Wow! It’s still magnificent weather with fairly stable seas.  I was awakened as, not unexpectedly, by the cheerful greeting of the stewardess delivering breakfast in bed somewhere between 06.30 and 07.00 daily! to my next door neighbour whose birthday it is today!  Then her T.V comes on.  Unusually today, I did get back to sleep, returning to consciousness at 09.00 hrs!  

Will today be my last al fresco breakfast as we progress ever so slowly towards the Azores.  I have never been to the Azores, but the illustrated leaflet plugging last minute shore excursion bookings depicts yet another dramatically scenic destination.  According to the Captain in today’s noon-day broadcast, foul weather dominates Ponta Delgada right now!

This is an extremely well thought out voyage.  Three sea days, a European destination, six more sea days, by now in warmer climes, nine or (this voyage) 10 Caribbean ports of call, split into three blocks, separated by one or two sea days, a further nine sea days heading back to cold Southampton, relieved by one more European destination four days from the end.

Generally, most passengers seem content, many (and this surprises me) having further cruises booked within even days of disembarkation.  Some are staying on board not only for two weeks in the Canary Isles, but a further five weeks returning to the Caribbean.  Those two cruises are sold out.  I first met the couple doing both these on a QM2 (very long) voyage in 2018, and several times since.  At my table, Cunard does come in for some negativity.  Ambassador Cruise Lines (2001) comes up in conversation quite frequently, Viking and Saga (the over fifties line who comedians refer to the portholes as bifocal!) come in for complimentary praise. P&O come in for both favourable and less so opinion.  This sort of thing happens every time I travel, although the unique story of the cold broccoli is a first!   On a previous QM2 voyage, summer pudding came in for vehement criticism!  

I wish that I had submitted the questionnaire we were invited to complete. When filling mine in (which is still in my files) I tried to objective.  “Would I recommend Cunard to friends and colleagues?”  Why wouldn’t I!   However, the “nickel and diming” does have noticeable effects if one is familiar with how things worked previously.  Daily newspapers now have to be requested, as do the T.V. schedules!  Items on the main menu which used to be part of a gala night dinner now carry a substantial supplement. Room service, other than breakfast now comes as an optional extra.  The T.V navigational channel no longer gives the obvious information like temperatures and swell height, which I would rather have than other details I find harder to comprehend. I’m  not sure where the cost saving is here!

Saga (with the bifocal portholes) is all inclusive including transport from home, and routine shore excursions, WiFi, and Spa as well as drink, and balcony stateroom, and I think gratuities as well. The cynical in me says that’s a clever way of selling all the optional extras.  But it does make for a much more relaxing and perfect experience  and thus very well worth considering.  I feel some of their itineraries can be more imaginative, too.  In the good old days, Saga had two former Cunard liners in its fleet both of which started life with Norwegian America Line (1910)  in 1964 (Sagafjord) and 1973 (Vistafjord) if I remember rightly. I sailed on one of them as Cunard’s Caronia (formerly Vistafjord) in 2000.

Now for walkies!  The first entrance to the Promenade Deck was roped off, the doors being sanded off for varnishing, so, being around 12.30, I headed for the main restaurant for a hopefully light lunch.  I will now found out if I am allergic  to calamari, having just been informed, too late that it is a (very nice) sea food.  Usually I stay away from shell fish and anything similar.  I just hope that I haven’t screwed up what otherwise is a glorious day! 

There’s plenty going on, but I’m determined (sort of) to maintain my steps target. 

I covered around one lap during which I came across my next stateroom neighbour. We talked.v so you sent a real message to the wrong person? What can you do hold your finger on the message? Until the check is come on.  Enjoying if you want to keep feeling the message.

Showtime was at 4.30 and 8.30.  This was a 1 hour and 45 minute full performance of the musical Come From Away, recalling the time 7,000 airline passengers were diverted to Gander Airport in Newfoundland in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in the U.S.A.   I’m no critic, but was enormously impressed by this high energy production with so few people very cleverly playing so many parts. The all round standing ovation at the end was fully deserved.

I had done some deck walking before the show. It was almost dark when I came out and completed my steps target before dinner.

Another magnificent day endeth.

Many thanks for reading,

David

11.12. hrs the following morning 1/2/26.