1). I didn't know the Rosalee rumba sequence dance and sat out the salsa. I had a small cheeseburger with no bun in the late night buffet.

   At 10:30 I went to the Elton John life story production show with ten singers and dancers. There were a couple of songs I didn't know, but lots of favourites too. Having got up at 4:30 that morning, I had trouble keeping awake. I went to bed at 11:30 having done fifteen thousand steps, equal to six miles of walking during the day. I had travelled by walking, by bus, by train, by plane, by bus and by walking again!

Santa Cruz de Tenerife (SCdT)
Tuesday 25th April 2023

   I got up at six o'clock and enjoyed my second in-cabin instant decaff coffee again with Sainsbury's lighter coffee whitener, which I had brought from home. At seven o'clock I had a freshly made cheese omelette with back bacon, a sausage, a hash brown and some tinned tomatoes in the Market Place buffet, as we sailed into Santa Cruz harbour.

   At eight o'clock I was one of the first pax off the ship, walking into town. I used the wi-fi in Spain Place (Plaza de Espana), before taking the tram (€2.70 return £2.39) to San Cristobal de la Laguna as usual. Here I went in the tourist information office and the Nivaria hotel also as usual. I walked around the historic centre, taking pictures in the bright sunshine.

Bell tower in San Cristobal de la Laguna, Tenerife

Bell tower in San Cristobal de la Laguna, Tenerife

   Back in SCdT, I used the wi-fi outside McDonalds, before walking back to the ship. Here I had the white bean soup, the roast beef and a vanilla ice cream cornet for lunch, before sleeping for an hour and a quarter, again interrupted by safety announcements on our SECOND turn around day in succession. Scott sent me a letter explaining that it was not possible for me to be a tour escort and that there were no wi-fi reductions available.

   At 3:30 I walked in a south westerly direction to the famous auditorium designed by Santiago Calatrava from Valencia. Next came the maritime park designed by Cesar Manrique from Lanzarote. Finally I photographed the entrance to the Palmetum, but at six euros I declined to go in during the scorchingly hot afternoon with temperatues in the 90s. I doubled back to go in the repurposed oil tank that is now a modern art centre with free admission. Unfortunately it was awfully dark and awfully hot inside, so I didn't linger.

Tenerife Auditorium

Tenerife Auditorium

   I found the Navaria shopping mall and used their loos, before going in the English Cut department store (El Corte Ingles) opposite, to use their free wi-fi. I found a new shopping street Fernandez Navarro which led to the market, which was itself closed. I crossed over the nearly dry river to get back into the old town and back to the ship.

   By now it was six o'clock, so I went straight into dinner. I was sat with a couple from Tiverton in Devon, who had just flown in from Bristol. I had the sweet potato soup, the lovely roast duck and the chocolate brownies with vanilla ice cream to eat. I had TWO glasses of red wine and a cup of decaff (?) coffee to drink.

   At 7:30 I walked back into SCdT over the green bridge to use the free wi-fi in Spain Place (Plaza de Espana) for one last time, before tomorrow's sea day. Back at the ship at 8:30, I went to the Pop Icons production show, where I knew about a half of the songs sung including "Suspicious Minds", "Hey Big Spender", "Rolling in the Deep" and "I'm Still Standing". The latter song had also been sung and danced by the team of ten on the previous night in their Elton John bio show.

   At 9:15 I went up to the pool deck for the sail-away party, firstly with the house pop band and then with the production company again, this time led by CD Scott. I was surprised at his dancing ability, he must have been promoted from their ranks? (He later said that he had learnt his craft at Butlins!) I sat up on the balcony dancing in my seat, but went down to the pool side for YMCA.

   At 10:45 I retired to my cabin, but either the decaff coffee or the pink drink that I had been given must have contained caffeine, as I wasn't tired at all, in spite of doing over thirty two thousand steps equal to thirteen miles of walking during the day! There was also some noise as chairs on the pool deck above me were dragged around. During the day, I had taken 141 photographs!

1st Sea Day
The Atlantic Ocean
Wednesday 26th April 2023

   I awoke at six o'clock, having slept for seven hours, ready for my mug of instant decaff coffee in the cabin. At seven o'clock, I had a freshly made cheese omelette with back bacon, sausages, baked beans and fried potatoes as the dawn broke in the east. I had just one glass of apple juice to drink. I then spent some time exploring the ship properly for the first time. At reception, I booked my place on the solos luncheon, but there was confusion over the start time: noon according to the programme or one o'clock according to the sign-up sheet?

   Back in the cabin, I updated this blog and went over my first enrichment lecture. Unfortunately the re-arrangment of the order of my talks had not reached the programme planner, so I was having to give my Story of the Med talk, whilst we were still in the Atlantic! I did eleven circuits of the top deck jogging track equal to one mile. I then started work on my new Kotor lecture, ready for Oceania Sirena in September.

   At 9:30 I went to the Broadway Theatre to be set up by James (Jaime pronounced Hi-may) from Brazil, Saviour (Javier pronounced Hav-ee-ere) from Argentina and stage manager Laura from Bristol. They said that my laptop wasn't suitable and I had to use theirs instead. That was connected to the large LED screen at the back of the stage, but the colours were rather vivid and there was a line down the centre!

