| Flag: | Date: | Port: | Comment: |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
31st March 2022 |
SoToN Hants UK |
Aboard at 2 o'clock |
 |
3rd April 2022 |
Lisbon Portugal |
Not allowed to berth! |
 |
4th April 2022 |
Malaga Spain |
First day of isolation |
|
5th April 2022 |
Cartagena Spain |
Too rough to berth! |
|
6th April 2022 |
Valencia Spain |
Third day of isolation No tours! |
|
7th April 2022 |
Barcelona Catalonia Spain |
Fourth a.m. of isolation No tours! |
|
7th April 2022 |
Castellon de la Plana Spain |
Fourth p.m. of isolation No tours! |
|
8th April 2022 |
Palma de Mallorca Spain |
Fifth day of isolation |
|
10th April 2022 |
Motril Spain |
Costa Tropical Tour! |
|
11th April 2022 |
Cadiz Spain |
Snapshot of Cadiz Tour! |
|
15th April 2022 |
PoMoH Hants UK |
Home by 11:00! |
| Flag: | Date: | Port: | Comment: |
I awoke just before seven o'clock ready for my grilled tomatoes with bacon, which had to be used up. My taxi arrived early at 11:45 and took under an hour to get to SoToN. My PCR and RALF tests took only 15 minutes outside the new Horizon cruise terminal. Check in was quick, but then I had to wait in the lounge for an hour, before embarkation began just after two o'clock.
Once on board, I had a late lunch of salmon, chips & peas in the Grill, with a view of snow flurries across Southampton Water. The cabins were released at three o'clock and I found I had a double room on E deck five near the front. This has a restricted view because of the high bow parapet. I then had my first decaff instant coffee in the cabin, which I do love.
At four o'clock we had the entertainers briefing in the Playhouse theatre led by ACD Chris, not CD Shane. I had to break the news to the meeting that independents cannot go ashore on their own and only those with first aid certificates may escort the tours. CD Shane had to phone up Shorex Manager Rodrigo twice to verify both of these facts. Normally destination lecturers are the last, not the first, to hear about such changes! At the meeting I found out I had got only three lectures in which to cover six ports, but the information for independents had to go any way.
I then touched base with Red Rod from Colombia to be updated on the tours. This involved me in some work to update my presentations. Just after six o'clock we had the delayed safety drill where we used the crew staircase for the first time. This was another quick walk through exercise with no life jackets. I walked the length of the promenade to take a picture of SoToN in the evening sun, before walking back the length of E deck five to my cabin passed the isolation wing.
Just after seven o'clock the Captain broke the news about no independent shore exploration. There was no early evening dance session and my first night dinner reservation wasn't until 7:45 to avoid the rush. I dined with Judy & Mike from Budleigh Salterton in Devon. He had trained as a dentist at King's College Hospital in London. He then worked at University College Hospital and the Eastman Dental Institute also both in London. I had the carrot soup and the Caesar salad to begin, followed by the beef as usual. I finished with the white chocolate gateau with honey comb ice cream. I had just one glass of red wine.
The 9:30 show didn't start until 9:45, when comedian Fogwell Flax had a hard time with a half full house. His impressions of English regional accents were all spot on! Some other cruises now have no show time on the first night with so many guests going to bed early after their travels and travails! I went to sleep at 10:45 having done over 7,500 steps equal to three miles of walking during the day.
Having left my curtains open, I awoke to the dawn at 6:15 and got up at 6:30. I had my second decaff instant coffee of the cruise, before abluting. At 7:30 I broke my fast with the special kedgeree and the virgin pina colada smoothie. I was then joined by Mary from Lower Slaughter in the Cotswolds and two ladies from Kent. At 8:45 I touched base with Red Rod and spoke to Canadian Pam from BoMoH.
At 9:45 I got set up in the Playhouse Theatre with Helen. I gave my first two port talks on Lisbon & Cartagena starting at 10:30. Unfortunately at 10:55 we had a Code Quebec (Quaratine) alert and I had to stop lecturing. The Captain came on to the blower to say there had been one suspected CoViD case, so everyone must go back to their cabin and turn on their do not disturb sign! We were all held in isolation for about an hour and a half, before being released.
