Thursday 29^th January 2015 – Dubai

 

We were an hour late arriving - but as we’d left a good four hours after we were supposed to, it wasn’t too bad.

 

We thought we had booked a trip today – but discovered it was for tomorrow instead! (As Friday is the Sabbath, the roads should be clearer and so this may not be a bad thing!) We spent most of the day in and out of the terminal building and the highlight of the holiday so far was – we actually managed to skype all of the kids today (although some for not very long). We’re still not able to upload photos – no idea why, we managed earlier in the blog…

 

Ian was delighted to discover that Berni Flint was doing the show tonight (aah, who can forget all those wins on Opportunity Knocks!) Unfortunately we were too busy boogying the night away at the Sail Away party on deck 8 that we missed it!!

 

A few passengers (and some crew) have left today and lots of others are leaving tomorrow. The end of the first cruise – only another five to go…..

 

 

Friday 30^th January 2015 – Dubai.

 

The temperature is due to be 31 degrees today (that’s nearly up to freezing point, Graeme!) Good job it’s the middle of winter…temperatures of over 50 degrees are regular in summer.

 

We had to set the alarm again today as our trip went away at 8-40am. It was chaos as lots of passengers were disembarking at the same time and it took ages for us to actually leave the port. The trip took us to three different parts of Dubai where we had an hour’s free time to do as much or as little as we liked.

 

We went through the city centre and out to the beaches. Although full of sky scrapers, Dubai is really attractive. Each building is completely different and there is some amazing architecture. The beach area was brilliant and Nesta paddled in the Persian Gulf! The fact that it is winter was illustrated by a woman sitting on the beach in jumper, scarf and hoodie. We took a photo and if we can ever sort it out we’ll put it on the blog!

 

The second stop was in old Dubai (the architecture dates back to the 1950’s so is really ancient!) near to the seven-star Burj Al Arab Hotel. We found an ATM which doesn’t dispense money – oh no! This one dispenses gold! Needless to say we only photographed it rather than using it…

 

The national bird of Dubai is the falcon but bearing in mind how much construction is going on, our guide said the locals tell people it is the crane!!

 

There was a photo stop outside an impressive looking mosque and then on past the three tallest hotels in the world to The Dubai Mall which is the largest shopping mall in the world with over 1400 stores and 12 car parks situated underneath the Burj Khalifa which is the tallest building in the world… don’t think “understated” is in the Emirati language!

 

As you know retail therapy isn’t our thing, so we walked through the Mall past the massive aquarium to a lagoon in the middle where there is a musical fountain display twice a day and were just in time for the 1-30pm show.

 

We then went back to the ship, to be met by lots of pale new passengers escaping the cold and snow of the UK.

 

After another emergency drill, we joined the “newbies” for the sail away at 6pm. Strangely enough we were over an hour late leaving…the Captain said it was because two passengers were late – never the good Captain’s fault!

 

At the evening meal we were disappointed to find that the staff had been “rotated” and only Robert, our waiter, and Dinesh, the sommelier, remained. Still, we’ll soon mould the new section head and maître d into our ways!

 

We had a very pleasant surprise when we saw who the guest celebrities were for this cruise…Not only is there going to be Sir Jackie Stewart and Sir Max Hastings but also the one and only Dr Helen Doe!! (Helen was one of our fellow choir members in the original “Voyager Voices” conducted by Tom Newall) We have written her a note and asked the purser’s desk to deliver it. Who knows? A drink or three and a catch up may result.

 

 

Saturday 31^st January 2015 – Abu Dhabi.

 

We arrived safely and as yesterday, we were off the ship early - on another “free time in three different places” tour. The guide, though, had different ideas and was determined we would have the full city tour.

 

The first stop was at a “heritage village” (although it was only built five years ago!) It was quite interesting and there was a cool breeze blowing. It was rather bizarre to walk into a mud and straw hut representing Emiratis old way of life and find there were modern air-conditioning units! (Can’t have these poor tourists melting).