   At ten o'clock CD Scott introduced me, but his microphone wasn't working. Immediately when I started to speak my microphone kept cutting out, so Laura gave me a hand mike, but the two were interfering with each other. She then turned off my head mike and I continued with a hand microphone on its own for the rest of the lecture. My "Story of the Med" lecture lasted forty minutes, so I had time to cover the Med cuisine at the end. Finally Scott thanked me and apologised for the multiple microphone problems! It later transpired that they were caused by having two active radio mikes on the same frequency. I had one chap, Tony from Leek in Staffordshire (#2), who came up to talk to me when I had finished.

   At eleven o'clock I went to Rosty & Mariia's slow waltz class. He began with the box, then the natural turn, then the straight progression and finished with the cross checks. I danced with Linda (the Middleton lookalike) from Loggerheads in Staffordshire (#3) cruising with her sister Jeanette. At the end, I told him that in England we count in with 4,5,6 for waltz time music not 7,8!

   Back in my cabin, I had a note to say that the solo travellers lunch had been put back to one o'clock, in spite of what the programme had said. When I got to the Latitude 53 Main Dining Room (MDR), I hosted a table for seven, with a lady from Lincoln on my right who had enjoyed my morning lecture and Polish Tomas from Daventry on my left. He spoke six languages and had worked in Ethiopia, Sweden and the Czech republic amongst other places! The other table of nine was hosted by two of the cruise staff. I had the chicken consomme, the burger with chips and the peanut butter parfait to eat, plus TWO glasses of red wine to drink.

   At 2:30 I slept for two hours, thus missing the rumba class. When I woke up, I had my mid-afternoon instant decaff coffee in the cabin. Just before five, I spent 2 x 10 = 20 minutes in one of the hot tubs in the weak sunshine.

   At 6:30 I went to the solo travellers meet up in the main Lounge. At 6:45 I led three ladies to the Latitude 53 Main Dining Room (MDR), followed later by Lancastrian Ian. I had the Caesar salad with prawns rather than anchovies to begin. I had the pork chop as my main course, but Ian and the lady from Lincoln left their chops saying they were too tough to cut up! I had just one glass of red wine, before slipping out just before the desserts had been ordered.

   At 7:45 I went to the dance session, where I danced exclusively with Mariia. We did the cha cha, the quickstep, the foxtrot and finally the jive, together with the White City waltz, the Saunter Together, the Rumba (Number) One, the Sally Ann cha cha and the Party samba which she called the Samborina! I sat out the Magic Mambo, the Bossanova 66 and a second cha cha.

   At 9:30 I snuck into the Broadway theatre for the Marella Soul Awards show time which lasted nearly one hour! Back in my cabin, I had another instant decaff coffee as I updated this blog. I then happened upon the second half of my morning's talk on the Explorer TV channel. This had a distant view of my slides on the big LED screen at the back of the stage, together with computer generated (?) subtitles, which were occasionally unintentionally funny. For instance: Martin P. Lee was once rendered as Marketplace and Tapas as Taphouse!

   At 10:30 I went back to see the show for a second time. As well as covering all the MoTown greats, it included more modern British songs like "Valerie" by Amy Winehouse and "Human" by Rag 'n' Bone Man! I went to sleep at 11:45, having done over ten thousand steps, equal to over four miles of walking during the first sea day.

Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
Thursday 27th April 2023

   I awoke at seven o'clock to the sight of Funchal on the bridge camera displayed on my TV. At 7:30 I had the express full English breakfast at the rear of the Latitude 53 Main Dining Room (MDR), with a view of the Porto Santo ferry departing. I was off the ship at 8:10, walking along the breakwater. I climbed up to the top of the little fort at the end, with views west towards Reid's hotel.

   In town I used the flakey wi-fi outside McDonalds to catch up on my emails and FaceBook. I popped into the main tourist information office, which had a free, underground loo just opposite. I went in the cathedral and several other churches. I spent some time exploring the famous indoor market. There were large numbers of black scabbard fish in the end section. There was also another tourist information office here.

   I walked back via the side streets just behind the prom. I climbed up through St. Catherine's park, before heading to the port. On the breakwater, I went in the design centre in the larger of the two forts. During the morning I had walked six miles.

   Back at the ship, I had the roast pork with sweet corn and chips, followed by a vanilla soft ice cream. I then slept for one hour. My collegue John Chapman's first lecture on Bletchley Park was running on the TV, as I updated this blog and had my early afternoon decaff. He had had technical difficulties with having to use their laptop rather than his own.

   At 2:15 I walked west up the hill to the free Savoy Palace Hotel gardens. I popped into Reid's Hotel, before heading inland one block to Quinta Magnolia. This also had free admission to lovely gardens. It included a ravine running all the way down to the coast under several road bridges, but I hadn't got the energy to walk all the way down and then back up again in the hot sun. Next time? I then went in the Magnolia manor house to see their free contemporary art gallery. I didn't shell out ten euros for the nearby MAMMA Modern Art Museum! During the afternoon, I had walked three miles.

Camara do Lobos, Madeira

Camara do Lobos, Madeira

   Back at the ship, I had my late afternoon decaff. At six o'clock I went up to the top deck to watch the sailaway in the still hot sunshine. Celebrity Constellation, which had arrived after us, left first and we followed. (I will be lecturing on Celebrity Reflection in two weeks time.)

