| Flag: | Date: | Port: | Comment: |
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5th Dec. 2021 |
SoToN Hants U.K. |
Aboard just after 14:00 |
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9th Dec. 2021 |
Funchal Madeira Portugal |
Taste of Madeira Tour |
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10th Dec. 2021 |
Funchal Madeira Portugal |
Madeira on my own |
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11th Dec. 2021 |
Santa Cruz Tenerife Spain |
am La Laguna pm North Tour |
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12th Dec. 2021 |
Las Palmas G. Canaria Spain |
am Vegueta pm Walk to Lighthouse |
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13th Dec. 2021 |
Arrecife Lanzarote Spain |
Walk in to town |
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15th Dec. 2021 |
Lisbon Portugal |
Walk into Town and Seaside tour |
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18th Dec. 2021 |
SoToN Hants England |
Home by 10:30 |
| Flag: | Date: | Port: | Comment: |
I awoke at 6:30 and broke my fast with two fried eggs on toast. I spent the morning tying up a few loose ends. At noon the Saga taxi driver phoned to say he was at number 2, so I told him to drive on further up the road to my house. It took less than an hour to get to SoToN.
At the brand new Horizon cruise terminal, we were both lateral flow tested in the nostrils and I also had a PCR test under my tongue. This took just fifteen minutes. At the old cruise terminal next door, I was on the entertainers' manifest so I got a baggage label with my cabin number placed on my large case. Inside the queue to inspect our vax QR codes took ten minutes.
At the check in desk, the fact that I had visited Spain and Portugal within the previous 14 days was problematic, until the rule was relaxed to just seven days! However the computer then said no and eventually Sue had to lead me directly to the ship's reception, where I had to wait five minutes for a new ship's card to be printed. In the mean time, I chatted to Judi the Shorex manager opposite about Madeira and La Palma, both of which were problematic.
At 2:15 I found I had a double bed cabin on the top deck 11 with balcony! I unpacked and changed to go for a wallow, but the jacuzzis were out of commission, so I started work on this blog instead.
At four o'clock we had the entertainers' welcome party, where I met with the cruise staff, but not Christopher James or Brad Moodie, the latter of whom would be in isolation for the first three days of the cruise! At 5:30 we had the safety drill. I then went up to the open decks to watch the sail away.
We cast off at six o'clock, but then had to wait whilst P&O's Ventura struggled to move off, despite having a tug in tow. At 6:30 I dined in the Grill with David from Uttoxeter in Staffordshire and Paul & Lynn from Devizes in Wiltshire. I had a small carrot soup to start, followed by the Caesar salad. The red wine of the day was a lovely Pinotage from South Africa. I had the Sunday roast beef, followed by the rocky road ice cream and all four of the petit fours!
Back in my cabin, I updated this blog and reviewed my Madeira lecture. At 9:30 I went to the Swing production show which had a few wardrobe malfunctions! I went to sleep at eleven o'clock having done 6.6 thousand steps, about two and a half miles of walking during the day.
I got up just before seven o'clock ready for a decaff coffee in the cabin. When the buffet opened at 7:30, I had the full English break fast, sat with Sue from Hinckley in Leicestershire and two chaps from Lytham St. Annes in Lancashire.
Back in my cabin, I updated this blog and worked on my presentations. At nine o'clock, I touched base with Judi at the Explore ashore desk, before putting the finishing touches to my Funchal presentation. At 9:30 I went to the Playhouse theatre, where Ivan got me set up with no issues at all! The stage now has an HDMI cable, so I was able to use my own lap top. At 10:30 I gave my 40 minute talk on Funchal, Madeira.
At 11:45 I hosted a table of five ladies in the singles lunch held in the main dining room (MDR). I began with the pumpkin soup, main coursed on the pork ribs in BBQ sauce and finished with the sugar free peach jalousie. I had the French Merlot red wine to drink.
I then slept for two hours, thus missing the line dancing and two other lectures. I spent the rest of the afternoon working, then watching my Funchal talk on the telly. I had to prepare a bid for Oceania cruises and receive an offer for enrichment lecturing on FOCL's Bolette next September!