 

After a photo stop at the Presidents palace it was on to the Grand Mosque. Our guide said she’d show us round but the tourist “fashion” police had different ideas. We had all been told to cover up but eight women on board (including Nesta) were refused entry! Apparently when Nesta held our camera bag a few inches of wrist were visible… Even though she had on a top with long buttoned sleeves, this was deemed “transparent” Obviously Nesta is just too tempting for Emirati men to be allowed to be in their presence. Needless to say she wasn’t impressed so as a sign of our displeasure we refused to take any photos! Ha!

 

After this fiasco, we drove out to Yas Island where the grand prix takes place. We weren’t allowed in, unfortunately, but did take some pictures of the stand that lights up during the race. A massive Ferrari “theme park” is currently being built next to the track and will be opened in 2017.

 

Whilst Dubai is developing tourism, Abu Dhabi is going to be the cultural centre of the UAE. We went to a presentation of what is in the pipeline (no pun intended!) over the next few years. An Emirati Louvre and Guggenheim Museum are already being built and concert halls, theatres etc. are planned.

 

We got back to the ship in time for a late lunch and found we had a reply from Helen. We are going to meet up for drinks in the Chart Room before our evening meal tonight and then have lunch with her and her husband Mike tomorrow after her first lecture.

 

We also received an invite from the Deputy Captain to have dinner with him tomorrow evening – so after much thought, we decided to accept!

Tuesday 27th January – Muscat, Oman. United Arab Emirates The Captain managed to dock successfully and we set foot on dry land for the first time in 10 days! We had to meet up at 8-40am for our booked tour to Nakhl and the Hot Springs – found it was a bit strange having to meet deadlines when we are so used to pleasing ourselves! We were given our Oman visa and off we set. The hot springs were more of a warm stream and had those little fish that eat dead skin off your feet. We gave paddling and fish-feeding a miss but several passengers, the guide and lots of local tourists were in the water. Apparently this is where Omanis (?) come to chill and picnic away from the city. We photographed a family (with their permission) and then met them again at our second stop – The Fort. If we’re able to find Wi-Fi that’s good (and cheap) enough to upload some pictures, you will see what we mean when we say that it looked like a sand castle. Lunch was at a “resort hotel” which was like a luxurious Butlins. There are no holiday makers here at the moment – as it is the middle of winter and the temperature today was only 26 degrees. We then drove through the mountains back towards the port, stopping off at The Grand Mosque for a photo-opportunity. It was actually quite impressive even though we couldn’t go inside. Back to the ship and up to the “sail away” party with music provided by “Vibz” on deck 8. Had a bit of supper in Kings Court and then popped in to see The Spinettes. They are three girls who met when in various West End musicals who now make their living doing mainly 40’s and 50’s standards. Not really our scene but thought we’d go as it is their only show. They were supposed to get on at Aqaba and have spent the last few days chasing the ship around the Middle East! They get off in Dubai…. Wednesday 28th January – Khor Fakkan, UAE A bit more time this morning as we didn’t have to “muster” until 9-10am! We did a tour around Fujairah which is one of the seven Emirates (Principalities) that make up the United Arab Emirates. We were promised a “quaint market” a “sleepy fishing village” and a trip to a fish market…. The market was on the side of a dual carriageway, the fishing village was a big town and the fish market was shut! To top it all, coachloads of westerners drawing up outside the most important mosque just as the call to prayers was happening was perhaps at best bad timing, at worst a little insensitive. The trip was worth doing though – really interesting country. Our guide was Serbian and our driver Indian. There are just under one million “Emiratis” (?) and nearly five million foreign workers now in UAE. Locals own the land and do “professional” jobs like banking whereas the foreigners do the service type jobs like nursing… (Honest) The Sheiks of the seven Emirates have apparently decided that by giving their people free education, healthcare and no taxes is a good way to prevent any chance of an “Arab Spring” happening. Although the foreigners don’t get the free schooling or healthcare they too do not pay any kind of tax and so are better off than where they came from (as long as they have a job) If they cannot work – they are deported! We were all back on board by 4pm but once again the bunkering has been slower than expected so we are still in port now at 8pm when I’m writing this. Still, Dubai is only one and a half hours by road from here (although it’s further by sea as we have to go “round the pointy bit” as the Captain said) so we should have little problem in reaching Dubai tomorrow.