   At 6:30 I went to the solo travellers meet up, but none of the three people present were ready to eat. I went to the Latitude 53 Main Dining Room (MDR) and sat with a couple from South Wales and a couple from Leicestershire. I had the thin vegetable consomme, the lovely Hunter's chicken and the sweet tacos with chocolate ice cream. I had just one glass of red wine to drink.

   At 7:45 I sasshayed up to the dance session in the Indigo lounge hosted by Rosty & Mariia. I did the cha cha, waltz, Rumba (number) one, Sindy swing, Party samba, Melody foxtrot (Mariia's favourite), Square tango, Sally Ann cha cha and White City waltz (my favourite) all with Mariia. I sat out the salsa and the Ria bachata which I didn't know.

   At 8:30 I went to comedy magician Brandon Barrett's first show time. He picked on the latecomers, as is commonly the case with comedians. He was mildly amusing, but I hate magic tricks! I went to bed at 10:30, knowing that we would be losing an hour to get on to Gibraltar time during the night. During the day, I had done over twenty eight thousand steps, equal to over eleven miles of walking and had taken 135 photographs!

2nd Sea Day
Friday 28th April 2023

   I awoke at six o'clock as usual, but it was now seven o'clock on Gib time. I did my ablutions, after my usual instant decaff coffee. At eight o'clock, I went to the Latitude 53 Main Dining Room (MDR) where I had the express full English breakfast to eat. I had one glass of tomato juice and one cup of instant decaff coffee to drink. I finished with two slices of brown bread with marmite. I had had a bit of leg cramp during the night in bed, so I needed to top up my salt intake, after too much sweating in the hot sun on Madeira!

   I then did eleven circuits of the jogging track, equal to one mile of walking in the warm sun, but cool wind. Whilst Manji was servicing the room, I sat in one of the cabanas and checked up on my flight home from Corfu in a week's time. At ten o'clock, I went to Rosty & Mariia's cha cha class with just one beginner couple present. They taught a sequence of three cha cha basics, one underarm turn, two shoulder to shoulders and two New Yorks to slow music. They counted cha-cha-one correctly through out the forty minute class.

   Just after eleven o'clock I tried some of the light bites from the Med Tapas outlet. I sampled the chicken paella and the beef hot pot. Moving over to the Med Italian outlet, I tried two small slices of pizza: the meat feast and the pepperoni. At 11:30 I slept for an hour and a half, disturbed by the noon navigation annoucement.

   At two o'clock I gave my forty minute talk on Continents Adrift: the Story of Plate Tectonics. Again I had the one chap, Tony from Leek in Staffordshire (#4), come up to talk to me when I had finished. Back in my cabin, I watched the second half of my Med talk on the TV, before having my mid-afternoon instant decaff coffee. At four o'clock I went to the 35 minute Square Tango class with four couples. I danced with Linda again, whilst her sister Jeanette danced with Rosty, as their disabled mother looked on.

He taught:

   Step, tap, side, close,
   Back, tap, side, close,
   Slide, slide,
   Step, tap, side, close,
   Back, tap, side, close,
   Slide, slide,
   Slow, slow, quick, quick,
   Slow, slow, quick, quick,
   Slow, lunge forward,
   Back, rock back, slow, slow,
   Turn, turn, turn, side, (tap).

   At five o'clock I spent fifteen minutes in one of the whirlpools, but the sun kept going in. At six o'clock I did eleven laps of the jogging track, equal to one mile of walking to nearly reach my daily quota of steps in the still warm sunshine.

   At 6:30 I touched base with the solo travellers meet up point, before heading to the Latitude 53 Main Dining Room (MDR). Here I was sat with a couple of ladies from County Durham and a couple from Cheshire. I had the prawn veloute (which was suspiciously like the lobster bisque), the steak au poivre and the ice cream sundae. I had two glasses of red wine to drink.

   At 8:15 I snuck into the theatre to hear the Captain introduce his senior staff. This was followed by the Musicals production show, which featured Ukrainian dance teachers Mariia & Rosty, but in which I had trouble keeping awake.

   Back in my cabin, I had another instant decaff coffee and caught the end of my Plate Tectonic talk on the TV. I had a few small snacks in the late night buffet, before watching the Musicals show for a second time. I went to sleep at 11:45, having done over twelve thousand steps, equal to nearly five miles of walking, during the second sea day.

Gibraltar
Saturday 29th April 2023

   I awoke at seven o'clock, ready for my mug of instant decaff coffee in the cabin. At 7:30 I had TWO eggs Florentine for breakfast in the Latitude 53 MDR. I had two rounds of toast with Marmite, a glass of tomato juice and another instant decaff coffee. Whilst Manji was servicing the room, I sat in the Indigo observation lounge as we berthed in Gib.

   Just before nine o'clock, I joined the short queue in the M1 corridor on deck three. Ten minutes later I was the first person into the cruise terminal, where I was able to use the free wi-fi. I then walked into the city via Morrison's supermarket and McDonald's restaurant. I walked along the battlements as far as the Trafalgar cemetery, before turning around. I then walked back along Main Street to Casemates Square. I cut through the Ocean Village marina and got back to the cruise terminal just before noon.

