Norwaylady

So Santorini💙🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷 Welcome to Greece💙 This is the “postcard” from Greece. Everyone have this image on their mind when you ask. White houses, blue doors and windows…. We had meeting time in the theatre 07.15. the majority of the tours left early. Santorini is a tender port. Today they have 6 ships in port😳 So it’s a lot of people all over the island. Last visit we were the only ship in Santorini…. You can tell the difference in people and tour buses😝 Since we left on a tour by the ship, we were tendering to the industrial port. Our guide and bus was waiting for us there. The tender was 10.minutes. (This is not where you return) Unfortunately it’s a little hazy today. It’s because of the humidity. Still beautiful, but not the perf clear view. Our guide and driver took us strait to Akrotiri for the ruins. A local archaeological guide meet us at the museum. He took us around the ruins. The tour took 1h. We were first group on site. So we walked 2/3 of the ruins all by ourselves😁 Perfect! The local guide did an excellent job in explaining the ruins and what they had discovered and that the ruins still are worked on. After the ruins, we left for Oia. The bus ride took around 25.min. It’s traffic passing Fira. In Oia our guide walked the group up to the church. It’s 10.min walk uphill from the bus parking. It’s on uneven ground and stairs. You need to be a good walker all over Santorini. Lots of stairs and uneven ground. In Oia we had 1h 40.min free time. We walked to the famous blue dooms picture sites💙 They are very distinct for Greece and Santorini🇬🇷 The Queen did some shopping😁 A new 👒 hat and a t-shirt for Mr 🤴 We walked back to the bus, the guide gave out one-way tickets to the cable car and they took us to Fira. It’s around 15.minutes ride to the drop off point. The guide walked us up to the pedestrian part of Fira. It’s heavy hill up this part. (Our guide said early morning: you will climb Mt Everest twice during your stay in Santorini today😂😂She is very correct in this) When everyone had arrived uphill, the guide explained were to find the 🚠 cable car and that you need to except long lines today. 6 ships in port is heavy. And reminded everyone that last tender to the ship is 21.00 tonight. After this information, she thanked the group for being on time and tour officially finished. We walked a bit around. After some window shopping, we decided we needed something to eat. We ordered room service breakfast for 06.00-06.30. At 05.48 they knocked on the door😝😂 Lucky 🍀 me was awake💙 We had some yogurt and fruit. It’s to early for the Queen for a full breakfast🫶🏻 I went downstairs to collect coffee from Al Bacio at 06.10. It’s was still quiet down there, but I passed the buffet in the staircase on the way upstairs. It sounded full and lots of people walked around. So what to eat in Greece? Gyros😋 After a little rest and refuel off food, we were ready to walk further on. get the joke?

It will be mentioned🫶🏻 I don’t know if the team is new or if they just don’t cooperate well together.

As you see from the paperwork from last night, the letter for departure has arrived. It had no further information for b2b guests. I tried to ask one of the concierge’s on the captain’s club event if they will hold a b2b meeting. She said no. I asked if we needed to be off the ship before a designated time, if we wanted to go sightseeing. She didn’t know😳 So, I know that there are no issues for custom/b2b process as in the US/Can. So I assume we can go as we want? Hopefully we get one more letter, telling in clear ways when we need to be back onboard and how things will work. As mentioned, the concierge/captain’s club hostess group, is not near the Sil & Eclipse. They need to get into their zone🤓🫶🏻💪🏻

We are off on a tour🤓

Good Morning Santorini💙 6 ships in town🤯🤪😳🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪 MSC, NCL++++ Todays cruise compass and paperwork

So, the show was great. Cast did a excellent job⭐️⭐️⭐️ There were a pop-up show from yesterdays headline in the grand foyer. She’s a great singer. Fun and really a boost for the crowds⭐️🥳 Today’s dinner was the famous lobster night. I had the apple salad for starters and the Queen the crab cake. Both tasted excellent 👌🏻 For main we had lobster and filet mignon. OMG it tasted so good👌🏻⭐️👌🏻⭐️👌🏻 (seriously, BLU Chefs, you rock, this is the 3. Time I have AQ class and it’s always something on the menu they really nail👌🏻⭐️) Tonight was really this day⭐️ For dessert, we went for ice cream

It was a full house in Al Bacio after our little lunch break. We went down for coffee and it was packed. (Wind and lower😅) We did find a table and ordered☕️ They had lemon 🍋 tart, so I was sold for a little snack🍋😝 (it’s one of the few cakes/pastries onboard I really enjoy) After some coffee and the lemon tart, it was time to head upstairs. It’s evening chic tonight. It’s iBroadway production show tonight⭐️ The ladies are ready for a fun evening🥳