 

Sunday 25^th January – Day at Sea. “Burns Night”

 

We received an interim statement this morning relating to our on-board account and were surprised to see a charge of $9 for using the port shuttlebus yesterday! We don’t remember getting off the ship but when we mentioned it to other passengers, lots of them said they’d have gone with us if they’d known……

 

Went to the church service (with a third different pianist) and finally – all the right notes, in the correct order and at the right speed!

 

At 1-45pm Nesta took part in the choir at sea performance, to a full Queens Room, and it was excellent!

 

After a quick bite to eat, Ian went to his whisky “nosing and tasting” session – in tribute to Dave Dalziel, who never got round to using his “nosing” kit with Ian. Rather large measures of five excellent whiskies were tasted (drunk).  As Mark Twain said “Too much of anything is bad, but too much of good whisky is barely enough”. Overall, it was a superb start to Burns Night. We joined a packed crowd in the Queens Room for an enjoyable 45 minutes including “Auld Lang Syne” done properly!

 

This was followed by a formal night in the restaurant, with Nesta wearing her formal t-shirt (thistle and all) and haggis neaps and tatties for everyone.

 

 

Monday 26^th January – Day at Sea.

 

 

We were awoken at shortly before 4am this morning by an emergency announcement telling assessment teams to go to “deck five, stairwell B” (just above us) to investigate a problem.

 

Nesta, of course, decided she would go and investigate and noted a torrent of hot, steaming water travelling along the corridor. She told Ian to “standby” and went upstairs to check further (or have a cigarette, as it’s known). After about 10 minutes the captain announced that one of the hot water pipes had burst and the situation was being dealt with so the assessment teams could “stand down”. After her “fresh air” though, Nesta wasn’t allowed to return to the cabin so had to join about 50 other passengers in our “muster station”.

 

The Captain arrived to join them and there ensued an impromptu “pyjama party” with tea, coffee, croissants and Danish pastries rustled up from somewhere. The captain went round talking to everybody, offering reassurance, and piano showman Chris Hamilton even performed a recital.

 

After about an hour Nesta was allowed to come back to the cabin. In all 15 cabins were evacuated, five were so badly damaged that their occupants had to be rehoused elsewhere. Major plumbing, rewiring and re-carpeting works carried on all day. Exciting, or what?

 

At 11am we went to a lecture by the Royal Navy Liaison Officer on board entitled “Counter Piracy Operations”. It was very interesting (if a little worrying) and later Nesta had a cup of tea with two of the armed security agents. Both are ex-marines but if she repeats some of the stories they told her, they may have to kill us!

 

In the afternoon we went to a murder mystery done as if it was an old-fashioned radio play with a passenger doing the sound effects. It was quite amusing.

 

We then had a pint in the late afternoon sunshine and decided NOT to dress for a third formal evening out of the last four days. Instead we went to the “Chef’s Galley” section of Kings Court and very much enjoyed freshly cooked pasta carbonara followed by apricots flamed in Cointreau with ice cream. When we returned to our cabin we had been presented with a delicious luxury chocolate each… A nice end to another bizarre day…and guess what? We’ll be at a port tomorrow!

 

Friday 23^rd January – Day at Sea.

 

The Red Sea was blue this morning! It’s 28 degrees and sunny! (Sorry if there’s snow outside, Rebecca!). We managed to spend a whole hour in the sun before it got too hot. We had received a summons from the pursers office (called “reception” on Voyager!) to complete and sign our visa applications for Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, Vietnam and Hong Kong. Took us about 20 minutes which was time well-spent considering it took us nearly four hours to cross over into Argentina from Chile when we did one of our overland trips on the previous voyage.