At six o'clock I went to the pre-dinner dancing to the Hungarian trio in the Britannia lounge. I was joined by Japanese Sumiko (Su) from Reading who is an excellent dancer. We had last met when her husband was still alive on the lovely little Saga Pearl II. She still had our picture taken together then on her smart phone!
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We did the cha cha, rumba, social foxtrot, waltz, quickstep and finally, at my request, a jive. The first waltz was too fast and the second waltz was too slow, so I have asked for one at about 120 beats per minute in between. We were joined on the dance floor with just two other couples.
At seven o'clock I dined in the Grill with Gareth & Gayle Gregory from Sutton in South London. They had previously lived in places like Tanzania and Weymouth. I began with the cullen skink (killing skunk?) soup followed by the Caesar salad. I then had the veal followed by the English butter toffee ice cream.
Back in my cabin, I updated this blog, before going to the show at 9:30. Unfortunately this had started at 9:15 unlike last night, so I had to go up to the Britannia lounge instead. Here I heard Rebecca Draper's excellent cabaret sat with singer Adam and one of the male dancers. Also sitting nearby was former destination lecturer John Lucas and his wife! I retired at 10:30 and was soon asleep.
I awoke at 6:45 having slept for eight hours and made myself a decaff coffee in the cabin. At 7:30 I broke my fast with the special Arnold Bennett omelette with smoked haddock sauce. I was sat with Japanese Sumiko, David from Uttoxeter and Derek from Lostwithiel in Cornwall. At 9 o'clock I touched base with Judi at the Explore Ashore desk.
Back in my cabin I worked on my up coming presentations. At 10:30 I went to Captain Kim Tanner's 70 minute audience in the Playhouse theatre. At 12:30 I lunched on the roast lamb sat with a Scottish couple from Orpington in south east London.
At one o'clock the Captain came on to the blower to say that we would be late arriving in Funchal due to the weather, so the afternoon tours would run as normal, but the morning tours would now be on the next day with an overnight stay in between. As a result, La Palma would be dropped from the itinerary and we would head straight for Tenerife. I had been billed to give my La Palma talk at 2 o'clock, so I gave my Santa Cruz de Tenerife (SCdT) lecture instead! The projector went blank several times during the presentation, but righted itself within seconds. Afterwards Jay said they would replace the newly installed cable on the stage!
I then slept for half an hour, before watching Gavin's talk on the English Channel and my talk about SCdT on the TV. At six o'clock I went to the Britannia lounge for the pre-dinner dancing, but it was too rough to dance, so I just sat with Japanese Sumiko and Roger to listen to the trio. One singer sang Gershwin's Summertime and another sang Que Sera Sera.
At seven o'clock I dined in the Grill on the bisque, the Caesar salad (can you see a pattern here?), the gammon and the sugar free cheese cake. I had the Chilean red wine, sat with Roy the Fleet Street Hack from Bexley and the Brummagem couple from Cricklade near Swindon. At 9:15 I went to Richard & Adam's show time. They covered opera, swing and musical theatre, but the the volume was rather loud and the amplification was excessive. Adam held his hand over the round end of the microphone, so you couldn't see his lips! I went to sleep at eleven o'clock.
I awoke at six o'clock and got up at 6:30. I had a decaff coffee in the cabin, whilst updating this blog. At 7:40 I broke my fast with the full English, sat with David from Uttoxeter. We talked about old Joe Bamford of JCB fame and his sons, where David used to work. His niece now works at the Toyota plant at Burnaston. We were later joined by the Scottish couple from Orpington.
At 8:45 I touched base with Judi at the Explore Ashore desk, but there was precious little that had changed bar an extra hour in the evening. At 10:30 I gave my 40 minute talk on Las Palmas de Gran Canaria including part of the final video, without incident. At noon I lunched on the steak Diane sat with Anne from Portsmouth and two other single ladies. I then slept for an hour and a half interrupted by the Captain's announcement.
Having awoken, I went up to the Lido, but the pool and both jacuzzis were empty. At 3:30 I went to Gavin's interesting talk on the Canaries. I slipped out at 4 o'clock to go to the singles tea.
