Author: Harry

Weather improving but still windy.

Usual day – Trivia went slightly better, with score of 15. Dancing was Lindy Hop, which was a little dangerous on a moving ship.

Full crew safety drill this morning, so all of the cooks, engineers and other people who we don’t normally see in the passenger areas, complete with their life jackets.

Checked the map and noticed that we are about to enter the Bermuda Triangle – maybe that has something to do with it.

Pathologist was giving today’s lecture – “Murderous Medics”, a gruesome tale of Crippen and Shipman.

There was a play in the afternoon- just two people, with minimal scenery and puppets. Very clever and arty but will probably not go to the next one – Lynne managed to catch up on some sleep.

Not much else happening and was tempted to visit the Laundrette, for some entertainment.

Some sunshine this morning but still rough sea and not much improvement in rocking and rolling. Outside temperatures has dropped a bit to 17º .

Trivia followed its usual pattern, with a score of 14.

Went on to the morning lecture – Pathologist, talking about dead bodies and determining cause of death. Probably a bit close to home for some of his audience.

Had a coffee in the Chart Room (a small lounge) and realised that we had missed the start of the dance class. This was partly intentional, as it was the Salsa, which could be risky and annoying, on a rolling ship with Sergei’s strident voice.

Didn’t do much in the afternoon. Lynne found a free washing machine in the laundrette and did the laundry. 

I am not sure that some of the passengers should be let loose on the machines. One gentleman had left paper handkerchiefs in his trousers, which didn’t do much for the washer or tumble dryer.

I help Lynne to carry the washing back and while she was packing it up, a lady who was using one of the washers told me that she had put her book in the machine – “I was reading it one minute but then it was gone”. Sure enough, there it was, turning around with her smalls. Not much to be done, as the machine was full of water. I tried to comfort her by saying she was lucky it wasn’t a Kindle and perhaps she could still catch a few words, each time the book came around. I was going to ask if it was a dirty book but thought better of it.

On reflection, I think the laundrette is Cunard’s best advertisement for their expensive laundry service.

Hopefully, the weather will improve tomorrow and we will be able to spend time on deck.

The sun was shining but there was still a strong wind and a rocking ship, as we emerged from our cabin (stateroom).

Trivia score seems to have settled down to around 14 points out of 20 – still a bit behind the 17, 18, or sometimes 19 of the winners – definitely some hardened quizers amongst them.

Went on from the Trivia to the Zumba class. Managed to get through it but probably doing the wrong steps.

Ballroom dancing class was next. Rumba today and quite complicated steps with Sergei in full swing. Completed the class without event or injury and onward to lunch in the buffet.

We had hoped to spend time on deck in the afternoon but the sun had disappeared and the wind had picked up.

Another Gala night tonight, with posh frocks but no Captain’s cocktails, or free drinks.

Joined by some British people at dinner. Conversation was entertaining but at a lower volume than last night and it turns out that the German lady is gaining a reputation for her enthusiastic conversation.

Tonight’s show was a British comedian. He was good but had to work very hard to find common ground with the audience of Brits, Americans, Australians and Germans.

Wet and windy again, with waves (swell) reaching 10m. The ship is rocking a bit!

Still quite warm at 19º but the outside decks are closed, due to the weather.

Trivia performance was the same as yesterday – needs improvement and more discipline.

Keep fit was replaced by “soft shoe tap dancing”, so didn’t bother with that and waited for the Ballroom class.

Quickstep today but the dance floor was crowded and rocky. Lasted until almost the end but a series of directional errors and a contentious lock step led to an early bath and a sulky lunch.

The show tonight was “Tenors Forever” which is two tenors doing a bit of Michael Ball and Alfie Bowes. We had met one of them yesterday, when walking through Praia.

Lynne had asked a typical native for directions to the taxi rank but he turned out to be a Liverpool tenor. He told us that he and the other half of the act had flown out to join the ship. They would stay on board until our next stop and then join the Queen Mary 2, before returning home from Miami. We were chatting for quite a while and promised to see the show.

The theatre has two presentations, one at 8 and the other at 10. We planned to get to the dining room at 6, to give time for a quick dance before the first show.

We asked for a shared table and joined a German couple, who spoke good English. A few minutes later an American couple were shown to our table. We all got on very well, exchanging, soon to be forgotten, names.

The Germans came from Wartenurg, in Bavaria and the Americans were from Florida – living in a 140,000 home retirement village.

We all got on very well but the German lady became very enthusiastic in her lengthy and loud, description of her home town, with its connection to Martin Luther. She eventually subsided, as she took note of her glassy eyed audience and the conversation moved on. Unfortunately, the American lady asked if she had been a school teacher, given her fulsome and detailed knowledge of the subject.