 

In the afternoon we had our wine tasting in the Todd English restaurant. Out of 2600 passengers, only 10 of us had booked in! There were five sommeliers and two chefs between the ten of us – and it was fabulous! We tasted five wines (ranging from $82 to $165 a bottle) and had complimentary food. Can’t help feeling however that they would get more custom if they reduced their “nominal” charge a bit! (And no! we didn’t take them up on their offer to purchase any of the wine)

 

Quote of the Day – from the Captain. “At this speed, the Red Sea is about two days long”

 

When we booked this cruise there were going to be two stops in Egypt but because of the political situation, this was changed and we were going to stop in Jordan (for Petra) instead. Unfortunately this was also cancelled (because of the Suez Canal delay). We are now going to Muscat in Oman - but the ship went ahead with its Egyptian Ball as planned. (Talk about “this is what you could have won”!) We saw lots of men in dinner suits with Fez’s or tea-towels on their heads (very politically correct) and women wearing what looked like bed sheets. Not what we would call “like minded passengers” at all – we went to the show put on by the entertainments team instead. It was an odd combination… the singers and dancers tribute to Sting!! followed by more comedy juggling..

 

We noticed that the ship was dark again and the security men were back out patrolling the decks…

 

Saturday 24^th January – Day at Sea.

 

It’s two weeks today since we joined – doesn’t feel like it. 11 out of the 14 days have been at sea (well, they do call it a cruise) and we are now 3 hours ahead time wise.

 

The Red Sea was rather grey today. Force 9 gale but still hot and humid outside (if you can keep your feet) The ship is immensely more stable than Voyager – we wouldn’t know we were in a gale unless we went outside. It was funny looking at Brits on holiday, though. “Don’t care that there is a gale blowing, I’ve paid my money and I am going to sit on a sun bed” It was only when sun beds (with passengers on them) started moving across the deck that the crew began putting them away and suggesting the passengers move inside.

 

The ship’s emergency drill today was a mock fire on deck 4 forward (towards the pointy bit, as the Captain said) so we watched the crew “evacuate” the staterooms and attack the “fire” It was quite interesting.

 

At 11-15am we went to listen to Robert Powell talking about his career and take questions from the audience. Taking pity on him, Nesta decided against telling him that when he was starring in Doomwatch on the BBC, he visited Nesta’s school (she was 11 at the time ) and she got his autograph! (Didn’t want to depress him too much about how old he is).

 

We went to watch a presentation on Muscat and have decided to book a trip so that we can see something of this rather exotic looking place.

 

Had a quiet afternoon and evening. Didn’t feel like yet more food, so only had a light snack before retiring for the evening.

 

Tuesday 20^th January 2015 – Day at Sea, arriving at Suez.

 

Robert Powell is the guest speaker this morning at the Royal Court theatre so we got there early which was just as well because half an hour before he was due to talk the place was full.

 

He was very interesting and entertaining and is due to give another lecture and then hold a Q&A session before he and his wife (Babs from Pan’s People) get off in Dubai.

 

In the afternoon we decided to be posh and have afternoon tea in the Queens Room… Unfortunately, this turned out to be a disappointment as some of the waiters were not wearing white gloves, as advertised, and Ian had the pleasure of having his tea poured into his saucer and very nearly down his leg, rather than in his cup!

 

We arrived at our anchorage point seven miles off Port Said on time and our transit of the canal, which can take thirteen hours, was due to start at 2am. The Captain informed us, however, that there was apparently dredging works going on in the canal so we were unsure of when we would begin our journey.

 

We dined in the restaurant this evening and not only drank a bottle of Shiraz between us but have signed up for a “wine and food tasting” experience next Friday in the posh “Todd English” restaurant. As the blurb for the “experience” put it – there will be a nominal charge per person…..$115 per person isn’t what we would call “nominal” but to the majority of the people here… it is. Oh well, it’s only money...

 

The additional security measures have started with the ship a lot darker and some armed guards patrolling at night!

 

 

Wednesday 21^st January 2015 – Suez Canal transit (not!)

 

Woke up at 7-30am to discover we were still at anchor and at anchor we stayed until 8pm when we finally set sale for the canal. So yes folks we have now got the (possibly) unique distinction of going through both of the world’s major canals at night! I’m sure both the Panama and Suez canals are lovely and picturesque…it’s just we haven’t seen them!