Gibraltar Convent

Gibraltar Convent

   Back on the ship, I had the roast pork with vegetables, but no potatoes, followed by a vanilla soft ice cream. I then slept for two hours. After my early afternoon instant decaff coffee, I walked back into the city. I headed for the new tunnel under the eastern end of the airport runway. I photographed both the Eastern beach and Catalan bay, before retreating from the hot sun. I went into the city via the Landport tunnel and then immediately out again through Casemates gate.

   When I got back to the cruise terminal, I had another wi-fi session. Back in my cabin, I had my late afternoon mug of instant decaff coffee. At 5:30 I moved up one deck to the jacuzzis, where I wallowed for half an hour with a fine view of the Rock in the bright sunshine. Initially I was with a talkative lady from Newcastle, only to be joined later by my dancing partner Linda and her sister Jeanette for a time.

   At 6:30 I touched base with the two ladies at the solos meet up point, before moving on along to the Latitude 53 MDR. Here I was sat with the Leicestershire couple again. I had TWO bread rolls with the cheddar cheese & beer soup, followed by the chunky haddock, chips & mushy peas. I finished with the split bananas in caramel sauce with vanilla ice cream. I had TWO glasses of red wine and a cup of decaff cappucino coffee. This was the first time this cruise that I had felt stuffed! As we pulled away from the berth at 7:30, I was able to access the cruise terminal wi-fi for one last time. I sat on a stool by the railing and watched the sailaway from the majestic Rock.

   At 8:30 I went to the Zuma production show time, which was one of the very best that I have ever seen!

   6 Dancers
   4 Vocalists
   3 Band members
   2 Display dancers (Rosty & Mariia)

   They covered all the famous latin dances: including the cha cha, mambo, samba, conga & paso doble. Rosty & Mariia showcased the rumba and Argentine tango, as well as joining in some of the ensemble dances. There were the famous songs by Ricky, Julio, Iglesias, Gloria and JLo, no need for surnames here! They including "She Bangs", "Hero", "Bechame Mucho", "Papa Loves Mambo", "Mambo #5" and "Let's Get Loud".

   Back in the cabin, I had yet another instant decaff coffee, with just enough caffeine left in it to keep me awake through the second performance of the night, but not during the night itself! Back in the theatre again, I sat near the front in the middle with my eyes level with the stage to watch the impressive footwork. Some of the gyrations were rather suggestive! I went to sleep at 11:45, having taken 73 photographs and done over twenty seven thousand steps, equal to nearly eleven miles of walking during the day!

Third Sea Day
Sunday 30th April 2023

   I awoke at 6:45 to the dawn from the bridge camera on my TV. I went down to the Latitude 53 MDR at 7:30, but it didn't open until eight o'clock. I began with the daily special of a ham & cheese croissant, followed by the express full English breakfast. I had TWO large glasses of tomato juice, but no coffee or toast.

   Whilst Manji was servicing the cabin, I did eleven laps of the top deck jogging track, equal to one mile of walking. At 9:30 Iason (Yasson / Jason) whose father comes from Athens, set me up. I then gave my forty five minute lecture on volcanoes, introduced and concluded by ACD Lisa.

   At eleven o'clock, Rosty & Mariia taught the Viennese Swing sequence dance to four couples. One beginner couple gave up after ten minutes. I danced with Jeanette whilst her sister Linda danced with Rosty. We were watched by their other sister Carol and their mother watching from the sidelines. We had trouble getting all the way round at the end!

   At noon I went to the Latitude 53 MDR where I had the pea soup, the minute steak with chips and the sugar free strawberry mousse. I gave the wine a miss and stuck to iced water instead. I was sat with a couple from Lincolnshire.

   Afterwards I slept for an hour and a half, recovering from yesterday's exertions. I then had my early afternoon coffee, before attending John Chapman's interesting thirty five minute lecture on wartime pigeons. He showed two short film clips about pigeons and the trailer from the Imitation Game movie set in Bletchley Park, which he had talked about earlier.

   At four o'clock, Rosty & Mariia took 35 minutes to teach the new King Charles waltz sequence dance. This consisted of two twinkles, one box, one change figure, one plain whisk, one syncopated whisk, one Telemark turn, one natural turn, one forward figure, one back figure, one plain whisk, one chasse and one spin turn (I think)! All three couples struggled, particularly with the syncopated whisk!

   Back in the cabin, I watched my Plate Tectonics lecture on the TV. At 5:30 I spent sixteen minutes in the middle jacuzzi in the weak sunshine with a cool wind. At six o'clock I dined on the Caesar salad with prawns rather than anchovies, on the roast pork and the Pear Belle Helene. I had TWO glasses of red wine and a decaff coffee to drink sat with a couple from Wigan. They warned me about the perils of Corfu airport!

   At 7:45 I went to the ballroom dance session, where I danced exclusively with instructress Mariia. We did the waltz, cha cha, rumba, quickstep, jive, White City waltz, Sally Ann cha cha and Rumba (number) one, but not the Viennese swing that they had taught that morning. I led her through the Balmoral blues and she led me through the Bossanova 66 and the King Charles waltz that they had taught that afternoon. I sat out the ballroom tango and the Mayfair quickstep which she did with another male guest.