There were then enormous queues for the restaurants, so I had just three choc chip cookies in the Living Room and a banana in my cabin for lunch. I had had lovely home made biscuits as we crossed the calm Bay of Biscuits! I then slept for another hour and a half. After my mid-afternoon decaff, I went to the classical concert. I particularly enjoyed the Carmen medley, the Scott Joplin Entertainer and Monti's Czardas. As we were applauding at the end, we had a second Code Quebec (Quaratine), so we all returned to our cabins again.
I then had another offer of two last minute Silversea cruises, but unfortunately had to decline them. I watched my morning's talk, which had appeared on the in cabin television. I worked on my Spitsbergen presentation, until we were released at 7:40. Dinner had been put back to eight o'clock and the shows to 10:30 as a result. Fearing long queues at the restaurants, I went to the Britannia lounge for my first plain soda and crisps of the cruise.
At 8:30 I went to the grill where I was sat with Gwen from near Sheffield, together with speaker Jan and her husband Gavin. I had the cullen skink (killing skunk?) soup to start, followed by the Chateaubriand beef. I finished with some cheese and biscuits, as we sailed across the calm Bay of Biscuits! I had TWO large glasses of red wine, so I had to drink lots of water during the night to forestall a hang over!
At 10:30 I went to Sam Austen's excellent "Through the Decades" cabaret. He sang:
Lady is a Tramp - Frank Sinatra American Pie - Don McLean Don't Look Back in Anger - Oasis Faith - George Michael It's Not Unusual - Tom Jones She's a Lady - Tom Jones Hold Your Hand - Beatles Devil in Disguise - Elvis Presley Karma Chameleon - Culture Club Cry Me a River - Michael Bublé
Back in my cabin, my included tour tickets had arrived. I went to sleep at 11:15 having done just over five thousand steps, equal to two miles of walking, during a day with two periods in isolation!
I got up to the dawn at 6:30 for my in cabin decaff instant coffee with their milk AND my Coffeemate whitener! At 7:30, with no special on offer, I had the full English break fast sat with Diane from Devon. Back in my cabin at 8:30, I updated my next three talks. At nine o'clock I touched base with Red Rod at the Explore Ashore desk.
At ten o'clock I did over four circuits of the promenade deck equal to over one mile. The sun was shining, but the wind was cold, as we exited the Bay of Biscuits. At 10:15 I chatted with the Rev Clifford Owen from Huntingdon, as we queued for our second complimentary rapid antigen lateral flow tests (RALF), prior to our planned arrival in to Lisbon tomorrow. The chaplain has worked in various parishes across continental Europe! I had to go back into isolation again until they phoned through my negative result at 10:45.
At 11:30 I went to see if the Verandah had started serving lunch al fresco, but it didn't start until noon, so I did many circuits of the top deck walking track. At noon I lunched on the tomato soup and the chicken tikka masala with rice, sat with wee Scottish Jan from Shropshire and a lady from Brentwood in Essex.
At 1:15 I went to set up with Ivan, before going back to my cabin to change. At 2 o'clock I gave my 40 minute talk which consisted of the tours from Cartagena, which had been truncated yesterday, followed by my shortened talks on Valencia & Barcelona. Back in my cabin, I sat out on my sunny balcony for the first time this cruise, until we had the third code Quebec call of the cruise. This isolation period only lasted half an hour, which I spent dozing on the bed.
Having being released, I spent fifteen minutes in the hydrotherapy pool for the first time this cruise. Back in my cabin, I sat out au naturelle on my balcony in the hot sun. I then watched my afternoon talk which had appeared on the TV. I also watched Jan's talk on Funny Women.
At six o'clock I danced with wee Scottish Jan from Shropshire. We did the waltz, cha cha, rumba, jive & samba together. At seven o'clock I dined with chaplain Clifford and his wife. I began with the prawn bisque, continued with the Caesar salad and majored on the proper beef Wellington. I finished with the rum & raisin ice cream, as the honey comb had run out, all washed down with just one glass of red wine.
During dinner the Captain came on to the blower to say that Lisbon wouldn't have us and so we would have another sea day followed by a new call into Malaga. It so happens that my next ship, Silversea's brand new Silver Dawn on her maiden voyage, would also be in Malaga that day!