This set her off again and she was just getting into her stride, when a lady from a neighbouring table came over, to ask herto lower her voice, as she couldn’t her herself think – not sure if she said “doing her head in” but clearly, that is what she meant.

Everyone on our table tried to comfort the offender and we all bonded together, to criticise the interloper. She did have a point however but I think that I would have moved to a distant table.

The show was about to start, so we all dashed off.

The tenors were really good and we will go to their next performance, in a couple of days.

Docked at about 7am and took the Shuttle Bus into town at around 9:30 – a 15 minute journey.

The town is not very big but has a long, picturesque main street, leading down to the sea front. 

There are two towns on the island, Praia and Angra de Heroismo, where there was a major battle, between the Spanish and Portuguese, in the 16th century.

We were with two friends and had decided to visit Angra first and then return to Praia – less chance of getting stranded and missing the ship.

After a bit of a walk, we found a taxi. The driver did not speak English or, surprisingly, Spanish but we managed to establish that the fare would be €25.

The weather was warm (19º) but overcast and we soon ran into quite dense fog, as we drove over the mountain (hill) in the centre of the island. We found that safety belts we not used much in this taxi. The ones in the back worked but I was sitting in the front and although mine seemed to have plugged in, it soon popped out and was abandoned.

The driver was a pleasant, middle aged man and using a bit of Spanish, English and gestures, he told us that he had been born in the island.

The journey to Angra took about 45 minutes and we were dropped off at the taxi rank in the town centre – so no problem in finding a taxi back.

The town was bigger than Praia but still with narrow streets and traditional buildings. We walked around for a couple of hours, looking at the castle, museum (unfortunately, closed), marina, botanical garden and finished with the 15th century Cathedral.

The Azores have had a few earthquakes over the centuries and the most recent, in 1980, destroyed the Cathedral but it had been rebuilt and reopened in 1985.

At about 1pm, we took a taxi back to Praia with a younger driver, who spoke a bit of English and some Spanish. He was also a native of the island with a long line of Azorian ancestors. He agreed to drive us back on the coast road which was very pretty and passed through some small villages. The journey seemed to be longer but the fare was only €25, as for the previous trip.

We had lunch at a cafe on the seafront, where they were serving “traditional” seafood.

The prawns in garlic we not too bad but the Limpets (Laps) were like chewing rubber bands. I expect they had to be tough to get as far as the mid Atlantic.

We visited some of the shops and strolled up the main street, to meet the bus.

The ship left at 5:30pm, for our, 6 day, voyage to the next stop – Port Canaveral, Florida.

Had a quick walk around the deck after breakfast but almost blown away and soaked. Found that only door was open was the one we had come through – the others were closed, due to the wind – so had to complete a full lap.

Trivia getting better but still some way to go. Found by accident that score can be improved by filling in more than one question sheet. Where a choice has to be made, each one has a different answer – we would, of course, never stoop to such levels.

Missed the Zumba but went to the dancing class.

Cha-cha again but a new and more complicated routine. There was some discussion about the progression of the steps but we managed to complete the class.

Met some friends in the Gin bar for pre-dinner drink. Tried their “taster selection” of three small samples. Bit strong and wobbled off to dinner. Not really keen on cocktails, so perhaps not bother in future.

Arrive at Praia da Vitoria on Terceira, in the Azores, tomorrow and plan to take an island tour.

Still grey and cold, so did not spend too much time outside.

Headed off to the morning Trivia, where our team scored higher than yesterday but still a few points behind the winners. Some silly mistakes, so will need to improve discipline and have a team talk before tomorrow’s event.

No Zumba class but it was replaced by Keep Fit. We managed to survive the full session and went on to Ballroom Dancing.

No problem with the cha-cha. Different starting steps this time and was able to slip in my forward left without opposition. We saw through the class with no arguments and completed the full routine – think this is a first.

Gala Night tonight, so put on our best frocks and set off for the Captain’s cocktail party. Joined the end of a long queue waiting to get in and after 15 minutes in line, I was seriously questioning just how much I would do for a free drink. Fortunately, we started to move forward and were greeted by the Captain and his senior officers. Most people rushed past and dashed towards the drinks. The waiters were overwhelmed and we had just about given up hope when a tray passed with a glass full of blue liquid. In desperation, I picked it up and found it was some sort of sweet soft drink – later told that it contained vodka. I left it on a nearby table and we went on to the dining room. I realised that the answer to my question was, in the words of Meatloaf – “I’ll do anything for drink but I won’t do that”.

After dinner we returned to the ballroom, where we sat with a Cornish couple, who we had met in the queue for the cocktail party. They had stayed on and managed to find enough drink to be a little worse for wear. 