It was advertised as a special etagere strawberry & cream tea, but we didn't get the stacked plates the other guests in the MDR got! I was sat with Margaret from North Gloucestershire, Valerie from Pinner and Chaplain Jonathan LLoyd from Wells. We had very interesting conversations for nearly an hour and a half. He had recently been working in Vancouver and before that at St. Alban's church in Copenhagen!
At six o'clock I went to the Britannia lounge and danced with Japanese Sumiko for three quarters of an hour to the trio. At seven o'clock I dined with Roy from Bexley and a lady from Brixham in Devon. I had the red lentil soup to begin, followed by the Caesar salad. I main coursed on the grilled salmon, followed by the berries in a brandy snap basket with one scoop of vanilla ice cream.
At 9:15 I went to the excellent Queen tribute show in the Playhouse theatre. I was in bed asleep by 10:30, having done nearly five thousand steps, equivalent to about two miles of walking during the day.
I got up at six o'clock and prepared a bid for the Caribbean on Cunard's Queen Mary 2. At 7:30 I had the special three cheese omelette. I was then joined by Japanese Sumiko and we chatted as a huge rainbow appeared in front of the rocky Holy island of Porto Santo. At 8:45 I touched base with Judi, ready to give my 35 minute Arrecife lecture at 10:30.
At noon I chatted to pianist Brad Moodie who had just been released from isolation, but had now been transferred from a guest cabin with balcony to a cubby hole in the depths of the ship! As we arrived in Funchal, I chatted to Paul who had been educated at Bancroft's school in Woodford, before reading Geology at Queen Mary College. He had then become an Anglican vicar, so I told him about Canon Jonathan LLoyd, the ship's chaplain. I lunched al fresco on a burger and chips (no bread) with a bottle of cider sat with Marion, who I had met at the singles lunch earlier on in the cruise.
At 1:45 I escorted my fourth choice Taste of Madeira tour. We visited THREE view points, including the famous Cabo Girao high cliff with glass floored balcony. At the Quinta de Adega we had Portuguese cheese and Madeiran wine.
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I got back to the ship at 5:55 just in time for Brad Moodie's set in the Living Room, where I danced with Japanese Sumiko. I then dined in the Grill with Hilary from Poole and Anne from Portsmouth. I had the mushroom soup to begin, followed by my favourite Caesar salad. I main coursed on the corned beef hash with fried egg and onion rings. I finished with just one Pastel de Nata (Nativity Pastry) egg custard tart.
I then walked along the prom into town to see the superb Christmas illuminations. I walked back along the main street, but couldn't go in to the Christmas market as I only had my old phone with me for fear of being mugged. They needed to see either my vax QR codes or a recent negative CoViD test result. Back at the ship, I listened to Gemma Johnson's excellent show time, but kept falling asleep, not having had a siesta during the afternoon. She is a belter! I went to bed at 10:30 with the curtains open to the illuminations outside and was soon asleep.
I got up at 6:30 and had a decaff coffee in the cabin. At seven o'clock I broke my fast with TWO eggs Benedict sat with a couple from Eastbourne and a single gent. Having watched my Arrecife talk in the cabin, I was off the ship at nine o'clock.
I walked up the steep hill to the Peak Fort (Fortaleza de Pico), before descending gradually to the big torrent running down from the mountains. I went in the new artisan shop at one of the wineries, before sitting in the main square in front of the Town Hall. Here I managed to lose my #D291BC Loro Parque baseball cap, but fortunately I have another identical one at home.
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By 11:15 I had had enough of the heat and so headed back to the ship. Here I sat out on my balcony, for the first time this cruise, with the fabulous view of Funchal up close. At noon I lunched on the asparagus soup and the minute steak with chips & grilled tomatoes, before having a deep sleep of an hour and a quarter.
At three o'clock we had the sail away around the pool. I did one dance with Anne from Portsmouth and then surprised CD Tracy by doing the Lemon Tree line dance with her. They didn't play YMCA!
Afterwards I actually tried to swim in the pool for the first time this cruise, but it was too cold and too rough. I then shared one of the jacuzzis with the lady from Derbyshire who lives under the dam that nearly collapsed two years ago. I wrote in my blog for the 17th of January 2020: "I chatted to a lady from Derbyshire who had been evacuated from her home directly beneath the reservoir dam that nearly burst last year!" She remembered sharing the jacuzzi with me that time too.