At 9:45 I went to Jools Holland's show time. I had last heard him in 2019 when I wrote: "He is a very talented pianist, but I just don't like jazz music at all. I didn't know any of the songs and the fat woman was schreeching!" Unfortunately the show hadn't changed. Not only do I not like jazz, but I don't like the blues or boogie-woogie music either! I kept nodding off, and then they played a couple of encores, so it lasted over an hour.
I went to sleep at 11:15 having done over eleven and a half thousand steps equal to four and a half miles of walking during the day.
I awoke to the dawn at 6:50 ready for my in cabin decaff instant coffee. At 7:40 I had the full English break fast sat with Diane from Plymouth watching the sun rise. I touched base with Red Rod, but I had not been given a lecture slot and anyway the Malaga tours were not yet ready.
At nine I did four circuits, over one mile, of the promenade deck. The port side of the ship was sunny, but the starboard side was blowy. At 10:30 I went to the interesting ORCA talk on cetaceans, but fell asleep when they got on to the sea birds. The many different types of (sea) gulls all look the same to me!
When Rochel came to do my cabin, I took my mid morning coffee to the library to finish. Back in my cabin and heading for Malaga, I worked on my Picasso lecture, ready for my first cruise this summer as an art historian!
At 11:45 we had the fourth code Quebec, so I retreated to my cabin again. After the Captain's annoucement, I slept for one hour, before being released again. At 1:20 I had to queue for the Grill buffet, where I was sat with a well spoken couple from Quorn, near Leicester. He had been an English teacher and she had a law degree. I had the lovely roast beef with all the trimmings, it was Sunday lunch after all!
Back in my cabin, I continued working on my Picasso lecture. At 4:45 I booked my seat for the evening's production show time. I then did only two lengths of the starboard promenade, as the port side was closed off due to the wind. Luckily my balcony was out of the wind and in the hot sunshine, as we turned south east passed Cape St Vincent.
At 4:45 I had to queue for 20 minutes for my third complimentary RALF test ready to enter Spain tomorrow. At 5:15 I was cleared to go, so I adjourned to the Spa. I spent ten minutes in the hydrotheraphy pool followed by fifteen minutes in the rest of the complex. Unfortunately the steam room wasn't working, the main sauna was too hot, whilst the infra red sauna and the heated loungers weren't hot enough!
At 6:15 we had a helicopter medical evacuation, so the Britannia lounge was out of bounds and I had to have my soda & crisps listening to Chris James playing the piano in the Living room.
At 6:45 I dined on the soup and schnitzel sat with a couple from Surrey. They like to cruise on the large Royal Caribbean ships! During the meal the waiters asked me for my cabin room rumber THREE times. Eventually the supervisor said that I was the close contact of a positive CoViD case and must isolate for two days AFTER I had finished my meal!
Back in my cabin, I watched the excellent Swing production show, but it isn't the same as being there in the Playhouse theatre:
Irving Berlin Medley Top Hat Medley George Gershwin Benny Goodman Jimmy McHugh Irving Berlin & Fred Astaire Judy Garland Cole Porter Medley
I went to sleep at 10:30 having done over eight thousand steps equal to over three miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at 5:30, but it was now 6:30 on Central European Time (CET). At 6:50 my continental break fast arrived: croissant, ham and cheese. I need to order TWO croissants tomorrow! I put the hot skimmed milk in to my decaff coffee and saved the tomato juice for later.
I spent the morning working on my Picasso lecture. At noon I ordered the soup of the day and a sirloin steak for lunch from room service. It arrived within twenty minutes and I enjoyed eating it al fresco on my balcony with views south west along the Costa del Sol. I then slept for an hour and a half.
At 2:45 we had our fifth code Quebec, but I was already in my cabin in isolation! I spent the afternoon working on my Picasso lecture. At four o'clock I tested negative again, but the nurse said I must isolate for SIX days not two. At 6:45 I had the lovely steak Diane for dinner, but with no starter or dessert as I had done no exercise during the day.
At 9:30 I listened to Fogwell Flax's second show time on the TV. His impressions of steam trains and tube trains were very atmospheric! I went to sleep at 10:30, but we had a very rough night with force 10 winds!