Another day at sea tomorrow and hopefully, the weather will be better and we will be able to spend more time on deck.

Morning was cold and grey, so spent most of the day inside.

Had our first Trivia of the cruise but did not do too well. In our defence, it was quite hard – who would know the highest mountain in Vietnam, or Pol Pot’s real name. It seems that we have professionals aboard again, as someone knew the answers – looks like the Cunard T shirt is a long way off.

Moved on to the ballroom, where the Line Dancing class was in full swing, with some tights clad, slightly wizened, afficionadas, galloping furiously toward their last roundup.

Zumba came next and we decided to have a go, despite the fact that the instructor turned up dressed in shorts and T shirt, with a towel around his neck.

The class was good but as we were wearing in normal clothing, we dropped out as they moved on to the sweaty stuff. Probably try it again but will wear shorts and my Bjorn Borg sweatband.

Ballroom dancing class was next. The instructor was the same member of the entertainment staff who gave the classes in the first weeks of the last cruise. This time, he had a female partner, rather than the previous, snake hipped, male dancer – perhaps Cunard is becoming less Woke.
Think he is probably Polish and had quite a strong accent, very similar to the meerkat Sergei in the TV advertisement.

We started with the basic Waltz, which we have done many times before – Forward, Side, Close, Backward, Side, Close. The class begins with the men standing on one side of the ballroom and women on the other, with the instructor in the centre, demonstrating the steps – another change, as last time, we were referred to as “Leaders” and “Followers”, rather than “Men” and “Women”.

Each side tries the steps, before joining their partners and attempting to dance together.

That was where the problem began. I am not the most talented dancer but I can remember the rules – the man (leader😂) begins by stepping forward with his left foot, as the woman steps backward with her right. Some teachers emphasise this by saying “the woman is always right”. Unfortunately, my knowledge and leadership authority were called into question, as Lynne insisted and starting by stepping forward with her right foot.

We stayed on to practice the spin turn – no problem here – but decided to take an early lunch and resume tomorrow with the basic cha-cha. I have no idea which foot goes first here, so should not be a problem.

Had dinner in the specialty ($35 surcharge) Indian restaurant with friends we had made on our last cruise. The food was good and (unsurprisingly) the restaurant was empty. The Captain called at our table, to say hello but refused my offer to share an onion bahji.

We returned to our cabin, where there was an invitation to attend a cocktail party tomorrow – seems that our Gold status has benefits and can’t wait to see what riches our forthcoming upgrade to Platinum brings.

Spent yesterday wondering if I should have hired a car and driven to Southampton a day early, rather than taking the Cunard coach from Leeds. The snow was not moving and overnight temperatures were forecast to drop to minus 10.

Eventually, called the taxi company to ask them to pick up 15 minutes earlier.

6:30 am came around and the taxi tracking app said that the driver had arrived – but he was nowhere in sight. Fortunately, he had clicked his “arrival button” when he was approaching and turned up a couple of minutes later.

It was still well below zero and icy but the journey to the coach station went smoothly and we were here in half an hour, rather than the 75 minutes I had allowed.

The taxi driver was pleasant but his command of English was not great and not helped by his insistence on ending any statement with “init” (isn’t it?)

Despite having a bus pass, I have not used a bus for years and was unfamiliar with the layout and the area for coach pickups was not well signposted – until you knew where it was and then it was obvious. There was a Travel Advice office but that was closed. Gregg’s was open but there was a long queue, so I chose the adjacent newsagent’s for my enquiry. 

The attendant was a large, surly woman, who, if she had acting ambitions, could have made a good living playing “large surly woman” on TV, stage, or cinema. Her mumbled reply – my request for a repeat only made her more irate – indicated that my destination was through the door, at the side of her shop.

Just inside, there was a group of obvious “Cunarders” – all of a certain age, surrounded by baggage and discussing previous oceanic adventures.

The journey to Southampton was smooth and uneventful with two stops on the way. It took a total of six hours and we were deposited just outside the departure area. Boarding went smoothly, apart from two panics. We were told that we had to identify our luggage as it was taken off the coach but my suitcase was not there. It turned out that an over enthusiastic baggage handler had put it the conveyer before I got to it.

Check in started off well. The vaccination certificate was accepted without question but I was then asked for ESTA certificate for entry to the US. Of course, I had checked everything and we had valid certificates but previously, they showed up when the passport was scanned. On this occasion however, they wanted to see a physical copy. Quick thinking, as ever, I realised that I could download a copy to my phone and that would be sufficient. For some reason, the check in attendant was not impressed and neither was Lynne. Later, I had copied the travel documents to a memory stick but left it in my conveyor bound luggage.

No more mishaps and we were soon in the Cabin, then off to see the fireworks and on our way.