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Sea days are welcome right now, sandwiched between blocks of three or even four days in different ports.  At 28°C with part cloudy skies, days like these are to be savoured and enjoyed as much as possible.  This morning I just managed to grab breakfast before the Lido on Deck 9 closed at 10.30.  I…

Once again I’m reluctant to stray from the comforts of being on board. Nevertheless, my  coming this way again is highly unlikely.  But I think it’s souvenir buying time again. Let’s take a wander. 11.17 hrs 22/1/26.  Ah! It’s raining again. Time for a quick coffee. (Actually, I didn’t bother).  It’s quite a trek from…

ONE HAPPY ISLAND. We have two days here, not sailing until 17.00hrs tomorrow. Temperatures of 30°C  are predicted. Aruba is c12°55 N.  Its hottest month is August, but it doesn’t do too badly in January. It’s coming back to me. “Aruba – One Happy Island.”  I really didn’t recognise anything this morning until eventually, I…

20th January 2026. Another warm morning, 25°C  again with occasional heavy showers and a predicted high of 28°C 08.27 hrs Today marks the completion of half of this 35 night voyage.  Afternoon tea in Madeira feels a lifetime ago. Yet, this almost halfway stage seems (like Christmas!) to have crept up quickly and unexpectedly. Two…

This is the place to be in January. I have to confess to not doing very much today.  It was magnificently warm outside, its being so hot prompting me to actually attend Jennie Bond’s final appearance in the Royal Court Theatre!  She is a highly skilled and entertaining speaker who appeared to have the “audience…

I was up earlier than usual today after a relaxing and rejuvenating sleep, ‘though not quite early enough to watch as Queen Victoria berthed at today’s port, Kingstown.  The (again) dramatic backdrop seems to bear a resemblance to both those of Castries, St. Lucia and St. George’s, Grenada. I plan to do what I did…

Despite the absolutely brilliant day I enjoyed yesterday afternoon, I feel the routine dinner is  something I could do without every day.  Still being diabetic I have to remain discerning about what I eat and when.   Six, occasionally seven of us gather at around 8 pm at table 510 in the Britannia Restaurant (upper).  Carol,…

The Captain announced earlier this morning that already it was 27°C  Bring it on!! I was up early enough to enjoy breakfast in the main restaurant at a table offering a view of the Hebridean Sky anchored behind M.S C.’s Magnifica alongside Queen Victoria. For some reason, I kept finding things I thought I needed…

I DO HOPE THAT I GET TO COME HERE AGAIN! Whereas Barbados might not immediately “wow” with spectacular scenery (don’t get me wrong, the beaches are to die for), the backdrop around Castries is dramatic with distant hills and mountains inviting exploration.  It was 26°C when I was crawling out of bed shortly around 8…

In the U.K. it’s midday.  Here it is 8 am.  The sun is shining and it’s warm already outside.  It never really cools down, not even during the night. We arrived at Bridgetown, Barbados while I was still asleep.  We have been allowed off the ship since 06.45 hrs the ungodly hour that Captain Sharples…