I awoke to my alarm at 6:30 ready for my continental break fast to arrive just after seven. This time I had TWO croissants, to cope with all the cheese and ham they sent me. I watched my second talk for a second time on the TV. I spent most of the morning working on my Picasso lecture.
Just before noon the Captain annouced it was too rough to enter Cartagena and we would be pressing on for Valencia instead. At noon I ordered the cordon bleu turkey for lunch, which arrived after twenty minutes. I then slept for an hour, before having my mid-afternoon decaff instant coffee, accompanied by a selection of FOUR different types of biscuit kindly provided by Rochel!
I started watching the musical film La La Land, but gave up after ten minutes. Having finished my Picasso lecture, I turned to updating Longyearbyen on Spitsbergen. At 6:50 I ordered dinner, but it took nearly an hour to arrive with so many demands on a reduced work force. I had the lovely beef tenderloin, but no starter or dessert as I had done negligeble exercise in my cabin during the day.
At 9:30 I watched the new Twisted Circus show, but it was just like one of the productions on the big American ships. It was a fantasy story with little plot. The aerial acrobats were excellent and there were some good songs in the second half. I went to sleep at eleven o'clock.
I awoke to my alarm at 6:30 as the Silver Dawn overtook us, as I had predicted. My continental break fast arrived just after seven. The Captain came on to the blower to say that our CoViD numbers prevented anyone going ashore today!
I spent the morning working on my Spitsbergen presentation. At 11:30 I watched Jeff's talk on Dunkirk read from a script. At 12:05 room service rang me, rather than the other way round, to ask what I wanted for lunch. I had the poached salmon in butter sauce with boiled potatoes and vegetables, half an hour later.
I then slept for an hour and a half. When I woke up the sun had come out and I had my mid-afternoon decaff instant coffee. I had an email from one of my agents with details of the new FOCL rebranding. I re-did my biography and Sara improved upon it for me. I sat out on my balcony for half an hour in the hot sun as we left Valencia.
At 6:50 I phoned my dinner order through to room service. After half an hour, I received my huge tornedos rossini with large slab of paté de fois gras on top! I also got a complimentary bottle of English champagne, which I shall take home for my next door neighbours.
I then watched Peter Dean's interesting talk on telly cops and docs, unfortunately his Apple MacBook played up towards the end. I didn't watch Bob Mortimer's talk on horse racing when I discovered that it had no slides at all! At 9:45 I watched David Kidd's excellent Tom Jones tribute act. The singing voice was spot on and his Welsh talking accent was good with just the occasional lapse in to "ee bah gum" Lancastrian! I went to sleep soon after 10:30.
My alarm awoke me at 6:30 ready for my continental break fast. At 6:55 room service rang to ask me for my requirements, despite me having placed an order form on my door handle, which had been collected! As I ate, I watched a magnificient sun rise across the Mediterranean sea. At 8:05 we had the sixth code Quebec so that the positive cases, both guests and crew, could be off loaded to a hotel in Barcelona.
At 10:35 we left Barcelona without warning. Then the Captain came on to the tannoy to say that we were heading for Castellon de la Plana! I had been here once before on my favourite Quest for Adventure ship back in 2013.
At noon I ordered a sirloin steak for lunch, followed by a siesta for an hour and a half. After my mid-afternoon decaff instant coffee, I had my next RALF test which was negative as expected. The nurse said I would have my final test tomorrow and then be released. At Castellon we had a paella and music party on the quayside, but since I was on the starboard side of the ship, I could see nothing.
At 6:45 I ordered my rib of Angus beef, my second lot of red meat in the day! At seven o'clock Rochel came to change my bedding, the first time she had entered the cabin in four days! I had to remain out on the balcony whilst she did the room, but my dinner was getting cold on the table. When she started on the bathroom, I came back in to the cabin and ate my evening meal.
As the sun went down with a brilliant red sun set, we left the port again with no indication of where we were going! At 9:30 I started watching the magician, but I do hate magic, so I spent the time playing FreeCell with just the occasional glance at the TV. I went to sleep at 10:30, having spent the day profitably working on my Longyearbyen port talk ready to go back to Spitsbergen this summer.