At six o'clock I went to the Britannia lounge to dance with Sumiko, unfortunately the drummer was suffering from sea sickness, so we only had the duo to dance to. At seven o'clock I dined in the grill with Hilary from Poole and ladies from Brixham and Chester. I began with the cream of squash soup followed by the Caesar salad. I main coursed on the lovely lamb shank and finished with the sugar free raspberry mousse.
At 9:15 I went to the Playhouse theatre sat with Anne for the variety show of MoTown from the production company and comedy from Jay McGee. He began by singing "Delilah" in the style of Tom Jones and finished with the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" in the style of Elvis Presley. I was in bed by 10:30 having done over eighteen thousand steps, equivalent to over seven miles of walking!
I awoke just after seven o'clock for my decaff coffee in the cabin. I broke my fast with TWO eggs Royale, which Saga call eggs Millionaire, sat with Michael from Weybridge and Eric & Beryl from Bedfordshire.
I was off the ship before nine o'clock, but the port shuttle bus didn't leave until 9:15, so it would have been quicker to walk to the cruise terminal. I walked across Spain Place (Plaza de Espana) to Foundation (Fundacion) tram stop, where I bought a 2.70 euro return ticket to San Cristobal de La Laguna for the 9:35 service. The tourist information office was closed, so I made my way to my favourite Nivaria four star hotel to use their loo. I walked along St Augustine Street (Calle San Agustin) to the Conception Church (Iglesia de la Concepcion).
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I recorded a piece to camera in front of the Cathedral, before catching the tram back to Santa Cruz.
Back at the ship at 11:45, I had the lovely fish & chips al fresco on the Verandah. At 12:30 I was escorting my third choice Mercedes Forest & Pretty La Laguna tour. We began at the Royal Sanctuary of the Most Holy Christ of the Lagoon and the nearby market. We had a couple of high level view points before descending to Anaga village for our refreshment stop. Here we had cheese and olives on bread with the local red wine. We carried on down to the black sand beach at Taganana, before crossing back over the mountain ridge to the white sand beach of La Teresitas.
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Back at the ship at 5:40, I rushed to get ready to meet Sumiko at six o'clock for the pre-dinner ballroom dance session. At seven o'clock I dined on the cream soup, the usual Caesar salad and the beef Stroganoff. I finished with two scoops of the chocolate orange ice cream and all four petit fours. I was sat with Gareth & Gayle Gregory the couple from Sutton and a lady from Biggin Hill. We had the Tempranillo Spanish red wine to drink.
At 9:15 I went to the excellent Musical Theatre show time, which I have seen before, but I had trouble staying awake. I retired at 10:30 having done seventeen and a half thousand steps, equal to seven miles of walking during the day.
I awoke just after six o'clock and got up half an hour later for my decaff coffee in the cabin as we sailed past the south eastern side of the island. I broke my fast with the special potato and herb omelette sat with two single gents and one single lady. I was one of the first off the ship at 8:30 and the tourist information office at the port gate was already open, but the Sunday market was still setting up!
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Walking five miles south via the new Castle museum, I got to Vegueta, the old town. At the old town hall, I had to wait half an hour for the next guided tour in English. I then went in the cathedral and Columbus's house, both of which had free admission. I walked back along the pedestrianised street through Triana, calling in to the island tourist information office, to then get back on to the promenade.
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Back at the ship at 1:30, I had the lovely roast leg of beef with all the trimmings. I finished with the chocolate orange mousse AND the Eton mess! I then had a deep sleep for nearly two hours.
At 3:30 I walked to the aquarium to buy another one euro baseball cap. I continued across the new spiral foot bridge to the Church of the Light and the Castle of the Light. I headed back to the main beach, but there was a queue for the sand sculptures exhibition. I walked along the main prom and then turned to head back to the ship.
Back at the ship again, I did six lengths of the cool pool for the first time this cruise, followed by ten minutes in one of the hot tubs, as they prepared the Lido for the Spanish supper. At 6:15 I danced with Sumiko to Brad Moodie in the Britannia lounge.