 

We joined a few of Nesta’s “smoking friends” in the evening for the pub quiz but were again useless. (Where are the old lags when you need them?)

 

As the transit of the canal takes thirteen hours, we decided to get up before sunrise tomorrow so that we could at least see something of the canal.

 

 

Thursday 22^nd January 2015 – Day at Sea.

 

Guess what? Because the convoys of ships travelling through the canal were more regimented than usual, we only took nine hours to go through (hooray). So, although we got up before daybreak we had actually left the canal before dawn. (Boo).

 

There was even worse news to come. A consequence of the delay was that we couldn’t get to Aqaba in time so the trip to Petra was cancelled. 800 people were booked onto it so as you can imagine there are a lot of sad people (including Nesta) today.

 

The Captain spoke to as at 10am and explained they had tried to postpone the trip by 24 hours but Friday is the Muslim Holy Day of the week and there was a religious event taking place in Saudi Arabia and ALL the coaches in Aqaba were booked up.

 

Instead, we are going to spend the next five days at sea (going quicker, or “zooming down the Red Sea”, as the Captain called it) so that we can call in at Muscat in Oman. This will mean nine days will have gone by since we last set foot on dry land!

 

At 11am, Robert Powell did a lecture on 100 years of cinema. He was very funny but overran a bit. At 12-15 there was a “juggling workshop” (just bring along three pairs of socks made up as balls) and Pete Matthews (the juggler from the previous show) will teach you how to do the three ball cascade. No-one will be surprised to learn that Nesta took up the challenge. Robert Powell and his wife also joined in and it was good fun. Ian took some pictures and reminisced about Thursday nights and Top of the Pops!

 

In today’s programme it says “As you may be aware there is currently an assistance dog travelling on our world voyage. This dog is able to assist it’s owner medically and is authorised to be in public areas for medical purposes” (honest!)

 

We’ve seen only one dog aboard and this is a very silly little dog that it’s American lady owner dresses up in outfits (pretty ones for day, and formal for evenings). Not sure what sort of medical assistance it’s giving… Ian suspects that if the woman didn’t have it she would be so depressed, she would throw herself overboard…

 

In the evening we missed our meal and went to the cinema instead. This time we watched “Maleficent” in 3D!! – The only 3D cinema afloat! It was a bit silly, if we’re honest but the 3D effect was good.

Sunday 18^th January – Day at Sea (continued)

 

As evening approached we dolled ourselves up for the World Voyage cocktail party. We were allowed to shake the Captain’s hand this time – so we must be out of quarantine! Our new friends Gary, Margaret and Diane have cultivated a tame waitress so we had largely unlimited supplies of champagne. The Captain decided he would spend 15 minutes with the five of us sharing jokes and anecdotes (must have exceptionally good taste, this Captain!) The chefs have produced a large cake with a map of the whole cruise on it including all the ports of call and dates etc. but the logo WV looks more like Volkswagen than Cunard!

 

Because of the free drinks, we were a little late into the restaurant for dinner but did find a nice Australian Shiraz on the wine list which is about $10 cheaper than the Malbec – so this is now our new favourite!

 

After our meal we headed for the G32 nightclub and even had a few dances (not a pretty sight) before deciding to call it a night.

 

 

Monday 19^th January – Day at Sea.

 

We have been given World Voyage badges!!! Not planning on wearing them very often!

 

This morning there was an advertised talk on Petra and Wadi Rum so as the trip to Petra is one of the highlights of the voyage we decided to go along. The theatre was full, with people sitting in the stairways and standing room only available at the back. Unfortunately it turned into a port lecture about Aqaba so we left early (as did many others).

 

It turns out that as we have a balcony cabin we will have new rules during times of increased security (like when we are travelling to the Middle East for example). We are not allowed to put on our balcony light and we must keep our curtains closed after dusk. (It reminds us of travelling up the Amazon, but that time it was to guard against insects!)

 

Our “safe area” is the corridor outside our cabin – so when there was a drill this morning, we spent half an hour sitting outside our cabin along with all the other guests on Deck 4. At least Nesta had taken a cushion off our sofa to sit on – so she was ok!