I got up at 6:30 when my alarm didn't go off because my phone had lost another hour again! On inspecting the navigational map on the telly, we had sailed to Palma on Majorca during the night! At 7:05 David delivered my penultimate in-cabin continental break fast and he reminded me that we were friends on Face Book! I spent some of the day working on my Michelangelo presentation, but frittered most of it away awaiting my penultimate RALF test.
At noon I ordered the Burgundy beef which arrived half an hour later. I then slept for one hour only to be awoken by Rochel phoning up to see if I wanted my room to be serviced. Later CD Shane phoned to see how I was and to say that he didn't yet know if we would be calling in at Gib on the way home.
At 4:30 we had the seventh code Quebec lock down, but I was still in isolation. This took 50 minutes as one of the guests wouldn't co-operate! At six o'clock I phoned the medical centre, hoping to be tested and let out, but they didn't want to know!
The Captain announced that we would have a sea day before getting to Motril. I have been here three times already on Braemar, Quest for a Denture and Saga Pearl II. At 6:40 I ordered the rack of lamb which came quickly. I enjoyed eating it al fresco on the balcony as we sailed away from Palma with views of the Cathedral and Bellver Castle. I was able to gnaw the bones to my heart's content!
At 9:30 I watched the excellent "We are the Champions" Queen tribute show, which I have seen before several times!
We will rock you / We are the champions Somebody to love / Crazy little thing I want to break free Don't stop me now The show must go on Who wants to live forever / No one but you Radio gaga / One vision Bohemian rhapsody
I went to sleep at 10:45.
I got up at 6:30 ready for my continental break fast which arrived at 6:50. I spent most of the morning working on my Michelangelo presentation. At 10:30 I watched Dr Simon Boxall's interesting 52 minute talk on waves across the ocean.
At noon the Captain announced that we would be going back to PoMoH not DoVeR, which was grid locked! When he and Shane had finished, I ordered the roast lamb shoulder for lunch.
I then slept for an hour and a half, before having my mid-afternoon decaff instant coffee. At 3:30 I watched Jan's interesting talk on "Romance versus Passion". At 4:45 we had the eighth code Quebec lock down, just as I was expecting my final RALF test! This only lasted 40 minutes this time!
At 5:30 I phoned the medical centre to be let out and they said they would call me back later. At 6:30 I took a negative personal RALF test in my cabin myself. At 6:50 they released me from isolation without them testing me for the last two days!
I immediately dined alone in the Grill on the cream of asparagus soup, the Caesar salad, the roast pork, the sugar free strawberry gateau and FOUR petit fours! I was sat near to the single lady from Lincolnshire. I pushed the boat out and had a bottle of cider instead of wine. I then did four circuits of the promenade deck and six laps of the top deck circuit, both equal to one mile of walking. However my right hip started playing up towards the end and my left knee was giving me some jip this afternoon, having sat working at my desk for six days on the trot!
At 9:30 I went to David Kidd's excellent MoTown show time. I particularly liked the Drifters medley, but there were some songs I didn't know. He had a hard time building any atmosphere with the theatre being only one quarter full. Unfortunately it was clashing with another MoTown concert, this time in the Britannia lounge with the show cast. I went to sleep at 11:15 having done over six thousand steps equal to over two miles of walking during the evening.
I awoke at six o'clock and got up at 6:45 ready to break my fast in the Grill at 7:30. I had TWO eggs Benedict with a tomato juice and a strawberry & banana smoothie! At eight o'clock Michelle issued me with a tour ticket. I went back up to the top deck to do some photography as the sun came up. There was snow on the Sierra Nevada!
At 8:45 I went to the Playhouse theatre to be stickered with a number 3. Buses 1 and 2 departed OK, but the guide for bus 3 tested positive, so we were divided up on to the two previous buses. Our first photo stop was at a custard apple tree orchard with distant views to the Moorish Castillo de Salbrena. We then had a ten minute walk around Almunecar to see the Roman aqueduct. Our last visit was a drive along the prom at Herradura.