Our stateroom is a freezer. It was deadly cold when we arrived on the ship. We turned up the heat asap. We have turned the temperature up a bit over the days to max hot/varm, still freezing 🥶. Now the temperature is on max red/hot. But it’s still noticeable colder than outside in the corridors. It’s definitely not warmer than 17-18c. It was frosty 🥶 the first night and everything was ice cold. I don’t want a Finnish sauna, but it’s really not fun to be a stripped chicken either😝🥶 We need to do something about this…. The difference in ship/concierge is extremely noticeable from Sil. During our Easter 🐣 trip on Sil, the concierge team and captain’s club hostess was “all over the ship” On this sailing we haven’t heard a word/ no messages on the phone. All letters/invitation delivered has just cabin number. No personal sign/name as on Sil. I’m not sure 🤔 we’re I have this team…. (Let’s just say I was boxed into the not fitting the profile situation) So it was not into a good start🙄 So fingers crossed they make a better impression before I go home. We decided last minute to go for some lunch in the buffet. (We arrived when they were ready to close the lunch service) Lucky us, it was still some lobsters 🦞 and some Greek specialty left. Lemon rice.

So, I said something about family time in the north of Norway in the beginning of this adventure….. Since our oldest nephew had his confirmation party, he needed a present. The usual are cash is King 👑💵💵💵 (and believe me, the confirmation youth’s get a lot of it😜) But someone needs to give a gift that are something special and something to look forward to😌 (it’s all in the details⭐️⚓️) So we gave our nephew, uncle & aunt’s favourite activity for a holiday…….. A cruise on X by us to Greek Islands💙⚓️ So next summer, he will be sailing by us on a 7-night Infinity cruise from Athens🚢💙⚓️💙 He was so happy and ready to go!

I decided to go on the captain’s club senior officers party🍹 Live music 🎶 drinks, canapés the usual deal⭐️🙃 I’m not contagious, bite or dangerous😂😂😂 Please say hello or anything🤗 The senior officers were all introduced today🙂 Captain Kirk is lots of fun😂😂😂 (I didn’t attend his concert together by the orchestra last night in the lounge on deck 11. It’s to late for tired me😴😜😅)

So for today we turned the clock 1-h ahead to Greek/Turkish time. Ship is sleeping in today😴😴 We went for breakfast in Blu around 08.45 new time. Very quiet and empty. We had the usual coffee, Greek yoghurt, berries, a toasted bread containing avocado😌💙⭐️ Happy camper, all good! After breakfast the Queen wanted to have a lounger in the atrium pool. (A light gray sky and little windy today outside) So she went off for a lounger and I put on my wind jacket and training outfit. Time for my deck walk. The loungers were all empty and I was almost alone outside for a long time. When I was finishing my walking after 1.5h a few more people had found the way to the pool deck. I picked up my club soda and had a little chat by the crew before I went to my balcony for a little break💙👍🏻 Mast bar are very welcome and service minded. (They know I’m a big Club Soda drinker😂😂😂) Plans for today is as little or much as we want to do….. I’m considering the captain’s club senior officers party or maybe a movie outside? Who knows🤗

Today’s cruise compass and paperwork

After a coffee and a cookie, the Queen wanted a dip in the pool. So I sent her off to a lounger by the pool. I had a call to the cats and Mr Norwaylady❤️ They were very happy for a FaceTime call from me🥰 The cats were purring loudly, cuddling the phone and making biscuits while I spoke to Mr❤️ (don’t say my cats don’t care about me😂😂❤️) The house is still standing, Mr has not starved to death and he still have clean clothes in the wardrobe🙃😂👍🏻 I went out for some pool time after the call. Nice to lay down in the sun for a little while before the evening begins😎 At 17.45 we went upstairs to get ready. Sail out from Valletta is pretty⭐️ Tonight’s show is Lorraine Brown. Again, not a full theatre. Lots of toured out people😅🥱😴 Great show, good preforming from the orchestra and everyone happy🥳🤩 The bar staff in the theatre is very kind and friendly🥰 they know what we want and what our “regular” seating is. So very happy for them👍🏻 Dinner in Blu was good. Seating in same zone as every day. Good service from Alex and the rest of the crew. We had the fish cake and seafood salad for starters. Risotto and boullabassai for mains. For dessert we went for ice cream and the no-sugar cake. All was good in taste, but the risotto has a smoky chicken on top. Too much smoke for my taste.