 

In the afternoon, we decided to give the trivia quiz another go… (Ok, we decided to go to the pub!) We were rubbish – again!

 

In the early evening we went to a “live planetarium show” where the astronomy experts on board talked us through some of the main constellations and stars. The planetarium has a computer which can exactly replicate the night sky (no, it’s not a window!) and the show was much better than the pre-recorded show we’d seen.

 

No time to eat before we went to the “cinema” and watched Judy Dench and Steve Coogan in “Philomena”. We thought it was an excellent film and were pleasantly surprised at the quality of the cinema even though we are constantly amazed at peoples’ rudeness. The show was about 15 minutes late in starting and some of the boorish passengers started slow handclapping. For goodness sake – you’re on holiday. It’s not as if it’s like there’s a train to catch!

 

It was a bit late to have a meal when the film finished, so we settled for cheese and biscuits before bed.

 

 

Wednesday 14^th January - Day at Sea.

 

Happy birthday Rebecca!

 

Finally managed to get tickets for the Planetarium tonight and after three days actually found the pub on board!! (Hard to believe, I know) Took part in a trivia quiz and were rubbish….

 

 

The “Passport to the Universe” show in the Planetarium was a bit dated even though Tom Hanks narrated. (Not in person, unfortunately)

 

When we got to the restaurant tonight the Sommelier produced another bottle of Malbec to beat the fact that an additional 10% Spanish VAT needs to be added to all drinks sold whilst in Spanish waters! Thought it was rude to refuse – so agreed to buy it now and drink it tomorrow when we’re in Barcelona.

 

The show tonight was “Power of 2” featuring Ilia and Elena. Didn’t sound promising but was actually very good. They are a Russian couple who trained as gymnasts, have been triathletes and have worked in the Russian State Circus and more recently in the Cirque Solei in Paris. Nesta says she was impressed with Ilia’s buttocks – although she wouldn’t recognise his face if he came to sit next to us!

 

 

Thursday 15^th January – Barcelona.

 

When we arrived, we parked next to The Norwegian Spirit again! Bit of a coincidence - wonder if they’re doing the same cruise as us?

 

We were due to sail away tonight at 5-30pm but as it was a nice day the Captain decided we could stay until 11-30pm! The fact that we were taking on (cheaper than Southampton) fuel all day may have had something to do with this decision but we like to think the Captain is being nice.

 

As we’ve previously visited Gaudi’s cathedral and Las Ramblas, we walked to the World Trade Centre and then went to Port Vell and then along the boardwalk to Barcelonetta beach as far as Port Olympic – about three and a half miles! The sun was shining but the breeze was cool – good tanning weather, hopefully. Better than the snow and ice we see parts of Blighty are suffering at the moment.

 

The terminal building advertises free Wi-Fi so we hope to update the blog (and possibly skype the kids) tonight.

 

Unfortunately when we got there, the place was in darkness and we couldn’t get any Wi-Fi coverage … so it was back to the ship and update the blog there – but no! We couldn’t even get on-line in the ship. What a disappointment.

 

We dined in the Britannia Restaurant and then decided to give the MacDonald brothers second show a miss, because the G32 (the QM2’s nightclub) was advertising a “Stones and Who” night. When we got there, though, the music was mainly soul, motown and reggae. Not bad, but not enough for us to “strut our stuff”!

 

The ship finally finished taking on heavy fuel, gas-oil and drinking water at about 1-30am and so we set sail for Italy at shortly before 2am.

 

 

Friday 16^th January – Day at Sea.

 

We had a lazy morning followed by brunch in the “Kings Court” – form of self-service restaurant. When we returned to our cabin we discovered that we had been invited to a World Voyage Cocktail Party with the captain on Sunday evening…..so, looking forward to “hobnobbing” it with the “hoi-polloi” once again.

 

In the afternoon, Nesta went to choir practice – Ian decided he would give this a miss! We discovered that our wine-tasting trip tomorrow starts at 7-55am, which is a bit early – even for Nesta!