We got back to the ship at 11:45 ready for an early lunch. It had been so good to get off the ship for the first time since SoToN ten days ago! I had the roast beef al fresco on the Verandah overlooking the Snowy Mountains (Sierra Nevada), before sleeping for an hour and three quarters. After my mid-afternoon decaff instant coffee, I spent 4 x 3 = 12 minutes in one of the outdoor jacuzzis for the first time this cruise. I dried off, naked, on my balcony in the hot sun!
I was doing one lap of the promenade deck in the hot sun, when the captain announced we were going to Cadiz rather than Gibraltar, so I rushed back to my cabin in case they wanted me to give a lecture on Cadiz. We then had our ninth code Quebec which only lasted half an hour, so I watched Peter's fascinating talk on the real elephant man of Whitechapel, where Peter had had his medical training. I then did four and a half circuits, equal to over one mile, of the promenade deck in the warm sun shine.
At 6:30 I dined in the Grill again next to the single lady from Lincolnshire. I had the cream of artichoke soup, the mixed salad, the rump of lamb, the sugar free Waldorf tart and just two petit fours. I ordered a bottle of cider and then got given a glass of sangria, so I felt quite tipsy by the end of the meal! We all watched the famous Strait of Gibraltar dolphins dashing to join us. After dinner I did another four laps of the promenade deck.
At 9:30 I went to Wayne Denton's excellent Celebration of John Denver. All the famous songs were there: Rocky Mountain High, Take Me Home Country Roads, Thank God I'm a Country Boy, Leaving on a Jet Plane and Annie's Song. When he told the story of how school teacher Christa McAuliffe had replaced John Denver as the Citizen Astronaut and he sang "Flying For Me", I shed a tear!
After the show, I went to the back of the ship and the top deck to see the stars, but the floodlights were too bright. I went to sleep at eleven o'clock having done over eight thousand steps equal to over three miles of walking during the day.
My alarm, which I thought I had switched off, woke me at 6:30 ready for my in cabin decaff instant coffee. At 7:30 I broke my fast with TWO eggs Benedict, one tomato juice and one passion fruit smoothie.
At 8:45 I went to the Playhouse theatre to be stickered. I was given the first number 2 sticker, so I was able to nab the seat by the middle door. We began with driving around the old city passed the back of the cathedral and the Genoese park to Alameda gardens where we turned around. He then toured the new city with its lovely beaches.
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We crossed the old bridge to Puerto Real where we had the one photo stop overlooking the bay towards Santa Maria, from where Columbus got his flagship. We crossed back over the new cable stayed 1812 Constitution bridge to the old city, taking 90 minutes in total.
Back on the ship I had my mid morning decaff instant coffee in the cabin with the patio doors open to the splendid view of Cadiz city hall and cathedral! At noon I lunched al fresco on the Verandah with a view across the roof tops of Cadiz. I had the cream of carrot soup followed by the gammon AND peri peri chicken with chips and vegetables.
I then slept for two hours, before watching the Belfast film by Sir Kenneth Brannagh. This was very moving and I particularly liked the Van the Man Morrison sound track. Sir Ken is an incredibly talented man, the only person to have been nominated in SEVEN different academy award categories. He has now won his first Oscar for writing and directing his autobiographical film Belfast.
As the film ended, the tenth code Quebec was announced, just as I was about to wallow in the jacuzzi! It only lasted half an hour, so I was able to spend ten minutes in the hydrotheraphy pool. Climbing back up the stairs, I reminded Kevin Woodford that ballroom dancing was next on the programme. At six o'clock I danced with wee Scottish Jan from Shropshire in the Britannia lounge to the band. We did two waltzes, cha chas & quicksteps, together with one rumba, jive & slow foxtrot.
I then dined alone in the Grill on cream of celeriac soup, Caesar salad, osso bucco, honey comb ice cream and THREE petit fours all washed down with a bottle of cider! After dinner, I did some more circuits of the promenade deck to reach my daily step quota.
At 9:30 I went to the Elementis production which was another fantasy show. The four singers were dressed as the four base elements: Earth, Fire, Water & Air. The two aerial acrobats only did one short display, but some of the music tracks were great. I prefer the more traditional shows on the Spirit of Adventure with a live band!
Afterwards I chatted to a well spoken couple about the Open University, whose badge I have been wearing all cruise. I then went up to the Britannia lounge to catch the last loud song of Emily's cabaret. After the changeover, I listened to just one of the Inspiration band's disco numbers, before going to bed. During the day I had at last done over ten thousand steps, equal to over four miles of walking!