   At 8:30 I went to the Rockology production show, where I sat right at the front of the royal box overlooking the stage:

   4 Band members
   3 Female vocalists
   3 Male vocalists
   2 Female dancers
   2 Male dancers
   1 Compere

   I only knew about one half of the rock songs they sang, including "Going Underground" by the Jam, "Pinball Wizzard" by Roger Daltrey, "Cathy" by Kate Bush and "Deadringer for Love" by Meatloaf. I came back for a second time at 10:30, this time sitting in the front stalls. Halfway through the show my favourite young male dancer twisted his knee badly and disappeared from the show. His colleagues filled in the gap, without most people noticing. At the end of the show, he was being led off in a wheelchair with his knee bound up. I went to sleep at 11:45, having done over eleven and a half thousand steps, equal to four and a half miles of walking during the day.

Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Monday 1st May 2023

   I awoke to the dawn on my TV at 6:45, ready for my mug of instant decaff coffee. At 7:30 I had the special breakfast of smoked salmon on scrambled egg on toast. I had TWO large glasses of tomato juice and TWO rounds of toast with TWO portions of English marmite, but only one pat of Spanish butter!

   At 8:10 I walked across the no entry road bridge to the Porto Pi shopping mall. Here I spent one whole hour dealing with my emails and FaceBook postings. I then walked the nearly three miles into Palma. I went in the beautiful gothic stock exchange (La Llotya) and the tourist information office to bag some maps and leaflets, before exploring the outside of the cathedral and palace (Al Almudaina). I then walked the three miles back to the ship.

Bellver Castle, Palma, Mallorca, Spain

Bellver Castle, Palma, Mallorca, Spain

   Here I had the white bean soup, as the weekly menu restarted again. I had the lovely chicken cordon bleu and the Black Forest gateau to eat in the Latitude 53 MDR. I had TWO glasses of the mellow Merlot red wine to drink. I then slept for an hour and a half, before having my early afternoon coffee in my cabin.

   At 2:30 I slipped ashore, walking just half a mile to the Porto Pi shopping mall. Here I updated my FaceBook page and checked on my emails, before walking back. Back in my cabin, I had my late afternoon coffee, whilst updating this blog.

   At four o'clock Rosty & Mariia taught the Ria Bachata sequence dance to two couples and me. It was rather easier that the King Charles waltz that they had previously taught. The leader had just one under arm turn, whilst the followers had three.

   At 4:45 we had the sailaway from Palma in the bright sunshine. At 5:30 I spent eighteen minutes in the jacuzzis on my own as the band played and the BBQ started. When I dried off, I checked out the food on the pool deck, but decided against it. At six o'clock I went down to the Latitude 53 MDR where I was sat with the Lancastrian couple again. I had the cream of pumpkin soup, the Burgundy beef and the trifle to eat. I had two glasses of the mellow Merlot.

   At 7:45 I danced with Mariia including the waltz, cha cha, rumba, quickstep, jive & salsa. We did the Sally Ann cha cha and Rumba (Number) one sequence dances as well. She led me through the King Charles waltz and the Ria bachata. I sat out the Broadway quickstep and the Argentine stroll which I didn't know.

   At 8:30 I went to the Gary Barlow tribute artist Jon Fisher, sat at the front of the Royal Box. I only knew three songs: "Back For Good", "Let Me Go" and "Relight My Fire". Both his singing AND his Northern accent were spot on.

   At 9:15 I went to Rosty & Mariia's second set of the evening. I did the Rumba (Number) One and the White City waltz with Jeanette and the Social foxtrot with her sister Linda. The other sister Carol and their mother looked on. I did the waltz, jive and cha cha with Mariia. I led her through the Balmoral blues. I sat out the Alpine stroll which I didn't know and the Mayfair quickstep as Mariia was dancing with another guest.

   At 10:30 I went back to the Broadway theatre to see Jon Fisher as Gary Barlow for a second time. Unfortunately now that I was sitting in the front stalls, I had a bright light shining in my eyes. I went to sleep at 11:45, having taken 83 photos and done over twenty eight thousand steps, equal to over eleven miles of walking during the day!

Fourth Sea Day
Tuesday 2nd May 2023

   I awoke at 6:45 to the dawn on my cabin TV, ready for my usual mug of instant decaff coffee. At 7:20 I had a freshly made cheese omelette with all the extras to eat and a glass of apple juice to drink. I then did eleven circuits of the jogging track equal to one mile of walking. Back in the cabin, I updated this blog and backupped my over eighty Palma photographs.

   At 8:45 Manji from Kerala and his helpers arrived to service the cabin. I pulled his leg about his photo in that day's Cruise News daily programme, which said he had worked for Marella Cruises for over ten years. I then did another eleven laps, equal to another mile of walking as the sun got hotter. This took exactly fifteen minutes, meaning that I was walking at a pace of four miles per hour. Back in the cabin again, I worked on my final two enrichment lectures.

   At ten o'clock, I went to John's interesting forty minute talk on the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War Two. At eleven o'clock, I attended Rosty & Mariia's Sindy Swing dance class in the Indigo lounge, where I danced with Jeanette. At 11:30 I lunched on the plaice goujons with chips and cauilflower cheese. I had just two small desserts, before my siesta of an hour and a quarter.