 

We ate in the Kings Court and went to the early show by the ship’s entertainment crew. They have 12 dedicated dancers and 4 singers. Altogether a more professional than the team on Voyager, although if VoD had spent the money on sets and costumes that Cunard have, we’re sure Jade et al would have sounded better too!

 

 

Saturday 17^th January – Civitavecchia, the port of Rome.

 

Up before dawn! The ship parked at 7am and we were off on our trip by 8-15am.

 

As we took our seats on the coach we thought that something wasn’t quite right… and then we realised what it was. Austin wasn’t sitting in the seat in front of us – so how could we be 100% sure we were on the right trip? But then again, when we thought about it, Austin probably wouldn’t be on this trip would he - because as we all know…. You don’t really drink, do you Austin?!

 

We travelled to Marta, a small fishing village on the banks of Lake Bolsena (a dormant volcanic caldera). Today is St Anthony’s Day where they celebrate their animals by building a giant bonfire! We thought it was rather too near to the shops but they’ve probably done it before!

 

We then went to Montefiascone where the winery is.

 

We started the tasting with “Est Est Est” a local wine that went well with the tomato bruschetta and olive oil. So, we bought a bottle….

 

We then were given a taste of “Pensiero”, which went well with the pork pate and salami provided. So we bought two bottles…..

 

Finally we had the “Don Carlo” which is the signature wine of the place. This complemented the local meats we were given and whether it was due to the fact that we were a little tipsy or that it was a really nice red wine…. We bought three bottles!

 

After returning to the ship and re-hydrating we walked the mile and a half into Civitavecchia itself. We found a McDonalds so we could use Wi-Fi but our bad luck continued. We could not register with the Italian network without a smart phone (laptops are so old-hat now!) so it was back to the ship, so Ian could listen to the football scores!

 

Interesting football fact!! Today is the first time that Tranmere have won back to back home games since we were away on our last trip in March 2013!!

 

We ate in the Kings Court again and then went to see Pete Matthews - billed as Britain’s funniest (only?) juggler…. Didn’t have high expectations but he was actually really humorous and entertaining.

 

 

Sunday 18^th January 2015 – Day at Sea.

 

After morning tea, we went to the church service again. This week there was a different pianist and he played all the right tunes – but very slowly! Third time lucky next week?

 

We arrived off the small island of Stromboli at 11-30am and the Captain assured us that its volcano was inactive but a flash of lightning and a loud thunderclap immediately after he had spoken gave us reason to doubt him!

 

We picked up a pilot to guide us through the Straits of Messini between Italy and Sicily which are only 1.9 miles wide. Nesta managed to video him coming aboard and took some pictures of him disembarking an hour or so later. There were Force 6 winds and a choppy sea but as with all pilots we have seen he made the transfer down a rope ladder from the ship onto a moving boat appear very easy.

 

 

Nesta and Ian’s Travel Diary

Southampton to Dubai.

Saturday 10^th January 2015 – Embarkation in Southampton.

Our chauffeur picked us up in good time and transported us safely to Southampton (thanks Graeme). The Queen Elizabeth (coming from the direction we would be heading) was delayed due to bad weather so we should have had the terminal all to ourselves. Two and a half hours later (!), we were through registration and security and on board the Queen Mary 2.

Our cabin (or stateroom as they call them on this vessel) seems very nice and the sheltered balcony is indeed a balcony - as we can stick our heads through the opening and look down at the sea!

After life jacket drill we went up on deck to watch and listen to a brass band playing patriotic British tunes and then there was a fireworks display to wish us Bon Voyage.

Back down to our cabin for the complimentary bottle of champagne (well, half-bottle of fizzy wine) and watch the shores of the Solent slide past as we sailed out. We saw the stricken car transporter but thankfully our Captain didn’t decide to join it!

The dress code for dinner was “informal” which is possibly more formal than “formal nights” on other ships - so we tried to look smart! Robert and Leo introduced themselves as our waiters and we were then introduced to the section chief, the head waiter and finally the Maître D!  So far Cunard seem to treat grand voyage passengers better than Voyages of Discovery did!

After our meal we decided against exploring the ship and went back to the cabin for a night cap (as our stash of booze had been successfully smuggled onto the ship!)