At seven o'clock I adjourned to the Lido for the Spanish supper by the pool. I began with the paella, but I am always disappointed that it doesn't taste like the Vesta meals of my youth! I had lots of the Spanish cheese, chorizo and air dried ham. I finished with both the Spanish desserts, the proper cake and the cheese cake.
I had THREE glasses of Sangria so I was up for a dance. I did one dance with Anne and then led off the Electric Slide to the Rivers of Babylon. They then played Achy Breaky Heart, so we carried on, with Tracy joining us. Next they played Hey Baby, so I danced with Tracy, but the Filipinos were doing a Conga, so we joined on to that. The Spanish supper finished at 8:30, when I retired to my cabin to update this blog.
At 9:15 I went to Rebecca Kelly's amusing comedy vocal show time. Her impression of Adele was spot on! I was asleep by 10:30, having done over THIRTY SEVEN thousand steps during the day, equal to FIFTEEN miles of walking!
I awoke just after six o'clock ready for my in cabin decaff coffee. Just after seven o'clock I had TWO eggs Benedict, sat with a couple from Tiptree near Maldon in Essex. I was one of the first off the ship at 8:20 walking in to town as there was a bus strike on apparently. I got to the art gallery just as it opened at 9:30 which included some of Cesar Manrique's paintings.
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I took the lift up to the 17th top floor of the Grand Hotel to take pictures from the Blue 17 cafeteria. I continued around the Redoubt Beach (Playa del Reducto) to the old night club with a large dome near the island government building. I photographed the start of the ring road (Rambla Medular) avenue of palms, before doubling back in to the town centre.
Back at the ship at 11:30, I had a beef burger and fries with no bread together with a bottle of cider out on the Verandah. I then slept for an hour and a half awoken by some banging outside. At 3:10 I spent thirty minutes in the jacuzzis as the swimming pool was occupied. I then sat out on my balcony for half an hour nearly naked!
At five o'clock I went to the cocktail waiters display by the pool where I had a Sea Breeze to drink. I then went up to the top deck to watch the sail away from Arrecife. As we turned to go north, I descended to my balcony to watch the passage passed the east coast of Lanzarote. At six o'clock I went to the Britannia lounge to dance with Sumiko to the trio. They played Shoshakovich's second waltz for us to dance to!
At seven o'clock I dined on the cream of white onion soup, the Caesar salad, the roast duck and the Crepes Suzette. I was sat with Jan from Sussex and Ian the banker & his wife from Kent.
At 9:15 I went to the excellent Crescendo cross over production show, which I have seen before. I particularly enjoyed the Carmen medley and O Fortuna from Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. I didn't understand why the ABBA medley was included! I went up to the top deck hoping to see the Geminids meteor shower, but the moon was out and the ship was flood lit. I went to bed at eleven o'clock having done over twenty thousand steps, equal to eight miles during the day.
I awoke at ten to seven having slept for nearly eight hours, ready for my in cabin decaff coffee. At 7:45 I broke my fast with my favourite TWO eggs Benedict sat with Anne, Sue and another solo lady who I had not seen again since the singles lunch on the first day.
At 9:20 I had my complimentary lateral flow test (LFT) ready for arrival into Lisbon tomorrow. I isolated in my cabin, but only had to wait ten minutes for the negative result to be phoned through to me. At the same time Rachelle came to do the cabin, so I did four circuits of the promenade deck, equal to one mile, whistling Viva Espana every time I went through the forward tunnel!
At 10:30 I went to Tracy's open house with the senior management. The slides from below decks were interesting. At noon I went to the Iberian Lunch by the pool. I had the suckling pig pork and the air dried ham with French bread, sat with Sumiko, Roger and another chap. At the end I had my first soft ice cream of the cruise. I had a couple of dances with Sumiko to the trio, before slipping away to set up for my fifth and final lecture.
At two o'clock I gave my 42 minute talk on Lisbon, before sleeping for an hour and a quarter. I then watched my Lisbon talk on the telly. At 5:35 I spent ten minutes in one of the hot tubs as it grew dark.
At six o'clock I met with Sumiko in the Britannia Lounge ready to dance with the trio. Tonight's classical piece was by Chopin, but I guessed Beethoven wrongly. At seven o'clock I dined on the carrot soup, the Caesar salad, the red snapper with scallops and the cold cherry soup to finish. I was sat with Mike & Linda originally from Preston, but now living in Portishead near Clevedon.