We had a great tour together today👍🏻

Pictures from Medina

Al Bacio time❤️ Love my tower of ice tea❤️

We arrived on the cruise terminal around 9.00. We went straight to search for the guide. We arrived first😌 The rest of the group arrived straight after us. Total 6 guests. The tour was a private 4-h tour of Three Cities (Senglea, Cospicua, & Vittoriosa/Birgu) and Medina. We left for Medina first and then to Birgu. Guide was good and driver was the careful type. So great for us😉 We had a walking tour in Medina (see next post for pictures from Medina;) and in Birgu/Three Citys. Overall a good tour. Very compact, no cafe/ice cream/shopping. Perfect for a short but effective tour😉 Unfortunately we were dropped off in the cruise terminal. I was hoping they let us off at the upper barracks. The Queen had walked a lot on the tour and its uneven ground, stairs and hills. So she was not keen on walking back to the elevator from the cruise terminal to the lift to the upper barracks. It’s 500m each way. (I have visited several times, so no big problem for me… but it would be perfect for her to see it live;) The tender had changed into a more fitted tender for the operation👍🏻 So it was easy to get back on the ship. The Queen wanted coffee, so Al Bacio it is❤️

Ship was cleared 08.27 and the gangway opened. We left the ship asap. Guess what? No tender waiting….😝 So we went in line. 08.35 a motor sailer was trying to back up…. We 🤔🤔🤔 could this be the famous tender from local authorities? Oh, yes😳😜 This will be a fun day… (the senior officers crew didn’t look to happy) We were allowed on the first tender, it left 08.50. Hopefully our guide understands that we are arriving as fast as possible😇 We have a shared tour by someone from CC on the cruise. Fingers crossed for a great day😎

Good morning Malta! Oh, what do I spy from our balcony? It Reflection💙💙💙 She received the good parking spot today😌 We had breakfast in Blu💙 Nice window table, perfect for our docking operation. Gangway is not yet cleared, hopefully it’s ready soon. We have a shared tour 8.45 from the cruise terminal. But since we need to tender to the cruise terminal, this is taking longer time than a walk off.

Cruise compass Valletta, Malta

Tonight’s show is Star Factory The cast onboard are brand new. The tailors are onboard to fit the costumes to the new cast. (Shared a bench on the tender in VilleFranche by the main tailor🥰) Cast seems promising from their first show, Broken Strings👍🏻 Theatre was more filled tonight💙 Happy for the singers and dancers. Great performance from the acrobats and cast. Some gruff in some parts for vocals, but it will probably go away in the next few shows. It was a pop-up performance in grand foyer after the show. Shane from last night🥳 Now we are talking😁🍹🥂 The roof and vibe went 🔝 up🥳🥳 Dinner was very empty and relaxing in Blu. Service was good💙 We had the seafood ceviche, prosciutto and tuna. We had a surprise starter on our table…. The crab, but just clean, no crusting👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 My prayers was detected….. (I’m not a big fan of crusted seafood or other food. Can’t help it, it’s just not my cup of tea) It tasted excellent and really 📌 pins my taste and type of food I prefer💙😌 For dessert the Queen had apple pie and I had ice cream 🍨 As usual after dinner, it’s bedtime 🥱

The rest of the day was relaxing in the sun. Reading, sudoku, crossword and listen to the band. At 14.00 we took a quick walk to the buffet to collect some salad. At 16.00 we called it for the day outside. Captain’s Club welcome toast is at 17.15. So need a little time to get representative again after a day outside😂😂 We attended the captain’s club Party. Captain Kirk said some words. No presentation of senior officers, numbers of guests onboard or captain’s club members onboard. They served the captain’s club menu and canapés. Tonight’s plans are the production show and dinner.

Information received for Valletta, Malta. We are docking on the wrong side of the channel. So we must use local authorities tenders.

So today is the big day for invites & party😂🥳🥳 The galley tour was not my cup of tea today. So thank you for the invitation💙 maybe next time🙃 The Queen was occupied on the sun bed😎 She wanted to read a book and enjoy the sun. Temperature was perfect and a touch of breeze. I wanted a little break from the sun, so I went to the captain’s invitation 11.45. (Good opportunity to get a decent picture of the senior officers together) probably less crowded than the captain’s club event. The string duo was playing and they offered the usual drinks 🍹🥂🍸 Captain Kirk did welcome everyone at the door, together by the hotel manager, HR manager and cruise director Brittany. The 2 concierges was also present, greeting people welcome. Brittany started the show by a trivia giveaway. -2 bottles of bubbly and a red. -a signed ship model -dinner for two in Tuscan No line-up of senior officers, so no picture🙃

After a quick Clark Kent we were ready for breakfast in Blu💙 I didn’t expect the Queen to be ready at all😅 Greek yoghurt, some berries, grapefruit and some avocado 🥑 Very happy camper💙💙💙 Blu crew are 💙👍🏻⭐️ This is a sea day, so it’s a relaxing day😎 The Queen wanted some pool time, so off we went to a lounger. I have no big plans for today.