I got up to the dawn at 7:20, but it was now only 6:20 on Portuguese and British Summer Time (BST). After my decaff instant coffee, I updated this blog. At 7:15 we were notified of a helicopter evacuation, so I hastened to get ready. At 7:30 I broke my fast with TWO eggs Benedict, a tomato juice and a virgin pina colada smoothie. I gave the champers and buck's fizz a miss. The curtains in the Grill were drawn, so no rubber necking was possible!
Back in the cabin I worked on my next Adriatic ports. At 10:30 I turned on the TV to watch Kevin Woodford's Can't Cook, Won't Cook, but it was the same slap stick comedy as usual with Captain Kim and CD Shane. In 2013 I wrote: "What with a church service and Kevin Woodford's "Can't cook, won't cook" show both in the Discovery Lounge, we had no dancing at all that evening! Cruise director Neil was of course hilarious playing the fool during the cookery show." At eleven o'clock I did four laps of the promenade deck in the bright sun shine, but with a large swell causing the ship to pitch up and down.
At noon I lunched on the snake and pygmy pie with chips & veg al fresco on the Verandah. I then slept for an hour and ten minutes. At 2 o'clock I put Peter's talk on Jack the Ripper on the TV, but continued to work on my laptop. I then did four more circuits of the prom again with bright sun shine, but a large swell from the ocean.
At 3:30 I went to Simon's interesting talk on Ancient & Modern Myths of the Ocean. Unfortunately the internet was down, so I couldn't work, but I did have an interesting chat with Canadian Pam from BoMoH. At 4:45 we had our eleventh code Quebec which lasted 40 minutes. This gave me just ten minutes in the hydrotheraphy spa, before getting ready for dancing at six. However the heavy swell made Jan, who has osteoporosis, unwilling to dance, so I just sat and listened to the band.
At 6:45 I dined on the mushroom soup, the Caesar salad, the sirloin steak and the sugar free chocolate cake. I had just one small bottle of cider to go with the meal. Not having danced this evening, I had to do a couple more laps to reach my daily quota of steps.
At 9:30 I watched the first coconut dance of the crew show on the TV, before moving up to the Britannia lounge for the Night at the Musicals cabaret. All four professional singers were good with lots of classic songs. However I didn't know some of the songs from more modern musicals like Wicked. I went to sleep at 10:45 having done just over ten thousand steps equal to over four miles of walking during the day.
I didn't wake up until 7:15 when the dawn had long since broken, so I must have been tired. At 7:45 I had TWO eggs Benedict and THREE apple fritters, the special break fast of the day. I then did four circuits, equal to one mile, of the prom deck. I spent most of the morning working on my Adriatic port talks.
At 10:30 I went to CD Shane's excellent hour long Audience with Kevin Woodford in the Playhouse theatre. I had previously heard this in 2018 when I wrote: "At 10 o'clock I went to Simon's interview with celebrity chef and Manx man Kevin Woodford in the Britannia lounge. I didn't know that he had been the head of the catering department in a Sheffield FE college."
At noon I went to Kumar's Kurry Korner alongside the pool. I had various Indian dishes with rice and a glass of Indian lager. I then slept for an hour and a half, before having my mid-afternoon decaff instant coffee.
At 3:30 I went to the Ukrainian Lirica piano quartet's excellent Strauss concert. This began with the overture to Die Fledermaus and finished inevitably with the Radetzky March. At 4:25 I spent fifteen minutes in the hydrotheraphy spa, interrupted by the twelfth code Quebec announcement. At six o'clock, in my grey formal gear, I danced with wee Scottish Jan from Shropshire. We did the waltz, quickstep, cha cha, slow fox trot & samba!
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At 6:45 I dined on the fish soup, the mixed salad, the champagne sorbet, the rack of lamb and the crepes Suzette. Afterwards I did four circuits, but still hadn't reached by daily quota. At 9:45 I went to Wayne Denton's excellent Neil Diamond tribute in the Britannia lounge. He ended inevitably with Sweet Caroline. Afterwards I had to do a few circuits of the pool to reach my ten thousand step daily goal. I went to sleep at 10:45.