At 9:15 I went to see Gareth Oliver the comedy ventriloquist. After five minutes, I remembered I had seen his act in both 2018 and 2019 on the Sapphire Princess: "At 8 o'clock I went to Gareth Oliver's very funny ventriloquist act, which I had also seen last time." He picked on both Maureen and Sheila in the audience.
At 10:30 I went to Gemma Johnson's excellent cabaret in the Britannia lounge, sat with Japanese Sumiko. She really is a belter! I went to sleep at 11:30 having done nearly nine thousand steps or nearly four miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at 7:10 ready for my in cabin decaff instant coffee as we motored up the Tagus estuary. I broke my fast with TWO eggs Benedict sat with Anne and a couple from Rhodesia who had been on one of my tours. I was off the ship soon after 8:30 walking up through the Alfama Arab quarter to the St Lucy's view point (Miradouro da Santa Luzia). I photographed the ruins of the Roman amphitheatre, but didn't go in the adjacent museum. I passed by the Roman baths which were closed.
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I photographed the old prison where the political prisoners were kept, but again didn't go in. I did go in the Cathedral (Se). In the down town area, I walked along the main pedestrianised street (Rua Augusta). The triumphal arch had gone up from 2.50 to three euros. I went in the Lisbon Welcome Centre in Commerce Place (Praca do Comercio). For the first time I went in both river ferry terminals, before walking back to the ship.
At 11:30 I lunched on the minute steak with fried egg, chips & peas in the Grill, as the Verandah wasn't fully open yet. Back in my cabin, I updated this blog and had a full strength instant coffee to stay awake for my afternoon tour.
At one o'clock I was on dispatch duty in the Playhouse theatre for my fourth choice tour to the seaside resorts. I had shorex manager Judi on board my coach, so I had to mind my Ps & Qs! We had half an hour of free time in Estoril for the loos, the beach and the casino gardens. We then drove through Cascais to Guincho beach without stopping again. On the motor way back in to Lisbon a broken down car delayed us and we only got back to the ship ten minutes before departure time.
I didn't have time to change from my trainers in to my dancing shoes for the sail away around the pool. I joined in Hey Baby, Lemon Tree & Mamma Maria to Mamma Mia by ABBA. They were finishing the latter by turning the wrong way! We had a fabulous bright red sun set as we went under the famous 25th of April (Carnation Revolution day) suspension bridge.
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At 6:15 I danced with Sumiko to the Hungarian trio in the Britannia lounge. At seven o'clock I dined on the smoked salmon starter, the Caesar salad, the veal shank and the Pasteis de Belem! I was sat with David & Mary from Exmouth. We had the Portuguese Fiuza red wine to drink.
At 9:15 I went to the excellent Music of the World production show. At 10:30 I went to Christopher James's fabulous cabaret in the Britannia lounge. I didn't get to sleep until after midnight and I don't know how many steps I had done during the day as I only took my old smart phone with me into Lisbon for fear of being mugged!
I got up at 7:15 ready for my instant decaff coffee in the cabin. At eight o'clock I had TWO egg Florentine specials sat with two single ladies and the Oxford man from North Somerset. At nine o'clock I had the complimentary antigen lateral flow test (LFT) in the Britannia lounge. The male nurse said that we would probably be having a PCR test when we get to SoToN on Saturday morning. I returned to my cabin and only had to wait ten minutes for the all clear phone message.
At 10:30 I went to the Meet the Cast session in the Playhouse theatre, with all ten performers which went on for an hour and twenty minutes. At noon I lunched on the cream of asparagus soup, the chicken korma curry & chips and some cheese, sat with Anne, Marie and a single gent. I then slept for an hour and a half. At 3:30 I went to the Christmas Cracker impromptu show in the Britannia lounge sat with Sumiko. Ian Gunn reminded me that Tracy had said at our initial meeting that there were not enough PCR tests for us all, so back in the cabin I ordered my £99 PCR test from the Regenerative clinic in BoMoH. I finally up loaded the photographs from my newer smart phone.