   At two o'clock I gave my forty minute lecture on the Story of Architecture, introduced and concluded by stage manager Laura. I had just one slight piece of radio interference towards the end of lecture, but nothing as bad as John's morning lecture. At four o'clock I went to Rosty & Mariia's rumba class, but no one showed up for ten minutes, so we chatted about Ukraine. Then Karen from Cheshire arrived, so they taught the three basics, one underarm turn and two New Yorks.

   At 4:35 I spent fifteen minutes in the whirlpools, but the sun had gone in and they weren't that hot. I frittered away the rest of the afternoon, until the sun came out again at 6:15, when I walked another mile round the top deck. At 6:30 I dined on the cream of broccoli soup, the chicken & leek pie and the cherry slice, sat with the couple from Leicestershire for a third time. He had been a policeman, but had had to retire aged just 48 because of his failing eyesight. I had two glasses of the mellow Merlot to drink.

   At 8:30 I sat in the balcony of the Broadway theatre to watch the Bud's Diner production show with nine, not ten performers. It was set in a 1950s American diner with great songs like "All Shook Up" and "Johnny B. Goode", but I had trouble keeping awake. In the late night buffet, I had two small portions of the salmon mousse on two slices of baguette. The Big White Party started on the pool deck and I was again amazed at CD Scott's dancing prowess. He had been leading the line dancing classes during the cruise, but I hadn't managed to catch any of them. Unfortunately at ten o'clock it started to rain, so everyone decanted to the small Indigo lounge discotheque and dance floor. It was heaving, so I slipped away to my cabin.

   I went to sleep at an early 10:30, having done just over ten thousand steps, equal to four miles of walking during the day.

Valletta, Malta
Wednesday 3rd May 2023

   I awoke to the dawn at a quarter to six as we travelled further east across the Mediterranean Sea. I had slept for seven hours and was now ready for my mug of instant decaff coffee. At 6:30 I had a bacon and egg roll in the Med Tapas bar. I then sat in the Indigo observation lounge to watch the sail into the Grand Harbour. There was a large MSC ship at the cruise terminal and the other berth was being rebuilt, so we ended up on the other side of the harbour at Senglea.

   At eight o'clock I joined the queue in the internal corridor down on deck three. We had to wait half an hour as the local boatsmen were having trouble with the wind, they said. Eventually they had to let people off for the tours, so I exited and stayed on the Boiler berth side of the harbour. I climbed up to the Gardjola Gardens on the tip of the Senglea peninsula. Here I could pick up the free wi-fi from the cruise terminal opposite to pick up my emails. I accepted an offer to go on Ambassador's latest ship, the Ambition, from Royal Portbury opposite Avonmouth near Bristol for the first time.

   I walked along the west side of the peninsula with views of the ship from the ramparts. I crossed over the new bridge across Dockyard Creek to the second peninsula of Vittoriosa. I went in the tourist information office here, before reaching Fort St Angelo on the tip of the peninsula. The famous Maritime Museum was closed (for renovation?) I came back along the west side of the second peninsula and the east side of the first peninsula.

   Back at the ship at noon, I had several small minute steak pieces with chips & veg to eat. I finished with a soft chocolate ice cream cornet and a glass of diet lemonade. I forewent my siesta in order to catch the next complimentary shuttle boat across the Grand Harbour to Valletta. It pulled off before its complementary shuttle boat had left the other side, so we drifted mid-harbour for ten minutes.

Siege Bell, Grand Harbour, Valletta, Malta

Siege Bell, Grand Harbour, Valletta, Malta

   On the other side, I walked to the €1 lift up to the Upper Barrakka Gardens. I photographed the main sights, but was turfed out of the courtyard of the Palace of the Grand Master. I went in both cultural centres, which had free loos and free wi-fi. On the way back to the lift, I chatted to a couple from Swindon. He described the tattooed clientele as the lumpen proletariat!

   Back at the ship at four o'clock I danced with Jeanette, as her sister Linda danced with Rosty, learning the Melody foxtrot sequence dance. Back in my cabin, I had my late afternoon instant decaff coffee, whilst updating this blog. I then slept for fifty minutes in lieu of my missed siesta.

   At six o'clock I had just stepped into the jacuzzi when the captain made his departure annoucement, so I stepped straight out again without switching the bubbles on. I rushed to get changed and whizzed up to the top deck to watch the sail away and have one last wi-fi session as we passed the main cruise terminal.

   At 6:30 I dined on the carrot & turmeric soup, the escalope of beef and the pistacio ice cream sundae. I had two glasses of Merlot red wine. I took the lift to the top of the back of the ship and walked down the exterior staircases. Here I found the kid's paddling pool for the first time this cruise.

   Back in my cabin, I found I had the wrong coloured bag sticker for my final departure, but reception soon sorted that out. I tried to check-in online, but as had happened coming out, the TUI website said it was having technical difficulties!

   At 8:30 I went to the Movies show time, sat in the front of the Royal Box overlooking the stage. This included "C'est la Vie", "Somewhere over the Rainbow", "Do the Timewarp" and "Singin' in the Rain". Rosty & Mariia did a lovely waltz to "Moon River", reprised "Dirty Dancing" and featured in "Eye of the Tiger". I particularly enjoyed the Bond medley, including "The Writing's on the Wall" sung falsetto!