I didn't wake up until seven o'clock, when the Bay of Biscuits was completely flat! At 7:50 I broke my fast with the special Patatas Bravas with fried egg and crispy bacon. When Rochel came to service the cabin at 8:30 I did four laps of the prom.
At 10:30 I went to CD Shane's half hour Meet the Cast session in the Playhouse theatre. Blake and Kiaran demonstrated a quick change routine in less than a minute! At noon I lunched al fresco on the Verandah in the hot sun. I had cream of root vegetable soup and then roast lamb with chips and veg.
I then slept for 70 minutes, before watching the ORCA presentation on what cetaceans they had seen on the cruise. Unfortunately they had only seen the usual suspects! At three o'clock I did four more laps, before attending the Lirica piano quartet's Stage & Screen concert. They began with a selection of tunes from "Phantom of the Opera" and concluded with a "Les Miserables" medley.
Afterwards I spent twenty minutes in the hydrotheraphy pool, expecting the thirteenth code Quebec, which didn't come until 5:15. Back in my cabin, I started packing. At six o'clock I danced with wee Scottish Jan to the Inspiration house band in the Britannia lounge. We did a waltz, quickstep, rumba, cha cha & jive!
At 6:45 I dined on the sweet corn chowder, the Caesar salad, the torpedo prawns with chips & peas and the double chocolate ice cream. I had just one bottle of cider to go with the meal. I had a well spoken lady from Chichester on one side of me and the two ladies from Lincolnshire on the other. I then did three laps of the prom as the sun went down over Cornwall.
At 9:30 I went to the excellent West End to Broadway production show which I have seen several times. I enjoyed all the famous songs from the classic musicals:
West Side Story Mary Poppins Oklahoma Phantom of the Opera Les Miserables A Chrous Line Wizard of Oz
I went to sleep at 10:45 having done ten and a half thousand steps equal to more than four miles of walking during the day.
I got up at 5:30, as the red dawn broke across the English Channel, excited to be going home. I photographed the sun rise and the arrival in to PoMoH. At seven o'clock I had my final two eggs Benedict on the SofD until next Christmas. I did some more photography in the bright sun light.
Back in my cabin I had two hours to kill, so I worked on my Dubrovnik presentation. At nine o'clock I packed up and departed from my cabin. Shane said good bye to me at the gangway, saying that he had written a good report on me! I got through to the terminal at 9:25 when I had a phone call from my driver who was outside. There was a bad crash on the hill at the end of the M27 motorway which took 15 minutes to pass. I was home by 11:00 after an enjoyable cruise in spite of my six days of isolation!
Later Jan wrote: "Just a quickie to thank you once more for making my cruise."
Another lady wrote: "Just read your cruise blog of the Saga Spirit of Discovery. It was very amusing, but I feel so sorry for the passengers. Does Code Quebec mean someone on board has Covid and all passengers and crew have to return to their cabins until released? What a nightmare!"
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17 Room service meals 15 Night cruise 14 Day cruise 13 Code Quebecs 8 Sea days 7 Ports of call 6 Days in isolation 4 Evening dance sessions 4 Storey atrium 4 Port talks given (Lisbon, Cartagena, Valencia & Barcelona) 3 Port talks not given (Sete, Roses & Gibraltar) 3 Classical concerts 2 Port days with tours (Motril & Cadiz) 2 Helicopter evacuations 1 All round promenade deck
On my last three cruises I have only been able to visit just TWO ports each! Cruise: Ports: 157 Castries, St. Lucia & Roseau, Dominica 158 Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel & Horta, Faial 159 Motril, Spain & Cadiz, Spain www.MPLee.Co.UK/cruises.htm
10 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) √ CrystalThirty Four Cruise Ships:
Silver Wind Silver Muse Silver Moon Silver Spirit Silver Whisper Celebrity Silhouette Celebrity Solstice Celebrity Eclipse Celebrity Edge Celebrity Apex Black Prince Black Watch Balmoral Boudicca Braemar 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) Crystal Symphony Crystal Serenity Seabourn Odyssey Seabourn Sojourn Sapphire Princess VoD Discovery P&O Oriana