At six o'clock I danced with Sumiko in the Britannia lounge to the Hungarian trio. It was a little choppy, so we sat out one rumba and one slow tango, but danced all the other numbers. At seven o'clock I dined in the Grill with Anne from Portsmouth, Carolyn from Milton Keynes and 91 year old Marie. I began with the wild mushroom soup, continued with the Caesar salad, followed by the sorbet. I had the roast turkey Christmas dinner, followed by the English butter toffee ice cream.
At 9:15 I went to Richard & Adam's second vocal show. They covered opera and musical theatre, but not swing and the volume was rather loud and the amplification was excessive again. Adam held his hand over the round end of the microphone again, so you couldn't see his lips! With no second show up stairs, I went to bed at 10:30.
I awoke at six o'clock ready for my in cabin instant decaff coffee. I then updated this blog, before breaking my fast with TWO eggs Benedict sat with David from Uttoxeter and a single chap from Westcliff-on-Sea. I was able to book a same day PCR fit to fly test at a BoMoH clinic on Boxing day ready for my flight to Barbados the next day, but it cost £169!
At 10:30 I went to Ian's interesting talk on the Ronnie Barker situation comedy "Porridge" set in HM Prison Slade. At 11:20 I went to the Barista's Speciality Coffee Corner in the Secret Garden at the back of the ship. This was bathed in sunshine, but a little chilly. I had an Irish decaff coffee, which made me quite tipsy!
At noon I lunched on the chicken Kiev with chips, peas and green beans with a bottle of Kentish cider. I then slept for three quarters of an hour, before going to the carol singing at two o'clock. I spent some time preparing bids for the new Ambassador Ambience cruise ships, before starting to pack. I had to order a £99 PCR test as there weren't enough to go round for us supernumeraries on the ship! I also had to order a fit to fly test for Boxing day for £169! It also cost me £50 for my B&B near Heath Row that same day!
I watched my Lisbon talk on the telly, before going dancing with Japanese Sumiko at six. At the end, I exchanged Face Book connections with her, with the pianist Mate and with the bass guitarist Zoltan. I also congratulated Ian on his Porridge lecture and told him about my Tommy Cooper talk.
At seven o'clock I dined on the roast lamb sat with a couple from East Sussex. At 9:15 I went to the variety show which began with Gareth Oliver's tour de force multiple ventriloquist dummies. The show continued with the production company's Christmas songs and dances.
At 10:30 I sat with Sumiko in the Britannia lounge for Rebecca Kelly's cabaret. She sang mainly Carole King songs, mainly from her Tapestry album. When she sang Natural Woman, Paul & Jane started to dance a waltz, so we joined them. When she finished, I said good bye to Nelson in the sound booth and went to bed.
My alarm woke me at 6:30 ready for my usual in cabin instant decaff coffee. At seven o'clock, as I left my cabin, Rachelle asked me for my PCR test sample, before remembering that there weren't enough to go round for us supernumeraries! I broke my fast with the full English sat with a couple from Canvey Island in Essex. Back in my cabin, I finished packing and up dated this blog.
At eight o'clock I adjourned to sit with Japanese Sumiko in the Britannia lounge. I was off the ship at 9:35 and only had to wait ten minutes for my driver. I was home by 10:30 after another super cruise, where I found out that I had put on six pounds of weight!
One lady wrote: "I also had a lovely time dancing with you and I would like to give my special thanks to you for making my holiday a very enjoyable one. Hoping we can meet again in 2022."
She later wrote: "It is very kind of you to send me the website of our last cruise. It is informative and interesting. I can send it to my family abroad letting them know I have had a lovely holiday."
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6 Sea days 6 Long walks 5 Port talks (Funchal, SCdT, LPdGC, Arrecife & Lisbon) 4 Burgers & chips al fresco 3 Tours escorted 3 Formal nights 2 Eggs Benedict for break fast 2 Visits to La Laguna 1 Fish & chips al fresco 1 Singles lunch in the main restaurant 1 Singles tea in the main restaurant 0 Dinners in the main restaurant 0 Cocktail parties
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 Celebrity Silhouette Celebrity Solstice Celebrity Eclipse Celebrity Edge Celebrity Apex Black Prince Black Watch Balmoral Boudicca Braemar Silver Wind Silver Muse Silver Moon Silver Spirit 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