   At 10:30 I watched the Movies show for a second time, sat in the front stalls. Afterwards I went up to the late night buffet for only the fourth time this cruise, where I had one small burger (no bread) and two small deep fried cheese croquettes. I went to sleep at 11:45 having done over thirty thousand steps, equal to twelve miles of walking during the day. The discovery of Senglea and Vittoriosa had been the undoubted highlight of the cruise, where I had taken 187 photographs!

Fifth & Final Sea Day
Thursday 4th May 2023

   I awoke at ten to six to the dawn, ready to have my instant decaff coffee in the cabin. At 6:30 I had scrambled egg on toast with a bacon roll in the Med Tapas breakfast bar. Back in the cabin, I backupped my previous day's pictures.

   At eight o'clock I did eleven laps in fifteen minutes around the pool, as the top deck was roped off due to the wind. I spent most of the morning finishing off this blog. When Manji came to service the cabin at 9:10, I did eleven more circuits. The jogging track had re-opened, but it was still too windy for me.

   At 9:30 Anglo-Greek Jason/Iason set me up in the Broadway theatre. At ten o'clock, I gave my forty minute talk on Mamma Mia: the Greek Musical. I was introduced by CD Scott and concluded by ACD Lisa. At eleven o'clock Rosty & Mariia taught the Ballroom jive in the Indigo lounge. I danced with Jeanette, whilst Rosty danced with her sister Linda (the Middleton lookalike), and there was another couple present too. They went over the basic figure, the side sways (like in the Rock jive), the underarm turns, the hip bumps and the stop 'n' go figure. At the end we took our photos and gave our thanks in case we couldn't make their final session in the afternoon.

   At 11:30 I lunched on the green pea soup and the roast beef with vegetables, but not potatoes, in the Market Place buffet. I then slept for eighty minutes. At 14:00 the clocks were advanced to 15:00 to get on to Greek time. This had been planned to take place in the early hours of the morning, which would have had a bad effect on my morning lecture. This would have effectively been starting a nine o'clock, so I was gratefully for the change.

   At three o'clock I went to John's interesting fifty minute lecture on Winston Churchill. At four o'clock I went to Rosty & Mariia's quickstep class for just one couple. They began with a warm up routine of side, close, side / quick, quick, slow. They then introduced the quickstep basic of right, side, close, back, back, side, close, left. They finished with the lock step on the balls of the feet.

   I then did just one circuit of the top deck in the bright sunshine, but still with a strong head wind. This was too cold too consider going in the jacuzzis! Back in the cabin, I updated this blog and thought about changing for dinner and packing. At 5:30 it took me just half an hour to pack.

   At 6:30 I went to the Latitude 53 MDR where I sat with a couple from Bristol. He didn't know about Royal Portbury, but did know about Avonmouth opposite. He was a Baptist so we talked a bit about theology. I had the asparagus soup, the grilled salmon and the coupe Malaga ice cream sundae to eat. I had two glasses of the mellow Merlot red wine to drink.

   At 8:30 I went to the Revive production show, another circus fantasy story. Songs included "Bohemian rhapsody", "I am what I am" and "Whiter shade of pale" Afterwards I went up to the Market Place buffet to try some of their cheeses. On the other side they had a Mexican themed buffet, so I samples some of their offering too.

   At 10:30 I went back to the Broadway theatre to watch the show for a second time:

   3 Male singers
   3 Female singers
   2 Guest dancers (Rosty & Mariia)
   2 Female dancers, including a circular trapeze artiste
   1 Male dancer, still missing their second member

   I went to sleep at 11:45 having done over eleven thousand steps, equal to four and a half miles of walking during the day.

Corfu --> LGW
Friday 5th May 2023

   I awoke at 6:30 to the dawn on my TV, ready for my mug of instant decaff coffee. After abluting, I moved up to the top deck where I could access the free VodaFone wi-fi to post my first picture of the morning from Corfu. At 7:40 I had the Friday special breakfast in the MDR: streaky bacon on mashed avocado on sourdough toast. I had one glass of tomato juice plus two slices of brown toast with marmite. Back in my cabin, I finished packing.

   At nine o'clock I left my cabin and went up to the Indigo lounge, but the balcony door was locked. At 9:25 I took the elevator down to deck three and exited the ship carrying all my own bags. We had a bit of a queue in the hot sun on the quay, but I was able to shelter in the shade. I was on the second bus, which left bang on time at 9:50, taking only fifteen minutes to get to the airport.

Achilleion palace, Corfu

Achilleion Palace, Corfu

   I was checked in by 10:20 and went walkabout, but couldn't find any tourist information in the arrivals area. They did have excellent free wi-fi, where I found out that I had won £1100 on the ERNIE May draw! I drank half of my bottle of soda water, brought all the way from Blighty, with a single dispersible aspirin.

   Security was quick and I found a charging station in the main lounge, so I was able to update this blog. At 11:30 we were told to proceed through passport control. We were bussed out on to the taxiway to board our Boeing 737, which wasn't full. We took off half an hour late, but made up the time as usual en route.

   After take-off, I moved to a window seat on an empty row. Here I slept for one hour, only to be awoken by an announcement that we were crossing the Alps. We had a marvellous view of the snow covered peaks. Once over Germany, it clouded over, so I got out my laptop and updated this blog. The clouds cleared over the North Sea, which was littered with wind turbines.