When we got there we found out that we had received an invitation to join the Captain and senior crew in a welcome reception for the world cruise passengers on Sunday morning at 11-30. Think we’re going to like this holiday!!

 Our balcony!

Sunday 11^th January 2015 – Day at Sea.

We had a good night travelling down the English Channel. It was a little “lumpy” but the QM2 managed it in a far more ladylike fashion than Voyager. A few creaks from the ship and a few howls from the wind was all that disturbed us.

Strangely though, there have been tales of sea-sickness this morning and one of the lecturers has postponed her talk because she is ill! (Am I cruel to think that the imbibing of alcohol at the lecturers welcome party, rather than the moderate swell of the sea, was more to blame for her illness?)

Went to an interdenominational church service led, as tradition demands, by the Captain. Unfortunately the pianist had downloaded the music for the hymns from the internet and they were NOT the British versions!! The Captain called a halt to the piano and we all sang the correct tunes unaccompanied! Cunard may now be owned by an American company – but come on!! Some things go beyond the pale!!

After church it was time to change into smart clothes again for the welcome party. Cocktails and canapés abounded and after smiling at the right waiter we managed to get a few more extra portions!

There seem to be a lot of people doing the whole trip. Nesta estimated about 100 whereas Ian thought the number was nearer 200. So far, though, we haven’t found any “like-minded” passengers to socialise with but we’re sure that will change when Nesta finds the “smokers group”!

Later on that afternoon, it was time to decide what to wear at our first formal evening (although it was really easy for Ian!)

Thought it would be rude not to have wine tonight so ordered the cheapest Malbec (Scottish ancestry coming out?) which came to more than $43!! For the first time in our lives, we only drank half a bottle so that we can finish it on Monday night!

After dinner we decided against going to the 175 Ball so went to see a show instead. The MacDonald Brothers are a Scottish traditional folk combo who were quite good and at least could hold a tune and play lots of instruments unlike some other ships entertainers we know!

Monday 12^th January 2015 – Day at Sea.

Happy 11^th Birthday Queen Mary 2!

The sun is shining and the sea is blue with only a slight swell although it is still cold. We actually made breakfast this morning, so were therefore too full for lunch! After careful investigation we have discovered that it is only between the hours of 2am to 4am that there is no food being served on board! Thank goodness for the 24 hour room service!!

Nesta went to a lecture entitled “Space the final frontier” and was somewhat disappointed (not really!) to find it wasn’t about Star Trek but about current space exploration. We tried to get into the Planetarium this afternoon but all the tickets had gone. What a shame. Still we’ve still got another 110 days to go so we’re sure we’ll get in sometime.

In the afternoon we visited the Atlantic Lounge on Deck 11 forward. This is for the use of world cruise passengers only and we have our own concierge! It is very plush and there are copious amounts of posh sandwiches and cakes but it only seats about 40 people. We asked the concierge how many passengers were doing Southampton to Southampton and the answer was 244!

After enjoying a superb chateaubriand in the restaurant we went to see John Martin who apparently holds the world record for non-stop joke telling… He is of a certain age and hails from Liverpool. He was very funny for 25 minutes – unfortunately his act lasted 40!

Tuesday 13^th January 2015 – Malaga.

After a very calm overnight we arrived in Malaga a little later than expected as we had to wait for a cruise ship, The Norwegian Spirit, to park first.

The weather is beautiful. Sunny and 21 degrees. We took the shuttle bus to the port gates and when we saw the queue for the “hop on, hop off” bus decided to give it a miss and explore on our own.

Went to the Cathedral and Saguaro church and then walked to the Alcazaba where we saw the remains of a Roman Amphitheatre which is still being excavated. After this we walked up towards the Castle of Gibralfo but when we had got half way up decided that it was too hot (honestly!) to continue so we admired the view and made our way back towards the ship in the sunshine.

Hopefully there is Wi-Fi in the port so with a bit of luck the first part of our blog will be uploaded this afternoon!

Just found this picture of our stateroom! Should have been uploaded on Saturday!

Saying goodbye to the children!