   Gatwick was quick and I only had to wait two minutes for my bus to the B&B. The drive home took over three hours as it was the Friday afternoon before the Coronation bank holiday weekend. I got home just after six o'clock after another enjoyable, if somewhat different, cruise! I had travelled by coach, by plane, by bus and by car!

   Fellow Speaker John Chapman later wrote:
"I know Alison (Viking Cruises) will be interested in your wide variation of talks. I can testify you can hold an Audience. I saw little to criticise your expertise and certainly the content!"

   He kindly recommended me to Viking Cruises and they then gave me my first two contracts!

Lectures Given
on the Marella Explorer Cruise
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain to Corfu, Greece

   1) "The Story of the Mediterranean Sea"
Martin, who has degrees in geography, geology and theology,
will cover the natural history and human history of this great sea.
(He has given this lecture on the Seabourn Odyssey, the Seabourn Sojourn and five other cruise ships,
the most recent being on the Celebrity Edge and now on here)

   2) "Continents Adrift: The Story of Plate Tectonics"
Martin, who has degrees in geography, geology and theology, will give an illustrated talk on this great theory of earth science.
(He gave this talk recently on P&O's Arcadia and now on here)

   3) "Volcano: the Story of Volcanology"
An illustrated talk on the geology, geography and history of volcanoes.
(Martin has given this lecture four times, the most recent being on P&O's Arcadia and now on here)

   4) "The Story of Western Architecture"
Martin, who has degrees in geography, geology and theology, will cover the history of western architecture from Ancient Greece & Rome to Post-Modernism.
(He has given this talk on two cruise ships, the most recent being on Silversea's Silver Wind and now on here)

   5) "Mamma Mia: the Greek Musical"
Martin will share his love of music with you, featuring the classic pop songs of ABBA!
(He has given this talk on four cruises, most recently on Silversea's Silver Spirit. and now on here)

Score card:

18 Shows watched
11 Dinners in the Latitude 53 Main Dining Room (MDR)
10 ???
 9 Different production shows
 8 ???
 7 Ports (LPdGC, SCdT, Funchal, Gib, PdM, Malta & Corfu)
 7 Lunches in the Market Place buffet
 6 Guests hosted at the Solos luncheon
 6 Late Breakfasts in the MDR (8:00)
 5 Sea days
 5 Lectures (Med, Plate, Volcano, Architecture & MM)
 4 New places (Tanque, Magnolia, Catalan & Senglea)
 4 Storey atrium
 3 Breakfasts in the Market Place buffet
 3 Jacuzzis / Hot tubs / Whirlpools
 3 Lunches in the MDR
 2 Early Breakfasts in the Med Tapas bar (6:30)
 2 Guest speakers (Martin P. Lee and John Chapman) 
 2 Dance instructors (Rosty & Mariia)
 1 Med Tapas lunch
 1 New berth (Senglea)
 0 Tours
Eleven MDR Dinners:
4 Beef
2 Pork
2 Chicken
2 Fish (Haddock & Salmon)
1 Duck

Eleven Lunches:
6 Beef
2 Pork
1 Chicken
1 Fish
1 Various

Eleven Breakfasts:
3 Cheese omelettes
3 Express Full English
2 Bacon & Egg rolls (6:30)
1 Eggs Florentine
1 Eggs Royale
1 Avocado special
0 Eggs Benedict

Good points:

  1. Free laundry
  2. Table sharing
  3. Any time dining
  4. New ship for me
  5. Alcohol inclusive
  6. In cabin tea & coffee
  7. Repositioning cruise
  8. Open seating dining
  9. Wide choice of soft drinks
  10. New cruise company for me
  11. Omelette stations with pagers!
  12. Fly cruise (no Bay of Biscuits!)
  13. Efficient steward (Manji from Kerala €20 tip)
  14. Eating in the Latitude 53 Main Dining Room
  15. Lecture introductions AND conclusions!
  16. Dancing with instructress Mariia!

For the record ...

Thirteen Cruise Lines:
* Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
* Saga Shipping Company
* Voyages of Discovery
* Seabourn (Carnival)
* Princess (Carnival)
* Cunard (Carnival)
* P&O (Carnival)
* Celebrity (RCCL)
* Silversea (RCCL)
* Oceania (NCL)
* Marella (TUI)
* Ambassador
* Crystal

Forty One Cruise Ships:
Silver Whisper
Silver Spirit
Silver Wind
Silver Muse
Silver Moon
Silver Dawn

Black Prince
Black Watch
Boudicca
Balmoral
Braemar
Bolette

Celebrity Silhouette
Celebrity Solstice
Celebrity Eclipse
Celebrity Edge
Celebrity Apex

Saga Rose
Saga Ruby
Saga Sapphire
Saga Pearl II

Quest for Adventure
Spirit of Adventure (Old SofA)
Spirit of Adventure (New SofA)
Spirit of Discovery

Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2)
Queen Elizabeth (QE)
Queen Victoria (QV)
Queen Mary 2 (QM2)

P&O Arcadia
P&O Oriana
P&O Iona

Crystal Symphony
Crystal Serenity

Seabourn Odyssey
Seabourn Sojourn

Marella Explorer

Oceania Sirena

Ambassador Ambience

Sapphire Princess

VoD Discovery